I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 515 - 283: Ambition, Intending to Possess Ten Million Daoist Soldiers_2

Chapter 515: Chapter 283: Ambition, Intending to Possess Ten Million Daoist Soldiers_2

Min State was now in hand, and Xiang Province had already been secured by a large margin. Before Xiang Province was completely conquered, Jiang Lu would be able to complete a series of preparations.

As for Gu Shanhai, he no longer interfered with these matters; after all, it was not his responsibility.

"Increasing productivity is essential," Gu Shanhai knew that insufficient production could trigger a series of unnecessary problems.

In Min State and Xiang Province, in order to promote a series of modern policies, a person with an iron fist was needed. It was unlikely that Zhan Yan would stay to work for Gu Shanhai; more likely, he would accompany Jiang Lu on military expeditions to serve as an assistant.

Within Liang State, there were very few who could compare with Zhan Yan. Li Yu’s son-in-law could be a future prospect, but for now, he was just a country bumpkin fresh to the city, currently being tutored by Li Hui.

"Forget it, let’s not worry about all that. Better to perfect the White Tiger," Gu Shanhai quickly cast aside issues such as the lack of talent and the difficulty in implementing policies.

For him, the best solution was simple: a large and solid fist.

As long as he was strong enough, he could just kill his way through; the defiant would have to hold back and earnestly do their work.

No need for appeasement or recruiting the wise by showing respect; primary emphasis was on violent methods.

His brain was for learning and research; how could it be wasted on dealing with the Evil Path? With enough strength, emotional intelligence could be completely discarded.

The experimentation progressed rapidly. Vast amounts of battlefield aura were constantly consumed by Gu Shanhai. The hardware of the Four Saints Beasts System was robust because it was a derivative of Gu Shanhai; otherwise, it would likely be overheated by now.

Indeed, so Gu Shanhai was the one emitting smoke, mainly for cooling purposes.

For a moment, the entire room was filled with mist, just as it had been during the Peach Festival in the Heavenly Court.

"Cough... Master, why is there such heavy fog in your house?" A female voice rang out.

"Oh, I’m cooling down. You two are newlyweds; why come to see me?" Gu Shanhai stopped his work, knowing the visitors were Li Hui and the new in-law Situ Jian. The couple didn’t seem awkward; instead, they appeared to be deeply in love, living together in affection.

"I’m here to bring my husband to class," Li Hui said respectfully.

After the fog dissipated, Gu Shanhai asked, somewhat surprised, "You’ve finished your foundational education?"

"Master, the husband you chose for me is naturally exceptionally talented," Li Hui unabashedly boasted.

"Are you praising me or your husband..." Gu Shanhai retorted.

"Greetings, Master," Situ Jian took the opportunity to pay his respects and then stealthily took glances at Gu Shanhai.

"I’ve been rather busy lately. How about this: come over for lessons in the morning. Skip the afternoon, but expect double the homework," Gu Shanhai was genuinely short on time.

However, nurturing talent was essential. Situ Jian seemed even more capable than Zhan Yan. If necessary, part of the Four Saints Beasts System could be allocated for online courses. After all, the system possessed intelligence, so teaching him shouldn’t be a major issue.

Li Hui’s pupils shrank, and she said with a trace of alarm in her voice, "Isn’t that a bit too much..."

"What’s wrong with that? What else is he going to do in the afternoon?" Gu Shanhai glared at Li Hui, who immediately winced. His authority was so great that not even her highly placed father dared to challenge him.

Homework was a psychological burden for the high-level officials in Liang State. Whether it was Jiang Lu, Liangzhou’s Lord, or Zhang He, who wielded significant military power, the mere mention of homework by Gu Shanhai still made their calves tremble.

"Maybe I could draw lots for him," Li Hui tentatively suggested, her heart aching for her husband. After all, she had experienced the consequences of not finishing homework—especially when she had just started learning from Gu Shanhai, her daily bleeding was more than it was for the whole year.

"You wish. As if your drawing would have any effect. You probably couldn’t even break the skin. If the lesson isn’t driven home deeply, how can one study well and strive for improvement every day?" Gu Shanhai flatly refused.

Situ Jian was puzzled; wasn’t punishment for incomplete homework quite normal? He wondered why his wife was making such a facial expression.

"Alright... okay then." In the end, Li Hui conceded. She had wanted to test whether Gu Shanhai would bend the rules for his grandstudent, but it seemed Gu Shanhai’s boundaries remained firm in this regard.

"Here, take the textbook and go back to preview it carefully, remember to take good notes and reflections. If you teach him well and he writes something that doesn’t satisfy me, both of you had better remember to bring an extra set of clothes tomorrow, and make sure to have your dad arrange a carriage to take you back home."

"It’s your first day of reporting, so I won’t assign any homework."

Gu Shanhai conveyed that he couldn’t assign any homework on the first day anyway.

"Oh, right, by the way, go to the back and pick up a test paper as a diagnostic exam, and hand it in tomorrow. I want to see what your foundation is like. If it’s inadequate, someone had better be prepared to have their punishment increased." Gu Shanhai said this to Situ Jian.

"So, um, teacher, tomorrow I need to help my dad..." Li Hui felt like she didn’t want to come tomorrow.

"No need to help. Even if Jiang Lu has something, I’ve already pushed it back for you." Gu Shanhai said with a nasty tone, implying that if she wanted to work, she had to pay the price, and as the saying goes, the couple must be united in heart; having come all this way, there was no way he would let Li Hui just run away.

"Alright, go back and do the preview."

Gu Shanhai waved his hand, signaling that they could get lost.

The two didn’t say anything either; they understood what Gu Shanhai meant and naturally left.

Situ Jian didn’t seem to mind, but Li Hui looked like an eggplant beaten by frost, withering away.

She muttered to herself, "If I had known, I wouldn’t have come. My dad should have tutored me for a while longer. Why do I have to be punished too?" among various other complaints.

Hearing this, Situ Jian felt a chill run up his spine; something didn’t seem quite right.

"Madam, you... seem a bit afraid of the teacher?" Situ Jian couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s not the teacher I’m afraid of, it’s the homework... not just me, my dad’s scared too." Li Hui said, and then added, "Both daddies are afraid, and so are Uncle Zhang, Uncle Cui, Uncle Wu, and even Uncle Zhan. They’re all scared."

"How scary can it be?" Situ Jian was even more confused.

"Don’t worry, you’ll understand when the teacher gives you three pounds of homework to cheer you up," Li Hui said indirectly; she didn’t want to demoralize Situ Jian.

Anyone who had been through it would understand that Liang State’s top brass had such abilities, and it was inseparable from Gu Shanhai’s teaching quality and methods.

Any poor student with a Chicago typewriter fixed on their forehead and a Gatling gun propped up behind them could improve their grades by leaps and bounds.

"Three pounds?" Situ Jian heard about homework being measured by weight for the first time: "What if you can’t finish it?"

"Can’t finish it? No big deal, just endure and it’ll pass," Li Hui said somberly.

She had not expected to still be subject to this treatment even after graduating.

Upon hearing this, Situ Jian became even more perplexed; he knew Li Hui didn’t want to say much, otherwise she wouldn’t beat around the bush.

’Guess I’ll ask dad when I get back.’ Situ Jian figured he might as well ask Li Yu. Maybe Li Hui wasn’t the right person to talk about it.

"I know you want to go back and ask your dad, but I advise you not to. Otherwise, he might just give you the cold shoulder," Li Hui saw right through Situ Jian’s thoughts.

If Situ Jian really went to ask, it would be no different from digging up Li Yu’s dark history.

This wasn’t just about asking Li Yu; it would be taboo to mention it to anyone, as no one would want the embarrassment of being punished by a teacher for not completing their homework to get out.

People wouldn’t care that your homework weighed several pounds; they would think there was something wrong with you, not the teacher.

It was the kind of embarrassment that could spoil one’s reputation big time.

"???" Situ Jian became even more puzzled; what was all this secrecy about? Could it be that Gu Shanhai would be sharing some extremely precious knowledge with them? Otherwise, why would they all be acting like this?