What Are You Staring At? Hand Over the Money!
Thus began another refreshing day at Canglan Academy, kicked off by Mu Yun Qi's screams.
Inside the Canglan Hall, Dean Ji Yuan Zhang sat in the seat of honor, endlessly swigging his liquor as always. He wasn't in his right mind, per usual. To his left sat Ji An Zhi, diligently licking her chopsticks. On his right was a bald man clutching a string of glossy metal prayer beads in one hand—the faint sheen suggested they weren't ordinary material.
And sprawled flat at the bald man's feet was Mu Yun Qi, in a truly pitiful state. His face was a battered mess, and fresh footprints dotted his body here and there. The bald man occasionally shot him a fierce glare.
Just then, a tantalizing aroma wafted in from somewhere.
Dean Ji's eyes snapped open. Ji An Zhi straightened up and gripped her chopsticks tightly.
Yeop Hyeon and Yeop Ryeong entered, each carrying a tray. Yeop Hyeon's held mouthwatering roasted chicken, perfectly crisped. Yeop Ryeong's featured a fresh blue fish that stirred the appetite.
The moment the Yeop siblings set down their trays, Dean Ji and Ji An Zhi lunged with their chopsticks!
Everyone—even the bald man, Mu Yun Qi, and the Yeop siblings—gaped in awe at their lightning-fast movements.
The dean's actions were downright gentlemanly compared to Ji An Zhi's. She attacked the food like a bandit horde, leaving only chicken bones and fish spines in seconds.
Finally snapping out of it, the bald man and Mu Yun Qi fumbled for their chopsticks and started eating.
The dean shouted at Ji An Zhi, “Eat slower, would ya?!”
She licked her chopsticks and eyed Yeop Hyeon. “Got more?”
“……”
The food skirmish ended lightly. The table's trays were scraped clean.
The bald man and Mu Yun Qi looked utterly deflated—they'd barely gotten a few bites.
The Yeop siblings exchanged grins. They'd anticipated this and eaten their fill while preparing the meal.
Then the dean spoke up. “New bald guy, introduce yourself.”
“Bai Ze. From Mang Mountain. Half-demon body.”
Bai Ze rose, cupping his fists toward the room. Of course, he spared Mu Yun Qi a sharp glare instead.
Mu Yun Qi pouted and shot an innocent glare at Yeop Hyeon.
“……”
The dean's finger pointed at Mu Yun Qi.
“Mu Yun Qi here. From the southern border town of Mokjin. Light Spirit Physique—specializes in speed-based martial arts. Wields staff and flying daggers.”
Flying daggers!
Yeop Hyeon glanced at Mu Yun Qi.
So you were holding out on me after all!
Mu Yun Qi pointed at Yeop Hyeon. “Dean, his turn.”
At the dean's nod, Yeop Hyeon introduced himself.
“Yeop Hyeon, of the Ye family in Qingcheng. Grand Sword Cultivator.”
Grand Sword Cultivator!
Ji An Zhi and Bai Ze's eyes turned to him, brimming with curiosity and doubt.
There were fewer than a handful of Grand Sword Cultivators across the entire Jiang Kingdom—and at such a young age? Unheard of!
“Yeop Hyeon…”
Mu Yun Qi shot up, staring. “You wouldn't be that trash they say Cangmu Academy kicked out, would you…”
“You're the trash!”
Yeop Ryeong yelled, furious.
“No more cooking for you, mister!”
Bai Ze nodded from the side. “Agreed.”
Mu Yun Qi slapped his twitching cheek with an awkward grin.
“Haha! Little sis! My bad, total slip of the tongue! Don't be mad—hear me out, yeah?”
He was on high alert. In Canglan Academy, only the Yeop siblings could cook. If they cut him off, he'd be grazing on grass.
Yeop Ryeong snorted and turned away.
The dean chimed in. “That's right. He's the infamous Yeop Hyeon of the Imperial City.”
Cangmu Academy's rumors had spread through the Imperial City, rocketing Yeop Hyeon's notoriety—in the worst way.
Mu Yun Qi stared holes through him, then shook his head. “Man, Cangmu's so damn arrogant—rejecting even you! Since when was their bar that high?”
Yeop Hyeon just smiled silently.
The dean spoke again. “Head to the back mountain for the Martial Hall—where old Canglan students studied. Check it out whenever you can. Might find something good.”
“Martial arts manuals? Or cultivation methods?” Mu Yun Qi asked eagerly.
The dean shook his head.
“Why?”
Mu Yun Qi blinked in disbelief. The dean replied flatly, “Sold 'em all for booze money.”
“……”
The dean stood. “The life-or-death duel between Canglan and Cangmu Academy—held every year and a half—is still a year and a half away. Hope your corpses don't end up hanging on Cang Mountain by then. And stay off the mountain base. If Cangmu students spot you, they'll harass you any way they can!”
With that, he shuffled out of Canglan Hall.
Ji An Zhi eyed Yeop Hyeon. “More food. Now.”
“……”
Half a shichen later, stuffed Ji An Zhi rose. “One tip: Cangmu has two absolute powerhouses. Fen Jue, a guy. Bei Chen, a girl. Not even twenty, but Soaring Realm—maybe even nearing Penetrating Nether. Only one young person in Jiang Kingdom can match them. You know who.”
They all did.
Who else but An Ranxiu!
“Below them, the Three Great Prodigies. Identities unknown, but each has special abilities. Rumor says they could hold off An Ranxiu together.”
Mu Yun Qi shot up his hand meekly. “Uh, can I just… pretend I never joined?”
“Sure, if you off yourself first!”
“Aigoo!”
Mu Yun Qi flopped on the table, sniffling. “That damn old man's totally duped me!”
Yeop Hyeon spoke. “Now that we're all here, something to discuss.”
All eyes turned to him.
“From my checks yesterday and today, Canglan's short on daily necessities. Rice, toilet paper, uh… and what else was it…”
“Aigoo, momma!”
Mu Yun Qi despaired, face-planting on the table with wails.
Yeop Hyeon pressed on. “Anyway, I'm heading to town for supplies, but short on cash. So, chip in a bit each! C'mon, pony up!”
“……”
No response from Ji An Zhi and the others. Yeop Hyeon sighed.
“Fine. From now on, every man for himself. Cool?”
Mu Yun Qi's face twitched.
Every man for himself? Means grass for dinner from here on?
Bai Ze pulled gold coins from his pouch. “Here. Twenty gold pieces.”
Yeop Hyeon took them and looked at Ji An Zhi. She stared blankly back, eyes unfocused. His head throbbed.
He waved her off. “Forget it. No money needed. Go do your thing.”
She left without a word.
Yeop Hyeon's gaze shifted to Mu Yun Qi, who mirrored her blank stare.
Yeop Hyeon slammed the table. “What are you staring at like an idiot! Give me money, money!”
“……”
Half a shichen later, Yeop Hyeon descended the mountain with Yeop Ryeong. Mu Yun Qi and Bai Ze tagged along.
Too many supplies to haul alone—he'd dragged them.
Yeop Ryeong bounced like it was a picnic, beaming.
Watching her, Yeop Hyeon's face held a trace of worry. The Fire Spirit currently suppressed her cold syndrome, but its effects would soon fade. He needed another way, fast.
He pulled out the black jade plaque An Ranxiu had given him.
Yangjie Mountain, Sword Lord's Cave…
“Gotta visit someday.”
He muttered to himself.
To his left, Mu Yun Qi sauntered with a doggrass stem in his mouth, humming some mysterious tune. To his right, Bai Ze walked silently, eyes on the ground. Seemed the quiet type.
Mu Yun Qi spoke up. “Hey, you two. Year and a half from now… confident?”
Yeop Hyeon clapped his shoulder lightly. “Scared of? Just do it!”
Mu Yun Qi thumbs-upped. “Talk about easy! But lose, and you're corpse bait on Cang Mountain!”
“Then? Kneel and kowtow at Cangmu's gate?”
“Sigh, that damn geezer fooled me—tears in my eyes!”
He turned to Bai Ze. “Yo, big guy! How'd you end up here?”
Yeop Hyeon eyed him too—curious why anyone would choose Canglan.
Bai Ze hesitated, then spoke. “Dean said my build's natural-born genius material. Plus, I'm a one-in-ten-thousand martial prodigy—Jiang Kingdom's peace rests on me.”
Yeop Hyeon and Mu Yun Qi halted. Mu Yun Qi cleared his throat. “You bought that?”
Bai Ze nodded at them. “Yeah.”
“……”
Yeop Hyeon shook his head at such simplicity.
Mu Yun Qi pitied him with his gaze.
Bai Ze countered, “Am I not?”
They exchanged looks and bolted down the mountain.
Bai Ze quietly stroked his bald head.