There was a silence that fell over students and teachers in the wake of his words, but it did not last longer than a couple of heartbeats. What followed were whisperings and not more than a few jeers and sn.i.g.g.e.rs. But those also were quickly ended as a voice rang out;"You vagabond! You disappear for almost thirty years and now you show up and want to take on a disciple?"
The voice came from Teacher Corne who growled loudly at the unkempt man, before leaping down into the stadium and taking large strides towards the man. The crowded students parted like the Red Sea for him, but the stranger seemed unperturbed.
"Big brother, there"s no need to make such a fuss," the man replied, scratching his scalp beneath the mess of hair. "I just thought it would be interesting, is all."
Big brother? The students eyes widened as they looked from Teacher Corne to the stranger and back again, before as one turning to stare at Jin Li, who continued to look at the man with narrowed eyes. The others would see this as disgust, not knowing that Jin Li was far more adept than they at seeing through to the heart of a person and he understood clearly that this person was very strong.
Sun on the other hand as an idol-worshipper, his eyes widened and sparkled brightly. Could this stranger be the legendary Corvus, the younger brother of the legendary Corne, who was said to have travelled with his older brother as a companion, while helping the older man improved his cultivation? While his exploits were not as impressive, he was no damsel in distress and fought many times side by side by the elder. Was he also a Teacher here?
"Jin Li," Sun whispered, excitedly, "to think that you have such luck as to attract such a Teacher!" For surely this was almost as good as being taught by Teacher Corne himself!
"Ah, what was that?" The unkempt man looked over at the tall, dark haired youth and the freckled faced boy beside him as if hearing the whispering from so far away. Indeed, he had. "I don"t want to teach the pretty boy, I was thinking of teaching you, the one with the wind root."
Heads once more turned from man to Jin Li... or rather to Sun by his side. The boy"s jaw was slack, his mouth open wide and he was pointing at himself as if in disbelief.
"To think you have such luck," Jin Li mimicked his room mate, pushing the blushing boy forward a step. "He"s all yours."
"B-b-but what about Jin Li?" Sun pouted, surely his best friend deserved to take a spot as a disciple as well.
Actually, many of the Teachers admittedly had thought the same thing, they had fought over the right to tap into his potential. However, Teacher Vane had not been one of them, claiming that Jin Li was too arrogant and untameable; sure he would absorb their lessons like a proverbial sponge, no one denied that he was self-disciplined and tempered his body like a blacksmith forging a sword of the highest quality, however he was flighty, disappearing for stretches of time, only fulfilling requests that seemed worth his time. Though Jin Li gave him the respect that his position demanded, he could not imagine the youth giving him his loyalty and trust.
"Let"s talk about this matter inside," Teacher Eridana said with a sigh, feeling that this matter should not be resolved in front of so many curious on lookers. She turned to her first disciple, who happened to be Bowyer now that the other had graduated school. "Bowyer, would you lead the outer school students back to their school and take care of them with the other senior disciples please. Pike, you are in charge of the same for the inner school students until this matter had been settled."
The two seniors accepted Teacher Eridana"s instructions, while she then spoke to the two brothers, before guiding Jin Li and Sun towards the lecturing hall.
Without the eyes and ears of the ma.s.ses, she then turned to Corvus, who yawned, before taking a seat at the rising stands half circling the lectern at the front of the cla.s.s. "Ah, this brings back memories," the unkempt man said as he stretched his arms lazily over the desk.
"What is this about, Corvus?" The woman demanded.
He pulled a pouting face, for which two lips just appeared in the ma.s.s of facial hair. "What, can"t a Teacher take on a student anymore without being questioned?"
"You"ve not been a Teacher here for thirty years!" Corne yelled loudly, banging a fist down upon the table.
"Teacher Vane, Corne is picking on me!" Corvus glanced over at the old man, who happened to have been his Teacher many hundreds of years ago. Teacher Vane simply sighed and threw up his hands over the one student he had never been able to temper, thus his reluctance to take on others with such a difficult and disobedient nature. Corvus sighed and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms about his chest with a slight smirk. "I"ve already spoke to the Headmaster. He had no reason to object to me resuming my position, nor would he object to me taking on a student."
"You...!" Corne was red faced, much unlike the strong, confident man that he usually projected. Clearly, this little brother of his was a bone of contention, but their relationship was not something two students ought to concern themselves about.
"Excuse me... sir," Young Sun squeaked, raising a hand tentatively in the air. "But why me?"
Corvus grinned, brightly. "Because you have the wind root! So do I, so it"s fate, don"t you think?"