Chapter 769: Paying Respect as Outer Disciples

Zu'an was bewildered. Jiang Luofu was also a disciple of that Libationer? He hadn't heard her mention it before. He recalled how deeply impressed he had been by her power back in Brightmoon City. To think that someone of her caliber was a disciple of the Libationer, and only ranked eighth, spoke volumes about the Libationer's unfathomable strength.

Jiang Luofu, as if waking from a dream, smiled at Zu'an and said, "Oh, didn't I tell you before?"

Zu'an was speechless.

Jiang Luofu looked a bit embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly, "Mainly, you never asked. It would have seemed like I was showing off my status if I just volunteered the information."

The short, stout man's eyes lit up. "Eighth Senior Sister, your rhetoric truly captures the essence of the School of Names! Why don't you join us? I could even yield my position to you and take second place myself. Of course, if you're willing, we could also become husband and wife and lead the School of Names together."

Jiang Luofu's reply was blunt: "Get lost!"

The short, stout man, Yin Shi, showed no anger. Instead, he grinned and said, "Eighth Senior Sister, that's not quite precise. In what direction should I roll?"

"Go back to where you came from," Jiang Luofu's eyelids twitched, clearly indicating her anger was rising rapidly.

"From where one comes to where one goes... Hmm, Eighth Senior Sister truly possesses great wisdom. You are indeed destined for the School of Names," Yin Shi remarked with emotion.

Zu'an let out a wry chuckle. "I finally understand why you were running earlier." This guy was argumentative by nature and stuck to you like a burr. Who could stand him?

Only then did Yin Shi notice Zu'an. "Oh, who is this fellow?" His gaze then fell on their clasped hands, and his mustache almost curled up to his eyes. "Well, well, Eighth Senior Sister has found herself a sweetheart! For years, none of us have seen you show any interest in men; we thought you were a virgin. Now, your fellow disciples can finally rest easy."

Jiang Luofu's face darkened, and she couldn't help but crack her knuckles, "You dead fatty, are you looking for a beating?"

Yin Shi quickly waved his hands. "A gentleman uses words, not fists. Fighting is quite uncivilized."

Jiang Luofu sneered, "I am a woman, not a gentleman."

"Fighting is strictly forbidden in the academy, especially for people of our standing. If we really fought, it would cause too much commotion, and we'd certainly be confined by the teachers. My temperament can't stand the boring, silent confinement room," Yin Shi said.

Jiang Luofu's expression shifted slightly; clearly, she also had lingering apprehension about the confinement room.

"How about this: I've been wrestling with a problem recently. If Eighth Senior Sister can answer it, I'll smoothly roll back to where I came from and stop bothering you," Yin Shi said with a cheerful grin.

Jiang Luofu's eyelids twitched. "Compared to debating with you, I think the confinement room would be more tolerable."

"It's not that exaggerated. Perhaps you'll quickly solve my dilemma," Yin Shi said hastily, fearing her refusal. "I've recently dedicated myself to a theory: 'The shadow of a flying bird never truly moves.' Eighth Senior Sister, do you find any merit in my research?"

Jiang Luofu's face was as still as water. "That's nonsense. Of course, a bird's shadow moves. Wherever the bird flies, its shadow naturally follows."

Zu'an let out a silent laugh. It seemed Jiang Luofu was truly exasperated by this guy; normally, she wouldn't use such vulgar language.

"Not so, not so," Yin Shi said, shaking his head proudly. "The bird's shadow doesn't move. The flying bird and its shadow are always at a certain point. New shadows are constantly forming, and old ones are constantly disappearing. This is what's called the illusion of a moving shadow."

Jiang Luofu's eyebrows twitched. She wanted to curse him with something like "What nonsense," but she knew that arguing with this guy would only put her at a disadvantage. So, she took a deep breath to compose herself. "Alright, what you said makes a lot of sense, and this research is very valuable. We'll be going now."

As she finished speaking, she pulled Zu'an, intending to leave, but Yin Shi stopped them. "Eighth Senior Sister, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Tell me what makes sense and what's valuable about it. I haven't quite figured out how to apply this theory in practice yet."

Jiang Luofu was dumbfounded.

Seeing that she was about to erupt, Zu'an quickly stepped forward to stop her, smiling at the short, stout man in front of them. "Brother, I also have a similar question I'd like to ask you."

Yin Shi's eyes lit up, and his spirits instantly lifted. "Please, young brother, do tell."

Jiang Luofu frowned, secretly transmitting a message, "Don't argue with this guy. You won't win."

Zu'an gave her a reassuring look, then continued, "At night, as you walk along a lake, with the bright moon overhead, you'll notice its reflection in the water seems to follow you. Are there countless reflections in the lake, or is there only one moon reflection that follows you?"

Yin Shi replied, "Of course, there's only one moon reflection. And according to my previous theory, the moon reflection doesn't even move."

Zu'an chuckled, "If there were only one, then wouldn't someone far away on the other side of the lake be unable to see a reflection? From their perspective, that moon reflection would surely be following them as well, and its position would be clearly different from what you see."

"Hmm? Interesting," Yin Shi stroked his mustache continually. "Then are there countless reflections?"

"If there are countless, then why can you only see one?" Zu'an asked.

"This..." Yin Shi was momentarily stumped.

The surrounding students immediately widened their eyes. Even Jiang Luofu looked incredulous; it was the first time in so many years she had seen Yin Shi stumped.

Seeing him deep in thought, Zu'an smiled faintly and pulled Jiang Luofu away.

Jiang Luofu's face flushed. This young man was quite bold. She had only grabbed his hand earlier because the situation was critical. Why was he holding her hand now, walking normally?

Yin Shi scratched his ears and cheeks. Seeing the two about to walk away, he couldn't hold back any longer and rushed in front of Zu'an. "Young man, then tell me, how many moon reflections are there? If you can't say, then you're deliberately playing a trick on me, and I won't let you off easily."

Jiang Luofu stepped forward, subtly shielding Zu'an behind her. "You dead fatty, who are you trying to scare?"

Yin Shi immediately put on a smiling face. "Eighth Senior Sister, please don't be offended. I'm just genuinely curious. I hope this young brother beside you can give me an answer, otherwise my heart feels like it's being clawed by a cat."

Zu'an patted Jiang Luofu's hand, signaling her to relax. Then he stepped forward and said, "According to Quantum Bayesianism, whether a reflection exists or not depends on whether someone is observing it. If there's only one person, there's one reflection. For however many people there are, there are that many reflections."

Yin Shi looked utterly bewildered. "Who is Quantum Bayes?"

Zu'an replied, "A great figure in the field of quantum theory. In the universe, certainty and uncertainty coexist. As for which state manifests, it depends on the observer..." He roughly explained some quantum theories he had seen online in his previous life.

Yin Shi initially listened with a frown, but soon a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes, and he muttered to himself, "So that's it, so that's it! Many long-standing doubts I had now seem to have a direction..." He shed his playful grin and respectfully performed a disciple's bow to Zu'an. "If one day I achieve enlightenment, it will surely be due to your guidance today, sir. Please accept my three bows." Having said that, he respectfully performed three bows.

The students who had been watching the spectacle nearby almost had their eyes pop out. What was happening? Teacher Yin Shi was a direct disciple of the Libationer, holding an extraordinary position in the academy, yet he was performing a disciple's bow to this young man?

The group of students began to whisper among themselves:"Who is this guy?""I don't know, just that he came with Teacher Jiang.""Could he be Teacher Jiang's recently accepted disciple?""Impossible, even Teacher Jiang can't out-debate Teacher Yin, so how could her disciple?""That's true. Could he be Teacher Jiang's lover?""Look, their hands are still clasped together! I didn't expect Teacher Jiang to have a taste for young men. The old cow eating tender grass, indeed.""Ah, I wish this tender grass of mine could be eaten by her too."

The surrounding gossip gradually reached Jiang Luofu's ears, but she was too shocked to be angry. Instead, she stared at Yin Shi, "Are you crazy? Bowing to someone so much younger than you as a disciple?"

Yin Shi replied calmly, "On the path of seeking knowledge, the capable come first. Why should one be constrained by age?" After saying that, he looked eagerly at Zu'an. "May I ask your name, sir? In the future, I hope to come often for your guidance."