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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Growth and the Private School
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After repelling Sun Jian's invasion, Jing Province began to gradually regain its stability.
Liu Biao, renowned as a scholar, rebuilt order in the province and solidified his position as its ruler.
By felling the Tiger of Jiangdong, who had Yuan Shu's backing, his name echoed not just across Jing Province but throughout the realm.
Drawn by his fame, countless refugees and talented individuals fled the chaos of the central plains and flocked to Jing Province.
Around that time, another storm of bloodshed was brewing in Chang'an.
Dong Zhuo, who had dethroned the Emperor and manipulated the court at will, fell to Lü Bu's spear.
Order seemed to be restored under Wang Yun, but the court soon fell into the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si, plunging it into even deeper turmoil.
Paradoxically, the greatest beneficiary of this chaos was none other than Liu Biao.
To secure the cooperation of the man who had brought remarkable progress to Jing Province since his arrival, Li Jue sent down a series of edicts in the court's name.
The results were astonishing.
Lord Chengwu, General Who Pacifies the South, Inspector of Jing Province.
These three layers of authority—titles of nobility, military rank, and governorship—all fell into Liu Biao's hands.
With legitimacy, military might, and a solid base of governance now in his grasp, Liu Biao rose from being a mere figurehead local official to a feudal lord rivaling Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao.
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Ex First Year (194 AD).
Baek had now turned twelve.
He was a head taller than his peers, with thick joints and broad shoulders that had developed early.
Beneath his sun-tanned skin, his arms and legs were solidly built, and his features, framed by neatly tied hair, stood out sharply from those of other children.
The maids whispered that Baek had an air of nobility about him, while the grown men said he seemed older than his age.
He acted as if he paid no mind to such praise, but inwardly, Baek felt a quiet pride.
After the Battle of Xiangyang, he had realized that in this hellish age of chaos, the only way to protect his mother and himself was to grow strong on his own. The results came from training whenever he could find the time.
But it wasn't accomplished through willpower alone.
Baek knew it.
This body of his was anything but ordinary.
Body proportions, joint flexibility, muscle responsiveness—judging by the sports science knowledge from his previous life, this physique was truly one chosen by heaven.
'No wonder... When I tried to save Liu Qi, the strength to shake off the adults wasn't just luck.'
In his past life, he had lived with a lifelong disability, but now it was different.
The moment he realized this, a thrill close to excitement surged through Baek's chest.
'To start training at this age when growth hormones and testosterone are surging... It's like a dream.'
But he reined in his emotions.
He had to guard against excessive excitement.
He knew how a child's body grew, when and how it developed, and at what stages to train without upsetting its balance.
'No rushing. Basics first. Step by step.'
Baek used the spare moments in his daily routine to train his body.
He loosened his joints with stretching, then used cloth strips as makeshift resistance bands to lightly strengthen the muscles around them.
For strength training, he focused on basics like push-ups, bodyweight squats, and pull-ups on tree branches, keeping it within safe limits.
Of course, exercise alone wasn't enough.
The key to muscle growth was nutrition—especially protein.
But meat was too precious.
Beef and pork only appeared at banquets for the great clans, and even a single chicken couldn't be slaughtered on a whim.
Beans were at least available, but they weren't sufficient.
'Soy protein has its limits.'
So Baek's choice was locusts.
A maid who saw him scouring fields and grass patches for locusts whispered,
"Baek's out catching locusts again."
A watching laborer shook his head.
"He's usually so steady, but his eyes go wild at the sight of locusts."
Baek ignored them, seriously chewing his roasted locusts.
To him, they were protein supplements and the fuel for his growth.
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"Young master, do it like this."
Even after Liu Biao's official residence was completed and they moved, Liu Qi still visited the Jin estate often.
That day too, in a familiar spot known only to them, Liu Qi was mimicking the movements Baek taught him.
It was an exercise Baek had persuaded the frail Liu Qi to start after much convincing, out of concern for his health.
Of course, as a commoner instructing a nobleman's son so casually felt burdensome.
But thanks to the bond from once saving his life, and spending time together over the years, they had grown close enough to laugh and chat without reserve.
"I told you to call me brother."
Liu Qi's face, following Baek's movements, had filled out noticeably compared to before.
His body looked much healthier, and his eyes sparkled with vitality.
"Oh come on, how could I call you brother? If others saw, they'd scold me."
"It's fine."
Of course, it wasn't.
'Our stations are different.'
But Liu Qi's deference wasn't feigned.
Unlike other noble sons who kept their distance from commoners or spoke arrogantly of status, he never did so—at least not with Baek and Duseon.
To Baek, his smiles and words rang with genuine sincerity.
"Oh, and speaking of which, I'm doing these exercises at your request. Now you should do what I've always said."
"W-Wait... you don't mean...?"
Liu Qi nodded quietly.
"You're at the age to attend private school now. Even your age-mate Zong goes, so why not you?"
Baek was at a loss for words.
Liu Qi surely knew how burdensome it was for a commoner to join the great clans' heirs.
But his tone and gaze held sincere expectation and trust.
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The private school lay south of Xiangyang, not far from the Jin estate at the foot of a hill.
Liu Biao had personally renovated the retreat of the erudite Pang Degong to create a study hall for the province's young nobles.
Baek arrived at dawn, dressed in clothes Duseon had ironed herself, his face somewhat stiff.
About a dozen young heirs were already seated on the floor.
They sat properly with books open, but half their gazes fixed on the newcomer.
The first to meet Baek's eyes was Liu Zong.
After his residence was completed, he had moved to Xiangyang with Liu Biao's kin, so unlike Liu Qi who stayed at the Jin estate, they had rarely crossed paths.
Their faces were familiar, but this was their first time speaking.
"So you've come too."
Liu Zong approached warmly, but his tone carried a subtle air of looking down.
Baek bowed his head.
"Yes, young master. I will not be a burden."
"No need. Father says you're literate and good with numbers. Everyone will soon accept you."
His words were kind, but the surrounding stares were not.
To Liu Zong's immediate right sat a sharp-eyed boy, chin in hand.
His gaze on Baek held open contempt, his lips curled in a sneer.
Gai Jun.
Eldest son of the Gai Clan, nephew of Gai Yue and son of Gai Liang.
Gai Liang, one of Jing Province's real power brokers, was mentioned alongside Cai Mao under Liu Biao.
As his son, Gai Jun commanded presence in the school.
Baek clicked his tongue inwardly.
'Well, a commoner isn't exactly welcome.'
The others reacted similarly.
Whispers or sidelong glances.
One stood out particularly.
Xi Jin.
Young head of the Xi Clan, one of Xiangyang's great families.
His father had died to a stray arrow while helping Liu Biao mop up bandit remnants.
With his uncle's aid, he had barely held the family together to reach his current seat.
He wasn't as overt as Gai Jun, but his gaze on Baek held a strange distance.
Moments later, the sliding door opened quietly, and Pang Degong appeared.
Advanced in years, yet his steps held grace, his eyes clear and firm.
As he entered, the children's postures straightened instantly.
Even before class began, all held their breath and bowed their heads.
Pang Degong sat silently, scanning each face.
When his gaze lingered on Baek, he unconsciously steadied his breath and met it.
It felt as if his inner thoughts were being read.
After a long look, Pang Degong moved on.
Soon, his low, refined voice filled the hall.
"We begin with the Book of Songs."
The quiet sound of books opening spread.
Paper rustling, brush strokes, and Pang Degong's steady recitation in between.
'It's been a while since something like this.'
The first day's mood was rough, but as class started, Baek's mind strangely settled.
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Days passed, and Baek grew accustomed to school life.
Each dawn, he washed his face with well water, dressed in Duseon's ironed clothes, and headed to the hall.
After classes, he invariably chopped or gathered firewood and tidied the courtyard.
Sunju chided him upon seeing this.
"Leave it and study even one more character."
But the Jin estate, once bustling with people, had fallen on harder times.
They could no longer afford to keep all the servants.
Sunju had married off marriageable maids with dowries despite their meager means and given male servants travel money to seek other homes.
Now, with just one servant left, household chores fell mostly to Duseon and Baek.
Short-handed as they were, Baek had initially resisted attending school.
Hearing this, Sunju had smiled brightly instead.
"It's a good thing. Learn as you said. Such chances don't come often."
Since then, Sunju prepared warm water and neatly laid out sun-dried bedding by Baek's return.
Duseon visited his room nightly to tidy books and refill the lamp oil.
Baek felt their care more deeply than anyone after school.
Of course, the other boys still looked down on him.
'I have to endure this. With Mother and Lady Sunju making such efforts...'
Finishing chores and reviewing lessons, Baek steeled himself.
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Baek tried his best not to stand out at school.
When class began, he silently opened his book and avoided volunteering, even for questions.
He just focused quietly on studying.
Yet the quieter he was, the bolder they grew, as if he were an easy target.
"Studying? You'd fit better selling goods at the market."
"Good with wood, huh? How much per load? Cheaper than our house's foreman, I bet?"
Gai Jun and a few great clan heirs openly mocked him, and one day they spilled ink on his seat or hid his brush.
The childish antics left him dumbfounded, but not angry.
'Over fifty years in my past life— no need to waste emotions on such trifles.'
Baek quietly cleaned up.