The two children were chasing each other around the courtyard, creating a lively and warm atmosphere, reminiscent of the good old days at the orphanage.
Xu Wan watched for a while before smiling and stopping them, saying, "Young Master Wei, Jincheng is telling the truth. His memory is excellent, which is why he’s made such rapid progress. If you don’t believe me, you can have him read a new book and recite it for you on the spot."
"I agree, I agree!" Wei Xinglu, who had been relentlessly chased, had no other choice but to comply.
Zong Jincheng snorted, his face filled with pride.
Wei Xinglu was led to the grand study. Before even entering, he saw the plaque at the entrance and read it aloud: "Marquis Manor Elite Class… What a strange plaque."
Shunzi, standing nearby, took the opportunity to explain the concept of the elite class. After hearing it, Wei Xinglu was first surprised, then shivered all over, saying, "This elite class sounds terrifying. How miserable must those who study here be?"
Shunzi’s lips twitched, thinking to himself, *You wouldn’t even qualify to join if you tried.*
In the entire capital—no, in all of Great Chu—there was only one place like this.
However, once Wei Xinglu stepped inside, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow, Jincheng, your study is enormous! It’s like a library in here!"
He wasn’t wrong. The grand study had indeed been built by the old Marquis Zong Zhao to resemble a library. Besides the first floor, which served as a classroom and housed over a thousand commonly used books, the second floor contained countless rare texts, paintings, and treasures, rivaling the collection of an ordinary academy’s library.
However, the two Zong brothers usually studied on the first floor, where the books were more than enough for them, so they rarely ventured to the second floor.
Zong Wenxiu, who had been studying, looked up in confusion at the sudden arrival of an outsider. He glanced at his mother and younger brother, only to see the little devil raise his head proudly and declare, "Pick any book you like here, and I’ll recite it for you on the spot."
Zong Wenxiu: "?" *Is my brother challenging someone to a recitation contest?*
He put down his brush, curious to see how this would unfold. When it came to reciting books, his brother was unbeatable.
Wei Xinglu began to seriously browse the shelves. Although he was also a bit of a troublemaker, his family was strict, so he had read quite a few books himself. He had studied the same texts that Jincheng and He Zheng had recited that day, which was why he knew just how terrifying the so-called "recitation ghost" was.
But what if it wasn’t a ghost? What if it really was Jincheng…
Wei Xinglu didn’t dare dwell on the thought and quickly continued searching the shelves. After some deliberation, he picked a less common and rarely tested medical text—*Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases*.
"Recite this one. I don’t need much—just ten pages within half an hour, and I’ll admit you’re not possessed by a ghost."
Zong Jincheng rolled his eyes at him, took the book, and began skimming through it at lightning speed.
Wei Xinglu continued to make sarcastic remarks, "Sure, take your time skimming through it first. There are probably plenty of difficult characters you don’t recognize."
Zong Jincheng ignored him, still reading intently without even sitting down.
Wei Xinglu sat down first, his eyes wandering around the grand study as he offered some friendly advice, "Why don’t you sit down to recite? I’ll give you half an hour."
Zong Jincheng still didn’t respond.
Feeling ignored, Wei Xinglu turned to Zong Wenxiu and asked, "Has Jincheng been studying with you recently?"
Zong Wenxiu nodded.
Wei Xinglu nodded knowingly, "No wonder he’s so protective of you. Studying together does create a strong bond, especially when you’re both in the same tough spot!"
Zong Wenxiu smiled but didn’t say anything.
Wei Xinglu continued rambling, "But don’t you think he’s been possessed? Reciting so many books in just three months? He’s not some reincarnated deity. How could he possibly be this good…"
Zong Wenxiu frowned, "Possessed?"
He glanced at his brother and then at Xu Wan, who had been quietly observing. It seemed he now understood why Wei Xinglu was here.
Zong Wenxiu explained earnestly, "You’ve misunderstood. Jincheng is still Jincheng. He’s just started applying himself. He enjoys studying now."
Wei Xinglu scoffed, "Come on, who in the world enjoys something as boring as studying? Especially Jincheng! He’d rather play soccer, race horses, or fight crickets than sit at home reading books!"
Zong Wenxiu replied, "But that’s exactly what he’s doing now."
Wei Xinglu: "..."
Fine, keep defending him. When Jincheng fails to recite the book, you’ll be just as desperate as I am to exorcise the ghost!
Wei Xinglu was still convinced that the two masters his family had hired weren’t skilled enough. If the Marquis Manor spent a fortune to find someone better, they’d surely succeed.
Wei Xinglu was already dreaming of the day his troublemaking buddy would return, and they could once again indulge in carefree fun, feasting, and living life to the fullest!
"Wake up, I’m done," Zong Jincheng shattered his daydream.
"What? Has it already been half an hour? That was fast!" Wei Xinglu exclaimed.
Zong Jincheng pointed at the teacup beside him, "The tea I poured for you is still scalding hot."
Wei Xinglu took a sip and immediately jumped up, "Pfft… Does your Marquis Manor serve tea hot enough to burn your tongue?!"
"Only yours, dummy," Zong Jincheng tossed the book back to him. "Listen carefully, I’m starting the recitation."
"Taiyang disease, whether already feverish or not yet feverish, must be accompanied by chills, body aches, nausea, and a tight pulse in both the yin and yang meridians. This is called cold damage…"
Wei Xinglu quickly flipped through the book as Zong Jincheng recited the first volume of the *Treatise on Cold Damage*. His heart pounded like a drum. How had he memorized the book so quickly? In this amount of time, he should’ve only been able to read it once!
"Photographic memory! Do you understand?!" Zong Jincheng’s triumphant voice echoed in his ears.
As Zong Jincheng flawlessly recited every word, Wei Xinglu felt like screaming a thousand curses.
Damn.
He really does have a photographic memory!
Wei Xinglu was filled with frustration. The feeling of being overtaken by his best friend in just three months was utterly miserable.
As he listened to the little devil recite, Wei Xinglu flipped through the book and noticed that all the difficult characters had been annotated with simpler phonetic equivalents. This meant that even if Zong Jincheng didn’t recognize a character, he could still read and memorize it using the phonetic guide.
Wei Xinglu was even more horrified. He flipped through the book and saw that all 50,000 characters of the first volume had been annotated by hand.
Damn, that’s an immense amount of work!
He suddenly remembered Shunzi’s explanation of the plaque when he first entered the study. Good heavens, was this really a classroom? It was nothing like the classrooms he had seen or imagined!
By then, Zong Jincheng had finished reciting all ten pages, looking at him with pride and confidence. "Well? Are you convinced now?"
Such speed in memorization was unparalleled in the entire world!
Even that arrogant Qin Ye, who thought he was better than everyone else, couldn’t match this!
Only he—only Zong Jincheng—could do this!
