That Fool! Digging His Own Grave!
Half an hour passed like that.
“That’s enough!”
Ji Yuan Zhang’s voice rang in their ears.
The dean appeared in the arena and gave a light nod toward An Ranxiu.
“Does the National Scholar care that much about that guy?”
The “guy” he referred to was Yeop Hyeon.
An Ranxiu smiled warmly.
“Yes.”
Ji Yuan Zhang eyed her suspiciously.
“Do you realize what you just said?”
“When he stood alone against thousands of Tang army soldiers, he earned the right to be my friend. And now, we are friends.”
“Friends?”
Ji Yuan Zhang let out a low exclamation. In the entire Jiang Kingdom, very few had the qualifications to be her friend.
Bam!
At that moment, with a loud crash, Mu Yun Qi’s figure was sent skidding back.
Yeop Hyeon pulled away from Mu Yun Qi and returned to An Ranxiu’s side. Mu Yun Qi, too, stared at Yeop Hyeon and An Ranxiu without making another move.
Ji Yuan Zhang’s gaze shifted to Mu Yun Qi.
“From now on, both of you are disciples of Canglan Academy!”
Yeop Hyeon and Mu Yun Qi were both stunned by his words.
“W-what? That guy is a Canglan Academy disciple!?”
Mu Yun Qi shouted in bewilderment, and Ji Yuan Zhang replied.
“What? Got a problem?”
“Old man, how many students does Canglan Academy even have?”
“Three, counting you. And soon another one’ll join, making four.”
“Four!?”
Mu Yun Qi stood there dumbfounded for a moment before turning to leave.
“Then this body of mine’s heading to Cangmu Academy!”
“Guess you don’t need the lower volume of the Horizontal Heaven Staff Method then?”
Mu Yun Qi froze on the spot. He turned back and asked Ji Yuan Zhang.
“Old man, an academy with only four students… what kind of future does a place like that even have?”
“Not my problem. You already signed the enrollment form for Canglan Academy, so even if you go to Cangmu, they won’t take you!”
Mu Yun Qi yelled in fury.
“You damn old coot! You tricked me!”
Ji Yuan Zhang glared back with bulging eyes.
“When did I trick you? You begged me first to let you enroll!”
“No way you can be this shameless! You told me there’s no real difference between Canglan and Cangmu!”
“There isn’t much difference? Both are in the Imperial City, both are academies—what’s so different?”
“This… this…”
Mu Yun Qi was so flabbergasted he nearly choked.
It’s the same? This is like heaven and earth!
If he’d been confident of winning, he would’ve swung his iron staff at Ji Yuan Zhang right then and there.
At that moment, Ji Yuan Zhang raised a finger, and a black scroll dropped right in front of Mu Yun Qi’s eyes. Mu Yun Qi’s eyes flashed as he snatched it up.
Ji Yuan Zhang’s finger then pointed to the mountain peak.
Mu Yun Qi hesitated. He stared at the scroll in his hand for a long while before letting out a deep sigh and trudging powerlessly toward the peak, as if being dragged along.
As he passed Yeop Hyeon, Mu Yun Qi whispered quietly.
“Once I master this Horizontal Heaven Staff Method, let’s go again.”
Yeop Hyeon chuckled lightly.
“Anytime!”
He never backed down from a fight.
Ji Yuan Zhang called out to Mu Yun Qi.
“Kid, in the Imperial City, it’s best to keep a low profile!”
“Hmph! Keep a low profile? Does a genius like me have to? Even without me bragging, is there anyone in this Imperial City better than me?”
At that point, Mu Yun Qi looked to the sky and boasted loudly.
“Everyone says An Ranxiu is Jiang Kingdom’s top genius, but now that I’m here, even the great An Ranxiu will have to run for the hills. Just wait a bit—I’ll go wring tears from An Ranxiu myself, so look forward to it!”
Yeop Hyeon’s expression twisted.
Ji Yuan Zhang, standing beside him, shook his head.
“That fool! Digging his own grave!”
As Mu Yun Qi looked puzzled, a white afterimage appeared behind him. His face paled, and he spun around, swinging the iron staff in his hand.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Mu Yun Qi’s body flew through the air in an instant. What followed was a scene too brutal to watch with eyes open.
In the silent mountains, only one man’s screams echoed endlessly.
Another hour passed. The screams faded, and a man lay on the ground, his face swollen black and blue. Naturally, it was Mu Yun Qi.
“Will you escort me a ways?”
At An Ranxiu’s question, Yeop Hyeon smiled lightly.
“Of course.”
As the two walked along the narrow mountain path, Mu Yun Qi’s furious shout erupted from behind them.
“W-wait! I’ll pay back this grudge for sure…”
“You idiot, that girl is An Ranxiu!”
Ji Yuan Zhang had appeared in front of Mu Yun Qi at some point and spoke.
Mu Yun Qi’s shout cut off abruptly. He slammed his own head into the ground.
Ji Yuan Zhang kicked Mu Yun Qi in the ribs.
“Stop playing dead and keep yapping, you punk! So what if it’s An Ranxiu? Who’s gonna make who cry?”
At Ji Yuan Zhang’s shout, Mu Yun Qi lay perfectly still, like he was actually dead.
Without another word, Ji Yuan Zhang grabbed one of Mu Yun Qi’s legs and dragged him deep into the mountains.
Meanwhile, An Ranxiu and Yeop Hyeon walked side by side along the mountain path.
“I never imagined you’d join Canglan Academy.”
Yeop Hyeon fell silent at An Ranxiu’s words.
He hadn’t expected it either. He could only console himself that life didn’t always go as planned.
At that moment, An Ranxiu stopped walking.
“I’ll be leaving Jiang Kingdom soon. I came today to say goodbye.”
“Why…?”
An Ranxiu took a step closer to him. Their faces were now so near their noses nearly touched. A sweet feminine fragrance teased Yeop Hyeon’s senses.
An Ranxiu looked straight into his eyes.
“Everyone underestimated you. Even I did at first. I don’t know how you’ve lived or what you’re hiding, but you give me a sense of danger.”
She gave a small laugh and shook her head.
“How many in Jiang Kingdom could make me feel this way? And the problem is, this isn’t just any ‘sense of danger.’”
Yeop Hyeon remained silent.
An Ranxiu turned and resumed walking, with Yeop Hyeon following. A moment later, she spoke again.
“Once I leave, there’ll be no one to keep you in check. With your straightforward nature, you might cause a lot of chaos in Jiang Kingdom.”
An Ranxiu spun around to face him.
“Just one request. After I’m gone, if you can, please look after Jiang Kingdom a little.”
Yeop Hyeon gave a wry smile.
“You’re overestimating me.”
An Ranxiu smiled faintly and pressed.
“I haven’t heard your answer yet.”
“Alright. As much as I’m able, I’ll lend my strength to Jiang Kingdom!”
“Do you know why I like you?”
She… likes me?
Yeop Hyeon’s mind went blank for a moment.
An Ranxiu realized her slip and quickly shut her mouth. Instead of explaining, she just gave an awkward smile and walked ahead.
Yeop Hyeon snapped out of it and hurried after her.
After walking in silence for a while, An Ranxiu stopped and pulled a black jade plaque from her bosom, handing it to Yeop Hyeon.
“This is…?”
“A faction operating near Yangjie City once found ruins there. They were left by a Sword Lord. After a month of effort, they found a way inside. This jade plaque is like a pass to enter those ruins. It’s useless to me, but as a sword cultivator, you might find something meaningful.
Plus, the ruins sit above a volcanic zone. If you can find something that generates heat, it could be a huge help for your sister. One caution: not just Jiang Kingdom experts, but masters from other countries might enter too, so be careful.”
After some thought, Yeop Hyeon accepted the jade plaque.
An Ranxiu smiled and said,
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
“Will we meet again?”
An Ranxiu paused and replied,
“I walk pretty fast…”
“Haha, just watch. I’ll catch up soon enough!”
An Ranxiu turned back to him.
“Then, do your best!”
With that, she vanished into the narrow mountain path.
Yeop Hyeon watched her retreating figure for a long time before opening his palm. In it lay the black jade plaque she’d just given him.
Two jade plaques!
Staring at the two plaques from An Ranxiu, Yeop Hyeon grinned like a fool.
In all his life, aside from his sister, few had treated him well. And even those who had, did so only to use his strength.
But An Ranxiu was different. The sincerity she’d shown him was something he’d never forget.
A moment later, Yeop Hyeon clutched the two jade plaques tightly and headed toward Canglan Academy. A smile never left his face.
A foolish smile. A little. No… a lot…