Yu Man's problem wasn't that big. It was just that Sister Qi's younger brother was also studying at the school. For some reason, he had taken a liking to Yu Man and started to pursue her.
"Then did you agree?" Ding Meng asked.
Yu Man smiled bitterly, "How could I agree?"
Ding Meng nodded. This group of people didn't look like good people. It was reasonable for Yu Man to not agree.
"But Lei Bao and the others have to charge a fee." Yu Man suddenly blurted out.
"Charge a fee?" Ding Meng was curious again, "What fee?"
Yu Man helplessly said, "Many students in the school, after they become origin ability users, they will look for this student to collect private fees. They say that it's better to impart cultivation experience, but the target of these fees are the students whose family conditions aren't that good …"
Ding Meng still couldn't understand, "The school doesn't care about them?"
Yu Man frowned, "The school can't do anything about it. This is voluntary. Besides, the paid service is also tacitly approved by the school. However, if anyone refuses, they will deal with that person …"
"This is completely a protection fee."
Ding Meng understood a little. To put it bluntly, that Sister Qi was using this to threaten Yu Man. No wonder she said that she had already taken care of him. It seemed that Sister Qi also thought of him as a new student at the school.
Yu Man sighed, "It's more or less a protection fee."
Ding Meng couldn't help but sigh. He always thought that this was only the case in the refugee camps, shelters, colonies, and Heijin Base. He didn't expect that unfairness also existed in normal society, "It seems that this Lei Bao is also a labor leader!"
Yu Man asked, "What kind of leader?"
"Nothing." Ding Meng quickly waved his hand, "Sister Man, let's go. It's important to listen to the class."
Unfairness didn't only exist among the students, but also among the teachers. In a dilapidated building on the west side of the teaching area, Ding Meng finally saw the so-called "classical swordsmanship" classroom. He couldn't believe his eyes. This two-story building was actually a "classroom"?
Yu Man's house was much better than this classroom.
"Are we in the wrong place?" Ding Meng asked suspiciously.
Yu Man said helplessly, "Classical swordsmanship is a very unpopular major. Not many people like it. It's because there aren't many students who want to learn it, so the resources provided by the school are very limited. It's already considered good this year."
"Alright." Ding Meng was also helpless. Since they were already here, they might as well go in.
The classroom seemed to be less than 500 square meters, which was similar to the training room of the Vast Martial Arts School. However, the facilities were far inferior to the Vast Martial Arts School. The broken windows were actually made of primitive glass, and several of them were broken. At the very least, there was no sound insulation.
There was a large empty space in the middle of the room that didn't even have a table or a chair. There was only a row of cotton mats that were used as seats. As for the podium … there was only a broken wooden table in front of the podium. It was comparable to the small table in the wooden house. The worst thing was that there wasn't even an optical computer. Ding Meng was really curious. How would a classical swordsmanship teacher teach?
In fact, this wasn't the most important thing. What made Ding Meng dumbfounded was that there were only six students sitting on the cotton mats in front of him. No matter how unpopular a subject was, it shouldn't be this unpopular, right? The number of students who came to listen to the class didn't even exceed two digits.
In fact, this couldn't be blamed on the school for being stingy. After all, this was an era where origin ability and technology coexisted. Even if it was the cold weapons on the battlefield, such as alloy blades, vibration blades, and serrated swords, which were developed by technology, they still had decent combat strength. Who would study classical swordsmanship after eating so much?
That couldn't be called a practical subject. It should be called a cultural subject. Thus, this class was called "Classical Swordsmanship Theory Class". The two words "theory" were the main point. As for the word "swordsmanship", please ignore it.
The teacher quickly walked in. He was an old man with a head full of white hair. His eyes were pale and weak, and his body was short and stooped. He walked with a limp, looking like he was suffering from a serious illness.
Yu Man had already told Ding Meng before. The teacher's name was Zhao Yue, a descendant of the Chinese. He was originally a soldier. Many years ago, he was seriously injured in the battle with the Devouring World on the frontlines and was infected with a highly toxic poison. Because he didn't receive timely treatment, most of the Origin Energy in his body had dissipated. Of the two legs that were amputated, only one of them was repaired. The other had to be replaced with an alloy prosthesis.
The military might have considered his outstanding military service, so after he retired, they arranged for him to return to his hometown on planet TT12 as a teacher at the Listin Academy. He could be considered to be enjoying his old age. The school also respected his dedication to the Empire. Even the principal respectfully addressed him as "Elder Zhao".
In fact, Elder Zhao had long lost interest in teaching. Over the years, there were fewer and fewer students who were willing to come to learn classical swordsmanship, causing him to be disheartened. Teaching had long been reduced from actual combat practice to theoretical lectures. Last week, there were only three students who came to listen, and he only spoke for ten minutes before the three students ran away.
Today was still not bad. There were actually eight students waiting for him in the classroom, which made him feel a lot better. Thus, when he went up to the podium, he seemed to be a little spirited.
"Since ancient times, the sword has been a gentleman among soldiers. Since the birth of mankind, the weapon we used was the sword. It can be said that the sword has a history of tens of thousands of years, and it hasn't been eliminated until now. This shows the value of its existence and its use in actual combat. It has washed away the smell of blood and left behind an elegant appearance, with agility and elegance as its priority …"
The five-minute opening lecture was indeed effective. Three students directly turned off their wristbands, simply got up and left.
However, Elder Zhao didn't care at all. He had seen this situation countless times, so he continued his lecture.
"Why can the sword play a role on the battlefield?
That is, your armor may be broken by the enemy, your guns may be out of ammunition, your aircraft may not have enough power, and your origin energy may not operate smoothly. But the sword won't. It is the most loyal and will always be by your side. As long as you need it, it will be at your disposal at any time … "
Another two students stood up and walked out of the classroom.
"The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly. The most dangerous thing is to be in close combat with the enemy. You don't have time to think. The only thing you can do is pick up a weapon and quickly meet the enemy. At this time, the most convenient and fastest weapon is your cold weapon …"
After all, the academy's ultimate goal was to train Origin Ability users. The students were also realistic. Seeing that they couldn't learn any practical skills, the last student turned off his wristband and sighed helplessly as he got up. At least this male student was very cultured. As he got up, he bowed. "Teacher Zhao, it's almost time for my next class. Thank you very much for your teaching. I'll take my leave first."
Now, only Ding Meng and Yu Man were left in the empty classroom. In fact, Yu Man was also drowsy from listening to the lecture, but seeing Ding Meng's overflowing interest, she didn't want to be a 'deserter', so she patiently continued to listen.
Of course, at this time, Elder Zhao was no longer in the mood to lecture. However, seeing Ding Meng's focused expression, he couldn't help but ask, "This student looks very unfamiliar. I've never seen you before. Are you a new student?"
Yu Man quickly stood up and explained, "Hello, Teacher Zhao. His name is Ding Meng. He's not a student of our academy. He's my cousin. He's here to listen to the lecture."
Someone who wasn't a student of the academy actually came to listen to the lecture? Elder Zhao's interest was piqued. "Student Ding, do you usually practice cold weapons?"
Ding Meng scratched his head in embarrassment. "Hello, Teacher Zhao. I usually practice with a sword."
Elder Zhao was even more curious. "Why would someone who likes to use a sword come here to listen to a swordsmanship lecture?"