Chapter 503
Chapter 503
'H-How is this possible? Did the sun rise in the west? Am I hallucinating? The world hasn't ended, so how could something so absurd happen? Eleven beggars trained for just one month, took the imperial examination, and passed? What kind of miracle is this? Is Shen Lang a man or a ghost? Or is he a monster? This world has gone mad!'
Just then, Shen Lang's voice rang out quietly.
"Shouldn't you all admit you've lost the bet? I won, which means you all have to eat ten pounds of shit."
Then, Shen Lang took out the written wager they had made. On it, the terms were written in black and white, clear as day, bearing the signatures and thumbprints of nearly a thousand men.
Hearing Shen Lang's words, the numerous local thugs were all stunned. When they had signed the wager, they never imagined Shen Lang could win. No, such a thing had been utterly impossible. But now that this miracle had actually happened, what were they to do? Were they really going to stay here and eat ten pounds of shit each? Of course not. They had to sneak away. Soon, the thugs who had signed and put their thumbprints on the document began to scatter and flee.
'If we had won, of course we wouldn't have let you off, Shen Lang. But since we lost, there's no way we're honoring the agreement! We're the kind of people who skip out on any debt. We've skipped out on brothel tabs, let alone a bet.'
"Where do you think you're going?"
Mu Yue asked coldly. Dozens of female warriors rushed forward, immediately blocking the two exits and preventing anyone from leaving. The thugs were furious.
"This has nothing to do with me. I never made any bet with that son-in-law Shen. I just came to watch."
"I just saw a crowd and came to see what was going on. What happened?"
"Move it. A good dog doesn't block the path, and that goes for bitches, too. Get out of my way, or I'll drop my pants right here."
The thugs and ruffians were capable of anything; they had no sense of shame. Mu Yue pointed a finger at one of the thugs and said coldly.
"Take them off. Right now!"
Mu Yue had a masculine appearance, but she was still a woman—a very handsome one with a stunning figure. The thug gave a lewd grin and actually started to take off his pants, shouting.
"There, pants are off. Anyone who dares block my path is going to reek of piss."
Mu Yue gave a cold command.
"Crush them."
In that instant, one of her female warriors, wearing gloves, grabbed the eggs hanging on the thug's lifeline and squeezed hard. The thug's face changed in a flash, turning deathly pale. The sheer agony was a hundred, no, a thousand times worse than childbirth.
"Aaargh!"
An utterly wretched scream pierced the clouds. Then, the thug collapsed to the ground, clutching his jewels and rolling around in agony. The pain was so intense he began to convulse. All the other thugs present felt their hair stand on end and instinctively flinched.
'Damn it! They actually crushed them. They used to just threaten to do it, but who knew they'd actually go through with it.'
Mu Yue said coldly.
"All you thugs who made a bet with the Young Master, stay right where you are. Anyone who dares to leave this spot will get theirs crushed immediately."
Instantly, everyone froze in fear.
'Dammit, that's terrifying.'
But the thugs still weren't worried.
'We signed and left our thumbprints that day, but we used fake names or nicknames. How are you going to remember us, Shen Lang? If I say I didn't sign, what are you going to do to me? Make me admit I lost the bet? In your dreams!'
But then, a terrifying scene unfolded before their eyes. Shen Lang began to pick out the people who had participated in the bet. Standing on high ground, he would point his finger at someone, and several female warriors would step forward and snatch the person out of the crowd.
"What are you doing? What are you doing? I never bet with Shen Lang. I didn't sign or leave a thumbprint!"
But Shen Lang immediately found the name the man had used and his thumbprint. The man was instantly dumbfounded.
'Is this possible? Shen Lang actually recognizes me? Does he have a photographic memory?'
Shen Lang pointed them out one by one, capturing every thug who had signed the bet that day. He didn't make a single mistake, nor did he miss a single person. Of course, Shen Lang remembered them all. He had a computer in his head; he had taken a mental photograph of everyone's face and stored it, ready to be recalled on screen whenever he needed.
The numerous thugs were utterly bewildered by the absurd situation.
'Do we really have to eat ten pounds of shit? We'll die. And we'll never be able to show our faces in public again.'
At that moment, someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
"He cheated! Shen Lang cheated!"
"That's right. Shen Lang's men must have cheated on the imperial examination. They must have!"
The cry immediately found widespread support. There were many in the crowd who had failed the literary examination. Until a moment ago, they had been annoyed just looking at the results list and watching the conflict between Shen Lang and the thugs. But now, looking at the list again, they still couldn't find their own names.
'How is this possible? I am a man of immense talent, and I wrote such excellent policy essays and poems this time. How could I have failed? And that Madman Lan is just a wandering beggar who has never even attended a proper academy in his life. How could he have taken first place? And the other ten beggars passed the military exam to become provincial graduates after only a month of martial arts training? How is that possible? They must have cheated. No, they did cheat!'
"The examination was unfair! Shen Lang cheated! He deserves divine punishment!"
As the failed candidates waved their arms and shouted, the thugs who had lost the bet were ecstatic. Worried that this wasn't enough of a commotion, they yelled even louder. Soon, the thousands gathered there were all shouting in unison.
"The imperial examination is unfair! There was cheating! Examiners, come out! Come out! Shen Lang cheated and must be punished!"
Dozens of failed candidates immediately approached Zhu Hongbing and said loudly.
"Young Master Zhu Hongbing, you were supposed to be first in this literary examination; everyone was expecting it. But because Shen Lang cheated, Madman Lan stole first place. This is clearly an unfair examination, isn't it? Young Master Zhu, we will help you find justice for this grievance."
"That's right, Young Master Zhu is the true first place. You are the grandson of the Grand Chancellor and call His Highness 'uncle'. Why would you tolerate such an injustice?"
"Let's go. Let's go seek justice together. We will stand with you, Young Master Zhu."
The failed candidates knew they were weak on their own, so they needed to find someone influential. Zhu Hongbing had just lost first place and was of noble birth, making him the most suitable person to lead the charge.
Zhu Hongbing was inwardly furious, believing there had to be a reason for this result. Otherwise, why would he have failed to get first place, while that beggar of all people did? However, as a disciple of a prestigious family, how could he allow himself to be used by these failed candidates?
"Everyone, I must be going."
Without another word, Zhu Hongbing left. The many candidates were greatly disappointed to see him go, but they were not about to let the matter drop. Some of them couldn't accept their failure, some simply wanted to vent their anger, and others just wanted to stir up a commotion that would shake the world. The numerous thugs, for their part, wanted to build momentum to avoid honoring the bet.
"Examiners, come out! Examiners, come out! If you don't come out right now, we'll smash the examination hall! Let's go to the Ministry of Rites, the Bureau of Military Affairs, the Secretariat, and file a complaint! There was definitely cheating!"
"Let's smash the examination hall! Let's go wail at the Sage's Temple!"
Incited by thousands of thugs, the many failed candidates instantly lost their reason and truly intended to storm the examination hall and destroy it. The situation finally spiraled out of control. Thousands of people had completely lost their minds.
*Crash! Crash! Crash!*
In an instant, the examination hall was being smashed to pieces, and a statue of a sage from inside was carried out.
"Kill Shen Lang! Kill Shen Lang!"
"Shen Lang is the source of this cheating! Let's beat him to death!"
A few thugs, wanting to cause a world-shaking commotion, shouted from within the crowd. Hearing their cries, a thousand or two people actually rushed toward Shen Lang, intending to kill him in the chaos. Half of them were failed candidates. They had long resented and envied Shen Lang.
'You were born the son of a commoner, so how did you get to marry into the Count of Xuanwu's estate and enjoy a life of wealth and glory? Why do we have to study so hard? You're a scholar, too, so how did you become a provincial graduate and even an official without ever taking the exam? And now you bring eleven beggars to lord it over us? Shen Lang, you bastard, having those eleven beggars take the imperial examination was an insult to us all. And now they've passed, while we've failed.'
The other half rushing at Shen Lang were the thugs who refused to admit they had lost the bet and wanted to escalate the chaos.
'Shen Lang, you son-in-law bastard! You dare tell us to eat shit? In your dreams! We'll beat you to death!'
"Shen Lang cheated! Beat him to death!"
Over a thousand people, armed with wooden clubs and stones, charged at Shen Lang.
"Protect the Young Master!"
Dozens of female warriors formed a circle, protecting Shen Lang in the center.
"Kick them down without mercy!"
The remaining dozens of female warriors kicked out fiercely.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
They didn't kick anywhere else—only at their lifelines. Whether they were thugs or failed students, the warriors kicked and burst their eggs without distinction. One after another, men went flying from their kicks, letting out the most wretched screams. Those who were kicked lightly clutched their jewels and rolled on the ground. Those kicked hard turned blue in the face, unable to bear the pain, and began to convulse.
Mu Yue said coldly.
"Who's next? Who else dares to approach?"
Just then, a thug lunged toward her, charging with such force that he seemed unstoppable. But Mu Yue, with a cold expression, kicked him squarely between the legs.
"Aargh!"
The man let out a short scream like a frog being stomped on, and then fell silent as a spray of crimson mist filled the air. Not only had his eggs burst, but his entire pelvis had been shattered.
"Who's next?"
Mu Yue and Hamno shouted. The people there didn't dare approach them again, only shouting from within the crowd. Over a thousand men, faced with hundreds of female warriors, couldn't bring themselves to take a single step forward, merely waving their arms and yelling.
"Shen Lang cheated! He deserves divine punishment!"
"Shen Lang cheated! He deserves divine punishment!"
"Let's go file a report! Let's go to the Central Military Command and tell them that not only did Shen Lang cheat, but he also openly beat people to death in the streets!"
"Let's go file a report!"
"Let's go wail at the Sage's Temple!"
Then, thousands of people left the examination hall, full of righteous fury. Some of them went to the Tian Yue Central Military Command to report that Shen Lang had cheated on the imperial examination and murdered people in the streets. The rest went to the Sage's Temple to wail.
In an instant, the entire capital was in an uproar, with cries to take down Shen Lang spreading everywhere.