Zhou Li had already lain down in bed, but he was still holding the ancient book, his phone placed beside him.

The lamp above his head cast a soft glow that perfectly illuminated him and the book, while the rest of the room remained mostly dim. This environment made him feel comfortable and reassured.

Huai Xu was different—he couldn't wait to turn on all the lights.

It was almost midnight, and Zhou Li was going to bed exceptionally late today.

Tuanzi still sat quietly by his side, diligently licking her little paws.

The pages of the ancient book were somewhat rough, unpleasant to the touch, and difficult to turn. They also emitted a faint, musty odor, and Zhou Li was reluctant to wet his fingers with saliva to help flip them.

So, he extended his finger toward Tuanzi.

"MEOW?"

Tuanzi paused her paw-licking, looking at him with confusion.

"Lick it for me too..."

"MEOW~~"

Tuanzi glanced at his finger, paused for a moment as if mulling it over, and then began to lick it earnestly.

But after only a couple of licks, he withdrew his finger, leaving her somewhat baffled. After pondering for a few seconds, she felt like she had been tricked.

RUSTLE...

Another page of the ancient book turned.

There was even content disparaging Master Ming.

The book contained a great deal of gossip about Master Ming, covering various aspects, some of which were even contradictory.

Zhou Li was speechless.

But he vaguely guessed the reason. Master Ming was human, the unique individual chosen by the Will of the World. Many had hoped he would shoulder his responsibilities and become humanity's main force against Demons. However, not only did he fail to do so, but he also sided with the Demons when the human emperor unilaterally tore up their treaty, thereby preventing a full-scale war. Eventually, he even turned into a Demon...

The Heavenly Masters of his time and later generations surely resented him. As time passed, did it become a sort of political correctness? Otherwise, considering Master Ming's power and status, who would dare concoct such stories about him?

Through Huai Xu, Zhou Li had some understanding of Master Ming.

He was an upright man with few material desires.

Perhaps "few material desires" wasn't entirely accurate. Master Ming had his own loves and pursuits, which were of a purer and more elevated nature. He wasn't interested in the base desires described in those trivial stories.

As he read, Zhou Li paused.

If one day I did something similar to Master Ming, would I also be deliberately slandered like this? Given the skills of modern keyboard warriors, they'd probably outdo the ancestors of the Jiang Family by a landslide, wouldn't they?

THUMP!

He closed the book.

Regardless, it was still quite an intriguing book. If it were ever published, I'd have to find a way to remove the parts about Master Ming.

He sighed.

Just as he was about to turn over to switch off the light, a glimpse from the corner of his eye caught Tuanzi sitting beside him, staring intently at him with what seemed like a pouting expression. Seeing that he had finally looked at her, Tuanzi, without a word, let out a little "AWOO!" and pounced on him, biting his hand.

The temper of a child is so adorable—if you don't notice I'm angry, I'll just keep being angry. Maybe I'll get over it, or get tired and fall asleep. But since you've noticed, then it can't be settled so easily.

「Monday afternoon.」

「Pottery class.」

Zhou Li, Brother Nan, and Huai Xu were sitting in the back row, fully engrossed in playing with clay.

This was their second pottery class.

Elective class teachers were pretty laid-back. Huai Xu had been caught crashing the class last session. There were exactly fifty students in the class, and during the first session, the teacher had prepared a small amount of clay for each, with exactly fifty potter's wheels available. However, Huai Xu, using his charm, managed to sweet-talk the teacher. He claimed he hadn't managed to enroll but really loved pottery. The teacher readily allowed him to join and even thoughtfully prepared an extra potter's wheel for him, which was very kind and considerate.

This time, the clay for the class wasn't provided by the teacher; Zhou Li had bought his own online.

It had to be said, playing with this clay felt completely different from ordinary mud.

Zhou Li, being quite dexterous, listened to the teacher explain technical points while diligently working. The clay on his wheel had already taken the shape of a vase.

Especially when compared to his classmates...

Like Brother Nan.

Brother Nan was also very engrossed, but due to her lack of skill, her final product was a disaster, with clay splattered all over her arms and the table.

But she was still very happy and serious about it.

"HEH HEH..."

"My bowl is almost..."

Just as Brother Nan's clay finally took shape and she was about to show off to Zhou Li, she turned her head and saw Zhou Li's exquisite vase. She silently stared at Zhou Li, her expression quickly turning solemn.

She craned her neck to look at Huai Xu. His pottery seemed even better than Zhou Li's? Damn it!

After watching them for a while, she took advantage of Zhou Li's momentary distraction to swipe his face, leaving a faint trail of clay.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Li touched his face.

"Oh, you wiped it off already?" Brother Nan asked. She found it amusing to see him smear the clay wider as he wiped but tried hard not to show it. Then she asked, "How did you get so good?"

"Just messing around," Zhou Li replied casually, glancing to the side. "Huai Xu's is even better."

"I've done this before," Huai Xu said proudly. "It's just that my skills got a bit rusty. My skills back then? Good enough to make a living just by doing this, even if it meant begging on the streets."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? People from our era had to know many skills just to survive," Huai Xu murmured, then changed the subject. "I'll make a big clay pot, one you can put over your heads. How about that? I'll make it all colorful. What colors do you like?"

"Can you make porcelain?" Zhou Li asked.

"I've never made that."

"I see..."

The terms "pottery" and "porcelain" are often used interchangeably within "ceramics," but they are distinct. Pottery is a craft found worldwide; many cultures, though isolated from one another, independently invented pottery long ago. Porcelain, however, is unique to China. The earliest Primitive Porcelain was discovered dating back to the Shang Dynasty. Porcelain technology gradually developed, with true porcelain emerging during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Therefore, when Huai Xu was still human, porcelain technology had not yet fully matured.

At that time, porcelain was quite precious, and someone of his lower social status likely wouldn't have had access to it.

"Class is almost over!"

The teacher's voice came from the podium: "Everyone, practice more when you get back. If you find it fun, you can buy a manual potter's wheel on Taobao. They're not expensive, and you can use it for a long time; it's like cultivating a hobby."

The teacher paused, then added, "At the end of the term, we will arrange a group firing. The finished pieces will be your final projects, and your grades will be based on them. So, take this seriously."

The classmates all responded in unison.

After class, they went to wash their hands.

Zhou Li glanced at Brother Nan's suppressed smile and her barely concealed anticipation, feeling somewhat speechless, and calmly washed his face.

"Oh, you knew?" Brother Nan seemed slightly surprised. "Didn't you wipe it off earlier?"

"I knew all along."

"Then why did you only wipe it off now?"

"Just to make you happy."

"HMM..."

Brother Nan's eyes darted back and forth. "Boring..."

She hadn't washed her hands yet and stood behind Zhou Li. Seeing that he had cleaned his face, she quickly stepped forward to smudge more clay on him again, giggling, "This is called taking liberties!"

Zhou Li was even more speechless and could only continue washing his face.

Fortunately, many classmates were still lined up behind him, and Brother Nan, who always knew her limits, let him off the hook for the time being. However, their playful interaction still left their classmates feeling rather envious and a bit uncomfortable.

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