《God of Dragon》


 Chapter 0

    The rain fell in torrents. The lightning accompanying the thunder clawed at the sky, cracking it open with one white flash after another.


    With dark clouds rolling and wild winds whistling, it seemed that this heavy rain was going to flood the whole world. What a doomsday scene!


    Inside the Lu Family¡¯s teahouse, Lu Xingkong, the head of the Lu Family, stood by a huge window. Solemnly staring out at the weird weather, he asked, ¡°When an honorable man is born, there will always be more wind and rain. Do you know how Lil Yu is now?¡±


    ¡°Father, she will be fine.¡± Lu Qingming comforted him and continued, ¡°We have made enough preparations. Qin Xiaoluo, who is responsible for delivering the princes of the imperial family, is the best midwife in the empire.¡±


    Lu Xingkong pointed at the two intertwined black and white light balls in the sky and said with a smile, ¡°This is the sign of two dragons frolicking with a pearl. For this baby to cause such great movement upon entering the world, he must be born exceptional! When he grows up, he will be capable of anything! My grandson is blessed with a promising future.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t be a lazy guy.¡± Lu Qingming teased him.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t dare.¡± Lu Xingkong¡¯s gaze became cold. With two streaks of terrifying cold light emanating from his eyes, he added, ¡°My Lu Family will never accept good-for-nothings.¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Above their heads, another thunderbolt with a long tail popped up, which hurt their eardrums and shook their bodies.


    If Lu Xingkong and Lu Qingming hadn¡¯t had their family¡¯s exclusive skill to keep them safe, the sudden thunderbolt that rushed at them might have already knocked them to the ground.


    Every beast in forests fell silent, and all the demons in the abyss bowed down.


    Suddenly, the stormy sky above their heads was speckled with stars. Like a silver chain, the Milky Way appeared through the tunnel from the end of time, extending all the way across the sky.


    Time and space were now in disorder. It was rude defiance against the laws of nature.


    Abruptly, the black and white light balls circling in the sky rushed down quickly and exploded on the Lu Family¡¯s roof. Then rays of golden brilliance shone over the world and disappeared in a flash.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    A baby¡¯s shrill cry came from the delivery room, and then there came Qin Xiaoluo¡¯s pleasantly surprised shout. ¡°The baby, the baby has come out¡­ Ahh!¡±


    Lu Xingkong looked delighted. But before he could fully enjoy the birth of his grandchild, he heard a sharp cry. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and check,¡± Lu Qingming said out loud while striding toward the delivery room.


    ¡­


    ¡°How is it going?¡± Lu Xingkong asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°The baby looks as dark as coal. He hasn¡¯t been able to open his eyes so far and can see nothing. Blood keeps oozing out from his eyes, nose, and mouth. What¡¯s worse, his heartbeat is extremely feeble. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± With tears welling up in his eyes, Lu Qingming could not finish his words.


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    Lu Xingkong slammed his hand down on the long table in front of him and nearly smashed to pieces the 1,000-year-old rosewood table made by famous artisans.


    ¡°The vicious Heavens have insulted my Lu Family to the extreme,¡± he exclaimed.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Lu Qingming called out.


    With his eyes closed, Lu Xingkong remained silent for a long time. In a low voice, he asked, ¡°I heard that a maidservant gave birth to a daughter today. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was Lil Yu¡¯s maid¡­¡± Lu Qingming¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. With a look of astonishment, he said, ¡°Father, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Change the two babies,¡± ordered Lu Xingkong.


    ¡°Father, but he is the Lu Family¡¯s descendant, your grandson¡­¡± Lu Qingming pleaded.


    ¡°I said that the Lu Family would never tolerate any useless person.¡± Lu Xingkong shouted sternly, ¡°Do you want the outside world to know that the Lu Family has a deformed baby? Do you want them to know that my grandson, your son, was struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°But Lil Yu, she¡­¡± Lu Qingming still wanted to say something.


    ¡°She must be tired and needs a good rest.¡± Lu Xingkong greatly lowered his voice. ¡°Go to keep her company.¡±


    Bowing his head, Lu Qingming plodded toward the outside. His spine was bent, and it looked that this tall man was weighed down by the harsh reality.


    ¡°She is called Lu Qiji,¡± Lu Xingkong declared loudly.


    ¡°What?¡± Lu Qingming asked.


    ¡°The girl should be called Lu Qiji, the name that I initially prepared for your son.¡± Lu Xingkong said, ¡°Have her go to accept praise and glory early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Lu Qingming said hoarsely.


    He knew that his father¡¯s decision was final. Nothing could be done to change it.


    His son¡­


    No, he never had a son.


    His daughter was named Lu Qiji.

 Chapter 1 - The Teenager Muyang!

    Some people said that Li Muyang was a good-for-nothing.


    This made Li Muyang¡¯s extremely angry, and he thought, ¡°It should have been a family secret. How could it be leaked out and known to the world?¡±


    Warm breezes were caressing people¡¯s cheeks. Red flowers and green grass were everywhere.


    In twos and threes, young people were running, jumping, and playing wrestling games in the grass. Merrily, they sang. Gracefully, they danced. The whole place rang with cheers and laughter. They all had a wonderful time.


    The Liberal Arts Exam was approaching. To enter the famous universities of their dreams, each of these students had to remain on their toes.


    The Liberal Arts Exam was one month and seven days away. The school organized a lake tour for these students to relax, expecting them to make a final sprint later on in the very best of spirits and succeed in the exam.


    At the edge of a corner of Sunset Lake, a dark-skinned teenager lying among the grass was deep asleep.


    Even when he was asleep, his face was still very mobile. He looked delighted and then shy. After that, he seemed hesitant and ashamed¡­


    One month ago, in the Festooned Restaurant of the imperial capital, he was enjoying the ¡°eight-treasure wild duck¡± with Xu Shirui, Class Nine¡¯s long-legged beauty. They had a very interesting chat. Half a month ago, Zhang Xinqi, Class Three¡¯s classy goddess, invited him to study and prepare for the Liberal Arts Exam. Of course, he agreed. Just now, Cui Xiaoxin, who was a straight-A student from Class One, stopped him, asking him to go and see the ¡°Great Qin Empire¡± acted by a famous opera family. He said that he had to think about it first. But in fact, he had already agreed in his heart.


    However, Li Muyang wanted to enjoy life with only one girl, definitely not a flock of them.


    Thus, all of these romantic invitations troubled him quite a lot. Li Muyang didn¡¯t want to be a playboy.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    A sharp metallic sound rang out.


    Someone kicked a used iron drum into the lake. ¡°Plop! Plop!¡± It sank after rocking on the surface of the lake a few times.


    Li Muyang abruptly opened his eyes and looked blankly at the several classmates standing in front of him.


    ¡°Li Muyang, I think you should not be called Li Muyang. Would it be more appropriate if you are named Li Dead-pig? You sleep in class, after class, and even during the tour. You can sleep better than a pig, can¡¯t you?¡± With a mocking look, a handsome young man teased him. And to attract the attention of the classmates around them, he intentionally raised his voice.


    ¡°Zhang Chen, don¡¯t insult the pig, okay? Although lazy pigs are only busy eating and sleeping all day, they look at least quite adorkable with their fat and white appearances. But look at Li Muyang. He is dark and thin, like a piece of burnt coal. How can he be compared to a pig?¡± said the burly Yang Jun. His voice dripping with sarcasm brought more jeers for Li Muyang.


    ¡°Li Muyang, aren¡¯t you fishing?¡± said a chubby fellow. He lifted a shoddy fishing rod made of bamboo that was set up by the lake and continued with a smile, ¡°An empty bucket. It looks you got nothing. What a pity! Just now, we said that Li Muyang would have a good harvest, for he had been fishing all afternoon, and an all-fish feast was waiting for us tonight. However, you¡¯ve disappointed everyone.¡±


    Li Muyang rubbed his eyes and secretly wiped the saliva from the corners of his mouth with his sleeves.


    After seeing him do this, those students around him laughed much more excitedly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Muyang looked puzzled. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, we just came here to see how you have slept.¡± Zhang Chen, touching his long fringe, looked down at Li Muyang, who was sitting in the grass, and asked, ¡°Did you sleep well today?¡±


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Li Muyang nodded and answered frankly. It was indeed a sound sleep. But he felt quite anxious, for he hadn¡¯t yet decided whether he would go to see the drama with Cui Xiaoxin or not.


    ¡°What did you dream about?¡± asked Zhang Chen.


    Li Muyang¡¯s black face instantly turned red. Lowering his head, he replied timidly, ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡± Feeling slightly amused, Zhang Chen encouraged him. To him, it was a cat-and-mouse game that they played often. They were the cat, while Li Muyang was their designated mouse. He then added, ¡°Relax. We will not laugh at you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± Again, Li Muyang shook his head.


    ¡°Did you dream of our beauty, Cui Xiaoxin?¡± Zhang Chen asked.


    Behind the crowd, a beautiful girl in a white dress with shoulder-length hair raised her eyebrows slightly. Apparently, she didn¡¯t want to become the next topic of their argument.


    Li Muyang looked thoughtfully at Zhang Chen and exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re immature.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zhang Chen¡¯s eyes widened suddenly. He couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Is he out of his mind?¡± Zhang Chen thought to himself.


    Li Muyang, who had dark skin, was regarded as a freak in their class. Since he looked like a piece of charcoal, everyone liked to call him ¡°Coal¡± or ¡°Black.¡±


    Li Muyang was so fond of sleeping that he was asleep whenever he was in class, out of class, or on a trip outside. Hence, they gave him another nickname: Sleeping God.


    Because of his remarkable dark skin and everlasting sleep, Li Muyang became a celebrity in the school. Everyone who saw him would say, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the Coal of our school,¡± or ¡°He is especially good at sleeping. He could sleep from the first class to the fourth class in the morning. The teacher failed to wake him up even after she broke her pointer.¡±


    Li Muyang was the mascot of his class, a rare clown.


    When they were happy, they made fun of him, but when in a bad mood, they would bully him.


    Today, Zhang Chen felt bad because Cui Xiaoxin refused him after he secretly expressed his love to her. After the Liberal Arts Exam in one month, all the students would go their separate ways. If he could not make Cui Xiaoxin his girlfriend now, he was afraid that he could only helplessly watch this girl, who was as delicate as a flower, disappear from his life forever with the wind.


    The more Zhang Chen thought about it, the more he felt frustrated. He was anxious to do something to vent his anger. Then he happened to see Li Muyang, who was lying in a corner, sleeping like a baby.


    But it now appeared that even this little mouse dared to fight back and laugh at him. Things like this had never happened before.


    ¡°You¡¯re immature,¡± Li Muyang repeated what he said just now. Although there were only two words, they were amazingly destructive.


    Zhang Chen¡¯s face became somber. Looking fiercely at Li Muyang, he asked, stressing each word, ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    Li Muyang rubbed his hair, which was messed up due to sleeping, and said, ¡°You throw these threatening words at me in such a casual manner. Well, I have a question. People come and go from hell in great numbers. How many of them were sent there by you?¡±


    ¡°Beat him!¡±


    Zhang Chen roared and rushed at Li Muyang first.


    Zhang Chen, whose eyes were as bright as stars, was tall and well built. In addition, he had a robust and sturdy body from playing polo and football regularly. In an overbearing manner, he ran vigorously like a tiger. It seemed that he could instantly knock the thin and dark Li Muyang, who looked quite shrunken, into the air.


    Actually, they all thought so.


    At this moment, Li Muyang was like a small boat tossing on the sea, or a lamb trembling before the tiger king. Merely a violent wave of the sea or a pouncing motion of the tiger could frighten him out of his wits and cause him to perish on the spot.


    Li Muyang stood still. He seemed to be scared silly.


    In the whites of his eyes, close and numerous blood streaks started to sprawl in all directions around his ink-black pupils.


    At first, they were tiny and light, almost invisible to the naked eye. However, when these streaks soon connected and formed a more extensive stretch of redness, they appeared clearer and scarier.


    At first glance, his pupils seemed to be wrapped by red ink. The pitch-black pupils were like the spots on the sun in the sky. Around the pupils, there was a large swath of red blood rising and falling.


    Meanwhile, a thin scale that looked like a transparent fish scale grew out of Li Muyang¡¯s clenched fist. Gleaming purple, it turned the small area of black skin on Li Muyang¡¯s fist purplish red.


    Li Muyang¡¯s heart pounded violently in anger, as if he desperately needed to release his frustrations and he had some great pent-up grievances that he could not tell others.


    Zhang Chen ran up close and brutally punched Li Muyang in the face.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Li Muyang reached out to stop him.


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    Someone cried out, and some closed their eyes in fear.


    How could Li Muyang¡¯s thin arms and legs block Zhang Chen¡¯s fists and arms of steel?


    A smug smile emerged on Zhang Chen¡¯s face. With intense contempt, he looked at the disgusting black face that was very close to him.


    ¡°How dare this poor little mouse play against the cat?¡± Zhang Chen said in his heart.


    The moment their fists touched, the smile on Zhang Chen¡¯s face froze, and then he felt a surge of mighty force toward his fist.


    It was a force that he could not stand. Zhang Chen was defenseless against it.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Zhang Chen was knocked up high into the sky and then landed heavily in the distant grass.


    The place was utterly silent, except for the slightly swaying willow in the distance and the ignorant calls of insects.


    Li Muyang punched Zhang Chen up into the air!

 Chapter 2 - Thousands of Carps Present Themselves before a Dragon!

    This scene happened so quickly that the others barely had any time to react.


    When Zhang Chen was charging toward Li Muyang, his two friends around him also launched their attacks.


    They prepared to form an elliptical encirclement from three directions to besiege Li Muyang, even though they felt that Zhang Chen could easily defeat Li Muyang on his own. However, wouldn¡¯t Zhang Chen look very brutal and violent if he beat Li Muyang alone? That would not help to maintain Zhang Chen¡¯s image as the Prince Charming of their school.


    Well, if the three of them fought together, they would appear more imposing. Besides, people would think they were quite loyal to each other.


    However, when they just ran halfway up to him, Li Muyang had already sent Zhang Chen into the air. The sudden change left them in a flurry.


    They planned to dash at Li Muyang in a straight line. But their route of charging abruptly became a huge wave¡ªthey detoured around him and then looked at his back in a daze from a distance.


    ¡°What happened?¡± they asked. Since they were busy running just now, they had no time to see everything clearly.


    Puzzled, Li Muyang looked at his fist closely.


    What exactly had happened? Why would he become so furious and angry all of a sudden?


    Tolerating everything as best as he could was one of Li Muyang¡¯s previous principles. He was happy to play the part of the bullied mouse so long as the people who played the cat didn¡¯t go too far to trash him. Only by following such a principle could Li Muyang minimize the injuries that others brought him. What else could he do? He could not defeat them, after all.


    But how could Li Muyang, who was very weak, physically knock Zhang Chen into the air with one punch?


    In fact, Li Muyang hadn¡¯t yet exerted much of his strength. How he wished Zhang Chen could stand up at this time! Then, he could punch him again to see what precisely had happened.


    Zhang Chen moaned. With difficulty, he raised himself from the ground.


    Now, he looked at Li Muyang with some surprise and a lot of fear.


    The sudden burst of Li Muyang¡¯s power greatly surprised him. Zhang Chen thought, ¡°How could he have such amazing strength?


    ¡°Li Muyang hid his strength before, pretending to be weak and making me take him lightly. I hate such kind of people the most!¡±


    ¡°Rustle¡­¡±


    ¡°Rustle¡­¡±


    ¡°Rustle¡­¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s feet trod through the grass and moved up to Zhang Chen step by step.


    ¡°Do you want to attract Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s attention?¡± Li Muyang asked out loud.


    This time, it was his turn to look down upon Zhang Chen, and Li Muyang felt great! As a result of this, even his black face looked much better, and he became a lot like Gu Tianle, a super idol of the empire.


    Like a grass carp that accidentally jumped onto the shore and was dying of thirst, Zhang Chen opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    His love for Cui Xiaoxin was not a secret in their class. Besides, as the captain of the school football team, he was a celebrity in his school. Thus, this news was widely spread throughout the school.


    Zhang Chen didn¡¯t look back, but he knew that Cui Xiaoxin was standing behind the crowd. She always liked to stand at the very back of the crowd and keep a certain distance from everyone.


    But could he give a negative answer to Li Muyang¡¯s question? No, he could not.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done it wrong.¡± With a look of regret on his face, Li Muyang looked at Zhang Chen. While shaking his head slightly, he sighed and continued, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin is the kind of girl who is smart, reserved, and proud. The man she likes must be refined, cultured, and capable of controlling others. Do you think that teasing and bullying me from time to time can make you a powerful and brilliant guy in her eyes?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin, the girl as quiet as a lily, opened her mouth but said nothing after all.


    Her eyes looked sharp. Like blades, they were removing Li Muyang¡¯s skin and flesh piece by piece because she really wanted to know what he was thinking about in his heart.


    ¡°This guy is ugly and annoying!¡± This was what the other girls had in mind.


    ¡°Actually, in Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes, what you did to me was nothing but little dirty tricks. She actually despises those unsightly things done by you. You could certainly treat me as a clown who could be bullied by anyone. But when you were bullying me, you also looked like a clown who was making knockabout performances in her eyes,¡± Li Muyang said.


    He pointed to his face and added, ¡°Look at my face. You are better-looking than me. At least you are whiter.


    ¡°You are taller, smarter, and you can get higher grades. Oh, right, you are also good at playing polo and football. As you were playing football, there would be a lot of girls in our school fanatically calling your name. Whenever I saw such a scene, I wished I could be someone like you.


    ¡°A philosopher once said, ¡®The height that a man can reach is accurately shown by what his opponents can achieve.¡¯ You chose me to be your opponent, or more precisely, your easy target. It meant that you dragged yourself down to my level. Do you think being such a person can gain Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s favor? You are so naive.¡± Li Muyang poured out these words.


    ¡°Li Muyang, you¡­¡± Zhang Chen tried to say something.


    ¡°I am ordinary.¡± Li Muyang grinned. His brilliant eyes that looked as dark as his skin were charming beyond description. His pair of eyes was the only remarkable thing on his face or even his whole body. ¡°But, you are pathetic.¡± Then, Li Muyang finished speaking.


    Being completely irritated, Zhang Chen pounced on Li Muyang and grabbed his neck. He howled, ¡°Li Muyang, who is pathetic? Who did you say is pathetic?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve come to blows! They¡¯re fighting!¡± someone yelled.


    ¡°Come on! Separate them!¡± some people shouted.


    ¡°Madam, some people are fighting¡­¡± Someone went to tell the teachers.


    ¡­


    ¡°Come on!¡± The red light in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes emerged again. He fixed his eyes on Zhang Chen and growled, ¡°Put forth the strength that you exerted when you trod me under your foot.¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Zhang Chen spurted out a mouthful of blood. Perhaps it was because he had gotten severe internal injuries. But more likely, it was because he felt depressed and suffocated.


    In the end, the crazy Zhang Chen was pulled up from the ground. He kicked Li Muyang¡¯s fishing rod away and said coldly with a sneer, ¡°Li Muyang, a good-for-nothing like you is not qualified enough to pity me! You have no civil or martial virtues. Besides, you are ugly and usually the first count backward in all exams. Even when you go fishing, no fish will swallow your bait. What great achievements do you think you can get? You will continue to be the Swine for the rest of your life, waiting only for your food and death!¡±


    Li Muyang rubbed his neck, which had been pinched red by Zhang Chen, as he said with a smile, ¡°But I punched you into the air just now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Chen was speechless.


    He pointed at Li Muyang ¡®s head. Then he turned around and strode away.


    The group of followers behind Zhang Chen all stood aghast for quite a while. They examined Li Muyang closely from head to toe as if they had not seen him before. Right after that, they ran away after Zhang Chen.


    The commotion ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed. In a daze, Li Muyang sat alone among the grass by the lake.


    He was always alone.


    It was just like before.


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡± A girl¡¯s clear voice arose. It sounded as smooth as the arcing movement the kingfisher made when it was gliding through the air.


    Li Muyang turned around and found that Cui Xiaoxin was still standing there.


    But this time, the situation was a little different from what it was before.


    ¡°Either you agree with what I said or you want to criticize me for it. None of that really matters. In fact, you may not know what will happen when others see you staying here to talk with me. Those who felt surprised, jealous, or just admiration will look at me in a weird way. For them, a stunning flower suddenly coming out from a pile of mud is indeed something new. But for me, who is the pile of mud in their eyes, I can gain some advantage from that. If I were you, I would pretend that nothing had happened just now,¡± Li Muyang said.


    Knowing that the queen of the class had stayed to speak to him would be a great shock to the other students. Li Muyang knew their responses, even though he didn¡¯t turn back.


    Cui Xiaoxin did not expect that Li Muyang would say something like that. A fog of bewilderment emerged in her beautiful eyes, but instantly, her eyes became clear again. She thought for a while, then said, ¡°You guessed two things right, but you were wrong about two things.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you are willing to have a long talk. I suppose this will be our first formal chat,¡± Li Muyang said, smiling.


    Cui Xiaoxin said, ¡°First, I don¡¯t like Zhang Chen. Trying to curry favor by extravagant bullying, he indeed acted like a clown in my eyes.


    ¡°Second, I like the kind of man that you have described¡ªhe must be refined, cultured, and capable of controlling others. He should be competent but will never parade his abilities all the time. Such a man is my type.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded and asked, ¡°So what are the two things that I said wrong?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin replied, ¡°First, I don¡¯t think you are a clown. You are just an ordinary person, like anyone else. You did nothing wrong. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that fate is so unfair to me,¡± Li Muyang said, mocking himself. Then he continued, ¡°I am an ugly guy from a poor family. What¡¯s worse, I am a numbskull who knows nothing about liberal or martial arts. I have no other choice but to accept such a fate and become a useless person whose life is all about eating before death. Is that right?¡±


    Once again, Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s pupils shone with striking radiance. The man who was standing before her was known as Coal. Others sneered at and bullied him all the time. He was a person of few words who always kept his head down. There seemed to be nothing extraordinary about him. But in fact, he had such a keen mind and could say such sharp words.


    ¡°I just made a casual comment.¡± Li Muyang peeled a blade of sugarcane-grass. Chewing it in his mouth, the sweet grass juice made him feel a little happier. He said, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Flowers can certainly grow out of the mud. Though the mud is never eye-catching, it has rich energy inside that can support flowers to grow and blossom. It has done its best to prove its value of existence with the flower above it,¡± Cui Xiaoxin explained.


    ¡°Do you think that my life can be saved like the mud?¡± Li Muyang grinned and asked, ¡°Then, would you like to¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cui Xiaoxin refused, simply and directly. ¡°I will go to Xifeng University. Where will you be going? We¡¯re different. Two persons from two different worlds will never have any overlap in the future.¡±


    Xifeng University was the best university in the empire. With Li Muyang¡¯s current grades, he could only go to Xibeifeng University¡ªa diploma mill that anyone with money could enter.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Li Muyang smiled bitterly, saying, ¡°That¡¯s why I like you but I have never expressed my true feelings to you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cui Xiaoxin was greatly surprised.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this very normal? All the adolescent boys, including me, have many expectations for these beautiful girls in school. We like Xu Jiarui, Zhang Xinqi, and you. We hope that one day we can be as brilliant as you. We hope that we can walk by your side someday. Of course, we also have imagined that you could sit next to us one day with your wonderful smiles.¡±


    ¡°However, beautiful girls always pay their attention to men who are more excellent than them. We can only look at you from a distance. If any beautiful girl suddenly approaches and says a few words to us with or without enthusiasm, it will be a great gift for us.¡± Li Muyang looked up at the clouds above his head and said, ¡°What else can we do?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin fell silent. After quite a while, she finally said with a voice containing more complex emotions, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    After that, she turned around and walked over to where the others were gathered.


    The lake tour was over. Now there was only a grueling exam awaiting them.


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin!¡± Li Muyang called out suddenly.


    Cui Xiaoxin turned around and look at him. Since there was no overlap between their lives before, she didn¡¯t know what else this boy could say to her.


    In fact, whatever he said would be of no use. She would never accept his love out of pity.


    ¡°I refuse,¡± Li Muyang said aloud.


    ¡°What?¡± asked Cui Xiaoxin.


    ¡°You invited me to go to see a famous drama with you, but I refuse your invitation,¡± in a clear, loud voice, Li Muyang explained.


    In the sunshine, Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s pretty face looked like a piece of fine and smooth jade that was nearly transparent. She stared coldly at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Idiot.¡±


    Far off to the west, the sun was sinking. Enveloped by the dark red sunlight, the beautiful Sunset Lake was like in a grand, idle dream, which made people feel sad.


    Li Muyang put away his fishing rod, preparing to go back with the main group.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Without warning, a colorful carp jumped into the air from the initially sparkling but quiet lake surface.


    That seemed to be kind of a signal, and then numerous carps jumped out of Sunset Lake.


    There were thousands of them leaping continuously into the air. It seemed that they were going to blot out the sky and cover up the earth. Their scales with colorful radiance linked up into a single group and spread over half of Sunset Lake.


    In places where people could not see, more carps rushed over as if they were going on a pilgrimage.


    They rushed straight in the direction that Li Muyang was leaving, as if they were his most faithful followers.


    Any experienced elder who witnessed this scene would exclaim, ¡°Thousands of carps present themselves before a dragon¡ªa rare scene in a thousand years!¡±

 Chapter 3 - Sinian Is so Sweet!

    Someone was an angel with broken wings, while someone¡¯s wings were broken by God with the intention of destroying him.


    Li Muyang¡¯s mother said that Li Muyang had been hit by a thunderbolt when he was born and almost died before he saw this multicolored world.


    It puzzled Li Muyang a lot. How many outrageous things had he done in his last life to make him be punished like this?


    Li Muyang was barely able to open his eyes to see clearly at the age of three, stagger at the age of seven, speak at the age of 10, and remained extremely feeble and unable to practice swordsmanship and breathing like other teenagers until the age of 14.


    Some people say that when God shuts a door, he will leave a window open for you.


    Since he couldn¡¯t make accomplishments in martial arts, he decided to study hard. Perhaps he could write some immortal poems after drinking some spirits like those great literary masters. However, every time Li Muyang picked up a book, he immediately became drowsy and quickly fell asleep, leaving those characters behind.


    His deskmate had tried to wake him up, but it did not work.


    The teacher had rebuked him, but it did not work.


    A new teacher even broke a ruler because Li Muyang slept during his class¡ªand that ruler was made of alloy.


    However, Li Muyang still did the same thing.


    Sleep meant everything to him!


    Everything could be dealt with as long as he could sleep.


    If he didn¡¯t sleep well, he became particularly irritable.


    For example, the reason why he had such a fierce conflict with Zhang Chen during the lake tour was precisely that he didn¡¯t get enough sleep and was woken up during a sweet dream.


    At least Li Muyang thought so.


    ¡°Splash¡ª¡±


    Li Muyang popped his head up from the water in the bathtub and gasped.


    Even after calming down for a long while, he still felt his heart throbbing.


    ¡°Am I not a waste of space?¡± Li Muyang thought to himself. ¡°What made me capable of punching him so hard?¡±


    He looked at his arms carefully and found that his skin was as delicate as before, but it just turned purplish-red after being soaked in hot water for a long time.


    ¡°Clatter!¡±


    As the door of the room was pushed open, a cute girl rushed in and asked eagerly, ¡°Brother, have you been bullied again?¡±


    The girl had big eyes, as if she wore beautifying contact lenses. With those eyeballs as black as ink pearls, he could hardly see any white part.


    She had a slightly prominent nose and a rosy little mouth. Her skin was as delicate as the first snow, which seemed as if it would melt if someone laid a finger on it.


    Her white muslin dress was dazzling, and the pink ribbon on her head swayed slightly because she ran too fast.


    The girl looked sweet. Although she was now in a state of distress, he still felt the urge to step forward and pinch her small face.


    She was Li Sinian, Li Muyang¡¯s sister, who was three years younger than him. They were both studying in Fuxing High School. Li Muyang was in the third year, and Li Sinian was in the second year.


    Of course, unlike Li Muyang, her ¡°useless¡± brother, Li Sinian had been clever and was the chief of children since she was a child, and won first place in the school with excellent results every year.


    She went to school three years later than Li Muyang, but was only one grade lower than Li Muyang, because she had skipped two consecutive grades when she was young.


    When she was in high school, it had been suggested to her that she might skip a grade, but that idea was rejected by her parents. They considered the three years of high school as the most important three years. Only by getting herself fully prepared during these three years could she be admitted to the best university in the empire.


    Li Sinian was a gorgeous girl in school, as well as a famous campus belle. Li Muyang was not surprised by the fact that she knew right away that he had been bullied.


    Li Muyang held his hands across his chest to cover his nipples, and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Li Sinian, how many times have I told you? You should knock on the door before coming in¡­¡±


    Li Sinian never had the habit of knocking on the door and just burst into his room recklessly every time. Because of that, Li Muyang had sacrificed countless Playboy magazines that he failed to hide in time.


    Every time Li Sinian saw Li Muyang reading these ¡°indecent books¡±, she took them away righteously and claimed to hand them over to their parents.


    However, it was strange that their parents had never talked to Li Muyang about this issue.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Sinian blushed slightly, glanced at Li Muyang, and then backed out.


    She didn¡¯t forget to close the door of the bathroom when leaving.


    ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡±


    There came a knock on the door from outside.


    ¡°Brother, can I come in?¡± Li Sinian shouted from the door.


    Li Muyang said helplessly, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Li Sinian pushed her way through again and asked anxiously, ¡°Brother, which bastard bullied you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I bullied someone,¡± Li Muyang said. He wasn¡¯t bragging to his sister this time. He did beat Zhang Chen away with a punch, and many people could be witnesses for him.


    ¡°Brother, which bastard was bullied by you?¡± Li Sinian calmed down a little and asked.


    Li Muyang looked touched, thinking that she really was his biological sister.


    He looked at Li Sinian with a smile and said, ¡°Zhang Chen intended to bully me, but I bullied him. But it¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡ª¡± Li Sinian raised her face and sneered, with her bangs swaying slightly with her movement. ¡°It¡¯s that bastard Zhang Chen again. I must not spare him.¡±


    Li Muyang hurriedly persuaded her. ¡°Sinian, it¡¯s over now, and I didn¡¯t suffer any loss this time. Don¡¯t pick on him¡­ You¡¯re a girl¡­¡±


    Li Muyang was concerned about Li Sinian¡¯s safety. After all, Li Sinian was just a delicate girl. Zhang Chen venting his anger on her was the last thing Li Muyang wanted to see.


    He would rather swallow some grievances.


    It was the main reason why he was unwilling to have conflicts with others and tell his family about his being bullied in school.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Sinian said resolutely, ¡°No one is allowed to bully my brother.¡±


    ¡°Sinian¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brother, I bought you a baked sweet potato,¡± Li Sinian took out a small box from her schoolbag and said. And before the box was opened, he smelled a strong scent of sweet potato. ¡°Come and eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡±


    Li Muyang was so moved. He divided the big sweet potato in the box in two and said, ¡°One half for each of us.¡±


    ¡°Eat all of it. I don¡¯t want to eat any.¡± Li Sinian shook her head and said, ¡°Eating sweet potatoes causes farts.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    On the school¡¯s football field, a friendly match within the school team was going on.


    As the captain of the football team of Fuxing High School, Zhang Chen practiced football every day.


    Moreover, he liked to hear those girls cheer with their crisp and sweet voices when he was playing football while sweat poured down his face.


    ¡°Zhang Chen, come on¡­¡±


    ¡°Zhang Chen, you are the best¡­¡±


    ¡°Zhang Chen, I love you. Mwah¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Zhang Chen involuntarily looked toward the stands again. There was a group of girls cheering for him, but the most active and sweetest girl among them, he had never seen.


    ¡°What a beautiful girl¡­


    ¡°What a sweet voice¡­


    ¡°She looks so cute when bouncing, like a little angel¡­¡±


    Because he frequently looked toward the stands, he had missed several balls that had been passed to him by his teammates.


    The game was stopped, and a group of teammates gathered and made eyes at him.


    ¡°Captain, there is a new girl¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s such a fresh cabbage. I give her 90 points¡­¡±


    ¡°I give her 98 points. If you don¡¯t like her, I would like to have her¡­¡±


    ¡°Tired of sumptuous food, I should change my appetite occasionally and taste something delicate, right?¡±


    Zhang Chen joked with his teammates and then walked toward the stands.


    The fans in the stands immediately screamed. Some of them served tea, some offered a towel, and some had prepared a packed lunch.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you all.¡± Taken care of by many fans, Zhang Chen expressed his gratitude with a smile.


    He saw the little girl who was the most active and had screamed in the loudest voice hiding behind the crowd and staring at him with an affectedly sweet gaze, but she was too timid to approach him.


    She was a newcomer after all. He could understand that.


    Zhang Chen moved through the crowd and walked toward the little cabbage.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Zhang Chen asked in a mild voice with a gentle smile on his face.


    ¡°My name is Sinian.¡± The girl looked up at Zhang Chen and then looked down hurriedly like a frightened bunny.


    ¡°Sinian, that¡¯s a good name¡­¡± Zhang Chen smiled even more charmingly.


    What a good girl. The moment she looked up and lowered her head made his heart pound hard.


    She reminded Zhang Chen of a poem by the poet Xu Zhimo: ¡°Unforgettable is that gentle, affectionate bow, like a shy lotus flower unable to withstand the chilly wind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl said while blushing.


    ¡°What¡¯s in your arms?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s some soup that I made.¡±


    ¡°Really? There aren¡¯t many girls capable of making soup nowadays. I¡¯m so envious of the guy who you made the soup for¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡± The girl looked up, staring firmly at Zhang Chen with her starry eyes.


    ¡°Really?¡± Zhang Chen produced a smile. ¡°I turn out to be that lucky guy?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do a very good job.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough.¡±


    ¡°It might not taste very good.¡±


    ¡°Your sincerity is valuable.¡±


    ¡°Will you really eat it all?¡±


    Zhang Chen laughed happily, and said, ¡°Of course. How can I waste such sincerity from a pretty girl like you?¡±


    The girl handed over the soup bowl in her arms and gently told him, ¡°Be careful of the heat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zhang Chen felt his heart about to melt. He took the soup bowl and said, ¡°This is the best gift I have ever received.¡±


    He raised his head and poured it into his mouth.


    As he ate it, he frowned.


    Thinking that the girl said that she wasn¡¯t good at cooking, he raised his head and continued to eat.


    As he ate, his stomach began to twitch.


    Thinking that the girl said that it might not taste very good, he desperately insisted.


    As he ate, his heart hurt.


    Thinking of his words of not wasting the sincerity from a pretty girl, he still wanted to persist¡­


    ¡°Oh¡ª¡±


    He turned abruptly and vomited into the grass behind him.

 Chapter 4 - Tears Were so Bitter!

    Zhang Chen vomited in a heart-wrenching way, as if his liver and intestines were cut to pieces, and he threw up the breakfast he ate the day before yesterday.


    He bent down first and then knelt down on the ground on one knee. After throwing up everything in his stomach, he collapsed and fell to the ground.


    All his strength was drained, and now he looked like a wreck.


    With snot streaming down his face and bile left at the corner of his mouth, Zhang Chen looked horrible.


    ¡°Are¡­ are you okay?¡± Li Sinian looked worried and was about to cry, with tears in her red eyes. ¡°How did that happen? I was very diligent and made such an effort in making the soup. Does it really taste so bad?¡±


    Zhang Chen looked up at the little cabbage in front of him and intended to give her a consoling smile, but now he could only show a bitter smile while saying hoarsely and weakly, ¡°What¡­ what did you put in the soup? ¡°


    ¡°What did I put in it?¡± Li Sinian looked innocent, and said after thinking carefully, ¡°I put pork ribs, Angelica sinensis, Chinese yam, kuh-seng, cordate houttuynia, bat feces, feces of flying squirrel¡­¡±


    ¡°Feces of flying squirrel?¡± As Zhang Chen felt his stomach twitch again, he wretched repeatedly with his hands on his throat, and said angrily, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the dry feces of a complex toothed flying squirrel. You put¡­ put feces in the soup?¡±


    ¡°The feces of flying squirrel is a kind of Chinese medicine and can be used for internal stagnation of the blood and failure of the blood to circulate in the vessels, such as women¡¯s uterine bleeding and excessive menstrual flow, purple menstrual flow with clots, and tingles in the lower abdomen. You like to play football, so it is inevitable for you to get bruised. I used feces of flying squirrel to help you promote blood circulation and dispel blood stasis. Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    Zhang Chen pointed at Li Sinian with trembling fingers, but couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Seeing their hero vomit so terribly, the other cheerleaders gathered around him.


    ¡°Chenchen, are you okay? I feel so heartbroken.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Chen, what¡¯s the matter? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°Hey, who are you? What did you feed to our Zhang Chen?¡±


    ¡­


    These fans were originally jealous of Li Sinian¡¯s pretty face and her lively temperament, which exuded from inside to outside and was extremely seductive.


    It was very unpleasant for them to see Zhang Chen pay extra attention to her and reject their tea. Unexpectedly, he had vomited ceaselessly after drinking her soup. They should naturally stand out and issue righteous accusations.


    ¡°I just¡­¡± Li Sinian looked timid, but suddenly raised her voice and said, ¡°just fed him a cup of stool soup.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The other girls were angry, about to step forward and fight her.


    Li Sinian lifted the tip of her toe, and the soup bowl thrown to the ground by Zhang Chen returned to her hand.


    She looked with regret at the grass that was stuck to it and said with a sigh, ¡°This is my favorite soup bowl. Unfortunately, I wasted it on a pig.¡±


    As she gave the bowl a mighty squeeze, others only heard a ¡°crack¡± then saw the soup bowl made of bronze break into numerous pieces.


    ¡°Clatter¡ª¡±


    The girls who had just come up receded again like a flood.


    Li Sinian threw the fragments of the soup bowl onto Zhang Chen, and took out a handkerchief from her pocket to carefully wipe the soup stains from her hands.


    The handkerchief was very white, but her hands were even whiter than the handkerchief.


    After that, under everyone¡¯s gaze, Li Sinian raised her face and walked outside.


    At the entrance of the stadium, Li Sinian suddenly turned around, smiled sweetly, and said in a sweet and charming voice, ¡°Behave and don¡¯t bully my brother again.¡±


    ¡°Who is your brother?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Zhang Chen smacked the table and shouted in anger, ¡°Li Muyang, get up!¡±


    Li Muyang was still asleep and had no reaction at all.


    Zhang Chen knew Li Muyang¡¯s habits, and then hit the table harder.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡ª¡±


    It was during the noontime break, and upon seeing Zhang Chen rush over to Li Muyang with a group of people, everyone in the class focused on them.


    Cui Xiaoxin was concentrating on reading the book Xifeng Reform. Hearing the sound of a table being hit violently, she looked up at the source of the sound and raised her eyebrows slightly.


    She didn¡¯t really want to take up the cudgels for Li Muyang, but she just didn¡¯t like being disturbed by such a noise.


    Under the anticipating eyes of the whole class, Li Muyang finally woke up, raised his head from behind the pile of books, looked at Zhang Chen in front of him, and said, ¡°Do you intend to bully me again?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± With his eyes turning red, Zhang Chen almost burst into tears on the spot.


    He thought, ¡°What are you talking about? If I intend to bully you¡­ Do I look like a bully now?¡±


    He tried hard to calm down, then stared aggressively at Li Muyang and questioned him, ¡°Li Muyang, why are you so despicable?¡±


    ¡°Despicable?¡± Li Muyang scratched his messy hair, trying to tidy it. However, a pinch of hair stood out distinctively. No matter how hard Li Muyang tried, it kept raising its head high and refused to lower it.


    Li Muyang had to press it with one hand with the intention of flattening it over time, then he raised his head in a ridiculous posture and said, ¡°I either sleep or prepare for sleep every day. Except for some viewing value when I¡¯m bullied by you, I have no sense of presence at other times. How can you describe me with such words?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, you are so mean. You have two faces. You pretend to be weak¡­¡± As Zhang Chen thought about it, he got angrier. In addition, his stomach was still squirming frantically, so he felt that he was going crazy. ¡°You are obviously powerful, but pretend to be weak. If you are really weak, how could you punch me so violently during the lake tour? The more hateful thing is that you asked your sister¡­ asked your sister to coax me to eat the soup¡­¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian?¡± Li Muyang frowned, stared sharply at Zhang Chen, and asked, ¡°What did you do to her?¡±


    The little girl had always claimed that she would protect him since she was very young, and she was hundreds of times stronger than him in every respect. However, she was a girl and his sister after all. If Zhang Chen dared to play a trick on her, Li Muyang would definitely rush to fight him desperately.


    ¡°What did I do to her? Why don¡¯t you ask what she did to me?¡± Zhang Chen stamped with rage, but hurriedly crouched down with his hands on his stomach before jumping up.


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡±


    After a vibrant sound of gas being discharged came from his lower body, he felt much more comfortable.


    And although his stomach was fine, he was not.


    Seeing all the students in the class staring at him with their eyes opened wide and some of them covering their noses and fanning themselves, Zhang Chen had the urge to find a place to crawl into.


    Since his childhood, he had grown up under flowers and praise. When did he ever suffer such shame?


    ¡°Guys, hit him,¡± Zhang Chen growled angrily.


    Those football players behind Zhang Chen immediately came up to surround the two of them, about to teach Li Muyang a lesson for their captain.


    Li Muyang stretched out a fist, swayed it in the air, looked at Zhang Chen and said, ¡°I¡¯ve beaten you away with a punch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The players who had seen Li Muyang beat Zhang Chen away with one punch immediately retreated. At the sight of this, the players who hadn¡¯t witnessed that scene also retreated.


    Since the others had retreated, he must be powerful.


    Thus, aside from Zhang Chen still standing beside Li Muyang, everyone else fled.


    Li Muyang held his nose with one hand, took out a textbook to fan himself with the other hand, and said to Zhang Chen angrily, ¡°I detect the scent of cordate houttuynia, bat feces, and feces of flying squirrel¡­ There is poison in your farts. Let¡¯s ask everyone to reason it out. Which one of us is despicable?¡±


    Zhang Chen felt a lump come into his throat, and he burst into tears.


    He cried.

 Chapter 5 - People Have Changed

    Li Muyang was a kind person. He had never bullied anyone since he was a child.


    In his memory, he had never done such a thing even once.


    Instead, he had been bullied by others all the time, which was a great contribution to ease the crime committed by the young people of the empire.


    If those energetic and impulsive teenagers didn¡¯t insult him and vent their anger on him every day, they would do something even more terrible to others.


    Therefore, Li Muyang had to think of such a question¡ªhow could an angel-like man like him be struck by lightning?


    Li Muyang had always been bothered by the incident of being struck by lightning, and he had a strong sense of inferiority in the depths of his bones.


    Just think about it¡ªIf Haotian had just sent you into this world, yet he regretted it and wanted to take you back¡­ Anyone would feel insulted by this matter, wouldn¡¯t they?


    And because he was struck by lightning, Li Muyang¡¯s body was not very healthy when he was born.


    Other children grew up in a honey jar, but Li Muyang grew up in a medicine jar.


    From the moment he started to remember things, his family often had an old Taoist who was just like a doctor in Jianghu.


    He wore a dirty Taoist robe all the time, and the sleeves were greasy as if there was a roast chicken inside. Every time he came over, he would carry a large bag of medicinal materials and go into the kitchen to do a lot of work. Then he would hold a bowl of Chinese medicine that was more disgusting than his sleeves and force Li Muyang to drink it.


    Li Muyang refused at first, and the old Taoist didn¡¯t force him. But after he snapped his fingers, Li Muyang would always take the bowl and drink it blankly¡­


    Li Muyang had always felt bad about doing such a thing, but he was too young and ignorant to find the right words to describe his feeling at that time.


    Until he accidentally saw a word that made him feel limp and numb all over his body: Bitchy!


    When Li Muyang was 11 years old, the old Taoist told his parents with relief after he examined Li Muyang¡¯s body, ¡°I was fortunate to save the young master¡¯s life. It¡¯s a miracle that a mortal¡¯s weak body can withstand a lightning strike. He will be blessed and rich in the future. Although he survived, his health condition is very different from that of ordinary people. It¡¯s impossible for him to practice martial arts or swordsmanship, and his head¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying he has something wrong with his head?¡± Li Muyang¡¯s father, Li Yan, asked anxiously.


    ¡°No.¡± The old Taoist shook his head, indicating that Li Yan did not need to panic. He said, ¡°Because of the impact of the lightning, his brain has been greatly damaged, so he may become a little stupid¡ªperhaps as he grows, it will recover one day. It¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    ¡°His head has been damaged anyway.¡± Li Yan¡¯s face was as pale as a piece of paper. ¡°Master, can¡¯t you fix it? This child has a tough life. He has encountered so many difficulties since he was born. Can you help him again? If you can live in Jiangnan for a few more years, I promise you that you will have good wine and meat every day. No, no, we promise to make you live a comfortable life. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°I have done what I could do and we should leave the rest to the Heavens.¡± The old Taoist smiled and refused, saying, ¡°I have a tribulation soon, so I need to make some preparations. We will meet again in the future.¡±


    After the old Taoist left, Li Muyang missed him very much.


    Because he was the only one who called a pastry shop owner¡¯s son ¡°Little Master¡±¡ªLi Muyang liked that very much. Unfortunately, no one called him that from then on.


    More people would call him ¡°Lil Coal¡±.


    If you repeated doing the same thing for three years, you could become an expert in that field. Li Muyang had eaten Chinese medicine for more than a decade, so it was easy for him to detect all kinds of stimulating Chinese medicine from Zhang Chen¡¯s fart.


    ¡°The world is getting worse every day, and people are no longer the same as in the ancient age. Zhang Chen, I didn¡¯t expect you to retaliate against me in such a vicious way¡ªyou started the bullying every time. Can you blame me for playing around the lake? When you came to hit me, I blocked you just for one move, and you flew out¡ªcan you blame me for that?¡±


    Li Muyang couldn¡¯t continue because he found that Zhang Chen was crying.


    He was really crying. Tears were dripping down his cheeks as if someone had dragged him out and abused him 800 times.


    Li Muyang was stunned and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­¡± Zhang Chen wiped his tears and said, ¡°Please, stop¡­¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s face was full of vigilance, and he said, ¡°You aren¡¯t playing the grief card, are you?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡ª!¡± Zhang Chen covered his stomach with his hands and could not stand up straight. ¡°How dare you bully me to death like this?¡±


    Li Muyang looked around and saw that everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the two of them.


    Li Muyang was a little panicked and hurriedly explained, ¡°All the classmates have seen it. It was he who came to bully me first. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°You said there was poison in Zhang Chen¡¯s fart,¡± someone said indignantly.


    At this moment, many people began to sympathize with Zhang Chen.


    They didn¡¯t like Zhang Chen very much at ordinary times, as they thought that Zhang Chen always liked to show off and often bullied classmates.


    However, they had never seen someone be humiliated like this.


    ¡°There is indeed the smell of trogopterus dung in his fart. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can smell it,¡± Li Muyang said seriously. He was a serious person. When he was sleeping, he was serious, and when he explained, he was also serious. ¡°He didn¡¯t look for anyone, but he just stood beside me and didn¡¯t leave. Isn¡¯t he just coming to get revenge for me embarrassing him last time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Chen felt that he had been stabbed once again.


    ¡°Clang¡ª¡±


    The class bell rang.


    Zhao Mingzhu, the teacher of the empire¡¯s history, stepped into the classroom as the bell rang. When she stood on the platform and was ready to start the class, she found her favorite student, Zhang Chen, standing next to Li Muyang with tears all over his face. She couldn¡¯t help getting angry and shouting, ¡°Li Muyang, what have you done this time?¡±


    Seeing that Zhao Mingzhu was angry with him, Li Muyang finally confirmed it. He stared at Zhang Chen coldly and said, ¡°I knew you were deliberately playing the grief card¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Muyang looked up into Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Ms. Zhao, I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu was even angrier. During her 10 years of being a teacher, she had never seen such a stupid student like Li Muyang, who didn¡¯t want to make any progress.


    She rushed up to Li Muyang, slapped his desk, and screamed, ¡°Li Muyang, do you think I¡¯m an idiot? If you didn¡¯t do anything, why would Zhang Chen cry like this? Why is Zhang Chen standing in front of you crying? Don¡¯t you have a brain? Do you think we are as stupid as you?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I really didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Li Muyang said with a wry smile, ¡°Zhang Chen rushed at me and smacked my desk. He scolded me for being despicable¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it proves that you are really despicable.¡± Zhao Mingzhu forcibly cut off Li Muyang¡¯s explanation and said, ¡°Don¡¯t I know what kind of person you are? The first time I saw you, I knew your sticky character¡ª¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu was a famous teacher in Jiangnan. She was transferred to Fuxing School to teach the history of the empire in order to help these students, who had already stepped into a better institution of higher education, get better results.


    Unexpectedly, something unpleasant happened on the first day she was in this school. Someone dared to sleep in her classroom.


    This was extremely disrespectful to her. It was an extreme contempt and provocation to her.


    Zhao Mingzhu was furious. After shouting for a few minutes, she did not receive any response. She grabbed a ruler and smacked it for the whole class until it was broken¡­


    Zhao Mingzhu asked Li Muyang if could he stop sleeping in her class, but Li Muyang shook his head and said, ¡°No.¡±


    Since then, she became more and more dissatisfied with this student. As long as there was a chance, she would ridicule him and set him up as a typical example of a bad student. Even the word ¡°Swine¡± came out of her mouth first.


    However, no matter how she insulted him, he just giggled and fell asleep as usual.


    ¡°Ms. Zhao, I think you have some misunderstanding about me. You don¡¯t know the situation at that time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± Zhao Mingzhu sneered. She turned to look at the students behind her and asked, ¡°Did I misunderstand Li Muyang?¡±


    No one dared to answer.


    Everyone could tell that Zhao Mingzhu was not letting Li Muyang go easily. Who dared to stand up and speak for Li Muyang? If they did, they would have misfortune.


    ¡°Li Muyang, do you know who the founding emperor of our Xifeng Empire is? Do you know the ¡®New Moon¡¯ that affected the entire continent? Which year did it start and who were the two sages ¡®Wen Cheng Wu De¡¯?


    ¡°Li Muyang, you know nothing¡­ You just eat, sleep, and waste time¡­ I¡¯m curious, did your parents give you money to sleep in school? If you like sleeping so much, why don¡¯t you go back and have a good sleep? No one will disturb you, and you won¡¯t waste your parents¡¯ hard-earned money.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Teacher¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Teacher, you are wrong.¡± A soft voice suddenly was heard in the solemn classroom.

 Chapter 6 - Xiaoxin Is Lightning!

    ¡°You are wrong.¡± The voice was soft but firm, like a fishbone.


    You could swallow it, but it would make you feel uncomfortable all over and hurt your throat.


    Zhao Mingzhu suddenly turned around and shouted angrily, ¡°Who said I was wrong?¡±


    Seeing the person who spoke, Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s attitude became much more amiable. She smiled and said, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, what did you say just now? There¡¯s nothing for you to do here. Sit down quickly.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was a good student, the best in the class and also the best in the entire grade. If there was no accident, she would definitely enter Xifeng University.


    Zhao Mingzhu liked her, the young talented girl who studied hard.


    The most important thing was that she was also very beautiful, which always reminded Zhao Mingzhu of her younger self.


    Cui Xiaoxin stood up straight in the school uniform and said again, ¡°Ms. Zhao, I said you are wrong.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s expression turned awkward. She said coldly and solemnly, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, sit down.¡±


    ¡°Teacher, you have to apologize to Li Muyang.¡± Cui Xiaoxin did not intend to back off. She said, ¡°This conflict has nothing to do with Li Muyang. He is also a victim.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu looked at Cui Xiaoxin suspiciously. Then, she looked at Li Muyang with a look of bitter hatred. She said, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, how can you speak up for someone like Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I didn¡¯t help anyone. I just said what I should say¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s expression was cold and not overwhelmed by Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s imposing manner. She said, ¡°I just told you what I saw. I saw it with my own eyes.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin scanned all the people present, who looked into her eyes and bowed their heads shamefully.


    ¡°They don¡¯t dare to say it, but someone should stand out. Otherwise, there will never be an answer to what is right and what is wrong. It was Zhang Chen who came to slap Li Muyang¡¯s desk first and disturbed the rest of the classmates here. Li Muyang didn¡¯t do anything to Zhang Chen. As for why Zhang Chen cried, you have to ask Zhang Chen yourself.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu stared at Cui Xiaoxin and said, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, what¡¯s the relationship between you and Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°We are classmates.¡±


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, be careful of being influenced.¡± Zhao Mingzhu said with a meaningful look in her eyes, ¡°When I came back from the lake, someone told me that you had a close relationship with Cui Xiaoxin. At that time, I didn¡¯t believe it¡­ Xiaoxin, Li Muyang has already given up on himself. With his current learning attitude, it is impossible for him to enter any university. You are different from him. You are going to Xifeng, the best school in the empire¡­ The more critical the situation is, the less relaxed you should be. This is the same for all students.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu waved her hand and said, ¡°Xiaoxin, sit down. Zhang Chen, go back to your seat. Li Muyang, go to the door and stand as a punishment.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin tried to defend him.


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin.¡± Li Muyang stopped her. He grinned and pretended not to care at all, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I can sleep outside. The class has begun, and I won¡¯t waste the precious time of my classmates. I wish you all good results.¡±


    After saying that, Li Muyang walked out of the classroom.


    He was such a person. He didn¡¯t want his parents to be sad or Sinian to be in danger, so he never told them that he had been bullied.


    He didn¡¯t want Cui Xiaoxin to have a conflict with Zhao Mingzhu because of him, so he had to pretend that he didn¡¯t care about all this.


    ¡°I¡¯m a pile of mud. How could I affect other people¡¯s future?¡±


    Looking at Li Muyang¡¯s bright smile on his face and his lonely back under all his classmates¡¯ eyes, Cui Xiaoxin suddenly felt very uncomfortable.


    The beginning and the end of the matter had nothing to do with her, but it was as if she had been greatly wronged.


    Cui Xiaoxin pushed the chair away and ran outside, biting her lips.


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, what are you doing?¡± Zhao Mingzhu shouted from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to help Li Muyang with his homework.¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s voice drifted off in the distance.


    ¡­


    In the Beast-faced Pavilion, Cui Xiaoxin ordered a cup of Blue Water tea. Li Muyang didn¡¯t look at the menu and said to the waiter, ¡°Give me a cup of Blue Water tea, too.¡±


    Then, he crossed his arms and placed them on the table. He looked at Cui Xiaoxin, who was sitting opposite him with bright eyes.


    Until now, Li Muyang still could not believe the facts in front of him.


    The darkest and stupidest ¡°Swine¡± and the school goddess Cui Xiaoxin sat together, drinking Blue Water in Fuxing High School, which was a taboo that he did not even dare to touch in his spring dreams in the past.


    Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked, ¡°Are you really going to help me with my homework?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin raised her eyebrows and looked at Li Muyang, saying, ¡°How can you expect others to love you if you don¡¯t love yourself? If you don¡¯t have self-respect, how can anyone respect you? I know you are not stupid. From our conversation that day, I know that you are very smart. As long as you work harder and don¡¯t sleep during class, your study will not be like this. The teacher will not have such a great prejudice against you, and your classmates will not think that you are a burden on them.¡±


    Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you blame me for dragging the class down?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said without hesitation. ¡°There are several times that our class should be the best one of our grade, but you¡¯ve lowered the average scores too many times¡ªotherwise, Ms. Zhao wouldn¡¯t be so angry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that as a boy who is young and not lacking hands and legs¡­ Don¡¯t you think that you should not be irresponsible and waste your time all day?¡±


    Although Cui Xiaoxin blamed Li Muyang and complained that he didn¡¯t work hard, at this moment, Li Muyang felt very happy because he saw care, worry, and hope in Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes.


    He had seen eyes such as this many times from his parents and his sister, Li Sinian.


    At this moment, he saw it in the eyes of a girl who had nothing to do with him.


    ¡°I was struck by lightning,¡± Li Muyang said.


    He decided to confess his experience to Cui Xiaoxin, although it was extremely embarrassing and she might laugh at him.


    Cui Xiaoxin looked stunned. Her little white face turned red and purple. Her eyes were full of disappointment. She said angrily, ¡°Li Muyang, you¡¯re really hopeless.¡±


    After that, she was ready to get up and leave.


    She was really angry, but even more, she was disappointed. The moment she had chased after him, she hesitated a little, but now, all she could do was to regret it.


    ¡°What does it have to do with me if he was wronged and expelled? Why do I have to get involved in this matter?


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, you have to be more careful.¡±


    Li Muyang was in a panic. He didn¡¯t know whether he had said or done anything wrong.


    He just wanted to tell Cui Xiaoxin that it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to make progress or work hard, and he didn¡¯t want to be muddleheaded. On the contrary, he wanted to study more than anyone else, and he wanted to work harder than anyone else.


    However, it was just because he was struck by lightning¡­


    In addition to his sister, Li Sinian, Li Muyang had no experience of dating girls of the same age. What¡¯s more, this was the goddess whom he had been secretly admiring in his heart.


    Li Muyang also got up. He explained in a clumsy way, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, don¡¯t misunderstand¡­ I didn¡¯t say that you¡¯re lightning¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, what I mean is that what you said is not absurd¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The more anxious Li Muyang was, the angrier Cui Xiaoxin became when she heard his explanation.


    The angrier Cui Xiaoxin was, the more anxious Li Muyang was.


    Cui Xiaoxin walked to the door. She reached out and grabbed the copper door-handle.


    As long as she pushed the door open, Li Muyang would never have any contact with her again.


    Just like she had said before.


    Li Muyang was reluctant to part with her because she was the first and only girl who cared about him so much.


    Her concern was different from that of his sister, Li Sinian.


    It was a sibling¡¯s affection, but Cui Xiaoxin was about friendship.


    Li Muyang was eager to have this friendship because he had never had friends since he was a child.


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin!¡± Li Muyang shouted.


    Cui Xiaoxin hesitated for a moment, then she finally turned around.


    Li Muyang¡¯s throat wiggled as he gasped. Even though he only said a few words, his emotion was too intense, which made him feel exhausted.


    He looked into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes and said in a raspy voice shyly, stammering, ¡°I forgot to tell you just now¡­ you look so good with the Gardenia.¡±

 Chapter 7 - Try a Devious Path!

    It was time for class. It was really eye-catching for two students in Fuxing High School school uniforms to appear in the Beast-faced Pavilion.


    Therefore, the guests who were going to spend their afternoon with a cup of Blue Water and semi-biographies all glanced at Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin.


    Besides, that such a beautiful girl like Cui Xiaoxin would be with a dark-skinned ugly teenager like Li Muyang was something to be pondered in their eyes.


    A couple was doing such a boring thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s also a typical drama that a toad wants to eat swan meat. The boy may express his love for her. If girls are more outstanding than boys, the boys should not confess easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, the girl is getting angry.¡±


    ¡°The girl is gone. She is stopped by the boy. What¡¯s the girl¡¯s name? Cui Xiaoxin? What a good name. However, it seems that the boy wants to beg her to stay again. What a stubborn guy. He doesn¡¯t know his limits!¡±


    ¡°What? What did he say? ¡®You look so beautiful with the Gardenia.¡¯ Forgive me for being short-sighted, I didn¡¯t expect him to be such a playboy.¡±


    ¡­


    Cui Xiaoxin blinked her eyes and held the bronze handle with one hand. However, she stopped and did not open the door.


    She saw that Li Muyang¡¯s expression was twisted at this time. His eyes were flustered and he opened his mouth, but no words came out. Was he going to confess his love to her?


    However, even if that was the case, she would not accept it.


    ¡°He is bringing contempt upon himself!¡±


    ¡°I forgot to tell you just now¡­ you look so beautiful with the Gardenia,¡± Li Muyang said to Cui Xiaoxin. Because he was too nervous, he stuttered when he spoke.


    This made him a little annoyed because he was worried that his stutter would destroy the effect of his words. Li Sinian had repeatedly told him to say it casually, so as not to let the girl feel that it was weird.


    ¡°My performance today¡­ it¡¯s not very inharmonious, is it?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was stunned at the door for a moment, and then she turned around and walked toward Li Muyang.


    Many guests in the Beast-faced Pavilion were shocked. They really didn¡¯t expect that the black boy had such a good ability that he could resolve a beautiful girl¡¯s anger in one sentence.


    She sat back in the chair in front of Li Muyang, as if nothing had happened.


    The waiter brought her the Blue Water Tea that she had ordered. She nodded at the waiter, showing her respect with the standard noble etiquette of the empire. Perhaps even Cui Xiaoxin herself did not notice this detail.


    On the contrary, Li Muyang didn¡¯t know what was going on in front of him. He stood there and didn¡¯t know what to do next.


    Cui Xiaoxin picked up the cup of Blue Water Tea and took a sip. Then, she said to Li Muyang, ¡°Have a taste. Although it is a little sweet, it doesn¡¯t taste like the Blue Water that is a little bitter and fragrant. It¡¯s the style of Jiangnan. It¡¯s already a very good type of Blue Water.¡±


    Li Muyang sat down obediently, picked up the Blue Water, and took a sip. Then he nodded and said, ¡°Very good.¡±


    Usually, he drank Chinese medicine, as Blue Water was forbidden in his family because the old Taoist said that it would stimulate his heart.


    Therefore, as long as the cup of tea was more delicious than medicine, he would be extremely satisfied.


    Cui Xiaoxin placed her eyes on the rotating petals in the cup of Blue Water and asked softly, ¡°This is your first time speaking to a girl like this, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s black face turned a little red.


    Of course, because his face was too dark, even if it was red, it would be dark red.


    ¡°And my sister.¡± Li Muyang said with embarrassment, ¡°Every time she was angry, as long as I praised her beauty, saying that her eyes were like the pearls in the South Sea, her skin was like the ice and snow in Beijiang of the empire, and every piece of clothing she wore was well matched to lead the trend of fashion in Jiangnan, she would immediately forgive me and ask me if I told the truth¡­


    ¡°She said this was called saving the country in a devious way. When a girl is angry about something, don¡¯t argue with her on that matter. You can find a better way to communicate with her. This is what she taught me.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin raised her head and stared at Li Muyang¡¯s facial expression.


    When Li Muyang talked about his sister, his voice seemed to be as sweet as honey, and the so-called happiness was almost flowing down from his face.


    It could be seen that the relationship between the brother and sister was very good.


    Cui Xiaoxin was touched. She thought of the tall man in the capital who always kept her behind him when she was threatened. She asked softly, ¡°You love your sister very much, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°But I feel that she loves me more.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin smiled and said, ¡°Then you must have spoiled her very much, right?¡±


    Li Muyang shook his head and sighed. ¡°It should be like this. A brother takes care of his sister, giving her delicious food and interesting toys. If someone bullies her, he will take avenge her. If she bullies others, he will go over to help¡­ Obviously, I am an incompetent brother. Most of the time, my sister takes care of me.


    ¡°She is much smarter and better than me. Since she was very young, she claimed to protect me, and she has been working hard at this. When I was at last place in the school, she casually won first place in the school. She was very high-profile, telling others that I was not stupid and I just didn¡¯t want to study. When she saw me being pushed to the ground, she learned a martial art called ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯ from the old Taoist. No matter if it¡¯s winter or summer, she never stops.¡±


    When the old Taoist treated Li Muyang, Li Sinian pulled his greasy sleeves and asked him to teach her kung fu.


    The old Taoist¡¯s attitude toward Li Sinian was much more intimate than toward Li Muyang. Every time he came, he would bring her delicious food. When he saw Li Sinian coming back from school, his old face would smile.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to refuse any of Li Sinian¡¯s requests. After communicating with Li Muyang¡¯s parents, he accepted Li Sinian as his listed disciple.


    After that, Li Muyang saw with his own eyes that Li Sinian broke a big tree as thick as a bowl in the yard with a punch.


    Li Muyang also wanted to learn it, so he forced himself to pull those disgusting sleeves, begging to be his apprentice.


    He also imitated his sister¡¯s coquettish tone and said, ¡°Grandpa Taoist, please teach me¡­¡±


    The old Taoist swung his sleeves and shouted, ¡°Be yourself.¡±


    Li Sinian laughed her head off.


    ¡°Qi-breaking Technique?¡± Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment then said with a smile, ¡°It sounds a little familiar.¡±


    ¡°She was taught by a quack. Maybe it is a random name.¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°If someone mocked my IQ, she would show them with her own grades. If someone bullied me for being weak, she would fight back with her strength. Am I a loser to be her brother?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin shook her head and said, ¡°Quite the opposite, you are a successful brother¡ªbecause you have a sister who loves you so much.¡±


    ¡°So, before you, she was the only young girl who was willing to do that for me¡­¡± Li Muyang looked directly into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s clear eyes and said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t want you to have a conflict with Ms. Zhao because of such a good-for-nothing student like me, you did it anyway. I am really grateful to you in my heart. When I walked out of the classroom alone, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind me. I was very much looking forward to it, hoping that the footsteps were because of me¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was once again moved by Li Muyang. She felt that this guy had the talent to play a tragic love drama¡ªif he covered his face.


    ¡°Do you know why I turned back?¡± Cui Xiaoxin asked, playing with the stainless steel soup spoon with her beautiful fingers.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Li Muyang shook his head.


    ¡°Because I have never seen a guy who is worse than you when praising others,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said.


    Li Muyang¡¯s face turned red, and once again he began to stammer as he hurriedly explained, ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience¡­ It¡¯s very difficult to do this kind of thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed very difficult,¡± said Cui Xiaoxin. ¡°However, male students always like to challenge their own weaknesses¡­ The more they try, the more perfect they will become.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, tell me your story.¡± When Cui Xiaoxin saw Li Muyang¡¯s speechless look, she squinted her eyes and laughed, saying, ¡°I¡¯m really curious about the story that you were struck by lightning. After all, not everyone in the empire has encountered such a thing. If you are not in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 8 - Killer Crow!

    ¡°Were you struck by lightning when you were born?¡± Cui Xiaoxin asked loudly with her eyes wide open.


    This thing sounded so unimaginably strange that even Cui Xiaoxin, who was knowledgeable and calm, had exclaimed in disbelief.


    All the people in the Beast-faced Pavilion turned around to look at them. Then, with a weird expression, they laughed at Li Muyang.


    ¡°That guy is willing to use all means to please this girl,¡± someone said.


    ¡°Could he survive from a thunderbolt? Does he think that we are idiots?¡± another said angrily.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Otherwise, can you tell us why he is so dark?¡±


    ¡­


    Cui Xiaoxin heard the people talking. She knew that she had gotten Li Muyang in trouble because she had asked in a loud voice just now. Thus, she apologized. ¡°Li Muyang, I did not mean it. After all, it¡¯s hard to believe such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I understand how you feel.¡± Li Muyang nodded and said bitterly, ¡°Surely, it sounds unreal to you. The lightning strike happened a decade ago, but even I have yet to accept the fact.¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± asked Cui Xiaoxin.


    ¡°Absolutely true.¡± Li Muyang nodded vigorously.


    Cui Xiaoxin believed him because she could see the frankness and pain in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes.


    She could understand Li Muyang¡¯s pain. After all, no one would ever feel pleasant after being struck by a thunderbolt.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have been in poor health, right?¡± asked Cui Xiaoxin.


    ¡°Well, it is said that when I was born, I was covered in blood and almost died. Later on, my parents asked a doctor to see me. The doctor was the old Taoist who taught my sister the Qi-breaking Technique. He ordered me to drink all kinds of herbal medicine every day for more than 10 years. That is why I can maintain a relatively healthy condition now. But I also suffer from some residual effects. For example, because of my weak pulse, I can¡¯t drink stimulating tea or eat spicy food. Moreover, I can¡¯t do strenuous exercise, study kung fu, or learn the popular Five-Animal Exercises of the empire.¡±


    Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and continued with a feeling of helplessness, ¡°Before the old Taoist left, he told me that I often felt tired and exhausted because my brain had been hit. No one could repair such damage. I could do nothing but leave everything up to my fate. I wanted to study. But whenever I opened my textbooks, I would feel waves of drowsiness. I have tried various ways to force myself to study, like tying my hair to the house beam, sticking needles into my legs, rubbing chili sauce on my temples¡­ However, none of these methods worked. Drowsiness defeated me. You know what happened next¡ªI abandoned myself.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin had total sympathy for Li Muyang. She said, ¡°But, the Liberal-arts Exam is only a month away. If you make no preparation, have you ever thought about your future? You can¡¯t sleep all your life.¡±


    ¡°Every day in the past, I have thought about my future. But what else can I do?¡± Li Muyang asked helplessly.


    ¡°From today on, I will help you with your lessons,¡± Cui Xiaoxin gritted her teeth and added, ¡°right here.¡±


    But Li Muyang waved his hands and refused, saying, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, I am very grateful for your kindness. But I don¡¯t want to slow you down during this crucial period. Li Sinian tutored me before, trying to improve my grades, but she failed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said firmly. As a girl of strong will, she would never give up easily on anything that she had determined to do. ¡°I don¡¯t believe there are insurmountable difficulties in this world. I don¡¯t believe there are areas in this world that humans can¡¯t conquer, either. From now on, I will be here to coach you. We should start with the basics. I am going to teach you any subjects that you want to learn and answer any questions that you don¡¯t understand. One month of study is not enough, but it will be much better than doing nothing before the exam.¡±


    ¡°But I am afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t refuse my suggestion,¡± Cui Xiaoxin interrupted Li Muyang and said, ¡°It will not affect my studies. I am ready to take the exam and will definitely enter Xifeng University.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang was silent and exclaimed in his heart, ¡°What a confident girl! She looks amazing.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, what is your opinion?¡± asked Cui Xiaoxin.


    ¡°Then, please help me,¡± Li Muyang said in a deep voice.


    The boy and girl smiled at each other. Li Muyang felt a very warm current surging through his body.


    It made him feel so good.


    ¡°Miss, the fruit you ordered.¡± A waiter wearing a beast-face uniform brought a fruit tray over.


    Li Muyang glanced at him, noticing that this handsome young man was not the person who served them before. With a smile, he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Li Muyang replied to him with the empire¡¯s standard noble etiquette. It was a pretty skillful imitation of Cui Xiaoxin. When Cui Xiaoxin watched him act like this, her eyes brightened. She felt as if Li Muyang, who was sitting right before her, were a real noble general of the empire.


    ¡°Have you ordered any fruit?¡± Cui Xiaoxin asked loudly.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Muyang shook his head then asked in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t you order it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Cui Xiaoxin answered.


    Her face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth and was going to say something¡­


    She reacted marvelously quick, but it was still too late.


    A ruthless smile appeared on the face of the young waiter who carried the fruit tray. With a sharp paring knife in his hand, the waiter directly went to stab Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s neck.


    The waiter thought, ¡°The neck is one of the most fragile parts of the human body. As long as my knife penetrates her main artery, this beautiful virgin with a delicate fragrance will perish forever.


    ¡°She is the target of my trip to Jiangnan.¡±


    ¡°Danger!¡± Li Muyang cried out in alarm.


    He sensed the danger.


    He felt like he was walking into an uninhabited, barren mountain and a horrifying monster was stalking him.


    His heart raced uncontrollably, and the sense of impending danger made his hair stand on end.


    Li Muyang sat opposite Cui Xiaoxin. Thus, when he saw the knife in the killer¡¯s hand, he immediately pounced upon the killer right away.


    There was no better option, nor did he know if there were any other options.


    What about running away? That sounded like a good choice, but such an idea had never crossed Li Muyang¡¯s mind.


    He opened his mouth to shout but failed to make a sound.


    His heart was beating so fast that he feared it would jump out of his chest.


    Li Muyang was terrified. Actually, he was scared to death.


    However, he still spread his arms wide and threw himself at the killer.


    He was going to push him away and put himself in front of Cui Xiaoxin to protect her.


    The killer kept an eye on the situation here before he attacked.


    Except for the noble lady of the empire, there was only a dark-skinned young man sitting opposite her.


    As one of the top 20 killers of the empire, Crow, who was very good at killing, had sharp eyes.


    Crow trusted his judgment¡ªthe ugly boy was an ordinary person who was even weaker than average. Only after he said a few sentences, the sweat burst through the skin on his forehead in tiny beads. In addition, when he stood there, his legs were shaking continually.


    The killer witnessed everything that had happened when Li Muyang begged Cui Xiaoxin to stay. In fact, he watched even more carefully than everyone else.


    ¡°A reckless and blind idiot,¡± Crow thought with disdain.


    At first, Crow didn¡¯t plan to do anything to Li Muyang. After all, he was only paid to kill the girl. A killer would never kill an extra person for free.


    He expected this idiot to be petrified with fear as soon as he launched his attack. But to his surprise, this boy was bold enough to play the hero¡ªhe rushed out to save the beauty.


    However, heroes usually come to no good end, and it is never so easy to save a beauty.


    Even before Li Muyang could approach him, Crow had already hurled the fruit tray in his left hand at Li Muyang¡¯s head.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    The fruit tray hit Li Muyang¡¯s head, which prevented Li Muyang from going any further.


    When the tray was on Li Muyang¡¯s face, Crow¡¯s right hand didn¡¯t remain idle.


    With his right hand, he spun the paring knife in a beautiful style and then slid it at Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s throat.


    He was going to carve a cherry blossom on Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s white, tender neck. The delicate blossom would start to bloom when her red blood seeped out.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡¯


    The knife was inserted neatly into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s flesh.

 Chapter 9 - Li Muyang Risked His Own Life!

    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    The sound of the knife cutting through flesh was clear and melodious, just like the sound of a cool breeze turning leaves.


    Crow was a killer, a killing master, for he had never failed.


    After piercing into the flesh, the 30 cm knife moved forward freely and then stopped, leaving only the knife handle outside.


    Crow made a hole through Li Muyang¡¯s palm!


    ¡°F*ck¡­¡± Crow cursed in his heart, ¡°How did I pierce this coal-like guy¡¯s palm?¡±


    Thinking in annoyance, he found that it was really hard for him to accept such a result.


    Since he had already thumped the fruit tray on the bastard¡¯s head, Crow expected that Li Muyang would collapse and lie on the ground with his head broken and bleeding.


    Crow aimed the knife at Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s neck because she was the one who deserved to be killed by him. To him, ordinary people¡¯s blood would only stain his palm and clothes.


    He was a very picky killer!


    But how did the knife in his hand run into the hand of this young piece of trash? Crow failed to get the happy result that he desired.


    Blood gushed forth from the open wound, dripping along the knife¡¯s edge.


    It was not until the blood came into his view that Li Muyang was sure that he had blocked the knife.


    He grinned and said proudly, ¡°I did it¡­¡±


    He protected Cui Xiaoxin from the attack and saved her life! And since this joy consumed him, he didn¡¯t even feel the pain.


    He didn¡¯t know how he did it, nor did Crow know how he had sent the knife into his palm.


    Without hesitation, Li Muyang just pounced and reached out to grab the knife in Crow¡¯s hand.


    Then, the knife was in his hand.


    Oh, no, more precisely, it went through his palm.


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t get the point, but Crow knew what it meant.


    Just like he had seen before, Li Muyang was an ordinary teenager, a good-for-nothing who would sweat and wheeze when he got a little excited.


    However, Crow, the Bird King, was one of the top 20 killers of the empire. In his eyes, he was a dominating figure who should be in the top 10 at least.


    He used the Cherry-blossom Chop. When he sent the knife out, it would spin in the shape of a cherry blossom petal and then make a cherry blossom on the target.


    Even at that moment, his target would feel no pain at all because Crow acted very fast and efficiently. It wasn¡¯t until traces of blood oozed from the wounds that the cherry blossom would finally show up, declaring Crow¡¯s victory.


    Crow had confidence in his Cherry-blossom Chop, and his attacking speed made him feel even more confident.


    ¡°But how could such a young piece trash grab hold of my knife?¡± Crow wondered.


    ¡°I stopped you,¡± Li Muyang said.


    Upon hearing Li Muyang¡¯s words, Crow felt this result more like a deliberate provocation and the biggest shame in his career as a killer.


    ¡°You can never stop me,¡± said Crow in a cold voice.


    While speaking, he pulled the paring knife out of Li Muyang¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    The knife came out, followed by a large spurt of blood.


    Only at this moment did Li Muyang cry out miserably in pain.


    A hole appeared in his palm, causing endless pain. It was going to swallow him like a black hole and drag him into a hell full of misery.


    Because of the stabbing pain, Li Muyang¡¯s body convulsed in a series of twitches.


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    Once again, Crow used his favorite Cherry-blossom Chop, which he thought could show his good taste, and threw his knife at Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    Li Muyang rushed forward again and successfully grabbed Crow¡¯s knife a second time.


    ¡°Thump!¡±


    Crow¡¯s heart jumped violently. He stared at Li Muyang, his eyes wide open and his face full of horror.


    In Crow¡¯s mind, Li Muyang stopped him the first time only because of his good luck. But what the hell had happened this time?


    This time, Crow had sped up on purpose and guarded heavily against Li Muyang. However, Li Muyang still cracked Crow¡¯s Cherry-blossom Chop and took the knife from him, though it was foolish of him to stop the sharp knife with his palm.


    But all this was enough to arouse Crow¡¯s suspicion. ¡°Is this kid a reclusive master, or a disciple of a reclusive master?


    ¡°I have long heard that Jiangnan City has existed for thousands of years and has managed to retain its prosperity the whole time. It is a city with a solid foundation where people of unusual ability are to be found. Oh, no, did I accidentally meet such a talent?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± exclaimed Cui Xiaoxin. She immediately picked up the teacup in front of her and threw it at Crow¡¯s face.


    Crow flicked his sleeves. Then the Blue Water that was poured out of the cup turned into a mass of steam and vanished into thin air. With terrifying force, Crow pushed the Blue Water teacup back through the air. He turned the cup around and sent it to hit Cui Xiaoxin.


    From the beginning of this assassination to now, everything happened in a flash. They acted so fast that those guests around them did not know what had happened at all.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    When the teacup was smashed to pieces on the wall, those guests finally got up and began to run for their lives while crying out in fear.


    ¡°Murder, a murder!¡±


    ¡°Go tell an officer. Get the police right now!¡± a customer shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me. I saw nothing. I don¡¯t know that there is a purple mole on the corner of your mouth¡­¡± another customer begged.


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death,¡± cursed Crow. It was evident that Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s counterattack irritated him.


    Li Muyang, who was far from handsome¡­ Er, well, Li Muyang, who actually had a black but imposing appearance, intercepted his Cherry-blossom Chop twice in a row. Crow felt that he had been greatly insulted. But now, even his target began to resist vehemently. The reality now was much harder for Crow to swallow.


    He was a killer and an artist of indisputable killing skills.


    Crow liked his job. When he was killing someone, Crow wanted to make sure that the person would die painlessly and would not know about their death before they stopped breathing. He hoped that a smile would freeze on his target¡¯s face. It was one of the harsh professional standards that Crow had set for himself. But this lousy beginning completely destroyed the beautiful vision in his heart that he had always pursued.


    Now Crow regretted that he didn¡¯t check the calendar to see the fortune for the day before he went out to work. Otherwise, he would have chosen a more appropriate day to kill. In fact, if he had cast a glance, he would have seen ¡°avoid killing today¡± on the imperial calendar.


    Crow growled. The Beast-faced Pavilion¡¯s servant uniform he was wearing fluttered, though there was no wind at all. A white beam of sword radiance more than one meter long suddenly grew out of the small dagger in his hand.


    The knife turned into a giant sword that was more than a meter long! Then, Crow lifted the huge sword and slashed at Cui Xiaoxin.


    One Strike Splits Mount Hua!


    He was going to split Cui Xiaoxin in half.


    If the young piece of trash dared to stretch out and stop him a third time, Crow would halve the stupid boy as well.


    This time, he was kind of expecting Li Muyang to thrust himself forward to face the challenge.


    Crow planned to take the two person¡¯s lives with the third chop, taking Li Muyang as a small gift for slaying the noble lady.


    After all, nobody would care if such a guy lived or died in the end.


    Crow thought that this guy didn¡¯t deserve to be slaughtered by his saber.


    ¡°You cannot kill her!¡± Li Muyang shouted himself hoarse in his frenzied efforts.


    His eyes were bloodshot. And once again, streaks of blood wrapped his pupils up.


    Again, a scale-like object sprouted from the back of his right hand. The time, it appeared to be much more evident than it was by Sunset Lake. At that time, it was still transparent and almost invisible without a close inspection. But this time, it became translucent with some gray sediment. Inside it, there were some tiny clouds and electric stripes flying and dashing around.


    Li Muyang felt that his heart was filled with fury as if someone had taken away his most precious thing.


    He wanted to vent his anger and destroy something.


    He wanted to destroy this despicable and insignificant human in front of him.


    Li Muyang delivered a punch.


    He threw a punch at the white sword radiance, which was more than one meter long.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    The white radiance flickered, and Sword Qi filled the air.


    The powerful energy generated by the violent collision destroyed the whole Beast-faced Pavilion. It tossed around the teacups of the customers. All the table legs were broken in unison, causing the tables to fall to the ground with a bang. One after another, the teacups and china fell off the shelves of the bar and were broken into pieces. All kinds of fresh fruits in the baskets were poured out to the ground, jumping and rolling around.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Crow was slammed onto the thick oak cupboard behind the bar. In his throat came the sweet taste of blood, and then he spurted a mouthful of blackish-red blood from the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°You stupid son of a b*tch¡­ Pointing to the furious Li Muyang, Crow broke out in curses. ¡°Have you been set to grab the saber with your bare hands only?!¡±

 Chapter 10 - A Dragon in Li Muyangs Dream!

    The fight had thrown the whole place into chaos. There were screams, quick footsteps, loud bangs when things fell to the ground, and the crackling noises as items were broken.


    Li Muyang was standing in the center of the chaos, but he remained untouched.


    Through his bloodshot eyes, Li Muyang stared at Crow, who had repeatedly pierced his palm and hence triggered his furious response.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    After pushing away the table with a broken leg that was pressing against his legs, Li Muyang walked over to Crow, who had fallen to the ground, step by step.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    With each step, he put his feet down hard on the ground. Under his feet, those Blue Water leaves and fruits that dropped to the floor crunched loudly.


    Li Muyang¡¯s heart could no longer control his actions. It seemed that the irritated monster that hid in his body was driving him to do something crazier.


    ¡°Li Muyang!¡± Cui Xiaoxin got up from the ground and called Li Muyang¡¯s name hurriedly.


    The exploded Qi pushed Cui Xiaoxin down, leaving several cuts across her face and hands. Those cuts did not affect her delicate appearance. Instead, she looked more touching and beautiful with them.


    Cui Xiaoxin only saw that Li Muyang rushed toward the killer, who had pretended to be a waiter of the Beast-faced Pavilion, then the killer flew out. Meanwhile, a great force threw Cui Xiaoxin against the wall. And slowly, she slipped down the wall.


    Cui Xiaoxin felt that her body was about to fall apart, but while gritting her teeth, she still managed to stand up and rush over to Li Muyang.


    She didn¡¯t know what had happened, but she knew that Li Muyang was doing something very dangerous.


    ¡°You damned fool!¡± Crow cursed and floated up from the ground.


    He didn¡¯t climb up, nor stand up. Without any help, Crow floated there in the air like a ghost.


    Crow floated horizontally first and then stood up straight when he was in midair.


    While standing in midair, Crow stared fiercely at Li Muyang, who was striding toward him. With an ice-cold voice that sounded as if it were from hell, he said, ¡°What a reckless idiot!¡±


    His right hand waved a few times in the air, and then a door with silver radiance appeared.


    Crow muttered something strange. Then, a flock of black crows giving off the smell of death headed toward Li Muyang at high speed.


    A large number of crows nearly filled all the space in the Beast-faced Pavilion.


    They were silent, but their eyes looked as fierce and greedy as their master¡¯s.


    ¡°Flap! Flap! Flap!¡±


    While flapping their wings, the group of crows that looked like a dark cloud was going to envelop Li Muyang. They would gnaw at Li Muyang until there was nothing left of him.


    ¡°Evil beasts!¡± someone thundered all of a sudden.


    A round red light ball appeared above Li Muyang¡¯s head. The Beast-faced Pavilion was full of rays of golden light. As soon as those black crows touched the golden light, they would turn into a cloud of black smoke and disperse with the wind.


    The golden light lasted for a very long time and faded until all the black crows in the room were turned into black smoke.


    Then, the red light ball disappeared, as did the Void Gate that had summoned the black crows.


    All the crows vanished, and the dense smoke also faded away.


    Crow, the killer, was gone. And even Cui Xiaoxin, who came to the Beast-faced Pavilion with Li Muyang, had also disappeared.


    Li Muyang looked around and found that a waitress of the Beast-faced Pavilion, whose face was full of horror, was hiding under the table. He waved at her with his bloody hand and shouted, ¡°Take me to a clinic quickly¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his words, his head began to spin dizzily.


    His eyes dulled, and he slumped to the ground.


    ¡­


    ¡°You insignificant human beings! You traitors!¡±


    ¡°An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. I will punish you for all your evil intentions in the name of the Heavens.¡±


    ¡°Kill! Kill!¡±


    ¡­


    A giant dragon was roaring, and the wildfire was burning.


    An enormous figure flying in the air could be seen everywhere in the world. People could not see its whole body but only parts of it. On that figure were pitch-black, hard scales that were covered with flowing clouds and flickering electric patterns. In the firelight, there were the cries and pains as well as the negligible struggles and resistance of humankind. These scales reflected those scenes as clearly as bronze mirrors.


    With its breathtaking majesty, the giant figure that could mount the clouds and ride the mist kept destroying cities and countries.


    Each time it wagged its tail, a city would perish.


    Each time it stretched out its claws, city walls would collapse.


    When it opened its mouth, the earth-shattering Dragon Breath would melt everything in its sight.


    Flesh and blood of humans, the tall and upright thorn trees that reached to the sky, and the towering city walls made of bricks and tiles, they were turned into ashes in an instant.


    Li Muyang was the bystander of this strange world and also the witness of this war.


    He was high up in the air as if he were the giant dragon that was doing the slaughtering.


    The huge dragon was also aware of his presence, so it swung back and flew toward Li Muyang, carrying along with it wind and thunder.


    It tore the dense clouds apart and blew the icy winds away.


    Li Muyang could almost feel the heat waves that spurted out of its mouth and could even hear its heart beating in its chest.


    Li Muyang strove hard to open his eyes wide, hoping to see the dragon¡¯s appearance clearly.


    And Li Muyang saw something! He saw the dragon¡¯s eyes!


    The pair of dragon eyes looked very similar to his own eyes.


    As Li Muyang was wondering, the giant dragon rushed straight at him and then went into his body with its long tail.


    Li Muyang saw with his own eyes that his body was broken open, and then his mind went blank.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The whole world quieted down.


    In addition to the burning sparks that were spreading further into the distance, the rest of the world fell into eternal darkness.


    When Li Muyang opened his eyes, the sun was shining brightly outside of the window. On a huge silk tree, a colorful bird was dancing and chirping joyfully as if it were celebrating Li Muyang¡¯s recovery.


    In June, Jiangnan City was hot but had an elegant style, like a graceful woman in a thick, long robe. Though the airtight robe had covered her up, this woman did not make others feel gloomy.


    The women in Jiangnan City were pretty and natural, who were a pleasant sight without makeup.


    Li Sinian was a representative in this regard.


    Except for her messy hair and dirty face, Li Sinian also had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. But still, she stared at Li Muyang without blinking.


    Therefore, the moment Li Muyang opened his eyes, he caught Li Sinian¡¯s big, watery eyes.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Li Sinian called him happily in surprise. ¡°You woke up! Are you all right? Is there anything wrong? Wait a minute. I¡¯m going to call the doctor¡­¡±


    Without giving Li Muyang a chance to say a word, she immediately turned around and was about to run outside.


    Li Muyang stretched out to stop her, but he found that his right arm was tied up so tight that he couldn¡¯t move it at all.


    Fortunately, his mouth was fine, so he shouted in a hurry, ¡°Li Sinian!¡±


    She turned around, looked at Li Muyang, and asked, ¡°Brother, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Li Muyang, trying to show her a big grin. However, when he realized that his face was also wrapped with strips of gauze, he was greatly frightened and asked, ¡°My face¡­ Is it all right?¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian¡¯s face darkened. She was about to say something but then hesitated.


    Li Muyang was stunned for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Anyway, I¡¯m ugly. Perhaps, my disfigured face is a chance for me to be reborn as someone else¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± while shaking her head, Li Sinian looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°there¡¯s nothing wrong with your face. But since your forehead is a little swollen, the doctor has wrapped your whole head up to make you look better.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you look so sad?¡± Li Muyang asked in confusion.


    ¡°I suggested finding the best doctor in the empire for you so that he could adjust your face in passing. In that case, when you woke up, we could give you a big surprise.¡± Li Sinian said bitterly, ¡°But they all disagreed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang had nothing to say.


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry.¡± Li Sinian came over and stroked Li Muyang¡¯s injured right hand. She looked at his eyes and said seriously, ¡°When I can work to make money in the future, I will definitely invite the most famous doctor in the empire to do plastic surgery on you¡­¡±


    ¡°Is my appearance that bad?¡± Suddenly, Li Muyang felt a throbbing pain when he breathed.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Li Sinian grinned. She put her arms around Li Muyang¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Anyway, I am used to seeing your face. Even if people in the whole world think that you are ugly, I will only feel that they are blind.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed my good sister.¡± Li Muyang looked very happy. Then, a little embarrassedly, he looked at Li Sinian and said, ¡°I want to ask you a question, but you are not allowed to laugh at me.¡±


    ¡°Brother, trust me. You have been a poor guy for so many years, but have I ever laughed at you?¡± While patting her chest, Li Sinian assured him.


    ¡°Are you sure that you will not laugh at me?¡± Li Muyang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Li Sinian answered.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Li Muyang blushed a little, avoiding eye contact with Li Sinian, and he asked in a weak voice, ¡°Do you think that I look like a giant dragon?¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± Li Sinian burst into laughter.

 Chapter 11 - A Dangerous Classmate!

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    Li Sinian rocked back and forth with laughter and could hardly breathe.


    She collapsed onto the bed and looked up at Li Muyang, gasping. ¡°Brother, what made you have such a serious misunderstanding of yourself?¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s black face was now wrapped in white gauze, so others could not see clearly what his skin color was at this time. However, he dared not look directly at her. He reached out and firmly mussed Li Sinian¡¯s hair as revenge. Then, Li Muyang said with hesitancy, unsure of himself, ¡°I know that I can never be a huge dragon. After all, I don¡¯t look like one at all.¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡± Li Sinian grumbled coyly, allowing Li Muyang to rub and pull her hair. She blinked her pair of innocent and clear eyes at Li Muyang. With consideration for his feelings, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s happened? Why did you come up with such a strange question?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Li Muyang shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°It was a dream. I dreamed about a dragon. In the dream, I tried to see the dragon¡¯s appearance but only found that its eyes looked the same as mine. So I was wondering if I looked like a giant dragon.¡±


    In her heart, Li Sinian felt a little worried. She had heard that every dream was a metaphor for something real. For example, if a person became a powerful man or a fierce animal in their dream, they had to feel inferior deep down in real life.


    Therefore, Li Sinian held Li Muyang¡¯s hands tightly and comforted him. ¡°Brother, in my heart, you are a giant dragon. But since you are the dragon that has descended into the shallow water, you can¡¯t give full play to your ability and wisdom. Once you are well enough, you can definitely make clouds and bring rain as well as overturn seas and fly up high beyond the highest heavens like a great dragon.¡±


    Li Muyang reached out and rubbed Li Sinian¡¯s nose, and then said fondly, ¡°Silly girl, are you acting like my spiritual mentor again? I know myself well enough. I am a good-for-nothing now and will continue to be a good-for-nothing, so I suppose that I will need you to take care of me in the future.¡±


    Li Nianian threw her arms around Li Muyang¡¯s neck and said with a broad smile, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. I will provide meals and accommodation for you. Also, I will help you find a wife.¡±


    ¡°But I want two wives,¡± said Li Muyang.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not going to work.¡± Li Sinian disagreed.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Li Muyang was confused.


    ¡°I will get angry when you just get one wife. How could I tolerate two wives? I will think about how to poison them to death all the time!¡± Li Sinian explained.


    ¡°Then, I will marry no one. Is that okay?¡± Li Muyang asked.


    ¡°No!¡± Li Sinian refused. ¡°If you don¡¯t get married, Mom and Dad will be very sad. If so, my heart will be filled with sadness as well. Since I can accept only one sister-in-law, you can get yourself one, and only one, wife.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang was speechless.


    He looked out at the sky and asked, ¡°How long have I slept?¡±


    Li Sinian¡¯s face became gloomy and said, ¡°Two days and nights.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Li Muyang was shocked and asked, ¡°How could I sleep for such a long time? Where is Cui Xiaoxin? Did she come here?¡±


    Li Sinian¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened. With intense curiosity, she whispered her questions, ¡°Who is Cui Xiaoxin? What is your relationship with her?¡±


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin is my classmate.¡± Li Muyang was busy recalling the conflict that happened at the Beast-faced Pavilion and took no notice of the change of Li Sinian¡¯s expression. At that time, he punched the killer in black up into the air. Then, Li Muyang looked down at his wrapped up fist and thought to himself, ¡°How could I punch the killer into the air?¡±


    Li Muyang was completely unfamiliar with the way of cultivation, but he knew clearly that the man in black was a master.


    The killer used the sword of light and summoned those crows by using the Void Gate. All of this looked awesome and intimidating.


    Li Muyang felt that something had gone wrong with him recently. There seemed to be a beast in his body that wanted to break out of him.


    He became irritable and cranky. Sometimes, he got mighty power from nowhere. On the lake tour, he directly sent Zhang Chen flying with one punch. This fact was clear proof.


    As Li Muyang remembered, someone called out ¡°evil beasts¡± later on. After that, a light ball as bright as the sun rose above his head.


    When the crows were all gone, and the light ball vanished, Cui Xiaoxin also disappeared.


    ¡°What exactly had happened to Cui Xiaoxin? Was she rescued or hijacked? Who was the man that shouted ¡®evil beasts¡¯?¡± Li Muyang asked.


    He was very anxious to know the answers to these questions immediately.


    ¡°I certainly know that she is your classmate. I also know that she is a well-known beauty of our school and a top student of senior grade three. Moreover, she got the highest scores in all the courses of senior grade three. I have been an excellent student for many years, but it is the first time that I found someone who can be a match for me. I heard that you were sent here from the Beast-faced Pavilion located at the school entrance. But it was during school hours! Were you two on a date at that time?¡± asked Li Sinian.


    Li Muyang denied it and said, ¡°How could it be possible that we were on a date? Look at my face, do you think that I deserve her?¡±


    Li Sinian shook her head, then nodded and said, ¡°But I heard that a good man always has a bad wife, and vice versa. Brother, as long as Cui Xiaoxin is blind enough, you will no longer need to worry about your ugly looks. Do you want me to poke her in the eye and blind her?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang was speechless.


    But then, Li Sinian shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it. Maybe she will become my sister-in-law in the future. I should show her some respect.¡±


    When she saw Li Muyang¡¯s anxious look, Li Sinian stopped teasing him deliberately and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Cui Xiaoxin here. You are staying in the Zhuge Clinic and are receiving Doctor Zhuge¡¯s treatment. Someone has arranged both the clinic and the doctor for you. If I am right, this person should be Cui Xiaoxin. After all, our family doesn¡¯t know any big shots in Jiangnan City.¡±


    ¡°Can you go to our school and ask around if she has gone to class?¡± Li Muyang grasped Li Sinian¡¯s hands and begged in a low voice.


    Li Sinian felt a little bitter in her heart, as if someone else was going to take her treasure away. With her mouth twitching, she said viciously, ¡°Oh, you find it very hard to part with her now, right?¡±


    Li Muyang shook his head and said, ¡°At that time, the situation was very dangerous. I am worried about her safety.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Li Sinian looked at Li Muyang¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the school today and ask around for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Li Muyang grinned.


    ¡°Stop laughing,¡± Li Sinian said, ¡°When you are smiling, you look like a big black bear. I can¡¯t see any part of you except for your white teeth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang fell silent.


    He didn¡¯t know when he had made this young lady angry again.


    ¡­


    ¡°Creak!¡±


    A satin-covered luxurious carriage painted with peonies and birds stopped in front of the Zhuge Clinic. Behind the bead door curtains hanging in the carriage, there was a girl in a double-breasted dress. The dress was decorated with violet lotus flowers and cinched her in at the waist. She was about to push the door open and go out. However, a man in a blue robe sitting in front of her stopped her. He asked, ¡°Miss, are you really going to take the risk of visiting him?¡±


    ¡°Take a risk?¡± The girl raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°The Zhuge Clinic is the Cui Family¡¯s private clinic. Why do you think it is a risk? I just want to visit my classmate who saved me.¡±


    The man said, ¡°Miss, we have arranged the best clinic for him and have asked the best doctor in Jiangnan City to examine him. Or even, at your request, we have also invited the most famous doctor in the Imperial Hospital of Heaven Capital. You wanted to know how much trauma he suffered from the thunderbolt that he came across when he was just born, so this doctor also helped to check his brain area. He saved your life, so the Cui Family will gradually repay this favor. But, Miss, I think you¡¯d better not get yourself involved in any of this.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried that someone will try to assassinate me again?¡± The girl lifted her eyebrows slightly and said gently, ¡°But you guys are guarding me by my side, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Miss, the real danger that we worry about is precisely the patient that you are going to visit this time.¡± The man in the blue robe hesitated the whole time and finally told her the concern hidden in his heart.


    ¡°Li Muyang?¡± The young girl frowned. She didn¡¯t like others to talk about her friend like that.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The man in the blue robe nodded. ¡°This time, the killer that attacked you in the Beast-faced Pavilion is Crow, one of the top 20 killers of the empire. He is a man of high cultivation who is very good at summoning various birds to attack. In the Dark Realm, he is called ¡®Bird King.¡¯ But surprisingly, your classmate blocked his Cherry-blossom Chop twice in a row. And he even punched Crow up into the air the third time. Miss, this classmate is very dangerous.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°If he heard your remarks, I suppose that he would be delighted!¡±


    ¡°Miss¡­¡± The man wanted to say something more.


    ¡°Uncle Ning, I¡¯ve thought about it. I know your concern.¡± The girl interrupted the man in the blue robe again and said, ¡°However, I can¡¯t deliberately choose what I should forget or remember. When the killer wielded his sharp knife to attack me, it was him who rushed over bravely and grabbed the long knife several times simply with his palms¡­¡±


    ¡°Clatter!¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin pushed the door open and got out of the carriage. Then, she raised her head and landed her eyes on the small building hidden behind those cherry blossom trees.


    These splendid and beautiful cherry blossoms had the same bright-red color as the blood that dripped from between Li Muyang¡¯s palms that day.

 Chapter 12 - A Genius or an Idiot!

    Cui Xiaoxin stood at the door, pondering. Just as she was about to knock on the door, it was pulled open from the inside.


    A beautiful girl with bangs on her forehead popped out only to find someone staring at her in the doorway unblinkingly.


    Cui Xiaoxin looked at Li Sinian at the same time. She knew that Li Muyang had a younger sister, but she had never expected that his sister was such a beautiful girl.


    ¡°Are they really siblings?¡± Such a thought suddenly popped into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s mind.


    Then, she instantly threw this idea out of her mind. Li Muyang was her lifesaver. How could she insult him like this?


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin?¡± Li Sinian asked, breaking the silence between them.


    ¡°Li Sinian?¡± She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but when she heard Li Sinian call her name, Cui Xiaoxin felt a hint of joy in her heart. She felt that this was a kind of recognition of herself, although she never cared before about whether people recognized her or not.


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Li Sinian nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, ¡°I know you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see Li Muyang.¡± Cui Xiaoxin felt that Li Sinian¡¯s eyes looked a little strange, but she had already imagined such a scene on her way over here. She even thought that she would face a more complicated situation than now¡ªLi Muyang¡¯s father and mother, as well as some important relatives, would also be present, and they would look at her with scrutiny or appreciation.


    A beautiful girl visiting her sick classmate alone would easily cause misunderstandings under normal circumstances. There was no doubt that once her classmates found out about it, the scandal between them would soon spread throughout Fuxing High School.


    Li Sinian was alone in the ward, which saved her a lot of trouble.


    ¡°Oh, Li Muyang is my brother¡­¡± Li Sinian said with a smile. She took Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s hand intimately and said, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin, please come in.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was not used to this kind of intimacy. She had never held hands so intimately with any girl before.


    However, Li Sinian was really a lovely girl. Her smile was so pure, and her enthusiasm was so sincere. It seemed that refusing her would be blasphemy¡­


    Cui Xiaoxin hesitated for a moment before she allowed Li Sinian to pull her to Li Muyang¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Brother, Sister Xiaoxin is here. You have mentioned her so many times!¡± Li Sinian shouted. She winked at Li Muyang and said with a wronged face, ¡°You asked me about her just after you opened your eyes. You also forced me to immediately ask if she went to school today. Look, is she all right? Did she get hurt? Did she lose any of her hair or flesh?¡±


    ¡°I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, don¡¯t explain it. An explanation is a cover.¡± Li Sinian didn¡¯t give Li Muyang any chance to speak but said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out to eat something. I¡¯m starving. You two can have a good talk.¡±


    Li Sinian held Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin, I am leaving my brother to you.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s expression froze, but she still nodded and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She could feel that Li Sinian¡¯s words were ambiguous. But if she didn¡¯t answer her, would Li Sinian think that she was thinking too much?


    Li Sinian quietly made a gesture to cheer her brother up before she said goodbye to Cui Xiaoxin and left.


    Li Muyang smiled awkwardly and said to Cui Xiaoxin, ¡°That¡¯s just how she is. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s very cute,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said.


    Li Muyang nodded, looked into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes, and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s skin looked white and delicate, and her facial features were exquisite without any flaws. She was wearing a long purple dress with painted lotuses on it. Although she did not wear a belt, she looked soft and slender, like a willow blowing in the wind. Her whole person looked simple and clean.


    In Li Muyang¡¯s memory, Cui Xiaoxin seemed to have been injured in the attack in the Beast-faced Pavilion¡ªbut now he didn¡¯t see any wounds, as if what had happened that day was a clear and painful nightmare.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Cui Xiaoxin lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes flapping like an attractive fan. ¡°You tried your best to fight against him to save me, but I escaped¡­¡±


    ¡°You were rescued by someone, right?¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°The man who shouted ¡®evil beasts¡¯ was your man, and the red balls that burned Crow were also from your man. You left after confirming that the killer had left, right?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin blinked and asked, ¡°How could you know this?¡±


    ¡°I felt¡ª¡± Li Muyang grinned, revealing two rows of bright white teeth. ¡°That is what you would do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Cui Xiaoxin was deeply moved and said, ¡°Thank you for trusting me so much.¡±


    ¡°We are friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°Just like you believe that I can make progress in learning, I also believe in your character. I believe that you would not deliberately abandon me on the dangerous battlefield¡­¡±


    ¡°My family took me away,¡± Cui Xiaoxin explained. She felt that she owed Li Muyang an explanation, which was one of the reasons why she insisted on coming to see him. ¡°When I left, I was already unconscious and could not resist.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Li Muyang waved his hand casually and said, ¡°I can imagine that scene.¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª ¡± Cui Xiaoxin thought, ¡°It¡¯s time to say goodbye.¡±


    No matter how brave Li Muyang acted in the Beast-faced Pavilion that day, he was just an ordinary person after all.


    Since those people had found her and the assassins had failed, she was afraid that there would be more schemes waiting for her, and the worse environment needed to be faced.


    She didn¡¯t want to drag Li Muyang in again because no one could guarantee that Li Muyang would be so lucky next time.


    ¡°Does our agreement still stand?¡± Li Muyang suddenly asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You said that you would help me study¡ªyou said at the Beast-faced Pavilion on that day,¡± Li Muyang looked into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes and said with a smile.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cui Xiaoxin touched the hair in front of her forehead and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I said. If you are willing to do it.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°I also want to study at Xifeng University. I heard that there is a Nameless Lake in the University that has the most beautiful sunset in the world.¡±


    ¡°Then please work hard with me.¡± Cui Xiaoxin pressed her thin lips together and laughed.


    ¡­


    From this day on, Cui Xiaoxin went to visit Li Muyang every day, helping him with his studies for four hours.


    She was a well-known top student in the school, and none of the homework could defeat her.


    She taught Li Muyang one subject after another and then asked Li Muyang to read books and figure out the answers. If there was anything that Li Muyang could not understand, she would explain it to him in a simple and understandable way, until Li Muyang thoroughly understood the problem.


    Perhaps because he had a beautiful study companion or that she could keep him awake, Li Muyang¡¯s sleeping time had been greatly reduced these days, while his reaction was getting faster and faster. There were a lot of extremely difficult problems, but after Cui Xiaoxin explained them to Li Muyang, he could quickly understand them.


    Cui Xiaoxin was shocked. She gave him several difficult problems to test him, but Li Muyang was still able to answer them quickly. Sometimes, the methods he used to solve the problems were ones that she had not taught him.


    This made Cui Xiaoxin confused. In the past, Li Muyang had never studied in class before. This was also the reason why he was always last or had no score in every exam.


    Now she only taught him once. How could he find some other way to solve the problem?


    ¡°He can figure out other ways by learning one method?


    ¡°Is he an undiscovered genius?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin stared at Li Muyang¡¯s black face and found that he was more and more acceptable. Although his skin was dark, he had delicate and deep facial features. The most special thing was his pair of eyes, which were flexible and seemed to be able to devour other people¡¯s souls.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin called out.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Muyang looked up.


    ¡°Did you really not know anything before?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°Recently, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either, but there are always some strange things coming out of my head, just like I have experienced them before¡ªlike these questions¡ªeven though it¡¯s the first time I heard them, I can find a variety of ways to solve them.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin opened her eyes widely, looking at Li Muyang, and said, ¡°You mean that you can find many other ways to solve the problems?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang nodded. Then he scratched his head and said with some embarrassment, ¡°Some of them only have one way to be solved. The rest are fake solutions, because if you continue, you will find that you will get a completely wrong or opposite answer. That is an academic deep trap, which will cost one too much time on this.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin didn¡¯t believe him, so she immediately wrote down a question from the ¡°Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art¡±. She passed the paper to Li Muyang and said, ¡°Answer this question. Show me all the methods you know.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded and then crouched down to answer the question.


    Five minutes later, Li Muyang was writing.


    10 minutes later, Li Muyang was still writing.


    Half an hour had passed, then one hour had passed.


    In the process of writing, Li Muyang changed a pen and asked for 12 pieces of writing paper.


    After over an hour, he gave more than a dozen pages to Cui Xiaoxin and said with embarrassment, ¡°These are all I know¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin took over the papers quickly. The more she looked at them, the more solemn her expression became. Finally, she put down the papers, looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°You wrote 11 solutions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang nodded. ¡°In fact, there is one more solution. But I only knew the beginning and had some difficulties in the latter part of the calculation, because there is no way to perfect the string theory in it¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin bit her lip and looked at Li Muyang with complicated eyes. Then she said with great difficulty, ¡°I only know two of them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 13 - The Bright Moon of the Empire!

    If these things were not happening in front of her, Cui Xiaoxin wouldn¡¯t have been able to believe it.


    How could a good-for-nothing young man become a genius in just a few days?


    If what he had done in the past was all real, then his learning ability was also quite amazing. Even though those gifted teenagers could remember everything they had read, they could not do the same thing as he did.


    If what he had done in the past were just an illusion and a cover-up, then what was his purpose?


    The dark skin of Li Muyang was like a dark black curtain, attracting people to continue searching.


    Cui Xiaoxin felt a deep sense of frustration. Her little face was beautiful and her eyes were firm. She looked at Li Muyang and asked doubtfully, ¡°Did you come up with these solutions by yourself? Or have you seen them before?¡±


    ¡°I came up with them myself,¡± Li Muyang said.


    After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen them somewhere before. But as for where on earth I¡¯ve seen them, I feel strange about it. How could I have seen such difficult and obscure questions? And how could I know so many ways to solve the problems?¡±


    ¡°This is a quiz question. I know that Li Keyan, the most famous mathematician in the empire, knows seven solutions. One of my elders, who has studied this method for many years, knows nine solutions. I have never heard of some of your 11 explanations. I am not even sure if the answers are correct¡ªthose solutions seem to come from other countries or a far distant empire like the Sith Empire? Li Muyang, have you ever been to other countries? Or have you seen a secret and non-inherited academic book?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Li Muyang shook his head again and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been to any other countries, and I have never seen any confidential academic books. You know who I was. If I were so smart, how could I be called a good-for-nothing for so many years?¡± Li Muyang laughed bitterly. ¡°A man with a little self-esteem is not willing to be gestured and scolded as a swine.¡±


    ¡°That surprises me the most.¡± Cui Xiaoxin said, ¡°I heard that someone could grow into a National Warrior overnight. Maybe you were inspired all of a sudden. If you can maintain such a pace of learning, even if you have limited time, you may be able to get into a very good school.¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s eyes became bright. He looked at Cui Xiaoxin with expectation and asked, ¡°Really? Can I get into a good university?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said. But there were some things that she did not say: ¡°You have no idea how powerful you are now. If the calculating madman in my family knew that the problem he had studied for a lifetime had been worked out by a high school student in one night, he would probably cut off his own ears, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    Li Muyang became excited and said, ¡°If there is hope, I will work harder during this period of time. I will go to Xifeng University with you. At that time, let¡¯s go to Nameless Lake to watch the sunset together.¡±


    This was a request and an agreement.


    Seeing Li Muyang looking at her with burning eyes, Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s make plans for Nameless Lake.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Li Muyang was so excited that he couldn¡¯t control himself. For the first time in his life, there was hope that could melt his body and heart. ¡°It¡¯s still early today. Let¡¯s study for a while. You can test me with a few more questions; the key questions would be best.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin understood Li Muyang¡¯s mind at this time, and her vigilance instantly disappeared. ¡°When I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll look through my test papers of the past decade and pick out some of the most common questions for you to answer.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up. The more, the better¡­¡± At this moment, the poor student, Li Muyang, was very eager to learn.


    Cui Xiaoxin glanced at Li Muyang, gently stroked her hair in front of her forehead, and once again bent over to begin writing down the questions.


    The delicate and elegant small characters appeared on the draft, which looked very pleasant.


    Because they had met so many times, Cui Xiaoxin and Li Sinian had gotten quite familiar with each other. After Li Sinian¡¯s initiative attack, they soon became close sisters.


    Cui Xiaoxin had seen Li Muyang¡¯s parents. They all looked very nice, and Li Muyang¡¯s mother was a very beautiful woman. Even in Jiangnan City, which was full of beautiful women, she was very eye-catching.


    If Li Muyang could have inherited the excellent genes of his parents, he would be one of the best-looking men¡­


    However, friends should be sincere. She could not judge a book by its cover.


    Li Sinian came back from school. When she looked at Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin sitting together and discussing the problems, she showed an ambiguous smile.


    She walked over to Cui Xiaoxin and said coyly, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin, you¡¯ve been busy for the whole day. Shall we stop and have a rest? Are you hungry? Shall we go and eat something first?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin looked outside. It was late. She put down the writing brush in her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s very late. I¡¯ll pass, my family is waiting for me for dinner.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°I asked the doctor before I came here. He said that you¡¯ve recovered and you can take a walk tomorrow. Do you want to wait a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to wait? I have been observed for so many days.¡± Li Muyang only felt that there was not enough time, so he had to take every minute. ¡°There is only one month before the Liberal-arts Exam. I can¡¯t waste my time. Tomorrow, let¡¯s go to school.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment then said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow. Let¡¯s go to school together.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Li Muyang answered happily.


    Cui Xiaoxin walked a few steps on the path, and a luxurious carriage stopped by her side silently.


    A man in a blue robe jumped out of the carriage and opened the door. Cui Xiaoxin got in and closed her eyes to rest.


    She helped Li Muyang study for a whole day, speaking, explaining, sorting out his memory, spotting questions, and picking out the essentials of the Liberal-arts Exam in the empire over the past 10 years. She had to answer all kinds of questions thrown out by Li Muyang, which were the most basic points of knowledge in the textbook. However, some questions were very profound, and even beyond their learning range.


    Cui Xiaoxin felt a little tired.


    In the process of tutoring, Cui Xiaoxin once again sensed Li Muyang¡¯s impressive learning ability.


    Before, he was like a small hole on a dam that was broken open by insects, slowly releasing water to the outside. Soon, the small hole became bigger and bigger from the river¡¯s water, and the river released more and more of it. The small hole turned into a spring, and the spring turned into a big gate. It released faster and faster, and more and more parts of the river collapsed. When the embankment was destroyed, huge waves swept over. How many people in the world could stop it?


    ¡°Uncle Ning¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin opened her eyes and asked, ¡°do you think there are geniuses in this world?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Miss is a genius.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was stunned for a while, then said with a chuckle, ¡°But I was also humiliated today.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The man in the blue robe whispered, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We are all clear about Miss¡¯s wisdom. Even in the Capital Heaven, you are one of the best among the younger generation, like Three Bright Moons of the Imperial Capital, Lu Qiji of the Lu Family, Song Chenxi of the Song Family¡­ How could anyone humiliate you? I will never believe this.¡±


    ¡°But, things really happened.¡± Cui Xiaoxin looked at the cherry trees outside the window, the large group of cherries forming a colorful wall, which looked like a dreamland under the light of the night sky.


    ¡°After the Liberal-arts Exam, Miss is going back to Capital Heaven.¡± The blue-robed man said in a low voice, ¡°It will be the time to shine.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin pursed her lips and suddenly remembered the agreement with the black-faced teenager.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s make plans for Nameless Lake.¡±

 Chapter 14 - Test Me!

    The fish were swimming in the water, and the colorful birds were singing. The morning dew dripped down and flowers bloomed.


    Li Muyang woke up very early today. He was still in high spirits when he got up at dawn. This was totally different from the past when he was pulled out of bed by his sister at sunrise every day. He even didn¡¯t have the time to eat a steamed bun. He stuffed it into his schoolbag in a daze and ran to school with a dizzy head.


    After the final physical examination, the doctor removed the gauze from his head.


    Li Muyang pressed his messy hair like a bird¡¯s nest, looking at the doctor who carefully examined the wound on his head, and asked, ¡°Mr. Zhuge, is my wound all right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very good.¡± Dr. Zhuge shook his head and said, ¡°It has been recovered for a while.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work these days, Mr. Zhuge,¡± Li Muyang said gratefully. Although he had paid for his treatment, Dr. Zhuge really took good care of him. Li Muyang was a very kind person who longed for love very much. He would be moved by the slightest effort of others.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Dr. Zhuge stretched out his hand to push Li Muyang¡¯s hair away and asked, ¡°I remember there being a wound on your head, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so,¡± Li Muyang said with a nod. At that time, he was injured by a fruit tray, losing too much blood from his head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the wound?¡± asked Dr. Zhuge.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The wound has disappeared,¡± Dr. Zhuge said with a serious expression.


    ¡°Mr. Zhuge, the wound has disappeared. Doesn¡¯t that prove that I have recovered well?¡± Li Muyang swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva to suppress his dissatisfaction. ¡°What kind of doctor is he? How can he curse his patient to not recover? If the cut disappeared, of course, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve recovered. Could the wound run away on its own?¡±


    ¡°Recovering is one thing. The wound on your head was not serious, but Miss Cui asked me to check it over and over again, so it took us so much time. However, the wound shouldn¡¯t have disappeared. There should be a scar on your head.¡± Dr. Zhuge said with a puzzled face, ¡°Now I can¡¯t see any scars, and I even forget where the wound was before. It is really amazing.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Li Muyang grinned and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I am very healthy and Mr. Zhuge is willing to give me good medicine, so I recovered faster.¡±


    This was the only explanation that Dr. Zhuge could accept and he said, ¡°You can get out of bed and take a walk today. Don¡¯t become too tired in the coming days.¡±


    Li Muyang knew that Cui Xiaoxin had paid the medical fees in order to thank him for saving her life, so he did not refuse. So he said, ¡°Okay, thank you, Mr. Zhuge.¡±


    Dr. Zhuge waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s better if I don¡¯t see you again. It¡¯s not a good thing to see a doctor.¡±


    After seeing Dr. Zhuge off, Li Muyang took a bath and changed into clean clothes.


    His right hand was still covered with gauze. The doctor said that the injury there was very serious, which was a piercing wound. It couldn¡¯t be removed for a while, and he had to change the medication every seven days.


    Looking at himself in the mirror, Li Muyang felt a little strange.


    He used to be as dark as coal, like a black stone without any impurities.


    Now Li Muyang felt that he was a little white, no, a little yellow. The deep bronze color looked like he had been exposed to the sun.


    His skin was as smooth as ever, like shining metal under the sun.


    He was very satisfied with his change, and he even decided that he would make a medicinal gauze mask every night after he went back. Perhaps he could absorb all the melanin in his body as time went by.


    He looked at his arm again, but there was nothing unusual except for the slight change in his skin color.


    However, how could he have done those extraordinary things?


    No matter if it was when he punched Zhang Chen away with one move or threw the assassin in black away with another punch, such strength was something that he did not have before.


    What¡¯s more, those strange thoughts, the vague information that he seemed to have forgotten for several decades, and the ways to solve the problems that made Cui Xiaoxin surprised, where did they come from?


    Li Muyang could use his personality and dignity to guarantee that he had never learned them before.


    ¡°Does that mean that I¡¯m the Dragon Slaughterer chosen by the Goddess of Fate?¡±


    Thinking of this possibility, Li Muyang felt a little excited.


    At 9 o¡¯clock, Cui Xiaoxin and Li Sinian came to Li Muyang¡¯s room.


    Li Muyang looked at the two girls, who were walking hand in hand, and asked curiously, ¡°Why are you together?¡±


    ¡°We made an appointment last night,¡± Li Sinian said with a contemptuous expression of ¡°you¡¯re an idiot¡±. ¡°We made an appointment to go to school with you today.¡±


    Li Muyang laughed bitterly and said, ¡°I¡¯m just curious. Do you have to be so proud? I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s go to school directly, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Li Sinian nodded and said, ¡°The Liberal-arts Exam is coming up. You can¡¯t miss a class. What if you get lucky and work out all the questions? Think about it. Such an impossible thing like being hit by lightning happened to you¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin looked at Li Sinian with a strange look, as if she wanted to say something, but stopped on second thought.


    Li Sinian thought that Cui Xiaoxin was blaming her for destroying her brother¡¯s confidence. She shook Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m used to talking to him like this¡ªhe can take it. Do you want to give it a try?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing that Cui Xiaoxin did not want to give it a try, Li Sinian waved at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Then, with a proud face, she took Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s hand and walked out.


    Li Muyang had no choice but to pick up his schoolbag and a few fruits, following them.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a patient, okay? My head was injured, and one of my hands is wrapped in gauze. Won¡¯t you guys help me carry my stuff?¡± Li Muyang shouted.


    Li Sinian turned around, took a banana from the fruit bag in Li Muyang¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°You¡¯re my favorite brother. Of course I¡¯ll help you with your burden¡ªI¡¯ll take a banana.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin took an apple out of the fruit bag, shook it in front of Li Muyang, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve also helped.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s house was not far from Fuxing High School. The three of them chatted and laughed, and soon they arrived at the school.


    It was time for school. Li Muyang, together with Li Sinian and Cui Xiaoxin, appeared in the crowd, which was quite eye-catching. After all, the three of them were all famous figures on the campus, but they were so different. It was not realistic that they would not attract the attention of the crowd.


    ¡°Oh my god, he is the Coal in our school, isn¡¯t he? Who are the two women around him?¡±


    ¡°Ah, my goddess¡ªCui Xiaoxin, how could she walk together with that good-for-nothing?¡±


    ¡°Is Li Sinian in a relationship? My heart is going to be broken¡ª¡±


    ¡­


    Those students were pointing at Li Muyang, Li Sinian, and Cui Xiaoxin. Both Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s and Li Sinian¡¯s admirers were heartbroken.


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± There were smart people helping to explain it to the crowd. ¡°Li Sinian is Li Muyang¡¯s sister, his biological sister. How could they fall in love?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Li Sinian is not that bastard¡¯s girlfriend. That¡¯s really good¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Cui Xiaoxin is Li Muyang¡¯s only girlfriend¡ªLi Muyang¡¯s sister said so. I heard that they often stay together during this period of time. I¡¯m telling you not to tell others.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Sinian glanced at the crowd and suddenly felt a little guilty. She said, ¡°Brother, Sister Xiaoxin, classes are about to begin, so I won¡¯t send you to the classroom.¡±


    She waved her hand and quickly disappeared among the crowd.


    Li Muyang looked at her back and smiled. He said to Cui Xiaoxin, ¡°Please forgive her, she is a straightforward girl¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said with a smile. ¡°I know who she is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God, did you see that? The goddess is laughing¡­¡±


    ¡°Could the rumors be true? Did Cui Xiaoxin fall in love with Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. I heard that when Li Muyang was driven out by the teacher, Cui Xiaoxin chased after him¡­¡±


    ¡­


    When Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin walked into the classroom side by side, it caused a sensation in the class.


    Looking at the two of them walking in together, talking and laughing, everyone was stunned.


    Zhang Chen was playing with his friends when the classroom suddenly became eerily quiet. He couldn¡¯t help looking around.


    ¡°Li Muyang, how dare you come back? I thought that you were afraid you would be embarrassed after the Liberal-arts Exam, so you let yourself get out of school in advance. Anyway, it will be a poor result whether you take the exam or not.¡±


    Li Muyang put his schoolbag and fruit bag on his desk, and then walked up to Zhang Chen step by step.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Zhang Chen¡¯s eyes were filled with fear. Since the last incident at the lake, he had been afraid of Li Muyang¡¯s fists.


    ¡°Test me,¡± Li Muyang said word by word.


    ¡°What?¡± Zhang Chen looked at him in astonishment.


    ¡°Test me¡­ ¡± Li Muyang said. He casually picked a textbook and threw it to Zhang Chen, saying, ¡°You¡¯d better test me quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 15 - Cheating in the Examination?

    ¡°He¡¯s an idiot.¡±


    Everyone was thinking this.


    How were Li Muyang¡¯s studies? The cruelest answer had already been shown in countless big and small examinations.


    He was always last in both the class and the grade.


    He never passed any of his lessons, even the simplest Xifeng Quotations. Obviously, even the Goddess of Fate was unwilling to stand on his side so she wouldn¡¯t be affected by his bad luck.


    However, such a guy had actually thrown out a textbook and asked someone to give him a test. If he was not an idiot, what was he?


    Otherwise, how could a normal person do such a thing?


    Zhang Chen was thinking the same thing. He stared at Li Muyang with big eyes and was surprised that he would do such a stupid thing. Then he laughed out loud, rocking backward and forward.


    Zhang Chen¡¯s friends also laughed, as did the whole class.


    Cui Xiaoxin smiled as well, but her smile was even fainter and more meaningful.


    Zhang Chen pointed at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Li Muyang, I heard that you were sick these days. Was your head roasted? If your brain was not cooked, why did you do such a crazy thing? Asking me to test you? How do I do that? What do you know? Why do you do such a self-humiliated thing?¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, since Li Muyang asked you to test him, you¡¯d better do so. Let¡¯s have fun together. Don¡¯t be so disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We should help each other and improve together. Brother Chen, you can give Li Muyang several simple questions. Maybe he can have some lucky guesses?¡±


    ¡­


    Zhang Chen¡¯s friends also followed him to make fun of Li Muyang.


    Li Muyang sneered in his heart. He planned to surprise them with his profound knowledge and wonderful answers later.


    Zhang Chen picked up a textbook, looked at Li Muyang suspiciously, and asked, ¡°Do you really want me to test you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Muyang said seriously, looking as though he was very confident.


    Although it seemed that Li Muyang had thrown out the book casually, it was the book ¡°The History of the Xifeng Empire¡±, which he knew the best. Cui Xiaoxin had taught him in the hospital recently, and some important points had been explained and confirmed to him repeatedly.


    Li Muyang felt that he was no longer stupid!


    Zhang Chen opened the book and read it for a while. Then he asked, ¡°Which page and chapter does the name of the first emperor appear in the textbook?¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s expression was slightly stiff, and he protested, ¡°Is this also a problem?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t you tell me to ask any questions I like?¡± Zhang Chen smiled wickedly and then asked, ¡°When was Song Annan, known as the ¡®Sage of Light¡¯, born? When did he die?¡±


    ¡°That kind of question will never appear on the exam, okay?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? What if the teacher puts this question on the test paper this year? You are not a teacher, how do you know whether it will be tested or not?¡± Zhang Chen said with a scornful face, ¡°How many people did Feiyang General of the empire, Bai Youwei, kill in the ¡®Qinghe War¡¯? What are the names of those people who had been slaughtered respectively?¡±


    Li Muyang was so angry that his black face twitched and his whole body trembled. He pointed at Zhang Chen and shouted, ¡°You deliberately made things difficult for me! You don¡¯t have the right attitude to study. How can you be such a villain? Shame on you.¡±


    Zhang Chen was gloating. He looked around and said as he laughed, ¡°Everyone, take a look. He asked me to test him. But when I really asked him to answer the questions, he couldn¡¯t answer any of them¡­¡±


    The crowd laughed even more cheerfully.


    Zhang Chen threw the textbook on the table, looked at Li Muyang, and said, ¡°Li Muyang, enjoy being yourself. Everyone should do what they are good at. Since you enjoy sleeping and are good at sleeping, you should sleep. It¡¯s only a few days before the Liberal Arts Exam, but you suddenly act like you are fond of studying. Everyone is not used to it, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Li Muyang¡¯s black face turned purple and red. ¡°You are pushing too far.¡±


    The smile on Zhang Chen¡¯s face froze. He leaned over, stared at Li Muyang, and said, ¡°Li Muyang, I¡¯m bullying you. What can you do? Do you think you still have any hope of being saved? There is still one month left. After that, everyone will go to their ideal academy. What about you? You can only go back to make dough for your mother, right? But that¡¯s good. The young master of the pastry shop should live a comfortable life, right?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Chen, I will get a better score than you¡­¡±


    ¡°Dream-talking.¡± Zhang Chen rudely interrupted Li Muyang¡¯s words and said, ¡°Enjoy the final time. This is the last period of time for you to be a classmate with us. In a month, you will be nothing.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu came in with a pile of papers in her arms. When she saw Li Muyang and Zhang Chen arguing in the classroom, she shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened? Zhang Chen, Li Muyang, what are you two doing?¡±


    Zhang Chen turned to look at Zhao Mingzhu and explained with a smile, ¡°Ms. Zhao, Li Muyang said that he wanted me to test him. I did, but he couldn¡¯t answer any of my questions. He was so angry that he is looking for trouble with me.¡±


    The corners of Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s mouth twitched and she said sternly, ¡°Zhang Chen, there are only a few days before the Liberal Arts Exam. Don¡¯t you know that you should take the time to study hard? Why are you wasting your time on some boring thing? Do you still want to go to Xifeng University?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Zhang Chen quickly apologized and looked at Li Muyang, saying, ¡°I thought that we are classmates, and although Li Muyang doesn¡¯t study well, we can¡¯t let him give up on himself. He wants to study hard to make a spurt. As a class monitor, I naturally have to take care of the students in the class.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, some people are just pigs that can¡¯t buck up. It¡¯s a waste of time to say one more word to him. It¡¯s a waste of vision to look at him,¡± Zhao Mingzhu said bluntly. Because last time, Cui Xiaoxin left with Li Muyang and didn¡¯t come to class for a few days. She didn¡¯t want to have a conflict with the special-treatment student in the class at this time. If it affected Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s mood and her performance in the Liberal Arts Exam, it would affect the rate of promotion in her class and the good bonus she could receive.


    However, although she did not call Li Muyang¡¯s name this time, everyone in the class knew who the target she was talking about was.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t some people want to take the exam? I happen to have a test today and I prepared the paper last night. It is very simple, and there are many questions that you should have seen before.¡± Zhao Mingzhu threw the test paper on the table and stared at Li Muyang with cold eyes. She said, ¡°This is the last test for this semester. I hope that a certain person can do his best, trying not to be last in the whole class. Can you give others a little chance?¡±


    Li Muyang was ashamed to death.


    Listening to Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s words, he also felt that he had occupied that last position for too long. He was always in last place and no one was qualified to compete with him.


    The bell rang and the test paper was handed out.


    After Li Muyang picked up his mood, he began to answer the questions seriously.


    The words on the paper that used to make him sleepy in the past were extremely cordial to him this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. I know the answer to this question.


    ¡°Shit. This one looks familiar to me.


    ¡°Weird. I seem to have seen this question somewhere before¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Although there were two hours to complete the test, Li Muyang only took an hour to finish all of the problems.


    Except for two questions that he couldn¡¯t work out the answer to, the rest of the paper was full of answers.


    After finishing the test paper, Li Muyang began to carefully check it.


    Many of these questions made him feel that they were very simple, as if the answer had been imprinted in his mind a long time ago.


    However, there were some questions that he was not confident of. He felt that he had seen them, but he couldn¡¯t be 100% sure that if they were the right answers.


    The two completely unfamiliar questions gave him a sense of urgency in his heart. There was only one month before the Liberal Arts Exam. No matter how hard he tried and how good his learning talent was during this period, after all, he could only finish a limited number of questions.


    If all the questions in the Liberal Arts Exam were like this, then was there any hope for him?


    Li Muyang made up his mind that he had to work harder in the following days.


    Harder than at any time before!


    Zhao Mingzhu sat upright on the platform. Seemingly, she was checking the homework of the students, but in fact, her eyes scanned the class like radar. She had many years of teaching experience and knew every move of the students. If someone dared to do something in her examination, it would be a suicidal act.


    When her eyes shifted to the student she most didn¡¯t want to see, she couldn¡¯t help being stunned.


    The student was not answering the questions like the other students. Instead, he was thinking about something seriously.


    ¡°Just putting on a show,¡± Zhao Mingzhu thought scornfully. Since the first time they met when she had broken a ruler because of him, they held a strong grudge against each other. She had given up on this student completely, just like the rest of his teachers.


    Recalling that he had asked Zhang Chen to take a test, Zhao Mingzhu decided to give him a little ¡°surprise¡±.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Zhao Mingzhu shouted. ¡°Have you finished answering your test paper?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve finished,¡± Li Muyang looked up and replied.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu was furious.


    She had thought that Li Muyang would be as panicked as before and then hand over a blank paper that was smeared with saliva or other substances with a red face.


    Then she would criticize him severely and write a big X on his paper in front of all the students in the class.


    She didn¡¯t expect that Li Muyang, who didn¡¯t respond as she expected, would strangely tell her that he had finished answering the questions.


    ¡°Have you really finished your answers?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I haven¡¯t.¡± Li Muyang felt embarrassed and said, ¡°There are two questions that I don¡¯t know the answers to.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu scoffed at this statement. ¡°There are not only two of them, are there?¡±


    ¡°Bring me the paper and let me have a look,¡± Zhao Mingzhu said.


    Li Muyang put down the brush and handed in the test paper under the surprised gaze of his classmates.


    Zhao Mingzhu took over the test paper, and the smile on her face froze instantly.


    It was really finished. The paper was full of words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check the answers first,¡± she thought in her heart.


    ¡°This is the right answer. Well, it must be a lucky guess¡­


    ¡°This question is also right. Well, Li Muyang got lucky once again.¡±


    ¡­


    After she finished reading all the answers, Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s face became livid.


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    She slapped on the table and shouted, ¡°Li Muyang, how dare you cheat on the exam?¡±

 Chapter 16 - The Tongue Is Not Steel, yet It Cuts!

    Cheating!


    Anyone who knew Li Muyang¡¯s normal grades would have such a thought when they saw the paper.


    In the past, Li Muyang would just fill in the simplest questions randomly, leaving the other parts blank. However, this time, not only did he finish most of the paper he handed over, but even more so, he actually made the right choices.


    It should be noted that Zhao Mingzhu had said that the questions on this test were not difficult and they had all been done before. However, she knew very well that they were quite difficult. She even specially set a few traps that were commonly used in the Liberal Arts Exam.


    Li Muyang even answered the trap questions perfectly. The answers he gave were even more perfect than the correct answers in her mind.


    What else could it be besides cheating? Could Li Muyang, an ignorant student, be more knowledgeable than her, a teacher of 20 years?


    It was the exam time now, so most of the students were concentrating on the paper. They just looked up at Li Muyang and made a disdainful sound when they saw Li Muyang hand in the paper. They did not even have time to laugh at him.


    There were so many questions that were very difficult. Except for Li Muyang, who had given up on himself, it was not so easy for them to finish the exam in such a short time.


    Even Cui Xiaoxin, the top student in the class, had just finished answering the last question. She put down the brush on the table and began to check the test paper.


    After hearing Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s roar, everyone looked up at the lectern in shock.


    ¡°Crash!¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu pushed back the chair with her butt, grabbed Li Muyang¡¯s test paper, and stood up. She stared at him fiercely and shouted, ¡°Li Muyang, explain it to me! What the hell is going on?¡±


    Hearing Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s question, everyone turned their eyes to Li Muyang¡¯s face.


    They all gloated as they thought, ¡°The whole class knows how your grades are¡ª no, everyone in Fuxing High School knows. So what¡¯s the point of cheating this time?¡±


    Besides, what was the difference between 20 and 30 points?


    Only Cui Xiaoxin was checking her test paper leisurely, ignoring the noise in front. She had already known the result.


    Li Muyang had already sat back in his seat. He looked up at Zhao Mingzhu and said, ¡°Ms. Zhao, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡± Zhao Mingzhu sneered. ¡°How could you not understand? You¡¯ve answered all the questions correctly. Give me an explanation. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°My answers are all correct?¡± Li Muyang¡¯s face showed a happy smile, and the big stone hanging in his heart fell down. He felt that he had seen most of the questions when answering them, but the memory was faint and vague. He was not sure if he was right or wrong, but Ms. Zhao Mingzhu said that he gave the right answers, which proved that he could get a very good mark this time.


    ¡°Li Muyang!¡± Zhao Mingzhu held the ruler and wanted to hit the table on the lectern again. But when she thought of the incident when she broke her ruler last time, she forcefully endured such barbaric behavior. She really didn¡¯t want to associate her name with Li Muyang. ¡°I am asking you to give me an explanation. Do you think I¡¯ll let you go just like that?¡±


    ¡°Teacher¡­¡± the smile on Li Muyang¡¯s face gradually disappeared as he said, ¡°I just answered the questions correctly. Why do I need to explain it to you? What should I explain? Because I have worked hard, so I got it right?¡±


    ¡°Smack¡ª¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu slapped the table and shouted, ¡°Li Muyang, do you think we are all idiots? This time, I chose the questions. I know the difficulty better than anyone else¡­ You not only handed in the test paper an hour early, but also answered all 48 questions correctly.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu glanced at the whole class and asked sarcastically, ¡°Do you believe him? Anyway, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Swish!¡±


    Everyone present burst into an uproar!


    ¡°No way! Li Muyang actually answered 48 questions correctly? I didn¡¯t slack off for a moment, but I haven¡¯t finished half of the questions yet.¡±


    ¡°Everything is correct? Is he kidding me? How could he possibly get such a high score?¡±


    ¡°He is so stupid. Even if he is cheating, he should make a few mistakes. He doesn¡¯t have any experience at all.¡±


    ¡­


    Cui Xiaoxin raised her head and looked up at the lectern finally. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed as if they were blown plicate by a breeze outside the window.


    After sizing up Li Muyang¡¯s expression, she lowered her head to work on her own paper again.


    ¡°Ms. Zhao.¡± Li Muyang sat in the chair. His body was thin and straight. At this moment, those students who had been ignoring his appearance or had a fixed understanding of his appearance found that Li Muyang seemed to be taller and stronger, and even his skin was not as black as before.


    He had become a teenager with bronze skin. His eyes were like stars, his lips were like cherry blossoms, and his black, jade-like, long hair was tied up with a snow-white silk ribbon. His face was radiant and he was in high spirits. He was no longer the deformed monster who was humiliated by them before.


    A withered sapling suddenly sprouted, giving people a wonderful surprise.


    At this moment, Li Muyang looked extremely serious, as if he was talking about a big event. For a student, wasn¡¯t it a big event to be accused of cheating on an exam by his teacher?


    ¡°Your student has answered the questions correctly. Compared with the past, he has made great progress. As his teacher, shouldn¡¯t you be happy for him?¡±


    ¡°If he works hard and makes such progress step by step, I would naturally be happy for him. However, that student has made such progress and achievements by cheating. In addition to being disappointed by his learning attitude, I will also be disappointed by his personality¡ªIn my opinion, such a student is really hopeless. I am ashamed to have such a student.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu had already decided to drive him out. She didn¡¯t want him to stay in the classroom anymore. She didn¡¯t want him to disturb the studies of the other students. Now it was only one month before the Liberal Arts Exam. She and her students had to make full use of this short period of time, and they had no time to waste on him or be angry at him.


    He should not be here!


    After making such a decision, Zhao Mingzhu became calm. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Li Muyang, you don¡¯t need to say anything. Get your things and go to the school library. There will be a result later. It¡¯s the exam time now. Don¡¯t disturb the other students.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡­¡± Li Muyang¡¯s eyes were a little red, and even his voice became hoarse. That was anger, grievance, and unspeakable coldness.


    Since childhood, no one had been close to him except for his parents and sister. No one cared for him. No one came up to him and said, ¡°Brother, let¡¯s play cuju together after school.¡±


    He was always alone, like an isolated person in the world. The whole world stood opposite from him, standing in the distance and pointing at him, saying, ¡°Look, that¡¯s a monster.¡±


    He was not a monster. He was just a child, a teenager.


    He also longed for friends and was eager to be recognized. When he was in class, he wanted someone to pass him a note, and when school was over, he hoped someone would put a hand on his shoulder, inviting him to have a mung bean cake¡­ Even those students who liked to pass notes deliberately avoided him, as if the handwriting on the notes would disappear after he touched it.


    He did not do anything wrong. Why did everyone treat him so cruelly? It was unfair to him.


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡­¡± Li Muyang looked up stubbornly because it would stop the tears that gathered in his eyes from falling down. Otherwise, those guys would say, ¡°Look, Li Muyang is crying. Coal is crying¡­¡±


    Li Muyang had never cried before. Even when he was forced to be ridden on like sheep by those people, he had never cried.


    This was the only thing he could do to maintain his dignity.


    ¡°Ms. Zhao, even if you suspect that I have cheated on the exam, shouldn¡¯t that first be checked and confirmed before you come to this cruel conclusion?¡± Li Muyang looked at Zhao Mingzhu and said slowly, ¡°Do you know what your words mean to me?¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s voice was trembling. He was worried that he couldn¡¯t continue, and he was afraid that he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. ¡°Ms. Zhao, you are killing me.¡±

 Chapter 17 - I Dont Accept Your Apology!

    Li Muyang¡¯s life before today was the same as his skin color. It was dark without any brilliance.


    It was also because of this that when Cui Xiaoxin took the initiative to approach the Beast-faced Pavilion to help him, he was full of gratitude. When Cui Xiaoxin was attacked by the assassin, he risked his life to save her without any consideration.


    It was also because of this that when his study improved little by little and his life had become a little bright, he cared more than anyone else. It was more important to him than anything else.


    It was like a small flower in the desert. He took care of it carefully, waiting for it to bear good fruit. However, someone came over and trampled the flower to death, killing his hope and the little light in his heart, which made him fall into a darker world again.


    He was so desperate and angry.


    Seeing Li Muyang¡¯s expression, everyone was stunned.


    They could feel the grievance and the irrepressible hostility in his heart. They could clearly see the bulging blood vessels on his neck and his fist holding the writing brush tightly.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The brush was broken, and black ink flowed all over his black palm.


    As he had said, even if the teacher suspected that he had cheated on the exam, she had to think of a way to prove her speculation before she directly put the big cap of ¡°cheat¡± on the student¡¯s head.


    This kind of slander was like the word ¡°morning¡± carved on the table by a knife. Even if the piece was dug out and smoothed out, it would still leave an ugly scar in people¡¯s hearts many years later.


    Hearing Li Muyang¡¯s question, Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s face became extremely gloomy.


    ¡°Li Muyang, do I need to prove it? Don¡¯t you know what kind of student you used to be? Do you think I am not clear about that, or that your classmates are not? You can answer the test paper like this just after a few days¡¯ leave? Do you think you are a genius?¡± Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s tone was still sharp and harsh, but her voice was weaker. ¡°Well, if you want evidence, okay, I¡¯ll give you the evidence.¡±


    She glanced at the students around Li Muyang. His deskmate was called Yang Jun, and he was Zhang Chen¡¯s best friend. He was also a cuju member of the school. He was only at the middle-level, so it was impossible for him to hand over such a perfect paper.


    So, she looked up at the girl in front of Li Muyang¡¯s seat and said, ¡°Chen Yuanyuan, bring your test paper to me. Let me have a look.¡±


    Chen Yuanyuan rubbed her eyes, looked up at Zhao Mingzhu, and said, ¡°Ms. Zhao, I haven¡¯t finished yet¡­ I still have one-third of the questions to do.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu frowned. Chen Yuanyuan was a good student in her mind, and also the best student near Li Muyang. But she still had one-third of the questions to answer, so it was impossible for Li Muyang to have copied her paper.


    ¡°Zheng Fang, have you finished your paper?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I haven¡¯t,¡± the petite girl answered in a low voice. She was afraid that Zhao Mingzhu would blame her.


    ¡°Chen Lei¡­¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m finished.¡±


    ¡°Bring it up and let me have a look.¡±


    Chen Lei handed over the test paper. Zhao Mingzhu opened it excitedly as if she had found evidence of Li Muyang¡¯s cheating.


    As she looked through the paper, her face turned green. She directly threw Chen Lei¡¯s test paper away and scolded her. ¡°Chen Lei, are you so stupid? I¡¯ve talked about the first and the third questions countless times. Obviously, those are the easy-scoring questions. But you still gave the wrong answers. Do you have any memory? Do you still want to go to college? Take it back and redo it.¡±


    Chen Lei picked up the test paper from the ground and ran back to his seat with a red face.


    Zhao Mingzhu looked around and asked, ¡°Anyone has finished the test paper? It¡¯s fine if you still have two or three questions left¡­¡±


    No one answered.


    ¡°Not a single person?¡± Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s expression grew even uglier.


    Li Muyang stood up.


    He pushed the chair away and walked to the lectern step by step.


    ¡°What do you want to do, Li Muyang?¡± Zhao Mingzhu shouted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble,¡± Li Muyang said in a low voice.


    He walked to the lectern and stood side by side with Zhao Mingzhu.


    He took out a piece of paper that was blank from the table. Then, he began to answer the questions on the paper with Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s brush that she used to correct the paper.


    Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s eyes widened and the muscles on her face kept twitching.


    ¡°This guy who doesn¡¯t know the immensity of the world wants to answer questions on the spot?¡±


    Just as Zhao Mingzhu thought, Li Muyang was standing beside her, slightly leaning forward and answering the blank test paper one question at a time.


    ¡°Swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh¡­¡±


    His brush was moving, but he rarely lifted up his wrist.


    The questions were solved by him one by one, and the blank test paper was filled up little by little.


    In the classroom, there was dead silence.


    No one spoke, and no one answered. No one even had a mocking expression on their face.


    Everyone looked up at Li Muyang, who was focused on answering questions at the lectern. They were going to witness a miracle as well as Li Muyang¡¯s innocence.


    The class bell rang, but no one went out. The class was not over.


    When Li Muyang finished the last question, it had only taken him just over 30 minutes, because he had answered these questions once and he didn¡¯t need to think.


    Once again, he handed the test paper to Zhao Mingzhu and said, ¡°Check it again.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu took over the test paper mechanically, but she looked at Li Muyang with a confused look.


    The good-for-nothing student in everyone¡¯s eyes had undergone a drastic change.


    No matter whether he answered right or wrong on the test paper, he bravely stood up and fought back. He strode to the lectern and answered the questions in front of the whole class. He was no longer the timid, weak, muddle-headed student who had no sense of existence.


    ¡°Of course, you may say that I have memorized the answers in my mind because I have copied them once.¡± Li Muyang stared sharply at Zhao Mingzhu, and his voice contained an irresolvable hatred. He said, ¡°In order to avoid such accusation, I have answered many of the questions in different ways. Ms. Zhao, please take a closer look at the answers and see what the difference is between the answers from the first paper.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    The classroom went into chaos again.


    ¡°What? He said that he has solved the problems in different ways?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it? Has Li Muyang eaten a divine elixir¡ªOtherwise, how could he become so smart?¡±


    ¡°Was this guy playing dumb all along? Did he deliberately do poorly on the exams to paralyze us and had planned to surprise us in the Liberal Arts Exam?¡±


    ¡­


    Zhao Mingzhu ignored the discussion in the class, and her eyes finally fell on the test paper in her hand.


    As she looked at the answers from the top, she compared them with the correct answers in her mind.


    Li Muyang did not lie. He had indeed changed many of the solutions. She could not tell which one was better, but they were all the standard answers in her mind.


    Just like the first test paper, there were still two blank questions on this one. They were the questions that he could not answer.


    Such a result, such ability, even Cui Xiaoxin, who was the best student in the class, might not be able to do it.


    It was certain that Li Muyang did not cheat. Li Muyang did the test paper twice all by himself.


    Zhao Mingzhu grabbed the test paper, as if she was holding a handful of burning charcoal.


    Her expression changed. Finally, she managed to squeeze out a smile, then patted Li Muyang¡¯s shoulder, and said, ¡°Yes, Li Muyang didn¡¯t cheat. You finished the test paper on your own. You should keep it. You have made great progress.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu looked up at the class and said, ¡°You can go, Li Muyang. The other students are taking the exam.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡­¡± Li Muyang stood in front of Zhao Mingzhu and did not move.


    ¡°What?¡± Zhao Mingzhu raised her head suddenly. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She had proven his innocence. Did this guy want to ask for more?


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a teacher for so many years, but you¡¯ve never apologized to a student, have you?¡± Li Muyang asked.


    The air seemed to freeze, and every student felt that the back of their neck was cold.


    They thought that Li Muyang must be crazy for daring to ask the well-known old-fashioned woman of the school to apologize to him.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s hands clenched into fists. She wadded Li Muyang¡¯s test paper into a hard ball.


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t, then do it.¡± Li Muyang looked straight into Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s eyes and said word by word, ¡°Let¡¯s start with me.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡±


    ¡°Does Ms. Zhao think that what you did and what you said are not worth an apology to a student? If that¡¯s the case, I will report to the school what happened today, and I will complain to the Etiquette Department about your slander and insult to me¡­¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu stared at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Li Muyang, are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, teacher. I¡¯m very sure.¡±


    ¡°Well, I apologize to you. I¡¯ve just said something wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have said that you cheated before I investigated it clearly. I¡¯m sorry, Li Muyang,¡± Zhao Mingzhu said in a hoarse voice.


    This was something that she had never done before.


    It was also something that she had never thought of.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cheat,¡± Li Muyang said to the students in the class.


    ¡­


    Li Muyang turned to look at Zhao Mingzhu and said, ¡°I don¡¯t accept it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said¡ªI don¡¯t accept Ms. Zhao¡¯s apology,¡± Li Muyang said again.


    He stepped down from the lectern and walked toward his seat.


    He put all the books, brush pens, and water-drinking cup on the table into his schoolbag, and then walked out of the classroom with a bulging bag in his hand.


    This time, his back was straight like a cold pine in the valley.

 Chapter 18 - Puppy Love!

    Li Muyang left.


    He proved himself to all his classmates that he did not cheat. After Zhao Mingzhu apologized to him, he left.


    ¡°I don¡¯t accept it.¡±


    This was not only his counterattack, but it was also his angry roar.


    He needed an apology because only that could prove that she had done something wrong.


    However, he couldn¡¯t accept the apology¡ªWhen he held hopes and dreams; when he wanted to perform well in front of his teacher and classmates who often sneered at him; when he wanted to tell them that it was not that he didn¡¯t try; he was not born a good-for-nothing; he also wanted to be a good student and study hard.


    And what kind of treatment did he receive in the end?


    He was accused of cheating!


    Just as he said, she was trying to kill him.


    How many youths who had once been naive and simple were destroyed by their teachers by a single sentence and went to the extremes of their entire lives?


    Li Muyang had been gone for a long time, but the classroom was still in dead silence.


    Zhao Mingzhu could even squeeze water out of her face. She stared at the direction in which Li Muyang left in silence for a long time.


    This student¡¯s behavior was undoubtedly like a slap in her face. At the same time, it was also an important lesson for her life as well as a bloody lesson that she would never forget.


    When she looked out through the door, all the students were looking at her.


    They had very complicated feelings. Some of them sympathized with Li Muyang, while others were biased toward Zhao Mingzhu. Ms. Zhao had made an apology to Li Muyang. Why could not he forgive her?


    They felt that they had figured something out, but when they thought about it carefully, it was like a devious fish that ran into their vast mind, making it difficult to find any trace.


    Many years later, when they recalled the past, this scene came to their minds again. At that time, they finally truly understood what they had witnessed on this ordinary day.


    It was a gorgeous transformation. It was the rebirth of Li Muyang¡¯s heart.


    When Zhao Mingzhu turned around and looked at the classroom, all the students bowed their heads in panic and pretended to be answering their paper.


    However, they could not calm down for a long time.


    Zhao Mingzhu opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she felt as if something blocked her mouth.


    ¡°Focus on your papers,¡± Zhao Mingzhu said to the students.


    Cui Xiaoxin put the brush into the pen box and then walked to the lectern with her test paper in hand.


    Zhao Mingzhu looked at Cui Xiaoxin with a smile on her face. She said with a smile, ¡°Have you checked it? You can¡¯t be careless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked it,¡± Cui Xiaoxin answered before she turned around and walked out of the classroom.


    Her body was thin. Under the bright sunshine, her snow-white skin looked almost transparent.


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin,¡± Zhao Mingzhu shouted hurriedly, ¡°you forgot to write down your name.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin did not turn around. She said, ¡°Who do you think did this paper? Ms. Zhao, you can write any name you like.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was just in time, and the sun was blazing.


    Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin walked side by side under the shade of the trees on the campus. The chirping of cicadas could be heard, as if they were accompanying the two young students.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come out,¡± Li Muyang said, breaking the silence between them. ¡°The Liberal Arts Exam is coming up soon. Everyone is making their final preparations.¡±


    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m ready,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said in a clear voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s always good to study more. During this period of time, teachers must keep highlighting the key points of the exam. If you¡¯re not there, you will miss that. If your Liberal Arts Exam is affected because of me¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Cui Xiaoxin interrupted Li Muyang and said, ¡°I will definitely enter Xifeng University.¡±


    Li Muyang grinned. He was sincerely happy for his friend and said, ¡°You are so confident. It seems that you are really ready.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a last-minute person, because it is too risky, which will make me feel insecure,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said carefully. After a pause, she looked at Li Muyang, who was walking beside her, and said, ¡°But, you are an exception.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, you should be aware of how amazing your progress is. I was scared when I gave you private tutoring. Today, Ms. Zhao¡¯s suspicion was reasonable, but I still didn¡¯t like her behavior. And her words were really vicious.¡±


    Li Muyang sighed softly and said, ¡°Maybe because of my appearance, I¡¯ve never been liked. I wanted to perform well to impress Ms. Zhao so that she would pat my shoulder in front of the whole class, praising me. My classmates could smile at me, saying ¡®Li Muyang, we didn¡¯t expect you to hide so deeply.¡¯ I just wanted them to know that I¡¯m not a fool. I am just a student like them. I¡¯m not a stupid boy who only knows how to sleep.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin kept quiet.


    She could understand Li Muyang¡¯s mood at this moment.


    After all, he was just a child, a ¡°poor¡± child. He envied the other students who had beautiful clothes and interesting toys. Finally, one day, he could show off in front of his classmates, showing them his new toy. He wanted to tell them that he also had toys. However, they accused him of stealing toys. How could that child not be sad?


    After a long silence, Cui Xiaoxin asked carefully, ¡°What¡¯s your plan next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to study at home.¡± Li Muyang said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. Even if I stay at school, I can¡¯t learn more. Today Ms. Zhao suspected me of cheating. What if Mr. Chen and Mr. Jiang also suspect me next time? In this case, why don¡¯t I study at home at ease and go to school when the exam comes?¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be with you,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said carefully.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I admit that your learning ability is amazing. However, how to learn and what to learn, you still need someone to help you¡ªyou have a poor foundation. It¡¯s impossible to memorize all the previous points of knowledge. I can only let you know what you should learn and what can be abandoned temporarily in this month. In that case, you should use the limited time on the most important things.¡±


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too touched,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said carefully. Her feet stepped on the light stripes on the ground, and her shoes embroidered with peony were dyed with countless stars. ¡°I have my reasons for doing this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking forward to it. Next time I invite you to watch a show, I hope you won¡¯t refuse me cruelly.¡± The corner of her mouth was slightly raised, and she spoke with a beautiful and charming arc.


    ¡­


    Li Muyang¡¯s father, Li Yan, asked for a leave for him at the school. He didn¡¯t know why the school easily approved it.


    Li Muyang was reviewing at home, and Cui Xiaoxin would come for one-on-one tutoring every day.


    Li Sinian was the happiest. As soon as she came back from school, she would hold a plate of fruit to eat beside them.


    She was very dissatisfied with Li Muyang¡¯s unfair behavior because she had tried her best to help Li Muyang, hoping that her brother would make progress. However, every time she spoke so much that she felt thirsty, she could only hear Li Muyang¡¯s snore.


    Cui Xiaoxin easily managed to do what she could not, which made her doubt her own charm. She looked at her face and figure in the bathroom mirror several times¡ªshe had rather nice breasts.


    Luo Qi, Li Muyang¡¯s mother, would bring various pastries to Cui Xiaoxin every time she came back from the cake shop. If she found that Cui Xiaoxin liked some type of cake, she would bring more the next time.


    When Luo Qi was cooking in the kitchen, her husband Li Yan came in.


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Luo Qi greeted her husband, but she was looking at the two children who were studying outside through the window of the kitchen, and there was a big, gentle smile in her eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Yan looked outside and said, ¡°That girl is here again? Are they having puppy love?¡±


    ¡°If they are, it will be better.¡± Luo Qi sighed and said, ¡°What a good girl. She is beautiful and has a rare good temperament. She is good at studying, has a good character, and is well educated. She comes to help Muyang every day, but she never has dinner at our house. If Muyang doesn¡¯t take one step in advance, I¡¯m afraid that there will be nothing to do with him in the future.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not up to us to make the decision. After all, Muyang is¡­¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Luo Qi stared fiercely at her husband, like a vicious wolf protecting its cub. ¡°Li Muyang is my son, and will also be my son in the future. They didn¡¯t want him in the past, and in the future, no one can take him away from me.¡±

 Chapter 19 - Old Memories

    There are so many unfilial sons, but it is rare to see a mother who doesn¡¯t cherish her children.


    Li Yan understood his wife¡¯s mood. He stretched out his hand and patted her on the shoulder, indicating that she should not be angry because of this. He said, ¡°Do you think you are the only one who takes Muyang as a son? I take him as my son, too. Even though we had Sinian later, we never isolated him. On the contrary, we were afraid that he would be neglected, so we treated him better than before. There is no difference between Muyang and Sinian in our hearts.


    ¡°But you know, after all, Muyang is a child of the Lu Family. At that time, they thought that there was no chance of survival after Muyang was struck by lightning, and they were worried that he was a deformed person, so they exchanged him with our daughter. In order to keep it from others, they sent us out of Capital Heaven to Jiangnan at night. You were not willing to exchange them because no one is willing to give up their newly born daughter to someone else. But in the end, we had to agree.


    ¡°Later, when they found that Muyang was still alive, they put their eyes on him again. When Muyang was five years old, the old Taoist Wuming came to visit us. Wasn¡¯t it the Lu Family who invited him? Otherwise, how could he find us? How could he know there was a child who had been sick for a long time in our family? Without his help, we would have had no idea whether Muyang could stay alive or not. You know his condition at that time. We were so anxious that we were awakened by nightmares again and again, for fear that his heart would suddenly stop. It was too weak, as if he would leave us at any time.


    ¡°Taoist Wuming stayed in Jiangnan City for six years. He didn¡¯t leave until Muyang¡¯s body was stable and had recovered slightly. Do you think the Lu family had withdrawn their people after he left? Impossible. I¡¯m afraid that they are still watching him. It¡¯s just because Muyang¡¯s physical condition is still bad and he is not outstanding that they haven¡¯t taken him back.


    ¡°Of course, they cannot take him back now. If they brought Muyang back to the Lu Family, how could they settle him down? With what excuse? A distant relative? An illegitimate child? Or the abandoned eldest grandson? Isn¡¯t that a slap in their faces? The old master of the Lu Family is such a proud person. It¡¯s impossible for him to do such a stupid thing.¡±


    Luo Qi understood that her husband¡¯s analysis was very reasonable, so she whispered, ¡°Since they can¡¯t take him back, Muyang will be still our son. What are you worried about?¡±


    Li Yan smiled bitterly, and there was an irresolvable bitterness on his resolute face. He said, ¡°Of course, it is the best result. The Lu Family is not willing to take him back, so Muyang will always be our son. Although we are living an ordinary life, we are peaceful and satisfied. There are no intrigues here like those of the nobles in Capital Heaven.¡±


    ¡°And cold-blooded ruthlessness.¡± Luo Qi snorted and said, ¡°What can¡¯t they do?¡±


    Li Yan smiled at his wife. He knew that Luo Qi had a long-standing grudge against the Lu Family in her heart.


    ¡°But what if the Lu Family wants to take him back? Old Master Lu is getting older and older every year. Doesn¡¯t he want to see his grandson before he dies? Lu Qingming is now the Proconsul. He is a Provincial Magnate and he has more and more say in the Lu Family. Doesn¡¯t he want to bring his own son back? The most important thing is that Miss Gongsun¡­ She didn¡¯t know what happened before, does she understand now?


    ¡°In this way, if the Lu Family wants to bring him back, it is just a matter of time. At that time, how can we resist? Let alone that the Lu Family is rich and powerful in the Capital Heaven, they are also the top ones in the Xifeng Empire. And Miss Gongsun, she must miss her son very much. If she comes for her son, will you let her take Muyang back or not?¡±


    This time, Luo Qi was silent.


    She was hostile toward the Lu Family and felt that the men of the Lu Family were cold and cruel. They would do anything to achieve their goals.


    However, she did not hate Gongsun Yu. She knew that if Gongsun Yu knew the truth, she would probably suffer 10 times or even 100 times more than she did.


    Besides, she was Miss Gongsun¡¯s maid. Miss Gongsun had helped her parents to reverse a verdict. Otherwise, she would have been caught by her enemy.


    It was why she, an outstanding student of the Imperial College of Art, was willing to swear to serve Miss Gongsun Yu for the rest of her life. Miss Gongsun Yu was the most gentle and kindest woman she had ever known, but¡­


    ¡°Miss has a hard life,¡± Luo Qi said in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes, she is miserable, and so are our lives. However, none of us has lived a poorer life than Muyang¡­ What kind of life has he been living since he was born? Since he was a child, he has almost grown up in a medicine jar. Since he knew how to drink milk, he¡¯s had to drink medicine. For more than a decade, he has to drink three big bowls every day. He is not good-looking and ridiculed by others all the time. And because of the illness, his intelligence is not even one-tenth of that of a normal child. Although his body has gotten slightly better these years and his intelligence has slowly recovered a little, this is also most worrying¡­¡±


    Li Yan looked kindly at Li Muyang, who was chatting with Cui Xiaoxin and Li Sinian in the yard, and said, ¡°The age he is at is the most sensitive and intense time. When he was a child, people called him ugly and black, but he didn¡¯t take it seriously and didn¡¯t even understand what was going on. However, what will he think now? If he likes a girl, will she like such a person as him?¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Luo Qi clenched her fists and felt very distressed. ¡°We have to find a way to help him. Should we talk to him and enlighten him?¡±


    Li Yan shook his head and said, ¡°The reason why Muyang suddenly asked for leave this time is very confusing. When I went to school to ask for leave, I deliberately paid attention. I asked a student at the door of Muyang¡¯s class¡­ Because his teacher suspected that he cheated on an exam, he was unwilling to go to school.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Luo Qi was angry and shouted angrily, ¡°Which teacher said that my son cheated? How could I not know my son¡¯s character? Every exam, he has been last. Does he need to cheat?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. I heard that Muyang did very well on the test.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that my son cheated. We, as parents, have seen how hard he has studied during this period. He was injured so badly, yet still read books all day long. He¡¯s had to do a few test papers every day. We can¡¯t just let it go. I¡¯m going to school to find his teacher. My son is being bullied. We can¡¯t let that happen. Otherwise, he will be so aggrieved.¡±


    Li Yan grabbed Luo Qi, who was excited, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so impulsive. It¡¯s no use for you to go to school to make a fuss now. The most important thing now is the Liberal Arts Exam. Have you seen that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Luo Qi asked.


    ¡°Hope.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hope. The hope on Muyang¡¯s face.¡± Li Yan said, ¡°Look at his eyes. Has he ever been so eager to study before?¡±


    Luo Qi looked at her son seriously and found that he always had a bright smile on his face. His eyes were shining, like stars often hanging in the night sky.


    ¡°He wants to go to college,¡± Luo Qi said.


    ¡°Muyang not only wants to study at a university, but he also wants to go to Xifeng University,¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Luo Qi looked shocked. ¡°Xifeng University is the best university in the empire. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be hard for him to do that with his grades.¡±


    ¡°I also overheard Sinian say that once. She said that she wanted her brother to go to Xifeng University to explore the situation first. She will go one year later.¡± Li Yan used his chin to indicate Cui Xiaoxin and said, ¡°I heard that this girl is also going to Xifeng University.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Luo Qi¡¯s face was full of anxiety. ¡°If Miss Cui gets into the college, how difficult will that blow be? It¡¯s not easy for him to go all out to do one thing, so he must not fail.¡±


    Li Yan sighed and said, ¡°Where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way. It all depends on his own hard work in this matter.¡±


    Luo Qi¡¯s eyes flashed. After thinking for a long time, she said in a low voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask the Lu Family for help?¡±


    Li Yan was shocked and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to have any contact with the Lu Family, do you? Just now, you were worried that they would take your son away. Now, you want to take the initiative to send your son to the Lu Family?¡±


    ¡°If the child is not wronged,¡± Luo Qi¡¯s eyes were red as she said, ¡°then my little grievance is nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin closed the textbook and said to Li Muyang, ¡°The Imperial History can come to an end for the time being. This is the best course you have mastered and the most familiar one. Starting tomorrow, we will review the Yin-Yang Mathematics. That is your weakness, and it will take you more time¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°I will listen to my teacher.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s getting late. I¡¯ll come tomorrow.¡±


    Li Sinian ran over, took Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin, please have dinner at our house before you leave.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, but thanks.¡± Cui Xiaoxin refused then said with a smile, ¡°The elders in our family are waiting. I can¡¯t let them worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Sister Xiaoxin¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin just smiled and did not agree to Li Sinian¡¯s request. She went to the Li Family¡¯s home to help with the tutoring but never had a meal in Li Muyang¡¯s house.


    Luo Qi and Li Yan also came out to ask her to stay. Cui Xiaoxin refused their kindness and then walked out of the door with her bag on her back.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi grabbed her son¡¯s ears and said with exasperation, ¡°Silly boy, what are you busy with now? Go and see Miss Cui off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, oh¡­¡± It was not until then that Li Muyang realized what had happened. He dropped the book and chased after Cui Xiaoxin.


    He rushed to the gate of the yard and saw a luxurious carriage parked next to her.


    A man in a blue robe quickly pulled open the brocade curtain of the carriage. He protected Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s head and helped her to sit inside.


    After the curtain fell, the blue-robed man looked at the place where Li Muyang stood, and the luxurious carriage slowly drove into the night.


    Li Muyang stood under the dim light of the big trees, feeling lost.

 Chapter 20 - Buy out the Life-Saving Favor!

    A carriage drove past the administrative road, onto the Su Causeway, crossed the bridge, and then stopped in front of a white estate covered in green trees and red flowers.


    The ancient bronze doors opened to both sides, and an old man in a gray uniform stood at the door to welcome them.


    The old man stepped forward to help open the door and said kindly, ¡°Miss Cui, you¡¯re back? The madam and the young master are waiting for you to have dinner.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin thanked the old man and said, ¡°Uncle Yan, you are too polite. I am a junior. Just let me do it myself.¡±


    The old man chuckled and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already gotten used to it.¡±


    The blue-robed man got out of the carriage, cupping his hands at the old man, and then walked toward the backyard. As for this old man who had guarded the Yan Family for decades, Ning Xinhai did not dare to slight him at all.


    Accompanied by Uncle Yan, Cui Xiaoxin walked toward the hall.


    The hall was ablaze with lights. A graceful lady in a purple cheongsam was playing chess with a handsome young man in a pink-blue satin shirt.


    ¡°Mom, I will not let you win this time. You just said that your Elephants can cross the river and Cannons can turn around. Now you dare to say that my Mandarins are hidden traitors. Mom, even if I am your son, you can¡¯t bully me like this, can you?¡±


    The glamorous woman rolled her eyes at her son. She actually had the youthful charm of a young girl.


    ¡°You are my son. What¡¯s the use of giving birth to you? Naturally, I can bully you if I am not happy.¡±


    ¡°Mom, who makes you unhappy? Tell me a name, and I will take someone to break his legs tomorrow¡­¡± the teenager said, pretending to be angry, but there was a smile in his eyes that could not be dissolved.


    ¡°Yan Bolai,¡± the woman said.


    The young man blinked his eyes and said with a wry smile, ¡°Mom, can you change another one? This one is an iron plate for me. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll hurt my own foot if I kick him.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s him.¡± The woman condemned the man¡¯s atrocities with a face full of anger and said, ¡°He promised to take us to look at the battlefield of the slaughter dragon three years ago, but he broke the appointment. A year ago, he promised me to go back to Capital Heaven to spend the Spring Festival, but he said he would be on duty and let us go back by ourselves. Two weeks ago, he promised to take me to shop in the Western Port Mall and he went to check up on work with some officers because he needed to accompany them. You can just count it up. How many meals has he eaten at home this month? How many times has he talked to us? Should such a person be taught a good lesson? Aren¡¯t you Jiangnan¡¯s famous playboy? Everyone says you are terrible and fierce when you bully people. As your mother, I am also happy and I feel proud. If you can avenge me, I will own you a favor.¡±


    The handsome man smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°We playboys have intelligence, or we¡¯d be laughed at by others without any shrewdness or vision. We¡¯d lose the face of the circle. Think about it, the people outside are already very angry with us. We¡¯d better keep a low profile and be careful, right? I¡¯ll remember this, and then I will teach him a lesson when I have the chance in the future.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I knew you were a good-for-nothing. Don¡¯t you know who your mother is?¡± The woman was furious and pointed at the young man¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin laughed out loud and walked toward the woman. She said, ¡°Aunt, you¡¯re really good at making things difficult for your son. If you make him kick his father, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do it even if he had a hundred balls.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Xiaoxin, you¡¯re back.¡± The woman looked at Cui Xiaoxin with joy on her face. She waved to her and said, ¡°Come here and let me see you. Where did you go to play today? Are you happy? Did anyone bully you? If there is an ignorant guy looking for trouble, please tell me and ask your cousin to punish him. Your cousin is so idle all day that he always needs to find something to do.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin sat down in front of the woman and allowed her to hold her hand. She said, ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m fine. I just went out for a walk.¡±


    Yan Xiangma put a cup of tea in front of Cui Xiaoxin, grinned, and showed two rows of neat teeth. He asked with a smile, ¡°I heard that you have been helping one of your classmates to study recently.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s smile froze for a moment, then she regained her composure and said, ¡°Yes. The Liberal Arts Exam is coming up, and his results are not very good. I want him to get better scores.¡±


    Cui Xinci looked at Cui Xiaoxin with a kind face and said, ¡°You are so kind. Ah, you are beautiful, with a good personality and a good family background. What kind of man will be worthy of you in the future? Fortunately, there are a lot of talents and heroes in Capital Heaven. At that time, the Cui Family will naturally find someone who can best match you. Every time I think that you will go back to Capital Heaven in the next half of the year, my heart seems to be taken away. You have been living with me for five years, and I always treated you as my own daughter. This time, when you go back¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, are you done or not? Every day there is such a sad play. Even if you are not bored, we can¡¯t stand it. The more you are like this, the more Xiaoxin is eager to go back to Capital Heaven. Am I right?¡± said Yan Xiangma helplessly, looking at his mother who acted like a movie queen.


    ¡°How could it be?¡± Cui Xiaoxin smiled and held her aunt¡¯s hand tightly, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave my aunt either. I¡¯m very happy to live in Jiangnan City. If it weren¡¯t for studying, I wouldn¡¯t want to leave.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxin is the closest to me. They are as heartless as the Yans.¡± Cui Xinci said with a gratified face, ¡°Xiaoxin, let¡¯s go have dinner.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Cui Xiaoxin stood up.


    ¡°My mother knew that you like to eat fish, so she asked people to buy a bucket of rockfish from Mount Tai. The fish grew in the spring water between the stone cracks, and their flesh was tender without thorns. They would melt in a stone under the sun.¡± Yan Xiangma took a bowl to serve his mother and Cui Xiaoxin, explaining, ¡°With this fish boiling in the soup, the whole fish will melt inside it. You can¡¯t find the fish pieces, nor any scales. But drinking this soup is like a small fish swimming in your mouth, which is very delicious.¡±


    ¡°You know how to flatter.¡± Cui Xinci interrupted her son.


    ¡°I¡¯m flattering you, Mom.¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to remind my cousin to remember your kindness.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, she knows my heart. It won¡¯t be interesting if you tell her.¡± Cui Xinci shook her head and said, ¡°You, like your father, are full of complicated thoughts. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. If I won¡¯t say anything, okay?¡± Yan Xiangma repeatedly begged for mercy.


    Cui Xinci and Cui Xiaoxin looked at each other and smiled. Cui Xinci asked Cui Xiaoxin to drink the soup and said, ¡°The hot soup is delicious. When it¡¯s cold, there will be a fishy taste. Xiaoxin, have a taste. If it¡¯s too salty or weak, tell me. I will ask the kitchen to improve it next time.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin took a sip with a spoon, and her mouth was full of a delicious fragrance. She praised it. ¡°It¡¯s delicious and medium-salty. I like it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Cui Xinci lowered her head and drank the soup.


    ¡°By the way¡­¡± Yan Xiangma looked at Cui Xiaoxin and said with a smile, ¡°Is the classmate you helped the one who saved your life at the Beast-faced Pavilion last time?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin raised her eyebrows, looking at Yan Xiangma, and said, ¡°Yes, cousin. He is very good, but his studying is not good. He will take the Liberal Arts Exam in a dozen days. I want to help him do some things. After all, if it weren¡¯t for his help, I¡¯m afraid that Uncle Ning wouldn¡¯t have been able to save me in time.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, killer Crow, sooner or later he will die without a burial place.¡± Undisguised rage appeared on the face of Yan Xiangma. Because of his appropriate performance, his cruelty turned into anger. ¡°People in Capital Heaven have taken action. The masters of the Cui Family and the Yan Family are looking for him everywhere. And we are searching in Jiangnan City. The masters of the Chatelain¡¯s Manor were all sent out by my father. Don¡¯t worry. Crow doesn¡¯t dare to come again. Even if he comes, he will be wrapped up like rice dumplings by Uncle Ning and be killed into dregs.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Cousin and Uncle,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said in a low voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We are all family, and you are my sister,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile, ¡°but cousin, it¡¯s better to keep your distance from that classmate.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin looked at Yan Xiangyan calmly and said, ¡°Cousin, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, your classmate is an ordinary person, who is very far away from our world. Uncle Ning appeared in time last time, so he intercepted Crow. If there is a next time, will your classmate still have such good luck? I know that you originally wanted to help your classmate, but if something happens, your classmate will get injured or even worse things will happen to him. With your temperament, I¡¯m afraid that you will never be able to get rid of it in your life, right?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes became sharp as she asked, ¡°Cousin, are you warning me?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, this is just a piece of advice. What kind of warning are you talking about? I¡¯m doing this for the sake of you and that student, don¡¯t you think so? If you think I shouldn¡¯t say these words, then I won¡¯t say them. You¡¯re smart, you can figure it out yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said carefully.


    Cui Xinci looked at her son, then looked at Cui Xiaoxin and said, ¡°Xiaoxin, your classmate has helped you after all, and our family still needs to remember this favor. You said that his grades are not good, so then let your uncle help him get a special recruitment notice from Jiangnan University. Although Jiangnan University is not as good as Xifeng University, it can also be regarded as a top-class university in the empire. He can choose any major at will. What do you think of that?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s heart was surging, and the knuckles of her fingers holding the spoon turned white.


    She understood what her aunt meant. She was going to buy out Li Muyang¡¯s life-saving favor in one go.


    However, could a life-saving favor be bought out?

 Chapter 21 - A Handful of Croton Seeds!

    ¡°Do you like Cui Xiaoxin?¡±


    The abrupt voice startled Li Muyang, who was deep in thought.


    Li Muyang looked at his sister, who was wearing a pink dress and making a face in front of him. ¡°Li Sinian, are you so childish?¡± he said.


    Li Sinian curled her lip and said discontentedly, ¡°What? Are you saying that I am too childish now? After seeing Sister Xiaoxin¡¯s elegant and unhurried temperament, you start to dislike me for being childish? In the past, before Sister Xiaoxin, you didn¡¯t care that I was childish. Why do you start feeling like this now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°You do. You really do. Men like you love the new and hate the old. Do you think I don¡¯t know that people always say that a handsome man has a playboy¡¯s heart? Li Muyang, I didn¡¯t expect that a man like you would also have a playboy¡¯s heart. Will the girls look at you when you go to pick up hot chicks?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Muyang knew that his unintentional words had hurt Li Sinian¡¯s fragile self-esteem.


    Otherwise, she would not have immediately become a fierce-looking viper.


    ¡°Ah, Sinian¡¯s dress is so beautiful. This is a new one, isn¡¯t it?¡± Li Muyang tried to turn the situation around. Every time he used this skill, Li Sinian would surrender, and then she would change the topic from criticizing Li Muyang to praising Li Sinian.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wearing this dress for several days, Li Muyang. I was sitting in your room for a long time last night. Didn¡¯t you notice me?¡± Li Sinian jumped onto the bed, grabbed a pillow and began to hit Li Muyang¡¯s head.


    ¡°I surrender, I surrender.¡± Li Muyang quickly held his head and admitted defeat. ¡°I remember. I did see you wearing this dress last night. I know you look good no matter what you wear, but this dress is very cute and special for you.¡±


    Li Sinian hit him harder. She gnashed her teeth and said, ¡°You idiot, what do you mean by me being cute? Do you dislike me for having no boobs and no butt? Do you think I am not mature enough?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang did not dare to speak again.


    He found that when a woman was angry with him, she would think that his breath was polluting the air.


    After covering his head with the quilt and allowing her to vent for a while, Li Muyang raised his head and looked at her with a smile. ¡°Have you finished?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes. My hands are sore.¡± Li Sinian threw the pillow aside, leaned against the side of the bed with Li Muyang, and grabbed an osmanthus cake to eat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat any pastries at night. You will be fat,¡± Li Muyang said.


    Li Sinian stared at him and said, ¡°What do you mean, Li Muyang? Are you saying that I am fat now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing Li Muyang¡¯s speechless face, Li Sinian finally couldn¡¯t help giggling. She grabbed an osmanthus cake and stuffed it into Li Muyang¡¯s mouth, saying, ¡°Brother, sometimes I think you are really ugly but also lovely.¡±


    ¡°I think you are always very cute.¡± Li Muyang said with a mouth filled with osmanthus cake.


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Li Sinian shook her hair and said triumphantly. The fragrance of the Lemon shampoo made the air sour and sweet, just like Li Sinian¡¯s character. ¡°Brother, you haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Li Muyang played dumb.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking if you like Sister Xiaoxin,¡± Li Sinian said with a dissatisfied expression. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Li Muyang. Don¡¯t try to fool me. I¡¯ve watched you grow up. I know what you are going to do before you start.¡±


    ¡°I am your brother,¡± Li Muyang reminded her gloomily.


    ¡°Am I not telling the truth?¡± Li Sinian asked, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Sinian was right. She did watch Li Muyang grow up.


    Li Muyang had been ill since he was a baby, and his body functions were very fragile. He didn¡¯t open his eyes until the age of three, and he would sway until he was seven years old. Although Li Sinian was two years younger than him, when she was able to walk freely on the ground, Li Muyang still had to lay on the bed or crawl like a baby. When Li Muyang had to urinate or defecate, he would scream, and Li Sinian was the first person to know that he needed to solve his physiological needs.


    So, she said that she knew what he was going to do before he started¡­ It was a fact that Li Muyang would feel too ashamed of.


    He had relied on his younger sister, who was two years younger than him, to take care of him since he was a child.


    ¡°Tell me quickly.¡± Li Sinian stuffed an osmanthus cake into Li Muyang¡¯s mouth again. She always liked to feed him a lot of pastries, regardless of whether he could take them or not.


    ¡°I think she is a very good girl.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Then there was nothing more. She has been tutoring me and helping me with my homework, and I am very grateful to her in my heart.¡±


    ¡°Is there no other emotion?¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian¡ªwe are still students. The job of a student is to study hard. What are you thinking? Your mind is not pure.¡±


    Li Sinian¡¯s face was full of contempt. She stared at her brother and said, ¡± Li Muyang, aren¡¯t you childish? Take a look at yourself in the mirror. Not to mention your face, which looks more than ten years older than your actual age, even a five or six-year-old child knows to look for a boyfriend and a girlfriend. But you tell me that a student¡¯s natural duty is to study?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you going to say it or not?¡±


    ¡°I do have a good impression of her,¡± Li Muyang said with a flushed face. Li Sinian was the closest person to him and also his sister. He used to tell her whatever was on his mind. But this time, there was a different feeling. This was something that had never happened before, and he had never thought about the emotional world.


    ¡°That¡¯s to say, you like her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ve said.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me, but you have to tell me. If you don¡¯t say that you like her, how can I help you chase Sister Xiaoxin and make her your girlfriend?¡± Li Sinian said helplessly.


    ¡°Really? Can you help me to pursue Xiaoxin?¡± Li Muyang said, his eyes lighting up.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± Li Sinian answered directly and neatly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­ ¡± Li Sinian grabbed another piece of osmanthus cake and started to push it into Li Muyang¡¯s mouth. Li Muyang shook his head and refused.


    ¡°Just eat it.¡± Without saying anything, she forcibly put the osmanthus cake into Li Muyang¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why do you insist on making me eat this?¡± Li Muyang was chewing osmanthus cake in his mouth, and he said painfully, ¡°It was you who told me that eating at night would make me fat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Li Sinian nodded seriously. ¡°That¡¯s what everyone says.¡±


    ¡°Because I can only have a little when you eat them.¡± Li Sinian looked like she did this all for her brother. ¡°Even if it will make us fat, when I think of you, who will get fat with me, the guilt in my heart will be much less.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother, I just want to talk to you about Sister Xiaoxin.¡± Li Sinian put the cake tray on the table and leaned her head on Li Muyang¡¯s shoulder. She said, ¡°What kind of person do you think Sister Xiaoxin is?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that? She¡¯s a very good person.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s a really good person, but it¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s so good,¡± Li Sinian said with a sigh.


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang understood what Li Sinian meant. Cui Xiaoxin was a very good person, but it was a pity that she was too good.


    ¡°Let alone her appearance and temperament, we can roughly guess what kind of person she is from her demeanor and the noble etiquette that she occasionally shows. I even asked her about herself when I was chatting with her. She is not from Jiangnan but from the capital. When her liberal arts exam is over, she will go back to Capital Heaven. The place where she really belongs.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I know that you like Sister Xiaoxin. I can see that this period of time is the happiest time for you in more than a decade. In the past, I tried my best to help you with your homework, but every time you were sleepy. Sister Xiaoxin can help you quickly improve your academic performance.¡±


    ¡°Sinian, in fact, things are not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I know.¡± Li Sinian interrupted Li Muyang¡¯s words and said, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hurt me and don¡¯t want to say that Sister Xiaoxin is better than me. In fact, I don¡¯t care about this. As long as Sister Xiaoxin can help you and your academic performance can rapidly improve, I am happy. I am not jealous of Sister Xiaoxin at all. And I have also heard the cause of your leaving school. What you said has become the popular phrase of the school.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Li Muyang looked confused. ¡°What did I say?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t accept it.¡± Li Sinian stared at her brother with burning eyes. She didn¡¯t expect that this guy, who was bullied all day long, could have such a determined and stubborn side. When she heard the story of the matter and how he dealt with it, Li Sinian was so excited that her eyes were full of tears. Then she slipped into the teacher¡¯s office during the lunch break and threw a handful of croton seeds in the teacup of teacher Zhao Mingzhu.

 Chapter 22 - Strange Wounds!

    ¡°Mr. Zhang Xiaojun, why don¡¯t we go to the toilet together? ¡®I won¡¯t accept it.¡¯ Li Ming, how about we have Jinjiang food together at noon? ¡®I won¡¯t accept it.¡¯ Chen Chong, could you bring me some pastries? ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t accept it.¡¯ What¡¯s more, when the teacher asked Wang Ping to answer questions when he slept in class, he lay on the table and said ¡®I won¡¯t accept it¡¯. The teacher was so angry that he grabbed his ear and pulled him out. Brother, do you know how much influence you have in school? It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t go to school now, many people would take you as their idol.¡±


    Li Muyang did not expect that the thing would have such a great impact. He shook his head and said, ¡°Wrong is wrong, and right is right. When I was sleeping in class, and the teacher asked me to go out, I never refuted. Because I knew that it was my fault. My behavior would affect other classmates. It is disrespectful to the teacher.¡±


    ¡°But being framed of cheating has indeed made me feel very wronged. However, things have passed, and now I have to focus on how to improve my study. Although I can now learn something, my foundation is too weak. Xiaoxin helped me start from the beginning of the books. It is also very difficult for her. I am afraid that there is not enough time.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I still want to ask you.¡± Li Sinian took Li Muyang¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin said that there were many things that she hasn¡¯t taught you, but you knew them even though you haven¡¯t been taught. What¡¯s going on? Have you studied secretly in the past?¡±


    Li Muyang shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either. I always feel that there are a lot of inexplicable things in my mind. Sometimes, I feel like I have lived through a lifetime. I can tell the background of many things that I meet for the first time. For example, some of the exercises in the textbook that Xiaoxin has taught me, but some of them are the same as they have been in my mind. Although it is difficult to recall because they hide a little deeper, I can finally figure them out.¡±


    ¡°Is there an immortal in your body?¡± Li Sinian said with a smile. ¡°Why are the immortals so stupid to possess a piece of coal?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, well, my brother is the most handsome of all dark people.¡± Li Sinian looked at Li Muyang¡¯s face and said, ¡°In fact, your facial features are very good. These are good genes from our parents. See how beautiful I am? You should be aware that, when your skin becomes whiter, you will be a truly handsome guy. Or, how about I put Baihua Face Powder on your face before you go out next time?¡±


    ¡°Then you have to apply it to my whole body, don¡¯t you?¡± Li Muyang smiled bitterly. ¡°Let alone how much face powder I¡¯d have to use, it will take you many hours to cover my whole body.¡±


    ¡°Covering your face will be enough. Why do I have to cover your whole body?¡± Li Sinian said grumpily. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t interrupt me. Let¡¯s continue to talk.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang¡¯s face was full of grievances. ¡°When did I interrupt you?¡±


    ¡°Brother, I didn¡¯t want to say these words to you in the beginning. At least I shouldn¡¯t have said them at this time. But the sooner, the better, in case you will suffer a more serious blow in the future. You know how Sister Xiaoxin does in studying? Her goal is Xifeng University. With my understanding of her, this is indeed not a difficult thing. But what about you? Can you go to Xifeng University? Can you go to Capital Heaven? Even if you can go to Capital Heaven and get into Xifeng University¡ªcomparing to her family, do you have any hope with our family background?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Li Muyang said in a low voice.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Sinian looked at him with her eyes wide open.


    ¡°I understand what you said,¡± Li Muyang said, ¡°when I saw her off just now, I saw someone pick her up by a carriage. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s worth several years¡¯ income of our shop.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Muyang put his arm around his sister¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Think about it. In the past, could I have a chance to be friends with Cui Xiaoxin?¡±


    Li Sinian shook her head.


    ¡°Yes, I would not even have a chance to talk to her or be her friend before, but now I have. And she helps me with my homework every day. I have changed a lot, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Li Sinian nodded seriously and said, ¡°Brother, you will become smarter and more handsome. At that time, Sister Xiaoxin may fall in love with you.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded seriously and said, ¡°Of course. I will be the most handsome man in the world by then.¡±


    The brother and sister looked at each other and laughed. Li Sinian laughed in pain, while Li Muyang laughed sadly.


    In fact, it was not funny at all.


    Li Sinian got up from the bed and looked at her brother. She said, ¡°Brother, it¡¯s late. I¡¯ll go back to my room to sleep. You should go to bed early. Sister Xiaoxin will come to tutor you tomorrow. You are not allowed to fall asleep at that time.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Good night,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile.


    Li Sinian waved her hand, then turned around and left Li Muyang¡¯s room.


    Li Muyang could not fall asleep. Lying in bed for a long time, his mood was getting more and more irritable.


    He got up, prepared a large tub of water, and then soaked his body in the hot water. It was not until this time that he felt a little bit comfortable.


    Sleeping in class and having a bath at home were the two things that Li Muyang did the most frequently.


    His right arm was still wrapped in gauze after being pierced, so he couldn¡¯t put it into the water. This was a little inconvenient for him.


    Li Muyang looked at his arm. His weak fist had beaten Zhang Chen away as well as the killer Crow. It should be known that Crow was holding a blade with silver light growing into a huge sword.


    His fist was facing the sword light. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be that my fist was cut off by the sharp blade? How could I knock Crow into the air with one fist?¡±


    Li Muyang looked at his fist and was stunned for a while. With a strong curiosity, he was going to take off the gauze to see how his injury was going.


    The gauze was unfastened layer by layer, and the black blood inside looked thicker and thicker.


    When he took off the gauze, his injured palm appeared in front of him.


    He put his palms into the hot water to wash them, then put them under the candlelight to have a check.


    ¡°They look perfect!¡±


    He remembered clearly that his palms were pierced by the killer¡¯s sharp blade.


    However, why there was no trace now?


    There was no wound or scar. There was not even a red mark.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Li Muyang cried out in surprise.


    He jumped up from the bathtub and took a mirror to carefully look them over.


    At that time, the killer had hit him on his head with a fruit tray, and Li Muyang was crushed and bleeding. But now, there was no trace of injury on his forehead.


    What had happened?


    It was not until this moment that Li Muyang finally realized that there were some strange and unpredictable changes in his body.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to shapeshift.¡± Li Muyang said to himself.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Li Muyang got up at dawn. Since he had been injured, he had dropped the bad habit of sleeping late every morning.


    Perhaps it was because he had slept so much before, that now he only needed a few hours¡® sleep a day and he would be in high spirits.


    After a simple wash-up, he imitated his sister¡¯s posture of ¡°Body-breaking Skill¡± that she practiced every day and walked a few rounds in the room. Then he took out his book and sat in front of the window, reading silently.


    After a while, his parents got up. His father was exercising in the yard in a thin shirt, and his mother was busy making breakfast for the family.


    It was not until an hour later that there were sounds coming out of his sister Li Sinian¡¯s room.


    Li Muyang smiled. Only then did the family¡¯s life really begin.


    These were all trivial things, but they made Li Muyang feel happy and full.


    When he was sick and possessed by the Sleeping God, he rarely had such mood and time to observe everything around him.


    It was only at this moment that he realized that he had so many treasures.


    Cui Xiaoxin would come to tutor Li Muyang every day. She would chat and eat fruit with Li Sinian after she came back from school as if nothing had happened.


    What happened that night and the conversation between Li Sinian and him made Li Muyang realize that the gap between him and Cui Xiaoxin was too big.


    He was using all his time and energy on tutoring. He needed to master as much knowledge as he could in the shortest time.


    While studying, he occasionally raised his head and looked into Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes. He smiled and felt her faint smile. At that time, he could not help but have such a dream. They were walking side by side along the Nameless Lake of Xifeng University. At that time, the setting sun was like blood, and their figures stretched infinitely as if they could extend to the end of the world.


    He had to hide his thoughts deeper.


    Cui Xiaoxin did not come today because she said that her family¡¯s elders were going to worship Buddha at the temple of Yongqing, and she needed to accompany them.


    Li Muyang did a test paper at home when he suddenly remembered that Cui Xiaoxin said that there was a very important reference book and he should have a look.


    Li Muyang immediately went out and walked toward the library at the end of the Ministry of Revenue Lane.


    The library was simple and crude with a long history. An old man in a coat with a front opening was sitting at the door, smoking cigarettes and basking in the sun.


    ¡°Sir, do you have the book named ¡®Ziyu¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Go in and look for it yourself,¡± the old man answered without even raising his head.


    Li Muyang entered the bookstore and then searched on the bookshelf in rows.


    ¡°Do you think reading is useful?¡± a voice suddenly sounded behind him.


    Li Muyang turned around and saw a graceful young master standing behind him.


    ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± Li Muyang glanced around and asked with uncertainty.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The child said with a smile, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s useful to read books?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Li Muyang answered. Although he didn¡¯t know why this strange person asked him such a strange question.


    ¡°There¡¯s a golden house in the book, and there¡¯s jade-like beauty in the book. You can do business and become an official, standing high and looking far away. It¡¯s of great use to read books.¡± The young master¡¯s smile was baffling, and he said, ¡°But sometimes reading books will only bring disaster to people. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 23 - Xiangma and Muyang

    He came with no good intentions!


    Li Muyang could not see through people¡¯s minds at a glance, but he felt in his heart that such a handsome and graceful young master had no reason to come and chat with a nobody.


    He must have some purpose.


    Look, how humble and self-abased Li Muyang was.


    Li Muyang stared at him with wide eyes. The young master was wearing a black satin robe, waving a folding fan, and had a very friendly smile on his face.


    Li Muyang liked him at first glance and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Yan Xiangma was a little stunned, and then he folded the paper fan with a ¡°puff¡± sound. He put it in his hand and patted it gently. He looked at Li Muyang with great interest and said, ¡°The more books you read, the wider your horizon will be, and the greater your heart will be. If you want more, your heart will become more and more greedy. Isn¡¯t that a very dangerous thing?¡±


    ¡°Reading books is for understanding the ways of the world. It can uphold justice and righteousness,¡± Li Muyang rebutted. ¡°Why does barbaric land constantly kill? Why does the desert on the border keep fighting? It¡¯s because those barbarians and shepherds don¡¯t read enough, so they don¡¯t understand the ways of nature and the rules of the world. They also don¡¯t know what is right and what is justiciable. If they all read, how can they have time to fight and kill?¡±


    Yan Xiangma shook his head and looked at Li Muyang thoughtfully. He said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked around, and people all say that you are a fool.¡± Yan Xiangma shook his head and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t think you are stupid. On the contrary, you are smarter than many people I have seen.¡±


    ¡°I am a fool,¡± Li Muyang said. ¡°I¡¯m always the last in every test.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, there must be some other reason.¡± Yan Xiangma refused to believe that Li Muyang was a fool. ¡°But it is good to be smart, and I like to communicate with smart people. They are sensible, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Li Muyang knew that he had finally gotten to the point, so he casually flipped through a book named ¡°Theory of a Strong Army¡± in his hand and said, ¡°That depends on what it is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to introduce myself¡­¡± Yan Xiangma unfolded the fan with a snap and said to Li Muyang, ¡°Yan Xiangma, Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s cousin.¡±


    Li Muyang became enthusiastic. He closed the book in his hand and respectfully said, ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s you! Come with me and have tea at my home. It is at the entrance of the alley in front of us. It is a few steps from here¡­¡±


    As he said that, he grabbed Yan Xiangma¡¯s sleeve, ready to head home.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Yan Xiangma shook off Li Muyang¡¯s black hand and said angrily, ¡°What are you doing? Who do you think is so familiar with you?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, you have no idea. Cui Xiaoxin is my classmate and a good friend. Her cousin is also my cousin. Since my cousin has arrived at our door, if I don¡¯t treat you a cup of tea, she will be angry if she knows it. My parents will blame me for not being courteous. Come with me. It¡¯s hot here, and I have a watermelon cooled in well water.¡±


    As he spoke, Li Muyang reached out to pull Yan Xiangma¡¯s wrist again.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Yan Xiangma was anxious and said, ¡°I tell you, don¡¯t touch me. I hate when people pull my clothes. I¡¯m asking you to let me go, damn it¡­ ¡±


    In the Li family, Li Muyang and Yan Xiangma were sitting under a vine in the yard and eating watermelon.


    The watermelon had been in cold water in a deep well for several hours and it was cool from the inside out. In this hot summer, it made people feel that every hair was at ease.


    Yan Xiangma ate three pieces of watermelon at a time. When Li Muyang gave him the fourth one, he finally waved his hand, took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his mouth, and said, ¡°I can¡¯t have more. I¡¯m going to blow if I have one more piece.¡±


    Li Muyang also ate three pieces of watermelon, but he didn¡¯t have the habit of carrying a handkerchief with him, so he could only use a bucket of well water to wash his hands.


    Li Muyang did not make tea. After eating the cold watermelon, hot tea was not good for his health.


    He sat on the stone stool opposite Yan Xiangma and said with a smile, ¡°Cousin, why did you come to the Ministry of Revenue Lane? Is there anything you need to deal with?¡±


    ¡°No, I came for you.¡± Yan Xiangma looked satisfied. He liked Li Muyang¡¯s watermelon because he had never eaten such sweet watermelon at home.


    ¡°Cousin, what can I do for you?¡± Li Muyang said.


    Yan Xiangma took out a box from his arms and handed it over. Li Muyang didn¡¯t take it but asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Yan Xiangma put the box on the stone table and gently pushed it in the direction of where Li Muyang was sitting, saying, ¡°Open it and have a look.¡±


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t reach out to touch the delicate classical box. He shook his head with a smile and said, ¡°No pain, no gain. It is the first time we¡¯ve met. I don¡¯t understand why you gave me such a big gift.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m entrusted by my mother to thank you for saving my cousin¡¯s life,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile. Li Muyang was not swayed by the jewelry he was given and he didn¡¯t even look at it once, which made Yan Xiangma very surprised. He looked around the house. Although it didn¡¯t look poor, it was absolutely not rich. They had a small pastry shop, which could only maintain the basic living expenses of their family. Hadn¡¯t the child of this kind of family had an unimaginable desire for money?


    ¡°At that time, my cousin was attacked at Beast-faced Pavilion. Thanks to you, she was saved. If it weren¡¯t for you stopping the killer for a moment, my servant wouldn¡¯t have been able to rescue her in time. Our family doesn¡¯t like to owe people anything, so please accept this small gift.¡±


    Li Muyang shook his head and said, ¡°Since cousin said so, I can¡¯t accept this gift.¡±


    Yan Xiangma gently waved the folding fan and said, ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the reason? Tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that Xiaoxin is your cousin, but she is also my classmate and friend. The reason why we appeared in the Beast-faced Pavilion at that time was that she left the school with me in anger when I was bullied.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, what we discussed at the Beast-faced Pavilion at that time was also for my tutoring. The Liberal-arts Exam is coming. At such a critical moment, Xiaoxin was willing to help me study. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°The attack happened so suddenly that I didn¡¯t have the time to prepare for it. However, as Xiaoxin¡¯s classmate and friend as well as the only male companion around her, I had the responsibility to protect her at that time. Therefore, I can¡¯t accept this gift. I just did what I had to do.¡±


    With a calm smile on his face, Yan Xiangma stared at Li Muyang¡¯s eyes without blinking.


    When he said these words, his eyes did not evade, and he was not timid and guilty at all. If this person was not a villain who was good at hiding himself, then it proved that what he said was really what he thought in his heart.


    ¡°After hearing what you said, I think this behavior of sending gifts is too vulgar. It¡¯s unbearably vulgar.¡± Yan Xiangma shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t say that.¡± Li Muyang hurriedly stopped him and said, ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re from a rich family, which should have rules and arrogance. You sent a big gift to thank me, and this is your gratitude. But from my point of view, I can¡¯t accept this gift.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want it, then forget it.¡± Yan Xiangma took the box back and put it in his arms. ¡°Then, let¡¯s move to the next topic.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, please go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I just saw you reading in the Library. How is your review going recently?¡± Yan Xiangma asked with a smile. He always smiled, and his smile was very beautiful. It was really easy for him to give people a good impression.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m trying my best,¡± Li Muyang answered seriously. ¡°If I can get more information, there will be more hope.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Yan Xiangma said. ¡°I¡¯ll change it in a more direct way¡ªdo you think you have a chance to enter a famous university?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going all out. As for whether I can get into an elite university, it¡¯s all up to fate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not safe. It¡¯s really not safe. Judging from your tone, I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t have much confidence to get in. I¡¯ve checked your grades. A first-class university is really a difficult goal for you.¡± Yan Xiangma looked at Li Muyang with a sincere face and said, ¡°How about this? I can promise you an admission notice to a famous university. Are you willing to accept it?¡±


    Li Muyang blinked his long eyelashes and asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You go out to ask around. When did I, Yan Xiangma, tell a lie?¡±


    ¡°What do I need to pay?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to promise anything.¡±


    ¡°Then thank you, cousin,¡± Li Muyang said happily. ¡°Can you guarantee that I¡¯ll go to Xifeng University?¡±


    Yan Xiangma¡¯s face finally sank, and it was also the first time that he showed such a cold and fierce expression in front of Li Muyang.


    ¡°No,¡± Yan Xiangma said coldly. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s impossible for you to go to Xifeng University. For your safety, I also advise you not to go to Capital Heaven. Living there is very expensive, so I¡¯m afraid that you can¡¯t support yourself there. Secondly, I can help you get the admission notice of Jiangnan University. You can choose any major at Jiangnan University that you like. Jiangnan University is also one of the best universities in the empire. I graduated from it and I guess you wouldn¡¯t dislike this, would you?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Yan Xiangma stared at Li Muyang with burning eyes and said, ¡°Since you can go to Jiangnan University, you don¡¯t need my cousin to spend more time and effort to tutor you, do you?¡±

 Chapter 24 - Muyang Subjugates Xiangma

    The story of the fairy falling in love with the cowherd was widely spread in the land of Shenzhou, therefore every famous aristocrat who had beautiful girls at home was wary of the cowherd outside.


    Li Muyang was the cowboy the Cui and Yan families guarded against.


    Li Muyang was dark but he was not stupid at all.


    He and Cui Xiaoxin had been classmates for three years. Although he had never had a chance to speak to her before, he was clear about how outstanding Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s appearance, temperament, and behavior were. There was a rumor that Cui Xiaoxin had a mysterious background. But at that time, Li Muyang was always dizzy. He was either sleeping or preparing to sleep, so how could he have the time to pay attention to these mundane things?


    If he dared to say a word to Cui Xiaoxin, not to mention how the teachers and students would laugh at him, there would be the most exciting and funny story of a toad wanting to eat swan meat in the school.


    Since they were attacked by a killer in the Beast-faced Pavilion, he had guessed that Cui Xiaoxin had an extraordinary background. How could a child from an ordinary family encounter such a dangerous thing?


    Killers were very expensive, okay? Who would pay a killer to kill a pig for the Spring Festival?


    Later, he sent Cui Xiaoxin home and saw the luxurious carriage. A man in a blue robe served her with the courtesy of a noble knight. People who owned high-ranking warriors as private knights had to be the well-known families in the capital of the empire, who had stood there for thousands of years and had not fallen.


    Li Muyang had to confirm one thing. Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s background was indeed extraordinary, and that they were from two totally different worlds.


    Therefore, he was not surprised that Yan Xiangma would come to him today.


    He had even expected that his reaction would have been more intense.


    Otherwise, how could he, a cowherd, receive a profound lesson and give up?


    ¡°But I want to go to Xifeng University in the capital.¡± Li Muyang looked at Yan Xiangma with an honest face and said, ¡°I have a date with Xiaoxin. We¡¯re going to see the sunset at the Nameless Lake together.¡±


    ¡°You have a date?¡± Yan Xiangma was stunned for a moment before he burst out laughing. He tapped Li Muyang with his fan and said, ¡°Li Muyang, I finally found out today that you are not only smart but also very interesting. You have a date with Xiaoxin to see the sunset at the Nameless Lake together? Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Li Muyang said shaking his head. ¡°We really have made an appointment. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go back and ask Xiaoxin. I study hard and don¡¯t waste a minute because I want to go to Xifeng University¡ªmen should keep their promises. I¡¯ve said that I¡¯m going to Xifeng University. How can I break my promise?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can pass the exam?¡± Yan Xiangma sniffed and narrowed his eyes with a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Li Muyang shook his head. ¡°But I have to try. How can I give up until the last moment?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡± With a snap, Yan Xiangma unfolded his fan, his patience was nearly gone. He really didn¡¯t want to waste too much time on a nobody. Yan Xiangma talked to Li Muyang with such an attitude because Li Muyang had saved his cousin after all, and the Yan and Cui families were not ungrateful bastards. What¡¯s more, Li Muyang had offered Yan Xiangma watermelon that was cooled in well water. This was the best watermelon Yan Xiangma had ever eaten. ¡°I praised you for being a smart person, but obviously, you don¡¯t understand some problems, or you don¡¯t want to understand. Do you know who you are?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°I am sick, I am not handsome, and my studying is very poor. On top of that, I am a useless high school student.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Xiangma nodded and said, ¡°Do you know what kind of person Xiaoxin is?¡±


    Li Muyang thought for a moment and said, ¡°She is my friend.¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡± Yan Xiangma grinned and said, ¡°Are you only friends? Don¡¯t you have any feelings for her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Muyang said. ¡°I like Cui Xiaoxin. This is a fact that I just found it out a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Yan Xiangma¡¯s voice suddenly became tart and harsh. ¡°Do you deserve it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I hurt your self-esteem?¡± Seeing that Li Muyang didn¡¯t answer, Yan Xiangma slightly twitched the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°But this is indeed a truth that no one can deny. You don¡¯t know Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s identity, and I can¡¯t tell you either. But I am Yan Xiangma and my father is Yan Bolai, the Governor of Jiangnan City, and the most powerful official of this city. Even if Cui Xiaoxin is my sister, do you think our family will agree to marry her to a sick and ugly high school student who is good for nothing?¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± Li Muyang answered with certainty.


    ¡°So, let everything go back to the starting point. You are still you, and Xiaoxin is Xiaoxin. You accept this box and then leisurely wait for the admission notice of Jiangnan University. Tomorrow, when Xiaoxin comes to tutor you, you tell her that you don¡¯t want to study and you want to give up. Isn¡¯t this the smartest choice?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Muyang said.


    ¡°So that means we¡¯ve reached an agreement?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand at all,¡± Li Muyang said.


    ¡°Which part you don¡¯t understand?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I want to pursue Cui Xiaoxin,¡± Li Muyang said in a low voice. ¡°I just like her and feel that I like her a little bit. But I didn¡¯t say that I will pursue her now. I just want to be a friend, even the most ordinary one. I will work hard and try my best to use all my strength. If I can enter Xifeng University with her, it will naturally be my luck. If I can¡¯t get in, I can also accept such a fate.¡±


    ¡°I will make myself excellent to match Xiaoxin one day. I will impress her. I will make her like me a little bit. I know better than you that I don¡¯t deserve her. However, this is not the reason I want to break up with her. If I can make her happy, I will ask her to accept my feelings. If I feel that I can¡¯t do it, I will never feel that I am worthy of her. At that point, I would sincerely wish her to find a good husband. I think, before that, she will need some friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxin is a very stubborn girl. If she decides to do something, she will definitely go all out, including tutoring me. She feels that I still have hope and should try my best to fight. So I have to work hard with her. For a dozen years, I have never been so eager to do one thing. At this time, how can I tell Xiaoxin that I want to give up?¡±


    Yan Xiangma was silent for a long time. He looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°I am almost convinced by you. But if you insist, you may lose everything. You can¡¯t go to Xifeng University, nor can you go to Jiangnan University. You will have nothing. At that time, do you think there is any possibility for you to be with Xiaoxin?¡±


    ¡°If I tell Cui Xiaoxin that I want to give up now, will there be any possibility for us?¡±


    ¡°At least you can go to Jiangnan University.¡±


    ¡°But, I want to go to Xifeng University.¡±


    ¡°Look, in this way, we won¡¯t be able to continue our conversation,¡± said Yan Xiangma with a smile.


    Crack¡ª


    Yan Xiangma waved the paper fan in his hand, and sharp thorns appeared from the iron frame.


    The spikes flashed with black light as if they had been soaked in a toxic poison.


    ¡°This fan is called Breaking Dragon Spine. It is so sharp that it can break people¡¯s bones. The old man at home told me that even a dragon¡¯s spine can be broken.¡± When Yan Xiangma spoke, the black fan, which was as black as ink iron, rotated between his fingers as if it was flying. The wind howled, and a white light shone all around.


    Crack¡ª


    When the handle of the fan touched the table, a corner of the table was cut off neatly.


    Crack¡ª


    When the fan hit the table again, another piece of the bluestone table was cut off.


    Clap!


    Yan Xiangma folded up his fan and held it in his hand. He looked at Li Muyang with a smile and said, ¡°Look, I can also use another way to negotiate with you. However, we are cultured people from a famous family¡­ I don¡¯t like those dirty tricks that gangsters use. So, are you going to think about it again?¡±


    ¡°Awesome.¡± Looking at the iron fan in Yan Xiangma¡¯s hand, Li Muyang¡¯s eyes gleamed with golden light and said, ¡°It can cut clean through iron as though it were mud and through stone as though it were tofu. Your fan is really amazing.¡±


    Yan Xiangma was the second expert he had met, just like the killer Crow he had seen last time.


    Somehow, when he saw that someone was using this extraordinary ability, his blood rushed, as if he was summoned by some emotion.


    Yan Xiangma was very satisfied with Li Muyang¡¯s reaction and said, ¡°You have thin arms and legs. If I hit you like this, I¡¯m afraid all your bones will be broken. I, Yan Xiangma, can¡¯t do such a thing. So, you¡¯d better conduct yourself well. Let¡¯s be kind and safe, shall we?¡±


    Li Muyang held a corner of the table with his right hand. His face was slightly red, and his eyes were full of red light. Some reddish scales appeared on the back of his hand, and the scales were covered with rolling clouds and lightning.


    Suddenly, he exerted force from his Dantian. With a cracking sound, a large piece of rock was ripped off from the table.


    He shook his head and said to Yan Xiangma who was staring at him with his mouth agape, ¡°You are more powerful. See, I can¡¯t make a clean cut with my hand, as your fan did.¡±

 Chapter 25 - The Young Master of a Well-known Family!

    Yan Xiangma was shocked and stunned, there were tens of thousands of horses running wildly in his heart.


    The script was wrong, and the development of the story shouldn¡¯t be like this. As a rich child from a rich family, after he showed his kindness and majesty, shouldn¡¯t the dark-skinned little guy in front of him be obedient and apologize and promise not to have any contact with the girl of the Cui family? He would be kind and generous to pat him on the shoulder to comfort and maintain the demeanor of rich children from aristocratic families. From then on, they would have no contact with each other, and this person¡¯s appearance and name would never appear in their lives again.


    What did he mean by breaking the table with his fingers?


    ¡°Is he not convinced? Is he going to show off his strength to fight back?¡±


    ¡°I am not an ordinary person that you can bully. If you want to force me to do something I dislike, you must pay for your actions.¡±


    Yan Xiangma naturally wrote down such lines for Li Muyang on the spot.


    He patted the stone table gently with his fan bones to test the hardness of the table. Looking at the big missing part that he had taken off of the table, he said, ¡°I thought I have already gotten someone to check you out, but it seems that we still don¡¯t know you well enough.¡±


    ¡°You already know me very well,¡± Li Muyang said, ¡°but we are changing every day, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Yan Xiangma looked at Li Muyang and asked.


    ¡°If I want to do it, I can do it.¡±


    ¡°This answer can¡¯t convince me.¡±


    Li Muyang narrowed his eyes and laughed, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to persuade you. I just said a fact. In fact, I have no answer.¡±


    With a ¡°bang¡±, Yan Xiangma unfolded the fan and said, ¡°My fan is called Breaking Dragon Spine, which is made from a piece of extraterrestrial divine iron by Mo Lang. I have been learning martial arts since I was a child and I have a famous teacher. Now, I have entered the middle state of the High Mountain Realm. So I can easily cut this green stone table with the fan. What about you? You are just a weak and sick student with feeble hands. How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of knowing how I did it? What you should be concerned about is the fact that I could do such a thing at all, right?¡±


    Yan Xiangma stared at Li Muyang for a long time and asked, ¡°Do you have more watermelon?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Muyang said nodding.


    ¡°Give me two pieces,¡± said Yan Xiangma. ¡°It¡¯s too hot, and I¡¯m thirsty again.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile.


    After finishing two pieces of watermelon again, Yan Xiangma stood up with satisfaction and looked at Li Muyang. ¡°I sincerely suggest you give it a second thought. Don¡¯t do stupid things, okay?¡± he said.


    ¡°Thank you for your sincerity, cousin. But I¡¯ve already thought it over.¡± Li Muyang said smiling.


    Yan Xiangma shook his head and sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can protect yourself just because you know a few martial arts. There are some people you can¡¯t afford to provoke,¡± he said.


    ¡°I have never thought of provoking anyone.¡± Li Muyang smiled shyly and said, ¡°I just pray that no one will provoke me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to appreciate favors.¡± Yan Xiangma shook his head, waved his folding fan, and strode out. ¡°Let me tell you, as the most famous rich playboy in Jiangnan City, I can do anything.¡±


    Li Muyang sent him out, then turned back to the courtyard to stare blankly at the broken table made of greenstone.


    He picked up a piece of the table that cut off by Yan Xiangma¡¯s Breaking Dragon Spine and gently rubbed it with his fingers for a while.


    Then he picked up the piece that he had broken with great strength and gently touched it with his fingers.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Li Muyang shouted in a low voice. There was a cut on his finger, and blood seeped out. However, as soon as the blood appeared, the wound instantly healed.


    ¡°His fan made a clean cut,¡± Li Muyang said enviously.


    Yan Xiangma sat in the backyard of the garden. There was also a green stone table in the octagonal pavilion in the backyard.


    He put aside the Breaking Dragon Spine fan in his hand and then stretched out his hand to hold a corner of the table.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Yan Xiangma hummed and suddenly pulled all his strength, but the green stone table was so hard that nothing happened.


    Yan Xiangma sent a force into his Dantian, and a majestic momentum ran through his whole body.


    The hand with which he was holding on to the stone table flickered with a red light, like a ball of burning fire.


    Roaring Flame Fist!


    The unique skill of the Cui Family was also an inheritance that could help the family stand in the Xifeng Empire for thousands of years without being defeated.


    Yan Xiangma gently shook his shoulder and then tore off more than half of the green stone table.


    Those stones were also ignited by his fist flame as if they could also be on fire.


    The green stones with dark gold patterns changed rapidly, and the one closest to his palm was burned into ash. It disappeared like a gust of wind blew away.


    Crack¡ª


    The remaining half of the stone table fell to the floor and broke into pieces.


    ¡°Xiangma¡¯s improvement is very amazing. The Roaring Flame Fist has already entered the middle stage of the High Mountain Realm. I suppose he will be able to enter the upper stage in another half a year, right? At that time, you will be the first person in the younger generation of Jiangnan City.¡± A man in a green robe stood at the entrance of the garden, looking at the Yan Xiangma with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Master Ning.¡± Yan Xiangma respectfully saluted Ning Xinhai, without the arrogance of a rich playboy as rumored. ¡°Didn¡¯t master go to the Yongqing Temple to worship the Buddha with mother and cousin Xiaoxin?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yan went with them. What is there to worry about?¡± Ning Xinhai said with a smile, showing great respect to Uncle Yan. ¡°Miss Xiaoxin thought that I¡¯ve worked hard to protect her for so many days, so she asked me to have a rest at home today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile. ¡°Because of Crow¡¯s attack, Master Ning is really exhausted these days. He guarded my cousin day and night and did not dare to slack off at all. My cousin is considerate and she gave my master a day off.¡±


    ¡°Miss Xiaoxin is smart and kind. It¡¯s a blessing for us people who follow her,¡± Ning Xinhai said. He looked at the burnt stones on the ground and asked, ¡°Why did you come to the backyard to break stones?¡±


    ¡°Because he did it,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a serious expression.


    ¡°What? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, the trash in your mouth.¡± Yan Xiangma looked at Ning Xinhai and said, ¡°Master has been in touch with him many times. I think you should know what kind of person he is.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see through him.¡± Ning Xinhai shook his head and said, ¡°Last time when Crow attacked, I was at the periphery of the Beast-Faced Pavilion. It was too late for me to rescue them. Li Muyang, who looked ordinary, rushed over and blocked Crow with his own body.¡±


    ¡°But he is still alive.¡± The eyes of Yan Xiangma twinkled, and he seemed to be thinking about something. He said, ¡°Crow is one of the best 20 killers in the empire. Li Muyang could use his body to block Crow. And he is still alive. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange, Master?¡±


    ¡°I also think it¡¯s strange.¡± Ning Xinhai was deep in thought and said, ¡°It was very dangerous at that time. He blocked Crow¡¯s attack again and again, and I heard Miss Xiaoxin mention it before that he blocked Crow¡¯s blade with his palms twice. Every time Crow tried to stab Miss, he stopped Crow with his palms.¡±


    ¡°Crow regards killing as art. His favorite killer move at close range is Sakura Fall. Master, I have a question to ask you, if you were him, could you block Crow¡¯s Sakura Fall?¡±


    Ning Xinhai thought for a moment and said, ¡°I could block it, but I couldn¡¯t be sure that I could block all of them. The Sakura Fall is like rain. The blade is so fast that it can cut wind and snow into pieces. The reason why it is called Sakura Fall is that the skill is extremely brilliant and as changeable as lightning. I can¡¯t predict every change he makes.¡±


    ¡°But, he blocked it,¡± said Yan Xiangma in a cold voice. He pointed to the green stone table on the ground and said, ¡°just like how he broke this stone with his palm.¡±


    ¡°You are able to do it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the same.¡± Yan Xiangma shook his head and said, ¡°I used the ¡®Blazing Fire on Prairie¡¯ of the Roaring Flame Fist, which was passed down from my family. I used Qi, but he didn¡¯t. He just sat there and then easily broke the table. I was sitting opposite him. He broke this green stone table but his expression didn¡¯t change much. Master, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s horrible?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ning Xinhai said frowning. ¡°It seems that Li Muyang is more complicated than we thought. I¡¯ve already warned Miss that this student is a dangerous person. But you know Miss¡¯s temper. No one can force her. I¡¯ve also probed secretly, but I didn¡¯t feel any trace of Qi from Li Muyang. He doesn¡¯t look like a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I thought he was just an ordinary person who wanted to eat swan meat, so we didn¡¯t pay much attention to him. We even thought of dealing with this matter in a softer way. Now it seems that things have gone beyond our apprehension. If we let such a person who deliberately hides his strength and has ulterior motives be around Xiaoxin like a fly, it is very challenging for us. Xiaoxin will return to Capital Heaven in two months. Now the situation in the capital is complicated. If something happens to her at this time, I am afraid that the capital will be involved in new chaos and collision¡­ ¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ning Xinhai asked as he looked at the handsome teenager in front of him with dark eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve reminded him that as the most famous rich playboy Jiangnan City, I can do anything,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile. ¡°Do you think he understands?¡±

 Chapter 26 - Youre Ugly!

    The alley was deep as if there were countless secrets hidden on every smooth and bright bluestone slab.


    Behind the vermilion gate was a dilapidated courtyard.


    There was a stone mill in the middle of the yard, and an iron bucket was placed on the millstone.


    There was a barrel full of ice.


    The ice cubes melted under the scorching sun, giving off a great amount of cold air.


    A man in black sat by and meditated. With smoke swirling around his body and sweat dripping down his forehead, he looked like he was in a sauna.


    His hands were waving in the air, and his ten fingers swiftly made dozens of strange and complex gestures.


    Swoosh¡­


    The white light suddenly brightened!


    All of a sudden, a dark and deep hole appeared on the bluestone ground.


    The black hole looked gloomy, making people tremble as soon as they saw it. It was like a death passage to Asura¡¯s hell.


    First, there was a small moment of silence, and then the rustling sounds of sand could be heard.


    A crow came out of the black hole and pounced on the body of the man in black.


    More crows flew out and approached the man in black.


    They wrapped tightly around the man in black and opened their mouths to devour the dark Qi emanating from his body.


    Crack, crack, crack¡­


    Countless crows had countless mouths and they kept opening and closing together. This scene made people feel chills in their spines.


    When all the crows were gone and the black smoke disappeared, the man in black finally revealed his true face.


    He poured the ice cubes and the water in the bucket on his head, creating a hissing sound as if his body were a burning furnace and the ice cubes and water all fell on the stove¡¯s flames and turned to steam.


    It wasn¡¯t until this moment that the Qi of Light on Crow was finally expelled.


    Since long ago, light and darkness were difficult to blend. Crow walked in a dark and evil way, including the birds he kept. They were also created with some foul material. When he was injured, the bodyguard of the young lady of the Cui Family used the ¡°Buddha in Thousand Families¡±, which was an authentic Buddhist Kung Fu and a high-level driving magic of the Buddhism Sect.


    As the Qi of Light entered his body, Crow fled with serious injuries.


    After sneaking into this alley and killing an old woman who had lived there alone for many years, this courtyard became his healing place.


    He had a specialized technique, so Crow had always been very confident in his own skills.


    He was a proud person as well as a proud killer.


    However, his perfect plan failed as if someone had swiftly slapped him in the face.


    He could imagine how they mocked and laughed at him when the news of his failure was heard by those bloodthirsty people in the Hunters Union.


    ¡°It is unforgivable.¡± Crow struck out with his palm. The stone mill weighing more than a thousand pounds broke into several pieces with a loud crashing sound.


    During the period of recuperation, Crow carefully recalled the scene at that time.


    When he noticed that the girl of the Cui Family walked out of the school gate, he waited in the Beast-Faced Pavilion in advance for an ambush. As expected, he was right. Cui Xiaoxin and her classmate walked toward the Beast-Faced Pavilion.


    Just as he had expected, the guards of the Cui Family did not follow her in. Instead, they stood guard in front of the pavilion, vigilantly sizing up the guests who entered and exited the pavilion.


    Since the guard of the Cui Family did not go in, he knew that his attack had a 99% chance of success. The reason why there was a 1% chance of failure was that Cui Xiaoxin could quickly transform into a cultivator at the Starry Sky Realm.


    But could it be possible?


    Cui Xiaoxin didn¡¯t transform and she was indeed not a cultivator at the Starry Sky Realm.


    The princess had to maintain her elegance and could not easily change. However, the useless teenager beside her had transformed.


    Otherwise, why would he be able to take his Sakura Fall so accurately every single time?


    ¡°How could I use such a powerful killing move as One Strike Splits Mount Hua, but still be sent flying by his punch?¡±


    ¡°If that was not a transformation, what was it?¡±


    Therefore, in his final analysis, the one who should be blamed for the failure this time was the teenager who looked like coal.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± Crow said to himself.


    He took out a coin from his pocket with his right hand and put it in his left hand.


    ¡°This is the remuneration,¡± Crow said to himself. He didn¡¯t do business that didn¡¯t make money.


    Puff! Puff!


    A blackbird flapped its wings and flew into the yard.


    Crow beckoned, and the blackbird landed in his hand.


    He took off a bamboo tube from the blackbird¡¯s leg and took out a piece of paper from it.


    The paper wasn¡¯t big, and the content wasn¡¯t much.


    Crow quickly finished reading.


    He gently rubbed his fingers on the paper, and the paper began to burn.


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡± Crow murmured the name with his eyes full of killing intent. ¡°In fact, you¡¯re already a lamb to be slaughtered.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Little Bird said good morning. Why are you carrying a pack of dynamite on your back? I¡¯m going to blow up the school. The teacher had no idea, and I ran away as soon as I lit it up.¡± Li Sinian pushed open the door of the courtyard while singing a song. She was shocked when she saw the mess in the yard. She shouted, ¡°Li Muyang! Li Muyang!¡±


    Li Muyang came out of the inner room and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the table in the courtyard?¡± Li Sinian asked, pointing at the table with a few missing corners. ¡°How did the table become like this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Li Muyang said walking outside. He looked at her and said, ¡°How could this be? Was the table struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Li Sinian said grumpily. ¡°How could a good table be struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°A good person can be struck by lightning, not to mention a table.¡± Li Muyang retorted.


    Li Sinian¡¯s eyes widened. She stared at Li Muyang for a while and said, ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡±


    Li Muyang grinned and said, ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I broke it with my hands when I was writing on the table. I don¡¯t know why¡­ ¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m an idiot?¡± Li Sinian interrupted Li Muyang¡¯s explanation. ¡°I¡¯d rather believe that it was struck by lightning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Of course, Li Sinian didn¡¯t care about the table. She looked around and asked, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin didn¡¯t come today, did she?¡±


    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile. He was not willing to tell his sister about Yan Xiangma. Otherwise, the little girl would worry about him for no reason.


    She was already a second-year student in high school, and it was now an important period. Although her study was very good, Li Muyang didn¡¯t want her to burden her with what she should not bear at her age. ¡°Xiaoxin said that she would not come today. She went to the temple with her family elders to pray.¡±


    Li Sinian rolled her dark eyes and said, ¡°We should also pray for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in that,¡± Li Muyang refused. ¡°If you can get admitted to college by praying and worshiping Buddha, will there be anyone who will fail to get into college in the future?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for this.¡± Li Sinian rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t get into college. Buddha can¡¯t help you with this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    ¡°I wish that Sister Xiaoxin also can¡¯t get into the university either and that both of you will fail the exam. Then you will both feel sad and go back to school together to study again. At that time, we will be in the same class in the same grade, trying our best to study. After a year, the three of us will be on the list at the same time and join hands to enter Xifeng University, which will become a legend in Jiangnan City. What do you think?¡±


    Li Muyang walked over and pinched Li Sinian¡¯s delicate face. He looked at her with a worried face and said, ¡°Li Sinian, are you sick?¡±


    ¡°You are the one who is sick.¡± Li Sinian shook off her brother¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I seriously thought about it today. If you want to be with Sister Xiaoxin, you have to be admitted to Xifeng University or Sister Xiaoxin fails the exam and studies in high school with you.¡±


    ¡°Then we can be together?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Li Sinian shook her head. ¡°But at least you have a chance to compete with others, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Although it was cruel, he knew that Li Sinian was telling the truth.


    If he couldn¡¯t perform well enough in this exam, he would be separated from Cui Xiaoxin in the future. He wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to compete with others.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to pursue Cui Xiaoxin,¡± Li Muyang said stubbornly. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m still young. No one knows what will happen in the future. Maybe I can find someone better.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ugly.¡±


    ¡°I know. Do you have to be so straightforward?¡±


    ¡°But not every girl is as blind as Sister Xiaoxin.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. ¡°Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin have a good meal. I¡¯m going out,¡± she said.


    Yan Bolai put down the newspaper in his hand, looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked, ¡°Xiaoxin, you¡¯re full so soon? The Liberal-arts Exam is coming. You should pay attention to your diet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already finished eating. Thank you for your concern, Uncle.¡± Cui Xiaoxin bowed and thanked him.


    ¡°Xiaoxin, where are you going?¡± Her aunt asked. ¡°Are you going to help your classmate study again? The exam is coming. You can¡¯t help others. It will affect your own results. Although our family doesn¡¯t need this, people will comment on you no matter your grades are good or bad. You know, when you return to Capital Heaven this time, how many pairs of eyes will stare at you?¡±


    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m ready.¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s expression looked gentle and firm. She looked at her aunt and said, ¡°Whether for the examination or Capital Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Don¡¯t you believe Xiaoxin? She is more cautious than anyone else,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile


    When Cui Xiaoxin left, Yan Bolai looked at Yan Xiangma with sharp eyes and asked, ¡°Which boy is so lucky to personally get Xiaoxin¡¯s help?¡±

 Chapter 27 - A Sachet for You!

    Yan Bolai had black eyebrows, big eyes, and a long face. He looked dignified even if he was not angry. When he looked at people with fierce eyes, it would cause them to breathe rapidly like a heavy boulder was on their chests.


    Even if he was his son, Yan Xiangma could not bear such a thundering feeling.


    He lowered his head, playing with the spoon in his hand and avoiding his father¡¯s gaze. ¡°He is the one who saved Xiaoxin in the Beast-Faced Pavilion last time. The doctor who treated him was arranged by our family. I¡¯ve asked someone to check on him. His name is Li Muyang, Xiaoxin¡¯s classmate. Xiaoxin is so kind that she felt that she owed him a lot, so she wants to help him with his homework,¡± he said.


    ¡°He saved Xiaoxin?¡± Yan Bolai¡¯s face became more somber. ¡°Did you find out his background?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He is clean. His family has been living in Jiangnan City for more than a decade. It¡¯s impossible for him to be a spy. More than a decade ago, Xiaoxin was not in Jiangnan City. Even the Cui family didn¡¯t intend to send her here,¡± Yan Xiangma said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be careless.¡± Yan Bolai¡¯s eyes became softer. He looked at his son, Yan Xiangma. ¡°Xiaoxin is a big girl now. I am afraid that some people with ulterior motives will deliberately approach her. If she can¡¯t handle it well, it will be another great disaster. Capital Heaven has not been peaceful recently. The Cui family wants to make an alliance with the Song family. Xiaoxin grew up together with Song Tingyun, who is known as the ¡®jade of the Song family¡¯. Therefore, the two families intend to make the two of them a couple. I am afraid they will put this on the agenda after Xiaoxin is back. At this time, nothing should happen,¡± he said.


    ¡°Xiaoxin is going to get engaged to Song Tingyun?¡± Cui Xinci looked surprised and said, ¡°How come I didn¡¯t get any news about such a big thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still in progress, and whether they reach an agreement or not depends on the two old men¡¯s attitude. The old master of the Song family, who is rumored to be over 100 years old, has been suffering from an old illness recently and his health condition is said to be very poor. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s still unknown whether he can survive this winter. In this case, the Song family also needs strong support to help them overcome the loss brought by the old master¡¯s death. I¡¯m afraid they will value this marriage more.¡±


    ¡°Song Tingyun has the title of the ¡®jade of the Song family¡¯, and his appearance and temperament are impeccable. He is also the first expert among the younger generation who has entered the Floating Cloud Realm as well as one of the most valued young people in the empire. If Xiaoxin is really going to marry him, it is not a grievance,¡± Cui Xinci said with a smile. She was very happy that her niece could find such a good husband. ¡°However, shouldn¡¯t this kind of thing be discussed with Xiaoxin? She looks gentle but has an obstinate temper. If she really likes someone, I¡¯m afraid that my brother and sister-in-law can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    Yan Bolai came to look at his beloved wife. A rare smile appeared on his face as he said, ¡°That¡¯s your family¡¯s business. As an outsider, I can¡¯t make the decision. Why don¡¯t you ask your family?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t make the decision, can I? I¡¯m afraid as a married daughter, I¡¯m even less important than you. After all, you are the owner of Jiangnan City. They have to take care of your face.¡±


    Yan Bolai knew his wife¡¯s straightforward character, so he shook his head with a smile. ¡°Xiaoxin¡¯s marriage needs to be dealt with properly, even if there is a little flame, we have to put it out in time. Otherwise, we will have no way to deal with it when it becomes a prairie fire,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I will handle it well,¡± Yan Xiangma respectfully answered.


    Yan Bolai nodded and said, ¡°Take your time. I¡¯m going to work.¡±


    After that, he pushed the wooden chair away, stood up, and walked outside.


    Yan Xiangma sent his father off. When he came back, his mother was sitting in the living room making tea.


    Seeing Yan Xiangma coming back, Cui Xinci asked, ¡°Xiangma, have you finished what I told you?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I was just about to tell you about it,¡± Yan Xiangma smiled bitterly and said. ¡°That boy refused.¡±


    ¡°Refused?¡± Cui Xinci was shocked. ¡°That box of pearls is priceless, enough for them to live a luxurious life. Plus the Jiangnan University¡¯s admission notice¡­ He is a poor and ugly student, but he is still not satisfied? What does he want?¡± she said.


    ¡°Mom, he¡¯s not good-for-nothing!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? He is not a good-for-nothing, so he can demand an exorbitant price?¡± Cui Xinci was furious. She treated people with sincerity and offered generous conditions, but she didn¡¯t expect the guy to blackmail her. Did he want to die?


    Yan Xiangma curled his lip and said, ¡°Mom, if I tell you that he did it because Xiaoxin is his true love, would you believe it?¡±


    ¡°True love?¡± Cui Xinci chewed on this strange word. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever mentioned such a word as ¡°true love¡± in front of her.


    ¡°True love,¡± Yan Xiangma nodded seriously and said. ¡°To be honest, I was touched by him. We could promise him that we will marry Xiaoxin to him. I believe that he will sincerely treat her well.¡±


    Clap!


    Cui Xinci slapped her son on the head. ¡°Do you still have the mood to make jokes at this time? The reason why I asked you to solve it is to build a good relationship with the child. Anyway, he saved Xiaoxin after all. Our Cui family owes him a favor. If he wants money, we can give him money. If he wants a future, we can also promise him a good future, but he and Xiaoxin are absolutely impossible,¡± she said angrily.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what your father said just now? He is just a child from an ordinary family. Can he compete with the Cui family? Can he compete with the Song family? Isn¡¯t that self-destruction? If we try to make him and Xiaoxin a couple, we are not helping him, but harming him. Xiangma, you have to find a way to solve this matter quickly. If your father takes action personally, the consequences will be too dire.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Yan Xiangma stroked his head that had been slapped by his mother. ¡°He¡¯s just a poor boy. Do you need to be so engrossed?¡± he said doubtfully.


    ¡°No matter what, he is an ordinary boy.¡± Cui Xinci sighed softly. ¡°The children at his age don¡¯t know their limits. It¡¯s not brave but stupid to reach out to pick up the crescent. Go and handle it gently. I don¡¯t want him to have complaints, and I don¡¯t want Xiaoxin to be sad.¡±


    ¡°Mom, that Li Muyang¡­¡± Yan Xiangma wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really dark,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile. ¡°He is like a lump of coal when he is with my cousin.¡±


    Slap!


    Yan Xiangma got another slap on his head.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Li Muyang did not know that he had become a topic of conversation at the Yan family¡¯s breakfast table, and he did not even know that he was involved in the marriage of a huge aristocratic family in Capital Heaven.


    He was just happy for the arrival of Cui Xiaoxin, and he felt sweet for the simple look in their eyes.


    This was something that he had never been involved in. It was a feeling that he couldn¡¯t get from his sister Li Sinian¡ªhis heartbeat sped up.


    Love was like candy, sweet but sad.


    Li Muyang¡¯s current mood was the same.


    When Cui Xiaoxin came over, Li Muyang had already had breakfast and finished two exam sheets for sophomores.


    Seeing Cui Xiaoxin coming over, Li Muyang quickly walked over and said with a smile, ¡°Have you had breakfast? Do you want some drinks?¡±


    ¡°Look, the mind of a man without any love experience is bouncy like this.¡±


    ¡°Just give me a cup of tea,¡± Cui Xiaoxin nodded and said.


    ¡°Sit down.¡± Li Muyang invited Cui Xiaoxin to sit down and then ran to make tea.


    Cui Xiaoxin pointed at the bluestone table that they had used to study and asked, ¡°How did the table become like this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my father accidentally pushed down the table when he was practicing yesterday¡ªso it became like this.¡± Li Muyang knew that Cui Xiaoxin would ask, so he prepared the answer in advance. See, he had become smart now.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cui Xiaoxin nodded and said, ¡°Is Uncle Li practicing his swordplay?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, how could the cut of this table be so neat?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fortunately, Cui Xiaoxin was not a gossiper and did not put too much attention on that table. She checked the two exam sheets that Li Muyang had finished that morning. ¡°As long as you know the answers to the questions, they are generally correct. Then, let¡¯s talk about the questions you couldn¡¯t answer. For example, which part you don¡¯t understand?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to solve this question at all. I feel like I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±


    ¡°That is because you didn¡¯t listen carefully in class. This question seems to have no clues, and there is no organization in the few calculations that were given out. However, there is a solution that can help you. You just need to apply the solution to it, and you will easily get a satisfactory answer.¡±


    Time flew by when he was with Cui Xiaoxin.


    When the sky turned dark, Li Muyang¡¯s parents came home from work. Li Sinian also came back home after school with her schoolbag on her back.


    As usual, Cui Xiaoxin stood up again and was going to leave.


    Li Muyang couldn¡¯t stop her, so he got up to see her off.


    ¡°Are you still coming tomorrow?¡± Li Muyang said.


    ¡°I will.¡± Cui Xiaoxin brushed the hair in front of her forehead aside, revealing her crystal clear ear on the left side. ¡°Until the night before the exam.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Li Muyang said gratefully. He knew that since Yan Xiangma had come to him, Cui Xiaoxin must have been under pressure at home. However, she never mentioned it to him, and continued teaching him.


    She was such a woman who could easily make people fall in love with her.


    Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment and took out a silk sachet from her pocket.


    ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡± Cui Xiaoxin handed over the sachet with a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Li Muyang asked.


    ¡°I have asked for two of them.¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s face turned red. Under the dim moonlight, she was as delicate as a camellia swaying with the wind. ¡°It is said that it could bless us to get good results.¡±

 Chapter 28 - Indescribable Love!

    Besides gifts from Li Sinian, this was the first time that Li Muyang had received a gift from a female.


    Li Muyang had no male friends.


    The sachet gave off a faint fragrance. He didn¡¯t know if it was because the sachet was filled with some spices or it was Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s body fragrance.


    Li Muyang greedily sniffed it in front of his nose as if he had obtained some priceless treasure.


    ¡°Li Muyang, do you know that you look like an addict now?¡± Li Sinian curled her lips and said with disdain.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a shame to be an addict.¡± Li Muyang grinned and said, ¡°People were calling me an idiot before. An addict is much better than an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Brother, my dear brother, do you have any self-esteem?¡± Li Sinian rolled on the bed angrily and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a sachet? Why are you so excited? Check my room and see how many gifts I¡¯ve got in my closet. If I were like you, I would have fainted with joy.¡±


    Li Sinian was beautiful and smart, and she was very loyal to friends. She was the leader in her grade. No matter boys or girls, they could get along well with her. Wherever she went, she would be surrounded by people. Every time she had a birthday party, it was like a grand festival. The gifts she received had to be pulled back in a carriage.


    Therefore at that time, Li Muyang was a dedicated porter who carried those gifts little by little into Li Sinian¡¯s room like a hard-working ant.


    Li Sinian¡¯s room was much larger than Li Muyang¡¯s. Their parents said that a girl needed room to pack her clothes. In fact, Li Muyang knew it was because there were too many gifts for Li Sinian, so she needed room to store them.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t have many chances to receive gifts, that¡¯s why I¡¯m so happy.¡± Li Muyang laughed happily. Li Sinian¡¯s words could not affect his good mood. ¡°Sinian, you have a lot of experience. Can you tell me in what kind of situation you would send a boy a gift?¡±


    Li Sinian got up, holding Li Muyang¡¯s collar and pulling him to the bed. She looked at Li Muyang with a sweet smile and said, ¡°Li Muyang, what did you say just now? I didn¡¯t hear you clearly.¡±


    ¡°I said you have rich experience, and under what situation¡­¡± Li Muyang couldn¡¯t go on. He found that he had made a serious mistake.


    ¡°Say it. Why don¡¯t you go on?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you know that¡¯s not what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha, but I heard you very clearly. That¡¯s what you mean!!!¡±


    ¡°Dear Sister, I¡¯m sincerely asking you¡­ ¡±


    The smile on Li Sinian¡¯s face disappeared. She stared at Li Muyang with a fierce look and said, ¡°I am your sister. Shouldn¡¯t you have more experience in this kind of thing? Why do you want to ask me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Li Muyang was about to cry. He hurriedly explained, ¡°I just think you¡¯re smarter. There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t solve.¡±


    ¡°Your feeling is right,¡± Li Sinian nodded and said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know? Go ahead.¡± Li Sinian loosened Li Muyang¡¯s crumpled collar and smoothed it with her little hands. Li Muyang had become excellent at changing the subject.


    ¡°I am saying that under what kind of situation, you would send a boy a gift?¡±


    ¡°On holidays or on his birthday; the day when he had some achievement; when he is sad or bullied; when I miss him during travel; when I think he is ugly but lovely and cute; when I think a gift is ugly but lovely and cute and I want to buy it for him.¡± Li Sinian looked at Li Muyang with a smile and said, ¡°I will give him a gift.¡±


    ¡°If you like him?¡± Li Muyang asked anxiously.


    Li Sinian did mention what he wanted to hear. Today was not a festival, nor his birthday. He was not sad or bullied. So, there were only two possibilities for Cui Xiaoxin giving him a present: first, to celebrate his rapid improvement; second, she thought he was ugly, lovely and cute.


    These two answers made him feel empty in his heart.


    ¡°I would.¡± Li Sinian gave an incomparably firm answer.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Muyang was in high spirits again and said, ¡°You would give him a present if you liked him, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Sinian nodded repeatedly. The bangs on her forehead swayed left and right in a cute way.


    ¡°I knew it.¡± Li Muyang happily held Li Sinian¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I knew it. Xiaoxin actually has a good impression of me. Otherwise, why did she give me a silk sachet? I heard that this kind of thing can¡¯t be just be given for any old reason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Li Sinian answered. ¡°If she didn¡¯t like you, she would not have given you a gift.¡±


    Suddenly, Li Muyang thought of something. He stared at Li Sinian with burning eyes and said, ¡°Sinian, who is the boy you like? Don¡¯t tell me you have a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°A boyfriend?¡± Li Sinian smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his name? Do I know him?¡±


    ¡°Of course you know him.¡± Li Sinian took Li Muyang¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s you, my stupid brother.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin came to tutor Li Muyang every day, regardless if it was windy or rainy. Li Muyang also looked forward to it with joy each time. He liked to be with Cui Xiaoxin.


    The relationship between Cui Xiaoxin and Li Sinian was getting better and better. When Li Muyang was answering questions, they would chat in Li Sinian¡¯s room for a while. Of course, most of the time, Li Sinian talked and Cui Xiaoxin listened because she didn¡¯t talk much.


    Luo Qi, Li Muyang¡¯s mother, liked Cui Xiaoxin more and more. She came home from work early every day with cakes that Cui Xiaoxin liked to eat. She asked her to stay at home to have dinner with them again and again. She even wanted to keep her to stay overnight at home. Although Cui Xiaoxin refused her again and again, it hadn¡¯t taken away her enthusiasm.


    With Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s help, Li Muyang systematically reviewed the textbooks from the last few years. Although he did it a little rough, there was nothing he could do about it, because time was limit. By the time he finished the last test paper set by Cui Xiaoxin, it was the day before the liberal arts exam.


    Cui Xiaoxin fulfilled her promise and helped Li Muyang study until the eve before the liberal arts exam.


    Tomorrow, Li Muyang would take the pen as the bow and the knowledge as the arrow with tens of thousands of candidates, and try his best to shoot at the prestigious school in his mind.


    Those who hit the targets would be on the golden list, ready to meet flowers and applause.


    For the ones who missed the aim, they would lose the qualification for the competition or even their lives.


    Who would be the hero among thousands of troops and horses?


    Cui Xiaoxin refused Luo Qi¡¯s invitation for dinner once again and left. Li Muyang sent her off before his mother reminded him.


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡± Cui Xiaoxin stood under the Yanluo tree in front of the door and looked at Li Muyang. ¡°I have tried my best, and so did you. I don¡¯t know what you can do, but I have a hunch that you will surprise everyone¡ªthose who have bullied you, mocked you and doubted or belittled you, will regret their selfishness and narrow-mindedness in the past,¡± she said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t work so hard for them.¡± Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and said with a smile, ¡°I did it for you.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s thin lips moved slightly, but she didn¡¯t know how to explain it to him. What should she say? Could she say that we were not from the same world, or we were very likely to be separated from each other and would never be able to see each other again, or that there was no possibility that they would be together?


    ¡°Because we have a date to watch the sunset together at the Nameless Lake of Xifeng University, right?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. She said, ¡°Yes. So, Li Muyang, please do your best.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin waved to Li Muyang and walked forward at a brisk pace.


    ¡°In this way, you can live more easily, right?¡± Li Muyang murmured as he looked at her back when she walked away. His upright figure looked thin in the moonlight.


    By the time Li Muyang returned home, Luo Qi had already prepared dinner.


    ¡°Muyang, Xiaoxin is gone?¡± Luo Qi came out of the kitchen with soup and asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, she is gone,¡± Li Muyang answered.


    ¡°Pack up the books. Wash your hands. Dinner is ready,¡± Luo Qi said with a smile. ¡°Go to get the lazy girl downstairs. I told her to wash the vegetables, but she clamored about writing homework upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Li Muyang answered with a smile. Li Sinian was excellent in all aspects, but she didn¡¯t like to do housework like other young girls the same age. As soon as she was told to wash vegetables or dishes, she would find all kinds of excuses to refuse.


    When Li Muyang went upstairs, Luo Qi suddenly shouted, ¡°Muyang¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, anything else?¡± Li Muyang turned around and asked Luo Qi while looking at her.


    ¡°You want to go to Xifeng University, don¡¯t you?¡± Luo Qi asked. There was a smile on her face, but something in her eyes that made Li Muyang feel very uneasy.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang nodded. ¡°Mom, you think I have no hope for that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Luo Qi said in a firm voice, ¡°My son has tried his best and I knew what you have gone through. How could you have no hope? If you want to go to Xifeng University, just do it. Mom will support you.¡±


    Li Muyang grinned and said, ¡°Mom, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Silly boy, what are you thanking me for?¡±


    ¡°Then I am going to get Li Sinian to have dinner,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile.


    When Li Muyang turned around and left, Luo Qi¡¯s smile froze. Her face was pale, but her eyes were unusually firm.

 Chapter 29 - Can I Speak Now?

    The sky had just turned bright, and several stars still lingered on, refusing to leave for the time being.


    The wind was blowing, the morning dew was rippling, and everything was growing. The whole world seemed to play up to Li Muyang, who had just gotten up.


    He stood in front of the window, stretching his body, and then quickly walked about the room, following the method of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±. He found that he could study well only if he was healthy. He could not do anything if he was in a daze all day long¡ªunless he had a nap.


    In ancient times, a great man had said that the body was the capital of the revolution.


    After Li Muyang got sweaty, he went into the bathroom to take a shower and changed into the new clothes that his mother had prepared for him.


    Looking into the mirror, he found that he was much whiter than before. In the past, he looked as dark as ink, but now his skin was bronze with a bright luster.


    ¡°Am I like Gu Tianle, the idol of the empire?¡± Li Muyang asked in front of the mirror.


    He blinked and grinned.


    The smile quickly disappeared, and he scolded scornfully, ¡°You are dreaming. Shame on you.¡±


    It was still early, but Li Muyang was not going to review.


    He opened the pen box and checked it out. After packing the bag, he sat at the desk and looked at the plants in the yard. He looked at the stars in the sky, the black clouds rolling, and the white clouds covering the sky.


    The sky turned bright, and then yellow. A red sun shyly and slowly appeared in the eastern sky.


    If it were a month ago, Li Muyang would not have had to worry about this at all.


    ¡°What does it have to do with me whether there is an exam or not?¡±


    He would sleep until he woke up naturally as usual, then grab two steamed buns and walk around the examination room or have a rest again.


    If others handed in their papers, he would do that as well. If others went home, he would go home too.


    There was no hope, so there was no expectation.


    It had only been a little more than a month, but he was ready for the liberal arts exam. He was going to compete with the students who had been hard-working for many years, fighting for rare positions.


    When he looked back at the past, he didn¡¯t even dare to recognize himself now.


    When chicken and dogs started barking, the yard began to liven up.


    His mother got up to wash, and his father went to practice martial arts. Unexpectedly, Li Sinian also got up, standing in front of the windowsill and slowly reading ancient poems.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Li Sinian shouted as she stood in her room.


    ¡°Sinian, don¡¯t call your brother. Let him sleep a little longer.¡± Luo Qi, their mother, lowered her voice and said.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m already up,¡± Li Muyang popped out of the window and said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been up for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I knew that my brother had gotten up. He could not sleep well because of today¡¯s exam,¡± Li Sinian said with a proud face. ¡°Are you ready, Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Everything has been prepared,¡± Li Muyang said grinning, ¡°As for the rest, it will be up to god.¡±


    ¡°Hee hee, you will succeed in the exam.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I made a wish for you before I went to bed last night.¡± Li Sinian looked as if it was a matter of fact. ¡°My wishes always come true. I said you could stand up, then you did. I said you could be smarter, then you became smarter. I said you could not look better than me, so you look like Coal.


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang often doubted that his younger sister was his biological sister. Otherwise, why would she always taunt him to death?


    ¡°Hey, brother,¡± Li Sinian suddenly exclaimed.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Muyang asked curiously.


    ¡°Brother, why are you getting whiter?¡± Li Sinian stood in her position where she could see that Li Muyang was bathing in the rising red sunlight. His eyelashes were long, his features were deep and clear, and his skin was as delicate as green celadon. His back was straight, and his smile was gentle and confident.


    He was no longer timid and wretched, and he did not look so thin like he could be blown away by a gust of wind as before.


    A layer of soft light emanated from his body as if he were an immortal walking out of the bright sunlight.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are really white,¡± Li Sinian danced happily and said. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask mom and dad to have a look. You didn¡¯t secretly use my medicine frost, did you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Luo Qi had finished cooking breakfast. In order to cater to the ancient proverb, she prayed for good luck for her son¡¯s exam. She specially cooked two eggs and a fried dough stick for Li Muyang.


    Li Sinian looked at the breakfast in Li Muyang¡¯s bowl, and said to her mother Luo Qi with a sly look, ¡°Mom, the two eggs and one fried dough stick you prepared for Brother mean you want him to get one hundred points in the exam?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Luo Qi nodded with a smile. ¡°And you have the same breakfast.¡±


    ¡°But my brother is going to take three courses today.¡± Li Sinian looked very embarrassed and said, ¡°Do you want him to take only 100 points for all the three courses? If not, you have to prepare six eggs, and three fried dough sticks for him so that he can get 100 points for each of the courses.¡±


    ¡°Ah? So many?¡± Luo Qi was a little embarrassed and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll prepare¡­¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s mouth was full of eggs, and his cheeks bulged high. Hearing Li Sinian¡¯s words, his face turned green. He grabbed his mother¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t listen to Sinian¡¯s nonsense. If you give me six eggs and three fried dough sticks, I won¡¯t have to take the exam. I¡¯ll die at home because I am too full.¡±


    Luo Qi hit Li Sinian¡¯s hand with her chopsticks and said angrily, ¡°You little girl, you only know how to bully your brother.¡±


    ¡°Just kidding.¡± Li Sinian stuck out her tongue at Li Muyang and said, ¡°I am just trying to make it easy so that my brother will not be nervous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous as soon as you start to talk.¡± It was not easy for Li Muyang to swallow the egg, and he said angrily, ¡°You¡¯d better stop talking. You can scare people to death.¡±


    ¡°Stingy,¡± Li Sinian said in a low voice.


    After breakfast, Li Muyang bid farewell to his parents and was ready to go to the examination room with his schoolbag.


    Li Yan was going to send Li Muyang over, but he was refused. Li Muyang had already been to the examination room, so there was no need to send him.


    Li Muyang felt refreshed and light-footed. He was not nervous at all before the examination.


    ¡°Maybe I am too well-prepared,¡± Li Muyang said to himself.


    When he thought about it, he felt that the well-known liberal arts exam that everyone feared was nothing more than this.


    As soon as he walked to the yard with his school bag, a man in a black robe descended from the sky.


    ¡°It seems that I came at the right time,¡± said the man in the black robe smiling gloomily and staring at Li Muyang.


    ¡­


    In Guantang Tea House.


    The rich child, Yan Xiangma, was sitting near the window on the second floor, drinking tea. The tea was good¡ªit was the most famous Lion Peak Dragon Well tea in Jiangnan City. Next to him was a singer in a blue embroidered cheongsam singing a pipa tune. The soft voice made his heart almost melt.


    He liked this kind of tone, which was the style that a learned and virtuous rich young man should have.


    Those guys, who had nothing to do every day, flirting with good women with a group of servants, could only be regarded as hooligans. Although he also wanted to be such a hooligan, he was afraid that his father would break his legs¡ªor his mother would.


    ¡°Young Master, we have asked around about it. This is the only way for Li Muyang to take part in the Liberal-arts Exam¡­ Young Master, you only need to look outside from time to time. It is clear whether he has come or not.¡± A middle-aged man in a black coat stood next to him, bending his back with a flattering look.


    ¡°I¡¯m your master and I¡¯m born to enjoy. I have a beauty in my eyes, a good song in my ears, and delicious tea in my hands, but you ask me to look outside and get distracted. If I split my mind into two parts, is this beauty still a beauty? Is this good song still a good song? Is this delicious tea still delicious? They will become vulgar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I am wrong,¡± the middle-aged man quickly apologized. ¡°Young Master, you can appreciate the beauty and listen to the song, leaving the rest to us. I have already sent people to guard downstairs. I will accompany you to wait upstairs¡ªas long as Li Muyang comes over, I will rush forward to hit him with a stick, put him into a sack, and carry him away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re smart.¡± Yan Xiangma gently tapped his fingers with his eyes closed. ¡°Even if he takes the exam, he won¡¯t be able to enter Xifeng University, but we should make sure that it won¡¯t happen. Besides, what if he succeeds? I will knock him out so that he can¡¯t go to Xifeng University or Capital Heaven. Then, I¡¯ll give him an admission notice to Jiangnan University. Do you think he will accept it or not?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, he will,¡± the middle-aged man laughed and said. ¡°Jiangnan University is a famous university. I have failed three times to enter it.¡±


    Yan Xiangma¡¯s face changed greatly, and he said, ¡°Even if you take 30 years, you won¡¯t be able to get in. Can an idiot like you enter such a big university like Jiangnan University?¡±


    The middle-aged man thought of the educational background of his young master, and he quickly changed his words and said, ¡°Yes, yes, yes, not to mention 30 years, I can¡¯t pass the examination even if I have 300 years¡ªit will be self-humiliation for me to enter Jiangnan University. It is simply impossible.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Yan Xiangma waved his hand and said. ¡°Don¡¯t ruin the romance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The middle-aged man covered his mouth and did not dare to speak again.


    An hour had passed. Yan Xiangma looked up at the sky outside and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the boy come yet?¡±


    ¡°Master, can I speak now?¡± The middle-aged man asked cautiously.


    Yan Xiangma was so angry that he pointed at the man and shouted, ¡°Are you shitting now if you are not speaking?¡±

 Chapter 30 - Keep the Style!

    Yan Xiangma was a perfectionist.


    He had a perfect appearance, a perfect family background, a perfect personality, character, and martial arts ability. Those who said he wasn¡¯t perfect had been put into a sack and thrown into the forest to feed the wild boars.


    However, he couldn¡¯t figure out why he found such a man to work for him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it an insult to me if he has such an IQ?¡±


    There was an old saying that birds of a feather flock together. If people thought the master was as stupid as the servant, would Yan Xiangma still have the face to go out and meet people?


    ¡°Li Dalu, how many times have I told you?¡± The more Yan Xiangma thought about it, the more serious he felt the problem was. He had to talk to his trusted thug.


    ¡°Young Master, what you have told me so many times?¡±


    ¡°I told you to light up your eyes when you go out for business.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, my eyes have been lit up.¡± Li Dalu tried to widen his eyes and said, ¡°Young Master, look at me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    A woman who was singing was amused by them and could not continue. She hurriedly bowed and apologized. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to. I just couldn¡¯t hold it back,¡± she said.


    ¡°All right, all right, you can go now.¡± Yan Xiangma was not in the mood to listen to the song anyway. He threw the mung bean cake onto the plate, wiped his hand with a silk handkerchief, and then picked up the Breaking Dragon Spine on the table and tapped Li Dalu on the head. ¡°You idiot, who wants to see you acting cute with your eyes? Can you be serious?¡± he scolded.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Young Master, don¡¯t hit me anymore. If you hit me again, I will become more stupid.¡± Li Dalu held his head and begged for mercy.


    Yan Xiangma stopped, looked at the street outside the window and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Li Muyang would definitely take this road? Why hasn¡¯t he shown up? If he doesn¡¯t come, the examination room will be closed before the exam starts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m also puzzled,¡± Li Dalu said with approval.


    Yan Xiangma got angry again and shouted, ¡°If I ask you a question, you should find me a way to solve it. Are you waiting for me to discover the answer for you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare,¡± Li Dalu immediately said apologizing. ¡°Why don¡¯t I ask someone to take a look at Li Muyang¡¯s house? You know, that boy doesn¡¯t study well at ordinary times, and he is late for class every day. Maybe he has overslept today, or he may have a stomachache.¡±


    Yan Xiangma waved his folding fan, thinking about it, and said, ¡°I should go to his house to remind him.¡±


    ¡°Remind him?¡± Li Dalu was a little confused. ¡°Young master, shall we kidnap that kid because we don¡¯t want him to take part in the exam?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Xiangma nodded and said.


    ¡°Since something has happened to him, we don¡¯t have to do anything.¡±


    Yan Xiangma thought about it again. He slapped Li Dalu with his fan on the head again and scolded, ¡°You don¡¯t need to say such a simple thing.¡±


    ¡°Young Master¡­ ¡± Li Dalu was afraid of being beaten. He stood far away and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do we have to tie him up or not?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Xiangma said. ¡°If we don¡¯t tie him up, what we have done this morning will be for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re right,¡± Li Dalu said. ¡°I¡¯ll send people to surround his house.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Yan Xiangma waved his hand and said. ¡°Be discreet and stylish.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, does kidnapping also have a style?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! Have you ever read Chu Liuxiang¡¯s Legend? Chu Liuxiang may be a small-time thief, but do you know how he steals things? Before doing the case, he would leave a note: ¡®I heard that you have a white jade beauty, which looks perfect and extremely desiring. I like it very much. This evening, I will visit you on a moonlit night. You have always been a civilized person, and you should not let me go empty-handed¡¯. If I met such a thief, I would be willing to be stolen from.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, do you want us to write a note and send it to him?¡±


    Yan Xiangma wanted to hit his head again, but Li Dalu had run too far.


    ¡°You idiot. You send a note to him saying that I¡¯m going to kidnap your son. ¡®Please prepare your son¡¯¡ªare you waiting for him to report to the authorities and surround you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A man was wearing a black robe and a black hat, and his whole body was wrapped in the black clothes.


    He was still giving off black Qi, looking like a big moving chimney.


    Crow!


    The killer Crow!


    Li Muyang did not know his name, but he knew the man¡¯s face.


    Cui Xiaoxin was attacked in Beast-faced Pavilion. It was this guy who had pretended to be a servant and committed the violence.


    The last time he was driven away but this time he was targeting Li Muyang.


    Li Muyang was extremely nervous, staring at him unblinkingly.


    ¡°Muyang, who is this?¡± Luo Qi asked.


    Her first reaction was that it must be Li Muyang¡¯s friend before instantly realizing that Li Muyang had no friends at all. So Luo Qi rushed over like a hen protecting its chicks and stood in front of Li Muyang, shouting, ¡°Who are you? What do you want to do?¡±


    Li Yan was washing dishes in the kitchen. When he heard the sounds outside, he jumped out of the kitchen window.


    He pulled out his spear from the corner of the wall, which he usually used to practice with, and walked over in front of his wife and son.


    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± Li Yan asked in a low voice. ¡°We are ordinary people, and we have nothing to do with you. I think you have found the wrong person, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find the wrong person.¡± Crow stared at Li Muyang with a poker face and said, ¡°Someone paid me to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Li Muyang was shocked. ¡°I am a weak student. How could anyone pay to kill me?¡± he hurriedly explained.


    ¡°Me,¡± said Crow, ¡°I paid myself a gold coin to kill you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang felt that the person outside was too shameless. How could he do such a thing? According to what he said, he could give himself a gold coin every day, and then he could praise himself for being a handsome young man? Weren¡¯t there any laws?


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you will be disappointed.¡± Li Yan was secretly holding up his breath, and the long spear in his hand was humming. It seemed that it was alive, shaking in Li Yan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Heavenly King Spear? Are you from the Lu family in Capital Heaven?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not from the Lu family,¡± Li Yan denied. ¡°I¡¯m just a father of a son. If you want to hurt him, you have to kill me first.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­ ¡± Li Sinian walked downstairs with her schoolbag on her back. Seeing this scene in the yard, she was really scared and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Brother, are you okay?¡±


    She stood in front of Li Muyang, staring at the killer Crow with a fierce look. ¡°Who are you? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ve already reported this to the government. You have to leave now,¡± she said.


    ¡°Now you have all the family here, do you?¡± Crow looked at Li Muyang¡¯s family and asked.


    Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°Unfortunately, no one has paid me to kill the rest of you, or I would kill you all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A red light flashed in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, and his voice became cold without emotion. ¡°You¡¯d better leave immediately. Last time, I could stop you, and this time, I can still stop you¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ve spent a lot of effort to find you, and I deliberately gave you a surprise before the Liberal-arts Exam today. How can I leave at this time?¡± Crow shook his head and said.


    ¡°My classmate will come to pick me up soon. If you don¡¯t leave, you will be seriously injured like the last time. They have been looking for you.¡± Although Li Muyang was not clear about the whole story, it seemed that the incident of Cui Xiaoxin being attacked must have alerted countless people¡¯s sensitive nerves. Those people would not let such a killer attempt the second assassination in Jiangnan City.


    Crow¡¯s expression froze slightly. It seemed that Li Muyang¡¯s words had hit his sensitive spot. He was indeed worried about the guards around the Emperor¡¯s Bright Moon. Ning Xinhai¡¯s strength was unfathomable, and he really did not have the confidence to escape from him.


    If what Li Muyang said was true and his classmate was going to pick him up on the way to school, then there was not much time left for him.


    Crow grinned and said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s hurry up¡ªrest assured. I will be quick, and I won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    As he spoke, his figure disappeared from where he stood, and a cloud of black smoke rushed toward the position where Li Muyang was standing.


    Li Sinian moved.


    No one expected that Li Sinian, the little girl who looked delicate and tender, would be the first to fight back.


    She threw the schoolbag on her back at the black shadow.


    Then she punched outwards.


    Clap! Clap! Clap!


    Shadows of countless fists were flashing in the air.


    The fist prints in the back pushed the fist prints in front. Then the long row of fist prints connected together, turning into a surge of unparalleled force, rushing toward the black shadow.


    Shattering Fist!


    The first movement of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± was to attract the force of nature. The fist prints would be overlaid, transforming the coming force to attack.


    Bang!


    The black smoke dispersed and turned into tiny black puffs that flew into all directions.


    Crow¡¯s body appeared back to its original place. He looked at Li Sinian, whose chest was heaving up and down. He had horror on his face.


    ¡°Is this the Shattering Fist? You can actually use the Shattering Fist of the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯?¡± Crow¡¯s voice was hoarse, and he stared at Li Sinian and said, ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between Taoist Ziyang and you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my master,¡± Li Sinian answered in a clear voice. She thought that since the bad guy knew her master, it proved that her master was a very powerful person. It would be great if she could scare him away by the name of her master.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Old Taoist Ziyang¡¯s disciple. I¡¯m really sorry for being impolite today,¡± Crow said coldly. ¡°However, you¡¯ve only learned a little of it. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no way you can stop me from killing him. Little girl, I advise you to get out of the way. Otherwise, Old Taoist Ziyang will lose his beloved disciple.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about hurting my brother.¡± Li Sinian did not give in and said firmly, ¡°If you dare to kill him, I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Little girl, have you killed anyone?¡± Crow laughed. ¡°Killing is an art. You can¡¯t do it just by talking, can you? Do you feel your voice trembling?¡±


    ¡°There will always be a first time,¡± Li Sinian said. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless for you to kill him, but many people will clap if you die¡ªdo you want to be laughed at by your enemies?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°We can make a deal.¡±

 Chapter 31 - A Human Cushion!

    The deep courtyard with high walls that Li Yan and Luo Qi built to protect their privacy when they arrived in Jiangnan City, had now become a natural barrier to the outside world.


    For many people, this was still a quiet and peaceful morning, but for the Li family, this was undoubtedly a nightmare.


    The attack of a killer was something that they had never considered before.


    Who would have thought that the original good-for-nothing youngster would actually provoke a killer like Crow to attack him¡ªhis excuse being his right hand giving his left hand a gold coin to buy Li Muyang¡¯s life.


    When there was danger, Li Sinian would always stand in front of Li Muyang.


    In her mind, Li Muyang was thin and weak. He needed to be protected and taken care of like in childhood.


    ¡°To make a deal?¡± Crow looked at the little girl, who was pretending to be calm. He had an extremely absurd feeling and said, ¡°Little girl, do you know what you are doing? Do you want to make a deal with a killer? If a killer can casually make a deal, can he still be a killer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯,¡± Li Sinian said in a crisp voice.


    Just then, when she had used that punch, the killer had looked bewildered.


    She remembered his expression, so she concluded that the kung fu taught by her master might be very powerful.


    Li Sinian was smart and calm.


    If other little girls encountered such a thing, they would have hidden behind their parents, crying or directly falling to the ground.


    However, Li Sinian wanted to make a deal with a killer in place of her parents or brother.


    ¡°Sinian¡­ ¡± Li Yan shouted anxiously. He knew how much the yellow-robed Taoist loved Li Sinian. He also knew that the Taoist gave Li Sinian an ancient yellow book before he left and repeatedly told her to keep it well and not to lose it or let it be known by the outside world.


    Now his daughter wanted to make an exchange with it. Wouldn¡¯t it violate the kindness of the person who had given her the book?


    However, his daughter was going to exchange this secret manuscript for his son¡¯s life. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t say anything to stop her.


    Li Sinian stared at killer Crow without blinking, while explaining to her father, ¡°Father, I remember my master¡¯s words, but now is a critical moment, and I can¡¯t care so much. I will naturally explain this to my master later. If there is a punishment, I will take it.¡±


    Seeing that Crow was silent and motionless, Li Sinian wanted to try again. ¡°You only want to kill my brother, but look at him. He is weak and sick, and he looks so dark. He was struck by lightning when he was born, and now he is still dizzy and can¡¯t do anything. Is it worthwhile for you to personally kill such a good-for-nothing? If your peers knew what you are doing, wouldn¡¯t you be laughed at?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The rich, the generals of the empire, the women and children, as well as the girls from noble families¡ªas long as someone is willing to pay, we can kill anyone. As for whether he is a good-for-nothing or not¡­¡± Crow glanced at Li Muyang, and said with a cold smile, ¡°Little girl, I¡¯m afraid you still don¡¯t know what kind of monster you are protecting behind you.¡±


    Of course, Li Sinian did not know what kind of monster Li Muyang was. She was sure that he was a weak nerd who had no ability to protect himself.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one who bought my brother¡¯s life, is there?¡±


    ¡°He ruined my plan. I have to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Let go of my brother, and I will give you the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯. As for the gold coin your right hand gave your left hand, no one will know.¡±


    Crow was indeed very interested in the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±. It was a Taoist secret manuscript and an extremely high-grade Dharma treasure. Other than the Tao Master and the Seven Immortals roaming outside, it was likely that no one else could have such a treasure.


    Immortal Ziyang was one of the Seven Immortals. Many years ago, he had reached the Vicissitude Realm. He could live or die as he wished. Crow didn¡¯t dare to provoke the Taoist Ziyang, but he still had the courage to bully one of his disciples.


    The person he wanted to kill was Li Muyang, not his disciple, Li Sinian.


    ¡°After killing you, I¡¯ll still be able to obtain the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯,¡± Crow sneered.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get anything if you kill me,¡± Li Sinian said. ¡°The ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯ is in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± Crow¡¯s face became severe. He could see that this little girl was very smart and slippery. Were the children now so early-maturing? Were they so skilled in business negotiations? Now they were talking about murder. Was the school teaching this kind of thing? If that was the case, the killing school that he graduated from must be greatly affected.


    The empire¡¯s economy was depressed, filled with different types of competition, including the killing business.


    Crow was very worried about his own alma mater. The year when he entered the school, it was written on the front of the school door: ¡°I am proud of the school today, and the school will be ashamed of me tomorrow¡±. He remembered it in his heart, and he was eager to become famous so that the school would be ashamed of his excellent performance in killing.


    ¡°I only hope that the university will survive and will not easily close,¡± He prayed silently in his heart.


    ¡°I hope you can answer me as soon as possible. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to get anything when Sister Xiaoxin comes. I¡¯ll give you the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯, and you can pretend that you were never here today. What do you think?¡±


    Crow stared at Li Muyang coldly and said, ¡°Li Muyang, do you really want a girl to stand up for you?¡±


    Li Muyang patted his sister¡¯s shoulder and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Sinian, let me deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself. Don¡¯t you know your body? He is deliberately luring you out to kill you with one blow. Don¡¯t listen to him, just stand behind me. If he dares to touch a hair, I¡¯ll fight him to death!¡±


    ¡°Sinian¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What a weak and incompetent man.¡± Crow curled his lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s my son. You cannot make such a personal remark about him,¡± Li Yan grunted. This man, who rarely talked, rushed over with the long spear in his hand.


    As the father and the only adult man in the family, he had the responsibility to stand up for his wife and his children.


    He pushed forward his spear, causing the wind and thunder to move.


    Crow stood still and sneered, ¡°The Heavenly King Spear of the Lu Family is so famous and has defeated countless strong enemies. It is known as the best spear. It¡¯s a pity that you¡¯ve only learned a little about it.¡±


    Crack!


    Crow¡¯s hand stretched out of the black robe.


    The long spear, as if it had eyes, came into Crow¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even trigger the wind and thunder, but you want to hurt me with such a Heavenly King Spear? The seven-year-old child of the Lu Family is hundreds of times stronger than you, right?¡± Crow stretched out his hand to hold the long spear. ¡°It seems that you are just a lackey of the Lu Family,¡± he said sarcastically.


    Crow thought about it seriously and said, ¡°Interesting, interesting. I just randomly found an ordinary family to seek revenge. I can¡¯t believe it has something to do with the Lu family of the empire.¡±


    Li Yan¡¯s face turned purple as he desperately urged his True Qi to resist, trying to take back the long spear from Crow¡¯s hand.


    Unfortunately, as Crow had said, he knew only little about the Heavenly King Spear and that indeed he couldn¡¯t beat the children of the Lu family. As a servant, how could he have the opportunity to know the exquisite meaning of the Heavenly King Spear?


    When he was working as a driver for the lady Gongsun Yu, he saw Lu Qingming of the Lu Family practicing in the yard, and he tried to remember the scene in his mind.


    ¡°Do you want to take it back?¡± Crow smiled. The hand holding the long spear jerked forward and lifted Li Yan and his spear into the air.


    ¡°Let go of my father!¡± Li Muyang was extremely angry and ran toward the killer Crow with a loud roar.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally acting like a man¡ªhere you are.¡±


    Crow flicked his finger gently and smashed Li Yan¡¯s body into Li Muyang.


    ¡°Be careful, Elder Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian reminded him as she ran.


    She was well aware of Crow¡¯s strength. Don¡¯t underestimate the force of the push. If it was not handled properly, Li Muyang¡¯s emaciated bones might be smashed into pieces.


    As if he didn¡¯t hear it, Li Muyang jumped up high and held Li Yan¡¯s body in his arms.


    Their bodies rolled and flew backward in the air, shooting toward the wall.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Li Yan said anxiously.


    He knew that his son was in poor health. If Li Muyang took the blow behind Li Yan and let Li Yan¡¯s huge body crash into his body, he might lose his life.


    Although they were in the air, Li Yan still wanted to forcibly switch places.


    He grabbed Li Muyang¡¯s body and tried to pull him to the front, placing his body against the wall and making a human cushion for his son.


    But he failed.


    Li Muyang held his father¡¯s body tightly from behind, as if he was holding the most precious thing in the world.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Li Yan tried to exert more strength.


    Bang¡¤¡¤¡¤


    Li Muyang¡¯s body hit the thick bluestone of the wall, while Li Yan¡¯s body hit heavily upon Li Muyang¡¯s chest.


    Dust flew in the air, and the grass and trees on the wall crashed down.


    At the place where Li Muyang¡¯s body hit, a huge human-shaped indentation appeared.


    Crack, crack¡ª!


    One crack after another appeared over the entire bluestone wall.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi gave out a plaintive cry and rushed toward the direction in which Li Muyang fell.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian also changed the direction of the attack and went to check on Li Muyang¡¯s situation.


    Li Yan¡¯s eyes were blood red, filled with tears.


    He remained as he landed after falling to the ground and did not dare to move, let alone turn around.


    He was afraid that when he turned around, what he saw would be that his son had been crushed into a meat pie.

 Chapter 32 - Hit by a Blow!

    Crack, crack


    The cracking sound of the stone could be heard incessantly as if the whole wall was about to crash down.


    It was just by using the force from his own body to push the wall. If it were Crow, he might be able to knock down the wall with one punch.


    ¡°Muyang, how are you, Muyang? Li Yan, are you a dead man? Get over here and see your son!¡±


    ¡°Brother, are you hurt? Li Muyang? Just say something!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ ¡± A familiar voice came from behind him.


    Li Muyang patted his father¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Please let me stand up.¡±


    Li Yan¡¯s face was full of surprise. He quickly turned around and looked at him, saying, ¡°Muyang, are you all right?¡ªIs there anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Muyang shook his head, rubbed his wounded shoulder and back. ¡°I¡¯ve just got some scratches,¡± he said.


    ¡°How could there only be some scratches?¡± Li Sinian blinked her eyes. Even though she had practiced the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± since she was a child, she would have broken bones if she had suffered such a blow.


    However, Li Muyang¡¯s body was so weak that he couldn¡¯t move anything heavy. He caught his father by force and bore Crow¡¯s push.


    There was a dent in the stone wall, and cracks appeared on it as well. How could he be fine?


    ¡°Is his bone harder than stone?¡± Li Sinian thought.


    Of course, she knew that it was impossible. Li Muyang had never strengthened his muscles or bones, so how could it be possible for him to have such an ability?


    ¡°Muyang, let me have a look.¡± Luo Qi quickly pulled Li Muyang over and examined him over and over again. She was worried about Li Muyang¡¯s condition. She was afraid that he deliberately said that he was okay in order to pretend that he was not injured.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m really fine,¡± Li Muyang said.


    ¡°Look.¡± Crow sneered and said, ¡°Take a good look at him. What kind of monster is he? He¡¯s fine even after the stonewall has cracked. Do you still think he¡¯s just a weak, sick, and useless piece of trash?¡±


    Li Yan silently picked up the long spear from the ground and rushed toward Crow again.


    He didn¡¯t care about what his son was. What he cared about was that someone wanted to hurt his son.


    He ran as fast as the wind and the sound of the spear roared out.


    There was a flash of silver lightning around the tip of the spear, but it instantly disappeared.


    His True Qi couldn¡¯t attract the wind and thunder.


    ¡°This is a tough shot,¡± Crow smiled and said. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    As he spoke, his hand hidden in the black robe reached out again.


    Just as before, the tip of the spear landed in his hand.


    The sound of the spear stopped, and the force carried in the spear disappeared as if mud sank into the sea.


    He reached his hand out to grab the spear and flung it into the distance.


    Li Yan wanted to surrender, but he was too late.


    The spear flew into his chest, and his body careening backward again.


    Plop!


    Li Yan fell onto a row of potted plants in the corner of the yard, crushing countless flowers and trees.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    He only felt that his throat was sweet. Then he opened his mouth, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.


    ¡°Li Yan¡­¡± The hairpin on Luo Qi¡¯s head fell off, and she rushed over to the place where her husband fell with her hair disheveled.


    Li Muyang and Li Sinian were also very fearful as they both ran to Li Yan.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Li Yan was trying to get up. ¡°I¡¯ll block him again. You take the opportunity to escape¡ªSinian, go with your mother and brother.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Li Sinian cried with tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯ll stop him¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°Go!¡± Li Yan roared.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    ¡°Want to leave?¡± Crow laughed and said, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m afraid that none of you can escape today.¡±


    The black robe on his body swelled without wind, and his body turned into a large mass of black smoke again. It quickly enveloped all of the small courtyard.


    What was even stranger was that the black smoke condensed and didn¡¯t disperse. It wrapped around the courtyard like a barrier. The wind couldn¡¯t blow through and rain couldn¡¯t pass. There wasn¡¯t a single leak.


    Not only that, but the sound of birds flapping their wings could be heard from within the black mist.


    The cracking sounds were loud and deafening.


    Although it was difficult to see with the naked eye, a flock of birds rushing toward Li Muyang¡¯s family could be heard.


    Li Sinian had never experienced such a scene, and she had no combat experience.


    Just now, when Crow raced toward them, she knew she could attack him with a punch.


    But now, besides the killer who was rushing toward her, there were groups of black birds that had come out of nowhere.


    Her eyes were blocked by the mist. Nothing could be seen and she didn¡¯t know how to deal with it.


    ¡°Bastard.¡±


    Li Sinian shouted and punched again.


    Bang!


    A part of the black smoke was scattered. This time she hadn¡¯t hit Crow, but the black birds that were rushing over.


    Since Li Sinian was young, practicing the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± was for building up her body.


    Although she tried her best in the cultivation, compared to the hard work and hardships of those who really practice martial arts, it wasn¡¯t really worth much.


    The first punch was full of strength, but the second one was a little weaker.


    When she wanted to punch a third time, she found that her arms were soft. The first two punches had emptied her strength.


    ¡°Phew¡ª¡± A black wind blew, and Li Sinian only felt that she was short of breath and dizzy. Then, her eyes went black and she fell to the ground.


    ¡°Sinian¡­ Mother¡­¡± Li Muyang cried out miserably.


    Li Muyang stood with his parents. In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t see anything, but he could hear the sounds of bodies falling to the ground.


    The first sound was from Li Sinian when she fell to the ground as it was from the place where Li Sinian had just stood. The second sound came from the place beside Li Muyang, where his mother Luo Qi had been.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Li Muyang shouted again.


    ¡°Muyang, the smoke is poison.¡± Before Li Yan finished his words, he too fell to the ground.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Li Muyang ran toward the place where Li Sinian fell. He was worried that the killer would hurt his sister in this darkness.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Crow cried out in surprise. He was surprised to find that there was someone who could stand in his ¡°Dark Fog¡±. And just a supposed ordinary person¡ªof course, he knew that he was not ordinary at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine?¡± Crow said regretfully. ¡°It seems that I have to spend a little more time.¡±


    His sister collapsed and fell to the ground and he didn¡¯t know if his parents were alive or not.


    They were Li Muyang¡¯s closest relatives. It was his life and all he had.


    Without them, he wouldn¡¯t have survived until now.


    He should have long been dead or been thrown into the rubbish as waste, becoming a beggar or a vagrant.


    However, now there was someone who wanted to take away their lives.


    Although the killer said that his target was only Li Muyang, who knew what would happen now? Who knew if he would accidentally kill someone?


    If a killer¡¯s moral quality could also be trusted, why would the empire set up a hanging sentence?


    ¡°You are asking for death.¡± Li Muyang stared at the position where Crow was, completely infuriated. ¡°You deserve to die.¡±


    Swoosh!


    The black shadow rushed toward Li Muyang. He only felt a strong force racing toward him. As soon as he tasted the sweetness in his chest, he was sent flying.


    Bang!


    His body fell on the steps in front of the door. With a cracking sound, he felt as if his spine had been broken.


    Li Muyang gritted his teeth, climbed up from the ground with both hands, and rushed toward the black mist again.


    He couldn¡¯t see where the killer Crow was, but he could feel where he was.


    He wished with all his strength that he could have the kind of power again to send him flying with a single punch.


    Bang!


    This time, Li Muyang¡¯s body flew backward again and smashed directly into the dining room.


    ¡°If you still want to hide your strength, then I can help you.¡± Crow¡¯s voice came from the black fog.


    His heart was also full of doubts. Li Muyang looked like an ordinary teenager. Even if he had deliberately probed him with his Qi, he had no Qi reaction or attempt to fight back.


    He was just like what they had said¡ªan ordinary young man who was weak and sick.


    However, what was it when they were in the Beast-faced Pavilion that day?


    What happened when he was sent flying by that bastard¡¯s punch?


    If not for the fact that he was hurt falling to the ground, how could he have encountered the master of the Cui family, who was called the ¡°Buddha in Thousand Families¡±.


    Crow stretched out his right hand. In it was a short sword with a snake¡¯s tongue carved in the center, which looked simple and antique.


    The dagger shone brightly as if the snake was endlessly stretched.


    Crow¡¯s body disappeared on the spot, and then a cloud of black smoke exploded in front of Li Muyang as the light sword swung toward Li Muyang¡¯s neck.


    The Sakura Cut!


    His head would be cut off if he were hit by the dagger.


    Li Muyang¡¯s mouth was dripping with blood, and even his nose was bleeding.


    His eyes were full of red light, and the scales on the back of his hand were sparkling. They stood out as if they were real.


    At the edge of life and death, he did not feel any fear.


    There was only anger in his eyes, as well as a killing rage impossible to vent.


    His scaly palm was clenched into a fist. The bronze fist swelled up and glistened brightly.


    Boom!


    Li Muyang gave out a punch.


    He struck against the long cyan snake, the sharp sword, as well as the invincible Sakura Cut.


    Crack¡­


    The cyan light sword hit Li Muyang¡¯s fist, but it didn¡¯t cut the fist off of his arm. Instead, the light of the cyan light sword instantly exploded and then snapped from the snake¡¯s head.


    The sword couldn¡¯t bear the enormous force and instantly turned into countless cyan pieces.


    Every piece of the fragment was a bright mirror, reflecting Crow¡¯s horrified and surprised expression.


    The mirrors scattered in all directions, along with the fears of Crow.

 Chapter 33 - The Corpse-eating Blood Crow!

    Crow was floating in the air, like a wounded bird with a broken pair of wings.


    He flapped his black robe, trying to keep his posture steady, but it was already too late.


    Crack!


    Crow fell down heavily and his spine hit the hard bluestone walls.


    Although he had pushed his body with the ¡°Waves Hitting a Thousand of Sails¡± to avoid being smashed to the ground, unfortunately, Li Muyang¡¯s punch was so hard and heavy that he could not resist it.


    He felt a tearing pain in his spine and two of his bones seemed to have been broken.


    Crow¡¯s strength was far better than that of Li Muyang and he could even crush him to death with a single finger before Li Muyang broke out. However, Li Muyang¡¯s body was strong, tough, and his self-healing ability was not something that a martial artist like him could compete with.


    Crow was short of breath, his right hand holding the sword was twitching, and his internal organs were churning as if they were about to jump out of his chest at any time.


    His throat was salty and sweet, and he tried hard to hold back the blood that was about to spurt out.


    However, the more he endured, the more uncomfortable he felt, and the stronger the feeling of vomiting became.


    Poof¡ª


    He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood in front of Li Muyang.


    He quickly looked up and found that the black smoke was in front of him, which made it hard to see. Only then did he relax¡ªLi Muyang could not see his embarrassing state at this time.


    When he thought that Li Muyang could hear his vomiting sound, he couldn¡¯t help getting a little nervous.


    He failed to kill an ordinary person. How long until the killer school really considered him a shame and put him in their textbooks, making him the object of learning and worship of countless juniors?


    Crow always felt that he was an academic killer. He had lofty ideals and pursuits in his bones.


    ¡°Kill him,¡± Crow thought. ¡°If I kill him, what happened today won¡¯t exist. My own injuries, vomiting of blood, as well as the gold coin that the right hand gave the left hand, will be like the snow under the sun, instantly turning into a pool of ice water that no one can distinguish.¡±


    ¡°You finally showed up?¡± said Crow staring at Li Muyang, who was panting in the fog. He could see Li Muyang¡¯s position and his face that looked ferocious. He couldn¡¯t imagine how such an expression could appear on such a man¡¯s face¡ªjust like he couldn¡¯t imagine how he had taken his Sakura Falls again and again. ¡°Now is this your real face? Who are you?¡±


    Seeing that Li Muyang¡¯s red eyes were covered with blood, Crow could not help but ask a question that he had been wondering about for a long time, ¡°Are you a monster?¡±


    ¡°You deserve to die.¡± Li Muyang walked toward Crow step by step.


    Crow suddenly felt a sense of tension.


    He sensed danger.


    The killer¡¯s intuition was very sensitive. He felt a sense of danger from Li Muyang.


    Just before, Li Muyang had destroyed his ¡®Spirit Snake Sword¡¯ with one punch. Although it was not on the list of weapons of Baixiaosheng, it was a famous weapon on the Xifeng Continent. That Spirit Snake Sword was taken from a sword master whom he killed, but he had not expected it to be destroyed by a nameless nobody today.


    It was so despicable!


    Crow wiped off the blood on the corner of his mouth with his hand, and then he stood up against the wall.


    ¡°Do you think you can kill me like this?¡± Crow sneered. ¡°Such a fool.¡±


    Crow stretched out his hands, and a large amount of black smoke was emitted from his body.


    His left hand made a complicated seal of ¡°Cambering Three Sheep¡®s Horns¡±, and his right hand steadily waved and stabbed in the air.


    A red-light flashing gate appeared out of nowhere in the yard. The frame of the gate was ablaze with fiery red flames as if it had just been pulled out of hell.


    A large number of black crow fluttered their wings and rushed in the direction of Li Muyang, silently and fiercely.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you have a taste of the power of the Corpse-Eating Blood Crow,¡± Crow said with a proud face, ¡°They will drain every drop of your blood and eat every piece of your flesh, including your bones. After that, you will vanish from the world as if you have never existed.¡±


    Crow had never thought of using such a colossal killing skill because it consumed too much Genuine Qi and Original Spirit. Moreover, these kinds of dark creatures could not be summoned at any time. They had to be fed every time.


    If they could not find any food when they came out, they would use the summoner as food and target. No master would like to make the help become homicidal demons because they were difficult to fight back.


    Crow was the master of these Blood Crows. In the beginning, he had fed them with his own blood.


    Last time in the Beast-Faced Pavilion, he also summoned them. He wanted them to eat Li Muyang and the young lady of the Cui family.


    However, the ¡°Buddha in Thousand Families¡± belonging to the Grand Light Skill of the Buddhism Sect suddenly appeared and it was the natural nemesis of these filthy things. If these Blood Crows had not been incinerated by the ¡°Buddha in Thousand Families¡±, few people in the Beast-Faced Pavilion would have survived.


    The Blood Crows waved their sharp claws, stuck out their sharp mouths, and rushed to the place where Li Muyang was.


    Some of them flew to the place where Li Sinian and Li Muyang¡¯s parents lay, where they saw their prey.


    Li Muyang acted as if he didn¡¯t hear Crow¡¯s words. With blood-red eyes, he strode forward.


    When he saw that those black crows were trying to block his way, Li Muyang punched again.


    Slap!


    The dense crows were sent flying by his punch and scattered. Innumerable crows flew in all directions like countless black bullets. Then, they smashed against the walls and the doors before they fell to the ground.


    Seeing several Blood Crows trying to bite his sister, Li Muyang¡¯s eyes widened as he struck them.


    Crack!


    When several Blood Crows met Li Muyang¡¯s fist¡¯s force, they exploded and fell apart one after another.


    Black blood splashed in the sky, like a black rain falling in the small courtyard.


    Li Muyang squatted down, picked up his sister¡¯s body from the ground, then walked toward the place where his parents lay.


    He put them together and then stood in front of them.


    As long as he was there, no one could hurt them.


    As long as he was alive, no one could hurt them.


    Just like how they had guarded him before.


    The Blood Crows were scattered by his punches, and soon they gathered together again. They liked to attack in groups.


    Under the control of Crow¡¯s fingerprints, they opened their blood-red eyes and rushed toward Li Muyang again.


    Without regard, they were going to tear Li Muyang into pieces, and then swallow him into their stomachs.


    Bang!


    Li Muyang punched again.


    Those Blood Crows were thrust back but then gathered again.


    Bang!


    Li Muyang hit them again.


    Many Blood Crows were dead or injured, but even more of them were summoned out of the Void Gate.


    The number of Blood Crows kept increasing, almost filling up the entire courtyard.


    This was also the reason why Crow had filled the yard with the Dark Fog before killing. Without the magic shield, they would have connected with the outside world, and what happened there might have already alarmed half of Jiangnan City.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Li Muyang struck again and again without exhaustion.


    The number of Blood Crows that had been killed by him was innumerable. There was a large amount of black blood flowing under his feet, as well as a pile of bird bodies.


    Li Muyang had turned into a professional bird-killing machine!


    Li Muyang¡¯s performance was so excellent that Crow was petrified.


    However, because of the fear, it stirred up the cruelty in Crow¡¯s heart.


    He had to destroy Li Muyang. The more powerful Li Muyang acted, the crueler the method he would use to destroy him.


    The sense of accomplishment of killing an ordinary person versus killing a genius was incomparable.


    ¡°Kill! Kill as many as you can!¡± Crow murmured in his mind. ¡°I have infinite Corpse-eating Blood Crows. As long as my Genuine Qi can keep the Void Gate open, there will be countless Blood Crows to help me. When you are exhausted, I will kill you with one blow.¡±


    ¡°People are not mountains or rivers. How can they not get tired?¡±


    Crow was waiting for an opportunity that he believed would soon appear.


    Li Muyang was growing impatient!


    He really couldn¡¯t stand killing like this.


    These foolish birds and dirty things dared to challenge him¡ªeven if he could easily kill them, Li Muyang still felt that he had been insulted.


    No, it should not be like this!


    A battle shouldn¡¯t be like this!


    They should have fought in an even fiercer and more commanding way. He wanted to quickly end this battle in which he was very dissatisfied with.


    As he became more and more furious, the scales on the back of Li Muyang¡¯s hand turned white. It was as if they were embedded into Li Muyang skin and flesh like glittering diamonds.


    When Li Muyang punched again to disperse the impact of the wave of Blood Crows, with his blood-red eyes he stared at the place where Crow was standing.


    Crow had a bad feeling.


    He quickly changed the Emblematic Gesture, and then all the Blood Crows in the sky surrounded him.


    Crow and the Blood Crows merged together, turning into a giant monster emitting a sinister aura.


    The mind-bending looking monster moved toward Li Muyang in silence.


    ¡°You insignificant insects.¡± Li Muyang bit his lip until his mouth was bleeding. His voice sounded hoarse but dignified and dominating. ¡°Go the hell.¡±


    Li Muyang clenched his right fist and then made a thrust.


    Those Blood Crows felt the danger, so they flapped their wings, trying to escape.


    Sensing the danger, Crow turned around and tried to slip into the Void Gate.


    Unfortunately, there was an unparalleled attraction that bound their bodies, causing them unable to move at all.


    Bang!


    Lightning flashed with thunder, and the black giant monster fell to the ground like a fragile facade.

 Chapter 34 - Crow Is Dead!

    He had broken the sky with one punch!


    There was a flash of white light in the yard, turning the dark world bright.


    The Dark Fog was broken, and the black mist vanished in all directions.


    A breeze blew, bringing in bright sunshine.


    Li Muyang could see the cracks in the corner of the bluestone wall, the blood on the door, the destroyed garden, as well as his father, mother, and sister who were lying behind him.


    He could hear the sound of the heavy traffic on the street where someone was peddling sugar-coated haws.


    As if he had returned to the mortal world from hell, he could see colors in his eyes, and he could hear the vitality in his ears.


    The luck of escaping death made people feel exceptionally happy.


    The Blood Crows, which had been repelled by Li Muyang, felt the danger and fluttered their wings toward the Void Gate.


    More Blood Crows were still a step slower because when Crow fell heavily to the ground, the Void Gate disappeared.


    Crow was severely injured, so his Genuine Qi was no longer able to support the Void Gate.


    Those Blood Crows, who had nowhere to hide, flew faster in the yard in a panic, and then they turned back to Crow who was lying on the ground.


    Only there could they feel the familiar dark aura.


    They didn¡¯t like the light during the day. If they didn¡¯t run away, they would soon be burned by the increasingly fierce sun.


    They didn¡¯t want to be crispy roasted crows!


    Crow once again crashed into the wall of the yard, lying there and vomiting blood.


    His lungs were seriously injured, and he didn¡¯t even have the strength to stand up.


    The Corpse-eating Blood Crows flew toward him. He looked terrified and his eyes were wide open. He wanted to drive them away with his bare hands.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have any strength to raise his arms.


    ¡°Li Muyang, help me¡­ Li Muyang, help me, please. Keep them away from me¡­¡± Crow shouted for help from Li Muyang.


    Li Muyang stared at him with his blood-red eyes and gasped for breath.


    A Blood Crow pounced on him and tore off a piece of flesh from his face.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Crow cried out in pain and shouted, ¡°Li Muyang, kill me. Kill me now!¡±


    Li Muyang stood still, as if he didn¡¯t hear Crow¡¯s cries.


    The other Blood Crows became even crazier when they saw their companion find something to eat.


    They pounced on Crow¡¯s face, chest, arms, thighs, and other parts. They stretched out their sharp claws, opened their pointy mouths, and tore and ate Crow¡¯s skin and flesh piece by piece.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡± Crow was in so much pain that he wanted to die. He lay on the ground, rolling and trying to drive away the Blood Crows.


    However, when he rolled over, he exposed his back. The Blood Crows were very experienced. They scratched him several times and tore the clothes on his back to pieces. Then they pulled off the flesh on his back with their long and razor-sharp bills.


    ¡°Li Muyang, please kill me¡­¡±


    For the first time, Crow showed his regret and hatred!


    What a contradicting feeling. After he had finished recovering, he couldn¡¯t wait to take revenge on Li Muyang who had blocked his way. But at this moment, he wished that he had never been there. He wished he had never jumped into this small courtyard to carry out a vendetta against Li Muyang.


    ¡°You deserve to die,¡± Li Muyang said in a harsh tone.


    He hated the killer so much. Naturally, he would not save him or kill him.


    Li Muyang preferred that those Blood Crows would tear Crow into pieces and drink up all the blood in his body. There should be no bones left, just like what he said when he threatened Li Muyang.


    Crow had to taste each and every kind of torture himself.


    ¡°Li Muyang, who are you? What kind of monster are you?¡± Crow roared. If he couldn¡¯t figure it out, he would turn over in his grave.


    Li Muyang sneered and walked toward Crow step by step.


    The Blood Crows were terrified of Li Muyang. When they saw him coming over, they fluttered their wings and flew away.


    Li Muyang looked down at Crow and asked, ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡± Crow looked at Li Muyang with begging eyes and said, ¡± Li Muyang, tell me quickly. Otherwise, I won¡¯t die in peace.¡±


    However, the most famous killer on the killer list was defeated by an unknown teenager. His ending¡ªthe shame, was really unbearable for him.


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Crow asked.


    ¡°I will never tell you,¡± Li Muyang smiled coldly and said with blood all over his face. ¡°The more you want to know, the more I won¡¯t tell you. I want you to die with regret, and I won¡¯t let you go in peace.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Crow opened his eyes wide, and blood was about to ooze out of his pupils.


    He didn¡¯t expect this young man to be so cruel and vicious.


    Did this kid also graduate from the same college? Even in a cold and ruthless place like the killer academy, with such a temperament, he could become the top pupil, which was the ¡°King of Killers¡± that the school would be ashamed of.


    Li Muyang turned around and walked toward his parents and sister.


    He wanted to check on them to see if they were seriously injured.


    This was the question that he was most concerned about.


    As soon as Li Muyang turned around and left, the Blood Crows which were flying around in the yard rushed toward Crow again.


    A Blood Crow was going to peck at the eyes of Crow, who quickly reached out his hand to stop it.


    Then countless Blood Crows fell on his arms, instantly tearing off and swallowing his skin and flesh.


    Crow stretched out his bloody arms, hoping to drive the Blood Crows before they ate his face and chin raw.


    Crack!


    A Blood Crow pecked one of his eyeballs out when he was not ready.


    ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­¡±


    Crow¡¯s struggle was getting weaker and weaker as his resistance was getting smaller and smaller.


    He was instantly covered by the group of Blood Crows.


    By the time the Blood Crows flapped their wings and dispersed, the killer Crow had disappeared.


    As he had said, not even a bone was left behind.


    It was as if he had never been there before.


    Clap!


    The latch of the courtyard door was pushed off by someone with a hook.


    A man said in a deep voice, ¡°Young Master, the door is opened. My man used to be a famous thief in Jiangnan City. There is no door in the whole Jiangnan City that he can¡¯t break into.¡±


    ¡°Including the gates of my house?¡± the young man asked.


    ¡°Of course¡­ not,¡± The deep voice paused for a moment before saying, ¡°It is impossible. Your house is big with huge gates. There are not only armored soldiers guarding the house, but also many experts who are at the Starry Sky Realm. If a useless person like him wants to break into your house, I¡¯m afraid that he will be slapped to death from three thousand li away¡­¡±


    ¡°How big is Jiangnan City? Can you use your brain before you talk, Li Dalu? You need to be smarter when flattering me,¡± The young man said with great dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Young Master, you¡¯re right. I will work hard and improve myself in the future. You will definitely feel satisfied when I flatter you. Young Master, please go ahead.¡±


    As he spoke, the gate of the courtyard was pushed open.


    Yan Xiangma waved his fan and entered the house. As soon as his left foot stepped in, he met Li Muyang¡¯s blood-red eyes.


    ¡°Li Muyang?¡±


    Yan Xiangma turned around and hit Li Dalu¡¯s head with his fan. He shouted, ¡°You idiot, didn¡¯t you say that your man opened the door without being noticed? Look at the yard.¡±


    Yan Xiangma stopped because he smelled very thick blood.


    ¡°Close the door,¡± Yan Xiangma said.


    ¡°Yes, young master¡­¡±


    Li Dalu followed Yan Xiangma into the house with a group of people when he was ready to close the door.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Yan Xiangma added.


    ¡°Yes, Young Master. Who are you going to let out?¡±


    ¡°All of you,¡± Yan Xiangma continued.


    ¡°Young master, let us follow you. The yard looks a little strange.¡± Sensing a danger, Li Dalu took a big step forward, running in front of Yan Xiangma and staring at Li Muyang with vigilance.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Yan Xiangma said again.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Let¡¯s get out of here right now.¡± Li Dalu bent over and left. He closed the door and left the yard with his people.


    Yan Xiangma looked at Li Muyang while Li Muyang stared right back.


    ¡°I was going to kidnap you,¡± Yan Xiangma said.


    Li Muyang did not answer but only stared at Yan Xiangma with fierce eyes.


    His anger had not been dissipated, and his blood was boiling.


    He didn¡¯t know why Yan Xiangma was here, and he didn¡¯t even know the relationship between Yan Xiangma and the killer¡ªif Yan Xiangma sent the killer, then he would kill all these people here today. All of them would not stop until they were dead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Yan Xiangma folded the Breaking Dragon Spine with a snap and said. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Li Muyang asked in a cold voice.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that I¡¯m here to kidnap you?¡± Yan Xiangma said frankly.


    ¡°As expected, it¡¯s just as I expected.¡± Looking at him coldly, Li Muyang walked toward Yan Xiangma step by step.


    ¡°Hey, Li Muyang, don¡¯t do anything stupid. Let¡¯s have a talk. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Seeing Li Muyang¡¯s bloody eyes, Yan Xiangma began to feel guilty. ¡°You don¡¯t want to kidnap me, do you?¡± he said.


    ¡°You deserve to die,¡± Li Muyang said. ¡°All of you deserve to die.¡±


    Anyone who wanted to hurt his family deserved to die!


    ¡°Why should I have to die? I just want to kidnap you. Why should I deserve to die?¡± Yan Xiangma felt that he had been wronged. ¡°Well, do you mean that there is someone else to kidnap you?¡±


    He looked at the bloodstains and the Blood Crows¡¯ dead bodies behind Li Muyang. ¡°Crow has been here?¡± he exclaimed with a shocked expression.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang stared at Yan Xiangma¡¯s eyes, trying to figure out the relationship between him and Crow.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± Yan Xiangma waved his fan open and was on alert, ready to fight to the death. To deal with a master like Crow, he could not be more serious. ¡°I searched high and low for him, but I found him without any effort. He dared to attack my family, so he should be ready to pay a heavy price for it. Don¡¯t hide and be a coward, Crow. Come out and let¡¯s have a fight.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± said Li Muyang.

 Chapter 35 - Unbelievable!

    Li Muyang¡¯s face was cold and his back was straight.


    His eyes were bloodshot, conveying the kind of viciousness that he would kill someone at any time.


    His clothes were stained with blood, and there was also blood and bits of flesh on his face after he massacred the Blood Crows with one punch.


    Li Muyang was in a frenzy. He was a Li Muyang that Yan Xiangma had never seen before.


    In fact, Yan Xiangma only met Li Muyang once.


    Although Li Muyang was not a likable person at first glance, he was not a hateable person after all.


    He was a little too nice, but he had a smiling face that people wouldn¡¯t tire of.


    Even if the fact that Li Muyang breaking the bluestone table with his fingers was equivalent to slapping him in the face, it could be forgiven for Li Muyang had treated him some cold watermelons.


    Even when his mother asked him if he had dealt with Li Muyang, a troublesome man, he consciously concealed the fact that Li Muyang was capable¡ªalthough he did that mainly to save his own face.


    However, in his opinion, Li Muyang was not a bad person.


    Li Muyang was not a fortune hunter who wanted to achieve his ulterior goal by chasing after Xiaoxin either.


    Yan Xiangma didn¡¯t think Li Muyang had the qualification to be a gigolo.


    Something like this had happened before, and he had dealt with it cleanly.


    He knew Li Muyang had deliberately hidden his strength, but he didn¡¯t expect that Li Muyang was so powerful.


    In the Divine Land, the cultivation of cultivators was divided into seven realms, namely the Void Valley, the Mountain, the Floating Cloud, the Vicissitude, the Starry Sky, the Spirit Wandering, and the Dragon Slaying Realms. Each realm had three levels, namely the Upper Level, the Medium Level, and the Lower Level.


    According to the classification, Crow was at least at the Upper Level of the Floating Cloud Realm, far superior to him at the Medium Level of the Mountain Realm. If he fought against Crow alone, he would have no choice but to run for his life. Even if Crow faced Ning Xinhai, the ¡®Buddha of Heart¡¯, he was capable of protecting himself. If Ning Xinhai couldn¡¯t deal with it carefully, he might be taken advantage of by Crow.


    However, how could Li Muyang, whom he only met once, kill Crow on his own? After all, Li Muyang was a bad student in the teacher¡¯s eyes as well as trash in his classmates¡¯ eyes.


    Yan Xiangma¡¯s face became serious, and he looked warily at Li Muyang, who stood there without saying a word. ¡°Did you kill him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Muyang answered. ¡°I killed him because he wanted to kill me.¡±


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t care whether Crow had wanted to kill him or not. After all, he caused this disaster himself.


    What he cared about most was that Crow had almost killed his closest family members, his parents, and his most lovely sister, Li Sinian.


    He was a good-for-nothing, and that was what everyone else thought of him. Deep down in his heart, he believed they were right.


    However, his family members¡¯ lives were far more important than his own.


    That¡¯s the boundary that he would make sure no one crossed, no matter what he had to pay.


    He could die anyway, as his life was useless.


    However, his parents couldn¡¯t die, neither could his sister.


    Therefore, he did not regret killing Crow at all. He was very pleased that he had done this.


    ¡°By yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Li Muyang.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Yan Xiangma was shocked and he looked at Li Muyang in astonishment. It was hard to believe that this seemingly ordinary high school student in front of him had killed one of the best 20 killers on the empire¡¯s killer list.


    ¡°Could it be that Crow didn¡¯t use his best trick, Sakura Cut?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Crow use his terrifying Dark Fog?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he summon his pets Blood Crows? It seemed that he did because the large number of Blood Crows¡¯ bodies on the ground was proof enough.¡±


    Li Muyang felt that Yan Xiangma was talking too much nonsense. He cocked his head, thought for a moment, and said, ¡°He was eaten by his crows.¡±


    ¡°Blood Crows attacked their master?¡± Yan Xiangma said in shock. ¡°Blood Crows would attack their master only when they are summoned but have no flesh to eat and no blood to drink and their master is extremely weak and has no ability to protect himself. They are the evilest creature, and it is said that they will cause destruction to both sides. Crow was eaten by them, which proves that he could not resist them¡ªso you beat him?¡±


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this bullshit nonsense?¡±


    ¡°Other than the only person standing in front of you, who else could help me with that?¡±


    Yan Xiangma also realized that he had asked a stupid question. He gently waved the fan to get rid of the strong bloody smell in the air. He looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Crow is a famous killer on the empire¡¯s killer list. He is also a wanted criminal in each province. We had set up a tight dragnet in our city, trying to catch him. Since you have killed him, you have done a great favor for Jiangnan Province. The Cui family, the Yan family, and my cousin Xiaoxin all owe you a debt.¡±


    ¡°What on earth are you trying to say?¡± Li Muyang looked at Yan Xiangma and asked in an extremely impatient voice.


    He walked to the position where his parents and younger sister lay and felt their pulses one by one.


    Li Muyang had never studied medicine before, but he had been treated like a test sample for his sister Li Sinian when she learned medicine from the old Taoist priest.


    However, there was something that he knew without being taught. He knew how strong a normal pulse of a human being should be and he could accurately figure out whether a person was healthy or not by feeling his pulse.


    Fortunately, his parents and sister were only in a temporary coma, so their lives were not in great danger.


    Seeing the worry in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, Yan Xiangma also felt greatly relieved.


    He could tell that Li Muyang really loved his family and it was sincere.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to take the exam anymore?¡± Yan Xiangma asked.


    Li Muyang¡¯s expression stiffened, and his face became even more embarrassed.


    To countless students, today was an extremely important day.


    For Li Muyang, today was a day that would decide his future.


    He had already made a date with Cui Xiaoxin to go to see the sunrise at the Nameless Lake in Xifeng University.


    However, such a long time had passed and he had not gone out to take the exam. He was afraid that the first exam had already begun.


    What should he do?


    Should he give up?


    All the efforts he had put in, the date he made with Cui Xiaoxin, and his expectations for the future would all be in vain.


    However, if he went to take the exam now, what would happen to his family? What would happen to his father, mother, and sister, Li Sinian?


    He could not give up considering their safety for his own life. In that case, would he still be a filial son and a considerate brother?


    ¡°Go to take the exam,¡± Yan Xiangma said in a low voice after seeing Li Muyang¡¯s hesitation.


    Li Muyang looked at him with sharp eyes and did not answer.


    ¡°Do you believe in me?¡± Yan Xiangma asked kindly, trying to put on a smile on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in you,¡± Li Muyang said frankly.

 Chapter 36 - I Am Too Softhearted!

    If things were abnormal, there must be a problem. If people acted abnormally, they must have evil intention.


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t believe Yan Xiangma, just as Yan Xiangma didn¡¯t believe that Li Muyang could kill Crow alone.


    Li Muyang knew that Yan Xiangma didn¡¯t like him or think highly of him, because he, a humble man, was trying to pursue his cousin sister, who was elegant and beautiful.


    Therefore, when Yan Xiangma asked if he believed in him, he answered without hesitation, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in you¡±.


    Yan Xiangma was embarrassed and angry. When had he, the young master of the Yan Family, been humiliated and rejected like this before?


    Yan Xiangma curled his lips and said sarcastically, ¡°You are mistaking a good man for a bad one. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you. I saw you in a dilemma, so I kindly proposed a solution in order to let you take the exam. Since you are not willing to appreciate it, you can take it as if I haven¡¯t said it.¡±


    He glanced at Luo Qi, Li Yan, and Li Sinian, who were lying on the ground beside Li Muyang. ¡°Stay with them. As for today¡¯s exam, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you take it or not, right?¡± he said.


    After thinking for a moment, Li Muyang looked at Yan Xiangma¡¯s face over and over again. ¡°Are you really willing to¡­ help me take care of my family?¡± he asked finally.


    ¡°I¡¯m not willing to do it now,¡± Yan Xiangma said proudly. ¡°I¡¯m not a family servant. Why should I take care of your family?¡±


    Li Muyang was silent again. He looked at Yan Xiangma and said, ¡°I really want to take the exam. You don¡¯t know what it means to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Yan Xiangma waved his fan leisurely. ¡°Beg me, beg me. If you beg me, maybe I will agree.¡±


    ¡°You just said that the Cui Family and Yan Family owed me a favor, didn¡¯t you?¡± Li Muyang said in a hoarse voice.


    Yan Xiangma had a bad foreboding, but he could not deny what he had said just then. He had to bite the bullet and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°So, can you do me a favor now in return?¡± Li Muyang looked at Yan Xiangma sincerely. ¡°Can you help me take good care of my family for the sake of I helping the Cui Family and Yan Family before? I just need a moment until I finish the exam. I will be back soon,¡± he said.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Yan Xiangma wanted to be angry, but he didn¡¯t know why he should be. This was not the way he wanted to negotiate with him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t agree?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t agree,¡± Yan Xiangma said, ¡°I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you can¡¯t grant such a small request of mine even after I killed Crow?¡±


    ¡± ¡­Okay,¡± Yan Xiangma said in a bitter voice.


    Li Muyang returned to the house with Li Sinian in his arms, and then his mother, Luo Qi.


    Li Yan had opened his eyes and recovered consciousness when Li Muyang went to move him. However, he was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t immediately gather his strength.


    ¡°Muyang, are you all right?¡± Li Yan hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Muyang grinned and wanted to laugh, but his bloody face made him look like a demon from hell.


    ¡°Your mother, and Sinian¡­ are they alright?¡±


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. They are fine.¡± Li Muyang pointed at his mother Luo Qi and his younger sister Li Sinian, who were lying not far away. ¡°They just passed out because of the poisonous smoke. They will wake up soon,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that.¡± Li Yan was relieved. He looked at Li Muyang with tearful eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault to be so useless. I made you suffer.¡±


    ¡°Dad, we¡¯re alright. It¡¯s okay as long as we are alive.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are right.¡± Li Yan patted Li Muyang on the shoulder and suddenly remembered something. ¡°Muyang, you have the Liberal-arts Exam today and you can¡¯t be late for it. Go to take the exam,¡± he said hurriedly.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the exam has already begun. There¡¯s no need to talk too much. You should hurry.¡±


    ¡°But you¡­ ¡±


    ¡°I have already woken up, and I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Yan knew how much his son cared about the Liberal-arts Exam, and how hard his son had worked over the past month. ¡°Muyang, don¡¯t waste time. Otherwise, when your mother wakes up, she will be anxious. You don¡¯t know how much she cares about this test,¡± he said.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve asked¡­¡± Li Muyang glanced at Yan Xiangma, who was standing in the living room looking around. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Brother Xiangma to take care of you. He¡¯s Xiaoxin¡¯s cousin. I¡¯ll be back after the exam,¡± he said.


    ¡°We will be fine. You can go now,¡± Li Yan urged him again and again.


    Li Muyang was about to walk outside when Yan Xiangma glanced at him coldly. ¡°If I were you, I would clean myself and change clothes. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to step into the gate of the school with your current look,¡± he said.


    Li Muyang thought that he was right. If he went to school like that, other people would not think that he came for the exam. They would only think that he was there to make trouble.


    Li Muyang strode upstairs, rushed into his room to wash his face and change his clothes. He then pulled open the door and headed outside after picking up the school bag that he had thrown in the yard earlier.


    At the door, when Li Dalu and the others saw Li Muyang running out with his schoolbag, their first reaction was to stop him.


    They still remembered that their young master ordered them to prevent this boy from taking the exam at school. Since everything was ready, they decided to put him into a sack and tie him up.


    ¡°Let him go.¡± Just as Li Dalu was about to take action, Yan Xiangma came out with a fan and issued a new order.


    ¡°Young Master,¡± Li Dalu said with a puzzled look as he stared at Yan Xiangma.


    ¡°Anyway, he won¡¯t pass the exam.¡± Yan Xiangma didn¡¯t like Li Dalu¡¯s questioning eyes, so he responded rather rudely.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. You¡¯re always provident and farsighted, Young Master.¡± Li Dalu waved his hand and asked his men to make way for Li Muyang.


    Li Muyang gratefully looked at Yan Xiangma and ran toward the school with his schoolbag in hand.


    Looking at Li Muyang¡¯s back, Yan Xiangma sighed softly. ¡°The harder you work now, the more disappointed you will be in the future. The most important thing in your life is that you can¡¯t be wrong about the direction of your efforts,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right, Young Master.¡±


    Slap!


    Yan Xiangma tapped Li Dalu¡¯s head with his fan.


    He went back to the yard with his men and said, ¡°Clean up the yard. It¡¯s too dirty. I don¡¯t want to see any blood in it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± As soon as Li Dalu waved his hand, the group of black-clad men he brought with him immediately began to clean the yard. They buried the Blood Crows¡¯ bodies and washed up the blood on the ground. They even cleaned up the blood on the walls.


    ¡°It¡¯s us who killed Crow. Do you understand?¡± Yan Xiangma looked around and said in a cold voice. ¡°If anyone dares to reveal a word, just wait to collect your family members¡¯ bones in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, do you mean that we should take the credit instead of him?¡± Li Dalu asked with a smile. His eyes were bright.


    ¡°Why do we need the credit?¡± Yan Xiangma said with a stern expression. ¡°But it can¡¯t belong to Li Muyang.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t let him have so much credit¡ªCrow is an important wanted criminal and the government has a reward of 3,000 gold coins for the one who killed him. That¡¯s a big sum of money.¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Yan Xiangma glared at him exasperatedly and said, ¡°Am I taking this credit for money? You idiot, why don¡¯t you even think about it? What will other people think if Li Muyang has this credit? Who on earth is Li Muyang? I¡¯m afraid that countless people would want to know that. Also, would the members of Hunters¡¯ Union and the employer behind Crow let Li Muyang go? As long as they know Li Muyang killed Crow, I¡¯m afraid that his family will be in greater danger.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Li Dalu said, looking as if he had understood. ¡°But Young Master, aren¡¯t we going to kidnap this fellow? Why are you always protecting him?¡±


    Yan Xiangma was stunned for a long time. He sighed softly and said, ¡°I am just too soft-hearted.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Xiangma returned to the house and looked at Li Sinian and Luo Qi, who were still in a coma.


    Li Dalu stood behind Yan Xiangma. When he saw that Yan Xiangma was staring at Li Sinian, he immediately said with a flattering face, ¡°Young Master, this little girl is really beautiful. If Young Master likes her¡­¡±


    Slap!


    Li Dalu was hit in the head again.


    Knowing that he said something wrong, Li Dalu quickly added, ¡°Of course, you have seen many charming ladies. Naturally, you will not be attracted by such an ordinary woman.¡±


    Slap!


    Li Dalu was hit in the head once again.


    He was about to cry. ¡°Young Master, is this girl pretty or not? Can you just tell me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Hush¡ª¡± Yan Xiangma made a gesture, telling him to keep silent. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude in front of such a beautiful woman,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Leaning against a chair, Li Yan angrily glared at the two bastards who were making fun of his daughter.


    He clenched one of his fists tightly and held a teacup that he took from the table with the other hand. If that playboy Yan Xiangma dared to act rashly, he would smash him right in the head with the teacup.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When Li Muyang arrived at the school, the gate had been closed and there were people guarding it.


    Countless parents silently waited at the outer gate. They even had to hold their breath, for fear of disturbing the students inside.


    Li Muyang handed over his admission card in his hand and spoke to the two gatekeepers at the door. ¡°I¡¯m a candidate. I¡¯m late because of some issues. Please let me in,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s already past the time for students to enter the examination room. No one is allowed to go in now. You can go back.¡± The guard looked at Li Muyang with disdain. ¡°You are late for such an important examination and a student like you couldn¡¯t get any good results even if you take the exam. If you go in at this time, it will only affect other candidates. You can come here early next time. Maybe there will be a chance,¡± he said.


    ¡°The first exam is important. Since you have missed it, even if you get full marks in the later ones, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t get into a good university. I advise you to give up early,¡± another guard said ironically.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± A sharp voice came from behind Li Muyang¡¯s back.

 Chapter 37 - The Antidote Soup!

    He had had a long and tough way to get here!


    Before he came here, he met Crow; after killing Crow, he met Xiangma. Finally, when he ran to the entrance of the school, he was stopped by the two guards and not allowed to enter.


    Li Muyang felt that his life was so miserable. In his last life, which god did he offend? The difficulties along the way almost tortured him to death.


    Li Muyang was about to beg the two guards to let him in when he heard a loud shout behind him, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Li Muyang turned around and saw Zhao Mingzhu, who was dressed in plain clothes with a serious expression on her face and walking quickly toward him.


    Zhao Mingzhu hurriedly walked up to Li Muyang and stared at him coldly. ¡°Li Muyang, do you know what time it is now? What day is today? Today is the day of the Liberal-arts Exam, the day that a large number of students are passing a single foot log together, and only a few of them can succeed. It¡¯s the dividing line in your future life¡ªyou¡¯re late for the first day of the exam. What are you thinking? Have you ever thought about being responsible for your own life?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡­¡± Li Muyang clenched his fists and his face became flustered. He could not explain what he had experienced to others, but this did not mean that there was no resentment in his heart.


    As long as there was a chance, he did not want to miss it. After he noticed that he didn¡¯t have to sleep in a daze every day and found that he could learn something, he worked harder than anyone else. He had tried his best. He got up to study from dawn to the middle of the night. Except for eating and sleeping, he used all his time to review and study.


    However, in Zhao Mingzhu¡¯s eyes, was he just a bad student who did not want to be responsible for his life?


    When you tried your best to achieve something and you made it but people just glanced at you contemptuously and said, ¡°Just so so-so¡±, you would feel much worse than when someone poured a bucket of cold water on you in winter.


    Li Muyang felt piercingly cold!


    ¡°Li Muyang,¡± Zhao Mingzhu said as she stroked the hair around her ear and looked at the student in front of her thoughtfully. This was the first time Zhao Mingzhu had seen him since he packed up his bag and left the school. She could not understand this student because he was very different from what she knew before. ¡°I know you want to prove yourself, and I also know that you are trying your best¡ªyour mother went to tell me that you had spent a lot of time in studying each day. To be honest, I have a prejudice against you because of your sloth and lazy habit of sleeping in class. However, this time, please do your best in the exam¡ªtry to surprise us so that everyone who knows you will be impressed by you.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao¡­¡± Li Muyang unclenched his fist and eased his muscles. He looked at Zhao Mingzhu with surprise and gratitude. He did not expect to meet Zhao Mingzhu at this place and time, nor did he expect that she would come over and talk to him like that.


    His heart was soft, and his body was warm. This feeling of being validated was really superb.


    Zhao Mingzhu turned around to look at the two guards and said, ¡°Open the door and let him in.¡±


    ¡°No, we have rules. We can¡¯t let anyone in at this time¡­¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu took out a black certificate from her pocket and said to the two guards, ¡°I¡¯m a member of the Jiangnan Liberal-arts Exam Ceremony Academy. I¡¯m going to make a complaint to the Academy that you two deliberately made things difficult for this student, affecting his mood for the examination, and maliciously destroying his future¡­¡±


    ¡°How could we have done such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Do you still want to deny it? I just heard you speak to this student sarcastically and ironically. You sneered at him for not being able to get into a good university. You advised him to give up as soon as possible.¡±


    The two guards looked at each other, and the lanky and smarter one quickly ran over to open the door and said with a smile, ¡°Let the boy take the exam first. We can communicate later with the misunderstandings here, but the exam cannot be missed. We don¡¯t dare to waste the student¡¯s precious time¡­¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu glanced at Li Muyang, indicating him to hurry in.


    Li Muyang bowed deeply to Zhao Mingzhu and said, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Zhao.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu waved her hand and did not say anything else.


    ¡°He is your student, isn¡¯t he?¡± the tall and thin guard said with a flattering face. ¡°He looks like a good student at first glance. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get a good result in the test.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu looked up at Li Muyang, who ran away, and said, ¡°Every student who is hard-working and unwilling to give up is a good one.¡±


    When Li Muyang ran into the examination room, many students had already finished half of the paper.


    Seeing Li Muyang, the exam proctor looked very dissatisfied and raised his eyebrows. But he still took out a test paper from the platform and handed it to Li Muyang.


    Li Muyang greeted the proctor with a smile and then walked lightly to his exam desk.


    He spread out the test paper but did not start to answer it immediately.


    He opened the pen box to prepare the writing paper, writing brush, and inkstone, while calming down his agitated mood.


    If he hadn¡¯t experienced the accident, he probably wouldn¡¯t have had any expectations about the exam now.


    At that time, what kind of attitude should he have to deal with this exam?


    Even if he came in, he would only have a deep sleep with the paper in his hand.


    However, today, Li Muyang was different than before.


    Though he had experienced so many things and only had half the time as others to take the exam, he was much stronger than before¡­


    He was no longer the Li Muyang he used to be.


    Li Muyang picked up the pen and earnestly wrote down his name on the name board: Li Muyang.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Li Sinian woke up, only to see a man looking at her with flames in his eyes.


    She was shocked and shouted at the strange man, ¡°Who are you? Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Young lady, are you awake? This is your home. I am Yan Xiangma¡­¡± said Yan Xiangma with a smile. He waved his hand and said to Li Dalu, ¡°Hurry up and bring me the antidote soup I prepared for her.¡± Then he turned to Li Sinian and said, ¡°You are poisoned. Though you woke up, I am afraid there are still some residual toxins in your body that need to be driven out by the antidote soup.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Li Dalu answered. Then, he brought out a bowl of soup from the kitchen.


    Li Dalu walked over to Li Sinian with the soup in his hand. He looked at Li Sinian and said, ¡°Miss, please drink the soup.¡±


    Yan Xiangma coughed softly.


    Li Dalu instantly turned around and asked, ¡°Young Master, are you feeling unwell? Could it be that you¡¯ve also been poisoned by the smoke?¡±


    As he spoke, he walked over with the bowl of soup. ¡°Young Master, drink it first. Don¡¯t let it hurt your body,¡± he said.


    Yan Xiangma secretly decided that he would put this idiot into a sack and throw him into the forest.


    He gave Li Dalu a fierce look, put his fan into his sleeve, and took the bowl of soup from the tray. ¡°Miss, since you are weak now, let me feed you¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Li Yan and Li Sinian shouted at the same time.


    Li Yan shouted at Li Sinian, ¡°Sinian, don¡¯t drink the soup!¡±


    Li Sinian looked at her father, who lay in the distance, and asked in a hurry, ¡°Dad, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Where is my mother? Is she all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, and your mother is fine too. Don¡¯t drink his soup,¡± Li Yan said again, ¡°I don¡¯t know where this person comes from.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I know.¡± Li Sinian stared at Yan Xiangma with vigilance, showing a cute look as if she were saying, ¡°I know you are a bad man and don¡¯t pretend.¡±


    ¡°I have explained it repeatedly. I am Yan Xiangma, the son of Yan Bolai. He is the Governor of Jiangnan City. I am Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s cousin and Li Muyang¡¯s best friend. We swore to live or die together. Li Muyang entrusted you to me at such a critical moment, which shows his great trust in me. Otherwise, how could he leave you to me without worry before going to take the exam?¡± Yan Xiangma explained as he looked at Li Sinian seriously.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Li Sinian snorted and reached out to clench her fists. Fortunately, her strength was recovering little by little. She quickly adjusted her breath following the Qi-conducting method her master had taught her, to speed up the recovery process. If this rogue dared to touch her, she would punch him with Shattering Fist¡­


    ¡°You are suffering from Crow¡¯s poisonous smoke, so you must eliminate the toxin in your bodies with the soup, otherwise, there may be ramifications in the future¡­ I am indeed doing it for your health, and I have no evil intentions. You have to trust me. Take the medicine and I swear on my honor that there is absolutely no poison or knockout powder in it. I am a good young man in Jiangnan City, and I couldn¡¯t do that kind of despicable thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Your honor? I don¡¯t even know you. How do I know if you have honor?¡±


    ¡°Young lady, you are so smart at such a young age, which impresses me¡­¡± Yan Xiangma held up the soup and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t believe in me, I will drink the soup for you first.¡±


    As he spoke, he raised his head and gulped down the bowl of black soup.


    Yan Xiangma showed the empty bowl to Li Yan and Li Sinian and said, ¡°Please take a look. I drank up the soup already and I don¡¯t feel anything¡­¡±


    Grunt!


    A loud and clear sound came from Yan Xiangma¡¯s belly.


    Yan Xiangma turned to look at Li Dalu and said, ¡°I told you to make the antidote, right?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s the antidote.¡±


    ¡°Then why does my stomach feel a little uncomfortable?¡±


    Li Dalu grinned and said, ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t panic. This is the effect of the soup. It¡¯s expelling the toxins for you.¡±


    ¡°Expelling the toxins?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Dalu replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s the strong detoxification. Now, you just need to void the excrement in your body. Young Master, what¡¯s wrong with you? You don¡¯t look well.¡±


    ¡°Where is the toilet?¡± Yan Xiangma asked, gnashing his teeth.

 Chapter 38 - The Constellation Is to Blame!

    Chen Jin was a senior exam proctor, and he had seen a lot of students who were late for the exam. Most of these students came from well-off families, did not study well and be merry.


    They were pleaded or forced to enter the examination room by their families, and then shared a hard time with the test paper until the exam ended.


    It was a torment both for those students and Chen Jin, who had to watch them taking the exams.


    He didn¡¯t understand. Since these students couldn¡¯t answer the questions on the paper, why did they come to waste time?


    Were they fantasizing that they could suddenly become wise or that the teachers who created the test would come up with some simple and naive questions that even they could answer with their intelligence?


    In Chen Jin¡¯s eyes, Li Muyang was one of those students who had given themselves up but had to come to take the exam.


    Sure enough, after Li Muyang took the test paper and walked to his seat, he began to stare blankly at the paper.


    ¡°Well, he began to play with the writing brush and ink, exactly the same as the students in the past¡­¡±


    ¡°Playing with the brush. Hehe, you¡¯d better not hide any cheat sheet in it, or I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    ¡°Well, he is beginning to answer the questions¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Soon, the mocking smile on Chen Jin¡¯s face slowly disappeared.


    Because he found something strange¡ªever since Li Muyang sat down and began answering questions, his hand that held the pen had never stopped.


    He didn¡¯t look around like other candidates or pretend to answer the questions as he was looking for the chance to copy others¡¯ answers.


    Once in a while, when he raised his head, he stretched.


    When he stopped writing, it still looked like he was trying to figure out something.


    He was indeed answering questions and he did it quite smoothly.


    Chen Jin was full of curiosity about this student. ¡°Did I misunderstand him?¡±


    He was going to check it out in person to see if he had any misunderstandings about him before.


    In order not to make his purpose so obvious, Chen Jin first began to walk on the right side of the classroom. Seeing the proctor coming over, the students lowered their heads even lower, trying hard to pretend that they weren¡¯t cheating.


    Chen Jin took a detour from the right side to the left side and then stopped behind Li Muyang.


    ¡°Well, his writing looks good and he has finished quite a lot of the questions.¡±


    This was Chen Jin¡¯s first impression of Li Muyang.


    Soon, Chen Jin found something else unusual.


    Li Muyang did not make any mistakes while answering the questions. Every question he answered was answered correctly.


    At least, after Chen Jin carefully checked the paper, he did not find any mistakes. Every question was answered perfectly.


    They were not the standard answers that could be memorized, but the correct answers after good comprehension and organization.


    Chen Jin was shocked. He had skilled and magical craftsmanship in dealing with every question. This was something that only the best students in the school could do.


    ¡°How could he be late?¡± Chen Jin had a better impression of Li Muyang, and thought doubtfully, ¡°How can a good student be late? I hope it¡¯s not too late.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, what¡¯s going on?¡± Chen Jin saw Li Muyang stop writing.


    Chen Jin followed his pen and looked at the question. It was not very difficult, but a little unconventional, and the meaning of the question was very confusing.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he answer this kind of question?¡± Chen Jin felt a little pity in his heart. ¡°Think about it carefully. Think about it carefully and you should be able to find the pattern.¡±


    ¡°Eh, this kid actually gave up¡ªhe has skipped directly to the next question. He is really an impatient guy. However, what he did was correct. After all, he arrived too late. Compared with other students, he has already wasted too much time.¡±


    Chen Jin sighed slightly and then walked to the podium.


    After a few steps, he couldn¡¯t help but step back.


    Chen Jin stood next to Li Muyang, stretched out a finger, and tapped the question Li Muyang had skipped, coughing softly.


    Li Muyang looked up, only to see Chen Jin look at him expressionlessly.


    Li Muyang thought about it and immediately understood. He read the question again and then wrote down the answer with a surprised look.


    Chen Jin strode away, scolding himself for his unruly behavior in his heart, ¡°Damn the Virgo.¡±


    Fortunately, Li Muyang did not encounter too many difficulties.


    When he finished answering the last question, the bell rang and it was time to hand in the paper.


    He had no time to check his answers.


    However, Cui Xiaoxin had already told him that as long as he could answer a question, his answer would almost be a standard one¡ªbecause he didn¡¯t have much time to study, and if he knew the answers, they were the right ones; otherwise, he would not know them at all. Those confusing questions wouldn¡¯t trap him.


    Li Muyang checked his name and other related information again and then sat straight, waiting for the proctor to collect the test paper.


    When Chen Jin walked to Li Muyang, he looked at him thoughtfully. Then, he took away his test paper and went to the next one.


    When Li Muyang walked out of the classroom, the students from all examination rooms had gathered in the large yard.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin stood behind him, wearing a long white dress with a dragonfly hairpin on her long hair. ¡°How did you do in the exam?¡± she asked in a sweet voice.


    ¡°I think I did okay. I finished all the questions,¡± Li Muyang nodded at Cui Xiaoxin and said. ¡°I came too late, so I didn¡¯t have time to review. I hope that I didn¡¯t make too many mistakes.¡±


    ¡°You were late?¡± Cui Xiaoxin was smart; upon hearing Li Muyang¡¯s words, she immediately realized that something might have happened. She said, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Li Muyang shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to tell Cui Xiaoxin that the killer Crow had changed his target to seek revenge at his home. If he told her the truth, it would only make her worried about him. Anyway, since the problem had been solved, why did he make her worry?


    Cui Xiaoxin saw the anxiety in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes and knew that he was worried about something. But since Li Muyang didn¡¯t bring it up, she could not ask more about it. ¡°If you need any help, just tell me¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°I will.¡± Li Muyang nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Well, then, please do your best.¡± Cui Xiaoxin raised her fist to Li Muyang and made a gesture to cheer him up.


    ¡°You too,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile. ¡°I know you are so smart that there should be no problem that you don¡¯t know the answer. Let¡¯s meet at the lakeside of Nameless Lake.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said in a firm voice.


    After an hour¡¯s rest, the second exam began.


    Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin were not in the same examination room. After encouraging each other, they separated again and fought for their lives.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After the two exams, Li Muyang did not pay attention to anyone but strode in the direction of his home.


    Cui Xiaoxin handed in the paper ahead of time. Originally, she wanted to take Li Muyang to have lunch near the examination room. Many students didn¡¯t go home at noon. They just ate some good food nearby.


    Cui Xiaoxin sat under the Yanluo tree in the corner of the yard, reading a novel. When she saw Li Muyang come out of the examination room and was about to call his name, she found that Li Muyang ran off without looking sideways.


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. Then she closed the book and walked out.


    Ning Xinhai appeared behind Cui Xiaoxin and said respectfully, ¡°Miss, the carriage is in front of us. Are we going back?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said.


    ¡°Got it, Miss,¡± Ning Xinhai answered.


    The carriage went far away, but Cui Xiaoxin still thought of the worry hidden in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Uncle Ning,¡± Cui Xiaoxin suddenly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Ministry of Revenue Street.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± Ning Xinhai ordered the coachman to change the direction without any expression on his face.


    Li Muyang pushed the courtyard door open and ran into the house. He was startled when he saw Yan Xiangma sitting there moaning weakly with a pale face. ¡°Another killer attacked you?¡± he asked.


    If it was not because of a killer¡¯s attack, how could Yan Xiangma become like this? When Li Muyang left for the exam, Yan Xiangma was so vigorous that he could cut the bluestone table into pieces with a fan.


    ¡°It¡¯s more horrible than a killer¡¯s attack,¡± Yan Xiangma said weakly. ¡°I drank a bowl of medicine.¡±


    Li Muyang walked straight to Li Sinian, reached out to feel her pulse, and asked, ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I feel much better,¡± Li Sinian said, looking at Yan Xiangma with a smile. ¡°This idiot, he drank a bowl of laxative¡­¡±


    ¡°How many times have I explained? It¡¯s not a laxative, it¡¯s an antidote¡­¡± Yan Xiangma was almost driven crazy. He looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°You know, they are poisoned with the smoke. I kindly asked someone to cook a pack of medicine for them to detoxify their bodies, but they suspected that I had ulterior motives and might poison them with the soup. Am I that kind of person? In order to prove that I didn¡¯t put a drug in the soup, I took that bowl of medicine first.¡±


    After checking on the physical conditions of his parents, Li Muyang was completely relieved and showed a rare but sweet smile.


    Even during the exam, he had worried about the conditions of his parents and sister. Now that the exam was over and his family was in good health, there was nothing greater than this for him.


    Li Muyang walked to the side of Yan Xiangma, who was explaining hoarsely, and said, ¡°And then you were poisoned?¡±


    ¡°As I said, this is not poison. This is a laxative to detoxify my body. Do you know anything about detoxification?¡± Yan Xiangma originally thought that Li Muyang understood what he meant, but he didn¡¯t expect that Li Muyang also suspected that he had put a drug in the soup.


    Right now, Yan Xiangma wanted to cry but had no tears. If he had known it, he would not have acted such an arduous but fruitless play.

 Chapter 39 - Ungrateful!

    ¡°I believe you,¡± said Li Muyang.


    Although Yan Xiangma was a frivolous man, he knew what he should do and what he should not.


    This was how Li Muyang understood him.


    Moreover, after the last conversation, Li Muyang knew he was not a bad person. At least, Yan Xiangma didn¡¯t look bad enough now. Otherwise, it would not have been such a friendly end when they first met.


    As the Young Master of the City Lord Mansion, Yan Xiangma could have all kinds of experts help him and was capable of doing everything.


    Li Muyang had broken the table in front of him, but it was not the real reason why Yan Xiangma was afraid. Li Muyang didn¡¯t know what a real master looked like, but he knew clearly that the guy who could release the light of the sun around Cui Xiaoxin was not a person he could compare with.


    This was also the reason why when Li Muyang was in a dilemma, he was willing to believe that Yan Xiangma would take care of his parents. If Li Muyang had had a bad impression of him, he would never have entrusted his family to him, and would rather have stayed with his parents than went to take the exam and pursued his dream of going to the Xifeng University.


    ¡°What?¡± Yan Xiangma was stunned for a moment. He looked at Li Muyang asked, ¡°What did you say? Believe me? You believe it¡¯s not a laxative?¡±


    ¡°I believe you won¡¯t hurt my family,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile. He grinned, and his smile was as pure and vigorous as a young man¡¯s. He looked totally different from when his eyes were bloodshot with a fierce look on his face. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to take care of them.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask me for a favor, you demanded me to¡­¡± Yan Xiangma said angrily. He felt that he did not perform well in the previous negotiation in which he obviously had the upper hand but ended up being forced. ¡°But I¡¯m telling the truth. The laxatives¡ªno, it¡¯s indeed the antidote. It¡¯s for detoxification. There are the ingredients of Sun Grass in it.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°I know. Is there any more soup?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have cooked a big pot of soup. Except for the big bowl that our Young Master has drunk, the rest is still hot.¡± Li Dalu added.


    ¡°¡­¡± Yan Xiangma looked at Li Dalu mournfully. ¡°You are f*cking good at rubbing salt in my wound.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Li Muyang spoke to Li Dalu before he went into the kitchen and brought two bowls of medicine soup. One bowl was fed to his father, and the other was for Li Sinian.


    Li Sinian shook her head desperately and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink it. It¡¯s black and bitter, and I will have diarrhea.¡±


    ¡°You have to,¡± Li Muyang said in a soft voice, looking at her pityingly. ¡°You still have the poison in your body, so you must get rid of it. Otherwise, it is harmful to your body¡ªeven if it is not life-threatening now, who knows what injury it will cause to the internal organs?¡±


    Li Sinian still shook her head. She was afraid of tasting bitterness.


    So, Li Muyang pinched her nose and forced her to drink up the medicine soup.


    After drinking the soup, Li Sinian covered her mouth and shouted. She said angrily, ¡°Li Muyang, I hate you. It¡¯s so bitter.¡±


    Li Muyang put the empty bowl aside and said, ¡°If I were you, I would go back to my room immediately.¡±


    Li Sinian was smart. After taking a look at Yan Xiangma, she immediately got up and ran to her room.


    Li Muyang shook his head and chuckled. He really loved his little sister.


    Yan Xiangma looked at Li Sinian¡¯s back in a daze as she ran away. After a long time, he came to his senses. He walked over to Li Muyang and asked, ¡°Li Muyang, is Sinian your sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang nodded. When he saw Yan Xiangma¡¯s expectant face, he looked at him alertly and said, ¡°Why do you ask this?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t siblings, are you?¡± Yan Xiangma asked.


    Upon hearing Yan Xiangma, Li Yan, who was drinking the soup, almost choked to death.


    He stared at Yan Xiangma with an angry face. ¡°What are you talking about, Yan Xiangma? Li Muyang and Li Sinian are both my children, and they are siblings. Don¡¯t talk nonsense if you don¡¯t know the truth,¡± he shouted furiously.


    Yan Xiangma smiled and apologized to Li Yan. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say that. I just think that there is a big difference between their appearances,¡± he said.


    He looked Li Muyang up and down seriously and said, ¡°I am not the only person who thinks in this way. If they go out together¡­¡±


    ¡°They are brother and sister wherever they go,¡± Li Yan rudely interrupted him.


    Li Muyang glanced at Yan Xiangma, indicating him not to continue this topic. He knew that his father did not like to hear people suspect that he and Li Sinian were not biological siblings. They went to the street together once when they were young and people wondered if the little girl behind him was adopted when they knew she was his sister. Hearing this, his father was in a particularly bad mood back then. On the contrary, his mother was gentler, smiling, and explaining to others that her eldest son had an illness when he was a child, so he was not very healthy.


    Li Yan was a warrior. Although he was not in a high realm, his physical quality after years of hard work was always stronger than ordinary people¡¯s. Li Sinian had practiced the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± with her master since she was young. It seemed that she didn¡¯t work very hard, but she had been persistent for a long time and was smart enough, so she could be considered to have learned some basic skills.


    Luo Qi was the weakest among them, so she was the last one to wake up.


    The first thing she did after she opened her eyes was to look for Li Muyang. Seeing Li Muyang standing by her side safe and sound, her eyes reddened with tears. She rushed over and hugged Li Muyang, saying, ¡°Muyang, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where did the bad guy go? Where are your father and your sister? Are they all right?¡±


    ¡°Mom, they are both alright,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, holding his mother¡¯s body tight. ¡°My father and sister are fine. We are all fine.¡±


    ¡°Great. That¡¯s really great¡­¡± Luo Qi¡¯s eyes were full of tears. She tightly held Li Muyang and refused to let him go.


    After almost being killed, she had realized the value of life.


    After Li Muyang comforted his mother and fed her a bowl of detoxification soup, he finally arranged everything well for his family.


    Li Muyang walked to the side of Yan Xiangma and said gratefully, ¡°Master Yan, thank you for taking care of my family this time. I will remember this in my heart. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Yan Xiangma waved his hand with a smile and said. ¡°We¡¯re both young people and you¡¯re my cousin¡¯s classmate. We¡¯re a family. Don¡¯t call me Master Yan. It is for outsiders. You can just call me Cousin, just like you used to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Cousin!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what it should be. By the way, I¡¯ll go upstairs to see what¡¯s going on with Sinian right now. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll suffer a stomachache for a while after taking the medicine. I have some Taoist pills here¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Xiangma was about to run upstairs.


    ¡°Yan Xiangma, stop right there!¡± Li Muyang shouted behind him.


    ¡°I just want to see¡­¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Li Muyang blocked in front of Yan Xiangma in a very rude way.


    ¡°Can I express my concern at the door?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I just helped you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I¡¯ll repay you.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I collect a little interest first?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, you are so ungrateful.¡±


    ¡°Yan Xiangma, you are greedy and lascivious¡­ ¡±


    ¡­


    Cui Xiaoxin pushed the door open and went into the yard while Li Muyang and Yan Xiangma looked at each other with wide eyes. Neither of them would step back.


    Her long eyelashes fluttered, as the corners of her mouth raised slightly, revealing a lovely and seductive arc. She asked, ¡°Did I enter a zoo?¡±

 Chapter 40 - Becoming Outstanding for the First Time!

    Because of the worry in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, Cui Xiaoxin decided to visit the Li Family in the end.


    Having known Li Muyang for a long time, she knew him very well. Although he always looked carefree, he was actually very thoughtful, brave, and responsible. He always talked about his sister taking care of him when she was a child, but his love and tolerance for her were something that Cui Xiaoxin could feel clearly.


    She promised to help Li Muyang with his lessons, but in fact, she preferred to stay in a quiet and private teahouse or other places rather than make contact with people.


    The reason why she did not reject the Li Family and was willing to come to them every day was that she liked the loving atmosphere of their family. She liked to see Li Sinian bully Li Muyang with all kinds of mischievous tricks. She also liked to see Li Muyang looking at her helplessly when he was bullied by his sister.


    Li Muyang was not willing to bring trouble to others. Even after he saved Cui Xiaoxin, he was still grateful for her teaching him.


    Perhaps, she was one of the several beams of warm starlight in his life.


    It was also because of this that Cui Xiaoxin worried that something might have happened to Li Muyang¡¯s family, but he was unwilling to tell her.


    The Liberal-arts Exam was not over yet, and there would be two important exams tomorrow. She didn¡¯t want Li Muyang to be disturbed by other mundane things at this critical moment.


    If she could help, she was willing to lend her hands.


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t know exactly who she was, but she was very clear about it.


    What she could do would shock the whole Jiangnan City.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Seeing Cui Xiaoxin standing in front of the door leisurely, Li Muyang and Yan Xiangma asked her in unison.


    Cui Xiaoxin blinked her eyes again, pursed her lips, and chuckled. ¡°You two have a telepathic connection,¡± she said.


    Yan Xiangma glared at Li Muyang fiercely, and then ran to Cui Xiaoxin and said, ¡°Cousin, why are you here? Don¡¯t you go back to have lunch at noon?¡±


    ¡°Since you can come, why can¡¯t I?¡± Cui Xiaoxin looked at Yan Xiangma with distrust, wondering if Li Muyang had been worried that Yan Xiangma would make trouble for his family while he was taking the exam.


    She saw the guards of the Yan Family outside. If Yan Xiangma came for keeping Li Muyang away from her, then it was really the best time for her to come today.


    ¡°How could it be?¡± Yan Xiangma smiled gently. ¡°If I can come, you can as well. I know that you and Muyang are very good friends. Isn¡¯t it good for you to visit each other¡¯s home? I also had some very good friends when I was at school,¡± he said.


    Cui Xiaoxin had a stunned expression on her face. She looked thoughtfully at Yan Xiangma and said, ¡°Then, what is your reason for coming here, Cousin?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin knew that her aunt was aware of her whereabouts very well, and she was even more clear about their attitudes toward her tutoring to Li Muyang.


    Last time when she went home, her cousin mentioned her tutoring of Li Muyang on purpose, and her aunt also made it clear that she would send some gifts to Li Muyang to thank him for saving her life¡ªthen they would be separated from each other for the rest of their lives.


    How could a wealthy family be willing to have a connection with such an ordinary person?


    Of course, what they were more afraid of was that Cui Xiaoxin had fallen in love with Li Muyang. This was really ridiculous. Just because she had more conversations with him, they would think that she had fallen in love with him?


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    However, what happened to Yan Xiangma today? He said that she should visit her classmates¡ªthe expression on his face looked as if he was not pretending.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to visit Li Muyang,¡± Yan Xiangma said with a smile, ¡°When you were attacked last time, Muyang took a risk saving you¡ªthe Cui and Yan Families will remember this favor. I happened to be free these few days, so I came to visit him. Haha, I didn¡¯t expect that I would like him at first glance. We are friends now.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was even more worried. She looked into Yan Xiangma¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°Cousin, you didn¡¯t take the wrong medicine, did you?¡±


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    Yan Xiangma suddenly looked embarrassed.


    He stared at Cui Xiaoxin with wide-open eyes and said, ¡°Cousin, how did you know that I have taken the wrong medicine today? How did the news spread so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Cousin?¡± Cui Xiaoxin said discontentedly and frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the fact that I have taken the wrong medicine.¡± Yan Xiangma was flustered and angry. ¡°Cousin, you haven¡¯t told me how you knew that I took the wrong medicine. Li Sinian didn¡¯t go out, neither the two elders. Since Li Muyang came back, he hasn¡¯t gone out as well. How did you know that I took the wrong medicine?¡± he said.


    After a pause, he cautiously asked, ¡°There is no one else who knows about it, right?¡±


    ¡°Cousin!¡± Cui Xiaoxin was about to get angry. She thought that although her cousin was a playboy, he went too far today.


    Cui Xiaoxin didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about at all. ¡°Is he deliberately changing the topic?¡±


    Li Muyang laughed so hard that he doubled over laughing. He went to Cui Xiaoxin and explained to her how Yan Xiangma had taken the wrong medicine.


    Cui Xiaoxin kept laughing and said, ¡°Cousin, are you alright?¡±


    Yan Xiangma was so embarrassed that he wanted to find a hole to hide in, and he was very dissatisfied with Li Muyang¡¯s snitching behavior. ¡°Li Muyang, you¡¯ve gone too far. You asked me to take care of your family. In order to remove the poison of smoke in your family members¡¯ bodies, I got them to drink some medicine to remove the poison. If it were not for that I wanted to get their trust and make them know that it was the antidote without poison that I wanted them to drink, I wouldn¡¯t have tasted it myself,¡± he said.


    Li Muyang¡¯s smile became bigger. He cupped his hands to Yan Xiangma and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, thank you, Childe Yan. I will never forget your great kindness.¡±


    ¡°The poison of smoke?¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s expression turned a little cold as she asked, ¡°Did Crow come?¡±


    Yan Xiangma was shocked and looked around the courtyard. The courtyard had been cleaned up, and the bloodstains on the walls and the ground had been wiped off. Except for the indentations and cracks caused by the fight on the bluestone walls, nothing else could show any trace of Crow¡¯s visit.


    Did his cousin know the fact of Crow¡¯s arrival just because of what he said?


    Yan Xiangma winked at Li Muyang, indicating that he would deal with this problem. He said with a smile, ¡°Crow? Why would Crow come here?¡±


    ¡°You smiled,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I smiled. Haha, can¡¯t I smile?¡±


    ¡°If you were not trying to hide anything, when I asked you if Crow had come, you should have had a serious look on your face, because recently you are focusing on searching for the whereabouts of Crow¡ªand you said that the antidote was to eliminate the poison of smoke. After I encountered Crow¡¯s attack last time, I specially asked Uncle Ning to collect information on Crow for me. I know that Crow was good at summoning Blood Crow and Dark Fog.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin looked around the yard. She looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Crow came. He changed the kill target to¡ªyou¡ªbecause you saved me, so he wanted to retaliate. Am I right?¡±


    Yan Xiangma was stunned for a long time. He looked at Li Muyang and asked, ¡°Are you really going to marry such a smart woman?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Li Muyang blushed after hearing this question. He pretended to be angry and said, ¡°What are you talking about, Yan Xiangma? When did I say¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that you don¡¯t want to marry her?¡± Yan Xiangma said with disdain and glanced at Li Muyang.


    ¡°I¡­ you¡­¡± It was the first time for Li Muyang to fall in love, and Cui Xiaoxin was also his first love.


    He hid the love in his heart, waiting to speak it out one day, like a hen lying in its nest, waiting to hatch a chick one day.


    When Yan Xiangma exposed his feeling in front of Cui Xiaoxin, he was so ashamed that he didn¡¯t even know where to rest his bare hands.


    ¡°Cousin¡­¡± Cui Xiaoxin was a little shy, and there was a blush on her tender white neck. However, she hid it very well, showing no expression on her face. ¡°If you continue to talk nonsense, I will go back and tell my aunt.¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well, I was wrong. I surrender.¡± Yan Xiangma was very afraid of his mother. ¡°I am trying to help,¡± he said.


    Cui Xiaoxin looked at Yan Xiangma with distrust, and then looked at Li Muyang, and said, ¡°How are Uncle and Aunt? How about Sinian? Is anyone injured? What about you? Where is Crow now?¡±


    ¡°My parents are fine, so is Sinian. I¡¯m fine too.¡± Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin. ¡°But they have taken the antidote. I¡¯m afraid they can¡¯t come down to meet you now,¡± he said.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Crow?¡± Cui Xiaoxin looked at Li Muyang and asked.


    ¡°He¡­¡± Li Muyang turned to look at Yan Xiangma for help.


    ¡°I killed him,¡± Yan Xiangma answered.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cui Xiaoxin rolled her dark eyes while looking at Yan Xiangma¡¯s face.


    ¡°I killed him,¡± Yan Xiangma repeated. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been searching for Crow during this period of time. I managed to find out news about him, but I didn¡¯t dare to alert him. Later, he went into Li Muyang¡¯s house. I took the guards to set up a trap. Hehe. He dared to bully you, so I naturally couldn¡¯t spare him. As you know, I¡¯ve made rapid progress recently. After fighting with Crow for three hundred rounds, I stabbed him blind with Hitting Dragon¡¯s Eyes, and then punched him in the chest.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin kept silent for a long time, bowed deeply to Li Muyang, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got you into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡± Li Muyang quickly reached out his hand to help her up.


    Cui Xiaoxin straightened her back, looked at Yan Xiangma, and said, ¡°Cousin, since you killed Crow, you have to report to the City Lord Mansion to get your reward¡­¡±


    Her eyes became sharp, and her voice was soft but with unquestionable authority. ¡°If someone dares to question your ability, you should silence him forever.¡±

 Chapter 41 - Were Just Friends

    ¡°As the woman who is called the Bright Moon of the Empire, she is really not an ordinary woman.¡± Yan Xiangma sighed in his heart.


    After only a few minutes since Cui Xiaoxin entered the yard, she had already understood the ins and outs of the matter. Even though Yan Xiangma wanted to help Li Muyang hide the truth, Cui Xiaoxin saw through him at a glance.


    Cui Xiaoxin knew who killed Crow, and she also knew Yan Xiangma¡¯s good intention of snatching the credit from Li Muyang.


    He wanted to protect Li Muyang, so he insisted that he had killed Crow.


    Cui Xiaoxin also wanted to protect Li Muyang, so she agreed that Yan Xiangma had killed Crow.


    When Yan Xiangma told people that he killed Crow, he felt he was selfless, but when his sister talked about it¡­ Why did he feel a little uncomfortable?


    However, since Cui Xiaoxin mentioned this in such a serious tone, he had no choice but to cooperate.


    Because Cui Xiaoxin was not only his cousin but also the daughter of the Cui Family¡ªthe Yan Family was the Cui Family¡¯s relatives by marriage as well as a subsidiary. Of course, Yan Xiangma¡¯s status was not as important as Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s.


    Even if Cui Xiaoxin married someone in the future, the man she married would have to be someone from a decent family who would be of great help to the Cui Family. For example, the talented young man of the Song Family.


    As for Yan Xiangma, he was just the son of the Governor of Jiangnan City. Those rich and powerful families would not take him seriously.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that his mother was from the Cui Family, how could he be qualified to live in one house and have an equal conversation with his cousin?


    Yan Xiangma patted his chest and said, ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t worry. I am a reasonable person. If it¡¯s my credit, no one can take it away from me; if it¡¯s not, no one dares to complain when I want to take it. I¡¯ll go to report it to the City Lord Mansion. I will tell them that I made a plan and killed Crow. And I¡¯ll take the reward of 3,000 gold coins by the way. Li Muyang, you lured the enemy this time, thank you. I¡¯ll ask someone to give you 1,500 gold coins later. We¡¯ll each take half of the money.¡±


    Li Muyang repeatedly waved his hand and said, ¡°No, no. That¡¯s your reward. It has nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡°Why? You look down on me?¡± Yan Xiangma said with a gloomy face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I just feel there are no gains without pains.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± Yan Xiangma said impatiently, ¡°If I give it to you, you can keep it. In our world, you are looking down on people if you don¡¯t accept their gifts¡ªIf someone doesn¡¯t respect me, I will slap him in the face. A person like me, who comes from a rich family, can do anything.¡±


    Yan Xiangma lowered his voice and asked in a quiet voice, ¡°Can I go up and see Sinian?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 2,000 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°2,500 coins.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you all 3,000 coins. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    Yan Xiangma pointed at Li Muyang¡¯s chest with his finger and said, ¡°Boy, don¡¯t you think we should work together to create a bright future?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You like my cousin while I also think Li Sinian is very cute. You help me hook up with your sister, and I can help you chase my cousin. Let¡¯s exchange information and create opportunities for each other. What do you think?¡±


    Li Muyang rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Go to hell.¡±


    Yan Xiangma pulled Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s sleeves and said, ¡°Cousin, he is asking you to go to hell. Let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    ¡°Yan Xiangma¡ª¡± Li Muyang really wanted to beat him up. He didn¡¯t mean to kick Cui Xiaoxin out by saying ¡°go to hell¡±. Instead, he would like to keep her here.


    Cui Xiaoxin pushed Yan Xiangma away, looked at Li Muyang, and said, ¡°I know that you have experienced a lot of things, and you and your family have also suffered great dangers, but I hope that these things will not affect your examination tomorrow. If there is anything that we can help you with, please tell me. Don¡¯t be too polite.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and found that the girl suddenly became a little strange. Just like before the tour around the lake, she kept a certain distance from everyone in the class.


    ¡°Well then, my cousin and I will take our leave.¡± Cui Xiaoxin bowed slightly, making a standard royal etiquette of the empire. ¡°Please take care.¡±


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin!¡± Li Muyang shouted.


    He felt that Cui Xiaoxin had changed. She became estranged.


    However, for him, this kind of feeling was elusive since Cui Xiaoxin had never been too close to him¡ªshe just did not avoid him when he took the initiative to get close to her.


    Cui Xiaoxin turned around, looked at Li Muyang with an indifferent expression, and asked softly, ¡°What else can I do for you, Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you¡­¡± Li Muyang grinned, revealing two rows of neat white teeth. The side of his face was shining with a faint yellow glow under the afternoon sun. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his long eyelashes looked like a delicate fan. He was young, and it was a good time to look for love. ¡°We have a date to go to watch the sunset together at Sunset Lake of Xifeng University. Do I still have your word?¡±


    The sadness in Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes flashed away, and she gently stroked her long hair in front of her forehead. With no expression on her face, she said, ¡°Li Muyang, this is a matter for the future. At least, it will only happen after you are admitted to Xifeng University. So, work hard.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin left.


    She wouldn¡¯t come tomorrow.


    Li Muyang¡¯s heart was empty.


    ¡°Why does it suddenly become like this?¡± Li Muyang¡¯s mood was a little depressed. The teenager felt unspeakable sadness.


    ¡°Why did it suddenly become like this?¡± In the carriage, Yan Xiangma looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked such a question.


    ¡°The person that Crow wanted to kill was Li Muyang, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Cui Xiaoxin asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Xiangma knew that he could not hide it from his cousin, so he said frankly, ¡°The situation is extremely dangerous. When I came here, Li Muyang¡¯s parents and sister were in a coma. Li Muyang was covered in blood and stood in the yard with a murderous look, like a demon emerging from hell. There were so many Blood Crows¡¯ bodies on the ground, but Crow¡¯s corpse had disappeared. According to Li Muyang, he was eaten by the Blood Crows.


    ¡°The reason why the Blood Crows eat their masters is that they have no other flesh and blood to eat. That is to say, before I arrived, Li Muyang had already defeated Crow. What do you think of this matter? Don¡¯t you think that Li Muyang¡­ There is a monster hiding in his body?¡±


    ¡°Did you find the person behind Crow?¡± Cui Xiaoxin crossed her fingers, gently rubbing them. This was a habitual action she had when she was deep in thought.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Yan Xiangma shook his head. Cui Xiaoxin did not want to comment on Li Muyang¡¯s physical condition, which was within his expectations. ¡°My father has already sent a letter to Capital Heaven, telling them about you being attacked, but there is still no response back. They just asked us to ensure your safety no matter what. Crow was just a killer, and he is dead. What kind of information can we find out?¡±


    ¡°So, do you think there¡¯s anything wrong with what I did?¡± Cui Xiaoxin asked in return.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re here to protect Li Muyang, but we haven¡¯t found the person behind this. I don¡¯t know if there will be another batch of killers¡­ Li Muyang ruined their plan this time. They¡¯ll naturally turn to target Li Muyang. He¡¯s just an ordinary¡­ no, he¡¯s not ordinary in fact. This guy is hiding something so deep that I can¡¯t see through him.¡±


    ¡°He is not ordinary, but his heart is,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a good man¡­¡± Yan Xiangma sighed softly. ¡°So, I feel¡­ Isn¡¯t it a bit cruel to treat him like this?¡±


    ¡°Death is the cruelest thing,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said, ¡°We have to be separated. Whether it¡¯s sooner or later, what¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Yan Xiangma looked out of the window at the fiery red and beautifully blooming prunus campanulata and said, ¡°Cousin, you are the one who has thought it through.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin lowered her head and said nothing. Then after a long time, she said, ¡°Cousin, you stand up to take the responsibility and risk. Please don¡¯t be angry!¡±


    Yan Xiangma patted Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s shoulder gently. He knew that the girl was feeling upset.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what it¡¯s supposed to be?¡± Yan Xiangma smiled gently. He had the wisdom to see through the truth. ¡°If an irrelevant person took this responsibility and danger, I would really mind it. After all, I am your cousin. We are family.¡±


    After a pause, Yan Xiangma looked at Cui Xiaoxin and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Do you really not have any feelings for Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Cousin doesn¡¯t need to ask such a question. We are just friends.¡±


    ¡°Alas.¡± Yan Xiangma was very regretful as he said, ¡°He also has a good sister.¡±

 Chapter 42 - You Want to Rip Me off

    Yan Xiangma tasted the antidote in person, and it was very effective.


    After Li Muyang¡¯s father Li Yan, mother Luo Qi, and younger sister Li Sinian took the antidote, there were no other sequelae in their bodies.


    Li Yan got up from the bed that night and mended the walls of the courtyard. After a short while, he repaired the cracked bluestone wall.


    His mother, Luo Qi, was cooking while his younger sister, Sinian, was studying and making trouble.


    Yan Xiangma took the credit for killing Crow, and his family didn¡¯t doubt it. In their eyes, Li Muyang was always the weak boy who needed their protection.


    Life returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.


    Li Muyang knew in his heart that something very important had happened.


    He could sense Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s estrangement, and he had also anticipated that something would happen in the end.


    Li Muyang¡¯s mood was very bad, but he did not show it.


    After dinner, he rushed to wash the dishes. Luo Qi didn¡¯t agree and asked him to go upstairs to study.


    Li Muyang reached out to feel the pulse of his father Li Yan. Luo Qi looked at him confusedly and asked, ¡°When did Muyang learn to feel one¡¯s pulse?¡±


    Li Muyang already had an answer in his mind. He said with a smile, ¡°I learned it from the Taoist priest, but I didn¡¯t have a chance to use it in the past.¡±


    Li Yan nodded and said, ¡°He is a talented master. If you can learn his medical skills, it will be a good skill to earn a living with.¡±


    Luo Qi was enraged and said angrily, ¡°Li Yan, what are you talking about? My son is going to study at Xifeng University. He will make great achievements in the future. How could he make a living with medical skills?¡±


    Li Yan giggled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to be a doctor? It¡¯s good to live a comfortable and easy life, and he will be respected by others.¡±


    ¡°As long as my son is willing to do it. If he likes it, I¡¯ll naturally let him study it, and if he doesn¡¯t like it, we can¡¯t force him.¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well, you can decide your son¡¯s affairs.¡± Li Yan did not want to have a dispute with his wife on the matter of Li Muyang, because he had never won.


    Li Sinian ran over flatteringly, held Li Yan¡¯s arm, and said, ¡°Dad, you can decide my things. I will do whatever you want, okay?¡±


    Li Yan stretched out his hand to stroke his daughter¡¯s little head and said, ¡°Okay. Now go upstairs and sleep.¡±


    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s too early,¡± Li Sinian said with dissatisfaction. ¡°I supported you just now. Can¡¯t you also consider my feelings?¡±


    ¡°You said that you would do anything I want? Then stay with me for a while before going upstairs to sleep.¡± Li Yan really loved his smart and sensible youngest daughter.


    Abruptly, he recalled the eldest daughter who was taken to the Lu Family¡ªshe should also be so beautiful and lovely, right? And she should be¡­ happier than living with them, right?


    ¡°Dad, your pulse is normal, and the toxins in your body should have been removed. The most important thing now is to replenish your nutrition and restore your physical strength to the previous state as soon as possible.¡±


    After Li Muyang finished speaking to his father, he turned to Li Sinian and said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian blinked her eyes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to my room before you check my pulse, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why? I have to check our mother after you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why are you so stupid? I¡¯m a girl.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Li Sinian¡¯s room was warm and elegant. It was not pink or light red like other girls¡¯ rooms. All the decorations looked very aesthetic.


    Her room was very large, which was two times bigger than Li Muyang¡¯s.


    Although her room was big, when she talked about something, she always ran in to Li Muyang¡¯s room. Li Muyang rarely came to her room. Maybe he also felt that she was a big girl with her own privacy as she continued to grow up.


    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re in a bad mood, aren¡¯t you?¡± Li Sinian sat down on the chair, kicked off her slippers, crossed her legs like a little monk, and asked directly.


    ¡°No, of course not. How could that be?¡± Li Muyang said with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Li Sinian said with a disdainful look, ¡°When we had dinner, I saw you looking absent-minded several times. I talked to you, but you ignored me. I gave you some coriander and you ate it¡ªyou had never eaten coriander before.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of what happened today, and it¡¯s me who caused it, so in my heart¡­¡±


    ¡°So, in your heart, you really can¡¯t let go of Sister Xiaoxin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang knew that he could not hide anything from this little girl.


    ¡°Brother, can¡¯t you see it? Sister Xiaoxin wanted to make a thorough break with you¡­¡±


    Li Muyang was silent for a long time, and then said with a smile, ¡°I figured it out, and then?¡±


    ¡°And then¡­¡± Li Sinian sighed softly, stretched out her pink wrist, and handed it to Li Muyang, saying, ¡°Feel my pulse. You¡¯d better live a good life and be who you are. She is just a woman. If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can be your temporary girlfriend for two days.¡±


    ¡°You want to rip me off again,¡± Li Muyang said.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Muyang took part in the next exams. The two exams were not difficult. Except for two small questions that he could not figure out the answers to, he answered all the other questions.


    Li Muyang felt good because according to Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s description, every answer he could answer must be correct¡ªso wasn¡¯t his answer almost perfect?


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t see Cui Xiaoxin again. When the exam was over, he deliberately waited at the entrance of the examination room for a while. Until the students were all gone, he didn¡¯t see Cui Xiaoxin come out.


    Li Muyang understood that she might have handed in the test paper and left in advance.


    After the exam, the teachers asked all the students to go back to the classroom.


    Li Muyang returned to his classroom and scanned the place at a 15-degree angle several times. As expected, Cui Xiaoxin did not come over.


    However, Li Muyang¡¯s appearance made the students in the class very surprised. They talked about him while looking and pointing at him.


    Zhang Chen turned around, looked at Li Muyang, who was behind him, and asked with a smile, ¡°How did you do in the exams, Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Not bad I think,¡± Li Muyang, who was disappointed at Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s leaving, said with a poker face.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®not bad¡¯? I heard that Cui Xiaoxin had been helping you study recently. You will be admitted to Xifeng University of the empire, right?¡± Zhang Chen made a face at the people around him after he said that. Others all laughed when they heard Zhang Chen.


    After the Liberal-arts Exam, everyone was relieved. They would not miss such a good show.


    Li Muyang seriously thought about it before he said, ¡°I think so. But no one can guarantee this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The whole classroom was dead silent.


    Zhang Chen stared at Li Muyang with wide eyes and said, ¡°Li Muyang, are you crazy? Do you know what I was asking just now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy.¡± Li Muyang also stared at Zhang Chen with sharp eyes and said, ¡°If you continue to laugh at me like this, you will surely know what I am going to do.¡±


    Zhang Chen was really afraid Li Muyang would beat him, but if he stepped back, people would know he was scared. Therefore, he said stubbornly, ¡°You can¡¯t go to Xifeng University, nor can you be with Cui Xiaoxin. Even if you work hard, it will be in vain. You are still a good-for-nothing piece of trash.¡±


    Li Muyang grabbed Zhang Chen by the collar and lifted him up in front of the whole class. Then he walked toward the lotus pond outside the classroom.


    ¡°Plop¡ª¡±


    Li Muyang suddenly exerted all his strength and mercilessly threw Zhang Chen into the pool.


    ¡°Li Muyang, you are so crazy!¡± Zhang Chen struggled in the pool and shouted, ¡°Wait and see. I won¡¯t let you off this time!¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s eyes reddened, and with an irrepressible rage in his voice, he said fiercely, ¡°I will go to Xifeng University, and I will be with Cui Xiaoxin.¡±

 Chapter 43 - The Governor of Jiangnan City

    As the Governor of the rich Jiangnan City, Yan Bolai was busy every day with his work.


    However, even under such circumstances, he still decided to find his son, Yan Xiangma, to have a talk with him.


    Yan Bolai cast a glance at his son, who was standing in a corner, appreciating the painting ¡°Tiger Roaring in Mountains¡± made by the empire¡¯s famous artist Qin Kuaiyu. Then he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of hot tea, saying, ¡°The ancients paid great attention to the vigorous spirit of dragons and tigers. Now that all dragons have been killed, but tigers still dominate the forest with pride. Qin Kuaiyu truly deserves the reputation as a famous artist of the empire. With a few strokes, he fully described the majesty of the tiger king. Every time I enjoy this painting, it makes me feel like being a broad-minded person with boundless courage.¡±


    Upon hearing his father talking, Yan Xiangma knew that he had finished dealing with the documents at hand for the moment. Thus, he turned and walked toward his father, saying with a smile, ¡°Father, you are the tiger king of Jiangnan City. With an angry roar, you can silence all the heroes in Jiangnan City and make gangsters and the like bow their heads.¡±


    ¡°Flatterer,¡± Yan Bolai said lightly. He had heard a lot of much greasier compliments from others, and this son of him also had sent countless flatteries to him. Then, he asked, ¡°You killed Crow, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Yan Xiangma smiled and said, ¡°That Crow was so bold as to attack sister Xiaoxin. He was seeking his death! Recently, all guards in the City Lord Mansion were sent to hunt down Crow. Also, since I wanted to share your worries and revenge for my younger sister, I sent some of my trusted subordinates to look for Crow everywhere. I didn¡¯t expect that they really found some traces of him. By following the clue, we spread a dragnet from which there was no escape and finally killed Crow at one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°Where did you kill him?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡¯s home.¡±


    ¡°Is he a classmate of Xiaoxin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    Yan Bolai raised his head and immersed in thought, his eyes without focus. He said in a low voice, ¡°The two attacks have something to do with Li Muyang. Is Li Muyang¡¯s background clean?¡±


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ve looked into this matter. His background is absolutely clean. He is definitely not the pawn placed in Jiangnan City by the Song Family or the Lu Family.¡±


    With a significantly sterner look, Yan Bolai rebuked in a low voice, ¡°Who told you that the assassinator was sent by either the Song Family or the Lu Family?¡±


    ¡°Father, do I need others to tell me about that? Except for the Song Family and the Lu Family, there is no other¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. If you don¡¯t have any evidence, don¡¯t mention it again in the future.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t speak it carelessly. I just casually mentioned it to you. Now there are only you and me in this room.¡±


    ¡°Even when you are alone with me, you should not make wild guesses and implicate others in doing something evil. Remember, this is a great taboo.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Xiangma bowed slightly and accepted his father¡¯s instruction.


    Only then did Yan Bolai¡¯s expression softened a little. He looked at his son and said, ¡°Since Crow was one of the top 20 killers on the empire¡¯s killer list, I suppose his strength was not bad. But you are merely at the Medium Level of the Mountain Realm, so how could you kill Crow by yourself?¡±


    ¡°It was not just me. Li Dalu and others helped. You know, their strength is pretty good, though they are a little too stupid.¡±


    ¡°Since your men had found the whereabouts of killer Crow, why didn¡¯t they immediately report to the City Lord Mansion? And why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me before you took the wanted order?¡± Yan Bolai gazed deeply into Yan Xiangma¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°What are you hiding from me?¡±


    Yan Xiangma¡¯s face stiffened, but it instantly returned to normal. He then said with a smile, ¡°I did not mean to conceal it from you, and I had nothing to hide. The reason why I didn¡¯t send anyone to notify the City Lord Mansion was that I didn¡¯t have enough time to do that. You know what Crow was capable of. He could come and go without casting a shadow. And also, he could kill extremely fast. When I met him, I didn¡¯t even have a chance to take a breath, let alone send someone to ask for help. Besides, the City Lord Mansion offered a reward for killing Crow, and Father, you stamped the reward notice in person. After I killed Crow, I certainly would go to get the bounty. If I told you in advance, with your upright character, you would never allow me to collect the 3,000 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°But after you took this credit, the person behind this would keep an eye on you in the future, and you also would have to bear their endless revenge since then. Do you know any of these?¡±


    ¡°Father, who am I?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Yan Xiangma, the son of the Jiangnan City¡¯s Governor. Father, since you are a well-renowned person who is in charge of Jiangnan City, I naturally have to be indomitable and fearless. I despise those useless ruffians who only dare to sneak up on others. If they dare to come out and put up a real fight with me, I¡¯ll crush their little balls.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yan Bolai smashed his palm on the table, reproaching furiously, ¡°Do you regard this matter as a mere trifle?¡±


    Yan Xiangma looked at his father seriously and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a trifling matter. Instead, I take it as my responsibility.¡±


    Yan Bolai stared at his son for quite a long time. Then he waved his hand and said, ¡°Just go out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    Yan Xiangma opened his mouth, trying to say something, but he said nothing in the end. Then he turned around and walked outside.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The sound of gear astir came from the room.


    The giant painting ¡°Tiger Roaring in Mountains¡± was divided into two parts from the middle, and in the middle of the wall appeared a huge dark hole, from which a man in a gray robe came out.


    He walked up to Yan Bolai and looked at him, saying, ¡°Governor, young master has been deeply involved in this matter. I¡¯m afraid there will be trouble in the future.¡±


    Yan Bolai pushed the chair away and stood up, walking back and forth in the study with some annoyance. He said, ¡°Even the Cui Family hasn¡¯t come to a conclusion about this matter, but he actively stirred up the stormy situation. It grates on my nerves. I seem not to discipline him well.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do next?¡±


    Gazing at the moon outside of the window, Yan Bolai pondered for a long time. Then he said, ¡°First of all, you must send some people to ensure my son¡¯s safety. He has some competence in self-preservation, but it is far from enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The second thing, you must keep Xiaoxin safe. It¡¯s a good thing that Xiaoxin won¡¯t go out these days. A few days after the Liberal-arts Exam, the Cui Family will send some people to bring Xiaoxin back to Capital Heaven. It is hard to predict the surging situation in the capital, so let¡¯s wait and see.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The third thing, recheck Li Muyang. If it¡¯s necessary, you might as well try him out by yourself¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you suspect that Li Muyang is someone¡¯s pawn?¡± The black-robed man asked in a low voice, ¡°Young master checked him out, and so did I. All his information is normal, and we couldn¡¯t find any flaws.¡±


    ¡°That you couldn¡¯t find any flaws may be the biggest flaw.¡± With a frosty look, Yan Bolai continued, ¡°He killed Crow. How can such a master simply be the useless teenager that you and I know?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the black-robed man said in a low voice.


    Yan Bolai sighed gently and said, ¡°Xiangma idles about all day and has never done any decent work. Such a state of him is not good for his future. This time when Xiaoxin goes back to the capital, let him go with her and find a job in Capital Heaven.¡±

 Chapter 44 - Villains Smashed the Bakery!

    Li Muyang lifted Zhang Chen and threw him into the lotus pond. Such a fucking awesome thing that he did made Li Muyang once again a hot topic of Fuxing High School.


    Every day when Li Sinian came back from school, she would tell him the following influence of the disturbance with an excited look on her face.


    ¡°Brother, brother, do you know what? Now, lots of boys in our school worship you.¡±


    ¡°Some people suspect that it must be fake news. After all, in the past, Zhang Chen was as sharp as a razor while you were a lousy fighter. Hey, but then many people came out, saying that they had seen for themselves how you defeated him. It was a real slap in the faces of those suspects¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother, a girl in my class, wrote you a letter. It¡¯s a love letter. You haven¡¯t received any love letter before, have you? Come on, touch it. That¡¯s how love letters look like. Hua Juan is my best friend. How about being her boyfriend?¡±


    ¡­


    Nevertheless, Li Muyang remained calm. No matter how vigorously Li Sinian talked about this, he just smiled faintly. Occasionally when he felt that these little girls were funny, he would tease himself along with his sister.


    After throwing Zhang Chen into the lotus pond, Li Muyang didn¡¯t let anybody know it when he left the school. He knew that if he stayed at school, there would only be more conflicts. He didn¡¯t want to compromise, nor would he apologize to Zhang Chen.


    Of course, just like him, Zhang Chen certainly would neither compromise nor apologize.


    He had also heard that Zhang Chen¡¯s father was a mighty person. ¡°So what? Can he be as powerful as Crow?¡± Li Muyang thought to himself.


    Li Muyang had been reflecting on himself over the past few days.


    In the past, Li Muyang had often been mocked or bullied like this. Many times, he suffered much severer bullying. But in a peaceful mind at that time, Li Muyang didn¡¯t mind being bullied as long as these bullies didn¡¯t affect his sleep, and after that, he would always hurry to sleep. Li Muyang had never been so furious, nor would he fight with his classmate only because he had a few words of a dispute with him.


    Li Muyang knew that his body had experienced some huge changes.


    For example, he punched Zhang Chen away with one move. Also, he hit Crow into the air with his fist. For another example, he could easily rip off a large piece of rock from the bluestone table.


    His heart was filled with fury, and he could felt that his blood was boiling.


    Li Muyang knew that there was a monster living in his body.


    He remembered that Crow asked before his death, ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡±


    ¡°What kind of monster is living in my body?¡± Li Muyang had been thinking about this question in his mind. There were always intermittent scenes appearing in his dream. He dreamed that his body was torn by a giant dragon whose body was then chopped into several pieces. In addition, he saw two balls of light intertwining with each other in the sky and knew that it was his fateful enemy¡­


    Moreover, he could acquire some knowledge automatically. Besides, he knew various ways to solve problems in the study, though they were even strange to himself.


    Li Muyang had changed so much that he felt that he was no longer who he used to be.


    What made him more upset was that he didn¡¯t know to whom he could talk about his changes, nor could he find any person to remove his doubts.


    He was waiting. In a surprisingly pleasant but cautious state, he waited for the real self of him to emerge and the distant Capital Heaven to send him an invitation.


    ¡°Xifeng University¡­¡± Li Muyang muttered this name. ¡°Please.¡±


    Recently, Li Muyang had been practicing calligraphy. He rarely wrote in the past, so he had lousy handwriting. As he felt that he couldn¡¯t write well, he was less motivated to practice.


    Such was human nature!


    However, during this period, he found that he had made great progress in writing. His writing appeared to be much more good-looking with his more skillful strokes. With ease, Li Muyang could smoothly make vigorous calligraphic works.


    At the sight of this, Li Muyang was overjoyed.


    He had heard someone say that handwriting could be considered as a person¡¯s second face. Since Li Muyang didn¡¯t get a handsome face, he really wanted to draw some attention from others by using his ¡°second face.¡±


    As long as he had some free time, he would bend over his desk to practice writing. Without deliberately imitating the works of famous calligraphers, he just wrote freely.


    The more he wrote, the better his works of calligraphy. It seemed to him that the writing style originally belonged to him long ago.


    ¡°Again, I got another skill that seems to have been mine before.¡± Li Muyang sighed softly.


    After practicing the brush calligraphy for two hours, Li Muyang stood up and went to stretch out his body in the yard.


    After going through the incident about Crow, he discovered the importance of his body.


    Therefore, whenever he got some free time, he would walk according to the steps described in the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±. After walking a few more laps, he could easily get rid of his fatigue feeling, and his mind would become much clearer and more comfortable.


    While Li Muyang was walking, there came a rat-a-tat on the door.


    It was a series of sharp knocks. It seemed that someone had something urgent.


    Li Muyang quickly walked over and opened the door. Aunt Zhao, who lived next door, stood at the gate of the yard. When she saw Li Muyang, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Li Muyang, is your father at home?¡±


    ¡°No. Aunt Zhao, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Muyang, hurry up to find your father and ask him to go to your family¡¯s bakery¡ªsomething bad happened there.¡± Aunt Zhao was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet as she spoke.


    Li Muyang got heated and asked, ¡°What happened in the bakery? Is my mother all right?¡±


    ¡°When I passed by the shop door, I saw a group of hooligans making trouble in the shop. Your mother is fine now, but I¡¯m afraid that she will suffer later¡­ Go to get your dad back now!¡±


    Li Muyang closed the door of the courtyard and strode toward the bakery.


    ¡°Go to bring your dad back! You can¡¯t help.¡± Aunt Zhao reminded him from behind. As every neighbor knew, Li Muyang was invalid.


    Many people gathered at the Sinian Bakery.


    Standing in front of the bakery, Luo Qi said with a smile, ¡°Big brother Tianyi, I have the greatest respect for you, but the profit of the little bakery that we laboriously run is too little. Besides, we have paid the management fee at the beginning of this month. Now it is just in the middle of the mouth, why do you charge us the fee again? In this way, we really can¡¯t afford it. If this continues, at the end of the next month, we will get nothing, and instead, we will have to pay out of our own pocket to keep this shop going.¡±


    Zhang Tianyi, a squat, muscular man with a chubby head, was the most powerful street gangster in the Water Willow Street. At this moment, he stared at Luo Qi with a skin-deep smile and said, ¡°Boss Luo, you can say your troubles to others, but it¡¯s meaningless to tell us these things. After all, we are your old neighbors, so I¡¯ve seen how exactly your business is every day. Also, I know how many people have gone in and out of your bakery. I have asked my men to record it. Boss Luo, you are a capable person, and your Sinian Bakery has some reputation in Jiangnan City. So what do you think? You still don¡¯t want to pay the management fee, do you?¡±


    Zhang Tianyi glanced at the followers behind him and said with a smile, ¡°If you don¡¯t want us to protect you, it¡¯ll be fine for us. But if anyone comes to your bakery to fight¡­¡±


    Zhang Tianyi rushed into the shop, took a plate of lotus cake that Luo Qi had just made from the shelf, and slammed it to the ground.


    ¡°Clank¡­¡±


    The iron tray bounced back into the air after hitting the granite floor, while those cakes that smelled like lotus were rolling around.


    ¡°Big Brother Tianyi, why do you have to push me to a dead end? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to hand in the management fee, but I have already paid at the beginning of a month. If you charge a fee per month, we can barely bear it. But now you want us to pay the fee twice in a month. We really can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to give the money to me, right?¡± Zhang Tianyi asked, smiling as brilliantly as Maitreya, the Happy Buddha.


    ¡°Can you wait until next month?¡± Luo Qi said with embarrassment, ¡°I have to pay to send my two children to school. Beyond that, there are household expenses for us to cover. Each month, we managed to get along with the little income of the shop, so we really can¡¯t afford to pay the fee again.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tianyi, don¡¯t talk so much nonsense to her. Let¡¯s smash her shop.¡±


    ¡°Those who are unwilling to pay the small fee will lose a great deal more. At the time when you don¡¯t even have a shop, I¡¯ll see how you¡¯re going to support your family.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tianyi comes to you, representing the will of the god. Do you still dare to go against the will of heaven?¡±


    ¡°Wow, brother Leopard, what a great compliment! It sounds so imposing and domineering!¡±


    ¡­


    When Zhang Tianyi looked at Luo Qi¡¯s still charming face, an evil idea cropped up in his heart. He said with a smile, ¡°Have you thought it all over? If you don¡¯t want to pay, there is the other choice for you¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the choice?¡± Luo Qi asked with a vigilant look. She came from a wealthy family and hence had a clear understanding of human nature. She didn¡¯t believe that Zhang Tianyi would be so kind as to free them from the cost.


    ¡°How about going to have a drink with me? We can sit together, drinking and chatting. Then, maybe we¡¯ll come up with the other solution, am I right? You can ask around to see if I have ever charged a fee from the widow Bai who runs a restaurant across the street.¡±


    ¡°Clap!¡±


    Zhang Tianyi got a slap in the face.


    The smile on Luo Qi¡¯s face disappeared. She stared coldly at Zhang Tianyi and said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    ¡°Tut-tut-tut¡­¡± Zhang Tianyi stretched out his hand, touching his cheek that was slapped by Luo Qi just now. Then he stuck his tongue out at his palm center and said with a big smile, ¡°Sweet. You smell so good. It tastes like milk.¡±


    Zhang Tianyi waved his hand, thundering, ¡°Brothers, smash the bakery.¡±


    ¡°Clank!¡±


    A shelf was pushed down.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    They smashed a large hole in the stove.


    ¡°Don¡¯t smash our shop.¡± The little girl of the bakery rushed forward, trying to stop them. However, a tall and bulky man instantly caught her and kissed her hard on her tender face.


    ¡°Stop! All of you stop now!¡± Luo Qi roared in a hoarse voice and rushed over, intending to grab the little girl from the big fellow¡¯s arms.


    Zhang Tianyi stepped forward, barring her way with his muscular body. Wearing a sensual smile, he said with pleasure, ¡°Boss Luo, what¡¯s your plan? If you don¡¯t accept my suggestion now, there will be nothing left in Sinian Bakery.¡±


    ¡°Stop daydreaming. I¡¯d rather die than take your advice.¡± Luo Qi shouted with a sharp voice.


    ¡°See? Look at you! You are not as smart as the widow Bai on the opposite side of the street. It¡¯s originally a small matter that can be solved easily. Why do you have to make it so complicated?¡± It looked that Zhang Tianyi felt very regretful for her.


    He glanced at the miserable scene around him and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Zhang Tianyi. I come to you on behalf of the divine will. If you refuse to accept your fate, gods in heaven won¡¯t allow you to continue earning a living in this street. Other places are out of my control, but in this Water Willow Street, people do whatever I tell them to.¡±


    He raised his arm high and then cut it down with great force. He shouted, ¡°Smash the shop! Smash hard! I want you to knock everything in this shop down in broken pieces!¡±

 Chapter 45 - Kneel! Kneel Before Me!

    ¡°Clank! Clank! Clank!¡±


    This bunch of gangsters pushed down the shelves in the bakery and smashed the stoves into pieces.


    ¡°Help! Help! Sister Qi, help me!¡± The waitress struggled desperately and reached out to push the big guy¡¯s fat face away, trying to escape from this huge monster¡¯s claws.


    However, she was too weak. No matter how hard she tried, the big fat man¡¯s smelly mouth still moved around her neck.


    Two patissiers rushed over, carrying their rolling pins. But before they could launch any counterattack, these fierce street fighters directly knocked them down to the ground. Though they were good at making pastries, they were no match for these hooligans when they began to fight.


    ¡°Lil Ting!¡± Luo Qi¡¯s eyes widened, and she rushed to the little girl who was a poor child without parents. No matter what, Luo Qi would never let these hooligans ruin this innocent girl.


    However, the sturdy Zhang Tianyi just took a step forward and successfully kept Luo Qi from the waitress and the big guy.


    ¡°Zhang Tianyi, I¡¯ll fight to the death with you!¡± Luo Qi reached out to grab Zhang Tianyi¡¯s face, but instead, he grabbed her by the wrist.


    ¡°Fight with me?¡± Zhang Tianyi¡¯s smiling eyes narrowing into a slit, he continued, ¡°If you fight here, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t get any advantages. But if you fight with me on the bed, you may have a small chance of winning.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Tianyi!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Keep your bold and vigorous energy. I really like this type¡­¡±


    ¡°Clank!¡±


    The wooden door of the bakery was suddenly burst open, and Li Muyang was standing at the door, panting.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi was extremely sensitive to everything that was related to Li Muyang. Seeing that he suddenly ran into the store, she was terrified that these hooligans would hurt him, so she screamed, ¡°Muyang, run! Go and find your father!¡±


    ¡°Whew, is this your little bastard? Hey, hey, it¡¯s good to let him watch. Anyway, young people should get in touch with various aspects of society as soon as possible.¡± Zhang Tianyi glanced sideways at Li Muyang, and his spirit was further heightened.


    ¡°Zhang Tianyi, you are a beast! Muyang, run away now!¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t escape,¡± said Zhang Tianyi. Meanwhile, several punks had already closed in on Li Muyang.


    ¡°Zhang Tianyi! Let go of him! Let go of my son! I¡¯ll give you the money. I¡¯ll pay you all the management fees as you have requested. I¡¯ll give you all the money that you want. Do you know who he is? If you dare to hurt him, I¡¯ll make you die without a burial place! I¡¯ll let your whole family die with him!¡± Luo Qi shouted hysterically. With all her strength, she rushed to protect Li Muyang, looking like she would never give up until she died.


    ¡°If you had agreed to my request earlier, there wouldn¡¯t have been these things, haven¡¯t there? Well, you want to protect your son, right? It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t do that. Like I said, go and have a drink with me. Let¡¯s have a good chat. Then, I believe you can solve all the problems that you have now.¡±


    When Li Muyang saw what was happening, red clouds instantly occupied his dark eyes.


    It was blood-red. It looked as if the pair of pitch-dark eyes had been soaked in a pool of blood.


    His expression was as cold as frost, and even his face looked so cold as if it were saturated with ice water.


    Li Muyang¡¯s clenched fists cracked. It sounded like he were about to smash his bones.


    On the back of his right hand, the initially missing scale grew increasingly darker. Now it looked like a piece of ink-stone embedded into his flesh.


    The ink-stone like scale was so dark that it made his skin appear much whiter.


    Li Muyang stood still, gasping heavily there. He was waiting for those scumbags to pounce on him.


    ¡°Boy, you are looking for death. Don¡¯t blame others.¡± The leader, a pockmark-faced man, said with a smile. After that, he stretched out his hand to grab Li Muyang¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have provoked me,¡± Li Muyang said in a low rough voice. His voice sounded cold and weathered. It was hard to believe that it came from a young boy¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Yo, little guy, you have a temper.¡± The person with a pockmarked face looked at his companions, laughing at Li Muyang. He then said, ¡°What will you do if we provoke you? Can you kill us?¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Li Muyang delivered a punch.


    There were thunder whistling and lightning roaring.


    Countless rays of white lightning flashed in the air as if a bolt of lightning had exploded inside the shop.


    ¡°Whiz¡­¡±


    A powerful force darted around fast. It raised those shelves and cakes that had been thrown to the ground and knocked them violently into the walls around. Then there came the endless clanks.


    The four gangsters in black, who gathered around Li Muyang, were the first to be blown away by the matchless wild wind.


    They hit against the wall, and then there were crackling sounds of their bones constantly coming from inside their bodies.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The four of them landed on the ground at the same time, and then they spat out large mouthfuls of blood.


    The person who suffered the most was the pockmark-faced man whom Li Muyang punched directly. Since he stood right before Li Muyang, his whole chest was hit and then collapsed.


    His body was knocked into the air, and he spat a mouthful of blood. With his blood splashing around, this man flew back as fast as a gust of wind.


    ¡°Rustle!¡±


    His body crashed the wood partition and directly flew into the kitchen behind the bakery.


    Then there was no more movement inside. The man must have been blown to death. After all, this punch was too powerful for him to bear.


    The big guy, who held Lil Ting in his arms and refused to let go, helped her instead this time. When the powerful force swept around like an exploded bomb, his body also rushed toward the display shelf.


    His body heavily slammed into the mahogany shelf, making the old shelf squeak.


    But because this big guy acted as a meat buffer, Lil Ting, who was in his arms, luckily survived.


    Luo Qi¡¯s body was quite soft and light. Under the influence of this fierce force, she just floated into the air and fell on the worktop for making pastries. The flour on the worktop was all over her face and body.


    Well, Zhang Tianyi had acquired a masterly skill. Thus, when he felt that the situation became tense, he immediately used the ¡°Iron-Horse River-Crossing¡± to lower himself and keep his feet.


    His feet stepped on the ground, and the granite ground made a cracking sound. His feet sank into the stone as if he had integrated with the huge granite.


    Li Muyang was like a god who came to the world. Once he made a move, he was able to bring such a huge storm.


    The power of his punch could shake heaven and earth.


    The fierce wind whistled past in an instant, and then the store returned to normal.


    No, the bakery could never get back to normal.


    Before Li Muyang arrived, Sinian Bakery just appeared a little messy, for a few gangsters had robbed it.


    But after Li Muyang appeared on the spot and launched a punch, he made Sinian Bakery into a hell of a mess. It now looked as if the shop had just gone through a mini-tornado.


    ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!¡±


    A piece of greaseproof paper for bakery flew upward in the air and slowly drifted down to the ground.


    All the people who were still alive in the bakery were startled.


    Their eyes passed through the greaseproof paper in the air and finally landed on Li Muyang.


    Luo Qi raised her head from the pile of flour while white flour falling continuously from her face and head.


    Her face was full of surprise, and she looked at Li Muyang in disbelief with her eyes wide open.


    ¡°Is he¡­ my son?¡±


    The pupils of those men in black who spat out blood widened. For a moment, they thought that they were dead.


    They felt that they had met Azrael (the Angel of Death).


    In the desperate process of waiting to die, they felt they were unable to move a little. Except for Azrael, no one had ever given them such a sense of suffocation like Li Muyang.


    By making use of his flesh and blood, Zhang Tianyi withstood the attacks of the fast airflow brought about by Li Muyang¡¯s punch. But as a result, his clothes were torn to pieces as if countless blades had cut them.


    After the strong wind, he was in rags, just like those beggars on the street who begged for a living.


    Zhang Tianyi spread his arms out as if he were holding a big ball.


    Although the cold wind had just blown him, his forehead was sweating profusely. Beads of sweat kept falling, sliding across his face and then dripping into his fat neck.


    The muscles on his face kept twitching as if they were pieces of the meat of a pig¡¯s head that were heated by a big fire in a pot.


    His short legs also kept shaking. This time, Zhang Tianyi was really scared.


    He felt much terrified in the depth of his heart as if the Angel of Death had just slid the blade across his neck,


    ¡°Puff!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. With a sweet taste in his throat, he bent down and spat out big mouthfuls of blood.


    Step by step, Li Muyang walked toward him.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    ¡­


    Li Muyang was wearing flat cloth shoes, so he could not make loud sounds if he stepped on the floor. However, for Zhang Tianyi, every step he took seemed like a rumble of thunder in his ears.


    Li Muyang stood in front of Zhang Tianyi. With his blood-red pupils that had no human emotions, he glanced at Zhang Tianyi, who was seriously injured and was spitting blood.


    ¡°Big brother! Big brother, let me go this time. This time I was wrong. I dare not come here again. I promise that I won¡¯t come here to collect the management fee again in the future.¡± Zhang Tianyi looked at Li Muyang¡¯s eyes and begged.


    But soon, Zhang Tianyi felt as if he had fallen into a deep pool, which was so deep that it was hard for him to see its bottom.


    He feared the feeling of drowning. His body kept sinking, but no matter how desperately he tried to find a piece of duckweed that could help him rise to the surface, he found nothing.


    ¡°I deserve to die a thousand times. I am willing to apologize to Luo Qi, no, to Boss Luo. I¡¯m willing to compensate for all the losses of this bakery. As long as you let me go this time, I¡¯d very much like to do whatever you ask me to do. Name a price. I will give you any amount of money that you want.¡±


    ¡°Big brother, say something¡­ I will never dare to do such things in the future. I will stop charging protection fees in this street. Moreover, I am willing to pay you the protection fee instead. From now on, you will be my big brother. I will follow your lead. I will do whatever you ask me to do. I will not hesitate even if you ask me to kill or set fire.¡±


    ¡°Kneel,¡± Li Muyang said in a majestic voice.


    ¡°What? Big brother, don¡¯t be like this. Boss Luo, help me, please. Say something to him. Your son will kill me. He is going to kill me! Hurry up to stop him now!¡±


    Zhang Tianyi wanted to escape, but his trembling legs couldn¡¯t move a bit.


    Luo Qi¡¯s mouth was stuffed with flour, so she felt her mouth a little dry when she chewed.


    She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she said nothing in the end.


    The current Li Muyang made her feel extremely strange and flustered.


    ¡°Kneel,¡± Li Muyang said again, in a slightly angry voice.


    ¡°Big brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Kneel before me!¡± Li Muyang shouted furiously all of a sudden, and his pupils were filled with boiling blood fogs.


    ¡°Plop!¡±


    Zhang Tianyi¡¯s knees went limp, and he knelt down heavily in front of Li Muyang.

 Chapter 46 - Make a Breakthrough with Ease!

    The scorching sun was baking the ground.


    At noon, there were only a few people on the street. People who were willing to go to the bakery were even less.


    In such sultry weather and such a tightly sealed room, everyone found it hard to bear the heat and began to sweat profusely.


    It was not just a matter of the weather, but Tianyi.


    Zhang Tianyi was known as the tyrant in the Water Willow Street. With the most followers under his leadership, he was the most potent chief now. Also, he was famous for his ruthless moves. The Water Willow Street and a few downtown streets around this street were within Zhang Tianyi¡¯s repressive control range, within which few people could and dared not to challenge the authority.


    There used to be a hero Haonan, a young man who rose from Hong Xing Street. He had gathered many of his most loyal buddies like Pheasant, Foreskin and others who were all tough men, trying to compete against Zhang Tianyi. Unfortunately, he was defeated and since then traveled to somewhere far away.


    Then Zhang Tianyi was the king who had absolute authority over people in the Water Willow Street. When he asked people to stand, they had to stand still. If he told others to kneel, people must do that. Likewise, only with his permission could people manage to make a living in this street. Well, if he didn¡¯t want someone to do business here, he would end up like this¡ªhe kneeled in front of Li Muyang, admitting his guilt and begging for his life.


    In the past, it was Zhang Tianyi who asked others to kneel down. But this time, Zhang Tianyi actually knelt before Li Muyang. If this piece of news got out, all the people in Water Willow Street and even the entire western area of the city would be shocked.


    Zhang Tianyi was not tall. When he knelt, he instantly became a small pile of meat.


    He wanted to raise his head to look at Li Muyang and say a few soft words. However, he had hardly raised his head when Li Muyang berated in a deep voice, ¡°How dare you!¡±


    In a great hurry, Zhang Tianyi bowed his head and no longer dared to act presumptuously.


    Looking down from a height, Li Muyang stared at Zhang Tianyi. His eyes were still blood-red, which landed on the top of Zhang Tianyi¡¯s head like two rays of sword radiance.


    As a result, Zhang Tianyi felt that Li Muyang had pricked two bloody holes in his head.


    Li Muyang¡¯s body emitted waves of chill, which made him appear authoritative and others shudder with terror. No one dared to confront him directly.


    Zhang Tianyi was shivering all over the whole time. When Li Muyang freaked out, he was trembling. As Li Muyang fell silent, he shook more violently. That was because he found that when Li Muyang remained silent, he looked much more terrifying than when he was speaking.


    ¡°How many times did you charge us every month in the past?¡± asked Li Muyang.


    ¡°What?¡± Zhang Tianyi looked up and asked.


    ¡°Clap!¡±


    Li Muyang slapped Zhang Tianyi, whose head then hit hard on the stone floor, broken and bleeding.


    Zhang Tianyi knew that he was wrong, so he quickly got up from the ground again.


    He knelt carefully with his head down and shoulders folded, didn¡¯t dare to misbehave a little.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the management fee.¡± Li Muyang said in a low voice, ¡°How many times did you charge per month in the past?¡±


    ¡°Once a month,¡± Zhang Tianyi answered quickly. ¡°According to the rule, I collected fees once a month at the beginning of every month. After that, I wouldn¡¯t bother these shop owners in a month. I was wrong, big brother. I was really wrong. I won¡¯t do it again in the future. This time, it was my fault. I deserve to die¡­¡±


    ¡°Clap!¡±


    Li Muyang slapped him again, and Zhang Tianyi¡¯s forehead knocked hard against the granite floor again. Li Muyang hit him so vehemently that Zhang Tianyi¡¯s forehead was severely mangled and was nearly smashed up.


    ¡°You answer whatever I ask. If I don¡¯t ask you, you mustn¡¯t beg for my mercy. You can never keep your life by begging. Only by answering my questions honestly can you save yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did you change the rule?¡± Li Muyang asked again.


    ¡°I have been greedy for money recently because I¡¯m running short of it. I¡¯ve lost too much in the casino, so I wanted to collect some money from these shop owners to help the situation.¡±


    ¡°Have you charged the others the fee?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just collected the fee from two shops¡­¡±


    ¡°Did they pay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Which two shopowners gave you the money?¡±


    ¡°Widow Bai¡¯s Restaurant across the street and the teahouse next door.¡±


    Li Muyang thought for a moment and asked, ¡°If I am right, both the two shops are closely related to you. In that case, you collected the management fee from your property. Is it true?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s voice became colder and colder. He said, ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t want to save your life.¡±


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Zhang Tianyi banged his head heavily on the floor, making several more kowtows with great strength.


    Zhang Tianyi was scared out of shit. He cried and begged for mercy, saying, ¡°Big brother, I was wrong. I confess that I came to your bakery to collect the management fee the second time this month under the order of some people. They gave me ten gold coins, saying that if I could get the second month¡¯s management fee from your bakery in your house, they would give me another 100 gold coins¡­ The money tempted me. Anyway, I had nothing else to do for the time being, so I rushed to your bakery with my buddies.¡±


    ¡°I knew that your mother was in charge here. I thought that it must be easy to pick on a woman. If I acted tough enough, she could only surrender and give me the money obediently. If so, I can get an extra management fee this month and 100 gold coins. However, I didn¡¯t expect your mother to be so stubborn. She refused to give it to me, so I had no choice but to threaten her that I would smash her bakery¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this matter is not that simple, right?¡± Li Muyang knew her mother¡¯s character. Luo Qi, who was soft outside but hard inside, would never compromise easily. But she was flexible and extremely good at judging the occasion. As long as she found that her families and friends were in great danger, she would never care about such a small amount of money. In fact, she had donated a lot to low-income families every month. Even Lil Ting in the bakery was brought back by her from the street. In her eyes, life was much more valuable than money.


    However, her mother was still not willing to compromise when her situation was so bad, which proved that things were not what Zhang Tianyi explained previously.


    ¡°I, I had some other intents. I was possessed by my sexual desire. I wanted to, to¡­¡± Zhang Tianyi found it so hard to tell Li Muyang that he wanted to sleep with his mother.


    If it were in the past, he would tell someone with pride that he was going to sleep with his mother. But now, kneeling before this young man, especially after he saw this young man¡¯s powerful punch, he really didn¡¯t have that much courage to say so.


    Frankly, only those with enough strength were qualified to discard the sense of shame!


    ¡°I see.¡± Li Muyang¡¯s face became more embarrassed. He stared at Zhang Tianyi with cold eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you failed to save your life.¡±


    ¡°Big brother, big brother! Luo Qi! Boss Luo, please help me. Your son will kill me. He is going to kill!¡±


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi called out.


    Li Muyang turned around to look at her. The redness in his eyes faded a little, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. There was loving-kindness in his eyes¡­ Yes, Luo Qi saw loving-kindness when she looked into his eyes.


    He looked more like an elder who pitied her than her son.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Li Muyang said in a low voice.


    Li Muyang gave a punch.


    ¡°Poof¡­¡±


    There was a sound of flesh being blown up, and then Zhang Tianyi¡¯s body vanished in the air.


    His body, his flesh, his blood, and his bones had all disappeared. It was as if he had never existed.


    Before a stall in a street corner where roasted sweet potatoes were sold, an old man who was eating a sweet potato heard the noise from the bakery and stopped peeling. He could not help whispering in a low voice, ¡°It is the ¡®Supreme Golden-Body Skill¡¯. This boy can actually destroy the body and burn the blood without leaving any trace¡­¡±


    After thinking for a while, he shook his head gently.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t look like it. It¡¯s not the ¡®Supreme Golden-Body Skill¡¯. The ¡®Supreme Golden-Body Skill¡¯ is a Daoist priceless treasure. Those Daoist martial arts have a style of ¡®No desire and ignorance¡¯. But this boy¡¯s punch had sharp killing intent. In his punch, the wild power was excessively strong, and the bloody smell was too intense. It felt more like a Fiendish Divine Skill. Just by using brute force, he was able to produce the mighty effect that the Supreme Golden-Body Skill usually makes. What exactly is his background?¡±


    ¡°It seems that things are getting more and more interesting.¡± The black-robed old man tossed a few copper coins onto the table and stepped on the open and empty street with hunched shoulders.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When Yan Bolai was absorbed in his work, the Holy Maiden Fruit planted in a pot on the table suddenly shook slightly. A small fruit fell on the table and slid toward the paper that he was writing on.


    Yan Bolai picked up the fruit and glanced at it. Then he threw it into the flower pot and pressed the eye of the pen holder that shaped like a bronze beast on the table.


    ¡°Rustle¡­¡±


    The painting ¡°Tiger Roaring in Mountains¡± was parted precisely in the middle, and a large pitch-dark hole appeared in the wall.


    A man in a black robe walked over and stopped in front of Yan Bolai¡¯s desk, saying respectfully, ¡°I¡¯ve asked someone to sound him out. This young man hid his strength deep, but his moves were unusually good. It seemed that the punch he launched was powerful enough to bring a drastic change to the situation. In particular, the final punch he made was even more miraculous. It even had the mighty power that could destroy the body, which was as powerful as what the Daoist ¡®Supreme Golden-Body Skill¡¯ can produce.¡±


    Yan Bolai put down the writing brush in his hand, took a sip of the tea, and asked, ¡°How is Xiangma when compared with him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid young master is slightly inferior to him,¡± the black-robed man answered in a low voice.


    If someone who worked for him said that the young master was a little worse than someone else, it meant that Xiangma actually was far worse. Yan Bolai certainly understood the hidden meaning in the old man¡¯s reply.


    Yan Bolai slightly frowned and asked, ¡°Have you found out what his background is?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The old man said with a face full of regret, ¡°I¡¯ve monitored the fight from a close distance. This young man attacked directly without any techniques, nor could I see which sect he belonged to. The brute force was all he relied on upon to wound and kill his enemies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite strange.¡± A faint smile appeared on Yan Bolai¡¯s square face as he said, ¡°He hurt his enemies by sheer animal strength, but still, you said that Yan Xiangma, who had reached the middle stage of the Mountain Realm, was ¡®slightly inferior¡¯ to him. How capable is he that deserves such an evaluation from you? Who on earth is he?¡±


    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°If he had hidden his identity, then why would he burst into furious and kill people when he merely encountered a minor setback? If he didn¡¯t intend to hide his background, why would he conceal his real strength? Could it be that he is just born with divine power and has nothing else that we should watch out?¡±


    The man in black kept silent, but his master had hit on an explanation.


    ¡°He¡¯s born with brute strength, but his IQ is truly low.¡± Yan Bolai said sarcastically, ¡°Xiangma had just helped him to cover his identity and hid him in a safe place. However, I didn¡¯t expect him to jump out hastily again after we threw a few fish to him. This move of him was so excellent that he instantly ruined all painstaking efforts that Xiangma made for him in previous.¡±


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re right. Originally, some people behind the scenes thought that young master was the chief culprit of Crow¡¯s death. But after Li Muyang impulsively showed his power this time, I¡¯m afraid that they would cast the suspicious light on Li Muyang once again. These people would think that the young master, who used his power, forcibly took Li Muyang¡¯s credit and reward to show off. You know that young master had deliberately asked some people to send 1,500 gold coins to him as the reward. This act of young master can also be considered as one of the clear proofs. In my opinion, Li Muyang will be drawn into the perplexing situation again.¡±


    ¡°We should help Xiangma to clear off the murderous charge against him.¡± Yan Bolai sighed softly. ¡°My son had no idea how serious the matter was. For the sake of brotherhood, he came forward and made himself a target. Once those people take their actions, they will definitely fight to their last gasps. With Yan Xiangma¡¯s low cultivation level, how can he protect himself when he encounters strong enemies?¡±


    ¡°Master, you made a breakthrough with ease! It¡¯s so impressive! Then, how about Li Muyang¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already thrown him into the broad daylight and exposed his ability. What kind of monster is hiding in his body? I¡¯m afraid those people behind the scenes are more eager to know that than us. Since I can¡¯t find it out by myself, just let others have a look together with us.¡±

 Chapter 47 - What a Mean Uncle!!

    In this deep and serene courtyard, jacaranda blossoms were in full bloom on all the branches of the trees. These flowers always grew in clusters, making a flourishing and lively scene that looked like a beautiful painting drawn by an imperial master of arts.


    A young lady in a white dress was sitting under a tree that was full of blue flowers. With a pot of green tea and an ancient scroll, she was enjoying her leisurely and carefree holiday.


    She was reading ¡°Capital Heaven Record¡±, which was made up of a series of events that happened in Capital Heaven, the capital of the Xifeng Empire. It was written by Sima Qian, who was a great historian of no equal of his time. This book recorded political changes, economic development, anecdotes of some unusual people, etc. In this book, there were even descriptions of some technology heritages, such as Wanger Mazi¡¯s scissors, Li Xiaodong¡¯s iron-forging shop, liquors that no one could bear to drink more than three bowls and the braised pork of Tasty Restaurant.


    There were various kinds of miscellaneous records in this book, so it was widely spread. Some people liked the new things in this book. Some enjoyed its novel content. Some of the food lovers even took it as a map of delicacies. Moreover, some people even wanted to get to the root of the political tactics in this book. They tried to figure out the hidden meanings that the author would like to express through the success or failure of each character.


    However, Cui Xiaoxin didn¡¯t care about any of these. She was just reading. When she was reading, she didn¡¯t have to think about the past or the future. She simply enjoyed the meaning between the lines and the stories told by the author. Thus, for her, reading was the most natural and most relaxed thing to do.


    ¡°Xiaoxin, eat some fruit.¡± Her aunt Cui Xinci, who was in a pinky-white cheongsam, walked over with a bowl of fruit in her hand.


    She was initially a woman from the north, but she loved the dressing style of the south. The Cheongsam was her favorite, which gave her an unusual charm and made her a unique beauty.


    ¡°Thank you, aunt.¡± Cui Xiaoxin stood up to greet her.


    ¡°Sit down. Sit down,¡± Cui Xinci scolded in a sweet voice. ¡°Xiaoxin, I don¡¯t mean to blame you. Now there are only two of us in the backyard, and no outsiders are around to watch us. Besides, even if someone were looking at us, so what? Furthermore, both of us are women from the Cui Family who have the same blood in our bodies. We are the real families! Why are you always so polite to your aunt? I don¡¯t like you being as courteous as this.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin chuckled and said, ¡°Well, then if you send me food and drink later, I won¡¯t say anything to express my gratitude, nor will I stand up to welcome you. I will just take the food to eat and pick the soup up to drink, treating you as an old maid.¡±


    ¡°If you act like that, I will feel happy in my heart. That¡¯s how Yan Xiangma treats me, but you see, I have never treated him as an adopted son because of that.¡± In a fascinating manner, Cui Xinci sat opposite Cui Xiaoxin and asked, ¡°Xiaoxin, are you reading again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Capital Heaven Record¡¯.¡± Cui Xiaoxin placed the book on the table and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to learn some customs and culture of Capital Heaven. After leaving the capital for several years, I feel that this city becomes a little strange to me. However, when I thought about it carefully, I found out that even when I was living in Capital Heaven, I knew little about it. I always thought that since I lived in this city, I could go around visiting it at any time. However, because I knew that Capital Heaven was within touch, I had never thought about going to feel and get familiar with it. After seriously recalling the years I spent in this city, I have to admit that I know nothing about this city.¡±


    Cui Xinci looked sad and said, ¡°Xiaoxin, in a few days, you will go back to Capital Heaven. I¡¯m reluctant to apart from you. If possible, I hope that you can stay here with me in Jiangnan City. Capital Heaven is big. Though people from the Cui Family were a great bunch there, life there is not as relax and easy as it is here after all. Capital Heaven is like a huge vortex, which would drag many people in it every day. I¡¯m very much afraid that you will also be involved in it.¡±


    ¡°Aunt,¡± Cui Xiaoxin held Cui Xinci¡¯s delicate and white hands in a tight grip and said, ¡°I¡¯m willing to stay in the south. I also want to stay with you. The few years of my life in Jiangnan City is the happiest and most relaxed period in my life. However, you know better about Capital Heaven and the Cui Family than me. Do you think that I can stay here?¡±


    ¡°Alas, since you were born in a rich family, you have to bear all kinds of responsibilities. This time, I can¡¯t go with you to the capital, so you must take good care of yourself. Yesterday, your uncle said that he would let Xiangma go to the capital with you and ask the eldest brother to arrange a job for him. He also said that Xiangma always loafed about Jiangnan City and did nothing serious, which was not good for his future after all. You are good-tempered and have a quiet, sedate nature, so you can always stay out of trouble. However, Xiangma is a real pain in my head. When he arrives in Capital Heaven, how big the trouble do you think that he will make?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin patted the back of her aunt¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Aunt, a man should have great ambition. Uncle wanted to do that only because he held high hopes for his son. You and uncle have been protecting and taking care of my cousin all these years when he lived with you. Thus, if you don¡¯t send him to experience something tough, how can he take on a great responsibility by himself? Uncle was a general who had fought on the battlefield back then. Only after he won many battles, the king of the empire trusted him with major responsibilities and made him the Governor of Jiangnan City. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Besides, my cousin is not a stupid person. I admire his decisiveness and courage. In Capital Heaven, there will be people from the Cui Family and the Yan Family to take care of him. Moreover, the rich Jiangnan City is regarded as the empire¡¯s treasury. Therefore, I suppose that no one dares to bully my cousin, who is the son of the Governor of Jiangnan City. Think about it seriously, aunt. My cousin is always the one who bullies others. When has he ever been bullied?¡±


    ¡°When children travel far from home, mothers never stop worrying. No matter what, I just cannot stop worrying.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re anxious about him, you can wait until the Spring Festival to see him. You haven¡¯t returned to Capital Heaven for a few years, have you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Then let¡¯s make an appointment. I will return to Capital Heaven and spend the Spring Festival there. I don¡¯t care whether Yan Bolai agrees or not, I will go back there at that time,¡± Cui Xinci said with a firm expression.


    ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Capital Heaven,¡± said Cui Xiaoxin with a smile.


    ¡°By the way, where is Xiangma now? Why hasn¡¯t he appeared at home today?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see him today either. Cousin went out early in the morning and said that he was going to visit a friend.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to meet Li Muyang again? I¡¯m so confused. How good can that Li Muyang be? A few days ago, you were fascinated by him and went to see him every day. Now, you have returned to normal, but your cousin started to act abnormal¡­ What does that guy look like? I heard that he¡¯s extremely ugly. Is it true?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin slightly lifted the corners of her mouth, showing a charming smile.


    ¡°It is too exaggerated to say that he is ugly to the extreme. It¡¯s just that his skin darkened after he came through a serious illness in his childhood. Despite that, he looks definitely a normal guy.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But still, he is not good enough for you.¡± Cui Xinci said with a faint smile, ¡°I think Yushu from the Song Family is better. I heard his good reputation when he was little. Later on, after I came to Jiangnan City with your uncle, I could still hear news about him from time to time. It seems that he is more and more outstanding now.¡±


    The smile on Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s face gradually disappeared, and she said, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯m afraid that no one cares about my intention for my marriage, right?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be with him, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer someone to ask me whether I¡¯m willing to marry him.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxin¡­¡± Cui Xinci held Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s hands tightly and said, ¡°You know our family well. But if you really don¡¯t want to marry him, you must say it. In any case, I support you.¡±


    ¡°If I hold on tight to my opinion with your support, can I change my fate?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Perhaps because Cui Xinci felt that the topic was somewhat depressed, she smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it now. Anyway, it is too early to talk about your marriage. Also, you will go to university, which will take you a few more years. You are so excellent that I believe you can find yourself a perfect husband.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin smiled lightly and said nothing. In her heart, she thought, ¡°She may not get enough nerve to say something like that about my marriage. When she was young, she was outstanding, too. Also, she got the true love of the young man who was an expert in wielding his silver spear and whom she also loved. But so what? In the end, she still married Uncle Yan Bolai, the current Governor of Jiangnan City.¡±


    ¡°The best way is to accept fate. After accepting the marriage that others arranged for her, my aunt still lives a happy life now, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    Seeing Cui Xiaoxin smiling, Cui Xinci knew that she had seen through her mind. Suddenly, she became a little flustered before this girl.


    ¡°You can read your book now, and I¡¯ll leave you in peace.¡± With this, Cui Xinci got up and walked toward the front yard.


    Cui Xiaoxin looked up at the sea of blue flowers above her head and said with great regret, ¡°In Capital Heaven, there is no jacaranda tree. It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t take these trees with me.¡±


    ¡°If you like these blue flowers, I¡¯ll ask someone to dig a few trees and bring them back to the capital.¡± Ning Xinhai walked over from the corner as if he had been waiting there all the time.


    ¡°I heard those sweet oranges in the south wouldn¡¯t be sweet if they were transplanted to the north. If we move jacaranda trees to the north, I¡¯m afraid that they won¡¯t be able to produce so many beautiful blossoms. Since I love these flowers, why bother to make things difficult for them?¡±


    There was a gust of wind blowing, and then these fallen flowers scattered and flew around like snowflakes.


    Cui Xiaoxin stretched out her palm, and a tiny petal happened to fell on her palm.


    Like little blue elves, many more blue petals landed on her hair and clothes. The faint fragrance given off by them seemed to tell this pure girl that they were also reluctant to part with her.


    ¡°You came here at this time. Is there anything wrong outside?¡±


    ¡°Miss, you didn¡¯t go out these days, but you have told me to protect your classmate Mr. Li in secret. Nothing bad had happened to him in the past few days. After the attack of Crow, Li Muyang has been studying behind his closed-door every day. He seldom went out.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin came all the way to Jiangnan City to study, but by her side, she only had Ning Xinhai, a master of guarding. He was the only person that she could fully trust.


    All these days, she stayed in the mansion so that she could send Ning Xinhai to protect Li Muyang secretly. After all, the incident about Crow was just a start. No one knew what would happen next.


    If another attack like this one happened or a killer who was stronger than Crow appeared, could Li Muyang still get away successfully? Could Li Muyang¡¯s families stay safe?


    Cui Xiaoxin had to consider these problems.


    ¡°However, I didn¡¯t expect an accident to happen today. A group of gangsters broke into the bakery of Luo Qi, Li Muyang¡¯s mother, threatening that they were going to get this month¡¯s management fee again. Since such kind of things happened often, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.¡±


    ¡°Later, Li Muyang rushed over and started killing in a furious state in the bakery. Until then, I realized that something was wrong. I¡¯m afraid that someone must have deliberately set this trap for Li Muyang.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s face fell. After thinking for a while, she understood the truth of this matter and said with a sneer, ¡°What a mean uncle!¡±

 Chapter 48 - Scared to Death!

    Ning Xinhai concentrated and released her sense immediately when she heard what Cui Xiaoxin said. Thus, she could know everything that happened around them including the blowing wind, the waving grass, and the chirping birds.


    ¡°Miss, be careful with your words.¡± Ning Xinhai persuaded her in a low voice. If the words were heard by the Yan Family, especially by the old butler who looked so thin that it seemed like he could be blown over by a gust of wind but could hardly be beaten by her, Ning Xinhai would be in trouble. At least it would break the relationship between the Cui Family and the Yan Family.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the truth. Who cares?¡± Cui Xiaoxin did not care at all and said with a smile, ¡°My uncle loves his son so much that he changed my arrangement with ease. He doubts Li Muyang, but there is no actual evidence to show his exact identity. It¡¯s better to expose him so that more and more people will concentrate on him. Then, there will be no way for Li Muyang to hide.


    ¡°But has he ever thought about my feelings? Li Muyang saved my life. The reason why he was chased by Crow was that he was implicated by me. He is now abandoned like weeds on the roadside. He was trampled by others and might be in danger at any time. Isn¡¯t that too unfair to Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Miss, you should have known it a long time ago,¡± Ning Xinhai said in a low voice to comfort her. ¡°To them, there is no justice. They only care about interests. It¡¯s normal for them to abandon an unrelated person to protect their own son. They don¡¯t even need to pretend to be innocent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just because we are surrounded by these people, I am very grateful for his help. I am grateful that when I was in such a dangerous situation, Li Muyang rushed over and used his thin body to block the sword in Crow¡¯s hand.¡±


    ¡°But he is not weak.¡± Ning Xinhai said worriedly, ¡°Miss, you have always been unwilling to let me find out his true identity. But you should know that his hidden strength is really shocking. He blocked Crow¡¯s attacks twice in a row, and even killed him on his own. This time, the Chatelain forces him to expose his strength, but if he doesn¡¯t have that kind of strength, if he looks weak, I¡¯m afraid it will be hard for the Chatelain to succeed, right?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t ask about my identity,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said.


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t know your identity.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that Li Muyang is an idiot? No, he is not. At least his performance during this period let me know that not only is he not an idiot, but he is also quite smart. I have a master bodyguard like you, and every day when I go to see him, there will be guards to surround me. I am related to the Jiangnan City Governor, and the son of the City Governor is my cousin. Do you think that this is not enough to make a person suspect my identity? But he has never asked.¡±


    ¡°Because he did not ask about your identity, you won¡¯t allow us to investigate his identity?¡±


    ¡°We have to be fair,¡± said Cui Xiaoxin. ¡°He knows this much about me, and I know this much about him. What¡¯s the benefit of knowing too much? I don¡¯t want to trouble myself.¡±


    ¡°Since things have come to this point, what¡¯s your plan, Miss?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let an outsider take on the responsibility of the Cui Family¡¯s danger,¡± said Cui Xiaoxin in a low voice.


    ¡°Miss¡­¡± Ning Xinhai hurriedly dissuaded her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t compete with the Chatelain. As long as you make a move, he will know what you want. We are going back to the capital city. Why should we annoy him?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going back, so should we leave all the risks and responsibilities to a guy who has nothing to do with these things? I can¡¯t do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is Yan Xiangma?¡±


    ¡°When I came back, I saw him rushing in the direction of Li Muyang¡¯s house.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin pondered for a moment and said, ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no need for us to do anything. My uncle is intelligent, but he has his rivals.¡±


    ¡°Miss, are you referring to Yan Xiangma?¡±


    ¡°He is the best choice.¡± Cui Xiaoxin sighed slightly. ¡°Although it is very unfair for him to do so, it¡¯s proper for him to protect me. After all, he is not only a member of the Yan Family, but also a member of the Cui Family. He is my cousin. If there is a chance, I will repay his kindness several times over. Why do we need to drag an outsider into this?¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ning Xinhai said in a low voice.


    ¡°Protect my cousin¡¯s safety,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said. ¡°The changes that happened in Capital Heaven have affected Jiangnan City. After returning to the capital, I¡¯m afraid we will be more aware of the dangerous atmosphere, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡±


    Ning Xinhai left quietly, just as he had come.


    Cui Xiaoxin walked back and forth among the flowers, with deep worry in her eyes.


    ¡°In this incident, my uncle-in-law added fuel to the fire. He must have his own intentions.


    ¡°What does he want?


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the position of the prosperous city¡¯s head enough to satisfy his appetite?


    ¡°This time, he let Yan Xiangma come to the capital city first. There must be some hidden meaning in it.¡±


    ¡­


    Yan Xiangma was indeed going to find Li Muyang, because he could only take a look at Li Sinian if he found Li Muyang.


    Yan Xiangma liked Li Sinian.


    He had never seen such a girl who ignored him and sneered at him. She looked at him as if she were looking at a lump of dirt. It was very different from those girls who rushed over like moths to a flame because of his identity or handsome appearance.


    The most important thing was that she was so cute and beautiful. Her eyes seemed to have spirituality, and her gestures were full of youthful vigor, which made people feel happy when they saw her.


    Yan Xiangma was very angry. When he came to visit Li Muyang, the door of the Li Family home was closed and no one was at home.


    ¡°Young Master, why don¡¯t we come back tomorrow?¡± Li Dalu, who was by the side of Yan Xiangma, comforted him in a low voice.


    ¡°Come back tomorrow? Then I¡¯ll get nothing today, won¡¯t I?¡± Yan Xiangma waved his fan and said angrily.


    ¡°So shall we wait at the door?¡±


    ¡°Wait? Who am I? I am the son of the Chatelain, the most famous young master in Jiangnan City. You want me to wait? I never did such a thing!¡±


    ¡°So, Young Master, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Go and find them. Get them back for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master. I¡¯ll send someone to inquire around.¡± As Li Dalu waved his hand, the underlings around him scattered and began to do their jobs.


    ¡°Young Master, why don¡¯t you take a break in the carriage now?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going. What if my clothes wrinkle?¡±


    Early in the morning, he awoke to dress up and put on the most expensive and handsome clothes in order to impress Li Sinian.


    But the result was that Yan Xiangma was still disappointed.


    Soon, his subordinates had reported to him the news that something had happened at Li Muyang¡¯s cake shop, so he rushed to help.


    Hearing this, Yan Xiangma was very happy. If Li Muyang was in the shop, Li Sinian could be alone with him after she came back, which meant that he had more time and space to show her his unique and profound knowledge.


    However, on second thought, this would not work. If Li Sinian knew that something had happened to her shop, but he did not care about it, what would she think of him?


    At that time, he might not even be as good as a lump of dirt.


    So, Yan Xiangma waved his hand and said, ¡°My friend is in trouble. I should help him. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Yan Xiangma did not have the chance to help because by the time he arrived, the trouble had already been solved. The Gendarme Regiment of the Chatelain¡¯s Manor had already surrounded the cake shop.


    The Gendarme Regiment, who were wearing the imperial uniforms, surrounded Li Muyang. Their swords had been drawn out and their arrows had been put on the strings. Any carelessness would lead to a fierce fight.


    Yan Xiangma was slightly shocked. This trouble was a little more serious than he had imagined.


    He rushed into the cake shop with his fellows. When the soldiers around tried to stop him, he struck his head and shouted, ¡°Open your damn eyes and look at who I am!¡±


    Li Dalu took out a token from his chest, very arrogantly. When every soldier saw it clearly, he took it back triumphantly.


    The soldiers saluted and gave way to him. Yan Xiangma walked in swaggeringly with a group of subordinates.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­!¡± Seeing the red in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, Yan Xiangma was slightly shocked. This was a f**king sign of shapeshifting. If he couldn¡¯t control it properly, maybe there would be no one alive.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Yan Xiangma turned around and shouted at the captain of the Gendarme Regiment.


    The captain knew this famous Young Master of a rich family in Jiangnan City. He ran over very respectfully and said, ¡°Young Master, there is a murder case here. That guy hit and killed someone. We need to arrest him and bring him to justice¡­¡±


    ¡°Hit and kill someone? Did you see that with your own eyes?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, I¡¯ve received a report¡­¡±


    ¡°Report? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°The man who reported the case has left.¡±


    ¡°How did you do your job? Are you all blind? Are there any laws in Jiangnan City? Is there anyone still compliant with the law?¡± Yan Xiangma shouted abuse while pointing at the captain.


    ¡°Young master, where did I go wrong?¡±


    ¡°As the person involved in the case, what I saw with my own eyes is that those hooligans on the ground rushed to the store and struck us at once. And they also asked us to take out our wallets and said that they wanted to rob me. Obviously, they were targeting me. They wanted to kill me!¡±


    ¡°But, Young Master, haven¡¯t you just now squeezed in?¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    Yan Xiangma slapped him again and scolded him. ¡°That was because I felt uncomfortable in my stomach, so I went out to the toilet. I could have left immediately, but I couldn¡¯t let loyal and brave people suffer. He was wronged by you bastards, so I made a detour and came back.¡±


    Yan Xiangma pointed at Li Muyang and said, ¡°If he hadn¡¯t tried his best to fight and sacrificed his life to save me, I would have been¡­¡±


    With red eyes, Yan Xiangma patted his chest and said, ¡°You don¡¯t know how dangerous the situation was at that time. It almost scared me to death¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 49 - A Good-for-nothing Son!

    ¡°But young master¡­¡± The captain was confused.


    Yan Xiangma patted the captain¡¯s head with his fan and said, ¡°But what? But what? Are you telling me that my life is worthless?¡±


    ¡°Young master, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you saying that I lied?¡±


    ¡°Young master, I didn¡¯t dare to think like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, and you didn¡¯t think that my life was worthless. Then why would you treat my lifesaver with such an attitude?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Young master, I¡­¡±


    ¡°This upright young man risked his life to protect the shop¡¯s customers. He was willing to sacrifice his own life to fight with these gangsters, who could be treated as a hero and an imperial model. Shouldn¡¯t you report the glorious thing that he did to the Governor of Jiangnan City? So the Governor can reward him and make him the model of thousands of young people. But now, with your swords and arrows, you tried to kill him. Beyond that, you intended to bring a charge of killing against him and sent him to jail. Has a dog eaten all your conscience and sense of justice?¡±


    ¡°Young master, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Put your weapons away,¡± shouted Yan Xiangma loud.


    The captain had no choice but to wave his hand, ordering his men to stop. With crackling sounds, the soldiers put their blades back in the sheaths and lowered their bows, secretly feeling relieved.


    When they confronted Li Muyang and looked into his blood-red eyes, they knew clearly that they had no psychological advantage over him. Instead, they felt as if a wild beast were casting its greedy eyes on them and that they might lose their lives at any time.


    They also had a very clear feeling that if they obeyed their captain¡¯s order and went to arrest this principal criminal, none of them could survive. Li Muyang would kill them all.


    Thinking of this, they were exceptionally grateful to Yan Xiangma, the son of the city governor, who ran in and messed the thing up. Although this guy always acted stupidly, he indeed had saved their lives this time.


    Yan Xiangma walked over to Li Muyang and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    The redness in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes faded. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t talk. Leave all of this to me,¡± said Yan Xiangma.


    He walked to the captain, pointed to the black-clad men lying on the ground who were seriously injured, and said, ¡°Look them carefully. These are the bastards who tried to hurt me. I also heard that they were going to kidnap me. It is a premeditated crime. I will report it to the Governor. You¡¯d better lock them up in prison and interrogate them strictly. Find out if they had any accomplices, why they would kidnap me, and whether they did this for money or sex¡­¡±


    ¡°Young master, we didn¡¯t intend to kidnap you¡­¡± A man in black shouted in a hurry. They already knew that the guy in gorgeous clothes had a powerful background, so these soldiers might follow his orders and took them to the prison to interrogate them under torture. Then, after being charged with kidnapping, they would probably be sentenced to death.


    But before the man in black could finish his words, Li Dalu had already walked up to him and accidentally stepped on his throat. It was unknown how he walked, but eventually, he stopped on the man¡¯s neck.


    Then, like a castrated donkey, the man in black shouted himself hoarse in his frenzied efforts to say something, but he couldn¡¯t make any sound.


    Yan Xiangma was quite satisfied with Li Dalu¡¯s performance. With pleasure, he secretly praised, ¡°It seems that this stooge of mine can act smartly occasionally. The years of training that I gave to him is not in vain.¡±


    ¡°Look at their faces! Every one of them looks fierce and evil. They look just like bad guys¡­¡± Yan Xiangma pointed to those men in black and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. You won¡¯t let me down, will you?¡±


    ¡°Young master¡­¡±


    ¡°A friendly warning: as a famous rich playboy in Jiangnan City, I can do almost anything.¡±


    ¡°Yes, young master.¡± The captain of the Gendarme Regiment straightened his back and said, ¡°I know what I should do.¡±


    ¡°I like dealing with smart people. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jia Qiang.¡±


    ¡°Be my follower, and you will be a real strong man in the future.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, young master.¡±


    Yan Xiangma waved his hand and said, ¡°Take those wicked people away quickly. I feel quite scared when I see their evil looks¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jia Qiang waved his hand. Then those soldiers rushed over like wolves and tigers, lifting those men in black on the ground and carrying them away.


    Jia Qiang gave Yan Xiangma a salute and said, ¡°Young master, I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Go ahead. You know how to write the report, right? If you need my cooperation, just tell me in time. Don¡¯t be too polite to ask for my help. Eliminating these kidnappers is the duty of every citizen of Jiangnan City¡­¡±


    ¡°But you are the biggest kidnapper and local tyrant in Jiangnan City.¡± Jia Qiang, the captain, secretly condemned in his heart.


    Of course, no matter how bold he was, he wouldn¡¯t dare to say it out loud in front of others.


    ¡°Thank you, young master. If every resident of Jiangnan City has your spirit of sacrifice and sense of ownership, why should we worry about public security issues?¡±


    Jia Qiang waved his hand and quickly left with his subordinates. If he continued talking with Yan Xiangma perfunctorily, he was afraid that he would get nauseous and throw up on the spot.


    It was not until the Gendarme Regiment left that Li Muyang finally let down his guard.


    Yan Xiangma patted Li Muyang on the shoulder and said, ¡°Cousin, are you¡­ Er, could you please stop looking at me like this? You look like an evil guy in that way.¡±


    The red cloud in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes vanished, and he said apologetically, ¡°Sorry, I was too sensitive.¡±


    Li Muyang walked to the corner of the wall and lifted his mother from the flour pile. With concern, he asked, ¡°Mom, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi looked at her son, feeling uncertain. ¡°Is this young man in front of me really my son? Since when did my son become so powerful?¡±


    Also, when he attacked others, his red eyes made Luo Qi feel strange and scared.


    This young man was nothing like the previous Li Muyang that she knew well. She had never seen such a cold and cruel look in her son¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Li Muyang called her in a dry voice. He saw that his mother, who looked nervous, hesitated. Also, he could feel her resistance. When he reached out to help her, she moved slightly aside to avoid touching him. ¡°She is my mother, the closest person to me, and also the family that I love the most. Even my families look at me in this way, not to mention others.¡± Li Muyang thought to himself.


    He felt seriously hurt.


    Li Muyang wanted to explain something to her, but he didn¡¯t know how to explain it.


    After all, even he didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    ¡°Is it really like Crow said that I¡¯ve become a monster?¡± Li Muyang said in his heart.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi reached out to hold Li Muyang¡¯s hand and said in a firm tone of voice, ¡°No matter what, you are Li Muyang, my son¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, I am always your son,¡± Li Muyang said, eyes red.


    ¡°Yes, you are always my son, my good son. If it weren¡¯t for saving me, you wouldn¡¯t have had to come here in such a hurry.¡± Luo Qi comforted him.


    Some people helped the pastry chefs in the shop stand up. They had superficial wounds but nothing major. Lil Ting also came to Luo Qi and asked, ¡°Sister Qi, are you all right?¡±


    Then, she looked at Li Muyang with admiration on her face and said, ¡°Muyang is really amazing. Thanks to you today. Otherwise, Sister Qi and I would be¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t finish her words. If it hadn¡¯t been for him, perhaps Zhang Tianyi and others would have raped them.


    Li Muyang knew what Lil Ting meant, thinking that it was lucky that he had the ability. ¡°In previous, I was a good-for-nothing teenager whose weak hands could not pick up anything heavy and whose shoulders could not bear any burden. At that time, even if I rushed to these bad guys in a blaze of anger, they would kick me away with great ease.¡±


    ¡°In that case, my mother might make a bigger sacrifice to save me.¡±


    Thinking of this possibility, the knot in Li Muyang¡¯s heart disappeared at once.


    He did not care what kind of monster he had become. What he only hoped was that he could protect his families from harm.


    Luo Qi walked up to Yan Xiangma, bowing deeply to him. Feeling endlessly grateful to him, she said, ¡°Young Master Yan, thanks very much to you. You have saved my whole family this time. It was only by the grace of you that no one in my family suffered.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Luo, don¡¯t say that.¡± In a hurry, Yan Xiangma said humbly with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve such an honor. I did nothing, nor did I see anything. After I came here, it was Li Muyang who did everything.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Yan, but you saved Muyang.¡± Luo Qi said very earnestly, ¡°Without your help here, I¡¯m afraid that these soldiers would have taken Muyang away. Then if Muyang has been convicted, it will be a greater disaster for my entire family. He is just a kid, a student who has just finished the Liberal-arts Exam. If something went wrong this time, his future would be ruined, and even his life would be in danger. Isn¡¯t all of this the grace of you to save us from the miserable future?¡±


    Yan Xiangma seriously thought about it for a while and said, ¡°Mrs. Luo, since you said so, I really can¡¯t refute it. But you don¡¯t have to take it to heart. Just let Li Muyang and Li Sinian remember this favor, and they will find a chance to pay it back in the future.¡±


    Li Muyang looked at Yan Xiangma and asked with doubt in his eyes, ¡°Why did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I went to your home to see you¡­ to discuss something with you. However, the door of your house was closed. I asked Li Dalu to inquire about it, and I heard that something happened to your family¡¯s bakery. I felt so anxious when I heard the news. If something happened to your bakery, wasn¡¯t it equal to that my bakery was in trouble? So I came here at top speed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Li Muyang said gratefully. ¡°Sorry to trouble you again this time.¡±


    Yan Xiangma waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t hurry to thank me. It is still unknown whom you should show your gratitude to.¡±


    Li Muyang¡¯s face froze a little, and he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious. I mean, we¡¯re brothers, so you don¡¯t have to say ¡®thank you¡¯ all the time. Right, if there is nothing else to do here, I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    Yan Xiangma waved his hand, saying, ¡°I won¡¯t help you clean up the bakery. See you later.¡±


    After that, he went outside with the group of toadies behind.


    Li Muyang looked at Yan Xiangma as he was leaving, and there was light twinkling in his eyes.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi called out. She reached out to straighten Li Muyang¡¯s messy clothes and said with heartache, ¡°You have suffered. I will never let anyone bully you again in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Li Muyang held his thin mother tightly in his arms and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I should say this to you. Later on, I will prevent you from being bullied by others. Let me, your son, protect all of you.¡±

 Chapter 50 - He Is Hiding from Madam!

    Fortune and misfortune are two buckets in the same well.


    It was fortunate that Li Muyang had become smarter and more powerful.


    However, along with Li Muyang¡¯s changes, too many things had happened in his family in a short period, which suddenly broke the peaceful life that the Li Family had lived for many years.


    When he heard that something had happened to the shop, Li Yan was as silent as the grave. Then he directly lifted his long spear in the corner to seek revenge.


    Luo Qi instantly grabbed him and shouted, ¡°Li Yan, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°To kill.¡± Li Yan thundered in a deep and suppressed voice.


    The eyes of the man, who was always silent, were bloodshot. Now in his heart, his hatred was as immense as the mountain and as deep as the sea. In the past, he did not interfere with these street gangsters so that they lived together peacefully. He knew that he should keep a low profile in the Water Willow Street to protect his family. Thus, he was even willing to give the management fee to Zhang Tianyi every month, just as what other shop owners did.


    But now Zhang Tianyi, who went too far in bullying them, actually dared to lay his hands on his wife and son. Li Yan decided that he would fight with him even to death.


    Li Yan was from the Lu Family in Capital Heaven, who was a trusted subordinate of Miss Gongsun Yu. It was precisely because of his relationship with her that he could meet, fall in love with, and marry the beautiful Luo Qi in the end.


    As the saying goes, a gatekeeper of the prime minister can be regarded as a third-rank official. Li Yan certainly had a sense of pride in his heart. Now these gangsters even dared to go to his place to bully his families, which was really unbearable to him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go.¡± Luo Qi stopped him and said, ¡°The problem has been solved.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Li Yan asked with a puzzled look.


    Luo Qi pondered for a while before she said, ¡°It was Yan Xiangma, a friend of Muyang and also the son of the Governor of Jiangnan City, who helped to deal with the trouble.¡±


    Li Yan did not doubt it and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t been bullied, have you?¡±


    ¡°We are all right¡­¡± Luo Qi said, ¡°Li Yan, I want to discuss something with you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want to go to Capital Heaven,¡± said Luo Qi.


    ¡°¡­ For Muyang?¡±


    ¡°For Muyang.¡± Once again, an image came to Luo Qi¡¯s mind. Li Muyang, whose eyes were wrapped by the red cloud, punched and made a living person vanish into thin air. She knew clearly that Li Muyang had changed. He was no longer the son under her control.


    She didn¡¯t know whether such changes were good or bad. The most important thing was that they couldn¡¯t help Li Muyang.


    Since they could do nothing for Li Muyang, Luo Qi decided to send him to Capital Heaven. Some people there could help him. Only in this way could Li Muyang get timely guidance and support to solve his problems when such a thing like today or something more serious happened again.


    Parents surely had their own interests and emotions, which, however, could always vary according to their children¡¯s hobbies and feelings.


    The wise mother of the great ancient philosopher Mencius moved three times, trying to find a good environment for her children¡¯s best education. For the sake of her son, Luo Qi was also willing to let go of her hatred over the years. Beyond that, she could give up her insistence on not visiting some people in the capital all her life.


    ¡°You should know it clear that they didn¡¯t want this child back then,¡± Li Yan said with a bitter expression, ¡°That very year, they replaced the two babies without anyone noticing. If we take Muyang over to them at this time, will they admit that Muyang belongs to their family? If they admit him, won¡¯t it be a slap in their faces? How can they explain the background of Li Muyang to the people outside? How can they explain the relationship between the Lu Family and Li Muyang?¡±


    Li Yan understood his wife¡¯s concern. She mistakenly believed that after this matter happened today, he probably would not be able to protect Li Muyang.


    ¡°If they don¡¯t want to accept Muyang, won¡¯t it be more heart-broken to him? In this case, we might as well keep everything from him so that he can live a much simpler and happier life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. From tomorrow, I¡¯ll stay by your side. If anyone dares to bully you again, I won¡¯t let them go easily.¡±


    ¡°Li Yan¡­¡± Luo Qi wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.


    ¡°Trust me. I can do it,¡± Li Yan said with a serious look. Since he had made a promise, he would try his best to fight with enemies even at the risk of his life once his wife or families were in danger.


    Upon seeing her husband¡¯s determined look, Luo Qi felt utterly confused in her heart and didn¡¯t know where to continue their conversation.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you asked someone to send a letter to the Lu Family?¡± As Li Yan found that his wife still knitted her brows in anxiety, he comforted her, ¡°I think they will give us a reply soon.¡±


    ¡°Tell me¡­¡± Luo Qi clutched her husband¡¯s big hands nervously and asked, ¡°Are they willing to help?¡±


    Li Yan shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But I hope so. Anyway, blood is thicker than water. They can¡¯t just¡­¡±


    Li Yan couldn¡¯t go on. If the Lu Family cared about their blood relationship with Li Muyang, how could they do such a ruthless thing to him in the past?


    The couple looked at each other, saying nothing but just sighing.


    After Li Muyang came back, he sat with his sister in her room and chatted with her for a while. Until he watched her finish her homework, Li Muyang went back to his room and lay on his bed, lost in thought.


    When Yan Xiangma was back home, his mother was drinking tea in the side hall.


    ¡°Mom, has my dad come back?¡± Yan Xiangma asked loudly.


    ¡°Your mother is sitting right here, but why did you only ask if your father was here as soon as you came back?¡± said Cui Xinci, a little crossly. ¡°What happened? You don¡¯t look well. Do you need your father to handle the trouble that you made outside again? Which family¡¯s young master did you bully this time? Or did you hurt the daughter of any general?¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    ¡°All right, all right. Go to the study to see your father. He directly went into the study when he came back without saying even a few words to me. Alas, I can¡¯t count on men at all. Finally, only Xiaoxin is intimate with me, but unfortunately, she has to go back. I don¡¯t know how I will continue my life in the future¡­¡±


    Yan Xiangma came over to hug his mother. He grabbed an orange on the table and handed it to her, saying, ¡°Mom, eat some fruit.¡±


    ¡°You brat, you want to shut me up with fruits, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Yan Xiangma walked to the door of his father¡¯s study and hesitated for a long time. In the end, he did not reach out to push the door open.


    Eventually, he gave up and walked toward the wing-room in the west.


    Yan Xiangma gently knocked on the dark door, which was then pulled open from the inside. Cui Xiaoxin stood in the doorway in a white robe. Though she wore no make-up, she still looked beautiful and charming. She asked, looking at Yan Xiangma, ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s so late. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I heard that¡­¡± Yan Xiangma smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I have to go to Capital Heaven with you.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin looked at Yan Xiangma and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the exact opposite.¡± Yan Xiangma said with a determined look on his face, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go there.¡±


    ¡­


    The Lu Family¡¯s Mansion in Capital Heaven.


    A woman was sitting on a brocade stool in front of the window. She was in a dark purple cheongsam embroidered with many crab-apple blossoms, which made her look as pretty as a picture. Her bearing was gorgeous, and she was as gentle as the spring water.


    On the left side of the woman, there was a brown leather bag on the small table. In the bag were some documents just sent by the waitress.


    She had carefully read each word in the documents and even touched them with her fingers after that. Until now, she was still deeply shocked and could not utter any words.


    She calmed herself down and walked to the front yard with the bag in her hand.


    With many pavilions, rockeries, and pools in it, the courtyard changed its appearance at every turn. There were so many beautiful things that one simply couldn¡¯t take them all in. However, without being distracted a little, the woman just raised her head to see the way.


    The woman stopped at a classical small building. In front of the building, there were three graceful words, ¡°Mingde Building¡±, which was inscribed ¡°Chu Xianda¡±, the present king of the Xifeng Empire.


    The entrance of the small building was guarded by some big men who looked ferocious and imposing, though they were in plain cyan clothes. Also, there were countless guards in the dark.


    Seeing the woman coming over, the two strong men in cyan clothes bowed in unison.


    ¡°Greetings, Madam.¡±


    The woman looked at them with a smile and asked, ¡°Is Qingming in there?¡±


    ¡°Governor is working in the study,¡± Yue Feilong, the bearded, burly man, answered with a smile. ¡°Do you want me to go in and report?¡±


    ¡°Generals, there is no need to bother you two.¡± The woman refused. Her smile was gentle and charming, but she made Yue Feilong feel that this tough woman had the undoubted privilege. She then said, ¡°I can go in by myself.¡±


    Yue Feilong still wanted to stop her, but the lean man next stopped him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t I go in there?¡± The woman was still smiling, but she smiled a little threateningly.


    Smilingly, Li Ping¡¯an eased the situation and said, ¡°Feilong is afraid that Governor will be disturbed when dealing with the important military affairs. However, since Madam wants to see Governor, you can do it at any time. We don¡¯t dare to stop you.¡±


    The woman nodded and stepped toward the small building.


    When she was already far away, Yue Feilong complained in a low voice, ¡°Old Li, have you forgotten Governor¡¯s words? He said that he had to concentrate on dealing with official affairs and no one was allowed to disturb him.¡±


    ¡°How can I forget the Governor¡¯s words? But Old Yue, you are confused. It was Madam who would see him this time. Don¡¯t you know the Governor¡¯s feelings for Madam? They want to get together for a while, and Madam wants to give the Governor a surprise. Don¡¯t you think that you should leave them alone?¡± Li Ping¡¯an said, smiling.


    ¡°Old Li, I always think that the Governor¡¯s order is made especially for madam¡­¡± Yue Feilong glanced around and whispered, ¡°He wanted us to keep madam out.¡±


    ¡°How could it be possible?¡± Li Ping¡¯an was startled. ¡°Why did you have such a doubt? Has Governor gotten himself a mistress?¡±


    ¡°Li Ping¡¯an, you fucking dirty soldier, if you dare to drag down Governor¡¯s unimpeachable reputation again, I will unsheathe my sword to put up a desperate fight against you! Don¡¯t you know the Governor¡¯s character? He will never do anything like that to hurt Madam. But haven¡¯t you noticed anything unusual? Governor has been busy socializing outside during the day recently, but after he was back home, he would immediately go into his study. I wonder if Governor is deliberately hiding from Madam¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems to be true. Yesterday, Governor finished his business early, but suddenly he said that he wanted to eat the snacks of the Fortune Restaurant. Then he spent the whole afternoon in a private dining room of the Fortune Restaurant with us. However, each time when he returned to Capital Heaven in the past, he would hurry to go to the backyard.¡±


    ¡°I heard that when a man reaches a certain age, his sex ability will decline. Tell me, can it be that our governor¡¯s sex ability is significantly reduced so that he is deliberately hiding from Madam now?¡±


    ¡°Clank!¡±


    Yue Feilong pulled out his sword and shouted angrily, ¡°Li Ping¡¯an, you bastard, believe it or not, I¡¯ll cut your dog head off!¡±

 Chapter 51 - A Difficult Choice for the Father and Son!

    Gongsun Yu pushed the door open and walked in. In front of her was a busy scene.


    Several books on the table were open. Under the table, there were many sheets of abandoned paper lying in complete disarray.


    A man bent over his desk, writing swiftly. Vivid lines of beautiful small characters appeared on the finest paper, which looked as lively as elves.


    Gongsun Yu stood at the door and waited for a while. However, she found that her husband, who was busy dealing with government affairs, did not even know she had arrived. She took the initiative to ask, ¡°Qingming, are you free?¡±


    Lu Qingming stopped writing and looked up, saying to his wife, ¡°Lil Yu, why are you here? Go back to rest quickly. I still have some work at hand. When I finish all of this, I¡¯ll go back to accompany you. Capital Heaven is in troubled times. Thus, we have to keep the border area stable and cannot slacken our efforts in the slightest. As the newly appointed governor, I can¡¯t put down the affairs of the provinces even if I return to Capital Heaven. There are so many miscellaneous issues for me to deal with now. I¡¯m sorry to put you at such an inconvenience.¡±


    Instead of leaving, Gongsun Yu turned around and closed the door of the study. ¡°Qingming, I want to say something to you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well, you can say whatever you want to say. Go back first, and I¡¯ll go back to our room to accompany you a while later¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to say a few words in your study now.¡± Gongsun Yu looked at her husband with gentle eyes, but she maintained a firm attitude.


    Therefore, Lu Qingming had to put down the writing brush. A smile emerged on his handsome face. Though the wind with sand in the southwest wrinkled his skin, it couldn¡¯t blow away his manner as a warrior. He pushed the chair away and stood up, asking with a smile, ¡°Okay. What do you want to say to me?¡±


    Gongsun Yu handed over the leather bag in her hand and said, ¡°Take a look at this first.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Lu Qingming took the bag from her and asked while untying the seal on it.


    ¡°They are my feelings of guilt and regret,¡± Gongsun Yu said calmly. However, her eyes became a little red, which demonstrated that she was dreadfully emotional at this moment.


    Lu Qingming¡¯s face froze a little, but it instantly returned to normal. He pretended not to have seen his wife¡¯s unusual behaviors and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m a little curious now. What on earth is in it that can make you appear so serious?¡±


    Lu Qingming opened the bag and took out several sheets of paper.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lu Qingming eyed her with doubt and asked, ¡°Are these test papers?¡±


    ¡°The papers of the empire¡¯s Liberal-arts Exam this year.¡± Gongsun Yu said with a calm expression.


    ¡°Interesting. Do I also need to be tested?¡± Lu Qingming said as he read the test papers in his hand.


    With Lu Qingming¡¯s accumulated knowledge, it was easy for him to finish reading all these words in a short time.


    He put the test papers back into the leather bag and said, ¡°He could have gotten a higher score, but if he examined his writing more carefully, he would not lose points on the easier parts. Instead, he gave excellent answers to those difficult questions. On the whole, he is a very talented student. I suppose that he will enter the Xifeng University or some other famous university, right?¡±


    ¡°You know who he is.¡± Gongsun Yu stared at Lu Qingming and said. She said with certainty, not with doubt.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Once again, Lu Qingming opened the test papers to look at. Then with a smile, he continued, ¡°Li Muyang. It¡¯s a very unfamiliar name to me. How can I know who he is?¡±


    ¡°I know that you know who he is.¡± Gongsun Yu stared unblinkingly at her husband and said, ¡°You lied to me sixteen years ago. Now, do you still want to lie to me? Lu Qingming, if you dare to deceive me again, I will never forgive you in my life.¡±


    There was sadness in Lu Qingming¡¯s eyes. He looked pained, and he asked, ¡°Lil Yu, what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I want him to go back home,¡± Gongsun Yu said firmly, ¡°I will go bring him back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± Lu Qingming shook his head. ¡°Sixteen years ago, we sent him away, so how is it impossible to take him back now? Lil Yu, you know it¡¯s impossible. What kind of reason can we use to take him back? How do we explain his existence to others?¡±


    ¡°Lu Qingming, but he is my son, our son! The year that he was born, all of you thought that he would become a disabled good-for-nothing. You worried that he would not be able to survive, or he would become a deformed person. You were afraid that he would bring shame to your Lu Family! You feared that each day that he lived in this world would let the Lu Family be the laughingstock of Capital Heaven one more day.¡±


    Gongsun Yu desperately clenched her fist, trying hard not to shed tears. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°But, you see it now. He is not disabled, nor is he a good-for-nothing or deformed¡­ On the contrary, he is smarter and works harder than many people. We should give him a chance to get a better education. He deserves everything that was originally supposed to be his. He should go back to the Lu Family and our side. Also, I will explain everything to him well. I will tell him not to hate the Lu Family or us. Then we will use the rest of our lives to make up for the wrong thing that we did to him.¡±


    Gongsun Yu looked at Lu Qingming and said word by word, ¡°So, I want him to come back.¡±


    ¡°Lil Yu¡­¡± The blue veins on Lu Qingming¡¯s forehead stood out, and there was an entangled intense pain in his eyes. ¡°I have been avoiding you recently because I worried that you would straighten out this matter about Li Muyang with me. I was also afraid that you would directly tell me everything so that I must give you an answer. I¡¯ll admit that I know who he is. In fact, I have paid more attention to him than you. I¡¯ve seen the test papers much earlier and knew that you would see them sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°I also want to take him back. Like you, I want to get him back immediately. I don¡¯t need you to explain it to him. I will tell everything to him in person. Also, I will expiate my sin against him. I don¡¯t care whether he will forgive me or not. I want to stand in front of him and tell him everything immediately. I want him to know what happened that night. I want him to know that he should have had a different life¡­¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t do that. Just as you said, we sent him away that year because we were worried that he might not survive, or he would become a deformed man. We were also afraid of being laughed at by others or being attacked by our political opponents. If we go to take him back home, how can we explain his existence to the outside world? How can we explain our relationship with him? How can we explain where he has been before? The thing we did 16 years ago would have been a public scandal at that time. After the unspeakable and rather sordid 16 years, the scandal only becomes much more loathsome now. If we now announce to the public that Li Muyang is the abandoned son who was sent away by the Lu Family, how can the Lu Family have the face to stay in Capital Heaven after that? How can we maintain enough prestige to keep a foothold in the imperial court?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, the situation in Capital Heaven is quite complicated, and Father is striving for the position of the Left Prime Minister. The Lu Family, which has been guarded against by countless people, is now in a vortex. Under the close watch of many people, everyone in our Lu family had to be very cautious for fear that we lose our power and influence at this critical moment. Lil Yu, if we take him back at this time, we will make ourselves the target of others, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you refused to take him in?¡± Gongsun Yu was extremely disappointed with her husband and said, ¡°You threw him away 16 years ago, and now you want to do the same thing to him once again. It¡¯s extremely absurd.¡±


    ¡°Lil Yu, give me some more time. Now we know that he¡¯s living a good life, and he¡¯s likely to be studying in Capital Heaven. At that time, he¡¯ll be living right under our eyes so that we can take good care of him. When the time is right, we¡¯ll take him back and reunite. Will that be all right?¡±


    ¡°Lu Qingming¡­¡±


    ¡°Lil Yu¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait for another day.¡±


    ¡°Lil Yu¡­¡±


    ¡°I want him to enter Xifeng University,¡± said Gongsun Yu, determined.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Qingming immediately agreed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen his test papers. Barring accidents, I believe he can get an offer from Xifeng University by himself.¡±


    ¡°I want you to make sure that he¡¯ll go Xifeng University,¡± Gongsun Yu continued.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Qingfeng nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that he can enter Xifeng University. If Xifeng University doesn¡¯t give Li Muyang the offer, I¡¯ll tear down the gate of Xifeng University and burn it as firewood.¡±


    ¡°Lu Qingming, I hope you won¡¯t let me down again this time.¡± Gongsun Yu took a deep look at her husband and turned to walk outside.


    Extremely agitated, Lu Qingming paced back and forth in the study.


    ¡°Guards!¡± Lu Qingming called out.


    Li Ping¡¯an, his bodyguard, pushed the door open and came in. He asked, ¡°General, what can I do for you?¡±


    Lu Qingming used to be the general who went to the front to fight the enemy. People like Li Ping¡¯an and Yue Feilong were members of his bodyguard team. Later on, Li Ping¡¯an was appointed as the Proconsul, a civil official, but those closest to him still liked to call him ¡°General¡±.


    ¡°Is Elder Master in the mansion?¡± Lu Qingming asked.


    ¡°Well, do you want me to ask about it?¡± Li Ping¡¯an said in a low voice. He thought, ¡°We certainly don¡¯t know if Elder Master is at home or not and dare not inquire about his whereabouts, either.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Lu Qingming waved his hand and said, ¡°Just go outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, General.¡± As Li Ping¡¯an walked out of the door, he winked at Yue Feilong. ¡°It appears that our General failed to satisfy Madam. That¡¯s why Madam is angry, and General becomes so upset,¡± he said.


    ¡°Li Ping¡¯an¡­¡± Yue Feilong was about to draw out his sword again.


    Before the two of them could make a move, Lu Qingming walked out with a document bag in his hand.


    Just when they were going to follow up, Lu Qingming ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t come with me.¡±


    Lu Qingming came to the yard on the left side. ¡°Is my father here?¡± he asked the old steward who came to welcome him.


    ¡°Elder Master is meeting guests in the study,¡± said the steward with a smile. ¡°Young Master, why don¡¯t you come back later?¡±


    Lu Qingming cast a glance at the steward. ¡°I¡¯ll sit here and wait,¡± he said.


    The steward glanced at Lu Qingming and said, ¡°Young Master, please go to the tea room to have a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After Lu Qingming waited in the tea room for an hour, the steward came in and told him to go to the study.


    Lu Qingming walked in and looked at his father, who was sitting there, appearing as majestic as a high mountain. He then said in a low voice, ¡°Dad, I want to take Muyang back home.¡±

 Chapter 52 - Free-range Sheep Can Fight Against Wolves!

    Lu Xingkong, the head of the Lu Family, looked majestic and powerful. He, known as the ¡°Political Desert-Eagle,¡± was one of the few most powerful officials in the imperial court.


    The Desert-Eagle is a rare species living in the desert, which is vicious, greedy, and aggressive. They live mainly on carrion, but from time to time, they will snatch some new food to taste many different flavors. The wolf that has been left alone, wild rabbits, and even wagon trains are their targets. Once Desert-Eagles have chosen their prey, they will never stop trying until they kill and eat their targets.


    Either their targets exterminate them, or these eagles will dive sharply and bring their targets high into the air to kill.


    It was definitely not a compliment to compare a political figure to an animal like the Desert Eagle. Such an official would be feared by his subordinates and be guarded against by higher-level officials. It could be said that after being regarded as the Political Desert-Eagle, each move that Lu Xingkong took would be extremely difficult and dangerous.


    If an ordinary person called him like this, it was likely that Lu Xingkong would instantly silence him and throw his body to the moat around the Capital Heaven.


    However, he was first called so by ¡°Starry-Sky Eye,¡± an old man from the Song Family. Thus, no matter how overbearing Lu Xingkong was, he could do nothing to deal with him.


    The post of the empire¡¯s Left Prime Minister was still vacant, but the Chu Family, which was the royal family of the Xifeng Empire, kept silent about this matter. Therefore, all families and clans were fighting hard for this post. In terms of prestige and qualifications, Lu Xingkong was the strongest competitor. Now the whole imperial court was waiting to see if he would successfully win the position of Left Prime Minister.


    If he succeeded, the Lu Family would transform from a general¡¯s family to a prime minister¡¯s family. It meant that the war service family would successfully jump to a top literary family, which could be seen as a qualitative leap.


    Being as good a general as a minister was the greatest glory of a family and also the guarantee that it would stand firm for centuries. Otherwise, even if Lu Xingkong was the Chief Military Officer, the leader who was in charge of the military officers, his families still had to fight on the battlefield. If all his brilliant descendants died there, how could the Lu family survive, and how could the family preserve its huge wealth?


    It was a chasm for both Lu Xingkong and the Lu Family.


    Therefore, the entire Lu Family, including Lu Xingkong, was making all-out efforts to get the place of the Left Prime Minister. It was also the reason why Lu Qingming must help his father campaign. He chose to return to the capital even when he was still the Proconsul of Yun Province.


    Lu Qingming was too busy in all kinds of affairs, and Lu Xingkong could only be busier for a moment. Every day, he kept meeting his colleagues, old friends, and his subordinates. It was the high time for others to pick or at least pretend to pick their sides, so no one dared to relax or be careless. After all, everyone¡¯s performance was under the watch of hundreds of people¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Dad, I want to bring Muyang back.¡± Lu Qingming stood in front of his father and said in a firm tone.


    His father always had a lot of work to do and was highly stressed, but he still appeared energetic. With his ruddy face and delicate skin, he looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties who had been well maintained.


    Lu Qingming knew that it was because his father¡¯s martial cultivation level had reached the Upper Level of the Vicissitude Realm. The moment while he was vital, and another moment he would be spiritless. His vitality was just like the grass, which grows in the spring and withers in autumn, once every year.


    At present, his father had just regenerated his life so that both his energy and vitality peaked at this moment.


    He swore that he would win the battle for the Left Prime Minister position.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Xingkong looked down at a document in his hand and asked, ¡°Who is Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is Muyang?¡± Lu Xingkong asked again. He said with a calm voice as if he didn¡¯t know what the name meant at all.


    However, Lu Qingming was very clear that he knew everything about Muyang. In fact, his father even knew more than they did.


    ¡°Dad, he is my son, a descendant of the Lu Family that I sent away 16 years ago¡­¡± Lu Qingming put the brown kraft paper bag in front of Lu Xingkong and said, ¡°Dad, we made a mistake.¡±


    Lu Xingkong glanced at the kraft paper bag but didn¡¯t want to open it at all.


    He lifted the kraft paper bag and threw it into the stove next to him. It was used to boil water, make tea, and burn all kinds of documents. In Lu Xingkong¡¯s study, such a stove was burning all the year-round.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    The fire in the stove ignited the kraft paper, which soon began to burn with crackles. Inside it, the test papers turned into blazing flames, and the water on the stove started howling and boiling.


    When the kraft paper burned up, the water in the stove started to boil.


    Lu Xingkong picked up the kettle and began to make tea. He said, ¡°Since you have sent him out already, why will you take the trouble to bring him back?¡±


    ¡°Dad, we cannot repeat the mistake.¡±


    ¡°Clap!¡±


    Lu Xingkong slammed hard on the wooden table, and the tea-table, which was made of thousand-year-old sandalwood, trembled and buzzed.


    ¡°Are you going to slap me in the face?¡± Lu Xingkong shouted angrily.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose that you must have spent a lot of time talking to Lil Yu, haven¡¯t you?¡± Lu Xingkong¡¯s face softened a little. He pointed to the futon opposite him and said, ¡°Sit down and have a cup of tea to moisten your throat.¡±


    Lu Qingming sat down as he was told. He straightened his back and looked at his father, saying, ¡°That year, when we saw his terrible state, we thought that he couldn¡¯t survive. And even if he survived, he would become deformed. Since he was the only descendant of the Lu Family, we were worried that his existence as the only grandson of our family would affect the others¡¯ confidence in the Lu Family. But now this is no longer the case. It turns out that he is not a good-for-nothing. On the contrary, he has achieved a lot of things that many children are incapable of doing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen his test papers of the Liberal-arts Exam. I believe that you must have seen it too. Few questions of the exam could get him baffled. From this, we can know how smart and hardworking this young man is. In the entire Capital Heaven, the children of the officials abandon themselves to drinking and dallying with prostitutes. Besides, they indulge in empty talks and horse races. How many of them are practicing martial arts hard or studying diligently? Such an excellent young man is actually a descendant of the Lu Family. Don¡¯t you feel proud of him?¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Lu Xingkong put a cup of tea before Lu Qingming and said, ¡°Since he is so excellent, why do we need to bring him back?¡±


    ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°If he stays in the Lu Family, he may also engage in drinking and visiting prostitutes. What he likes may be empty talks and horse races and the like. Will he also become a good-for-nothing like the other children from rich families and be abandoned by the world?¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s grown up. He¡¯s already 16 years old and will soon come to study in Capital Heaven¡­ Do we still have to let him wander in the outside world?¡±


    ¡°You said he has been wandering outside. Then if he were brought up in our family, does it mean that he would be raised in an enclosure?¡±


    ¡°Father, Lil Yu, she also¡­¡±


    ¡°Shortsighted views of a woman.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°For sentimental reasons, it makes sense. Sixteen years ago, we discarded him because we were worried that he would become a good-for-nothing. But now, after we found that he didn¡¯t grow up into a burden, we want to take him back. Do you know that child¡¯s character? If it were you, what would you think? Would you accept our arrangement and return?¡±


    ¡°According to the current political situation, now is the critical period for the Lu Family to strive for the Left Prime Minister against others. How can we explain our relationship with him if we take him back at this time? There are many smart persons and lots of people with high determination. As long as there are some clues, they can deduce the truth of the matter. If the case that I threw my grandson away 16 years ago is exposed to the world, do you think I would still have the cheek to stay in the imperial court? The Xifeng Empire is a country of ceremony and propriety, which certainly attaches utmost importance to family obligations. What we did has gravely violated the spirits of the empire. At that time, we will have no choice but to quit the competition even without the attacks from our political enemies. I¡¯m afraid we cannot even keep the post of Chief Military Officer, let alone the position of Left Prime Minister. Then, what should we do to guarantee the Lu Family¡¯s future? Have you ever thought about that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing his son slouch over, Lu Xingkong sighed softly and said, ¡°I can feel your pain, but now we still have to give top priority to the overall situation. Since the child Muyang is born with such a fate, let him grow well outside of the Lu Family. The sheep raised within the enclosure will become nothing but just a piece of white meat on the table, but a free-range sheep can fight against the evil wolves outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father. I get it,¡± Lu Qingming answered in a low voice. ¡°Lil Yu hopes that he can enter the Xifeng University.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s great¡­¡± Lu Xingkong nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s up to you to decide on such a trivial matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡± Lu Qingming bowed and got up to leave. ¡°Father, remember to go to bed early.¡±


    When Lu Qingming left, the old steward pushed the door open and walked in.


    ¡°Elder Master, did Miss Yu know something?¡± The old steward asked with respect.


    ¡°Lil Yu is a smart child. We can hide it from her for a short period, but how can we keep it from her for a lifetime?¡± Lu Xingkong got up and walked toward the courtyard. All the Capital Heaven Cherries of the empire in the yard were in full blossom. Those blossoms that looked like peach flowers were full of branches, emitting a faint fragrance, which made people feel joyful and relax.


    ¡°How¡¯s the investigation about Crow? Do you know which family sent him?¡±


    ¡°Crow died, so he was a dead end.¡± There seemed to be wisdom hidden in every wrinkle on the old steward¡¯s face. He continued, ¡°But he went all the way to Jiangnan City to kill a girl. What a degrading trick! The master at the Starry Sky Realm of the Song Family will die. However, the Song Family has already taken the Right Prime Minister which is a more important position than the Left Prime Minister, so they can¡¯t have any thoughts about the position of the Left Prime Minister. Then our family and the Cui Family become the biggest rival to each other. Since Crow attacked the girl in the Cui Family, others will naturally blame our family for that.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the little girl in the Cui Family is all right. Otherwise, if this matter were blown into a major controversy and rumors about it went to the Capital Heaven, our Lu Family¡¯s reputation would be seriously affected. They have no evidence, but people will talk. We can ignore such a thing at other times, but it will have a great impact on us now. It is obvious that they did it to fight for the Left Prime Minister position.¡±


    Lu Xingkong grinned and said, ¡°No one expected that the stupid move we did 16 years ago would help us eliminate an enemy of the Lu Family. Don¡¯t you think that it was heaven that blessed our Lu Family?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Elder Master has been greatly blessed, and the Left Prime Minister is a sure thing in your bag.¡± Seeing that the Elder Master was happy, the old steward also laughed.


    ¡°But we know it clearly that Crow was not the pawn sent by us. If someone wants to shift the blame on the Lu Family, cut his head off and throw it into the shit pool¡­¡± Lu Xingkong said with a grim look. He was an unbeaten general who topped all the others in the military circle after going through countless bloody wars. Once such a person went into furious, he would appear as imposing and frightening as thunders.


    ¡°Yes, Elder Master. I will send more spies to Jiangnan City.¡± The old steward bowed and promised, not daring to relax at all.


    ¡°But that child¡­ What a pity.¡± Lu Xingkong looked at the well-opened blossoms of the Capital Heaven Cheery in the courtyard with a thoughtful expression on his face.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t young master Qingming said that the kid should go to Xifeng University? When he comes to Capital Heaven, you can certainly take care of him from time to time. With the support of the Lu Family, his future will never be bad.¡± The old steward next to him said some nice words to comfort him.


    ¡°No, let him go to the Starry Sky Academy,¡± Lu Xingkong said with a cold face.


    ¡°Elder Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Go and arrange it,¡± Lu Xingkong said, decisively.

 Chapter 53 - Get My Eyes Dirty!

    Many people once had such a dream: being born as a rich playboy in a landlord¡¯s family, having nothing to do all day, wandering on the street with a bunch of slaves, and flirting with women.


    Maybe Gao Qiu had done so many good things in his last life, because all of his dreams had been achieved.


    As the youngest son of the Vice Magistrate of Capital Heaven, his identity and background were more privileged than a young master of a landlord¡¯s family. Therefore, Gao Qiu never wasted his resources and talent in this field. He always took a group of slaves to the street to look for a beautiful girl who would make his heart beat.


    Capital Heaven was the core of the empire, and East Street was one of the major commercial streets. The street was bustling with people and horses. It was a prosperous scene.


    Gao Qiu walked around the street with a few slaves. They grabbed fruits and took pastries from the stalls on the street and put them in their mouths immediately. They only ate what they liked. If they didn¡¯t like the food, they would smash it on the owner¡¯s face. They scolded them by saying that the goods were bad and told them to leave. Otherwise, they would beat them up every time they met.


    Just now, after taking a bite of a pear, Gao Qiu found that the pear was too sour to eat. He threw the rest of the pear at the head of the shop owner and shouted, ¡°You bastard, what¡¯s this? You call this a pear? It¡¯s sh*t. Get out of here quickly! Get out of Heaven Capital, and don¡¯t let me see you again. I¡¯ll beat you every time I see you.¡±


    He said this to every owner that he did not like.


    As Gao Qiu spoke, he pulled up his sleeves and was about to smash the store.


    ¡°Young Master¡­¡± The henchman next to him, Gao Fugui, hurriedly stopped him and whispered, ¡°Elder Master said that you should not make any trouble. Otherwise, he will break our legs. Please do us a favor and spare the old man for now, okay?¡±


    ¡°Am I causing trouble? I am enforcing justice on behalf of heaven. Try it. Have a taste. Can the pears he sells be eaten? Can they be eaten? How dare he sell such poor quality fruit on the street. All of them should be put in Heaven Capital prison and locked up¡­¡±


    Gao Qiu stuffed the pear that he had bitten into Gao Fugui¡¯s mouth as he spoke.


    Gao Fugui couldn¡¯t refuse him. After eating the pear, he pointed to a slim figure in front of him and said, ¡°Young Master, the target appears. Look ahead. It¡¯s the type of pretty that you like.¡±


    Gao Qiu raised his head and looked at the girl. Sure enough, he found a slim girl in a light red dress in front of him.


    With his eyes shining, he threw the pear on the ground and shouted, ¡°Guys, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Three minutes later, Gao Qiu had blocked the delicate-looking girl.


    ¡°You are such a pretty girl, why do you be a thief?¡± Gao Qiu waved a fan in his hand, trying to be a well-groomed gentleman. If he were not fat, Gao Qiu would have looked more like a gentleman.


    He looked at the girl with a face full of regret, shook his head, and sighed, ¡°If you are short of money, you can tell me. If you don¡¯t tell me, how can I know that you are short of money? However, it is bad for a good girl to steal and be a thief like a bad guy. This is really¡ªyou should be arrested and educated in prison, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that¡­¡± The girl¡¯s face turned pale. She shook her head desperately and explained feebly, ¡°I didn¡¯t steal anything. I didn¡¯t do anything. Your purse ran into my basket.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Gao Qiu raised his voice and laughed, then he said, ¡°Are you kidding me? How could my purse run into your basket? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Gao Qiu made an obeisance by cupping one hand in the other before his chest to the crowd and said, ¡°Brothers, please make a judgment for me. Tell me, does it make any sense that my purse has been stolen by her, but she said that my purse ran over there by itself? Does the purse have legs?¡±


    Someone in the crowd scolded him. ¡°Mr. Gao wants to harm a young girl again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s done this many times in the past¡­¡±


    ¡°He threw his money into a girl¡¯s basket and slandered the girl, saying that she was a thief. Then he took her to the Capital Heaven Office to do whatever he wanted.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Gao Qiu shouted in a loud voice. ¡°Which son of a bitch is talking behind my back? Stand in front, stand in front of me and confront me.¡±


    Of course, no one dared to stand in front and confront him. Who dared to offend the son of the Young Magistrate of Capital Heaven?


    Gao Qiu looked at the girl with an embarrassed face and said, ¡°I have the thought of being kind to women, but I can¡¯t indulge a criminal. Come with me to the Capital Heaven Mansion, let me enlighten you. I hope you can change your evil ways after spending a night with me, and never do such a thing again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go.¡± The girl¡¯s thin body shrank back and she cried, ¡°I won¡¯t go. I know who you are¡­ Help me, help me¡­¡±


    Gao Qiu was angry.


    He felt that his character had been insulted and questioned.


    He tapped the girl with his fan and shouted, ¡°You just refused a toast only to drink a forfeit. Take her!¡±


    As soon he finished his words, the subordinates behind him rushed up and kidnapped the little girl who ¡°stole the purse¡±.


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    A whip was swung at him.


    Gao Qiu felt only the darkness in front of his eyes, and then his cheeks began to burn. He felt that the right side of his face was about to be split into two.


    ¡°Who?¡± Gao Qiu screamed. ¡°Who dares to hit me?¡±


    Hearing Gao Qiu¡¯s shout, his slaves immediately stopped their work and gathered around to protect their young master.


    ¡°Who?¡± Gao Fugui stood in front of Gao Qiu¡¯s body and shouted, ¡°Who dares to attack our young master? Beat me if you have the ability¡­¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    Gao Fugui¡¯s mouth was whipped by the whip. His skin was dripping with blood, and his flesh was torn.


    He covered his mouth, whimpered, and barked, and the next cruel words could not be said.


    Gao Qiu¡¯s eyes looked around and then aimed at the target.


    It was a girl, a beautiful girl.


    She was the most beautiful girl that he had ever met and for many years had been searching for.


    If he could marry such a woman, he would rather mend his ways, be a vegetarian, study Buddhism, and never do such things as molesting others¡¯ wives.


    She was like a pure white jade and flawless, like a character from a painting.


    She had the posture of Ban Ji writing in the history books, and the appearance of Xie Ting singing the praises of the snow.


    There were thousands of words to be said, but it was hard to describe just how beautiful she was.


    The girl¡¯s long purple hair was tied up into a casual ponytail. She rode on a black horse in a luxurious white dress, looking down from a high position at Gao Qiu, who looked at her.


    No, she didn¡¯t seem to see anyone. It seemed that there was no one worthy of her high look on this flowing street and the crowd gathered here.


    Gao Qiu was a sensitive and delicate man. When he realized that the woman didn¡¯t put him in her eyes, he couldn¡¯t help getting angry and crazy.


    ¡°May I have your name, Miss?¡± Gao Qiu cupped one hand in the other before his chest and looked at the girl on the black horse with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Thwap!¡±


    With a flick of the girl¡¯s wrist, the black whip in her hand was whipped toward Gao Qiu¡¯s face.


    Gao Qiu couldn¡¯t dodge in time, so he was hit again on the left cheek.


    There was a red wound on both the left and right side of his face, which looked balanced and funny.


    ¡°Girl, let¡¯s talk about it. Don¡¯t be so rude. We are all well-educated people. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, you can directly tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    The girl raised her hand and gave him another whip.


    ¡°Hey, did you hear what I said? Are you deaf? Are you mute?¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    ¡°Do you know who my father is? How dare you beat me?¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    Gao Qiu¡¯s face was hit again.


    Gao Qiu cried.


    He was really crying. He was sad, and his face was f**king painful¡­ It was as if someone was cutting his face with a knife.


    Gao Qiu¡¯s face was covered with tears. He looked up at the white-clothed girl and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want just because you are beautiful! You should know that when I flatter you, I will let you do what you like to do, but when I¡¯m tired of you, you¡¯ll be worth nothing. Even if you hurt me, you don¡¯t want to tell me your name. Are you still reasonable?¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    Gao Qiu¡¯s face was whipped again.


    His body tilted and fell to the ground with a thud.


    ¡°How dare you bully our young master!¡± Gao Fugui¡¯s mouth was bleeding, and he couldn¡¯t even speak properly. He pulled out his long sword from his waist and shouted, ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s have a fight!¡±


    The girl in white glanced at him, and he slowed down a lot. Then he carefully turned a corner in front of her horse¡¯s mouth and came back.


    He pointed to the girl and shouted, ¡°Who are you? Leave your name, and wait for us to come and take you away.¡±


    ¡°Lu Qiji.¡± The girl in white kicked the horse¡¯s leg, and the black horse broke through the crowd and walked forward.


    Gao Fugui was so happy that he ran over to help Gao Qiu up from the ground, trying to get credit. ¡°Young Master, Young Master, I asked for the girl¡¯s name for you. She said that her name is Lu Qiji¡­¡±


    ¡°Slap!¡±


    Gao Qiu slapped Gao Fugui in the face and punched him again and again. He roared, ¡°You nasty slave, who asked you to ask who she was? Why did you ask who she was?¡±


    ¡°Young Master¡­ Young Master¡­¡± Gao Fugui clutched his head and begged desperately for mercy.


    Behind the girl in white, there were several boys and girls who were also gorgeously dressed on horses. They were about the same age and had the same background. They walked through the crowd in fine clothes and horses, and the passers-by all looked at them with appreciation.


    ¡°Vice Magistrate Gao¡¯s son is getting more and more ridiculous. He is like a ruffian.¡± A young man with sharp eyebrows in a black warrior¡¯s suit said with a smile, ¡°Qiji, aren¡¯t you afraid that he will dirty your whip?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll get my eyes dirty if I don¡¯t whip him,¡± the white-clothed girl said coldly and arrogantly.

 Chapter 54 - Im Not Stupid Anymore!

    The sun was shining brightly. The youth was blazing.


    These proud young people rode tall horses side by side in the middle of the street, and the people on the street were naturally separated to both sides like a water current.


    They were full of spirit, as if they were the center of the world and the most blessed humans by the gods.


    They were very domineering, but they were not disgusting. On the contrary, they made people envious and want to become a member of them.


    The young man with sword-shaped eyebrows who spoke was named Chu Xun. He was a member of the royal family of the Xifeng Empire. His father was an idle prince who lived leisurely at home, but an idle prince was still a prince. Therefore, among the people present, his status was the most honorable.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That Gao Qiu is so annoying. Even if Qiji didn¡¯t whip him, I¡¯d want to do so.¡± A cute oval-faced girl said with a smile, ¡°However, if I whipped him, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have the chance to be so mighty and domineering¡ªQiji paid no any attention to him, just whip him until he cries, and wait for him to kneel down and beg for mercy.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxin, that¡¯s the difference in your temperaments. She is one of the Three Bright Moons of the empire. You¡¯re one of the three pets of the empire. Can you achieve the same effect as her?¡± A strong teenager in a green shirt joked with a smile. It seemed that he liked Xiaoxin very much. His eyes were full of joy when he looked at her while speaking.


    ¡°Liu Long, you are the pet. You are a big black horse, a stupid cow! You are so annoying!¡± Xiaoxin didn¡¯t like others calling her a pet, so she retorted with dissatisfaction.


    Although he was with a lot of people, Chu Xun¡¯s mind was all on the girl in white beside him, Lu Qiji.


    He looked steadily forward. One of his hands was holding the reins, and the other was holding his sword hilt, keeping a careful and alert posture.


    ¡°Qiji. I¡¯m afraid that Grandpa Lu is most likely to win the battle for the position of the Left Prime Minister this time.¡± Chu Xun said with a smile.


    When Chu Xun said this, all the people around were holding their breath and waiting for some unknown gossip. All the people present were from official families. They had heard about the current political situation since childhood. So they knew something about the current situation. Now, the matter that Lu Xingkong strove for the position of Left Prime Minister was the concern of the whole privileged class in the entire Capital Heaven, and even the whole Xifeng Empire. If Lu Xingkong succeeded in striving for the Left Prime Minister as the highest leader in the military, how powerful would the Lu Family, who had both military and political power, be?


    As people who enjoyed the benefits of their families, it would be a great contribution for them if they could bring back some important news for their family or parents.


    ¡°If the Han Prince is willing to come forward and recommend him, of course, it will be a sure thing,¡± Lu Qiji said with no expression on her face.


    Chu Xun said with a bitter smile on his face, ¡°My father will naturally support Grandpa Lu, but he has his own difficulties now. If Grandpa Lu wants the position, the Cui Family will stop him. The most important thing is the attitude of the grandpa of the Song Family. I don¡¯t know why he has always disliked Grandpa Lu and even gave him a title like ¡®Sand Eagle¡¯, which is not elegant at all. Many people said that the grandpa may not be able to hold on for too long, but the royal family attached great importance to his attitude. If the royal family values him, they will show deviation. My father is alone and weak, so he can¡¯t affect the emperor¡¯s holy judgment.¡±


    ¡°The Cui Family is in the way, the Song Family hates him, and the royal family dislikes him. Do you still think my grandfather is sure to win? Chu Xun, what the hell are you trying to do?¡± the girl in white said sharply, disdaining him.


    Chu Xun was stunned. He shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Look, my mistake was caught by her again and stabbed badly. You guys should pay attention when you talk to Qiji. We are not afraid of hard knives, but afraid of soft knives, which would definitely kill us.¡±


    The crowd burst into laughter, and Chu Xun¡¯s embarrassment was resolved.


    ¡°Forget it, forget it. We don¡¯t want to talk about national affairs. Those kinds of things are not far from us, but we are too young and weak to break the rules. Let¡¯s talk about school. The college entrance examination is coming up soon. Qiji, are you sure you will go to Xifeng University?¡±


    ¡°How can there be a certain thing in this world?¡± Lu Qiji thought for a moment and said, ¡°Is that person of the Cui Family coming back?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Cui Xiaoxin wanted to go to Xifeng University, and her academic performance is not a problem. Calculating the time, I¡¯m afraid that she will be able to come back within this month? When she comes back, Capital Heaven will become more lively,¡± a young man in splendid clothes and jade said with a flushed face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Wan Xi secretly fell in love with Cui Xiaoxin. Now it seems that it was right. Look, he is so excited. Now Cui Xiaoxin hasn¡¯t come back yet. If she comes back, can you still say a word?¡± Liu Long said with a teasing expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. ¡®When she comes back, Capital Heaven will become more lively.¡¯ Is Cui Xiaoxin a person or a team? Can she compete with half a city¡¯s people alone?¡± Xiaoxin said with great dissatisfaction. She was a fan of Lu Qiji. Among the Three Bright Moons of the Empire, her favorite was the cold and cool Lu Qiji, and the other two people were not in her eyes at all. ¡°If you like her, you can play with her later.¡±


    Wan Xi said with a sad face, ¡°I¡¯m just talking, aren¡¯t you the ones who brought the topic up?¡±


    Chu Xun smiled and looked at Lu Qiji, saying, ¡°Wherever you go, I will go, too.¡±


    With his father¡¯s status as Prince Han, the royal school was at his disposal. Besides, he was an outstanding person. Whether it was literary or martial arts, he was the best among the younger generation in Capital Heaven. Wherever he wanted to go, that school would welcome him.


    Chu Xun¡¯s words were no different from his confession of his love for Lu Qiji.


    ¡°Wherever you go, I¡¯ll follow you. Anyway, I want to be with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Lu Qiji¡¯s ponytail swayed. She swept her eyes behind and said, ¡°You can all come along.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Xiaoxin, who was the least scheming, nodded repeatedly. Of course she wanted to be with her idol, even if Lu Qiji didn¡¯t want her to, she had to fight desperately for it.


    On the other hand, the others were smiling awkwardly, and did not clearly give her any reply.


    Please, they were not fools¡ªLu Qiji used them to reject Chu Xun. Although it sounded very euphemistic, to the injured young man, there was no difference between ¡°I don¡¯t like you¡± and ¡°you are a good person¡±.


    Chu Xun smiled and took the initiative to say to his companions around him, ¡°Let¡¯s go together. The more people there are, the merrier it will be.¡±


    The atmosphere became harmonious, and everyone laughed again.


    ¡­


    ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡±


    Li Muyang gently knocked on the door of the neighbor.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    When the door of the courtyard opened, Aunt Zhao stood in the courtyard and looked at Li Muyang at the door. She asked with a smile, ¡°Muyang, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Zhao, my mother asked me to send you some snacks and thank you for your help last time.¡± As Li Muyang spoke, he handed over a box of pastries in his hand. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t come to our house in time last time, we still don¡¯t know what would have happened in the store. Our family remembered this kindness and didn¡¯t know how to thank you. So we brought you a box of snacks from home. If you like it, I¡¯ll bring you more.¡±


    Aunt Zhao smiled and took it. She pretended to be polite and said, ¡°Muyang, don¡¯t stand on ceremony. We are all neighbors. As the old saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as neighbors. It¡¯s just a piece of cake. If something happens to our family, you will also help me, right? Bah, what am I talking about? Everyone is fine. By the way, how is your mother?¡±


    ¡°She is fine. We¡¯re all fine.¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°Aunt Zhao, what¡¯s the name of the uncle who asked you to inform us at home last time? My family also wants to bring snacks to thank him.¡±


    ¡°How could I know his name¡­¡± Aunt Zhao suddenly stopped talking and said in a panic, ¡°There is no such person! I just passed by the door, so I rushed to your house to inform you!¡±


    ¡°Aunt Zhao, don¡¯t worry. I mean no harm. I really want to thank him. If it wasn¡¯t for the uncle¡¯s help, our family would be in great trouble.¡± Li Muyang looked honest and seemed to have no hostility. ¡°Aunt Zhao, someone has seen the uncle. Please tell me. How could he do a good deed without leaving a name?¡±


    Aunt Zhao looked embarrassed. She looked around and said, ¡°Muyang, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you, but I really don¡¯t know his name. At that time, I was working in the store, and a man in black clothes came in. He gave me a gold coin, saying that something happened in your shop, and asked me to inform your family to come over.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded with a smile and said, ¡°He asked you to come to ask for help, so you should inform my father¡ªyou ran from Water Willow Street to the Ministry of Revenue Lane, and passed by my father¡¯s workplace halfway. Why didn¡¯t you go to find him?¡±


    ¡°I also thought about it at that time. But the man asked me to go to your house to look for you. It was him who asked me to inform you¡­ I didn¡¯t think much about it, so I rushed over and reported it to you.¡±


    ¡°He also told you not to tell anyone that he asked you to come to my house, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he said so.¡± Aunt Zhao nodded and said, ¡°Muyang, how do you know everything?¡±


    Li Muyang pointed at his head and said in a declarative tone, ¡°Aunt Zhao, I¡¯m not stupid anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 55 - Hot-Tempered!

    When Lu Qiji rode back to Lu Mansion, an eight-year-old kid ran over. He took the rope of Lu Qiji¡¯s horse and raised his fat face. ¡°Sister, finally, you are back,¡± he said in a low voice.


    ¡°Lu Tianyu, why are you sneaking around?¡±


    Lu Tianyu looked around and lowered his voice as he said, ¡°Sister, Father and Mother had a quarrel.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Do you know why?¡± Lu Qiji asked.


    Her father was tolerant, her mother was virtuous, so her parents were very close to each other. They seldom fought with each other. She was very curious about the situation.


    ¡°I heard that Mother wanted to pick up someone and let him live in our house, but Father didn¡¯t agree. Sister, who is that? It is just one person, why didn¡¯t Father agree? Oh, Father also said that it was Grandpa who didn¡¯t agree. How did Grandpa know about this? Wasn¡¯t he concentrating on being the prime minister? How could he have the mood to take on these small issues?¡±


    Lu Qiji¡¯s black pupils turned purple. Her purple hair was even more glamorous, just like a beautiful flower fairy coming from heaven.


    ¡°Lu Tianyu, shut up,¡± Lu Qiji said in a cold voice, ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again.¡±


    ¡°Sister, Sister, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lu Tianyu was extremely nervous. He felt a chill on his spine, and his calves began to tremble. ¡°Why are you angry? I didn¡¯t say that. It was Father and Mother.¡±


    ¡°No matter who said it, don¡¯t say it again, and don¡¯t let others know¡­¡± Purple light flashed in Lu Qiji¡¯s eyes and quickly disappeared, and her voice became much softer. She said in a low voice, ¡°If I hear that from you again, I will use my whip to beat you.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much that Lu Tianyu was afraid of. He was only afraid of his cool and beautiful sister.


    He saw Lu Qiji¡¯s expression. She was serious.


    He then looked at the whip in Lu Qiji¡¯s hand, which was cold.


    Then, he nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Sister, I won¡¯t talk nonsense anymore¡­ Sister, you must be tired after practicing all day in the sword house, right? I¡¯ll help you lead the horse. Go back to your room and take a rest.¡±


    Lu Qiji also threw the whip to his younger brother Lu Tianyu. She got off the horse and walked toward the courtyard where she lived.


    Seeing Lu Qiji walking away, the little fatty Lu Tianyu held the horsewhip and whipped the black horse¡¯s buttock. He scolded, ¡°Your master bullied me, and I¡¯m going to bully you.¡±


    The black horse was brave. After his butt was hurt, his hind legs naturally reacted in self-defense.


    Bang!


    Lu Tianyu was kicked by the horse¡¯s leg and fell to the ground in surprise.


    Hearing the noise, Lu Qiji turned around and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Lu Tianyu laid prone on the ground and squeezed out a smile with difficulty on his chubby face. He said, ¡°Sister, do you think I¡¯m like a frog?¡±


    As he spoke, he also imitated the sound of a frog. ¡°Croak¡­ Croak¡­¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Lu Qiji turned around and left.


    After returning to her own small courtyard and closing the door, Lu Qiji¡¯s black pupils turned dark purple once again.


    She looked like a strange monster with her purple hair and purple eyes.


    With a wave of her hand, a hill-like stone flew toward her.


    Her right hand spread out to hold the small stone hill. With purple light shining around in her palm, the stone was incinerated into a pile of dust and vanished.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Lu Qiji said the name in a cold voice. ¡°Welcome to Capital Heaven.¡±


    Knock, knock, knock¡­


    There was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Miss, Madam asked you to come over,¡± a maid¡¯s voice came from the door.


    The purple in Lu Qiji¡¯s pupils disappeared instantly, and then her eyes turned black like normal people.


    ¡°Ok, I know,¡± Lu Qiji said softly, ¡°Tell my mother that I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Miss,¡± the maid said from outside the door.


    ¡­


    When Li Muyang opened the door of the courtyard, his sister Li Sinian was already waiting for him there.


    ¡°Brother, how is the investigation going?¡± Li Sinian asked with a smile.


    ¡°Investigation?¡± Li Muyang asked, pretending to be confused.


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t pretend anymore.¡± Li Sinian said in disdain while making eyes at him, ¡°I¡¯ve told you that before you raised your butt, I already knew you were going to shit.¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian.¡± Li Muyang¡¯s face turned red. It was humiliating for his sister to talk about his embarrassment all the time. He had now grown into a handsome, tan teenager¡ªat least Li Muyang thought so himself.


    They were all grown-ups. It was insulting to always mention the pooping thing.


    ¡°Oh, you blushed. To be honest, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen you blushing.¡± Li Sinian stared at Li Muyang¡¯s face and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s strange. Why is this the first time? Oh, I understand. You blushed before, but your skin was too dark at that time. I couldn¡¯t tell if you blushed. Now I can see¡­ It proves that you have become whiter. Oh, I think it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian¡­¡± Li Muyang was not angry with his precious sister at all. He was always tightly restrained by her.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about something serious.¡± Li Sinian stopped teasing her brother and asked, ¡°Tell me, why you sent cakes to Aunt Zhao? What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°I was grateful for her kindness last time, so I wanted to thank her. It was just a courtesy to send a box of cakes to her,¡± Li Muyang answered with a smile.


    ¡°Li Muyang, look at my eyes.¡± Li Sinian pulled Li Muyang¡¯s head, forcing his eyes to look into her eyes. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± Li Muyang shook his head. Who would dare to say that Li Sinian was stupid? That would be the real fool.


    ¡°But why is there an idiot in my eyes?¡± Li Sinian asked.


    ¡°The idiot¡­¡± Li Muyang smiled bitterly and said, ¡°A child doesn¡¯t need to know much. You only need to study hard and get up every day. We have made an agreement, right? I¡¯ll go to Xifeng University to do some research for you first, and then you¡¯ll come in next year. With your talent, isn¡¯t it a piece of cake?¡±


    ¡°You think I am a child. How much older are you than me? Are you going to tell me or not? If you don¡¯t tell me, I will ask Aunt Zhao myself. Whatever you did, I can do it too.¡±


    Li Muyang sighed and said, ¡°I feel that someone is against us.¡±


    ¡°Against us?¡± Li Sinian was shocked and asked, ¡°Are they with that killer?¡±


    ¡°Not sure yet.¡± Li Muyang answered in a low voice, ¡°But, I¡¯m sure that they don¡¯t have good intentions.¡±


    ¡°Brother, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°I will find a way.¡± Li Muyang fondly looked at his sister Li Sinian and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine.¡±


    In any case, he had to protect his family from any harm.


    He was willing to pay any price for this.


    ¡°Li Muyang, I know that you¡¯re at home! Open the door for me! Hurry up¡­¡± Someone shouted at the door.


    Li Sinian was angry as soon as she heard this voice. ¡°That idiot young master is here again,¡± she said.


    Li Muyang laughed and joked, ¡°He¡¯s come here for you.¡±


    ¡°I think he has come here for you. Muyang and Xiangma, a white sheep and a black horse. Two animals that can make a family just well enough. If someone can say that you two are not a couple, I¡¯ll fall out with them on the spot.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, open the door. I have something important to discuss with you,¡± the voice of Yan Xiangma came again.


    ¡°He helped us. He is at the very least our savior.¡± Li Muyang sighed and walked over to open the door of the yard. ¡°Master Yan,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t call me that. Call me Cousin. It sounds cordial. I¡¯m not a cold young master who likes put on airs. Although I am from a noble family, I¡¯m amicable and easy to approach.¡±


    When Yan Xiangma saw Li Sinian staring at him coldly, he smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into a line.


    Waving his fan, he walked into the yard in a cool manner. ¡°Sister Sinian is also at home. Sinian, Sinian, this name is so sweet that my heart has almost sunk into it,¡± he said.


    ¡°Who is your sister?¡± Li Sinian looked at Yan Xiangma cautiously and said, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin is your sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xiaoxin is my younger sister. You are also my younger sister. Your older brother calls me Cousin. If you are not my younger sister, what are you?¡± Yan Xiangma poked Li Muyang¡¯s arm with his arm and said, ¡°Is that right, Cousin Muyang?¡±


    Li Muyang had a feeling of beating his face with his own hands. Yan Xiangma was obviously the honorable young master of the City Lord Mansion, but why did he always feel ashamed when he was with him?


    ¡°At that time, I was in a trance,¡± Li Muyang said helplessly.


    ¡°I think you were obsessed with women.¡± Yan Xiangma glanced at Li Muyang with a hint and said, ¡°There is something I don¡¯t know whether to tell you or not.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Li Muyang asked.


    ¡°Xiaoxin is waiting for you by Sunset Lake,¡± Yan Xiangma answered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Muyang was overjoyed.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Yan Xiangma smiled and said, ¡°How can I lie to you about such a thing? If you go there, you will see her.¡±


    Li Muyang turned around and was about to rush out. After several steps, he came back and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll cheat me. You come with me.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang.¡± Yan Xiangma was really irritated by this fool. He grabbed his arm and pulled him to the corner of the wall. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°I have already sent my sister to you. Can¡¯t you let me talk to your sister? Do you still have a conscience? Was your conscience eaten by a dog?¡±


    Li Muyang thought it was reasonable. Yan Xiangma even gave his sister to him. Of course, he should leave some space for him and his sister.


    However, if he did so, he would be in a bad mood.


    So, he looked at Yan Xiangma and said, ¡°I¡¯d rather let a dog eat my conscience. I can¡¯t leave my sister to stay with you alone.¡±


    Li Muyang took Yan Xiangma¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. You¡¯ll be with me.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian shouted, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin is waiting for you at Sunset Lake. Go there quickly. As for this idiot¡­Young Master, let him stay with me.¡±


    ¡°Sinian!¡ª¡± Li Muyang was still a little worried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He can¡¯t eat me.¡± Li Sinian blinked her eyes, smiled innocently, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to have a good talk with him.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°My silly brother¡­¡± Li Sinian was so angry that she stamped her feet and said, ¡°The girl is not in a hurry. For such a thing, why are you, a boy, in a hurry to come back? Don¡¯t talk too much. Go, now.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded and strode towards the direction of Sunset Lake.


    After Li Muyang ran away, Yan Xiangma tidied up his clothes and gave a salute to Li Sinian. ¡°Sinian, my younger sister, Xiangma¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so affected. Come out with me,¡± Li Sinian said as she strode toward the street outside the yard.


    ¡°Hey, this little girl¡­¡± Yan Xiangma felt that he had been insulted again and again. ¡°Why is such a hot-tempered girl so attractive?¡±

 Chapter 56 - Biding Farewell at Sunset Lake

    Yan Xiangma trotted behind Li Sinian. With a sweet smile on his face, he said, ¡°Sister Sinian, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Going shopping,¡± Li Sinian said grumpily while running.


    ¡°Haha, it turns out that this is a date. Although our relationship is developing too fast, extraordinary people do extraordinary things. You and I are extraordinary people. Even if you want to hold my hand or kiss me on the street, I can accept it.¡± Yan Xiangma looked like he was willing to go into boiling water and walk through fire for love.


    ¡°Hold your hand? You can hold your right hand with your left hand. I took you out to go shopping because there are so many people on the street, so you dare not to touch me. Who is willing to stay alone in the yard with you? Do you really think I am stupid?¡±


    Yan Xiangma looked stunned as if he had been struck by lightning. ¡°How dare you doubt my character? How dare you insult my personality?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with you at all. Why can¡¯t I doubt your character? It would be damned if I believe in your character.¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian, you should know that as a well-known gentleman of Jiangnan City, I can do anything. You humiliate me like this. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will take revenge?¡±


    ¡°What will you do?¡± Li Sinian stared at Yan Xiangma with vigilance. If this bastard dared to do anything, she would punch him and shout loudly with her hands covered on her chest. ¡°Hmm, do I need to lower my neckline a little? Will it be too embarrassing? I¡¯m a decent girl.¡±


    Yan Xiangma stared at Li Sinian fiercely and swallowed his saliva several times. When Li Sinian began to worry that he would be choked to death by his spit, he finally said with a rough voice, ¡°I¡¯m seriously warning you, don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°Sinian¡­¡± Yan Xiangma came over to her again and said with a smile, ¡°In fact, I¡¯m here for¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of person is Cui Xiaoxin?¡± Li Sinian interrupted Yan Xiangma and asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Yan Xiangma was taken aback. He was still thinking about how to express his feelings. The change of the topic was too fast and he was not used to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you, what kind of person Sister Xiaoxin is?¡± Li Sinian asked, ¡°I know that her background isn¡¯t simple. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Xiangma said nodding.


    ¡°Of course, it was not simple. The Cui Family was a very important branch of the imperial political circle. Except for the Song Family, which had the title of ¡®the Xifeng Academy and a prime family¡¯ and had stood still for thousands of years, no one could take on the Cui Family. Even the Lu Family, who had generations of generals, could not compete with it. As the most direct descendant and one of the most outstanding women of the Cui Family, how could she be a nobody? Even I, her cousin, had to take care of Cui Xiaoxin. When my father talked to her, he also regarded her as a special person who was not just a junior of the Yan Family.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Li Sinian asked as she stopped and blinked her innocent and lovely big eyes at Yan Xiangmawith a face full of curiosity.


    ¡°Why should I tell you this?¡± Yan Xiangma said, ¡°This is our family¡¯s secret, and we can¡¯t casually tell others. Who do you think I am? Do you think I will tell you everything when you use the beauty trick? Try me if you have the ability. Let¡¯s see if I am a coward¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother Xiangma, I beg you. Tell me¡­¡± Li Sinian stamped gently and begged with a pleading face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I can¡¯t say¡­¡± Yan Xiangma swallowed his saliva again and said, ¡°In fact, you can guess it yourself without me. Xiaoxin, my cousin is from the Cui Family in Capital Heaven¡­¡±


    ¡°Cui Hongyan?¡± Li Sinian said a name that resounded throughout the empire.


    ¡°He is her great-grandfather.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Sinian¡¯s small face was bitter and sad, as if she had heard terrible news.


    ¡°Sinian, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yan Xiangma asked.


    ¡°My brother has no chance at all, right?¡± Li Sinian asked.


    Yan Xiangma sighed softly and answered, ¡°In fact, from my personal standpoint, I support Muyang and Xiaoxin to be together. Although Muyang is a little dark and ugly, he is kind, and he also has a deep affection for Xiaoxin¡­¡±


    ¡°You are ugly. My brother is a hundred times more handsome than you,¡± Li Sinian interrupted Yan Xiangma with dissatisfaction and said, ¡°Answer my question. Is there any hope for my brother and Sister Xiaoxin?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t.¡± Yan Xiangma answered directly.


    ¡°Not even a hint of hope?¡±


    ¡°Sinian, you should know that even if there was a little bit of hope for Muyang, the situation would become more dangerous,¡± Yan Xiangma said seriously, ¡°Why is your brother safe now? Why does no one come to find you? It is because everyone knows that those two are impossible. They have no hope. If the existence of Li Muyang made people think that he was dangerous, do you think he would still be alive?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Sinian felt bitter in her heart and felt aggrieved for her brother.


    However, this was a fact that she found hard to change.


    How could a young man from an ordinary family be married to an offspring of Cui Hongyan, who was a powerful man on the continent?


    After understanding this problem, Li Sinian turned around and walked back.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Yan Xiangma shouted from behind. ¡°Li Sinian, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Going home.¡±


    ¡°Are we done shopping? Didn¡¯t we just come out? I have something to say, but I haven¡¯t said it yet. Li Sinian¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it next time.¡± Li Sinian did not look back but perfunctorily waved at Yan Xiangma.


    ¡°Next time?¡± Yan Xiangma smiled sharply. Looking at the girl¡¯s beautiful back as she went away, he whispered, ¡°Silly girl, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the chance to say it next time.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Yan Xiangma only said that Cui Xiaoxin was waiting by Sunset Lake, but did not tell him the exact position where she was waiting.


    Sunset Lake stretched for hundreds of miles and then connected to Taihu Lake. If he wanted to find a girl in such a vast place, wasn¡¯t it like picking up pearls in a sea of sand?


    Fortunately, Li Muyang wasn¡¯t stupid now. He went straight to the place where he had experienced the last spring outing. As expected, he saw Cui Xiaoxin sitting under a willow bush.


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin!¡± Li Muyang shouted.


    Cui Xiaoxin turned to look at Li Muyang and smiled at him.


    Cui Xiaoxin grinned. Li Muyang felt that every piece of his skin and every hair on his body was full of joy.


    It was just like what the famous poet in the empire Guo wrote, ¡°I was happy to see you cry for several days. I¡¯ve been sad to see you smile for years.¡±


    No, no, no, it was the opposite. It was ¡°I¡¯ve been sad to see you cry for several days. I was happy to see you smile for years.¡±


    Li Muyang felt that those words were really about his heart. Why did that poet know so much about human nature?


    If you liked someone, you were willing to bear all of her pain. You would accompany her to look up at the starry sky with a black face at a 45-degree angle. If you liked someone, you couldn¡¯t help but enlarge her happiness countless times. When her smile still remained at the tip of her eyebrows, you would already be so happy that you couldn¡¯t stand straight.


    Li Muyang walked quickly to Cui Xiaoxin and sat down. He said with a smile, ¡°This is the first time we have met each other.¡±


    Fearing that the term ¡°met¡± would make Cui Xiaoxin unhappy, Li Muyang added, ¡°Although we met each other a long time ago, it¡¯s true that we¡¯ve really known each other this day, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve known each other.¡± Cui Xiaoxin looked at the blue lake water and said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that conversation, I wouldn¡¯t have known that there was a boy in my class who had such a sharp sense of speech.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I was not like this before.¡± Li Muyang grinned, revealing two rows of white and neat teeth. He said, ¡°They were right. I was really a waste at that time.¡±


    ¡°I can see it,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said. ¡°You were very different at that time¡­¡±


    She turned around and looked at Li Muyang¡¯s face and eyes, saying, ¡°At that time, your eyes were dull, and there was no focus on anything. And your face was only confused, not as smart and confident as it is now. You have changed a lot. If I hadn¡¯t been standing by your side all the time, I would not have been able to connect that man with the present you. Even your appearance has become¡­ more charming.¡± She swallowed the word ¡°handsome¡± back and looked at Li Muyang¡¯s clear and deep eyes, which made her somewhat absent-minded.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m really grateful.¡± Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and said, ¡°It¡¯s you who let me regain the motivation of learning. It¡¯s you who helped to tutor me and told me not to give up at any time.¡±


    ¡°Compared with your life-saving grace, these are nothing,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said.


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Li Muyang was ready to change the topic. This was the secret skill of attracting girls that his younger sister, Li Sinian, taught him. When the communication between them became more boring or heavier, he should quickly change it and find some topics that girls were interested in. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a while. Have you been doing well recently?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Cui Xiaoxin nodded and said, ¡°When I read books, drink tea, and walk under the jacaranda, I always think about the past and the future. It¡¯s quite fulfilling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very nice.¡± Li Muyang was yearning for it. If he could accompany her when she read books, it would be like the time when she was tutoring him. If he could fill up the cup for her when she was drinking tea, it would be like the time when she was tutoring him. If he was able to walk side by side with her under the jacaranda, just like he imagined, how wonderful would that be?


    Cui Xiaoxin turned her face and no longer looked at Li Muyang¡¯s shining eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going back to Capital Heaven. I¡¯ll leave in two days.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll pack up and go with you,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile.


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 57 - Dont Worry!

    The cool breeze was refreshing, caressing the green grass on the ground.


    There were circles of ripples drifting on the surface of the lake, and the soil gave off a sweet fragrance that made people¡¯s mouths water.


    A boy and a girl were sitting side by side by the lake, looking like a passionate couple who secretly skipped their classes and went out to have fun.


    When two people were in a relationship, every word they said was telling others that they were in love.


    However, the ideal is plump, but the reality is always bony.


    They were in the departure. The girl would say goodbye to the boy.


    The girl would go to the distance, somewhere far away.


    The boy said that he would see her again, but the girl thought that it was unlikely to happen.


    Hearing Li Muyang¡¯s words, Cui Xiaoxin slightly raised the corner of her mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯m trying very hard to say goodbye to you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Li Muyang said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m seriously joking with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± Cui Xiaoxin glanced at Li Muyang and said, ¡°You¡¯ve become the same as Yan Xiangma. Oh, I remembered. When you attacked Zhang Chen that day, your words were much sharper than those of Yan Xiangma. Or, you two were born birds of a feather. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°As the saying goes, who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl. Yan Xiangma has been looking for me all day long. Perhaps, I have been somewhat tainted with some of his bad habits.¡±


    ¡°Then, you will also become a dandy.¡±


    ¡°Well, people have to born into rich and noble families to become dandies. It¡¯s very difficult to make themselves dandies with their own efforts.¡± With a smile, Li Muyang continued, ¡°No matter how hard I work, I won¡¯t be able to become the son of the City Lord, will I?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin smiled and said, ¡°But you can make your son the son of the City Lord.¡±


    ¡°With your blessing, I will try my best.¡± Li Muyang pulled up a blade of sugarcane-grass from the ground and put it in his mouth to chew. He didn¡¯t know when he got used to doing this. Perhaps, this habit began when he sat there staring blankly someday and picked up his first sugarcane-grass to chew. ¡°But haven¡¯t we already made an appointment? We are going to watch the sunset by the Nameless Lake of Xifeng University. I think I should be able to go to Capital Heaven soon.¡±


    ¡°By the time I arrive at Capital Heaven.¡± Cui Xiaoxin was about to speak but said nothing. After a long time, she said in a low voice, ¡°I will have been occupied with my study, so I don¡¯t know if I have the time to watch the sunset with you.¡±


    Li Muyang stiffened, but soon he said with a smile, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Anyway, we will stay at school for several years. We don¡¯t need to worry about this kind of thing. When you are free, we can go to see the sunset by Nameless Lake.¡±


    ¡°Well, but I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll have to wait,¡± Cui Xiaoxin added, ¡°I hope that we can see the sunset together someday.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin felt that she should say something more decisive to show her determination so that she could make a clean break with him, who was originally from a different world. But when she met Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, she just couldn¡¯t say anything like that.


    Li Muyang remained silent, and Cui Xiaoxin stopped talking.


    The boy and girl sat by the lake, worrying about the worries that they shouldn¡¯t have at their age.


    After a long time, Li Muyang said in a low voice, ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, what are you worrying about?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I know I don¡¯t deserve you, but I just want to be an ordinary friend with you.¡± Li Muyang looked coolly at Cui Xiaoxin. ¡°I admit that I had expected to be your boyfriend, but soon I extinguished the spark of hope in my heart. I didn¡¯t tell you when I liked you, and neither did I tell you when I decided not to. The reason why I didn¡¯t say it was that I knew you would not want to hear it,¡± said Li Muyang calmly as if he were telling a story that seemed to have nothing to do with him.


    ¡°At our age, who doesn¡¯t like beautiful girls? In my eyes, you are not only beautiful but also kind and independent. I have really thought about how good it would be if you could become my girlfriend. We could be together just like the other couples in our school. At that time, I would be the most eye-catching boy that others envied the most in the school, right?¡±


    ¡°I have never asked you about your family background, although I have already guessed that you must come from a remarkable family. Since even Yan Xiangma is your cousin, I suppose that your family must be as powerful as his. I know that we are from two different worlds, and I also know that it is impossible for you to love a boy like me, who is neither handsome nor outstanding. I think that we may become ordinary friends. Even if you are just a friend of mine, I believe you will be a perfect friend. Also, you are my first real friend. Besides Sinian, you are the only one at my age who is willing to come into contact with me.¡±


    ¡°However, you suddenly disappeared, and you don¡¯t want to go to my home anymore. I tried to look for you, but I didn¡¯t even know where you lived. You are trying hard to push me away for you want our relationship back to the initial state. I can feel all of this. Now you are not even willing to be an ordinary friend of mine, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡±


    ¡°Cui Xiaoxin, don¡¯t worry.¡± Li Muyang grinned and said, ¡°Even if we are still friends, I won¡¯t pursue you. Even if both of us are in Xifeng University, I won¡¯t ask you to be my girlfriend, either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin left.


    She left the Sunset Lake and would also leave Jiangnan City.


    Li Muyang was left alone, sitting by the Sunset Lake. He could no longer squeeze the sweet juice out of the blade of sugarcane-grass in his mouth, but he still felt reluctant to stop chewing.


    Li Muyang was a person who valued a lot his relationship with others because he had so few friends.


    Meanwhile, Li Muyang was a nostalgic person, because there were no other memories for him to cherish except for this.


    That day under the blood-red dying sun, numerous carps jumped out of Sunset Lake to present themselves before him. Whenever Li Muyang recalled such a scene, he would think that he might become a great man one day.


    ¡°At that time, there will be a lot of people who are willing to be friends with me, right?¡± Li Muyang thought to himself.


    When Cui Xiaoxin arrived at the riverbank, Yan Xiangma was already there, waiting for her.


    Yan Xiangma looked toward somewhere in the distance, but he couldn¡¯t see where Li Muyang was at all.


    He grinned and said, ¡°Have you said goodbye to him?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said with a poker face.


    ¡°Have you made the thing between you and him clear?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Then, that is to say, you didn¡¯t make it clear.¡± Yan Xiangma slightly shook his head and said, ¡°Love is the most sentimental word. However, you did this for his good. The day when Li Muyang took the exam, Crow went to attack his family. I arrived there in time and got them out of danger. However, some of his time for the exam was wasted. Therefore, I think that he has small hope of getting into Xifeng University. Worse still, whether he can go to Capital Heaven or not is still unknown. At that time, you two will separate from each other, too.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling,¡± Cui Xiaoxin said in a firm voice. ¡°He will definitely go to Capital Heaven, and he will greatly stir up the political situation there.¡±


    ¡°How can you tell his fortune?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see his eyes.¡± Cui Xiaoxin explained with a sad voice, ¡°You didn¡¯t see how aggrieved and unwilling he looked.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin left, but Li Muyang didn¡¯t go to see her off.


    Li Sinian had been there to say farewell to Cui Xiaoxin. After that, she simply said to Li Muyang, ¡°Sister Xiaoxin left, and so did the idiot young master.¡± Li Muyang didn¡¯t ask for more about the scene of the farewell, so Li Sinian didn¡¯t say much.


    Cui Xiaoxin, who seemed to be a passer-by in their lives, passed them by like many people that brushed past them in the downtown. They might think of each other occasionally, or even cherished the memories of each other. However, neither of them could return to the past.


    Every day, Li Muyang wrote, read, and learned the Qi-breaking Technique from his sister.


    He had sheer brute strength but didn¡¯t know how to use it. Each punch that he delivered was either weak and feeble or powerful enough to destroy everything.


    Since the strength of his punches always went to these two extremes, Li Muyang certainly knew he didn¡¯t learn this technique in the right way.


    But since there was no great teacher to guide him, he could only consult Li Sinian, who had practiced martial arts and Qi ahead of him.


    Though Li Sinian didn¡¯t know much, she instructed her brother without reservation. Owing to Li Muyang¡¯s extremely strong learning ability, Li Sinian found that she soon had nothing to teach him. She, who was always eager to do well in everything, was unwilling to give up on this. Thus, after finishing her homework, she would drill the Qi-breaking Technique diligently every day.


    In the process, Li Sinian¡¯s skills had been greatly improved.


    Also, Li Muyang borrowed the original ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± from Li Sinian to study. Last time, Li Sinian wanted to use it to exchange for Li Muyang¡¯s life, but Crow disagreed. As a result, Li Muyang took Crow¡¯s life instead¡­


    The ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± was a valuable book of the Taoist Qi cultivation, which was easy to get started. By practicing it, people could build up good physiques and improve their health. However, if people wanted to cultivate seriously, according to this book, it would be challenging. Li Sinian was able to use the Shattering Fist only because she was very talented and had kept practicing for many years.


    The book ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± said that once a practitioner of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± had practiced it to the limit, he would be capable enough to hold the sun and the moon as well as break the void. Li Muyang didn¡¯t know if all of this was true. On the one hand, the book could possibly make people as excellent as it had described. On the other hand, the author of the book might have bragged much when he wrote the preface for himself.


    After all, every writer likes bragging.


    Li Muyang was delighted as he looked at this book, and many times, he would be enlightened all of a sudden.


    In the past, Li Muyang knew nothing about martial arts. Now, he finally had a chance to go through a systematical process of learning and cognizing them.


    The book went from the easy to the complicated, which fitted Li Muyang¡¯s present physical condition well.


    What surprised him the most was that he felt very familiar with the latter part of the book.


    There are numerous great ways for practitioners to cultivate themselves and a great many techniques for people to practice. All roads will lead to the same glorious peak as long as people use these methods to the limit.


    Li Muyang felt that many knowledge points in the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± were the same as those in his memory, although he dared to swear on Yan Xiangma¡¯s moral quality that he had never read this book before.


    But since too many strange things had happened in recent days, Li Muyang no longer felt that such a thing was worth exploring. Even if he wanted to make a thorough inquiry about it, it would also be difficult for him to get the answer.


    Now, he desperately absorbed the knowledge of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±, like a traveler who was rather thirsty for water.


    Firstly, he would remember the content in this book. Then he would compare the newly learned knowledge with that of in his memory to confirm it. Finally, he would develop a way of systematically practicing according to his physical condition.


    Li Muyang indeed became much smarter.


    Like a fleeting show, this period flew by fast.


    At the end of August, the admission results of all the famous universities in the empire finally came out.

 Chapter 58 - On the Hero List!

    ¡°The sun still rises. Whoever has left, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Li Muyang said to himself.


    He still got up as early as before. Because he had something on his mind, he even woke up much earlier than before. In fact, before the day was breaking, he was already awake.


    Perhaps because he had slept too much in previous, the sleep time that Li Muyang needed became less and less. However, he felt more and more energetic. In the past, he would usually sleep up to 10 hours a day. But still, he felt dull and didn¡¯t appear as vigorous as a young man at all.


    After Li Muyang got up, he began to practice the first stage of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± in the way that he had studied in advance.


    Without the guidance of any famous teacher, he could only think about the content in that book and bring back the knowledge in his memories. Then, he would try to make them work together. However, even Li Muyang did not know if the conclusion drawn by him was correct or not.


    Therefore, he still walked and learned very cautiously according to the set of routines that the yellow-robed Taoist had passed on to Li Sinian before he left.


    ¡°Walking¡± was the first step, and also the foundation of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±. By walking, cultivators could harden their bones, straighten their vessels and meridians, and smooth Acupoint Qihai within their bodies. Finally, they could launch a punch with a quick burst of energy by one fluid motion.


    Of course, cultivators were not allowed to wander about aimlessly. Instead, they must walk orderly by following the secret method described in the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±.


    To walk well, the mood, the pattern of breathing, the state of mind, and the secret method, not a single one of these conditions could be dispensed with.


    As Li Sinian walked in a daze, she had bumped into the corner of the table and had kicked the door a few times. Whenever Li Muyang thought of the scene when she tumbled as if she were still in her deepest sleep, he would feel sorry for the unique once-in-many-lifetimes technique. How she practiced it only wasted such a great technique.


    But even so, Li Sinian managed to deliver the ¡°Shattering Fist¡± by practicing every day over the years, which gave Li Muyang great confidence. ¡°Since Li Sinian could make it, I can do it, too. I am several thousand times stronger than her, aren¡¯t I?¡± Li Muyang thought.


    As he was walking, he kept firmly in mind the first sentence of the Qi-breaking Technique: ¡°Gather Qi in Dantian, burst out in an instant.¡± Then, he began to gather the Genuine Qi from his whole body to the Acupoint Qihai (the lower Dantian).


    Once he started to accumulate his Qi, Li Muyang was greatly startled. From his every hair, muscle, bone, and Qi gathering place, the Qi kept pouring into his Dantian, which gradually became so full that Li Muyang felt it would soon burst open.


    It was hard to imagine how such great power could hide in his body.


    Li Muyang was shocked, and hurriedly, he stopped this dangerous behavior.


    Even if he stopped walking, Li Muyang still felt a burning pain in his Dantian, as if he had been roasted by burning coals.


    His forehead was sweating profusely. Beyond that, a red flush spread from his face to his neck, and his heart was beating much faster.


    He rushed over to lie on the bed. After resting for a while, he felt much better, and his various uncomfortable feelings gradually disappeared.


    It was still early, but Li Muyang did not dare to go on walking, so he decided to practice brush calligraphy for a while.


    Li Muyang¡¯s writing was getting better, so he was happy to write better than his best. It was just like when a person found his side face was handsome, he would always crook his neck to show it when he talked to others.


    While Li Muyang was bending over the desk, practicing calligraphy. ¡°Thwack!¡± The door of the room was burst open.


    Without even turning his head, Li Muyang knew that it was Li Sinian who came in. Others used their hands to open the door, but Li Sinian used her feet or arms to do it. Didn¡¯t she feel the pain?


    When Li Sinian saw her sensational appearance fail to attract Li Muyang¡¯s attention, she had to shout, ¡°Li Muyang, hurry up! Today is the day that our school publishes the name list of students who have been admitted to universities!¡±


    Li Muyang had to stop writing and put the writing brush on the edge of the inkstone. He got up to stretch his muscles and bones. Looking at Li Sinian, whose face was glowing with excitement, he asked, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? It¡¯s still early, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re late.¡± Li Sinian was so anxious that she stamped her feet. ¡°There are only two hours before the list being posted. At that time, a lot of people will have clustered around the list, so we can¡¯t possibly squeeze in¡­¡±


    Li Muyang grinned and said, ¡°Those who have finished checking the list will go away. Do you think they are going to stay before the list for the rest of their lives? So, let¡¯s wait until they finish viewing the list and then we can go to see it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Li Sinian couldn¡¯t wait to rush forward to give her brother a few punches. She said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you care about it at all? Who doesn¡¯t want to see the results and scores first? I heard that our school would offer great rewards to the top three students on the list.¡±


    ¡°But I have never expected to be one of the top three on the list,¡± Li Muyang shook his head and added, ¡°I just want to go to Xifeng University.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Sinian was so angry with his brother that she said, ¡°My good brother, how can you go to Xifeng University if you can¡¯t rank in the top three of the list? Xifeng University is the best university in the empire and the first choice for all the outstanding students in each school. The moment you receive the offer of Xifeng University, you get a promising future. Do you know how few students from our school entered Xifeng University last year? Two! Even if it recruits one more person this year from our school, you will have to be in the top three.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hearing Li Sinian¡¯s words, Li Muyang felt a little nervous and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go and have a look after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Muyang washed up and sat at the table, eating a steamed bun. However, the millet porridge was too hot to eat. Therefore, before Li Muyang could eat it, Li Sinian, who was waiting impatiently next to him, pulled him up and ran to the school with him.


    ¡°Have a little more!¡± Luo Qi shouted from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Li Sinian said aloud. ¡°When we come back to celebrate, I want to eat meat!¡±


    Luo Qi shook her head and sighed. ¡°This child doesn¡¯t look like a girl at all.¡±


    Li Yan, who was taking large gulps of porridge, said, ¡°At least she looks like a beautiful girl.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always the one who defend her.¡± Luo Qi said grumpily, ¡°Do you think the Lu Family will help him?¡±


    All of a sudden, Li Yan lost his appetite. He put down the porridge bowl and stared blankly for a while. Then, he said, ¡°From what I know of the one who is in charge of the Lu Family, I guess he won¡¯t help Muyang, will he?¡±


    ¡°Then Muyang can¡¯t¡­¡± Luo Qi felt like crying, and she said, ¡°Is there no hope at all?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, Muyang can get a good result by himself¡­¡± The more Li Yan talked about the result, the less confidence he had. In the end, he couldn¡¯t say anything more because he knew better than anyone about his son¡¯s usual performance. Li Muyang worked so hard in the last month that both Cui Xiaoxin and Li Sinian said that he improved very quickly. However, could he get into Xifeng University merely for a month¡¯s effort?


    ¡°I have secretly asked Sinian. Xiaoxin has returned to Capital Heaven. It is said that she is certain to go to Xifeng University. If Muyang can¡¯t go there, he will never have the chance to be with her. But she is such a good girl! What a pity! Moreover, Muyang has been thinking about going to Xifeng University all the time. If he fails this time, he must be very frustrated. I am afraid that he will not be able to bear the blow¡­¡±


    ¡°No, he won¡¯t,¡± Li Yan said with a firm look. ¡°He is stronger and braver than we thought. Do you forget that night? He suddenly fell ill that night, and his whole body was burning hot as if he were going to be cooked through. Both of us were frightened. We thought he must not be able to hold on this time. But in a daze, he woke up and opened his eyes to look at us. He stretched out his hand to hold yours and said, ¡®Mom, give me some medicine quickly. I don¡¯t want to die. I want to live.''¡±


    At the mention of this matter, tears started to pour down Luo Qi¡¯s face, and she said, ¡°I just think that this child has suffered so much since he was born. Now that he has grown up, he deserves to enjoy even a period of happy life at least. He can¡¯t always be tortured by fate, right?¡±


    Li Yan put his arm around his wife. But secretly, he hated that he could do nothing about it.


    Sure enough, as Li Sinian said, there was a sea of people at the gate of the school. The road leading to the Hero Platform was so crowded that they could not get a chance to get through.


    The Hero Platform was a platform in front of the school gate. There were eight steps for the students to go on it, which meant that the students would be promoted step by step.


    Behind the high platform, there was a black wall. Every year, the school would post the list of admissions from each famous university. Hence, the list was called the ¡°Hero List¡± by the students, and people on the list would be regarded as ¡°Superheroes¡±.


    ¡°Buddy, sorry, but I¡¯ve just got to get past. Excuse me¡­¡± Li Muyang cared about Li Sinian, so he took her hand and led the way.


    ¡°Are you nuts? Why should I let you go first?¡± The student in front who was pushed by Li Muyang said discontentedly, ¡°You want to go ahead, but so do I. If you are capable enough, why won¡¯t you fly there?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Sinian changed the position with her brother. Then she reached out and patted the student on the shoulder. With a lovely smile, she said in a sweet and clear voice, ¡°Hey, could you please make way for me? I want to see my result of admission¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know you are so annoying? Er, Miss, you want to go ahead, don¡¯t you? It is too crowded there, so you should pay attention to your safety. Just now, an idiot asked me to get out of his way, but I refused. Come here. Stand in front of me, and I will help you block the pervert behind.¡±


    By taking advantage of her pretty face, Li Sinian went all the way to the Hero List in the front. No one whom she asked for help refused her. She was invincible.


    Soon, she appeared hand in hand with Li Muyang at the very front row before the Hero Platform.


    ¡°Brother, has my makeup been ruined?¡± Li Sinian gently stroked her hair and looked into Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, using them as mirrors to see her face. Then she kicked him angrily and said, ¡°Please, have you whitened yourself? You¡¯re getting whiter, and your facial features become increasingly distinct. Are you trying to make yourself a pride and handsome man? It¡¯s a bit hard for me to get used to¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yo, Li Muyang? Are you also here to see the list?¡± A familiar voice came.


    The reason why Li Muyang was familiar with the voice was that the sarcasm in the voice had made an impression on Li Muyang.


    This voice belonged to Wu Man, who was a student from the class next to Li Muyang¡¯s.


    When Li Muyang passed by them, he pressed down Li Muyang, who was thin and weak at that time, and rode on him as if he were a lamb. One by one, he and his friends would jump over Li Muyang¡¯s head and then pointed at Li Muyang¡¯s back, laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t you think he looks like a pig?¡±


    Li Muyang clenched his fists and gritted his white teeth, but did not rush forward to fight with him.


    Li Muyang knew that he couldn¡¯t defeat him.


    In the end, Li Sinian stood out to revenge for her brother. One day, she stopped Wu Man and gave him a good beating.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Li Muyang glanced at Wu Man¡¯s little swollen face and responded in a loud voice.


    ¡°Hey, why would you come here to humiliate yourself when there are so many people packed in the front? If I were you, I would stand at the very back of the crowd, or simply hide at home. Do you think that your name can be on the list?¡± Wu Man pointed at Li Muyang and said with a sarcastic laugh as if he had seen something extremely ridiculous.

 Chapter 59 - He Wasnt on the Hero List!

    ¡°Big brother Wu Man, you can¡¯t say something like that. Perhaps Li Muyang is really on the Hero List, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. At that time, Li Muyang will amaze all of us with his single, brilliant feat¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, how can you bully Li Muyang like this? You want him to be on the Hero List, but won¡¯t it be harder than making a sow climb on a tree? Li Muyang, don¡¯t listen to them. I believe that you can never get on the list.¡±


    Li Sinian stepped in front of Li Muyang and glared menacingly at Wu Man, saying, ¡°Bastard, do you want to get a beating again?¡±


    To be frank, Wu Man was more or less afraid of Li Sinian. Last time, after the group of boys bullied Li Muyang, Li Sinian intercepted them on their way home. However, she was greeted by the group of ecstatic boys who were full of confidence and pride. At that time, Li Sinian was like a little white rabbit who actively threw itself at the mouths of a bunch of big bad wolves.


    But as it happened, this little white rabbit badly battered the group of big bad wolves who then did not dare to show up in front of Li Muyang for many days.


    ¡°Li Sinian, I tell you what. We are in school. If you dare to lay your hands on us, the school will not let you go easily,¡± Wu Man threatened while staring at Li Sinian.


    He then landed his eyes on Li Muyang¡¯s face and said, ¡°Li Muyang, do you want a girl to protect you throughout your life?¡±


    Upon hearing that Li Sinian reached out again, intending to hit him, but Li Muyang stopped her.


    Li Muyang stared at Wu Man and said, ¡°She is my sister. Surely, she will always stick up for me.¡±


    Wu Man burst out laughing and said, ¡°Li Muyang, how can you say such shameless words?¡±


    ¡°Whenever she is bullied, I will do the same thing for her,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, glancing at Li Sinian. Li Sinian responded with a sweet grin.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that funnier? Li Muyang, you can¡¯t even protect yourself. Do you think you have the right to say that you can protect your sister?¡± Wu Man said with disdain.


    ¡°I¡¯ve become very powerful now,¡± Li Muyang said seriously.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Wu Man felt that he had seen a madman. Who would say that he himself had become mighty? ¡°Dare you punch me?¡± Wu Man said.


    Bang!


    Li Muyang gave Wu Man a punch on the nose.


    Crack!


    The bridge of his nose made a crisp sound, and his face was covered with blood.


    Wu Man was stunned, so were his friends.


    They didn¡¯t expect Li Muyang would dare to make a move. After all, when they pressed him on the ground and rode him as if he were a lamb, he hadn¡¯t resisted at all.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Wu Man finally realized what had happened. He put out his hand to cover his nose, and his blood kept dripping from the gaps between fingers. He shouted angrily, ¡°How dare you hit me?¡±


    Li Muyang shrugged. He looked at Wu Man and said, ¡°But you asked me to do so¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you beat me only because I asked you to do so?¡±


    ¡°You have bullied me before, but still, I¡¯d like to show you some respect.¡±


    ¡°Brothers, go beat him up!¡±


    Li Sinian took one step ahead and stood before Li Muyang, shouting with anger, ¡°Who dares?¡±


    Every one of them took a step backward and stared vigilantly at Li Sinian, who was ready to make her move at any time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk nicely, everybody¡­¡± one of the guys said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. How can you start a fight in a fit of temper?¡± another guy added.


    ¡°It¡¯s extremely rude to fight at the school gate. Such behavior is absolutely disgraceful¡­¡± The third guy despised Li Sinian for resorting to force.


    ¡°Fools,¡± Li Sinian said and smiled coldly.


    At this moment, the crowd suddenly became noisy.


    Under the protection of the school guards, Lin Zheng¡¯en, the school principal, strode toward the Hero Platform.


    Everyone knew that he was going to post the Hero List.


    ¡°I know that you all are looking forward to seeing the list, as am I. You should be proud of yourselves. Beyond that, not only I but also your school is proud of you,¡± the school principal, Lin Zheng¡¯en, announced loudly on the high platform, ¡°I sincerely hope that every candidate of our school can get a good result and see their name on the Hero List!¡±


    Loud applause exploded from the crowd.


    The atmosphere at the scene was even more lively. Numerous candidates and their parents applauded and cheered, waiting excitedly for the announcement of the list.


    Lin Zheng¡¯en waved his hand and declared, ¡°Open the Hero List!¡±


    There was a sound of rustling.


    A giant red silk banner that was more than ten meters long was unfolded and then was hung on the black wall.


    When the Hero List was fastened to the wall, everyone looked up to see the names on the top of the list.


    The names on the top of the list were the names of students being admitted to Xifeng University: Cui Xiaoxin, Li Haoming, and Zhang Bi.


    Cui Xiaoxin, who was always the first of her grade on each exam, had always been the top student in the school. Her name had stayed at the top of the academic performance list for years, and almost no one could surpass her.


    When Li Muyang saw that Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s name was on the top of the Hero List as he had expected, he genuinely felt happy for her.


    Everyone knew that she would undoubtedly be in such a position. Also, she had said that she would go to Xifeng University more than once. But Li Muyang still felt it was a happy moment when he finally saw her name on the Hero List.


    Li Haoming had always been in second place in his grade, so it was expected that he would be admitted to Xifeng University.


    The name ¡°Zhang Bi¡± seemed to be a little strange to others, but Li Muyang knew that she was a very gentle girl who had always kept a low profile. In the past, she had never been in the top ten of her grade. She, who got such a great result, was a dark horse of the Liberal-arts Exam. Zhang Bi must have performed perfectly in the exam so that she could get such a great result which surprised everyone.


    ¡°Oh my god, I got into Xifeng University! I got into Xifeng University!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I have been admitted to Jiangnan University¡­¡±


    ¡°I can go to Shiling Academy!¡±


    Wu Man was searching for his name on the list, his eyes sparkling.


    Finally, he found his name in the middle part of the list. Regardless of his bleeding nose, he waved his arms and shouted, ¡°I got into Southeast Academy! I got into Southeast Academy¡­¡±


    Southeast Academy was also a good school. It seemed that Wu Man had also done a good job in the Liberal-arts Exam.


    One after another, the people around screamed. Some of them were delighted because they got into their ideal universities. Some people cried out, feeling sad for their failure.


    Li Muyang fixed his eyes on the top of the list. He wanted to go to Xifeng University, but his name was not on the admission list of Xifeng University.


    This meant that he couldn¡¯t go to Capital Heaven, and he couldn¡¯t go to Xifeng University, either.


    Li Muyang¡¯s eyes were out of focus, and his face grew paler and paler.


    ¡°I failed to keep the appointment with her,¡± Li Muyang murmured.


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry.¡± Li Sinian¡¯s face was full of anxiety. While comforting Li Muyang, she quickly searched for Li Muyang¡¯s name on the huge list. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Even if you can¡¯t go to Xifeng University, you can go to other schools. You worked so hard and will get into an excellent university. You can go to Capital Heaven, and you can go to see Sister Xiaoxin¡­¡±


    Li Muyang slightly shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve also thought about this result.¡±


    Li Muyang knew that he couldn¡¯t be sad, because then those who cared about him would become even sadder. Li Sinian would be more sorrowful, and so would his parents.


    He rubbed his nose with his fingers and pretended that he didn¡¯t care about the result at all. While smiling, he said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I failed to go to Xifeng University. Anyway, I have now obtained the ability to learn. I can take the exam again next year. Haven¡¯t you said that I¡¯d better review my lessons for one more year and go to Xifeng University with you next year? Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Sinian began to cry, large drops of tears falling down her cheeks silently. She knew that although her brother said so, he must be very sad in his heart.


    He had always been like this. Since he was a child, he had always worried that he would become a burden to his family. But he was very unwilling to bring any trouble to them.


    He had never mentioned to his family that he had been bullied by his classmates.


    When he was beaten so badly that his head was bleeding, he would only tell them that he had accidentally bumped into a corner.


    Li Muyang felt that he was born a burden, so he tried his best to let his family worry less about him.


    To get into Xifeng University, he had made furious efforts, but still, he failed.


    What was worse, Li Sinian had finished searching the whole Hero List, and she had not found her brother¡¯s name.


    That was to say, no famous university had accepted Li Muyang in the empire.


    Li Muyang wasn¡¯t on the Hero List!

 Chapter 60 - Heaven Will Never Spare You!

    Some people were satisfied, and some were disappointed.


    The ordinary silk list roughly divided those students, who originally studied in the same school, into two kinds at the moment it appeared.


    As Wu Man was celebrating with his friends that they had been admitted to universities, he accidentally saw Li Sinian, who was full of tears, and Li Muyang, who smiled and soothed her with great patience. He was stunned for a moment and instantly understood what was going on.


    Li Muyang was not on the list!


    In Wu Man¡¯s eyes, Li Muyang was not qualified to be on the list at all!


    Overjoyed, Wu Man pointed to them and said to his friends beside him, ¡°See, see! We kindly reminded him not to push forward and that he¡¯d better hide at home and never come out. Then what? He was so unwise and stupid that he insisted on rushing ahead. It was true that he could see the Hero List more clearly in the front, but he might get hit harder if he wasn¡¯t on the list, right? As the saying goes, don¡¯t bite the hand that feeds you like an ungrateful dog. However, he wronged me, a kind-hearted person, and hit me. Then what? It turns out that we were right! He failed the exam! He deserves it.¡±


    ¡°Brother Wu Man, where are we going to celebrate later? How about Osmanthus Blossoms Workshop? I¡¯ll treat you today¡­¡±


    ¡°The Osmanthus Blossoms Workshop is not as good as the Number One Scholar Lane. From today, we all will become students from famous universities. If we want to celebrate, we should naturally find a suitable place for the occasion. Tonight, let¡¯s go to the Number One Scholar Lane, and I¡¯ll treat you to wine and dine¡­¡±


    Li Sinian, who was crying sadly, filled with boiling anger. When she heard their words, she was even more furious. Clenching her fists, she was about to rush over, and she snapped, ¡°Who are you calling a dog? You are a dog! Your whole families are dogs! You damned dogs¡­¡±


    Li Muyang grabbed Li Sinian and said with a smile, ¡°Go, let¡¯s go back. Our father and mother are still waiting for us at home. If we go back late, they will be worried.¡±


    ¡°Brother, but they cursed you!¡± Li Sinian was too angry to stop. She still wanted to rush over to fight.


    ¡°I know,¡± Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°That was why I broke his nose just now.¡±


    ¡°These bastards¡­¡± Li Sinian gritted her white teeth and stared at Wu Man and others fiercely, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you again. I¡¯ll beat you every time I see you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Li Sinian, don¡¯t worry. Except for your useless brother, you cannot see any of us in the future. We will soon leave Jiangnan City and go to study in other provinces. Only your waste of a brother will stay here and never leave Jiangnan City. Frankly, he cannot leave¡­¡±


    Eyes bloodshot, Li Sinian picked up a stone from the step of the Hero Platform and was about to slam it against Wu Man¡¯s head.


    Wu Man hurriedly ran away. After all, Li Sinian had taught him a lesson.


    But how could Li Sinian stop? As soon as she saw Wu Man escaping, she held up the stone in her hand and threw it at Wu Man¡¯s head.


    Crack!


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Wu Man gave out a shrill cry and then fell to the ground, clutching his head.


    The stone hit right on his head and left a cut. Soon after, his blood soaked his back hair.


    ¡°Help! She is killing me! Help¡­¡± Lying on his stomach, Wu Man howled in pain and fear like a pig.


    The loud noise he made certainly alarmed the other students and the school principal, Lin Zhengyin, who had not gone far.


    ¡°Go to check what has happened,¡± Lin Zhengyin frowned and shouted to the guards beside him.


    It was a sacred and joyous day when the school posted the Hero List every year, and there had never been a fight taking place in front of the Hero Platform on such an important day.


    Without any delay, the guards obeyed the principal¡¯s order. They parted the crowd and walked around to Wu Man, who was lying on the ground, crying.


    Lin Zhengyin walked over quickly. He kicked Wu Man, who was on the ground and thundered in a dignified manner, ¡°How can you cry before the Hero Platform like this? Get up and tell me what happened.¡±


    The guards lifted Wu Man and said to him in loud voices, ¡°Answer the principal¡¯s question quickly.¡±


    The backside of Wu Man¡¯s head was bleeding. The strips of cloth stuffed in his nostrils had disappeared, so his nose also continued to bleed.


    There was blood dripping at the front of and also at the back of his face, which made him look terrible.


    ¡°Principal!¡± Wu Man pointed at Li Muyang and said, ¡°He slammed me on the head with a stone.¡±


    Wu Man was smart. He knew Li Sinian was a girl. Therefore, even if he blamed her, the school would not do anything to punish her. What was more, this girl was good-looking and good at studying. It was said that some teachers of her grade treated her like a treasure. In such a situation, how could the school do something to punish them as he expected?


    Hence, he simply put all the blame on Li Muyang.


    Wu Man secretly thought, ¡°Li Muyang, you want to study for one more year and take the exam again, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m sorry. Today, I¡¯ll ruin your last option. Just go back to the countryside to sell roasted sweet potatoes! You will have to work in the fields for the rest of your life and will never have the chance to get a bright future. That is the life that you are supposed to have.¡±


    Lin Zhengyin turned to look at Li Muyang in the face and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Did you hit him with a stone?¡±


    ¡°Principal, they wronged my brother.¡± Li Sinian¡¯s little face turned red. She pointed to Wu Man and said, ¡°I was the one who hit you with a stone. Are you blind?¡±


    ¡°Principal, all of them can testify for me,¡± Wu Man pointed to his friends around him and said.


    ¡°Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Li Muyang was the one who beat Wu Man hard with the stone.¡±


    ¡°He was not on the list, so he was jealous of Wu Man.¡±


    ¡°Principal, can such a loser still be a student of our school? Does our school allow an utterly lawless student like him to do anything he likes?¡±


    Wu Man covered his nose with one hand, and his other hand was on his head.


    Later, when he realized that this posture of him looked too silly, he covered his nose with only one hand and just let the wound behind him bleed.


    ¡°Principal, please bring justice to me. He broke my nose and my head!¡± Wu Man cried out.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Lin Zhengyin exploded with anger. With a pair of cold and sharp eyes, he stared at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Do you think that I can do nothing to deal with you after the Liberal-arts Exam? You failed the test this time, but won¡¯t you take the exam next year? Believe it or not, I will announce to deprive you of your qualification for the Liberal-arts Exam forever!¡±


    ¡°Principal, my brother didn¡¯t do it. I beat him up. It was me¡­¡± Once again, Li Sinian was in tears, feeling very upset. ¡°Why do these people always choose my brother to bully? Why do they always make things difficult for him?¡±


    ¡°Why? Is it just because my brother is weak? Or is it because he has not enough strength to fight against them? Is that why they have gone from bad to worse, and dare to behave so viciously?¡±


    ¡°Principal¡­¡± Li Muyang looked at Lin Zhengyin calmly and said, ¡°I admit that I injured him.¡±


    ¡°Brother, are you crazy?¡± Li Sinian took Li Muyang¡¯s arm to stop him. ¡°It was not you. It was obviously me, wasn¡¯t it? I hit him, didn¡¯t I? I broke his nose. I smashed him with a stone. He deserved it because he abused you.¡±


    Li Muyang stepped before Li Sinian to protect her. At this moment, he straightened his back, and his eyes brightened. He appeared calm and collected, like a tall upright pine tree that contained firm and tenacious energy.


    ¡°However, there is a reason for what I did. In the past, they often bullied me and called me Swine. Many students in our school knew about these things. You can easily know the truth by asking around. Today, they insulted me again and again. Also, they said that I shouldn¡¯t have appeared on the Hero Platform. They said that I should hide at home and never come out, in case I might not bear the blow of failing the exam.¡± Li Muyang looked at Wu Man and said, ¡°The most important thing is that he asked me to hit him.¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Wu Man shouted. ¡°How can I let him hit me? How can there be such a thing in the world? Do you think I am an idiot?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. How could such a thing happen in the world?¡± Zhang Chen walked through the crowd and looked at Lin Zhengyin, saying, ¡°Principal, I¡¯ve been standing aside and have witnessed the whole thing. I didn¡¯t hear that Wu Man ever said that. I just saw Li Muyang smash him because of the slightest disagreement. I understood him. After all, he might not be in a good mood right now, for he didn¡¯t see his name on the list. However, it can never be an excuse for beating his schoolmates.¡±


    ¡°Do you dare to swear on your parents¡¯ dignity and reputation?¡± Li Muyang looked into Zhang Chen¡¯s eyes and said.


    ¡°Sure. I dare to swear on my parents¡¯ dignity and reputation. I swear that Wu Man did not ask you to hit him. If he said so, my parents and other families will never acquire a peaceful end.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Li Muyang watched open-eyed as Zhang Chen was swearing. He didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Chen could casually make such a vicious oath. For him, it seemed that doing such a thing was just a piece of cake.


    But he swore on his parents and dearest relatives. How could he curse that all of them would never acquire a peaceful end?


    An oath was sometimes too worthless. In some people¡¯s eyes, it meant nothing but just a disguise of crime.


    ¡°Also, Li Muyang was criticized by the teacher before because he cheated in the exam,¡± Zhang Chen added.


    ¡°Yes, he is from our class. At that time, the teacher said that he cheated, but he refused to admit his fault.¡±


    ¡°Then he skipped school and hadn¡¯t shown up for a long time. I thought he would never come here.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s the one who cheated. You really can¡¯t judge a man by his looks!¡±


    Too many rumors can confuse what is right or wrong. The public opinion now was obviously on Wu Man¡¯s side.


    Zhang Chen and Wu Man, the two influential figures of the school, took the lead. Plus, the group of their best friends around echoed their words. A trend that was extremely unfavorable to Li Muyang had since formed.


    To affect the judgment of the principal Lin Zhengyin, they intended to make Li Muyang look like a bad student who cheated, hit people, and slept all day long.


    They were going to destroy Li Muyang!


    ¡°What else do you want to say?¡± Lin Zhengyin looked at Li Muyang with disappointment and thought that he should have gotten rid of such a student before.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that,¡± Li Sinian cried bitterly. She pointed to the people around her and shouted, ¡°My brother didn¡¯t cheat, and my brother didn¡¯t hit people either. You are not allowed to talk about my brother like that. You mustn¡¯t treat him unjustly!¡±


    Li Sinian cried out in her heart, ¡°These people must be crazy!¡±


    ¡°How could they say those words?¡±


    ¡°Do they have any sense of shame? Is there even a little sense of justice in their hearts?¡±


    She reached out her hand, clenched her fist, and gathered her Qi into her Dantian.


    Her Shattering Fist was ready to go!


    She was going to rush over and knock down all those who hurt her brother by words. She wanted all of them to die!


    She swore that she would never exist together under the same heaven with these people!


    ¡°Li Sinian¡­¡± Li Muyang instantly grabbed her arm.


    Li Sinian struggled desperately but still could not break free from the shackles of Li Muyang iron palms.


    At this time, Li Muyang had become extremely powerful in that no human being could be evenly matched with him.


    His eyes had become blood-red, enveloped by the red blood fog.


    A black scale appeared on the back of his hand again. It looked as dark and deep as black ink, emerging along with the sounds of wind and thunder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act on impulse.¡± Li Muyang said word by word to Li Sinian. His voice was hoarse and mature, full of majesty,


    Li Sinian couldn¡¯t do anything stupid because she still had to study and be a good student in the school. If she hit someone in front of so many students and the principal, then no one could cover up for her. It might ruin her future.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian saw her brother¡¯s red eyes and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go home. Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home. They¡¯ll be worried¡­¡±


    But Li Muyang stayed on the spot. He glanced around with his blood-red eyes, like a proud king looking down at all living things.


    ¡°Bullying others is equal to bullying Heaven. Heaven will never spare you.¡±

 Chapter 61 - Be Discerning by Listening More!

    Truth is like a shameless whore who always stands on the side where there are more people or where the rich are.


    It is not the person who says what makes sense who is right, but the person whose voice is loud and his status is high.


    Li Sinian was innocent and childlike. She was beautiful, smart and a little arrogant. She always thought that it was normal for her classmates to tease and bully each other.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this always happen on campus? Isn¡¯t this the meaning of youth?¡±


    Others bullied her beloved brother, so she had to bully them back. She was worried that her brother had no ability to protect himself and her brother would feel aggrieved.


    This thought was simple and basic.


    However, she had underestimated the evil nature of humanity and the dangers of the world.


    When she was still playing the game of avengers like a child, those senior members who were about to enter the best colleges, had already forced her to grow up in a mature and ferocious way.


    They used their influence to manipulate the opinions of the public, forming an overwhelming storm of judgment that was hard to resist.


    ¡°Three people spreading reports of a tiger can make you believe there is really one around.¡± At this moment when everyone said Li Muyang was a poor student, these stories circulated among the people and became more and more credible.


    In this way, how could Li Muyang, who was at the center of the storm, absolve himself? What judgment would Lin Zhengyin, who was under pressure from public opinion, make on him?


    In fact, Li Muyang did not want to explain. He had fallen off the list and that was the truth. He would still be looked down upon by those people who had initially looked down upon him, even if he tried to explain thousands of times.


    His body was getting stronger and his learning ability was getting better. He only needed to have extra tuition and work hard at it for another year. He still had the chance to go to a great imperial college.


    As for the agreement with Cui Xiaoxin, although he took it very seriously, Cui Xiaoxin, on the other hand, broke the contract with him in advance, before she left Jiangnan City. So, it did not bother him anymore. Even if he thought about it, it would only make him feel disconsolate.


    Li Muyang wanted to be calm and stay calm.


    If he won, he would win with glory. If he lost, he would lose with dignity.


    Just like he waved casually to Cui Xiaoxin and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if both of us are in Xifeng University, I will not ask you to be my girlfriend.¡±


    But, why did things turn out like this?


    What were they doing? They were going to destroy themselves now.


    They were going to ruin their reputation, their images and their future.


    Seeing Li Sinian crying and trying to drag him away, hoping to free him from this storm, Li Muyang¡¯s heart was filled with rage, and warm blood rushed to his brain.


    The anger was flowing through his body and his blood was boiling in his veins.


    They attacked Li Muyang¡¯s flesh and nerves. He felt that they wanted to break out at the top of his head, so that they could take a breath of fresh air easily.


    There was a desire to destroy everything, in his heart. He did not know where that feeling came from and he could not get rid of it.


    The scales on the back of his hands were as black as ink. His eyes were once again covered by a red haze.


    He pushed Li Sinian behind him and then greeted the crowd around them.


    ¡°Run, everyone. He is going to hit people again,¡± Wu Man shouted. He was afraid. He wanted to run away, but there were too many people behind him. There was no way for him to retreat at all.


    ¡°Look at him, his eyes are red with anger. This kind of person is very fierce¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do, Li Muyang?¡± Zhang Chen shouted, ¡°Do you want to hit the headmaster?¡±


    When they heard what Zhang Chen said, Lin Zhengyan¡¯s guards were alerted and immediately came to their senses.


    ¡°This guy dares to hurt the headmaster?¡± They immediately rushed to Li Muyang, who was striding toward them.


    The two guards grabbed both of Li Muyang¡¯s arms, but he did not seem to care at all. As he strode forward, he pulled hard with both hands, and the two men flew off.


    More guards rushed over and some students who had good skills in martial arts and who wanted to help the headmaster, were also present.


    Lin Zhengyin stood there with his back straight and shouted sternly, ¡°Let him come over.¡±


    ¡°Headmaster, you can¡¯t let him get close to you.¡± Zhang Chen stood in front of the headmaster and said in a worried tone, ¡°I have been his classmate for many years, and he is capable of pulling off dangerous stunts.¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way.¡± Lin Zhengyin was not convinced. He stared sharply at Li Muyang and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Li Muyang, what do you want to do? Are you still a student of this school? Do you want to go back to your studies? Do you still want to take the college entrance examination or not? Do you want to ruin your future?¡±


    Li Muyang stopped in his tracks and the red cloud in his eyes faded away. His black eyes were like a pool of cold water, staring at Lin Zhengyin.


    ¡°One failure is not terrible. What is terrible is that you are so angry that you are unable to get up and even get jealous of others. Is there a general who has never had any wounds on his body? Who does not need to go through hardship in order to achieve great things?¡±


    ¡°The sharpness of a sword comes from repeated grinding, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes only after the bitter winter. I have told you this sentence repeatedly and even taken this as the school motto, but you have never read it, have you? Have you ever thought about the deep meaning in it?¡±


    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t talk nonsense with him. He won¡¯t listen to you at all.¡± Zhang Chen ¡°kindly¡± reminded the headmaster, hoping that Lin Zhengyin would make a judgment as soon as possible.


    Lin Zhengyin glanced at Zhang Chen and said with a stern expression, ¡°What grudge do you have with him that makes you want to destroy him?¡±


    Zhang Chen was shocked and hurriedly explained, ¡°Sir, I did not mean to ruin him. Although there has been a little trouble between us, every word I say is the truth. As you can see, the cheating matter has been confirmed by everyone, not only me.¡±


    ¡°Eyes are not only used to look at things, but also used to distinguish right from wrong. Ears are not only used to hear, but also used to find the truth. Did you see his eyes? His eyes are full of grief and indignation. Will a student who has the intention to hit others with bricks, have such eyes? Did you hear what he said to his sister? The brother is kind and the sister is virtuous. When dangers and punishments come, they desperately wanted to push the other party away and solve each other¡¯s problems. How could such a person who takes care of his relatives so well, have such a bad character?¡±


    However, you easily swear on the health and safety of your parents and elders, and often confuse people with such poisonous oaths, such as your parents¡¯ bad ending, which makes people feel fearful. You do not even respect and love your parents, so how hardhearted will you be with others?¡±


    ¡°But, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°In the beginning, when you said that his character was bad and he attacked people, I believed it. But on a closer check, things are becoming more and more suspicious. You all say the same thing. You want to set off a storm and make Li Muyang speechless and indisputable. You want to stop his mouth and also stop that little girl¡¯s mouth. It proves that you are afraid of the truth being revealed. It is bad enough for you to bully kids using such a little trick. Do you even want to hoodwink me? ¡±


    ¡°Sir, you misunderstand. We did not mean to bully him at all. We just told the truth.¡± Zhang Chen lost his confidence this time. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this old guy go by common sense?¡±


    Lin Zhengyin glanced at all the students and pushed back the sleeves from his wrists. He was so angry that the veins on his forehead stood out. He shouted, ¡±Guoyu says, ¡®Only those who are virtuous can receive many blessings. And those who do not have blessings but have many followers will hurt themselves eventually. You are still young, but your minds are so vicious. Where is your virtue? How will you carry on your tasks in the future? You have studied in school for many years. Have you have understood any of these four words: propriety, justice, honesty and honour?¡±


    ¡°And you, you¡­ You think you did nothing, but by standing aside without saying a word, you will not feel guilty? When you saw kindness, you did not follow. When you saw evil, you did not stop them. You are also murderers, the accomplices of these ruffians.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The entire place was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.


    Zhang Chen¡¯s face turned red, so too with Wu Man and the others, and they avoided each other¡¯s eyes. Most of the students were ashamed and dared not look at Lin Zhengyin.


    ¡°It is my fault.¡± Lin Zhengyin looked at Li Muyang and bowed deeply to him, with his hands folded in front of his chest. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°As the saying goes, once a teacher, always a teacher. As your teacher and the headmaster of this university, I failed to educate them well. It is my fault that they did such a shameless thing. It is my fault that I, the headmaster, did not do my job properly. It is my incompetence. I will punish myself by resigning from the position of headmaster immediately¡±


    ¡°Headmaster, it has nothing to do with you!¡± Someone exclaimed.


    ¡°Headmaster, I want to testify.¡± Zhao Mingzhu squeezed out from behind the crowd. She was panting because she had run hurriedly to the scene.


    Standing next to the headmaster, Zhao Mingzhu looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°I used to be prejudiced against him. After he got a good score, I suspected that he cheated in the test. The reason why there is a rumor that he cheated in the school exam is also because of my suspicion and arbitrariness. Therefore, I want to apologize to Li Muyang in public.¡±


    ¡°After doing my investigation, Li Muyang did not cheat in the exam. He obtained his score through his own efforts. Although he did not appear on the Hero List this time, in my mind, he is still a good student.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu looked at Li Muyang sincerely and said, ¡°Li Muyang, if you are still willing to stay in my class, I will do my best to help you get on the list next year.¡±


    Yes, it should be like this.


    This was the approval that he wanted, and this was the respect he wanted.


    This was the attitude that he had fought hard for and never got. It was neither preferential treatment nor special care. He just wanted to be treated like a normal student.


    Li Muyang was no longer angry, but his blood was still hot.


    He clenched his fists time and time again.


    His emotions were running high and suddenly he wanted to cry.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Li Muyang bowed deeply and lowered his head.

 Chapter 62 - Crane Screams in the Middle Marsh!

    A teacher is one who is able to preach, teach and dispel doubts for students.


    He has to have a noble character in order to be a teacher.


    ¡°Thank you, teachers!¡±


    He was referring to Lin Zhengyin, Zhao Mingzhu and all the good teachers in the world.


    Lin Zhengyin was not arbitrary and did not follow others blindly. He solved the conspiracy with his sophisticated wisdom, which made Li Muyang feel grateful and address him as teacher willingly.


    It was admirable that Zhao Mingzhu was willing to admit her mistakes. It was also admirable for her to set aside the dignity of an elder and apologize in public, at such a critical moment.


    ¡°What are you thanking us for?¡± Lin Zhengyin waved his hand and said, ¡°If we can educate students well and let everyone do good things and help each other, how can such a ridiculous thing happen?¡±


    When they heard what Lin Zhengyin said, those students who had initially bowed their heads and said nothing, finally could not keep quiet anymore.


    ¡°Headmaster, we did not see Li Muyang hitting anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°Zhang Chen often bullies Li Muyang in school¡­¡±


    ¡°Wu Man also forced Li Muyang to be his horse!¡±


    ¡­


    People came forward one after another to accuse Zhang Chen, Wu Man, and others of their bad behavior.


    ¡°You bastards!¡± Zhang Chen was extremely angry. But just like what he had done to Li Muyang, he had no explanation for it, because public clamor could melt metals.


    What¡¯s more, everyone was telling the truth.


    Lin Zhengyin looked at Zhang Chen and Wu Man and said, ¡°You are already done with school. As the headmaster of this school, the punishment I can mete out is limited, but I will write a report about what you have done and put it in your files. At that time, this information will be on record when you enter the college where you are going to have your further education, together with your other information. I think that when they see this, they will give you a fair judgment.¡±


    ¡°Headmaster, please don¡¯t¡­¡± Zhang Chen was so shocked that he begged, ¡°Headmaster, you can¡¯t ruin us like this. We have tried so hard for more than ten years. It is not easy for us to get into college. You will ruin our future completely.¡±


    ¡°Headmaster, I was wrong. I am willing to apologize to Li Muyang and I am willing to apologize to Li Sinian.¡± Wu Man was more anxious, and there were tears in his eyes. He said repeatedly, ¡°Headmaster, I admit that I bullied Li Muyang. It was I who provoked and insulted Li Muyang on purpose. I also hit myself on my head with a brick and broke my nose. All these had nothing to do with Li Muyang.¡±


    Lin Zhengyin ignored him. Zhang Chen and Wu Man went to Li Muyang.


    ¡°Li Muyang, we are classmates. Shall we just let it go? I am willing to apologize to you,¡± Zhang Chen looked at Li Muyang and said this with a smile. This was the first time he had spoken to Li Muyang in such a kind tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Li Muyang. Can you help us and speak up for us? You know, we just wanted to play some jokes on you, and we did not mean to bully you, because everyone likes you. You have always been kind, and you will not blame us this time, will you?¡± Wu Man said, pulling at Li Muyang¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°I will not speak up for you.¡± Li Muyang looked at Zhang Chen and Wu Man and said, ¡°You were not joking with me. Not before, not today. I have seen it clearly. When you set out to destroy me, you really meant to destroy me¡ªdestroy everything about me.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you angry?¡± A sneer appeared at Li Muyang¡¯s mouth. He said, ¡°Why? Why are you so angry? You have bullied me for so many years, and today you even wanted to ruin me completely. If I begged you for mercy at that time, will you let me go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Chen and Wu Man were speechless.


    ¡°You won¡¯t, and I won¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lin Zhengyin waved his hand and said, ¡°Ok, enough. Everyone can leave now. It is a good day, stop ruining it.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu walked toward Li Yangyu and said, ¡°Li Muyang, don¡¯t give up. As long as you are willing to learn, you will definitely have a chance. Next year, when you are at the top of the Hero List, you can be a good example for your younger brothers and sisters.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°I will try my best.¡±


    Li Muyang turned to Li Sinian and asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Li Sinian wiped away her tears and answered, her eyes still red rimmed, ¡°I am fine. I will be fine if you are all right.¡±


    Li Muyang reached out his hand to touch her hair and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go home,¡± Li Sinian said.


    ¡°Chirps!¡±


    A clear and loud birdsong broke through the sky and seemed to come from the depths of the white clouds.


    It was noisy at the Hero Platform and everyone looked up at the sky.


    Light clouds were drifting in the sky. Not a living creature was visible.


    ¡°Chirps!¡±


    Another loud and clear cry of a bird could be heard.


    ¡°The crane¡¯s screams in the middle marsh could be heard in the wild. The crane¡¯s screams in the middle marsh could heard in the sky.¡± Lin Zhengyin said with a solemn expression, ¡°It is the cry of the crane. It is flying from a distant place¡­¡±


    ¡°How can there be a crane?¡± someone asked in confusion.


    No one could answer this question. Everyone raised their heads, wanting to see what it looked like.


    They did not have to wait too long, only to see the fog like clouds suddenly parting and a white crane with huge wings, flew past.


    Its feathers were as white as snow and its body was as big as a giant roc.


    It swooped down like lightning.


    The white crane seemed to be a spiritual being and was flying in the direction of the Hero Platform.


    ¡°Oh my god, the white crane is so big!¡±


    ¡°Look, there is someone on the crane. There is someone on the crane¡­¡±


    ¡°Kneel quickly, that is an immortal¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Puff¡ª¡±


    The white crane flapped its huge wings and landed on the Hero Platform with a graceful swoop.


    Everyone turned to look at the white-skinned, beautiful and majestic white crane, as well as the handsome young man with a flowing cloud pattern on his gorgeous clothes and accessories.


    ¡°How beautiful the white crane is! I also want to have one¡­.¡±


    ¡°That man is so handsome. He is the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life¡­¡±


    ¡°He is an immortal, right? What is he doing here?¡±


    ¡­


    The examinees talked about the white crane and its master in low voices.


    The crane¡¯s cries were too loud, so more and more people rushed toward the Hero Platform, including students in the school, parents waiting outside, and some people who were bored and came over to take a look.


    Lin Zhengyin made an obeisance by cupping his hands before his chest and said in a sturdy voice, ¡°You came to our city with your crane, and finally landed on the Hero Platform of our school. What can I do for you?¡±


    Before people could see him doing anything, the handsome man had already alighted from the back of the crane.


    With one hand covering his chest, he performed a standard greeting and said in a loud and clear voice, ¡°I am sorry for disturbing you. I was in a hurry. Who is Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°He is here to look for Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°What is the relationship between Li Muyang and this immortal?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on Li Muyang. They did not understand why ¡°the man of the day¡± even had something to do with the immortal.


    Nobody knew what was happening. Li Muyang was even more confused.


    Look at his appearance, his clothes, his mount and his noble appearance. Li Muyang did not have such a distant cousin or relative. If he had one, he would have told the whole world.


    ¡°I am Li Muyang.¡± Li Muyang came out of the crowd.


    Li Sinian followed closely behind, staring at the immortal and the crane curiously.


    The Immortal grinned and looked at Li Muyang with great enthusiasm in his eyes. He said, ¡°Congratulations Muyang! You have been selected for admission to our university for being the best candidate.¡±

 Chapter 63 - Weve Never Heard of It!

    He rode a crane all the way to Jiangnan City just to send Li Muyang the university admission notice!


    After hearing the news, all the teachers and students at the Hero Platform were shocked.


    ¡°What kind of school has Li Muyang been admitted into? Why did they use such an extraordinary way to bring the good news?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too overrated? Li Muyang is not even on the Hero List. Well, even Cui Xiaoxin, who ranks first on the Hero List, did not get this type of treatment, did she?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a very amazing school. The appearance and bearing of this person riding the crane are very admirable¡­¡±


    ¡­


    The others could only talk about it in low voices, but Li Muyang, the person involved, still had many doubts in his mind.


    He looked at the man with a puzzled expression and said, ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother, for coming from afar to tell me the good news. In my heart, I am very grateful. But may I know which school has accepted me?¡±


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy.¡± The man on the crane was dressed in a long white robe embroidered with floating clouds, stood on the Hero Platform and slightly straightened his back. He said this with boundless radiance in his eyes.


    Anyone could tell that this academy was his pride and the place that he admired most.


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy?¡± Li Muyang was even more confused and asked, ¡°I have never heard of such an academy, and I have never applied for such a school. Why would Starry-Sky Academy recruit me?¡±


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy? What sort of school is this?¡± Lin Zhengyin asked. He was worried that some unscrupulous schools would try to deceive the students from his school.


    After all, nowadays, the general atmosphere of society was not good. Whenever the universities published their lists of successful candidates in August or September, some diploma mills would also issue their admission notice to the students. Sometimes, even those students with lousy grades would receive five or six offers at the same time. But if Starry-Sky Academy was a diploma mill, it did not need to spend so much money to create such an impression. In front of them, there was the elegant and proud white crane and the dynamic man riding a crane. Everyone was sure that even paying 30 or 50 gold coins would not have brought them here.


    However, according to Lin Zhengyin¡¯s many years of experience in education, he really had never heard of Starry-Sky Academy.


    Countless students had graduated from his school, but no student had ever said that he had been admitted into this Starry-Sky Academy.


    Thus, the background of Starry-Sky Academy appeared to be very shady.


    For those candidates, the Liberal-arts Exam was a significant turning point in their lives. He or she should choose a school to go to. It was the most important choice for it would affect any student¡¯s future. If they could enter a famous university, they could make friends with outstanding schoolmates, receive a good education and gain a bright and flourishing future.


    However, if someone accidentally entered a diploma mill, then a young man would become a wild pheasant, his future ruined.


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy is certainly Starry-Sky Academy in itself.¡± The man on the crane said with a smile. He could not elaborate on their questions, nor was he willing to. It was Starry-Sky Academy. There is no need to add any fancy label to it, and neither did it need someone to broadcast its glorious history. It was an ancient and eternal existence like the blazing sun and the bright moon, and it would live as long as heaven and earth.


    He was gentle and elegant, and his every look and action was appropriate. He spoke in a free flowing style like an immortal who had come down to earth. Perhaps only an immortal could have such a supermundane and refined bearing.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Lin Zhengyin frowned and said, ¡°No one knows about this Starry-Sky Academy. Also, no student in our school has ever entered Starry-Sky Academy.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Maybe it is because they were not outstanding enough.¡± The man on the crane replied in an extremely calm voice. Still, he smiled gently. However, his words humiliated almost all the teachers and students on the spot. It was like telling the teachers that all the students that they taught before were not excellent enough, so that they could not get into Starry-Sky Academy. And because none of the candidates here were outstanding enough, there was no way for them to know about the existence of Starry-Sky Academy.


    However, with that pure smile on his face and his sincere attitude when he uttered those words, none of the people here thought that he was lying.


    Even those people whom he had just insulted thought he was telling the truth. Otherwise, how could Starry-Sky Academy have such a distinctive student, who was on the crane.


    The man riding the crane was an extremely outstanding character. Standing on the Hero Platform, he, who was slim and graceful, looked like a crane standing among chickens. He was like a god passionately supported by countless believers or an idol pursued and loved by a large number of fans.


    If such a person said such words, the students below would not say anything against him, even though they were unhappy.


    ¡°Then Li Muyang¡­¡± Lin Zhengyin turned to look at Li Muyang, and said with a look of disbelief, ¡°Is he the only one who has been admitted to Starry-Sky Academy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is the only one here who has been admitted to Starry-Sky Academy.¡± The man on the crane looked at Li Muyang with an enthusiasm which upset some of the girls who had taken a fancy to him. In their hearts, they screamed, ¡°Please turn to look at us! Why are you fixing your eyes on a man?!¡±


    ¡°You said that we were not good enough, but why would Starry-Sky Academy accept Li Muyang? He is not even on the Hero List!¡± Zhang Chen shouted at the top of his voice. What happened today was a series of nightmares. He had just struggled out of a nightmare, but right after that, he entered into another more terrible dream.


    Zhang Chen thought fast in his mind. ¡°But isn¡¯t Li Muyang a useless sick person? Isn¡¯t he the Lil Coal? Isn¡¯t he just the ugly Swine?¡±


    ¡°He has always stayed at the bottom of the class and does not even have some basic knowledge. Somehow, he got his good results by chance, but he was kicked out of the school because he cheated in the exam. How could such a loser suddenly become every body¡¯s darling?¡±


    ¡°And as for this bullshit Starry-Sky Academy, all of us have never heard of its name. Beyond that, there is no information about this school on the Hero List. Then some idiot who came here on a crane said that Starry-Sky Academy has accepted Li Muyang! In passing, he put us to shame, saying that we, who were accepted by any other universities, were not excellent enough. The whole thing is not only beyond belief, but also makes no sense!¡±


    ¡°It is a show!¡±


    ¡°They must be putting on an act!¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang must have spent money to hire a theatrical troupe to give this performance. Oh, Li Muyang is poor. Then, it must be Cui Xiaoxin, who hired a theatrical troupe for Li Muyang. They have a good relationship. Last time, Cui Xiaoxin even contradicted Zhao Mingzhu in front of everyone in the class to defend Li Muyang. She arranged all of this, for she feared that others would laugh at Li Muyang if he was not on the list. If this is true, everything makes sense now.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, how can there be some diploma mill suddenly coming out to recruit Li Muyang?¡±


    As a matter of fact, it was not only Zhang Chen who had this thought, but many students present, had the same thoughts.


    When Li Muyang was bullied, they would more or less sympathize with him.


    However, when Li Muyang amazed the others with this single brilliant feat and became a person that everyone needed to look up to, they felt a little uncomfortable. They thought resentfully, ¡°How can Li Muyang get a much better result than us? He, who is a good-for-nothing and knows nothing except to eat and sleep. How can such a person become the best student in our school?¡±


    ¡°What a colossal joke!¡±


    ¡°Hero List?¡± Apparently, the man on the crane was thrown off by Zhang Chen¡¯s question. After pondering for a while, he turned around, looked at the names on the huge red silk behind him, and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I only know about the Wind-Riding List, the Green-Cloud List and the Starry-Sky List, but I have never heard of the Hero List. Also, people always spread the names of the real heroes on their own initiative. I believe that real heroes will never need to show off their achievements by putting their names on the red silk.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing his words, all the others fell silent.


    This buddy¡¯s words were so direct that they found it hard to swallow.


    After he said that, Zhang Chen¡¯s face turned purplish red, and even the faces of Lin Zhengyin and Zhao Mingzhu became red because the man had humiliated all of them.

 Chapter 64 - The Best in Xifeng Empire!

    Being slandered in that way made Lin Zhengyin¡¯s blood boil, and the teachers present also looked quite embarrassed.


    If it were not for the fact that this guy came on a white crane and appeared overwhelmingly arrogant, Lin Zhengyin was eager to rush over and beat him up.


    Every school considered it a fine tradition to put up the Hero List every year, and the day the list was released was seen as a gala day. The names of the outstanding candidates would be written on the red silk, which was accessible to all the students to check the results. By making every student think that being on the list was a great honor, these schools believed that it could encourage the other students to strive hard for their future.


    ¡°But how could our Hero List become something as smelly and ugly as an old woman¡¯s foot-washing cloth in this guy¡¯s words?¡± Lin Zhengyin thought.


    ¡°How should I address you?¡± Lin Zhengyin looked at man who came on the crane, and asked.


    ¡°I am Xie Wuyou, sir.¡± The youth in the white robe cupped his hands in greeting and answered with a smile. He seemed not to realize that he had just greatly humiliated him.


    ¡°Well, Xie Wuyou, you have not answered my question yet. As Li Muyang said, he has never applied for Starry-Sky Academy, and all of us have never heard of this academy. It is not that we are suspicious. It is just that there are too many swindlers in the outside world. As the headmaster of this school, I have to think about the future of my students and I cannot let them lose both their money and time because of the trickery of others.¡± Lin Zhengyin looked at Xie Wuyou and asked, ¡°Excuse me, but do you have any evidence to prove the authenticity of your academy?¡±


    ¡°Evidence?¡± The smile on Xie Wuyou¡¯s face gradually disappeared and he said aloud, ¡°You are free to choose, whether you believe or not, it is up to you¡­ But what has that got to do with me? I am just a messenger who is here to deliver the offer.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lin Zhengyin was speechless.


    Lin Zhengyin wanted very much to roar and even curse Xie Wuyou¡¯s mother. However, perhaps because he had read too many books of rites written by ancient and modern sages and men of virtue, he managed to maintain his cool but secretly grumbled, ¡°Can¡¯t you talk nicely to me?¡±


    He meant that ¡®Even if you believe it or not, I will not explain anything to you.¡¯ What sort of attitude is that? Where did you get this type of attitude?¡±


    Lin Zhengyin thought that he was exceedingly arrogant!


    But after listening to the conversation, Li Muyang became more interested in Xie Wuyou. He bowed to him and said with a smile, ¡°Greetings, Senior Brother Wuyou.¡±


    Xie Wuyou was arrogant to others, but very polite to Li Muyang. He also cupped his hands in greeting and said while smiling, ¡°Junior Brother Muyang, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. If you have any doubts, just ask me. I entered the academy a year earlier than you, so it is my responsibility to remove your doubts.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Wuyou, thank you for specially coming to Jiangnan City to notify me this time. I feel very grateful.¡± Li Muyang said with a sincere look, ¡°But I do have a lot of questions about this matter. I did not apply for the Starry-Sky Academy, so why would it accept me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the key factor that led to this result,¡± Xie Wuyou said with a smile. ¡°I just came here to recruit a student in Jiangnan City according to the order of our academy¡¯s president. Since today is the day that your school is announcing the examination results, I hurried all the way here. Finally, I managed to arrive in Jiangnan City at this time. I hope that I did not let you down, Junior Brother Muyang.¡±


    ¡°I am not disappointed. Instead, I feel excited,¡± Li Muyang said frankly. Initially, he thought that he failed in this entrance examination. To his surprise, an academy with a resounding name sent someone riding on a crane to tell him the good news. The situation of this big rise and fall in his life was stimulating. He then asked, ¡°So, Starry-Sky Academy is a formal school, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xie Wuyou nodded and said.


    ¡°How does it compare with Xifeng University?¡±


    ¡°We never compare our academy with any other schools.¡±


    ¡°So, it is still a diploma mill.¡± Zhang Chen said, sarcasm written all over his face. ¡°This academy sounds awesome, but no one knows anything about it. Its name has never appeared on the Hero List. Perhaps, the school is not even entered in the records of the education system. Only the person who fails to get on the Hero List would treat such a poor academy as a treasure. Do you guys think so?¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    Zhang Chen¡¯s words were funny. Besides, what he said sounded like the truth. Reputation was like an owl in a bag. The more famous the school was, the louder the owl would hoot and others would naturally hear the owl. There was no way to hide an exceedingly famous school.


    Starry-Sky Academy appeared to be very prestigious, but no one had ever known of its existence. Even the headmaster Lin Zhengyin did not know it. The most important thing was that even Li Muyang himself said that he had never applied for this school.


    In this way, how could it not be a diploma mill?


    Xie Wuyou frowned slightly and took out a box and said, ¡°I have an admission notice¡­¡±


    Lin Zhengyin stretched out his hand to take it. However, Xie Wuyou handed the box to Li Muyang and said, ¡°It is for Li Muyang.¡±


    Li Sinian ran to take the box and looked happily at the white crane. Then, with reluctance, she ran back.


    Li Muyang took the box and opened it. There was an ancient cowhide scroll in it.


    No words, but a very crude map was painted on it.


    ¡°It shows the school¡¯s address.¡± Xie Wuyou explained.


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother Wuyou.¡± Li Muyang thanked him again.


    ¡°Muyang, be careful. You may be cheated.¡± Lin Zhengyin reminded him out of kindness.


    ¡°Yes, headmaster, I will be cautious.¡± Li Muyang, who heard Lin Zhengyin¡¯s kindly reminder with a modest look, promised.


    ¡°You said that we were not excellent enough, so we are not qualified to know which diploma mill your academy is.¡± Zhang Chen shouted and said, ¡°Then, do you dare to tell us what Li Muyang¡¯s liberal-arts Exam result is, so that the diploma mill where you came from has decided to recruit him?¡±


    What he asked was a crucial question.


    Generally speaking, students with high scores would enter famous universities while those with lower grades would go to second-class schools. If Zhang Chen and others who got higher scores than Li Muyang were not admitted to Starry-Sky Academy, then it was easy to see that Starry-Sky Academy was not a good school at all.


    ¡°Slap him in the face.¡± Xie Wuyou shouted angrily. This person had repeatedly insulted Starry-Sky Academy in front of him. Even though he was broad-minded, he felt Zhang Chen¡¯s actions were hard to tolerate.


    The white crane that he rode on, suddenly leaped into the air and pounced upon Zhang Chen with incredible speed.


    Zhang Chen¡¯s mouth and eyes were wide open in surprise. Before he could react, the white crane had already flapped its left-wing hard against his head.


    It was merely a flap from the crane¡¯s wing. However, because it exerted too much force, this flap created a great gust of wind. Zhang Chen had no time to dodge at all. The strong wind blew him off the ground and sent him flying into the distance.


    The white crane had flown such a long way, and felt this trip was a little boring. Now it inadvertently had such a toy, so how could it easily give up playing with Zhang Chen?


    She flew fast to catch up with Zhang Chen, who was still in the air. Then, she waved her wings at him again.


    ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah! Help! Help! Mum, I am going to die!¡±


    ¡°Thump!¡±


    Zhang Chen fell dozens of meters away, He landed heavily on the hard stone pavement.


    He screamed a few times, desperately trying to get up from the ground. But in the end, he gave up, thinking that all the bones of his body must have fallen apart.


    The white crane returned to the Hero Platform and stood triumphantly behind Xie Wuyou, holding its little head high.


    Those people below the platform did not expect that the smart white crane could understand a human being¡¯s words and intentions. Many students even applauded its act. Of course, Li Sinian was the one who clapped most vigorously.


    ¡°What is its name?¡± Li Sinian asked loudly.


    ¡°Clown.¡± Xie Wuyou liked the sweet-looking Li Sinian, who seemed to be an innocent and lovely girl.


    ¡°But it is not ugly at all.¡± Li Sinian defended the white crane against the injustice.


    Xie Wuyou smiled but did not explain why the crane had such a name.


    Again, he took out a roll of cloth from the pocket near his chest and flicked it. Then, the roll of cloth floated toward Lin Zhengyin.


    Lin Zhengyin stretched out his hand to take it and the roll of cloth landed in his hand.


    ¡°It is the result list of the Liberal-arts Exam written by the emperor, who read the exam papers himself and decided on the rankings. Li Muyang is the best in Xifeng Empire.¡± Xie Wuyou said with a smile, ¡°If you don¡¯t doubt that this result list is fake, then you should know its real value.¡±


    ¡°Did Li Muyang really win the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam?¡±


    ¡°He is the best one in Xifeng Empire!¡±


    Lin Zhenyin exclaimed in his heart, his face turned red, and his hand that was holding the cloth roll began to tremble involuntarily.


    He had been imparting knowledge and educating students for decades, but Li Muyang was his first student who had achieved the first place in the entire empire.


    How lucky he was! What a tremendous honor it was!


    Be it for any candidate or Li Muyang, such a result would make the Liberal-arts Exam the most glorious moment in his life.


    Of course, those teachers who cultivated such an outstanding student would share the honor.


    ¡°Headmaster¡­¡± Zhao Mingzhu was so excited that she could not speak. A student from her class got the best result among all the candidates in Xifeng Empire. Besides, this student was the useless person whom she had accused falsely of cheating in an exam. She could not help thinking secretly, ¡°No way. The winner is Li Muyang, the young man called Coal by others. But how can this be possible? How can this happen? Can it be that he just pretended to be asleep whenever I was lecturing? Perhaps, in the class, he had been thinking hard in his heart. Also, can it be that he deliberately cheated in every previous exams only to shock the world with his achievement today?¡±


    ¡°Only these possibilities can explain his exam result and everything that happened today.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, how could it be possible for him to get the first place in the empire with only a month¡¯s effort? Unless he was possessed by some ancient saint when he was taking the exam¡­¡±


    ¡°I was merely a famous teacher in Jiangnan City, but soon I will become a famous teacher in the empire!¡± Thinking of this, Zhao Mingzhu just could not help feeling excited.


    ¡°Fortunately, I was not deceived by the false impression that Li Muyang gave deliberately. Thus, I showed my understanding and supported him at the critical moment. In this way, I can claim the credit for half of his success¡­ Well, a small part. Er, no, one-third of his success. Okay, a sixth. It can¡¯t be less than that¡­¡±


    ¡°It is true,¡± Lin Zhengyin said in a trembling voice. ¡°This list is made of the finest ancient silk which is exclusively used by the imperial household. The handwriting is the Capital Heaven Ancient Font, and there is a stamp printed by the emperor¡¯s treasure seal¡­ Such things can¡¯t be faked, and no one would dare to do it. Once every year, our school would receive such a roll, but we just filed it because it had nothing to do with our school. However, I did not expect that a student from our school would actually get a first in the Liberal-arts Exam and win the first place on the list¡­¡±


    The old headmaster was so excited that he burst into tears. He wiped away his tears with his sleeves and said with red-rimmed eyes, ¡°Given such an honor, there will be no regrets in my life! There will be no regrets in my life!¡±

 Chapter 65 - Keep Company with Wise People!

    The more times the aftershocks occurred, the lazier everyone became and did not want to run away.


    The more times they were surprised, the less they were willing to talk about it.


    They all thought, ¡°Li Muyang, if you have any other great surprises, let us know them all. Anyway, we will just take today as the Spring Festival and celebrate it in advance.¡±


    ¡°Did I win the first place?¡±


    Li Muyang was stunned. It was okay if the others did not believe it, but now even Li Muyang himself could not believe it.


    In the past few years, he spent too little time studying. Also, the knowledge he learned was minimal. Fortunately, he had a feeling that he seemed to have known the questions in the exam before. Otherwise, he would not be able to figure out what was going on with the many broad-themed questions and different problems.


    Li Muyang made desperate efforts to get a higher score because it was the only way for him to go to Xifeng University.


    However, how did he manage to get a first in the Liberal-arts Exam?


    His eyes widening, Li Muyang was in a state of disbelief. This whole thing was like having a white-skinned, beautiful woman with big boobs coming up to him and saying, ¡°Li Muyang, you are so handsome. I like you so much!¡±


    ¡°Brother, you are so capable. I love you so much!¡± Li Sinian threw herself into Li Muyang¡¯s arms, and with her head against his chest, she said, ¡°You won the first place among all the candidates from Xifeng Empire. You are the best in the empire. Oh, my God. Brother, I want to go back and tell our parents. They will go wild with joy at the good news.¡±


    Li Sinian was very happy. Frankly, she thought she would not have been so happy even if Xifeng University had accepted her.


    After all, it was a normal thing for her to receive Xifeng University¡¯s offer, but It was highly irregular for Li Muyang to win the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam. Would anyone wonder how Cui Xiaoxin took the first place of the Hero List and got into Xifeng University?


    She had put in much effort to take care of and protect her brother. Her dark, frail brother, whom others liked to bully, was actually able to exude such a tremendous amount of energy and make such a dazzling achievement. The whole thing gave Li Sinian a big pleasant surprise, and she thought it was simply an exceedingly crazy thing.


    Li Muyang could feel Li Sinian¡¯s joy. When he achieved something, those who truly cared about him would be happier than himself.


    Li Muyang stretched out his arms to hold Li Sinian tight and said with a smile, ¡°I did not expect it to be like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Absolutely true. This kind of thing can¡¯t be faked.¡± Looking at Li Muyang and Li Sinian who were in ecstasy, Xie Wuyou said with a smile, ¡°Now that I have delivered the good news, I have to go back and report on what I have done. I hope that you will enter the school on time. Don¡¯t make everyone wait.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother Wuyou.¡± Once again, Li Muyang bowed and thanked him.


    ¡°You are welcome.¡± Xie Wuyou waved good-bye.


    ¡°Clown.¡± Xie Wuyou stretched out his hand to wave at the white crane named Clown, which then soared into the sky with a loud cry.


    Xie Wuyou cast a glance at Li Muyang and rose straight from the ground, his robe spreading out in the surging wind. He managed to land firmly on the crane¡¯s back.


    Xie Wuyou and the crane flew away and instantly disappeared into the depths of the white clouds.


    Everyone was stunned by what they saw.


    This way of transportation was really too eye-catching. Who did not want to be a young man riding a crane?


    What kind of school could cultivate such an outstanding student? Would Li Muyang ride a crane back to the Jiangnan City like Xie Wuyou?


    Thinking of the scene when Li Muyang would return in the future, many people present were full of longing and envy.


    This was what a worthwhile life should be!


    Lin Zhengyin came over to Li Muyang and looked at him with a joyful face. He said, ¡°Congratulations, Li Muyang. You are the No.1 student in the Liberal-arts Exam, which brought our school an honor which we have never received before. Even in the whole Jiangnan City, only Du Ruofu, the genius teenager, received such an honor 12 years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, headmaster.¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°I also appreciate the cultivation of my school and teachers.¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu looked embarrassed and said, ¡°Although I also want to share a little glory from your results, being the best in the empire, I am ashamed of what I did in the past. The first day I came to this school, I had some conflicts with you. Later on, I was hostile toward you and always thought that you were deliberately against me. Thus, I did not pay much more attention to your education.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhao, that is all over now. In fact, it was my fault, but I did not mean to behave like that. I just felt too uncomfortable¡­¡± Li Muyang comforted her.


    ¡°Yes. The past is gone. We don¡¯t need to take such matters to heart.¡± Lin Zhengyin was trying to ease the situation. ¡°Muyang, would you like to come to my study? I want to have a chat with you.¡±


    ¡°It will be my honor.¡± Li Muyang readily agreed, knowing that he should not refuse an elder¡¯s invitation.


    Lin Zhengyin glanced at Li Sinian, who did not want to let go of the corner of Li Muyang¡¯s clothes that she was hanging on to, and said with a smile, ¡°Come with us, little girl.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, headmaster,¡± Lin Sinian said with a sweet smile.


    ¡°Ms. Zhao, come with us as well. Muyang is your best student. Perhaps, you also want to chat with him a little more. When Muyang goes to Starry-Sky Academy, you may have little chance to talk with him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, headmaster.¡± Zhao Mingzhu said, as her face lit up with joy.


    Lin Zhengyin¡¯s study was in a small independent building, which was made of wood and located in the northeast corner of the school. This classic, refined building was filled with the essence of books.


    Just as Lin Zhengyin invited his several guests to take their seats, a waiter came to the study to serve them tea.


    ¡°Muyang, try this Dragon Well tea picked before Pure Brightness. It is a special local product of Lion Mountain. The tea is not very expensive, but it has a fresh taste.¡± Lin Zhengyin made an invitation gesture.


    ¡°Please, headmaster.¡± Li Muyang picked up the teacup, tasting it carefully.


    Li Sinian did not drink the tea. She sat beside her brother, laughing happily.


    Lin Zhengyin gave Li Sinian a puzzled look and asked, ¡°What are you laughing at, little girl?¡±


    ¡°I am thrilled.¡± Li Sinian¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I did not expect that one day you would invite my brother to the study to have tea.¡±


    ¡°Life¡¯s fortunes are unpredictable. No one knows what will happen in the future. However, I firmly believe that the precious jade will eventually shine brilliantly.¡± Lin Zhengyin also sighed with emotion. A student, who was formerly at the bottom of the class, got the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam of the imperial. It significantly changed the student¡¯s fate, and so would the future of their school.


    ¡°You are right, headmaster. My brother is a piece of precious jade.¡± Li Sinian nodded repeatedly. ¡°After all, no matter how hard a stone tries, it will not be able to shine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Mingzhu looked at Li Muyang and asked him seriously, ¡°Muyang, can you tell me the secrets of your success? What is your way of studying? How much time do you spend reading books every day? What is your timetable? Do you have any unique skills to improve your academic performance so quickly? I am asking these questions for your junior brothers and sisters. I hope they can also amaze the world one day and become the most dazzling existence in the whole empire, just like you¡­¡±


    This question put Li Muyang on the spot. He thought to himself, ¡°Was sleeping every day a unique skill? Was being struck by lightning a secret?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Li Muyang hesitated, avoiding eye contact with her. Then he said with embarrassment, ¡°As long as you never give up, you will succeed one day.¡±


    Li Muyang suddenly remembered Cui Xiaoxin, for she was the first person who said, ¡°As long as you never give up, you will succeed one day,¡± to him. Also, she tutored him with unflagging patience. Sometimes, she had to explain an extremely simple question to him several times.


    If she knew his exam result, knowing that he won the first place in the empire¡¯s Liberal-arts Exam, she would definitely feel happy for him, right?


    Lin Zhengyin waved his hand and said, ¡°You should teach students in accordance to their aptitude. How can there be universal rules of educating talents?¡±


    ¡°You are right, headmaster. I am in a hurry.¡± Zhao Mingzhu nodded in agreement.


    Lin Zhengyin looked at Li Muyang kindly and said with a smile, ¡°Muyang, you have won the first prize in the empire, which is the highest honor that our university has ever received in the past hundred years. It is also the highest honor that I have received in my life. There are many prestigious schools in the empire, so winning first prize is too difficult to the extreme, which can be considered as an almost incredible achievement.¡±


    ¡°Headmaster, I just¡­¡±


    Lin Zhengyin waved his hand and said, ¡°There is no need to be so humble, Muyang. I have also been a student, so I understand the pain and difficulty of being a student. Although I still don¡¯t know the background of the Starry-Sky Academy, I suppose that it must be a remarkable academy. It can recruit a student who is ranked first in the Liberal-arts Exam, which proves that it must be out of the ordinary. Once you enter the Starry-Sky Academy, you should continue to exert yourself and make remarkable achievements.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your teachings, headmaster.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that your senior brother is not a mortal. He is more like those legendary cultivators. Maybe you will become someone like him in the future. Whether you want to pursue an official career or become an immortal, the key to success is to follow your heart. Go and seek whatever you want to. We will be with you all the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your teachings, headmaster.¡± Li Muyang could only keep nodding.


    ¡°Each year, our school will offer rich rewards to the student on the top of the Hero List. This year, Cui Xiaoxin was the best in our school, so she should certainly get the big prize. However, I am making a decision myself today to give you the same reward as that of Cui Xiaoxin. When the list of the empire¡¯s Liberal-arts Exam is sent to each city, the Proconsul and the City Lord Mansion will also give bounteous awards to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Lin Zhengyin waved his hand, indicating that Li Muyang did not need to thank him anymore.


    He looked at Li Muyang and said, ¡°Muyang, you will become the gold-lettered signboard of our school and an insurmountable milestone for other students, who would certainly try to keep up with you. Everyone should strive for the honor of being the top one in the empire. I know that you will soon go to Starry-Sky Academy. Why don¡¯t you take this opportunity to provide an inscription for your brothers and sisters in our school? Then I can ask some people to engrave the inscription on the school motto stone at the school gate. In this way, everyone can look up at it with reverence so as to encourage themselves to seek knowledge and make progress. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Headmaster Lin, I think we had better not do that. Is that alright?¡± Li Muyang quickly refused and said, ¡°I am not used to this.¡±


    ¡°Muyang, please do not refuse it.¡± Lin Zhengyin said with a serious face, ¡°Please do it for me, for our school, and for your junior brothers and sisters, all right?¡±


    ¡°Brother, write one,¡± Li Sinian said encouragingly, ¡°Then I will be able to see your handwriting every day at school. How nice that will be!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Muyang. It will be good if you can engrave your great achievements on the stone. You have earned such a great honor for the school, so you should let everyone know your achievements.¡± Aside, Zhao Mingzhu also tried to persuade him.


    ¡°But I really don¡¯t know what to write.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter. Take your time.¡± Lin Zhengyin showed the greatest patience and said, ¡°Think about it slowly while drinking the tea.¡±


    Then he called out his order to the people outside, ¡°Bring the pen and ink.¡±


    Li Muyang knew that he could not refuse, so he had to get up and said, ¡°Please do not laugh at my performance.¡±


    ¡°It will be a blessing for a great number of students,¡± Lin Zhengyin said.


    Li Muyang walked to the front of the table, picked up the brush and dipped it in ink. Then he remained in thoughtful silence.


    Others gathered around him, looking forward to his seeing his inscription, with smiles on their faces.


    After a long time, Li Muyang finally began to write the first line of words on the white rice paper: ¡°Keep Company with Wise People!¡±


    ¡°Good handwriting! Good sentence!¡± Lin Zhengyin spoke highly of it. ¡°The characters are well-written and the meaning of the words is even better. If we keep company with wise people, we will certainly benefit greatly from it. It can help us enrich our experience and broaden our horizons. Muyang, with your great insight, you are to be congratulated.¡±


    ¡°What is the second line of a couplet?¡± Zhao Mingzhu asked with a smile. ¡°Muyang, write down the second line quickly. I am a little anxious to see it.¡±


    ¡°There is no second line.¡± Li Muyang put down the writing brush and shook his head.


    ¡°How can there not be a second line?¡± Lin Zhengyin also became anxious and said, ¡°Muyang, you gave us an amazing start, but you should also provide us with a perfect end. Otherwise, it will simply make us regret it for the rest of our lives¡­¡±


    ¡°But headmaster, I really don¡¯t know what I should write next.¡±


    ¡°Think about it again. Think about it again. We are not in a hurry, no hurry,¡± Lin Zhengyin said, assuming a firm stance that if Li Muyang did not give the second line, he would not let him go out of his study.


    ¡°Headmaster, then I will have to present a humble show this time,¡± Li Muyang braced himself and said.


    ¡°It is not humble at all, not even the slightest! It will certainly be a shocking and amazing show.¡±


    ¡°I have a hunch that this couplet will become a famous one that has rarely been seen in a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Brother, just write it. Don¡¯t be so modest.¡±


    Li Muyang picked up the brush again, and cleanly wrote a sentence in the blank space of the huge rice paper, ¡°Keep Getting Turned Down by Fools!¡±

 Chapter 66 - He Had Been the First Before!

    After showing Li Muyang and his sister out, Lin Zhengyin returned to the study. Looking at the couplet on the desk, he sighed softly and said, ¡°The couplet looks great! His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful. Besides, each character looks upright and lofty. He must have had a profound foundation of writing. But as for the writing content, there still seems to be some complaints in his heart.¡±


    ¡°It was my fault.¡± Zhao Mingzhu apologized to Lin Zhengyin at once and said, ¡°When some students in my class excluded and bullied Li Muyang, I did not fulfill my duty as a teacher. If I had stepped forward to defend him at that time, perhaps he would not have written such a second line of the couplet. Those children had gone too far. Luckily, you could distinguish between right and wrong, and that young crane-riding boy brought the good news in time. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid it would have been tough for Li Muyang to get through this day.¡±


    Lin Zhengyin waved his hand and said, ¡°Well, forget it. Why do you still talk about past matters? But in the future, we should pay more attention to students like Li Muyang. Don¡¯t judge a person by his performance in the study. After all, many heroes in the empire were uneducated who had never been to any school.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will learn this lesson and treat all the students equally in the future.¡± Zhao Mingzhu bowed and promised.


    ¡°It will be the good fortune of both the school and the student,¡± Lin Zhengyin said.


    Zhao Mingzhu looked at the weird couplet on the table and asked, ¡°Principal, these two sentences¡­ Are you going to engrave them on the school motto stone at the school gate?¡±


    ¡°I never eat my words,¡± Lin Zhengyin said with a severe look. ¡°It¡¯s just that I will only engrave the first line for now.¡±


    ¡°Will you only engrave the line ¡®Keep Company with Wise People¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This sentence is simple and straightforward but contains the great wisdom of life. On the school motto stone, it can correspond with Li Muyang¡¯s achievement, being the No. 1 in the Liberal-arts Exam of the imperial¡­¡± Lin Zhengyin said with a brilliant smile on his face. ¡°As for the second line, let¡¯s leave it out for the time being. I can see the firmness in his eyes. Besides, he is smart and penetrating enough. Being humiliated to this extent, he didn¡¯t give up on himself. I believe he can accomplish much in the future. Perhaps, he will be able to roam in the Starry Sky, making some achievements that will be on everybody¡¯s lips. At that time, we can engrave the second line on the stone. Anyway, whatever he says when he has succeeded will be correct. You know Ma Yun, the richest man in the empire, once said before he made his fortune: ¡®You treat the present me like nothing while you will be out of my league later.¡¯ This sentence is now widespread.¡±


    ¡°Principal, Ma Yun didn¡¯t say that.¡± Zhao Mingzhu reminded him in a low voice.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he?¡± Lin Zhengyin was stunned.


    ¡°Yes. According to the research¡­ Most likely, he didn¡¯t say that.¡± Zhao Mingzhu did not dare to go against her superior¡¯s will and spoke with a lack of confidence.


    ¡°Well, you see, slanders always cluster around celebrities. Busybodies always like to spread some sentences that these famous people have never said.¡± Lin Zhengyin laughed and said, ¡°Anyway, today is a big day.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, principal.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, Ms. Zhao.¡±


    Then they looked at each other and laughed.


    Just when they were out of the school gate, Li Sinian reached out her hands and held Li Muyang¡¯s arm, giggling.


    ¡°Brother, why would you write such a sentence? Did you notice the face of Ms. Zhao at that time? You know, she was also one of the people against you. You put her in an embarrassing situation that she couldn¡¯t find a way out. Fortunately, the principal was quick-witted, who immediately started to talk with you about the character¡¯s structure so that the atmosphere didn¡¯t become awkward.¡±


    Li Muyang shook his head and said, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t mean to criticize Ms. Zhao.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Then who are you talking about? Zhang Chen? Wu Man and the others? Or those students who used to bully you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Or, perhaps, no.¡± Li Muyang shook his head once again and said with a soft sigh, ¡°In the past, I always felt much wronged. I didn¡¯t say bad things about anyone, nor did I do any bad things to them. I just felt physically uncomfortable, and I knew that I was a little weak in learning. But why would those people always despise and bully me? What happened today suddenly makes me understand a lot of truths.¡±


    ¡°What do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Many times, people choose to like or hate someone is not because he is a person of excellent or bad character. Instead, based on people¡¯s strength or background, they butter up some people and look down on some others. For example, Senior Brother Wuyou, the sharp words that he said hurt almost everyone¡¯s feelings. However, as he was the one standing on the high platform, how many people on the spot dared to retaliate against him in public?¡±


    ¡°Brother, you mean that¡­¡± With bright eyes, Li Sinian looked at Li Muyang, her brother, whom she found it increasingly difficult to see through, and asked, ¡°You want to be as strong as Xie Wuyou so that you don¡¯t have to do things according to other people¡¯s favors in the future, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I hope I can be stronger, but the reason is not that I want to do things freely without observing others¡¯ facial expressions.¡± Li Muyang looked at Li Sinian¡¯s delicate and pretty little face and said, ¡°I just hope that I can protect you and our parents from being bullied by others. No one will say that I¡¯m a good-for-nothing. When we encounter danger, I can stand in front of you, instead of letting you step forward to fight for me again and again.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian held Li Muyang¡¯s arm tight and said, ¡°We are families. You are my brother, my most beloved brother. Why do you say something like that?¡±


    Li Muyang rubbed Li Sinian¡¯s head and said, ¡°You are my sister, whom I love the most. Thus, no matter what happens, I will not allow others to bully you.¡±


    ¡°Brother, what if I say I find that you¡¯re getting more and more handsome?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Muyang¡¯s face was full of surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true.¡± Li Sinian pouted and said, ¡°You are always my brother Coal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother, do you think the principal will carve both of the two sentences you wrote on the school motto stone at the school gate?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he will engrave them or not. They insisted that I should write something for our school, so I wrote what I wanted to say. I wrote ¡®Keep Company with Wise People¡¯ because I don¡¯t think I¡¯m smart enough. Our mom and dad are wise people, for they taught me how to take care of my families. You are a wise girl who showed me how to love and protect my family. Cui Xiaoxin is also a wise girl because she told me to recognize my strengths and weaknesses and never give up. Also, the principal Lin, he could distinguish right and wrong and was willing to listen to both sides. Ms. Zhao, as a teacher, she could own up to the wrong things she had done to a student and make a change.¡±


    ¡°The reason that I wrote ¡®Keep Getting Turned Down by Fools¡¯ was because I thought I cared too much about what the irrelevant people thought of me. I felt that they shouldn¡¯t have bullied me that much. I thought that they didn¡¯t know me well enough and that they should have shown me some respect. However, even if they did as what I expected them to, would I become someone else other than the useless Li Muyang? After I become strong and outstanding enough, will I still care about the opinions of these fools? What Senior Brother Wuyou had said is right: ¡®You can choose to believe or not, but what¡¯s that got to do with me?''¡±


    ¡°Brother, I really feel that you are becoming more and more handsome.¡± Li Sinian did not smile this time but looked at Li Muyang with a serious face, her jet-black eyes sparkling with some unusual radiance.


    She felt that her brother had changed into someone wise, calm, and persistent.


    In the past, her brother was confused, dispirited, or even cowardly.


    But now he finally found the path he was going to take, and he was willing to make the greatest effort for it.


    Such a brother gave Li Sinian endless security, which was what a brother was supposed to provide for his sister.


    Li Muyang smiled and said, ¡°I hope so. Anyway, I won¡¯t believe whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°Bro¡­¡± Li Sinian lengthened the end sound in a sweet, charming manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°You really, really, really, really, really, really¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I don¡¯t believe it. I don¡¯t believe it¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Luo Qi felt ill at ease.


    She felt annoyed whenever she was sitting or standing, and she was even more agitated while she was doing the housework.


    When she washed the dishes, she broke the bowl. After finishing washing the chopsticks, she threw them directly into the trash can¡­


    Li Yan was also waiting for his children at home. Seeing Luo Qi walking back and forth in front of him, he complained, saying, ¡°Can¡¯t you sit down and rest for a while? I¡¯m dazzled by your whirls.¡±


    ¡°Was there anyone who ordered you to stare at me? If you hadn¡¯t been staring at me, how could your eyes have been dazzled?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you be more reasonable? You are right in front of me, so I don¡¯t know whom else I can look at.¡±


    ¡°You can watch the book! What are you doing with this book in your arms? Didn¡¯t you notice that you held the book upside down?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Yan could no longer conceal his restless mood. He threw the ¡°Book of Songs¡± in his hand on the table and walked up to Luo Qi, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s no use being anxious. Muyang and Sinian have gone to see the Hero List. If the results of the exam come out, they will come back in time to inform us.¡±


    ¡°But they should be back by now,¡± Luo Qi said with some concern. ¡°There won¡¯t be problems, will there?¡±


    ¡°They just go there to see the Hero List. What kind of big problems can there be? Muyang will be either on the list or not.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a big problem that he is not on the list? If Muyang finds out that he¡¯s not on the list, how sad will he become? No, this won¡¯t do. I¡¯d better go out to look for him. What if he takes the result very much to heart?¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The door of their yard burst open.


    Li Sinian, who was out of breath because of running, shouted, ¡°Dad, mom, my brother took the first place.¡±


    Luo Qi¡¯s face turned pale when she heard that. She instantly comforted her, saying, ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s okay that he took the first place. He had been the first before. Where is your brother?¡±


    As she saw Li Muyang, who entered the door after his sister, Luo Qi quickly ran over to hold him in her arms and said, ¡°Muyang, don¡¯t take it to heart. A great man said that failure is the mother of success. It doesn¡¯t matter if you failed this time. You can take the exam once again next year. With your talent and hard work, you will definitely be on the list then.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I said that my brother took the first place in the Xifeng Empire. He is the real No.1.¡± Li Sinian rolled her eyes and explained helplessly.


    ¡°What?¡± Both Luo Qi and Li Yan widened their eyes, and they asked in unison, ¡°The real No. 1?¡±

 Chapter 67 - Starry-Sky Academy Rejected Xiangma!

    Sometimes, habits are horrible things because it¡¯s hard to change them.


    Everyone was accustomed to Li Muyang being the last one of the school. However, all of a sudden, someone came out and said that he was not the last one but instead the real No. 1. He was more than the No. 1 of his school, but the No. 1 of the Xifeng University and the Xifeng Empire. Such a result really upended their understanding of Li Muyang, so it was difficult for them to accept the fact for the time being.


    It took Li Sinian a lot of effort to make her parents believe that their precious son had done a very great thing this time and surprised everyone.


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi called, tears welling up in her eyes. She held Li Muyang¡¯s arms tight and said in a choked voice, ¡°You got the first place of the empire, and you can go to Xifeng University now! Finally, you can go to Xifeng University! We don¡¯t have to beg for others¡¯ help. My son did it himself!¡±


    ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t go to Xifeng University,¡± Li Muyang said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Why? Why can¡¯t you go there? Why can¡¯t even the No.1 of the Liberal-arts Exam go there? Then what kind of students had been recruited by Xifeng University every year? It is a plot! They must have made a shady deal to change the result. I¡¯ve witnessed many of such sinister deals. No way. I¡¯ll go to Capital Heaven. I¡¯ll go and reason things out with them!¡± Luo Qi became exceedingly excited. It was okay that his son didn¡¯t pass the exam, but after he got such an excellent result, he still couldn¡¯t go to Xifeng University. Such an outcome has insulted all of them to excess. Although she didn¡¯t like and even hated the Lu Family, she was willing to yield to and even kneel before them, only to vent her son¡¯s grievance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened either.¡± With a dignified look, Li Muyang thought hard and said, ¡°In principle, since I won the first place of the Liberal-arts Exam, I should be able to enter Xifeng University. However, Xifeng University didn¡¯t accept me this time, and my name was not even on the Hero List posted by our school. I feel that there are a lot of mysterious things in this matter, but I can only gradually look for the answer in the future.¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Xifeng University didn¡¯t even accept the No. 1 of the empire. It is entirely unreasonable!¡± Li Yan was straightforward and honest, but even so, he couldn¡¯t help feeling angry when he heard such a thing.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, wait for me to finish speaking!¡± Li Sinian stomped her feet and said, ¡°Who said that there was no school to accept my brother? My brother has been accepted by Starry-Sky Academy, which is a very amazing school.¡±


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy? What kind of school is that?¡± Luo Qi was confused. She looked at Li Yan and asked, ¡°Have you heard of it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Li Yan shook his head. ¡°It can¡¯t be a scam school, can it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Li Sinian looked confident. ¡°Do you know how this school sent the offer to my brother? It sent out a crane-riding young man, who showed up like an immortal. And he took no notice of Xifeng University. It was also him who told us that my brother got the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam of the empire. The principal checked the result list of the entire empire and said that what this young man said was the truth. He also invited my brother to his office to write a couplet for our school, saying that he would engrave it on the school motto stone at the school gate.¡±


    ¡°Is this Starry-Sky Academy so awesome?¡± Li Yan was shocked and said, ¡°I remember now. Today, we heard the cries of the crane at home. At that time, your mother was in a bad mood. ¡®Whose goddamned bird called so loud?!¡¯ She even cursed.¡±


    ¡°Li Yan, can¡¯t you say less?¡± Luo Qi glared at his husband and growled, ¡°Starry-Sky Academy has admitted our son, which is a great, joyous event. Hurry up to book a large part of fresh pork from Butcher Lu at the corner of the street and then pack all the cooked food from the shop that sells the pot-stewed meat in the east of the city. Buy as many eggs and fishes as possible. Also, get as many vegetables and fruits as you can. I¡¯m going to entertain as many as guests I can today!¡±


    ¡°Are you going to treat guests? But who?¡± Li Yan was at a loss.


    ¡°Neighbors,¡± Luo Qi said with a smile, ¡°In the past, they always ¡®looked after¡¯ and ¡®inspired¡¯ Muyang in their way. Now that my son has got the first place in Liberal-arts Exam of the empire. Shouldn¡¯t we invite them over to have a lively celebration party?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Seeing his wife¡¯s bright smile, Li Yan felt a chill down his spine.


    When did their neighbors ¡®look after¡¯ or ¡®inspire¡¯ Muyang? Instead, they had said a lot of unpleasant words.


    For example, ¡°You can know a person¡¯s fate of the future when he is as young as three years old. And this boy will become an idiot when he grows up,¡± ¡°You raise such an idiotic child. I am just wondering how many evil things you have done in your past life,¡± ¡°If I had such a son, I would have pushed him into the pond and drown him. When the main trouble ends, all troubles end. Then all of you can have peaceful lives.¡± So, if Luo Qi treated these people at this time, she wanted to invite them here to humiliate them in public.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just forget about the party?¡± Li Yan said comfortingly.


    ¡°Forget about the party?¡± Luo Qi gritted her teeth and said with a cold voice, ¡°I can forget about anything else but this party! Can¡¯t you remember how they treated Muyang back then? This time, I will take revenge on every one of them. Li Yan, I¡¯m warning you; you don¡¯t have to help me, but you mustn¡¯t stop me. Otherwise, you can never get rid of it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Yan looked at Li Sinian with pleading eyes. However, Li Sinian quickly ran to the inner room and said, ¡°I almost forgot. I still have to review my lessons and do my homework.¡±


    Then Li Yan turned to look at Li Muyang, who also ran away fast and said, ¡°I also want to review my lessons, for I feel I haven¡¯t performed well in this exam¡­¡±


    ¡­


    In the City Lord Mansion.


    Yan Bolai was receiving his subordinates. A young reporter stood before him with his back straight, carefully reporting to him about the latest events that happened in Jiangnan City. Just then, the pot of Holy Maiden Fruit on the table suddenly swayed gently, as if the autumn wind had touched it.


    The plant caught a little part of the reporter¡¯s attention, but he still kept reporting without the slightest pausing.


    Yan Bolai pretended not to see it. After listening to the clerk¡¯s report, he praised the young reporter, saying that he was competent and was qualified for a more critical position. Upon hearing the compliment, this young reporter was so excited that he just couldn¡¯t wait to swear that he would pledge his life to Yan Bolai, the City Lord. However, just at this time, Yan Bolai, who was calm as always, told him to distribute several urgent and essential tasks to the relevant departments, respectively.


    The reporter recorded this order on time. When the City Lord had no other orders, he exited the room with the folder under his arm.


    Yan Bolai took a glance at the pot of Holy Maiden Fruit and then walked over, slightly digging his finger into the eyes of the animal head on the pen holder.


    ¡°Whoosh¡­¡±


    The painting on the wall was parted in the middle. Then a small pitch-dark door appeared there, looking like a path to the hell.


    A man in a black robe stood in the doorway. He bowed and walked into Yan Bolai¡¯s office, saying, ¡°The Hero List has been posted. I¡¯ve asked someone to copy it and bring the copy back.¡±


    While speaking, the man in the black robe took out a piece of silk cloth from his arms and put it on the wide mahogany table.


    However, Yan Bolai had no intention to check the list. He turned to look at the jacaranda blossoms outside, resting. He asked with a calm voice, ¡°Xiaoxin will go to Xifeng University, won¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The man in the black robe immediately replied. ¡°Xifeng University has admitted Miss Xiaoxin.¡±


    But Yan Bolai was not surprised at all. He said, in his flat, toneless voice, ¡°Sure thing. If there is nothing else, you can leave. Then, I¡¯ll have a meeting.¡±


    However, the black-robed man didn¡¯t leave. He raised his head and looked at Yan Bolai¡¯s back, which wasn¡¯t tall but stocky, and he said, ¡°When the list was being posted, something happened¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like guessing. If you have anything to say, say it all out at once.¡±


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy has recruited Li Muyang.¡± The black-robed man said in a low voice. ¡°The crane-riding man personally sent the good news.¡±


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy?¡± Yan Bolai suddenly turned around, and there was red light sparkling in his eyes, which now looked as bright as two burning suns. ¡°Has Li Muyang been accepted by Starry-Sky Academy? But in the past, this academy rejected Xiangma. How could Li Muyang¡­? Why?¡±

 Chapter 68 - Deliberately Using an Ample Reward to Trigger a Killing!

    Perhaps others didn¡¯t know the origin of Starry-Sky Academy, but since Yan Bolai was a descendant of an eminent family in Capital Heaven, how could he not know it?


    Some said that Starry-Sky Academy was established 10,000 years ago; some said that since human beings started to write, Starry-Sky Academy had existed. Some others even said that the first college president of Starry-Sky Academy was a cultivator in the Dragon Slaying Realm. Later, he broke the void and became an immortal. After that, he turned into an eternal existence like the sun and the moon and could live as long as heaven and earth.


    Though there were so many versions of the academy¡¯s origin, the truth had lost in the mists of time. The records in the history books were ambiguous and unclear. It seemed as if human beings all over the world were trying to hide a huge secret.


    Nevertheless, Yan Bolai knew it clearly that countless great people, whose fame spread throughout the Divine Land, were from the Starry-Sky Academy.


    For example, Ximen Hongying, who graduated from the academy, broke through the Luoshui City alone with a single sword a thousand years ago. For another example, Zhang Guoren, who liked riding a black ox backward, burst into the desert and struck down Tenggler and his 100,000 cavalries? Tenggler, who was also called the ¡°Iron-cap Prince,¡± had repeatedly violated the borders of the Xifeng Empire and carried out the inhumane policy of ¡°burn all, kill all, loot all¡± to deal with the people living in the places where he and his cavalries invaded. Also, there was Ying Qiangu of a humble origin, widely known as the Peacock King. Along with a group of his fellow apprentices, he created the Peacock Empire, which could even stand up to the great Xifeng Empire.


    Ordinary people in the world only knew that all the great people with familiar names had mysterious backgrounds and extremely high cultivation levels. Each of these outstanding talents was just like the bright star or the moon of their time, whose radiance was enough to enlighten the entire Divine Land.


    In addition to all of this, Yan Bolai knew what they had in common: they all came from Starry-Sky Academy.


    For nearly a thousand years, the Divine Land was in peace. Though all the countries had highly competitive relationships, they managed to maintain an excellent balance. Thus, it had been a long time since some prominent talents from Starry-Sky Academy showed up and astonished all the people in the entire Divine Land by their achievements. Nevertheless, it did not mean that Starry-Sky Academy had been forgotten.


    No one dared to forget such an academy.


    Who wouldn¡¯t want to send their descendants to further their studies in such a school?


    No matter it was the royal family or the illustrious family, every single one of them had exerted all their efforts only to send their most outstanding talents to this academy.


    Yan Bolai was the most promising candidate whom the Yan Family mainly reckoned on to enter Starry-Sky Academy. However, the academy rejected him without giving him any reason for the denial. The Starry-Sky Academy would never explain why it refused to admit someone.


    After becoming the City Lord of Jiangnan City, Yan Bolai tried hard to send Yan Xiangma to the Starry-Sky Academy. Of course, this time, his suggestion was rejected by his family because the Cui Family wanted to send another young man. After all, both Yan Xiangma¡¯s aptitude and cultivation level were far inferior to those of the other candidate.


    To their disappointment, the Starry-Sky Academy also rejected that young man, who then entered the Shadow Domain in a fit of anger, swearing to reach the Vicissitude Realm to the death. However, Yan Bolai didn¡¯t want to give up, so he sent his son to strive for the Starry-Sky Academy¡¯s offer. However, no miracle happened¡ªYan Xiangma failed. The Starry-Sky Academy didn¡¯t accept him and didn¡¯t give any explanations for this decision, exactly like what they did to Yan Bolai that year.


    All the members of the Yan Family had been looking forward to the day when the Starry-Sky Academy would admit someone in their family. To send their outstanding descendants to the Starry-Sky Academy, they had put a great deal of time, effort, and money into it. However, all of the descendants failed.


    But now, someone came to tell him that the Starry-Sky Academy accepted Li Muyang. What was more, it was one of the guys in the academy, who always held their heads high haughtily, flew over a great distance on a crane to deliver the good news of acceptance to Li Muyang in the Jiangnan City.


    Yan Bolai always held Li Muyang cheap, so he just could not figure out how capable and promising Li Muyang was that even the Starry-Sky Academy was willing to admit him.


    Even such a good-for-nothing like Li Muyang could enter the Starry-Sky Academy. Would it make the failure of his son Yan Xiangma and him look too obvious and unacceptable?


    As the powerful City Lord of Jiangnan City who had achieved the Upper Level of the Floating Cloud Realm, he was outshone by an ordinary teenager! Yan Bolai found that it was difficult for him to stay unmoved even if he was always coolheaded. Now the anger in his heart flared up, and he just could not calm down. The Yan Family¡¯s ¡°Raging-Flame Mantra¡± was a cultivation method that was domineering and indomitable to the extreme. Thus, it was too hard for him to suppress his emotions completely.


    ¡°He took the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam,¡± said the black-robed man. ¡°It¡¯s said that Li Muyang is the second student who was accepted by the Starry-Sky Academy because he was the No. 1 in the Liberal-arts Exam.¡±


    ¡°The first one was Li Qiubai, right?¡± Yan Bolai asked coldly. However, he was not asking because he knew the answer in his heart. Li Qiubai, who drifted down the Liang Mountain by water on a tiny boat and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of gangsters robbing on waterways, also had taken the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam. Moreover, he, who was well-known for his poetry, was a poet well-respected by almost everyone in the Divine Land.


    The black-robed man didn¡¯t provide an answer, for he was clear that the City Lord had already had a definite answer in his heart.


    ¡°Jiangnan City is warm and comfortable. People here are living in wealthy and peaceful lives. Despite that, it is also a place producing outstanding people. I didn¡¯t expect that a small tiger would be hiding right within my territory. Li Muyang, he killed Crow with his bare hands and got the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam. How can such a person be an ordinary teenager? I suppose that even the group of geniuses in the Capital Heaven can¡¯t achieve such dazzling achievements, right?¡±


    ¡°Those gifted youngsters are all unyielding ones,¡± the black-robed said, knowing perfectly well what kind of answer the City Lord had expected.


    ¡°Of course. They were born and have been raised in Capital Heaven. These experiences have broadened their horizons and formed their aspirations that are much higher than others. After we set the trap last time, have you identified anyone who ran errands for some forces?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The man in the black robe looked puzzled and said, ¡°After we cleared Young Master Xiangma of his suspicion of killing Crow, we deliberately exposed Li Muyang to the public. However, no suspicious person came to contact him, nor was there anyone coming to make secret inquiries or assassinate Li Muyang. It seemed as if he had become an invisible man, which was truly strange.¡±


    ¡°Humph, there are no people who ran errands for others. Instead, someone of great influence must be behind all of this. If there was no help from some powerful people, do you think that Starry-Sky Academy would accept the son of a pastry shop owner? No matter how amazing and mysterious the Starry-Sky Academy was, its scouts could never spread all over the world. Think about it: how could the son of some ordinary people get the chance to enter the Starry-Sky Academy? The people behind all of this must be mighty, which is far beyond our expectation.¡±


    ¡°Lord, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Other than the royal families and the noble families, how many other families are capable of getting a young man from a humble family into the Starry-Sky Academy?¡±


    ¡°City Lord, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Since Li Muyang is a candidate from Jiangnan City and has won the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam, the City Lord Mansion will naturally bestow a generous reward to him. Meanwhile, we should vigorously advocate this achievement of him such that those who lag behind can follow his example and work harder. According to the usual practice, what kind of rewards will the other military commanders and City Lords give to the candidate in their cities who has won the first place in the exam of the empire?¡±


    ¡°Reward them with gold coins or other practical items,¡± the black-robed man said. ¡°The military commander always gives a reward of five hundred gold coins, and the City Lord offers two hundred gold coins.¡±


    ¡°Double the number.¡± A beam of piercingly-cold light flashed across Yan Bolai¡¯s eyes. He reached out his hand and picked up a red cherry tomato on his desk. With his fingers, he squeezed the cherry tomato hard, and then the tomato juice splashed around. ¡°No. Ten times the reward and give Li Muyang 2,000 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°City Lord, I¡¯m afraid it is highly irregular.¡±


    ¡°Jiangnan City is rich, which is incomparable to other cities.¡± Yan Bolai said with a smile, ¡°Besides, I, the City Lord, value talents, so why can¡¯t I give a much bigger reward to this outstanding young talent?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the black-robed man replied with a bow. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it properly.¡±


    Yan Bolai waved his hand and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After the man in black left, the smile on Yan Bolai¡¯s face disappeared instantly.


    He looked at the copy of the Hero List on the table, undid the rope, and slowly spread it out.


    When he saw the name at the top of the list, he said with a cold smile, ¡°He won the first place of the exam, but his name is not on the Hero List. As long as I find out the person who secretly changed this list, I can know who is back Li Muyang in the dark. Li Muyang, do you really think you can hide your true identity?¡±


    ¡­


    In the garden of the Lu Family.


    Lu Xingkong was enjoying the scenery in the garden while gently moving his arms and legs.


    He had just met six groups of people in a row and drank more than a dozen cups of tea. Even though his body was much better than that of the ordinary people, he really felt a bit depressed now.


    Then, he came to the garden to take some fresh air. Upon seeing the blooming Capital Heaven Cherry blossoms, he felt much more relaxed and comfortable.


    ¡°The young lady of the Cui Family, who went to Jiangnan City in the distance to avoid family conflicts, came back. It is said that she will go to Xifeng University after a while.¡± Aside, the old steward, who looked much older than Lu Xingkong, reported to him in whispers.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time for her to come back. Ask Qiji to choose a few gifts for her and visit her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Miss Qiji won¡¯t be willing to do that. Both she and this lady belong to Three Bright Moons of the capital, but the relationship of them is not that good.¡±


    ¡°Then, it will be one more reason for her to visit that lady.¡± Lu Xingkong laughed out loud and said, ¡°The fact that an assassin had attacked the lady of the Cui Family shocked the entire Capital Heaven. So, Qiji certainly should go to visit her. Qiji has grown up such that she can understand the significance of this visit. Just tell her that I arrange it for her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elder Master.¡± The steward promised with respect. ¡°There is another thing. I heard that Yan Bolai, who was the City Lord of the Jiangnan City, has raised the reward to young master Muyang by ten times and gave him 2,000 gold coins. Also, he high praised Li Muyang, calling him the ¡®Famous Horse of Jiangnan City¡¯. Because of what he had done, Li Muyang¡¯s name was spread quickly in Capital Heaven. Some young people in the capital even begin to inquire about what exactly Li Muyang¡¯s background is¡­¡±


    Lu Xingkong looked calm, and there was no trace of angry on his face.


    He reached out and broke half of a flowering branch. Holding it in his hand, he said gently, ¡°Yan Bolai is capable of being a City Lord, so he suits Jiangnan City well. However, with the wild ambitions and impractical hope in his heart, I¡¯m afraid that it will be difficult for him to obtain a good end in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Elder Master, what about Young Master Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Since I have decided to let him make his way in life by his efforts, why should we bother to deal with these small matters?¡± Lu Xingkong said in a clear and loud voice. ¡°Just go back. I still have some matters to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elder Master.¡± The steward bowed his head and stepped aside. Only after Lu Xingkong turned around and walked backward did he close up to him with caution.

 Chapter 69 - The Horse Slayer!

    The house was so large that it was easy for people to get lost in this huge garden.


    The room where Cui Xiaoxin lived was deep within the courtyard of the Cui house. She liked the quietness there. When her father and uncles had fought fiercely with each other, she was taken to Jiangnan by her aunt. A few years later, she came back. The small courtyard remained the same, but the scenery had become strange.


    At that time, the delicate and tender morning glories had already covered the courtyard wall, and the Capital Heaven sakura she planted had grown taller than her. The purple flowers bloomed brilliantly, making her, a flower lover, want to reach out and stroke each flower petal.


    She had nothing in mind when she planted the flowers, and did not expect to be able to reap the mood at this moment.


    ¡°Xiaoxin¡­Xiaoxin¡­¡± A familiar voice came and then there was a rush of footsteps.


    Cui Xiaoxin turned to look at her cousin Yan Xiangma, who came striding in and asked, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang came in first in the exam,¡± Yan Xiangma ran to Cui Xiaoxin and shouted loudly.


    ¡°What?¡± Cui Xiaoxin looked puzzled and asked, ¡°What do you mean by first?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, he took the first place in Liberal-arts Exam and the first place in our entire Xifeng Empire. How is this possible?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was stunned and then she was relieved. She gradually burst into a smile and said, ¡°I should have known that.¡±


    ¡°What did you know?¡±


    ¡°As long as he could answer the question, it must be correct. The questions for this year¡¯s big exam were very difficult and there were many questions that I have explained to him before. He answered all of them and naturally he was correct. Liberal -arts Exam No. 1 is a matter of course.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to believe. Did he cheat when he took the exam?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin frowned slightly and said, ¡°Have you ever seen anyone cheating?¡±


    ¡°No. I was not in the same test room with him. How would I know if he cheated?¡±


    ¡°Since you have not seen Li Muyang cheating, then don¡¯t brush off his efforts so easily, because you have only seen him achieve this task, but do not know how much effort he has put in for this achievement.¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s expression was serious and there was a sense of admonishment in her words.


    ¡°It is just a joke. I heard that you used to give make up lessons for a male student every day, so I asked someone to give me his information. The result almost blinded my eyes. Who is he? He is like a pig¡ªdon¡¯t get me wrong, I am not saying that Li Muyang is a pig. I just feel weird. He is a geek. How could it be someone who is always at the bottom in the whole school every time?¡± Yan Xiangma blinked at Cui Xiaoxin with a smile and said, ¡°You were so nervous for him¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Cui Xiaoxin interrupted Yan Xiangma¡¯s ridicule.


    Yan Xiangma looked around and found that there was no one around, so he was relieved.


    If someone heard what he had said, Xiaoxin might be fine, but Li Muyang, far away in Jiangnan, would be in danger.


    ¡°I am just making a joke. Don¡¯t be so serious.¡± Yan Xiangma¡¯s smile lessened and said, ¡°My father rewarded him with two thousand gold coins and praised him as ¡®Jiangnan¡¯s fine horse¡¯. There are many discussions going on in Capital Heaven now. Everyone wants to see how different Li Muyang is.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin sneered and said, ¡°A horse slayer is the person at the side of the road.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? A horse slayer is the person at the side of the road?¡± Yan Xiangma asked.


    ¡°¡®Common Customs said, ¡®A man had a fine horse and the viewer praised its fast speed. The rider was happy with those words and rode it endlessly. Finally the horse died.''¡± Cui Xiaoxin explained, looking at the Capital Heaven sakura tree in front of her with a complex mind.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yan Xiangma¡¯s expression became serious, and he said incredulously, ¡°Are you suspecting that my father meant to kill Li Muyang by overpraising him?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, how do you explain those two thousand gold coins?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is just my father¡¯s admiration for his talents, so he rewarded him.¡±


    ¡°What about the praise ¡®Jiangnan¡¯s fine horse¡¯?¡±


    ¡°What is the point of making a good name for a Jiangnan talent?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, what do you think is your father¡¯s real opinion of Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because he is my friend, it is impossible for your father to like him, right?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he had changed his mind after this exam¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin shook her head with smile on her face and said, ¡°Why would a big guy like him care about the results of an exam? Whether it is a quiz or a big exam, it is just an exam. Even if Li Muyang came in first among all in the Empire in the Liberal-arts Exam, it stands for nothing. Every year there will be a ¡®first¡¯. Well, we don¡¯t need to argue about this. When will Li Muyang arrive at Capital Heaven?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yan Xiangma shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know? Isn¡¯t he going to Xifeng University? Once the school semester starts, every new student must report to their school¡­¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang will not be going to Xifeng University,¡± Yan Xiangma answered.


    Cui Xiaoxin was stunned and she felt a faint loss in her heart.


    After a long time, she asked, ¡°Where is he going?¡±


    ¡°It is said that he will go to Starry-Sky Academy. Where is Starry-Sky Academy? Is it in the empire? Why has it never been heard of before? Is it a fake school?¡±


    ¡°Starry-Sky Academy?¡± Cui Xiaoxin looked surprised.


    ¡°Xiaoxin, what kind of school is Starry-Sky Academy? Why have I never heard of it?¡±


    ¡°Because you did not get in.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean that I did not get in? Did I even apply for the exam? But I never knew about this matter. They did not even ask me to enter. It seems that the school is not very good. When I find its address, I will take down its school gate. I am the most famous dude in Jiangnan City, is there anything I cannot do?¡±


    ¡°¡­ This thing, you really can¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Starry-Sky Academy has no gate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    While they were chatting, Cui¡¯er, who used to be Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s servant girl, trotted over and shouted cautiously, ¡°Miss, Miss¡­ Miss Lu is here. She says she is here to visit you.¡±


    ¡°Lu Qiji?¡± Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s eyes seemed to be covered with a fog, when she thought about the meaning of her arrival.


    ¡°Yes. She is talking to Madame in the living room. She heard that you had been attacked in Jiangnan City, so she was worried about you all the time. She brought a lot of gifts. Madame asked me to let you know in advance and she will come over with her soon.¡±


    ¡°Lu Qiji? That purple-haired demon girl?¡± Yan Xiangma was very surprised and rubbing his hands, he said, ¡°I heard that she is the most beautiful woman in Capital Heaven. I have been looking for an opportunity to meet her, but I did not expect to meet her today¡­¡±


    ¡°Our young lady is the most beautiful woman in Capital Heaven,¡± Cui¡¯er retorted angrily with her small mouth pouting.


    ¡°Yes, Cui¡¯er is right.¡± Yan Xiangma found out that he had made a big mistake and continued as if nothing had happened, ¡°When I heard this rumor, I was disdainful about it. I don¡¯t believe it. Could there be a woman more beautiful than my cousin Xiaoxin in the world? I don¡¯t think so. The reason why I want to see Lu Qiji is that I want to take a critical look at her. I want to let her know that her beauty cannot compete with my cousin Xiaoxin. Is that right, Xiaoxin?¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was unimpressed. She neither got angry with her cousin for saying that Lu Qiji was the first beauty of Capital Heaven, nor did she rejoice when Cui¡¯er said she was the first beauty.


    The doubts in her eyes were unresolved, but she said to Cui¡¯er, ¡°Go and tell my mother, I am very happy that Miss Lu is here as a guest.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Miss,¡± Cui¡¯er said and went about her duties.


    Yan Xiangma looked out at the yard, brandished a fan and said, ¡°A winding path leads to a secluded place. This courtyard is a secluded place. By the way, I have never seen the scenery of your yard and choosing a day is worse than hitting a day¡­¡±


    ¡°You may accompany me to receive Miss Lu.¡± Cui Xiaoxin knew what he meant and said with a smile, ¡°We are both young. In the future, you will live in Capital Heaven for a long time. It is good to get to know each other. Maybe the two of you will have many common topics to share.¡±


    Yan Xiangma was overjoyed and said, ¡°Since you so strongly retain me, then I will accompany you to meet this Capital Heaven demon girl. Let me see what is so outstanding about her and whether she can be tied with my cousin Xiaoxin to become the Three Bright Moons of the capital.¡±


    ¡°Stop saying the words Capital Heaven demon girl.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was just talking in front of you. Anyway, we are family. It does not matter.¡±

 Chapter 70 - The Purple Haired Demon Girl!

    When Cui Xiaoxin was thinking about something, Yan Xiangma was airing his opinions about the flowers in the yard as if he was an expert. Then she heard the voices of her mother and someone else from outside.


    ¡°Xiaoxin likes to stay in a quiet place. There are so many rooms in the front yard, but she insisted on taking the most remote place. Which young girl does not like lively places with many people? I am afraid she has stayed here for too long and has become a bit of a recluse.¡±


    ¡°I also like quiet places,¡± A younger voice replied. Even though she was still quite a distance from them, they could feel the coldness in her tone. It seemed that she did not have any emotions when she was speaking.


    Cui Xiaoxin could not help laughing. The Lu Family sent a girl from their family who was exceedingly arrogant and did not know how to be polite. What were they trying to prove?


    Obviously, her mother was not very comfortable dealing with such a girl.


    After keeping quiet for a while, she responded with a very exaggerated laugh. ¡°Haha, I did not expect that the young people now like quietude, which is really different from our childhood days. Xiaoxin is back now. Since you two are of the same age and will both go to Xifeng University, you can keep in touch in the future. It is good to have someone to be a companion.¡±


    ¡°I have many friends,¡± Lu Qiji said.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I am still happy to be friends with Xiaoxin,¡± Lu Qiji continued.


    Ms. Cui could not stand her style of speaking which sounded cold and hard and every sentence seemed to be like a sharp sword.


    ¡°As a member of one of Capital Heaven¡¯s noble families, it should be you complimenting me and I flattering you. Everyone will then be fine. No matter how you try to stab each other from behind, you still need to maintain an elegant and calm facade, right?¡±


    This Miss Lu did not play according to the rules, which made it difficult for her, a lady with a celebrity status, to play along.


    Ms. Cui accelerated her pace and took Lu Qiji to the door of the small courtyard where Cui Xiaoxin lived. She shouted loudly, ¡°Xiaoxin, Xiaoxin, Miss Lu is here to see you.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin was already waiting in the yard. When she heard her mother¡¯s voice, she immediately came to the door. She was stunned when she saw Lu Qiji, one of the Three Bright Moons, who had been given the nickname ¡®purple haired demon girl¡¯.


    She had seen Lu Qiji before, but at that time they were still young and their faces and bodies had not matured yet. At that time, she just thought she was cute, thinking that when she grew up, she would definitely be a beauty.


    But now when she saw her, she realized that the word ¡®beauty¡¯ did not do her true beauty any justice. This was a peerless face that could overthrow cities and ruin states.


    Cui Xiaoxin had always been conceited. Although she was known as the Three Bright Moons of the Empire together with Lu Qiji and Song Chenxi, she ignored this kind of rumor because she felt that she was different from the others. That was to say, deep down in her heart, she always thought that she was better, more beautiful and smarter than the others.


    Now when she saw this young and beautiful girl dressed in a white robe, she felt ashamed.


    Such a beautiful woman was more than a bright moon, she should be called a blazing sun.


    Lu Qiji waited for some time, but Cui Xiaoxin still did not talk to her. She just looked at her as if she was dazzled, seeing a treasure for the first time.


    The feeling of being judged made her very unhappy. She raised her brows slightly and broke the silence, saying, ¡°I heard you were attacked in Jiangnan. We were all worried about this in Capital Heaven. When I heard that you came back a few days ago, I thought about coming over. I picked a few small gifts for you personally and I hope you like it.¡±


    The girls behind Lu Qiji walked out holding some boxes and presented them to Cui Xiaoxin.


    ¡°Thanks for your gifts, I like them very much.¡± Cui Xiaoxin realized that she had been really rude just now. How could she stare at the guests for so long? She did not open the gifts on the spot, but told her maid to bring the gifts to her room. ¡°You can come over at any time and you do not have to bring so many gifts.¡±


    ¡°It is just a little token. I am glad you like it,¡± Lu Qiji said indifferently. She was also looking at Cui Xiaoxin¡ªshe was a beauty. Well, her temperament was also very good. She was gentle and smart and she had a completely different style.


    Yan Xiangma swallowed his spit. He opened his fan and shook it gently against his chest, which made him look like the best young master of the world. He said aloud with a cheerful smile, ¡°My sister is right. You can come any time you like, giving gifts seems to be a mere courtesy. Xiaoxin, am I right? ¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Lu Qiji asked, as she glanced at Yan Xiangma with disdain. This idiot was leering at her with his eyes wide open, his face flushed and his mouth drooling, without him being aware of it. If she had not been a visitor, she would kick him out already.


    Before Cui Xiaoxin could reply, Yan Xiangma walked in front of Lu Qiji and said, ¡°I am Yan Xiangma, Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s cousin. Of course, I treat her as my own sister and she always treats me as her brother. You are the Capital Heaven Fairy¡ªLu Qiji? You really deserve your title. As they say, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Like the moon in the sky, like the fiery sun. Everything in the world is overshadowed by your beauty. My eyes light up because of this. Your light is too blazing, it makes it hard for me to see anything¡­¡±


    Lu Qiji glanced at him and looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked, ¡°Is he sick?¡±


    ¡°He is not sick.¡± Cui Xiaoxin smirked and said, ¡°He is just infatuated with your beauty.¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin made an inviting gesture and said, ¡°Please come in.¡±


    ¡°I will leave you young people to talk.¡± Ms. Cui said and left quickly with her maid. She was afraid she would be choked to death by the little girl from the Lu Family.


    When they sat in the simple and elegant living room, which was not very large, the maidservant brought tea and cakes.


    It was too difficult for two girls who were not familiar with each other, to have a warm, unceasing conversation like those adults.


    Lu Qiji held a tea cup and drank her tea and Cui Xiaoxin was at a loss for words.


    Fortunately, Yan Xiangma, who had just suffered a heavy blow, came in and took a sip from the tea cup handed over by the servant. He said, ¡°Do you also like to drink tea? This is Queshe green tea from Longhu Mountain. Although its fragrance is light when you first drink it, when the tea gets into your lungs, the lingering fragrance is even more impressive.¡±


    ¡°Master Xiangma, this is Yinzhen tea from Junshan, not Queshe¡­¡± the maid, who was standing next to him, corrected him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Xiaoxin could not bear to let her cousin continue with his idiotic behavior and quickly helped to cover his embarrassment by saying, ¡°I usually like to drink Longjing tea. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care,¡± Lu Qiji said. Thinking that this answer was too cold and too harsh, she added, ¡°As long as it is tea.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cui Xiaoxin also felt a little hard to deal with her. She said, ¡°Are you going to Xifeng University? We will be school mates.¡±


    ¡°It is not finalized yet,¡± Lu Qiji said with a chuckle. ¡°Speaking of this, I thought of another thing. Since you have just returned from Jiangnan, maybe you have heard of the ¡®Jiangnan fine horse¡¯¡ªLi Muyang? Recently, he has been the topic of many discussions in Capital Heaven and many people are eager to see him. How about his appearance and character? ¡±


    ¡°As for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± Yan Xiangma laughed and said, ¡°What kind of appearance does he have? He is clearly a large coal. If you want to get to know him, I can help you. I was his good brother when I was in Jiangnan. Although he looks ugly, his character is still trustworthy. Otherwise, I will not be friends with him.¡±


    ¡°He is not ugly.¡± Cui Xiaoxin corrected Yan Xiangma¡¯s malicious derogation and said, ¡°He has his own pride and the rumors are true. If he comes to Capital Heaven, you will have the chance to see that.¡±


    ¡°I am really curious.¡± Lu Qiji¡¯s eyes flashed brightly and she smiled and said, ¡°With only one shot, he came in first in the empire in the Liberal-arts Exam. I am afraid that when he comes to Capital Heaven, there will be a lot of challenges.¡±


    ¡°I believe in the spirit of young people in Capital Heaven,¡± Cui Xiaoxin answered indifferently.


    ¡°It sounds as if you are very protective of him.¡± Lu Qiji¡¯s long eyelashes fluttered and her flawless, demon-like face had a certain oppressive pressure that made it difficult for one to breathe.


    Yan Xiangma quickly touched his nose, worried that the weather was too dry and his nose would start to bleed.


    ¡°Do I?¡± Cui Xiaoxin smiled and said, ¡°He was originally a classmate of mine and I took it for granted that I am speaking for him. If I see my classmate being bullied and ignore it, it is too cruel.¡±


    ¡°You are kind and we should learn from you,¡± Lu Qiji said with a smile. ¡°I should leave now. You have a rest. I will visit you again next time.¡±


    After saying that, Lu Qiji got up and said goodbye.


    Cui Xiaoxin stood up and sent her out, until the figure of the purple-haired girl disappeared in the garden.


    ¡°This Capital Heaven demon girl is really arrogant. She always shows an inscrutable face. Huh, what is the big deal? In terms of appearance, she is not as good as my Xiaoxin sister¡­¡± Staring obsessively at Lu Qiji¡¯s departing back, Yan Xiangma grumbled.


    With a thoughtful look on her face, Cui Xiaoxin whispered, ¡°She came because of Li Muyang.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yan Xiangma turned back and asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is weird? After entering the room, she said less than ten words to me, but most of them were about Li Muyang¡­ They know each other?¡±

 Chapter 71 - Break the Wall With One Punch!

    One¡¯s spirit comes from one¡¯s energy.


    In the past, Li Muyang needed to sleep many hours in a day. Now he would use many hours a day to study and exercise.


    As always, Li Muyang got up at dawn.


    He habitually stretched and relaxed his muscles and bones and then started practising the learning steps of the Qi-breaking Technique that he developed.


    Although his body¡¯s temperature rose and his heartbeat accelerated to such an extent that he almost fainted during the last walk, this was not a reason for him to give up.


    However, after that incident happened, he re-read the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± booklet which had only a thousand words, several times, carefully pondering over the depth of the text, and found that he was not on the wrong track.


    Since his practicing steps were correct, that was the price he had to pay in the learning process or the result he should get after reaching a certain level.


    Li Muyang was reluctant to give up and even felt ashamed for being so slack.


    He had wasted more than ten years and had been scolded by people for more than ten years. No one could realize how happy he was to be able to study normally this time.


    What¡¯s more, after the Crow incident and the smashing incidents by the hooligans, he had a stronger awareness and desire for the use of force.


    He needed to become stronger.


    He wanted to protect himself and also to protect his family from harm.


    He concentrated and kept his mind clear.


    Li Muyang walked step by step. Three steps forward and two steps backward. Left and right went together. Two steps forward and three steps backward. He practiced hard and almost forgot about his tiredness.


    He could do endless practices. As long as he still had the energy, he would continue to walk this way. With this type of practice and the method of breathing, the longer he walked, the fitter his body became.


    Of course, after a long walk, he would naturally be tired and he would stop and rest.


    However, there was an accident when he did his exercise this morning.


    He had already felt all kinds of discomfort such as shortness of breath, flushing and a rapid heartbeat, when he walked for only half an hour.


    Thinking that his practice method was not wrong, this should be the natural reaction of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±¡ªeven his sister Li Sinian said that this happened when she practiced. So Li Muyang persisted for a while.


    When he persevered on after an hour, all the uncomfortable symptoms disappeared. His face was not red, his heart was not beating so rapidly and his color was back to normal.


    ¡°It really is like this.¡± Li Muyang rejoiced. He felt that he was right.


    Li Muyang had now walked for two hours, but he did not feel tired, and even grew more spiritual.


    He felt something was wrong. He wanted to stop and rest, but he could not stop.


    His body was like a kite. When the wind blew gently, he could walk with the wind. Even if there was no wind, he could glide in the breeze.


    The more anxious he was, the faster his pace became. The faster he moved, the lighter his body became.


    In the end, he could see his body clearly, but he could not feel the existence of the body.


    He lost control of his body.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±


    Li Muyang grunted.


    A strong pain came over his body.


    He felt that the blood flow in his body was smoother, as if all the blocked veins had been cleared.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Another intense wave of pain came over him.


    He felt the acupoints in his body exploding and connecting with each other, just like the stars that crisscrossed into lines.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The bones of Li Muyang¡¯s body rattled, like someone frying beans in a pan.


    Li Muyang felt like he was about to fly, he felt like he would turn into a swallow flying in the air.


    This feeling was very fantastic, but it made him panic.


    He knew that he was practicing the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±, which was meant to store energy in his Dantian and it hit him with an instant force.


    His body was getting lighter and lighter, so how could he store the energy?


    Li Muyang was really scared. Although the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± said that this was the ultimate treasure of Taoism, easy to practice but difficult to master. If he got into trouble or was disoriented, his previous efforts would be in vain.


    The serious point was that it could destroy his Dantian and turn him into a living vegetable¡ªin short, he would be a total wreck.


    He used to be a wastrel, he was able to accept it, because anyway, he was a wastrel from the day he was born.


    But when he managed to stand on his own feet and tasted success, then becoming a wastrel again was unbearable for him.


    What Li Muyang did not know was that when he practiced these exercises, he had to pay attention to the gradual achievement and there must be a process of gradually adapting to this state.


    Li Sinian practiced for ten years. Although she did not have a famous teacher, she learned the Shattering Fist skill without the help of any teacher.


    This was the importance of foundation.


    Li Muyang had been practicing for less than three months, but he kept pushing forward. In this way, his body did not accumulate enough energy and there was no energy in his Dantian. The faster he walked, the faster he progressed and the emptier his body became.


    This was the huge trap of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±: Being empty.


    When the body became empty, the person could fly in the air.


    If he could not stop or had no help with his energy in time, what would be awaiting Li Muyang was the gradual exhaustion of his energy and he would die.


    Without the guidance of a famous teacher and the help of a master, Li Muyang was in an extremely dangerous state at this moment.


    Because of the fear in his heart, his consciousness was not clear anymore.


    The more he thought about it, the more he was afraid. And the more he was afraid, the more thoughts he had!


    Li Muyang tried to yell, but found that he could not speak. He wanted to change direction and run toward his room, but his feet were still circling in the air.


    Three steps forward and two steps backward. Left and right went together. Two steps forward and three steps backward. He did not feel tired.


    Sweat gathered on Li Muyang¡¯s forehead. The sweat beads became more and more dense and his entire head and body felt as if he was drenched in water.


    Li Muyang¡¯s heartbeat accelerated again, thumping violently, like a heavy hammer hitting on his chest.


    Li Muyang¡¯s eyes were covered with blood veins and each blood vein was like a red earthworm. They spread and expanded all over Li Muyang¡¯s eyeballs.


    He was in a dangerous state!


    His life was at stake!


    At this moment, a red blood mist covered his eyes.


    The black scales on the back of his hands swelled and it felt as if there was thunder and lightning throbbing silently on the surface of the scales.


    Li Muyang¡¯s body began to heat up and waves of strong heat flowed from the back of his hands where the scales were located, and flowed toward the acupuncture points in his body.


    The hot stream, like red magma, destroyed everything that they encountered, but they were restored instantly.


    Ten million streams spread throughout his body and finally converged in Li Muyang¡¯s Dantian, like streams flowing into the sea.


    All the energy flowed into his Dantian and his power was unleashed.


    His Dantian was getting hotter and hotter and Li Muyang felt like he was being cooked alive.


    Li Muyang suddenly became very angry and wanted to kill someone.


    There were thousands of words and endless grievances that he wanted to express.


    And there was endless hatred that he wanted to vent.


    Li Muyang felt his body growing bigger and bigger and his Dantian was about to be boosted by the surging energy.


    Li Muyang threw a punch with his right hand.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    With a loud noise, a huge hole appeared in the wall in front of Li Muyang.


    The first ray of sunlight penetrated through the huge hole and shone on Li Muyang, who then collapsed on the ground.


    It was already daybreak!


    ¡­


    Luo Qi and Li Yan were awakened by the loud noise and ran out hastily. They saw the huge hole in the wall.


    Li Sinian was quite calm. She came over with a yawn, glanced at the hole in the wall and said angrily, ¡°Li Muyang, are you done? We still have to sleep! You are up so early in the morning to practice, it is really noisy¡­¡±


    ¡°This is¡ªMuyang is practicing?¡± Li Yan¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the big hole in the wall which was bigger than the size of a man. Even if he used the Heavenly King Spear, he was afraid that he could only poke a small hole in the wall if he hit it with a shot. But his son almost broke the wall with a punch. How much power did this need?


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Li Sinian said, rubbing her eyes. ¡°It is the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯, I taught him that.¡±


    Luo Qi¡¯s thoughts were on Li Muyang, who had collapsed on the ground. Looking at him, she immediately ran over and asked urgently, ¡°Muyang, are you all right? Did you get injured?¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡± Li Muyang pointed to the broken wall and said awkwardly, ¡°Mom, I did not mean to break it¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you did not do it on purpose.¡± Luo Qi looked at Li Muyang thoughtfully and said with a smile, ¡°Who would deliberately punch the wall like this?¡±


    Luo Qi had seen Li Muyang expressing his power, so she was mentally prepared for such a thing to happen at home.


    Li Yan was overjoyed. He came over and asked, ¡°Muyang also learned the ¡®Qi-breaking Technique¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°I have studied it for more than two months.¡±


    ¡°You can practice to such a level in such a short time, it seems that I should forget about the Heavenly King Spear move and learn this¡­¡± Li Yan said. He thought that since his son and daughter were able to learn it so well, it seemed that the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± was the fated skill of his family. He should not miss this opportunity again.


    Li Sinian walked to Li Muyang. She looked at Li Muyang and then looked at the big hole in the wall. She said in a dissatisfied tone, ¡°Did you use the Shattering Fist move?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡± Li Muyang said. ¡°I am not so sure.¡±


    ¡°I studied for ten years before I was able to use Shattering Fist move and it was only a punch to break the tank. You can break the wall with a punch in less than three months of walking¡ªbrother, you stress me out. You came in first in the empire in the Liberal-arts Exam and you are getting more and more powerful. Can I still bully you in the future?¡±

 Chapter 72 - Sinians Missing!

    After taking a bath, he dried his body and put on a white gown which had been specially prepared by his mother.


    Looking at himself in the mirror, Li Muyang felt that something was a little strange.


    No, it was quite strange.


    It was getting harder for Li Muyang to have a clear view of himself and he could tell from the surprised looks in his parents¡¯ eyes that he had changed a lot recently.


    As Li Sinian said, ¡°You came in first in the empire in the Liberal-arts Exam and now you can break the wall with a punch after less than three months of walking. Do you know that you make me feel very stressed?¡±


    The person who said this was Li Sinian, the famous genius girl of Ministry of Revenue Lane. She was the weapon that Luo Qi used to turn the tables whenever Li Muyang was being ridiculed by someone before. He would just say, ¡®Your kid is not that good. My daughter Sinian said that she has never seen him on the list.¡¯ It would immediately make the others shut up.


    However, even now Li Sinian felt that Li Muyang was improving rapidly, so Li Muyang¡¯s behavior was really scary.


    ¡°Stay low-key.¡± Li Muyang smirked at the mirror, patted his face and said, ¡°Be stupid and cute.¡±


    Li Muyang came out and Li Sinian was sitting in the room eating fruits.


    Seeing Li Muyang dressed in a white outfit and his upright figure, Li Sinian¡¯s eyes turned bright and she could not continue eating her apple.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Li Sinian finally swallowed the pulp in her mouth and asked.


    ¡°I am your brother. Are you stupid?¡± Li Muyang felt bemused, this girl could not even recognize her brother?


    ¡°Impossible. My brother is black and ugly. People call him Coal¡­¡± Li Sinian threw the apple on the table and wiped her hands randomly on Li Muyang¡¯s quilt. She ran over to touch Li Muyang¡¯s face and nose and said, ¡°Quick, tell me who you are. Where did you hide my brother?¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian¡­¡± Li Muyang was always very tongue tied around his baby sister. He had been bullied by her since childhood. Of course, he had also been protected by her.


    Li Sinian circled around Li Muyang and said, ¡°Unexpectedly, the ugly duckling can become a swan and the toad can become a prince. Brother, do you know that you look more handsome?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Muyang blushed and turned red as he touched his face and saying, ¡°Maybe it is because I did not go out recently.¡±


    Li Sinian scrutinized him carefully and said, ¡°Indeed you have turned white, but that is not the most critical point. The key is¡ªyour body is growing! Your chest is broad, strong and muscular now! You look pretty good¡­¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian¡­¡± Li Muyang brushed Li Sinian¡¯s hands off and said, ¡°You are a girl.¡±


    ¡°So I touched you. Or what? You like to be touched by a man?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And you have grown taller, so now I have to look up at you. You are really slender and upright with an extraordinary temperament. And the expression on your face has changed¡ªyou always looked confused before. It is like you had gone out to steal cattle the night before and did not sleep all night. Now you are full of energy and confidence. Oh, and you look so charming when you smile¡­¡±


    Li Muyang felt extremely happy in his heart, but he deliberately stayed modest and said, ¡°I am not as good as you said, I have not grown up well yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be humble, you are already very good.¡± Li Sinian patted Li Muyang¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Try to improve and keep up with me. A bright moon is in front of you, isn¡¯t it enough to inspire you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But seriously, if you go back to school with your current appearance, you will definitely become an idol of our whole school and there will be countless girls pursuing you.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. You can be the school idol,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile. ¡°My journey is on the sea of stars.¡±


    Li Sinian pouted and said, ¡°Yo, you now look down on school idols and want to be an imperial idol?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to compete with you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you can compete with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Luo Qi was cooking in the kitchen and Li Yan was next to her, helping her.


    ¡°I feel really reluctant,¡± Luo Qi said in a morose mood. ¡°I never imagined that there would be such a day when Muyang will leave us to go to such a distant place. He had never been far away from us, I don¡¯t know if he can adapt.¡±


    Li Yan looked at his wife and said, ¡°You are always worried about them. When he first came to us, you worried about our inability to support him day and night. Later, his health gradually improved and you were worried that his IQ was not high enough. Now his IQ is high, and he is first in the empire. When his body recovered so well that he is now able to break a big hole in the wall with one punch, you start worrying that he will be going far away¡­¡±


    ¡°Which mother will not worry about their children? Now I worry about him going out and I still have to worry about his marriage and his children. Unless I die, I will worry about them all the time.¡±


    ¡°I worry about them, too.¡± Li Yan whispered, ¡°Do you think that the Lu Family will take action this time?¡±


    Luo Qi thought about it for a while and said, ¡°They should have taken action. Muyang said that he wanted to go to Xifeng University. I specifically asked him about this. He told me that he was applying for Xifeng University. In the end, he will be going to the Starry-Sky Academy. Although I don¡¯t know why the Lu Family is sending Muyang to the Starry-Sky Academy, I know they must have done something. Otherwise, Muyang would definitely go to Xifeng University.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Yan sighed and said, ¡°At one time we were worried that Muyang was not good at his studies and hope that the Lu Family would be able to help him. Now that Muyang did well in the exams, we start to worry whether it is good or bad for Muyang that Lu Family is focusing on him.¡±


    Luo Qi was also worried, saying, ¡°I can only think about the bright side of things. After all, as Sinian said, Starry-Sky Academy is not bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Yan nodded and said, ¡°We should think on the positive side. At least we can ask Miss for help. She must be on our side.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Luo Qi thought deeply and said, ¡°At least we can go to Capital Heaven to look for Miss.¡±


    The brother and sister came to the hall and Luo Qi had already prepared lunch.


    Li Muyang helped to wash the dishes and set the chopsticks. Luo Qi pushed him away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t dirty the new clothes you just changed into. Li Sinian, come and wash the dishes.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I have also changed into new clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°You have hands and you can wash it later.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Their parents kept serving food to Li Muyang and Li Muyang¡¯s bowl was replaced with a plate.


    Soon the plate was filled up and Luo Qi intended to change it to a basin for him.


    ¡°You value your male child only,¡± Li Sinian said grievously as she chewed her vegetables vigorously.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Luo Qi knocked Li Sinian¡¯s head with her chopsticks and said, ¡°Your brother will be leaving for his studies tomorrow and he has to be strong. Boys at his age grows fast, so he needs to eat more. After your brother leaves, I will make good food for you every day.¡±


    ¡°Envy me!¡± Li Sinian said this to Li Muyang.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat so much that you turn into a big fat girl. Otherwise when you visit me, I will not admit that you are my sister.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, you men have no conscience! When people call you Coal, I did not deny that you are my brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Li Sinian, what did you say to your brother?¡± Luo Qi was about to beat her again.


    ¡°Mom, why are you so partial toward him? Am I really your flesh and blood?¡± Li Sinian stretched her hand over her head and said this angrily.


    Luo Qi hit her harder with her chopsticks and said, ¡°Did you say you are not my flesh and blood? You just said that you are not my flesh and blood?¡±


    ¡°I was wrong, I am your flesh and blood! Mom, stop, I will become stupid¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Li Muyang bowed his head as he ate, feeling the warmth of his family.


    His father was kind and his mother loved him and his sister was so cute, he really could not bear to leave this house.


    ¡­


    At Maplewood Ferry, Li Muyang would be going by ship to get to Capital Heaven.


    This made Li Muyang very dissatisfied with Starry-Sky Academy. They sent the enrollment news through a crane. Why couldn¡¯t they bring him to school with a crane? It could save the poorer students a lot of money.


    At the Maplewood Ferry, his family members came to see him off.


    His mother Luo Qi took Li Muyang¡¯s hand and refused to let go. When she was on the way here, she secretly wiped away her tears several times.


    ¡°Muyang, take good care of yourself. Eat on time, put on more clothes when you are cold and change your shirts when you are hot. Is the money you brought enough? I will give you another one hundred gold coins¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Li Muyang clenched his mother¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I know, I know. I am not a child anymore, I will take care of myself. I have enough money, you have already given me three hundred gold coins. Which student goes to study with so much money?¡±


    His father Li Yan patted Li Muyang¡¯s shoulder vigorously and said, ¡°A good man has aspirations. Study hard and practice hard. In the future, you will make everyone proud of you.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I will.¡± Li Muyang felt the power from his father¡¯s palm and said, ¡°You must also pay attention to your health and take care of my mother.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about us,¡± Li Yan said.


    Li Muyang looked at Li Sinian who stood far away and refused to come near. He shouted out loudly, ¡°Li Sinian, if you don¡¯t come over now, I will go on board.¡±


    ¡°Go as you wish. Who wants to see you off?¡± Li Sinian stood under the willow tree, turned her back to Li Muyang and refused to say goodbye.


    She was holding a willow branch in her hand and swished it hard in the air and shouted stubbornly, ¡°Anyway, you will be back, what¡¯s the point of saying goodbye?¡±


    Li Muyang could not see that her eyes were red and swollen and her teardrops were sliding down her white, flawless face.


    There was a feeling that she was already missing him even before he had gone.

 Chapter 73 - Goodbye, Jiangnan City!

    ¡°Silly child! She doesn¡¯t dare to come over.¡± Tears welled up in Luo Qi¡¯s eyes. She sighed softly, saying, ¡°You two have scarcely been separated from each other. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t see you in a year or so after you go to the distance academy. How can she be willing to part with you?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Li Muyang said. When he saw the little girl¡¯s slightly trembling shoulders, his nose twitched. In a choked voice, he said, ¡°It won¡¯t be so long. I will come back soon. Sinian admired that there were cranes in my academy that could take people into the air. Well, when I enter the academy, I can keep a crane. Then I will be able to fly back to visit you every day. Also, I can go to school after having breakfast at home.¡±


    Luo Qi patted Li Muyang on the shoulder and said, ¡°Nonsense. How can you come back every day? The most important thing is to take care of yourself and study hard. Don¡¯t let others look down on you.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I will.¡± Li Muyang nodded seriously.


    ¡°Hurry up! Broad the ship! If you don¡¯t board now, it¡¯ll leave without you.¡± The boatman wearing a short jacket shouted on the board.


    It was a passenger ship. Except for a few travelers and merchants who went to Capital Heaven, most of the passengers were students like Li Muyang, who would go to study in Capital Heaven.


    Many of those student¡¯s parents and relatives had rushed over to bid their farewells to them.


    At this time, the Maplewood Ferry was very lively. People talked, laughed, and even cried.


    Li Muyang waved his hand and said, ¡°Dad, Mom, go back. I¡¯m going to board the ship.¡±


    ¡°Muyang¡­¡± Luo Qi tried hard to fight back her tears. She let go of his son¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You should have lived a better life, which we can¡¯t provide you. You must protect yourself and don¡¯t allow others to bully you. If you are wronged, just come back home. We are willing to take care of you for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Mom, what are you talking about?¡± Li Muyang said with a smile, ¡°I am glad that I am your son. I think I am living a good life now. And I will get better in the future. Don¡¯t worry. I will be fine.¡±


    Li Muyang knew that his parents wouldn¡¯t leave if he didn¡¯t go first. He cast a glance at Li Sinian, but the little girl was still standing in the same place with her back to him.


    ¡°Li Sinian¡­¡± Li Muyang shouted to her sister in the distance, ¡°I will miss you.¡±


    He waved his hand at Li Sinian¡¯s back, turned around, and walked toward the deck of the ship.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Someone shouted, and a horse came to him fast.


    The man on the fast-going horse drew everyone¡¯s attention on the shore. It was a young man in warrior clothes who sat on the horse, shouting.


    ¡°Li Muyang, please wait a moment.¡± Riding on his horse, the man rushed straight to Li Muyang and leaped from the horseback. He cupped his hands to greet Li Muyang and said respectfully, ¡°The City Lord wants to see you off. At this time, he has already arrived at the Stone-Forest Valley.¡±


    As soon as he said that, all the people present burst into an uproar.


    ¡°Will the City Lord see Li Muyang off in person?¡±


    ¡°The City Lord treats Li Muyang excessively good, doesn¡¯t he? Just because Li Muyang got the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam of the empire, the City Lord awarded two thousand gold coins to him. The money is enough for him to use for the rest of his whole life, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Would Li Muyang be the adopted son of the City Lord? Maybe Li Muyang is an illegitimate child of him¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Li Muyang was also slightly surprised and said, ¡°The City Lord handles much work every day, so he doesn¡¯t have to come here to see me off, especially.¡±


    Not only others started to suspect the relationship between the City Lord and Li Muyang, but also Li Muyang himself began to guess that.


    After the announcement of the results, the City Lord Mansion ordered the Jiangnan Education Department to send 2,000 gold coins to Li Muyang as the reward. This news caused an uproar in the Ministry of Revenue Lane. One should know that most of the people who lived there couldn¡¯t make so much money in their lifetime, but Li Muyang got such a large sum of money just by taking an exam. No wonder people said that wealth and beauty could be gained through diligent study. Li Muyang had proved it, hadn¡¯t he?


    Now that the City Lord came to see him off in person, which moved Li Muyang a lot. He couldn¡¯t help thinking in his heart, ¡°It¡¯s true that your son has built a friendship with me, but you are too kind to me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± A brown horse ran up to Li Muyang. On the horse was a middle-aged man in a brown scholar suit. This wide-faced man with a fine beard had a pair of thick eyebrows and big eyes.


    A group of soldiers dressed in warrior¡¯s black suit with long blades hanging on their waists followed close at this man¡¯s heels, guarding him at both sides. They came with the synchronized sounds of horses galloping, from which everyone could know that they were well trained, extraordinary soldiers.


    ¡°Thump!¡±


    Before the hooves sound stopped, the middle-aged man had already jumped off the horse.


    When he landed heavily on the ground, it seemed as if his feet were going to poke a big hole in the ground.


    ¡°Selecting talents for the empire is the top priority. Today, so many candidates here will go to Capital Heaven to study and pursue an official position. As the City Lord of Jiangnan City, I should come here to see you off.¡± As he spoke, the middle-aged man deliberately raised his voice so that everyone on the shore who came here to say good-bye to their relatives and friends could hear him.


    ¡°You are¡­ Are you the City Lord of Jiangnan City?¡± Li Muyang looked at the short but very dignified man in front of him and asked timidly. It was the first time that he came into contact with such a big shot.


    And this man gave others a sense of pressure, which made him look very formidable. Ordinary people even didn¡¯t dare to look at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yan Bolai,¡± Yan Bolai said with a smile. While looking narrowly at Li Muyang, he secretly thought, ¡°Li Muyang is actually tall and handsome. His skin color is not as dark as what everyone has said, and his eyes are clear. Besides, he is clearly unintimidated because he doesn¡¯t look away with fear when he catches my eyes. He is confident and calm, but with a little vigilance.¡±


    ¡°You come here to see me off in person. I can¡¯t thank you enough, City Lord.¡± Li Muyang made a deep bow.


    One after another, the other students also gathered around. After all, who didn¡¯t want to find a chance to build a relationship with the City Lord? Even if now they would go to the capital to study, they still had to find a good job after graduating, didn¡¯t they? Being able to work alongside the City Lord was the best thing that those people in Jiangnan City could even imagine.


    ¡°City Lord, you can recognize and value the talents. It¡¯s a blessing for the people in Jiangnan City!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, City Lord. We will study diligently and steel our will so that we can devote our hearts and souls to work for you¡­¡±


    ¡°City Lord, please accept my respects¡­¡±


    ¡­


    He moved and convinced so many university students just by saying a few simple words when he came to see them off.


    Yan Bolai was unfathomable.


    Yan Bolai helped those students who were kowtowing stand up and said with a laugh, ¡°All of you are the brightest pearls of Jiangnan City, who are the most excellent talents on behalf of Jiangnan City¡¯s image. You have won the chances to study in Capital Heaven, which is just as a popular saying goes, ¡®The carp has leaped through the dragon¡¯s gate.¡¯ I just hope sincerely that all of you will always keep your hometown in mind and come back to develop this prosperous Jiangnan City with me after graduation.¡±


    Yan Bolai waved his hand and shouted, ¡°Bring me the wine. I want to have a drink with all the young talents here.¡±


    The waiters had prepared for this in advance. They had sent each candidate a bowl of wine. Yan Bolai also picked up a big bowl and said in a loud voice, ¡°I wish you all a safe journey and a bright future!¡±


    Then he drank up the strong liquor in his bowl. The other students, who were also infected by his words and momentum, became excessively excited and finished drinking the liquor in their big bowls in high spirits.


    Some guys who had read many chivalrous novels even learned from those masters in the martial arts world¡ªafter drinking all the wine, they smashed the bowls into the ground. When the classmates around them saw these people acting like this, they were startled, staring at these guys in complete puzzlement. Only at this time did they blush with shame.


    ¡°I have asked my families to prepare some stationery for you, all of which were paid out of my own pocket. I hope you will kindly accept this small gift of mine.¡± Yan Bolai waved his hand, and the soldiers started to distribute the sets of the ¡°scholar¡¯s four jewels (writing brush, ink stick, ink slab, and paper),¡± which had long been prepared on the carriage to those successful candidates.


    ¡°Thank you for the reward, City Lord.¡±


    ¡°City Lord, thank you for your great kindness¡­¡±


    ¡°City Lord, after three years, I will definitely go to work in the City Lord Mansion and be at your disposal.¡±


    ¡­


    After Yan Bolai exchanged a few words with others, he then put his eyes on Li Muyang, saying, ¡°The Starry-Sky Academy is not an ordinary school. Muyang, I believe you are well prepared, right?¡±


    ¡°Prepared?¡± Li Muyang was stunned and asked, ¡°Do I need to prepare for anything?¡±


    From Li Muyang¡¯s expression, Yan Bolai could tell that he most likely wasn¡¯t lying. It seemed that he really didn¡¯t know what was going on in the dark. So, Yan Bolai laughed, patting Li Muyang on his shoulder and saying, ¡°Nothing. Nothing. It just will become a little tougher in the future, but there¡¯s nothing serious. Since you can get into the Starry-Sky Academy, you certainly can climb to the very summit of your life. Then, may you be safe throughout the trip.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, City Lord.¡±


    ¡°Since you and Xiangma are like brothers, you can call me Uncle Yan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Uncle Yan.¡± Li Muyang hesitated a little, but he did as what Yan Bolai had expected. Anyway, getting an uncle, who was the City Lord, would never be a bad thing.


    ¡°Study hard, and don¡¯t let others down.¡±


    After giving some more encouragement to them, Yan Bolai leaped onto the horse¡¯s back and ran back the way with the group of guards where they had come from as swiftly as the lightning.


    Once again, Li Muyang said goodbye to his parents. When he looked at Li Sinian, the little girl was also looking at him. When she found that Li Muyang had seen right through her, she waved her little fist at him and then quickly turned around.


    Li Muyang smiled and walked to the building on the ship with his parcel and the set of ¡°scholar¡¯s four jewels¡± that Yan Bolai had just given to him.


    Luo Qi was willing to spend money on her son, so Li Muyang had a second-class cabin on this large ship.


    It was said that someone in advance had booked all the first-class cabins on the top floor. Otherwise, no matter how expensive the first-class cabin was, Luo Qi would get one for her son.


    Li Muyang¡¯s room was not big, but it was a single room. There was a small bed and a small window which faced Sunset Lake. Through the window, Li Muyang could see the rippling green surface of the lake.


    Li Muyang put his luggage in place and touched the gold coins that his mother had sewed into his underwear, which was strongly demanded by Luo Qi. Of course, Li Muyang had vainly objected to doing this.


    But with those heavy, jingling gold coins in the crotch of his trousers, could you imagine how Li Muyang felt?


    Fortunately, Luo Qi also considered that it would be inconvenient for him to walk, so she only put a small part of the gold coins into the underwear. Then she divided the rest into several parts and put them in various extremely hidden places. Even Li Muyang was worried that he could not find the other coins.


    After getting everything in order, Li Muyang walked to the deck of the fore cabin. The ship would leave soon. The deck was now full of people who were saying goodbye to their friends and relatives on the shore.


    Li Sinian finally turned around. She stood with her parents and looked to the fore cabin, searching for Li Muyang.


    Because she didn¡¯t see her brother, she looked a little anxious.


    ¡°Sinian, I¡¯m here.¡± Li Muyang, who was standing behind a fat guy, vigorously waved his hand at Li Sinian.


    ¡°Brother¡­ Brother¡­¡± Li Sinian finally saw Li Muyang, and she shouted, ¡°I can¡¯t protect you anymore. You must protect yourself!¡±


    After the cable rope was cast off, the ship with an upper deck began to move towards the middle of the lake.


    Li Muyang stood on the deck, watching his family members who were gradually away from him. At first, he could see their lively expressions, but then when Li Muyang saw all of them turn into black dots, he felt great pain in his heart as if someone had torn his heart apart.


    ¡°Goodbye, Jiangnan City!¡±

 Chapter 74 - General Iron-Wall!

    As the large ship with a building went further and further away from the shore, even the Maplewood Ferry became a dark beam of light in Li Muyang¡¯s eyes. Without him knowing it, tears had blurred his eyes.


    Li Muyang didn¡¯t like crying.


    He would never allow himself to cry, especially at the time when he was weak, or when others were bullying him.


    If others chose you to bully, it could only prove that you were weak.


    But if you cried when you were bullied, you were by nature a coward.


    Therefore, Li Muyang endured the past hard years, always clenching his teeth to keep himself from crying.


    But now, his mother, Luo Qi, who was in tears, struggled to smile when she waved at him. His father, Li Yan, who was a reserved, hard-headed man, felt too sad to make any sounds, and he was on the verge of tears. As for Li Sinian, she tried hard to jump as high as she could, hoping that Li Muyang could see her in the crowd.


    When Li Muyang saw them, he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    Men do not shed tears easily until being separated from the people that he loves.


    ¡°Brother Muyang, ¡®a real man should go far away from his home and aspire to a great career.¡¯ This trip to Capital Heaven is an excellent opportunity for talents like us to realize our aspirations. Why are you so upset? You¡¯re crying like a little girl¡­¡± A young student in a blue academic dress looked at Li Muyang and said, cupping his hands to greet him.


    Li Muyang wiped the tears away from the corner of his eyes with his sleeves. He turned to look at the man and asked, ¡°Do we know each other?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Zhang Linpu from Jia County. I think you should have heard about my name.¡± Jia County was a rich county under Jiangnan City¡¯s jurisdiction. Although Zhang Linpu took the exam in the county, he got great grades. Jiangnan Province was a large province that had a great many candidates for the exam. It was quite a magnificent feat that Zhang Linpu could come out on top of thousands of candidates and enter Xifeng University for further study. Zhang Linpu¡¯s status in Jia County was as high as Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s status in Jiangnan City.


    Therefore, he was quite confident that Li Muyang must have heard about who he was.


    ¡°No,¡± replied Li Muyang, briskly.


    In the past, Li Muyang didn¡¯t study hard for most of the time, so he didn¡¯t know the gifted scholars and beautiful ladies in the cities and counties. But when he made up his mind to study earnestly, he no longer bothered about what was happening in the outside world and studied with undivided attention.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Muyang returned a salute and said, ¡°I¡¯m still a little sad, so I need to go back and cry for a while. Please yourself.¡±


    After that, he turned around and walked toward the cabin.


    ¡°This guy is wildly arrogant.¡± Pointing at Li Muyang¡¯s back, Zhang Linpu exploded with anger. He turned red to the tip of his ears and argued, ¡°What an extremely conceited guy! Just look at the airs he¡¯s giving himself! Because he got the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam and the support of Jiangnan City¡¯s City Lord, he looks down his nose at everybody¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He won the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam, but so what? Every year, there would be a No. 1 in the Liberal-arts Exam. But how many of them got a bright future in the end? Instead, those people ranked at the bottom of the list were more valued¡­¡±


    ¡°How many people who have been appointed prime ministers took the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam? What¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t even enter the Xifeng University but some unknown Starry-Sky Academy¡­¡±


    ¡­


    As Zhang Linpu took the lead to attack, the others echoed and began to blast Li Muyang, the No. 1 in the Liberal-arts Exam.


    After all, the journey was tedious, and it was good for them to get something to do. Anyway, they had nothing else to pass the time.


    Besides, they bitterly resented Li Muyang. Why could he take the first place in the empire¡¯s Liberal-arts Exam? Even the City Lord was willing to see him off in person. How could he get such special treatment?


    He was the No. 1 in the Liberal-arts Exam, but so what?


    If they all united together to exclude Li Muyang, he would have no classmates to make a name for him and have no relatives or friends to help him when he arrived in the Capital Heaven. By then, he would become a loner without any followers who couldn¡¯t gain a promising future even if he had done a good job in the exam.


    ¡°How can a frog living at the bottom of a well know the vastness of the Starry Sky?¡± someone said in a bantering tone.


    Everyone turned around and saw a short and fat man in a brocade robe standing at the corner of the deck.


    He made no attempt to conceal his disdain of these students who were taunting Li Muyang, looking at them with a scornful expression.


    ¡°Who are you? What right do you have to say something like that to us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all university students whose names have been put on the published list of successful candidates. What makes you out of the ordinary?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Zhang Linpu from Jia County. In the Liberal-arts Exam, I ranked the No. 179. What¡¯s your ranking?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I am not a university student,¡± the fat man said, laughing. ¡°I feel dizzy and sleepy whenever I begin to study, so I really can¡¯t do that. However, different people have different aspirations.¡±


    ¡°Then, what are your aspirations? Say it out loud so that we can open our minds.¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t say it.¡± The fat man in splendid clothes shook his head and said, ¡°However, I don¡¯t think it is a glorious thing to attack the person named Li Muyang. Coldblooded slaughters can, at most, make a person a famous general in charge of someplace. In contrast, every one of those big shots who took an important part in the Starry Sky History had a compassionate feeling for all mankind. When you meet someone of great kindness, you are not happy about it. Also, you feel no sorrow when you have just parted from your native shore. Have dogs eaten your hearts? Don¡¯t you know the importance of living with your true heart?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s outrageous! Who are you? What right do you have to comment on us?¡±


    ¡°A good-for-nothing has the cheek to talk about the famous figures in the Starry Sky History with us!¡±


    ¡°Make a show of yourself before us only after you become stronger than us¡­¡±


    ¡­


    The fat man smiled and said, ¡°No wonder Li Muyang doesn¡¯t want to talk to you guys. You¡¯re people from different worlds. I feel upset whenever I think about the fact that I¡¯m on the same ship with you. As the saying goes, a hundred years¡¯ efforts lead to cross by the same ferryboat. How can I come across you bunch of good-for-nothings after a hundred years of diligent cultivation? I was initially expecting to meet a few heavenly beauties!¡±


    After the fat guy finished speaking, he no longer paid attention to these university students and turned to walk toward the cabin.


    ¡°Stop. Let¡¯s make everything clear.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. Today, I¡¯ll definitely give you a Bewitching Punch from my family.¡±


    ¡°Take my sword!¡±


    ¡­


    All the rooms on the third floor were VIP cabins. Before these students got on the ship, a mysterious man had reserved all the cabins on the whole third floor. Luo Qi wanted to book the best room for his son so that he could live more comfortably on the way. However, no matter how much money she said she was willing to pay, people in the ship company said they couldn¡¯t give her a VIP cabin. In the end, she could only get a single room on the second floor.


    The whole third floor was heavily guarded. There were two well-built men in black guarding at the head of the stairs. In addition to them, each cabin was guarded by masters.


    There were sentries posted every three or five steps, the alert level of which was comparable to that in the imperial palace or the general¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°Why is it so noisy downstairs?¡± A young man in a black robe standing on the deck of the third floor asked.


    ¡°Young Master, these students have come into conflicts.¡±


    ¡°Useless scholars.¡± The young man sneered and said, ¡°Since ancient times, these scholars can only do some paperwork and write a few superficially clever articles. How can we expect these people to achieve greatness?¡±


    ¡°Young master, be careful with your words.¡± The middle-aged military counselor who was experienced and reserved quickly reminded him. The Song Family was a family of scholars, who had been the teachers of seven emperors and prime ministers for six generations of emperors. The family was also known as the ¡°Empire Library.¡±


    The most important thing was that the Song Family had united the imperial family by marriage. Three emperors had married women from the Song Family. That was to say, three generations of the empresses, who were in charge of the imperial harem, were from the Song Family.


    If these words said by the young master were spread out, he would greatly offend the Song Family.


    ¡°Humph.¡± The black-robed youth also knew that his words might sound offensive to a great many people. He grinned coldly but did not seem to have any intention of explaining. ¡°Have you arranged everything properly?¡±


    ¡°Everything has been arranged.¡± Su Rong, the military counselor, bowed and replied. ¡°Others couldn¡¯t know that we would abandon our ship in Wuxi and take the criminal general to Jiangnan City by swift horses. Today, after this passenger ship left, the military ship that is supposed to escort the criminal general will only stop at Jiangnan City two days later. Even if they know what has happened at that time and want to fight back, it will be too late for them to do anything. Besides, there¡¯s a fake prisoner on the military ship to cover us. I think they won¡¯t discover the facts in a period.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± The black-robed man put down the teacup in his hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to meet that famous General Iron-Wall whose fame has spread all over the empire.¡±


    In the middle of a tightly sealed cabin was a cage made of black iron.


    There was a big man with long hair locked in the cage. The big man was gagged, and his eyes covered. Thus, he couldn¡¯t speak nor see.


    His body was covered with blood. It seemed that he had been severely tortured before he got on the ship.


    It was hard to see his face because of the disheveled hair all over his head. Others could only hear his heavy breathing, which sounded like that of a wild beast.


    ¡°Clank!¡±


    Someone pushed the thick cabin door open, and the pitch-black cabin finally was lit up.


    The man in the black robe stood in front of the prison wagon, looking it up and down. He then said, ¡°General Xu, I have to remind you that you are in a soundproofed cabin. Even if you shout loudly, people outside can¡¯t hear you at all. If you don¡¯t believe it, you can have a try.¡±


    The man in prison clothes remained unmoved as if he had heard nothing.


    The man in black waved his hand and ordered, ¡°Remove the eyeshade and gag for General Xu.¡±


    A guard came forward. He ripped off the man¡¯s eyeshade and undid the chain that wrapped around his mouth.


    ¡°General Xu has been fighting the battles on land for a long time, like a fierce tiger down the mountain. But you will not suffer from seasickness on this ship, will you?¡± the young man asked with a smile.


    ¡°Cui Zhaoren¡­¡± The man in prison clothes suddenly raised his head and stared at the black-robed teenager with fierce eyes. He continued with an angry voice, ¡°I¡¯m a great general who is always loyal to the empire! Don¡¯t imagine you can accuse me of any crimes that I have never committed. You¡¯ll not die in peace.¡±


    ¡°General Xu, I treat you with courtesy, but it seems that you don¡¯t know how to appreciate what is good.¡± The teenager in black laughed and said, ¡°Besides, what makes you think that I have accused you of the crimes that you didn¡¯t do? I have irrefutable human testimony and material evidence, plus the arrest warrant that the king personally issued. Do you want to act against the king¡¯s order?¡±


    ¡°The so-called witness and material evidence are all deliberately made up by your Department of Supervision. With your enormous human and material resources, what can¡¯t you do?¡±


    ¡°General Iron-Wall, since you¡¯ve seen everything through, then I have to¡­¡± A vicious look emerged on Cui Zhaoren¡¯s face, and he continued with a smile, ¡°I have to ask you to cooperate well with us. All you need to do is sign your name and put your thumbprint on this confession. Then I can guarantee that your whole family will¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± General Iron-Wall spat out a mouthful of phlegm and let loose a torrent of abuse, ¡°You despicable people! You are capable of doing any evil things only to attack your political opponents. I will never frame Governor Lu! I¡¯d rather die!¡±


    ¡°You are indeed Lu Xingkong¡¯s trusted subordinate, whom he promoted in person. General Xu, the famous General Iron-Wall, had guarded the Fallen Dragon Abyss for ten years. Because of you, the Dawu couldn¡¯t invade the frontiers of our empire even a little bit. You are a loyal and brilliant general whom I truly admire! Also, I know that you¡¯re not afraid of death, but don¡¯t you fear the death of your families? If you help me bring down Lu Xingkong, I¡¯ll guarantee the lives of the entire Xu Family. What do you think of this deal?¡±

 Chapter 75 - Make a Name for My Friend!

    ¡°Ah, my money bag¡­ My money bag is gone¡­¡±


    A shrill scream, which sounded like the heartrending cry of a pig before it was led to be slaughtered, came from a cabin.


    This scream shattered the peace of the large ship and woke countless passengers from their dreams.


    ¡°Me too. My money bag is gone¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a thief on the ship. Hurry up and report it to someone in charge¡­¡±


    ¡°Poom! Poom! Poom!¡± More and more students in various disheveled states opened their cabin doors and shouted angrily.


    ¡°Sailors! Sailors! Ask the person in charge to come over quickly!¡± Zhang Linpu staggered out and shouted as he fastened the belt around his waist. ¡°All the 100 gold coins in my bag have been stolen. Hurry and get them back. Otherwise, we will never let you off.¡±


    ¡°That is right. I had 50 gold coins too.¡±


    ¡°I had 120 gold coins.¡±


    ¡­


    Li Muyang opened his eyes. After hearing what they were shouting about outside, he immediately touched his crotch.


    Fortunately, both his gold coins and his assets were still intact.


    He then closed his eyes and intended to continue sleeping. It was the first time he left his parents and sister and set out on a long journey. Last night, he had a lot of thoughts in his mind, so he fell asleep only when half the night had passed.


    It was still dark outside and the faint outline of the moon could be seen in the sky. ¡°How can people outside wake me up at this time?¡± A thought hit Li Muyang all of a sudden.


    Suddenly, he jumped up from the bed, pulled out his luggage that he hid under the bed and rummaged through it.


    He found nothing.


    The gold coins hidden in the luggage were all gone.


    Luo Qi had divided the gold coins into several small packages and hid each small bag of gold coins in his clothes, food boxes and books. To his surprise, the thief managed to find all these gold coins and left the empty bags in their original places. It looked as if they had never been touched.


    It was indeed a master thief!


    Li Muyang pushed the door open and went out, where there were a group of people making a lot of noise outside.


    Zhang Linpu and the other university students from Jiangnan City who lost their money bags were shouting agitatedly. A man wearing a cocked hat was trying hard to explain something to them, but they would not listen to his explanations at all. These passengers held on to the arms and the clothes of this middle-aged man, demanding compensation for their losses.


    ¡°Young masters! Young masters! Please listen to me¡­ Please listen to me¡­¡± The man with the cocked hat kept bowing and said, ¡°Now the ship has entered the Cock-Crow Lake, which is the most dangerous place along our route and the favorite hideout of those gangsters on water. Thus, though the thief stole your money, he would not be able to leave the ship here.¡±


    ¡°This ship has been sailing all the way and did not dock anywhere. Therefore, I am sure that the damned thief must still be on board. Just give us some more time. Then, we will send people to search every room. Since a large amount of money has been stolen, it will not be easy for the thief to hide his loot. If we find the money, we can catch the thief, right? Then you can get a satisfying explanation.¡±


    Zhang Linpu felt it was reasonable and loosened the collar of the man who was in charge. He turned to look at the other university students who were also from Jiangnan City and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Search the ship. We must search the whole ship!¡± All of them yelled as their anger reached a boiling point. Even though money was an external thing that was not physically connected to them, it was still their lifeline. Just after they left their homeland, all of their valuable items had been stolen by a thief. Would they have to live on air once they arrived in Capital Heaven?


    Zhang Linpu saw Li Muyang coming out of the cabin and he asked, ¡°Li Muyang, is there anything stolen from you?¡±


    ¡°210 gold coins were stolen,¡± Li Muyang said.


    Everyone was stunned. These people did not expect Li Muyang to have such a large sum of money on him while he was on his way to his university.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Zhang Linpu did not believe it.


    ¡°I was lucky enough to come in first in the Liberal-arts Exam this time and the City Lord rewarded me with 2,000 gold coins. Originally, my mother wanted me to bring half of the money so that I would not have to suffer much outside. I thought I would not use so much, so I brought only 210 gold coins with me.¡± Li Muyang explained. No matter what, he could not let others know that he hid another small bag of gold coins in his crotch, because it was his life-saving money.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone stared at Li Muyang and wondered, ¡°How could this bastard take the first place in the empire¡¯s Liberal-arts Exam?¡±


    The man named Chen Tao was in charge of the ship. He gathered all the crew and passengers on the first and second floor on the deck and then he sent a group of well-armed guards into every cabin to search.


    All the university students followed behind them to oversee the operation. Therefore, under everyone¡¯s noses, no one could play any tricks.


    Unfortunately, after finishing their search of all the cabins, they did not see the picture they envisaged ¡ª a huge pile of gold coins shining in a hidden corner.


    ¡°The thief must have hidden the gold coins¡­¡±


    ¡°What will we do if we lose the money? Do we have to wait to die after arriving in Capital Heaven?¡±


    ¡°No way. We lost our money on this ship and the shipping company has to pay for our losses.¡±


    ¡­


    Zhang Linpu pointed to the top of the stairs on the third floor and said, ¡°Steward Chen, we have not searched the third floor, have we?¡±


    When he heard what he said, Chen Tao instantly became very anxious. He constantly waved his hands and said, ¡°We can¡¯t search the third floor. Some important people are staying on the third floor. They can¡¯t possibly steal the little amount of money that the students have.¡±


    Zhang Linpu was unable to endure any of this any longer. He pointed at Chen Tao and shouted, ¡°Steward Chen, what do you mean? Are you saying that people on the third floor are important and we are the mean and low ones? We finished searching all the cabins on the first and second floors, including the cabins of the crew. However, we have not found the thief and the gold coins that we lost. Thus, we certainly should search the third floor¡­¡±


    ¡°He is right. We are all equal before the law. How can people staying on the third floor be superior to others?¡±


    ¡°Even if there are some important people on the third floor, are their servants and guards nobler than us? Who can guarantee that all of these people have clean hands?¡±


    ¡­


    Once again, Chen Tao turned down his request and said, ¡°We can¡¯t do this. We can¡¯t do this. Besides, I can¡¯t decide on this matter. Our shipping company had promised these honored guests when they booked these VIP cabins on the third floor that we would never intrude on their rest.¡±


    ¡°Then, where can we get our stolen money back?¡± With his face full of anger, Zhang Linpu said, ¡°If your shipping company can compensate for the loss of money for all the university students here, we will not search the third floor. Otherwise, even if the king is up there, we will break into their cabins to take a look¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. We will go up and check.¡± The crowd was burning with rage and echoed in unison.


    ¡°What are you all yelling about?¡± An arrogant voice came from the top of their heads.


    Cui Zhaoren, who was wearing a black cloak, appeared at the door of his cabin accompanied by several subordinates of the Department of Supervision and asked with an extremely impatient look. After all, these people downstairs disturbed his sweet dreams, which was truly depressing. He snorted coldly and said, ¡°We don¡¯t care about your several hundreds of gold coins at all. If you dare to slander us without any second thoughts, I will rip your mouths to pieces. Fucking get out of here, all of you!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Zhang Linpu wanted to continue to argue with him. However, when he saw those men in black reaching for the handles of their knives and looking ready to fight at any time, he lost his tongue.


    ¡°Let us go up and have a look.¡± A light voice came out.


    Zhang Linpu, who was standing at the head of the group, ducked quickly to prove to the group of black-robed men that he was not the one who was speaking. So it had nothing to do with him.


    The crowd dispersed instantly. Everyone was trying to hide behind the person who spoke, to disassociate themselves from this tense situation. Then, Li Muyang, who had been tailing the crowd and walking through each cabin with a slightly relaxed posture, faced Cui Zhaoren directly.


    ¡°Oh, it is this fool!¡± Everyone thought in their hearts.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Cui Zhaoren raised the corners of his mouth and asked.


    ¡°Li Muyang,¡± Li Muyang said with a smile.


    ¡°What the hell is Li Muyang?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang is not a thing but a living person.¡± Li Muyang smiled brightly and said, ¡°Yan Bolai, the City Lord of Jiangnan City, is my eldest uncle. Besides, Yan Xiangma, the son of the City Lord, is my brother, who is willing to go through life and death for me. He is a famous rich playboy in Jiangnan City who is capable of doing almost any evil deeds. So, please think well before you do anything, young master.¡±


    Li Muyang used a petty trick here. He thought that since all of these people had got on the ship at Maplewood Ferry, then most of them must be from the Jiangnan City. Everyone from Jiangnan City knew about Yan Bolai¡¯s power and influence and that Yan Xiangma was a well-known playboy.


    ¡°These people on the ship must have taken note of the fact that Yan Bolai had rushed over just now to see me off. No matter who they are, they should, at least, show some respect to the City Lord Mansion, right?¡± Li Muyang thought to himself.


    As for Yan Xiangma¡­ Well, since he himself often declared that he was capable of doing all sorts of bad stuff, Li Muyang would love to make a name for his best friend and brother.

 Chapter 76 - Bandits in Cock-Crow Lake!

    Two hundred and ten gold coins was a large sum of money for Li Muyang.


    According to the previous annual income of his parents, they would only have a surplus of a few dozen gold coins. Not to mention their family¡¯s economic situation before, Li Muyang knew that he was still not rich enough to let the matter of the 210 gold coins slide, even after he won a large reward for winning the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam.


    This was also the reason why Li Muyang insisted on following the search team and refused to leave.


    Those university students needed to find their gold coins. Otherwise, when they arrived at their schools, it would be difficult for them to survive.


    Li Muyang needed to find his gold coins. After all, he earned those gold coins through his hard work. Moreover, his parents had taken great efforts to hide these coins for fear that he might suffer if he did not have enough money.


    They prepared the money for Li Muyang because they wanted him to have enough money to eat meat. Also, their son could treat his classmates to meals and would not be laughed at for being poor. Luo Qi had even vaguely suggested that he should invite Cui Xiaoxin to dinner when he arrived in Capital Heaven. After all, they were classmates and her contribution to Li Muyang¡¯s success in winning the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam should not be left unrecognized.


    Li Muyang was also in favor of her suggestion. If there was any chance, he would treat Cui Xiaoxin to dinner to show his gratitude.


    Of course, that was all.


    But only if Cui Xiaoxin did not refuse his invitation.


    Compared to the importance of these gold coins, it was not a problem to be scolded by this handsome but arrogant guy who looked down at them as if he was looking at piles of sh*t.


    In his heart, Li Muyang felt very uncomfortable. It felt as if he had been offended by a little rascal.


    However, even he himself felt puzzled. He was obviously a smart and lovely little cat. Where did he get the superior air that made him seem very lofty and out of reach?


    Cui Zhaoren was speechless.


    Cui Zhaoren thought to himself, ¡°What a goddamn nut I met!¡±


    ¡°He is actually trying to oppress me by using the name of Jiangnan City¡¯s City Lord! There is actually someone who is threatening me by using my idiot cousin¡¯s name!¡±


    ¡°If this person knows about the relationship between the Yan Family and the Cui Family as well as the relationship between Yan Bolai, Yan Xiangma and me, I suppose that his expression would definitely be quite wonderful to look at them.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to search the cabins?¡± The more Cui Zhaoren thought about it, the more interesting it became to him. A smile appeared on his lips.


    ¡°Just now, Steward Chen said that people living on the third floor were important people. An important person must be magnanimous and have a broad mind. Not all of us need to go in there. We will just send a few representatives to the third floor and search around accompanied by your people¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be good if we do not find anything. But if someone under your control has sticky fingers and has taken away the money we poor students need for our daily living and school expenses, please take the responsibility of returning those gold coins to us. We will definitely be grateful and will spread your good name and chivalrous deed all over the world.¡±


    Cui Zhaoren smiled even more happily. He looked at Li Muyang, and his eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°What if I say I don¡¯t want to do that?¡±


    ¡°Then you leave us no choice. Young master, you are of noble birth and have an extraordinary background. Besides, with so many guards, you also have great strength. We weak scholars are certainly not a match for you. But scholars are the kind of persons who like to bear grudges. Whenever we are free, we like to write some poetry or articles. Sometimes, to write something new, we have to rack our brains to find some melancholy thoughts. We will then immensely exaggerate and amplify the trivial matters that we have experienced in life. For example, if someone slaps us in the face, we will make him out to be a hooligan who stabbed us a dozen times in our articles. When someone touches a girl, we will describe him as an evil young master without any virtue. Beyond that, he likes assaulting gentlewomen indecently in public, together with his goddamned followers.¡±


    ¡°If I do not allow you to go up there to search, in your articles, I will become a villain who insulted the scholars on their way to Capital Heaven and grab hold of their money by my authority and power, won¡¯t I?¡± Cui Zhaoren interrupted Li Muyang¡¯s words and asked with a smile.


    ¡°It is not a bad way to write about this. It seems that you are also a refined person who likes poetry. Let us compare notes about poetry in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Cui Zhaoren bellowed all of a sudden. His smiling face turned ferocious in an instant, which happened so quickly that the others found it hard to fathom. ¡°Who do you think we are?¡± Cui Zhaoren asked.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Li Muyang asked, thinking, ¡°Hurry and tell me your background. Only then will I know whether the City Lord of Jiangnan City and the unscrupulous young master who has gone to Capital Heaven can suppress you and pin you down.¡±


    Cui Zhaoren opened his mouth but in the end, was unable to say who he was.


    He weighed and balanced the situation repeatedly in his heart. ¡°Our whereabouts is extremely confidential. To complete this series of setups, how many people have been involved from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°If I expose my identity because of these several good-for-nothing students, those who have evil intentions who hear it will certainly leak the news out. Then, the Lu Family and their underlings will hunt us down to rescue the prisoner. At that time, it will be challenging for us to fight against them with only these people around me.¡±


    ¡°It took me a lot of effort to take down General Iron-Wall, who is a thorn in the flesh of Lu Xingkong of the Lu Family and a formidable obstacle in Lu Xingkong¡¯s way to become the Left Prime Minister. Compared to those big shots in Capital Heaven, it is nothing to deal with the small group of students on the ship.¡±


    ¡°Be patient!¡±


    ¡°I have to be patient!¡±


    ¡°You are Li Muyang, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cui Zhaoren asked, knowing well that it was not the right time, but there will always a chance for him to deal with these people. ¡°When we arrive in Capital Heaven, I will make your lives a living hell.¡± Cui Zhaoren secretly made up his mind.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Muyang cupped his hands to greet him and asked, ¡°May I know your name?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to know it.¡± Cui Zhaoren said in a cold and arrogant voice. ¡°You are not allowed to go up to the third floor. Neither can you search the cabins. Go back, all of you.¡±


    He looked coldly at all the university students before him and shouted out his order to the people around him, ¡°If anyone dares to make any move, kill him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The crowd quietened down at once.


    Those who shouted that ¡°All are equal before the law¡± were so scared that they did not dare to utter a word now.


    Fairness and justice were just comforting words. Would anyone take them seriously?


    ¡°This is downright bullying.¡± Li Muyang said with some discontent. He complained in his heart, ¡°I have already told you my background, saying that Yan Bolai is my uncle and Yan Xiangma is my brother. But why did you not show me any respect? Is such a background not intimidating enough for you?¡± Then Li Muyang continued, ¡°Uncle Yan often says that humiliating others in public is even worse than stabbing them in the back. Now you did this to all of us. You were humiliating us publicly, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°If you put it like that¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner and said, ¡°then, yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Pirates. There are pirates¡­¡± Someone exclaimed aloud.


    ¡°Zhang Ergou, are you out of your mind? We are in a big lake. How can there be any pirates here?¡±


    ¡°Lake bandits. I saw some Cock-Crow Lake bandits!¡± The earlier voice sounded again.


    The Cock-Crow Lake was the gathering place of Green Sea, Red River and Taihu Lake, which was also connected to Guliang Mountain and the Eighteen-Sons Mountain. Therefore, there were many bandits around this lake and the situation here was extremely chaotic. These bandits would come out from time to time to harass others and then disappear into the vast lake in the blink of an eye.


    The empire had repeatedly sent soldiers to suppress these bandits. They won every time. However, these bandits would always reappear after each defeat.


    As soon as the officers and soldiers arrived, these bandits would disperse quickly and take on the guise of ordinary fishermen. But after these officers and soldiers left, these fishermen would gather in a group and become lake bandits again. This gave the high ranking officials of the emperor a headache.


    ¡°Are the lake bandits here?¡± Someone cried out.


    The majority of these students had been spoiled and pampered from childhood and it was the first time many of them were embarking on a long journey.


    Their lives had always been smooth and peaceful, so they never thought that they would come across lake bandits so soon after they left their homes. They could figure out a way to live if their gold coins were stolen. But if these bandits chopped off their heads, nothing could be done to make up for the loss.


    Li Muyang clamped his legs tightly. When he felt that the heavy cloth bag against his crotch, he was slightly relieved.


    He thought to himself, ¡°Even if those lake bandits board the ship, I can still use these gold coins to buy my life.¡±


    ¡°Young master, in the Cock-Crow Lake, there are three big ships filled with those bandits coming at us. It seems that they have targeted this ship.¡± Su Rong, the military counselor, rushed to Cui Zhaoren quickly.


    Cui Zhaoren¡¯s eyes were cold and his voice was filled with killing intent. He said, ¡°All these bastards deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°But young master¡­¡±


    Cui Zhaoren turned around fast and shouted, ¡°Watch the goods closely. Don¡¯t make any mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The group of people bowed as they heard his order.

 Chapter 77 - Cold-faced Bodhisattva!

    There were 12 full-time guards on the ship in order to ensure the safety of the guests on board.


    They were responsible for the financial safety and the personal safety of the guests.


    However, at this moment, all the passengers on the ship did not feel safe at all.


    Not only had all their money been stolen, but now their lives would be at risk. They should have been well-protected.


    They gathered on the deck, looking at the three large ships with different flags flying on them. The people saw the blood stains on the hull of the ship and started screaming.


    ¡°What should we do? Are we going to die?¡±


    ¡°Those bandits, they won¡¯t kill us, right?¡±


    ¡°Why will the bandits not kill us? I hear that they even eat people.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Damn thief.¡± Zhang Linpu¡¯s eyes turned red and he cursed in exasperation.


    ¡°Linpu, the bandits are currently here. Why you are still concerned about those worldly items?¡± the friend beside him asked. ¡°What is most important now is to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Pingzhi, don¡¯t you understand? What are the bandits¡¯ main targets? Money! Our gold coins have all been stolen. When the bandits come on board and ask us for money, we can only tell them that the gold coins were already stolen last night. Will they believe it? If they can¡¯t get the money, they will take our lives.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Niu Pingzhi also became terrified.


    Li Muyang was surprised at Zhang Linpu, thinking that Zhang Linpu must be someone extraordinary to be able to come up with such an achievement. At least, Zhang Linpu¡¯s thoughts made more sense than the others.


    Li Muyang reached between his thighs discreetly and could feel the bag of gold coins. At least, it was still there. After that, Li Muyang¡¯s nervousness abated a little.


    He had money!


    If those bandits were really here to rob them and his friends could not produce the money, he would take off his pants and count out the hundreds of gold coins he had. How impressive would he come across as?


    Although the posture would not be dignified, at least he was sincere, right?


    Chen Tao, the manager of the ship, forced himself to calm down, but his pale face and intermittent words still revealed his inner fear.


    They had encountered lake bandits before, but they were only a small group of bandits numbering from a dozen to thirty or fifty people. They sent them away after giving them some money.


    What was going on today? There were too many people here!


    ¡°A thousand days in the army, a moment in the war. I treated you all with good wine and meat and have never disappointed you guys. Warriors, our ship is in trouble now and we are encountering a large group of bandits from Cock-Crow Lake. They have different flags, so they must be three different groups of bandits. I hope that everyone can cooperate and bring out all your fighting spirit and courage.¡±


    ¡°Supervisor Chen, it is not that we are unable to fight. Look at the three big ships in front of us. I am afraid there are hundreds of bandits this time, right? You can¡¯t let the twelve of us fight against hundreds of bandits. Even if we were immortals, we will not be able to do that, right?¡±


    ¡°That is right. Even if we risk our lives, we will only die in vain. If we are killed by these people, will all of you all be alright?¡±


    ¡°We had better pack up some valuable things and get rid of them with some kind words.¡±


    ¡­


    The battle had yet to begin but the guards and warriors were already afraid.


    The most terrible thing was that Li Muyang actually felt that what they said made sense.


    Guards were also human beings. They also had parents and children. If you asked them to risk their lives, which actually meant they might die, they would not be willing to do it, right?


    Chen Tao was in a great hurry. He turned to look at the students and said, ¡°All of you are talented people. Now we are facing a disaster. We are all grasshoppers on the same boat, so why don¡¯t you give us some suggestions?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have money,¡± Zhang Linpu shouted. ¡°Even if we want to surrender, you must give them money to get rid of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t cut our flesh and send it over, can we?¡±


    ¡°Manager Chen, you have to stand up and take responsibility for this matter. We have no other choice¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Li Muyang opened his mouth, but he did not say anything in the end.


    He felt that what everyone said was indeed reasonable.


    Sure enough, in times of crisis, the wisdom of the masses was powerful.


    As for ¡®Power¡¯, who would think of such a useless thing at this moment?


    Chen Tao¡¯s lips twitched as he said, ¡°Let us get in touch first and see what they want.¡±


    Three old and dilapidated ships sailed over and narrowed the distance between each other, forming a front line of defense.


    The lake was wide, but there was no room for their ship to pass through.


    Chen Tao ordered the sailors to slow down so that the ship would not run into them. He could not let this happen¡ª before the bandits could make a move, their ship had already been washed away by the waves.


    A bald man stood on the big ship in front of them. He looked like he was made of copper.


    There was a deep scar on the man¡¯s face, from the tip of his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth, and one eye had been slit.


    Therefore, he wore a copper eye mask over that eye, which made him look like a genuine pirate who was in control of the seas.


    The man looked at the approaching ship and shouted, ¡°Bring my chains.¡±


    Then more than a dozen of his subordinates struggled to drag over a chain which was as thick as an arm, with a crescent-shaped bronze hook at the front.


    ¡°Disperse, guys.¡±


    The scarred man roared and then swung the chain. After whirling it a few times in a circle above his head, he flung it toward the ship.


    The copper hook was huge and heavy and made a whining sound as it soared through the air.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The copper hook hit the deck of the ship and the sharp hook was deeply embedded in the body of the ship.


    ¡°Boss, you are awesome. Boss¡¯s martial art skills are truly unrivalled.¡±


    ¡°Good job. I will record a first-class merit for you this time.¡±


    ¡°Pull it over, pull it over!¡±


    ¡­


    Seeing their leader showing his magical powers, the bandits cheered on the boat.


    ¡°Just wait and see.¡± Monk Hua laughed heroically. He rolled the chain up with his arms and then exerted all his strength.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Under the control of Monk Hua, the ship sailed toward their encirclement with unparalleled speed.


    The people on board turned ashen-faced.


    Wasn¡¯t this fucking scary?


    He came here to commit robbery, but now he turned the situation into an acrobatic performance. If the hook hit the ship, it would make a big hole. If it hit a man, would the man still be alive?


    Li Muyang¡¯s expression turned serious.


    The few gold coins in his pants were certainly not enough to satisfy these people.


    Their ship was like a big fish biting a hook and getting dragged to the shore by a fisherman.


    When it entered the encirclement of the three big ships, those bandits would definitely jump over to start their robbing and killing spree.


    Li Muyang stretched out his hand to make a fist and Qi was stored in his Dantian.


    He was secretly on his guard.


    At this critical moment, a man dressed in black showed up.


    A man and a sword suddenly appeared. The sword was as colorful as a rainbow and slashed at the heavy iron chain with a burning light.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The iron chain broke into two parts. Since Monk Hua had exerted all his power in pulling the chain, when it broke suddenly, he staggered backward.


    The man in black drifted down and stood on the mast of the ship. The white sail and his black clothes fluttered in the breeze. The ship, which went with the flow, stopped in an instant.


    He was the cold-faced Bodhisattva, Cui Zhaoren!


    More than a dozen men in black had quietly jumped onto the deck of the ship, their hands ready on their sword hilts and stared coldly at the three big ships on their opposite side.


    ¡°Who dares to cut off my chain?¡± Monk Hua was flustered and shouted at them. ¡°Come on, tell me your name and let me teach you a lesson!¡±


    Cui Zhaoren¡¯s expression was indifferent, but there was a wave of burning anger in his heart.


    These damn guys, it was just their bad luck to choose this ship to attack.


    If they did not show up, it would be impossible for the others to stop the bandits.


    However, if they took action, they were afraid their whereabouts would be revealed and the forces of the Lu Family would follow the trail to rescue the prisoner.


    While he was still hesitating, the ship had been reeled in by monk. The whole ship was about to be dragged into the encirclement.


    If they continued to wait, their whereabouts would still be exposed.


    Cui Zhaoren, who was filled with murderous intent, struck out angrily and cut off the monk¡¯s copper hook with one stroke.


    ¡°There is a way to the Starry Sky, but you chose not to take it. There is no door to hell, but you chose to find it.¡± Cui Zhaoren¡¯s gaze was cold as he shouted. ¡°Kill them all. Leave no one behind.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± more than a dozen black-clad men received the order and answered proudly as one.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    More than a dozen swords were unsheathed. They were divided into three groups. They rushed toward the three great ships.


    Immediately, a bitter killing spree broke out on the three great ships.


    Those men in black were good at martial arts and their means were sinister. Every time they took out their swords, they were aimed at the key parts of the bandits.


    Their heads were cut off by the swords.


    Cui Zhaoren faced Monk Hua who was cursing. The corners of his mouth rose slightly and a charming smile appeared on his face. He said, ¡°You wanted to teach me a lesson, then I will take your life.¡±


    As he spoke, his body leaped up again.


    His robe fluttered in the air and his body was like a great hawk flying in the sky.


    He swooped down from the top and stabbed at Monk Hua¡¯s bald forehead.


    Monk Hua laughed wildly. He reached out his hand, grabbed the rest of the iron chains and swung it again. The long chain was like a snake, hurtling through the air. He shouted loudly, ¡°Good! Let me¡­¡±


    He could not speak any more.


    Because Cui Zhaoren suddenly sped up.


    He stabbed Monk Hua¡¯s head with his sword.


    His body dropped instantly and so did his long sword.


    One Stroke Shocking the God.


    One stroke took a life.


    The long sword pierced all the way through until the hilt was deeply imbedded in his head.


    ¡°Even if you want to be a bandit, you need to read more books. Isn¡¯t it better to be gentle when you plunder?¡± Cui Zhaoren stood upside down in the air and said to the monk, as a stream of blood flowed out of his head.


    Then, with a twist of his body, the long sword was pulled out by him.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The blood sprayed into the dark blue sky like a fountain.

 Chapter 78 - The Crime of Colluding With the Enemy

    This was a one-sided slaughter.


    Cui Zhaoren led a dozen subordinates from the Department of Supervision to kill the hundreds of bandits at the Cock-Crow Lake.


    They were not rivals at all. After Cui Zhaoren skewered Monk Hua with his sword, he jumped onto the other two big ships in succession and chopped off the heads of Li Xiao¡¯er, who was the leader of the gangsters and Zhao Sijia, the Taihu Lake Devil King.


    Finally, the bandits of Cock-Crow Lake were overwhelmed and lost all their fighting power.


    Some were screaming and some were kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy. More people tried to escape.


    They could not run away.


    Before he made his move, Cui Zhaoshi had already issued an order for his subordinates to ¡®kill them all and leave no one behind¡¯.


    The Department of Supervision was the empire¡¯s Department of Supervision and Cui Zhaoren was solely in charge of the Department of Supervision.


    The officers of the Department of Supervision listened to Cui Zhaoren and regarded his words as decrees. If Cui Zhaoren asked them to kill a whole family, they would proceed to kill them all. When Cui Zhaoren asked for someone¡¯s hair, they would get the hair for him.


    One more hair would be returned.


    More than a dozen supervisors waved their swords and hacked wildly, leaving no chance for those bandits to speak or plead for leniency.


    Broken limbs and bodies soon littered Cock-Crow Lake and turned its surface into a pool of blood.


    Even though their ship escaped the battle, when the students on the deck saw this scene, their throats constricted and their stomachs contracted violently. Many of the weak and timid ones began to vomit on the spot.


    Since most of them lived in wealthy and peaceful places, they had never witnessed such a large scale massacre before.


    Li Muyang was calm.


    He did not know what was going on, but he did not feel nervous at all. He did not think it was terrible.


    Even if blood flowed like a river on the other side, he just sighed in his heart, thinking that those men in black were extremely cruel and merciless.


    Like the other students, it was the first time he was travelling far away and it was also the first time he had experienced such a cruel battle.


    Could being bullied by students in the school and being mocked by teachers in class be compared to all the things that happened today?


    Absolutely not. However, Li Muyang did not feel anything, as if he was not affected by such things at all.


    Of course, Li Muyang knew that he was in a wrong state of mind. Zhang Linpu¡¯s body trembled violently and he was looking at Li Muyang from head to toe with his sharp eyes.


    Li Muyang did not want to appear to be different, so he followed Zhang Linpu¡¯s example and began to tremble too.


    Zhang Linpu was very angry. ¡°I have my own way. Why are you imitating me?¡±


    As a result, Zhang Linpu shook even more violently.


    Li Muyang was also very angry. ¡°What do you mean by suddenly increasing the level of your shakes? You want me to appear more ¡®strange¡¯ than you do, don¡¯t you? You want to exclude me from the category of ¡®normal people¡¯, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Therefore, Li Muyang followed Zhang Linpu¡¯s example and increased the rate of his trembling.


    If there had been arousing, drum-beating music in the background, these two people would have looked like two dancing experts battling it out with each other.


    When Li Muyang and Zhang Linpu were trembling non-stop for some time, the ship suddenly shook violently.


    Bang!


    A woman dressed in a colorful green dress, like a butterfly, was thrown on the deck.


    When the woman¡¯s body fell from the sky, they could clearly hear the sound of her bones shattering.


    She screamed. Before she could get up from the deck to escape, Cui Zhaoren landed at her side and held the bloody long sword in his hand against her throat.


    His pure black suit was untainted with blood and his black cloak fluttered in the wind. His jade-like face was cold and gloomy. He looked like Asura of Death from hell.


    ¡°Let me go, please let me go. I, Shui Yuanyang, am willing to work for you. Whatever you want me to do, I will be willing to do it,¡± the woman, who was slightly pretty, looked frightened and pleaded with him.


    ¡°You only have one chance,¡± Cui Zhaoren said in a cold voice, without the slightest emotion in it. ¡°Who ordered you to hijack the ship?¡±


    ¡°No one. No one ordered us to do that. We are the bandits of Cock-Crow Lake. When I saw this beautiful ship, I naturally wanted to team up to make a profit.¡±


    The story should be simple, not involving any other complex explanation. She thought this was the only way to preserve her life.


    ¡­


    The long sword was stabbed downward, cutting through Shui Yuanyang¡¯s throat.


    Blood flowed along the edge of the sword and instantly turned her neck and chest red.


    Shui Yuanyang opened her eyes wide but did not dare to touch it with her hand. Besides the blood, she was afraid that she would touch her wounded throat.


    ¡°I do not like to hear people talking nonsense and I do not like to hear people lying.¡± Cui Zhaoren¡¯s eyes became colder. He said, ¡°As I said, you only have one chance. I should have killed you with one strike. But unfortunately, all of your companions have been killed by my people. Even if I want to find someone who can replace you, I can¡¯t find any. So, this is your luck and it is also your misfortune. Who asked you to come here? Don¡¯t worry, think about it for a while and then answer me.¡±


    While Cui Zhaoren was interrogating Shui Yuanyang, the battle on the three ships was over. The supervisors of the Department of Supervision killed all the rabble.


    Right now, they were scattered all around the deck with surging killing intent in their eyes and the smell of blood on their bodies. Some of the blood was from their enemies and some of the blood was their own.


    They resembled a group of beasts that had been released.


    ¡°I will tell you, I will tell you. Someone leaked your information to us in advance. He said that there would be a ship passing by Cock-Crow Lake today and it was filled with people who had a lot of gold coins. There was also a large number of treasures and a painting ¡®God Emperor Twelve Scrolls¡¯ that the Jia Family, the richest family of Jiangnan, is sending to Capital Heaven. The man said that they only wanted the ¡®God Emperor Twelve Scrolls¡¯. All the gold coins, treasures and women on the ship would be equally divided among us.¡±


    ¡°He even said that this ship is heavily guarded and that there were experts overseeing it. He also asked us to contact some of our friends to ensure the raid will be successful. Hence, our boss Hua collaborated with the other two captains to carry out this mission together.¡±


    ¡°There are no large number of jewels belonging to the richest man of Jiangnan on this boat, let alone the famous painting.¡± Cui Zhaoren looked at the poor woman as if he was looking at an idiot.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Cui Zhaoren suddenly realized something and shouted, ¡°The cargo is under danger.¡±


    ¡°Woosh!¡±


    When the supervisors in black heard Cui Zhaoren¡¯s order, they instantly rushed to the third floor.


    When Cui Zhaoren hurried to the third floor, there was still someone guarding the door. Su Rong, the military counselor and some guards were guarding the hatch where the criminal was locked up.


    ¡°Congratulations on returning after a great victory, Young Lord.¡± Military Advisor Su Rong¡¯s face was full of smiles as he said, ¡°A bunch of hooligans dared to stop the boat and rob us and they are all dead. Their deaths are not worthy of pity.¡±


    ¡°How is the cargo?¡± Cui Zhaoren went straight to the cabin.


    ¡°We have been guarding the door and have not left at any moment,¡± Su Rong said. ¡°What¡¯s more, there are specially-assigned people around the cabin. There are also spells and restrictions. If someone touches it, the spell master should have felt it. It should not be¡­¡±


    Su Rong could not continue.


    Because when Cui Zhaoren opened the cabin door, the cage in the room was gone.


    The cage, which was made of black gold and weighed ten thousand kilograms, had disappeared under their supervision. At the same time, a large piece of wooden board which was underneath the cage was gone too.


    Someone had dug a hole under the cabin while it was under their supervision and took General Iron-Wall away without anyone noticing.


    This was beyond their expectation and it was hard to believe.


    The fact that he could break through the protected system without alerting the spell master and that he could quietly cut a hole in the floor, while carrying a ten thousand kilograms cage with a living person inside it and disappearing from the supervision and protection of so many of them, was proof that he must be someone extraordinary. Who was he?


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The sword roared like a dragon!


    Cui Zhaoren pulled out his sword and swung it toward the cabin.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The whole ship was hit by the sword intent and split down the middle in an instant.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Then the enormous and heavy roof of the ship slid into the surface of Cock-Crow Lake and dropped into the river with a crash.


    At this time, the sun was shining brightly. Without the cover of the roof, the room on the third floor was no longer in darkness.


    Cui Zhaoren stood under the blazing sun and his face was as pale as a piece of paper.


    His eyes were like an ice cold knife. Wherever his gaze landed, it made the people tremble.


    ¡°Young master, this is due to my negligence. I did not expect that¡­¡± Su Rong was so shocked and he hurriedly apologized. ¡°I did not expect them to carry out their rescue in this way. I will be¡­¡±


    ¡°Chase after him.¡± Cui Zhaoren coldly issued an order.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The supervisor in black bowed and rushed toward Cock-Crow Lake an instant.


    Cui Zhaoren looked at the river in front of him and did not speak for a long time.


    Everyone was gathered on the deck, including all the crew and shipmen.


    There was a group of about a hundred people, yet no one made any noise. They were all extremely cautious, even when making eye contact with each other.


    It was so quiet and solemn that even the air seemed to freeze.


    Even though they were not satisfied with his behavior, when they saw the young man in a fluttering black robe staring at them coldly, they could only suppress the grievance in their hearts and quickly lowered their heads to avoid any eye contact with him.


    Seeing the fight just now, no one dared to enrage him.


    After witnessing the fierceness and cruelty of these men in black, they even regretted that they had done such a stupid thing in suggesting that they wanted to search their rooms. It was seeking the road to death!


    ¡°Everyone on board is here,¡± Manager Chen Tao walked to Cui Zhaoren and reported to him.


    ¡°Is there anyone missing?¡±


    ¡°I have counted the numbers and one person is missing.¡± Chen Tao¡¯s head was almost down to his knees.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Because they are all passengers, I can¡¯t remember their faces.¡±


    ¡°Call their names.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Tao answered. He immediately took out the name list which the guests had written down when they boarded the ship and began to call out their names.


    ¡°Li Yikun, from Jiangnan.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Linpu, from Jia County.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qingzhi, from Xi County.¡±


    ¡­


    Every time a name was called, the person would step out of the array and cross over to an area guarded by the Department of Supervision.


    The name list was quickly scanned through. Chen Tao walked over with the name list and said, ¡°There is a person who is missing. His name is Mu Qinghou.¡±


    ¡°Qinghou?¡± Cui Zhaoren sneered and said in a loud voice, ¡°Does anyone know this man?¡±


    No one answered.


    ¡°Anyone who has met this person will be allowed to stay alive and will be rewarded with two hundred gold coins.¡±


    ¡°I have seen him.¡± A thin stranger raised his hand timidly and said, ¡°I have seen him before. He is a fat man.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will give you two hundred gold coins.¡± Cui Zhaoren kept his word and someone threw a bag of gold coins to him on the spot.


    ¡°I have seen him too. I even argued with him a little.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he spoke up for Li Muyang and humiliated us.¡±


    ¡­


    Li Muyang?


    Cui Zhaoren heard the issue he was most concerned about among the voices.


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± In the crowd, he found the white-robed young man who dared to contradict and threaten him. He looked at him with cold eyes and his voice was extremely calm. He said, ¡°Do you know that you have committed the crime of colluding with the enemy?¡±

 Chapter 79 - Under the Dujie Sword!

    ¡°It is true that one will always have a great shock in life!¡±


    Li Muyang felt fortunate that he had saved the gold coins hidden in his crotch. If he was frugal and helped with some chores in school, he might not need to ask his parents for money every day for a whole year. It was difficult to explain to his parents and would make them puzzled. If they went to the ship trading shop and found out what he had suffered along the way, they might not be able to sleep well at night.


    Li Muyang always blamed himself for not being able to do anything for his parents, so he tried not to create any problems for his parents.


    He did not expect someone to accuse him of colluding with the enemy now. This was not a joke. According to the law of the Xifeng Empire, if anyone was caught collaborating with the enemy, he would be killed on the spot, if it was true.


    That was to say, if these men in black were dissatisfied with him, they could cut him into pieces and throw him into Cock-Crow Lake to feed the big fishes.


    As for whether it was confirmed would depend on them.


    ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± Li Muyang felt resentful. He had an impulse to hit this guy dozens of times, but he tried to keep calm. The angrier he was, the more likely they would think he was guilty.


    The most important thing now was that his enemy was stronger than him. If he really irritated them, he would be at a disadvantage and be at the losing end.


    Li Muyang had seen it with his own eyes earlier. They could jump in the air as if they were on flat ground and the roof of the ship was destroyed with one strike. Cui Zhaoren reminded Li Muyang of Crow and he thought that even if Crow met him, Crow would not have any advantage.


    It was better for him to be cautious. If he really could not defend himself against them, he would bring up Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s name, saying that he was the son-in-law of the Cui Family in Capital Heaven. Li Sinian vaguely told Li Muyang about Cui Xiaoxin¡¯s family background. Li Muyang was very surprised and annoyed after hearing that, but he could only sigh at his fate. This time, he would make use of the Cui Family and scare this dumb man in black with a deadpan face.


    ¡°Proof?¡± Cui Zhaoren pointed to the students around Li Muyang and said, ¡°What they just said is the proof.¡±


    ¡°Just basing on their one-sided statement, you suspect that I am colluding with the enemy?¡±


    ¡°There are so many people on this ship, why did he only speak up for you?¡± Cui Zhaoren said with a cold smile on his face, and his eyes looked at Li Muyang thoughtfully, thinking about the possibility of Li Muyang colluding with the enemy. He said, ¡°Our Department of Supervision has escorted important criminals all the way and our whereabouts is extremely confidential, so it is almost impossible for others to know. But you heard the words of the enemies just now. They had been tricked to come here to commit robbery.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, your money were stolen last night and then you took a group of people to try and search our rooms. Were you not trying to create chaos among those people to attract our attention? So many people saw it with their own eyes, I did not wrong you, did I?¡±


    ¡°I am not the one who asked for the search,¡± Li Muyang hastily explained. He pointed to Zhang Linpu beside him and said, ¡°He was the one who initiated the search and it was he who led us to the third floor. Didn¡¯t you all see this with your own eyes? If that¡¯s the case, should they not be even more of a suspect than I am? Because the chaos at that time was created by them first. I just followed quietly behind.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang¡­¡± Zhang Linpu was scared. He pointed at Li Muyang in anger and swore, ¡°You despicable man, don¡¯t drag me into this. I had a fierce quarrel with that fat man at that time, and almost got into a fight. It is you¡­ he put in a few good words about you. You even called us frogs in the well who know nothing about the vast Starry Sky. Did you not know each other for a long time already?¡±


    ¡°Look, doesn¡¯t this prove that he and I have nothing to do with each other? If you want to collude with someone to rob, shouldn¡¯t you pretend that you don¡¯t know each other, or try to create some intense conflicts so that you can rid yourself of the relationship, as if you quarreled with him afterward? If we knew each other before, would he need to speak for me in front of everyone? If we were really united, why would I still stay on the ship since he already got what he wanted?¡±


    Li Muyang looked gloomy and said sadly, ¡°I won first place in the imperial Liberal-arts Exam and was rewarded by the emperor. And because Yan Bolai, the governor of Jiangnan City, is my uncle and Yan Xiangma, the son of the governor, is my best brother, they rejected me and attacked me violently. I know the reason why the wind is sure to destroy the trees that are beautiful in the forest. I also know that the strong wind is always blowing those towering and dense trees. However, I don¡¯t want to do this. I don¡¯t want to be the top one and I don¡¯t want my uncle to be the governor of Jiangnan City, but I can¡¯t choose my background.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren had the impulse to cut him into two pieces. ¡°Do you think it is possible for the Cui Family of Capital Heaven to have a relationship with an ignorant kid like you?¡±


    ¡°I can swear on the reputation of my Uncle Yan, the lord of Jiangnan City, that I have never robbed anyone and helped the enemy. If I break the oath, my uncle will suffer a bad end. If you think I am guilty, why should I be speechless? I really can¡¯t afford to commit a crime of colluding with the enemy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren¡¯s hand, which was holding the sword, kept shaking. He felt that he could no longer control the noble righteousness in his body. He had to hit something before he could get rid of it.


    ¡°Whether you colluded with the enemy or not, it is not dependent on you. It is not dependent on me, either.¡± Cui Zhaoren¡¯s eyes were full of killing intent. He stared at Li Muyang coldly and said, ¡°If you go to the Department of Supervision with us, the truth will be revealed naturally.¡±


    The Department of Supervision was known as the Empire¡¯s Iron Prison. They heard that anyone who went there was better off dead. Even if an Immortal were to enter it, a layer of their gold clothes would be peeled off, and their faith energy would be reduced by a few levels.


    Li Muyang, of course, would not go.


    He could not go either.


    He did not have such a tough personality that he would rather die than surrender, nor was he so noble that he was willing to sacrifice himself in the name of justice. He would not let himself suffer all kinds of cruel torture and wait for rebirth¡­.. His mouth was not very tight and his bones were not very hard. Moreover, he had just become a little whiter and his body had also become a little more handsome. He did not want to be thrown into prison and become a useless person, like a ghost.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go,¡± Li Muyang said. ¡°I have been accepted by the Starry-Sky Academy. My senior rode a crane to Jiangnan City to deliver the news and repeatedly told me not to miss the enrollment date.¡±


    ¡°Starry Sky Academy?¡± Cui Zhaoren¡¯s eyes were bright and glowing and he looked at Li Muyang who was standing in front of him in disbelief.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Li Muyang said proudly. Thanks to God, he finally met a tough backer. As for the Jiangnan City Governor, Yan Bolai, and the son of the City Governor, Yan Xiangma, he did not care about them at all. It seemed that Uncle Yan¡¯s power and influence were nothing more than this.


    Cui Zhaoren¡¯s eyes flickered, and once again he looked at Li Muyang from head to toe seriously.


    The situation became complicated.


    It was an unexpected turn that this guy had been accepted by the Starry-Sky Academy.


    ¡°You said you were accepted by the Starry Sky Academy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You came in first in the literary Liberal-arts Exam of the empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± Cui Zhaoren sneered.


    The empire had a first place in the Liberal-arts Exam every year. As long as there was a test, there would be someone in the first place every year.


    However, not everyone who came in first in the Liberal-arts Exam could be accepted by the Starry Sky Academy.


    Moreover, apart from Li Muyang, only Li Qiubai, the poetry talent a thousand years ago, had been accepted by the Starry-Sky Academy when he came in first in the Liberal-arts Exam.


    If Li Muyang was not lying.


    He hoped that he was lying, because it was very easy to find out whether he was the first in the Liberal-arts Exam or had been accepted by the Starry-Sky Academy.


    However, if he was not lying, then there must be someone behind him who was supporting him.


    Cui Zhaoren suddenly began to believe that Li Muyang was in alliance with the enemy.


    Cui Zhaoren walked toward Li Muyang step by step and said with a smile, ¡°It seems that you still have to go with us. Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t miss the enrollment date.¡±


    As he spoke, Cui Zhaoren suddenly pulled out his sword and slashed at Li Muyang¡¯s head.


    He tried to kill him on the spot!


    ¡°Whether you are first in the Liberal-arts Exam of the empire or the freshman of the Starry Sky Academy, since you are on this ship and is involved in this mess, you can¡¯t escape unscathed.¡±


    If he died, so what if he was the first in the Liberal-arts Exam? So what if he was from the Starry Sky Academy?


    As long as he was convicted of collaborating with the enemy, even if Starry-Sky Academy was not satisfied, they had to pay attention to the empire¡¯s interest. The Department of Supervision was working for the emperor. Would they retaliate against them for a student who had not entered the school yet?


    And furthermore, this student was dead.


    As for those who were pushing Li Muyang, Cui Zhaoren did not care about them.


    Since he could not confirm Li Muyang¡¯s origin, then it proved that Li Muyang was not one of his people. At this critical moment, he was either one of them or an enemy.


    It did not matter if he killed him. What could they do to him?


    He was the cold-faced Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva protected the country and killed people without displaying any emotion.


    It happened so suddenly that no one expected Cui Zhaoren to suddenly pull out his sword to kill Li Muyang.


    The sword stroke was like a clap of thunder and it was like a meteor streaking across the sky.


    It happened in the blink of an eye and no one could react at all.


    Even for the top masters of the empire, when they encountered the cold-faced Bodhisattva Cui Zhaoren¡¯s Dujie Sword, they also thought it was sharp and unpredictable.


    It was a well-known fact in the Xifeng Empire that it was difficult to survive the attack of the Dujie Sword. It praised the power of the Cui Family¡¯s Dujie Sword and the ¡°Infinite Sword Skill¡± which matched it.


    As for Li Muyang?


    Cui Zhaoren had already thought of him as a dead man the moment he drew his long sword out of its sheath.

 Chapter 80 - The Alligator Dragon Protector!

    Cui Zhaoren liked the folk song that was popular in the empire, ¡°Hatred is like a gust of wind and leaves after destroying everything¡±. No one could deal with such an attitude.


    He could just kill Li Muyang and when he died, there was nothing he could do. If he was accused of colluding with the enemy, no one would be able to find out the truth.


    He was still concerned about Li Muyang challenging his power. Now that he knew that Li Muyang was going to the Starry-Sky Academy, he naturally could not show him any mercy.


    Cui Zhaoren knew what a special existence the Starry-Sky Academy was. Li Muyang had been accepted there when he came in first in the Liberal-arts Exam. In the future, he would probably become a powerful man like Li Qiubai.


    Even if it was a slim possibility, he could not allow him to grow stronger.


    Weeding should be done as early as possible.


    When Li Muyang entered the Starry-Sky Academy and he learned something or got to know some great men who had made great achievements, it would be very troublesome if he wanted to do such a thing again.


    Therefore, this was also the reason for his sudden attack.


    Cui Zhaoren had long stepped into the Upper Level of the Floating Cloud. He was diligent in his practice. In the future, he could enter the Vicissitude Realm which could kill people in an instant, at the slightest chance or provocation.


    At such a young age, there were not many people in the Xifeng Empire who could have made such an achievement, right?


    The result was obvious that a man in Upper Level of Floating Cloud could kill a weak student who ranked first in the Liberal-arts Exam.


    Others might not be on their guard, but Li Muyang was always on his guard.


    Li Muyang sensed danger ever since he saw Cui Zhaoren.


    This man¡¯s face was not annoying. He always had a poker face and even when he smiled, it was still cold. But at that time, he was also a handsome and cold looking guy, wasn¡¯t he?


    This was a world where appearance mattered. It was easier for good-looking people to be accepted even if they had done something bad. If some ugly people had done something bad, there was no reason to forgive them at all.


    However, Li Muyang felt a sombre emotion from him.


    He was like a decaying corpse in an ancient tomb, or a viper hiding in the grass. When he saw him, he would always think of matters of despair, like death.


    Li Muyang could clearly feel his hostility toward him, although he did not know where it came from.


    He did not show his killing intent, but Li Muyang could feel his killing intent from his smile.


    Therefore, Li Muyang had been secretly on the alert all the time.


    He accumulated energy in his dantian and condensed it for a bit.


    This was the basic knowledge of the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡±.


    He waited quietly.


    When Cui Zhaoren¡¯s sword came for him without any warning, Li Muyang also hit out.


    This was the punch he had prepared for a long time.


    This was the punch he was ready to launch.


    The punch was so powerful that everything around them could be destroyed.


    Shattering Fist!


    The sword was sharp, fast and cold.


    The fist was majestic and gave off hot waves.


    The long sword was fighting against the heavy fist. One used sneak attacks, while the other was on his guard.


    The sword light flashed in the sky and was even more dazzling than the light of the scorching sun that shone on the earth.


    The heavy fist was like a heavy thunderclap which hurt the people¡¯s eardrums and it was hard for them to recover so soon.


    There were more than a hundred people on the deck, but no one had a clear view of what was happening in front of them.


    In addition to the two people involved in this matter.


    There was only a mass of white light in front of them. It was a vast expanse of white.


    It was as if a fireball had suddenly exploded in front of their eyes.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The fist and the sword collided.


    It was like a landslide, but also like a tsunami, which swept over everything with a terrifying force.


    Cui Zhaoren could not withstand it and kept retreating. His heels were tightly rooted to the deck, trying to stop the retreating momentum. It was a pity that the force was so great that all the planks flew up one by one. Cui Zhaoren retreated all the way to the edge of the boat.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The railings were broken and the whole side of the ship that he hit against dropped into the Cock-Crow Lake.


    Li Muyang¡¯s situation was even worse.


    Although he had cultivated the ¡°Qi-breaking Technique¡± for a few months, for the cultivators in the vast Starry Sky, his cultivation years were not even qualified to enter the basics. He could not even be said to be a ¡®beginner¡¯ in the real sense.


    ¡°Where are you standing? Where are you going? What is your path? Which way do you want to choose to get there?¡±


    Since Li Muyang did not know the answers to these questions, how could he get to the entry-level?


    He just relied on the ancient book and the little basic knowledge that Li Sinian remembered in her heart. He did not know when he began to understand the instructions and ideas of cultivation in the depths of his mind, so he came up with a suitable way for his own cultivation.


    No one even told him whether his path of cultivation was right or not.


    Of course, Li Sinian praised him for his cleverness several times.


    He was mentally prepared, but his body was not ready yet.


    It was a ¡®waste¡¯, that one who had cultivated for less than a year, met a genius who had been famous for a long time and had already stepped into the Upper Level of Floating Cloud.


    As a matter of fact, there was no doubt about the result.


    Li Muyang¡¯s body was hit and sent flying. When his Shattering Fist collided with Cui Zhaoren¡¯s Dujie Sword, he had already passed out when the two extreme violent forces exploded.


    His body was blown away and after flying in the air for quite some time, he fell into Cock-Crow Lake.


    He fell into the water and sank directly to the bottom of the river.


    He was like a heavenly stone falling from the sky that shocked all the nearby fish, shrimps and insects.


    The river was muddy and the water was turbulent, so Li Muyang was stuck in the silt.


    Then he was washed up by the river and surrounded by water grass. He was entangled and would not be swept away by the river, but he could not float out of the water either.


    There was no sunlight in the water, nor did he know the time.


    Fresh bodies that were entangled in the water plants would stink soon after and then turn into a lump of mud-like rotting flesh. Fish and shrimp liked these the most.


    After they had eaten a huge feast, there was usually only a pile of white bones left behind.


    His fate would be exactly the same as countless people who had fallen into the water.


    To many people, this sort of ending signified the end of one¡¯s life.


    When Li Muyang fell into the water, the noise was so loud that all the fish and shrimps around were scared away.


    After a while, those fishes and prawns gathered again to see what it was that scared them.


    They wanted to know the truth, but they dared not be the first to get close to it.


    Fear was in the nature of every species.


    What¡¯s more, there was a kind of threatening aura on that ¡®thing¡¯ that made them feel scared.


    Finally, a little black fish which was a little impatient, was the first one to swim toward Li Muyang.


    She bit Li Muyang¡¯s arms and nibbled at Li Muyang¡¯s face, but Li Muyang still did not move.


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s a monster,¡± the little black fish spat out bubbles with a puff and shouted to her mom.


    ¡°Run, kid. Monsters love to eat fish.¡± Her mother shook her tail and gave her kid an all-out signal to leave the object. She was a little older and had a sharper sense of smell. She felt that this ¡®monster¡¯ was very dangerous. Even if he did not make any movement, he should not be provoked.


    ¡°He does not look scary at all. Mom, can I have a bite? He looks delicious.¡±


    ¡°Silly child, he will not taste good now. We will eat him after his body starts to rot.¡±


    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s take the monster back to our house.¡±


    ¡­


    She opened her mouth to tear away the weeds, trying to save Li Muyang.


    However, there were too many weeds and the straws were too hard. It was simply impossible for her to do it alone.


    When this little black fish was in a dilemma, another little black fish came over.


    Then more fish and shrimps gathered around. They either bit with their mouths or used their claws to help Li Muyang get rid of the water grass that entangled him.


    The river rumbled suddenly.


    The waves at the bottom of the river began to churn violently.


    Every time there was such a movement, it meant that the giant monster of this realm had come for hunting.


    The fish and shrimps fled in panic and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    The river rumbled even more violently.


    An Alligator Dragon about hundreds of meters in length, with a flat head, protruding mouth and short and thick limbs slowly swam over.


    It was not in a hurry, it was even a little cautious.


    When it arrived about ten meters in front of Li Muyang, it looked around alertly and circled around a few more times.


    When it was sure about its safety, it swam slowly toward Li Muyang.


    Its protruding mouth slowly came close to Li Muyang, greedily sniffing his smell.


    The grainy and banded lines on the scales made it look so ugly and ferocious. It could swallow Li Muyang and the weeds wrapped around his body with his big mouth.


    In the past, it loved to do such things.


    However, this time, it did not do that. To be more specific, it did not dare do that.


    It dived under Li Muyang and then slowly rose with him on its broad back.


    At first glance, the Alligator Dragon, which was hundreds of meters long and more than a thousand years old, had become Li Muyang¡¯s mount.


    Seeing that the water overlord Alligator Dragon was not here to eat Li Muyang, but to save Li Muyang, all the fish and shrimps in the distance gathered again and they happily followed behind the Alligator Dragon. They looked like guards escorting their king.


    ¡°Puff¡ª¡± a mouthful of blood gushed out, which made Cui Zhaoren feel more comfortable.


    This punch had shocked him to his core. Until now, he still could not calm down.


    The guy whom he could not sense any danger from turned out to be a hidden master?


    Fortunately, he did not slack off before the hit earlier. If he had just regarded him as an ordinary person, he would have been killed by him now.


    Cui Zhaoren was furious at the feeling of almost losing in a very easy task. He turned around and looked at the river, coldly saying, ¡°Send more people. Either I see him alive, or give me his dead body.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the officials of the Supervisory Department shouted loudly.


    At this moment, someone suddenly pointed at the lake and shouted, ¡°Look, what is that?¡±


    Everyone was alerted by the voice and then they saw a shocking scene.


    The river was surging violently and all the waterbirds had been frightened away. A huge Alligator Dragon, which was hundreds of meters long, raised its head high and hovered over the river.


    Above its head sat Li Muyang, who looked like a king.

 Chapter 81 - Extorting a Confession by Torture!

    ¡°Is that a water dragon? Oh my god, is it really a water dragon?! The person sitting on its head is Li Muyang and he is not dead yet¡­¡±


    ¡°The monster has eaten Li Muyang and it is now coming to eat us¡­¡±


    ¡°Run! The monster is coming!!! What kind of monster is that? We will all be eaten by it!!!¡±


    ¡­


    On the ship, everyone looked up at the towering dragon circling above the river.


    It looked like a high mountain in the middle of the river or a black cloud that blocked their view.


    It seemed so majestic and yet so ugly.


    The scales on its body formed an indestructible armor and on the armor, the raised lumps of black fragments were like barbs.


    These dense ribbon-like black lines covered the entire body of the dragon, making it appear a little comical and silly.


    However, when the dragon opened its enormous mouth, stinky saliva oozed out. It seemed as if the dragon could suck in the whole ship, including all the people, as long as it exerted a little strength.


    People on the ship could only see the parts of the dragon that were exposed. Its long tail was still hidden in the river to support this huge body.


    Even so, the scene was enough to strike fear in everyone¡¯s hearts


    ¡°My life is over.¡± Zhang Linpu said in despair. It was the first time these university students had seen such an enormous dragon, which appeared to be a million times more terrifying than Cui Zhaoren, who suddenly came at Li Muyang to slaughter him. No matter how ferocious a man was, he might be reasoned with. However, no one could get a beast to listen to reason, right? Therefore, he continued in a frightened voice. ¡°It¡¯s over. Everything is over. We¡¯re doomed this time. This beast will eat all the people on the ship!¡±


    ¡°How can it be like this? How can it be like this?¡± Chen Tao, the manager of the ship, asked, puzzled. He had taken this waterway with his team many times. Along this waterway, they had encountered bandits, river snakes, all sorts of poisonous bugs and man-eating fish. However, they had never seen a dragon with such a massive size. ¡°When I set off, I checked the almanac beforehand. It said that it would be an extremely lucky trip! Who the hell made up that bullshit?!¡±


    ¡°Young master, it is an Alligator Dragon that is crossing the river¡­ Judging by its size and the black lines on its body, I suppose that it must have lived for thousands of years¡­¡± Su Rong, the Military Advisor, said with a worried face, ¡°This cruel and aggressive monster is extremely fast and can travel thousands of miles in the water within a day. However, it has always hidden in the abysmal area of the sea of death, so it is rarely seen. How could it appear in Cock-Crow Lake this time?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter why it showed up here,¡± Cui Zhaoren said, while holding his long sword upside down. With the other hand, he took out a silk handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiping away the bloodstains at the corners of his mouth. His sudden sword attack failed to kill Li Muyang, which surprised him a lot. Then, the Alligator Dragon rescued Li Muyang, who had fallen into the river, which surprised him even more. ¡°It¡¯s merely a bogus dragon, not a real one at all. Let it go if it doesn¡¯t provoke us. But if it is bold enough to attack us, kill it right away.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s just wait and see what will happen next.¡± Su Rong said in a low voice. ¡°If they don¡¯t come over, let the ship pass by through the left branch of the river. However, we must round up and hunt them if they head in our direction.¡±


    ¡°What a pity!¡± Cui Zhaoren said with regret, but he focused his eyes on Li Muyang, who was seated on the head of the Alligator Dragon.


    The Alligator Dragon was so massive that Li Muyang only appeared to be a small black dot on the body of the dragon.


    Thus, ordinary persons could only see his rough outline and blurred shadow.


    However, Cui Zhaoren was never someone ordinary. He could even see the dragon breathing deeply and the remaining wisps of flesh between its teeth.


    Therefore, he could see Li Muyang¡¯s every expression and action.


    With his eyes tightly closed, Li Muyang was still in a coma.


    Li Muyang looked quiet and peaceful as if he had not been sent flying by his sword. It was more like he had entered into a deep sleep.


    Li Muyang¡¯s body was wrapped in a mass of weeds, just like a baby under the protection of those waterweeds.


    The blazing sun was baking the large surface area of the river.


    Under the golden light, Li Muyang¡¯s cheeks seemed to have turned light yellow and was almost transparent.


    Everyone was waiting for the Alligator Dragon¡¯s next move, or they were waiting to see if Li Muyang would wake up.


    Li Muyang could not take the fierce force of the Dujie Sword. When his fist and the sword of Cui Zhaoren collided, the force of the blast knocked Li Muyang out on the spot.


    The moment he fell into the river, Li Muyang was revived by the river waters.


    However, when he wanted to open his eyes, he found that his body was not under his control at all.


    In a marvelous state, Li Muyang felt as if he had entered another world.


    In that world, there were wild deserts, burning cities with raging flames, dragon cries that resounded through the sky and strong humans whose swords could cut off river flows and cleave mountains.


    All of them were fighting and roaring. Besides, there were the furious flames of the Dragon Breath that had spread all over the Divine Land.


    The ground was burning and the human race was dying.


    A huge black dragon, which could soar up into the sky and dive deep into the netherworld, appeared out of nowhere. It seemed as if it could fill up the entire sky. It was huge and strong. With its black and cold eyes, the dragon was watching the tragedy happening with disdain and pride.


    ¡°Foolish humans.¡± A voice that resounded through the starry sky came out of his mouth.


    Right after those strong humans discovered its existence, they turned to charge at the black dragon with long swords and powerful divine artifacts in their hands.


    Everyone had one same ultimate goal: slay the dragon.


    ¡­


    Suddenly, the scene changed.


    Li Muyang spotted the black dragon again and it was rushing toward him!


    It did not slow down a bit even when it flew in front of him. Instead, it flew straight into his body.


    BOOM!


    Li Muyang¡¯s chest started to throb painfully. He felt as if a knife was cutting him from the middle.


    When the giant black dragon disappeared, Li Muyang saw his ink-dark eyes.


    He could see his own eyes.


    It was as if there was another him standing on the opposite side and both of them could see each other¡¯s eyes.


    Li Muyang felt that the black dragon had entered his body and they became one.


    ¡­


    Li Muyang witnessed all this clearly, but he could not tell whether he was in a dream or reality.


    If it were real, this would be a world that he had never known.


    The giant dragon soaring in the sky, the city destroyed by the Dragon Breath and these strong humans who could cut off the river flows and cleave the mountains with their swords and fists, had all of these ever existed?


    But if it was a dream, how could the dream be so real?


    He could clearly see the eyes of the black dragon and he was also fully aware of the pain in his heart.


    The aching feeling of being torn apart disappeared in a flash, but why did he feel such a deep sense of grief that seeped through to his bones?


    He was a gigantic dragon, but why did he feel the desolate pain of being betrayed by the entire world?


    Li Muyang was struggling desperately.


    He wanted to open his eyes and break away from this absurd world.


    He wanted to go back to the ship and return to his parents and his sister, Li Sinian.


    That was his life.


    And that was the reality.


    He felt warm as if he was bathed in sunshine.


    ¡°Puff and blow¡­¡±


    Something was breathing heavily in his ears.


    ¡°What is it? Where am I?¡± Li Muyang wondered in his heart.


    He suddenly opened his eyes, but the rays of light clustering around stung his eyes.


    He closed his eyes again and only after he gradually adapted to the intense light, was he able to open his eyes again.


    Hurriedly, he stretched out to touch his crotch. ¡°Thank goodness! The heavy gold coins are still here,¡± Li Muyang exclaimed happily in his heart.


    He felt relieved again.


    ¡°Well, why am I lying on such a high stone?¡± Li Muyang thought in his heart.


    He then pulled away those waterweeds wrapped around his body and threw them away casually.


    ¡°It was too terrifying! Cui Zhaoren¡¯s strength is simply too astonishing!¡± He thought.


    ¡°It seemed as if his powerful sword stick could split a mountain in half!¡±


    Li Muyang still remembered what had happened before. Cui Zhaoren had suddenly attacked him with his sword and he in turn launched his Shattering Fist, which he had been preparing for a long time.


    However, he did not know what happened next.


    ¡°Gee, is that¡­ is that a ship below?¡± Li Muyang cried out.


    When he found that the stone under him was still moving, he suddenly sat up straight.


    Then, his body trembled and he was so scared that he felt as if he was going to wet his pants.


    He was not lying on a large stone of a mountain at all! It was an enormous head of the monster!


    What was even more frightening was that the monster was so enormous that its head lifted Li Muyang up to midair!


    No wonder he felt that the sunshine was so strong just now and that was why everything he saw around him looked so small.


    It was because he was in the wind that was closer to the sun and was in the clouds, which were as high as the peaks.


    ¡°I am done. I am finished. I am going to die!¡± Li Muyang sat there with a frightened face. How he wished that he could shout at the top of his voice to chase away his fears! However, he was afraid that his shouts would alarm the monster under his butt.


    ¡°Those damned henchmen of the Department of Supervision¡­¡± Li Muyang cursed in his heart. ¡°The rumors are true. They really can do any evil things. I heard that they brutally torture people in all kinds of ways to get some secret information or to extort confessions. Malicious henchmen! They are so vicious and simply have no humanity! They are a bunch of evil henchmen and a group of ruthless beasts!¡±


    ¡°Motherfucker! To prove that I have committed the crime of colluding with the enemy and force me to confess the sin, they threw me onto the head of a monster!¡±


    Li Muyang was very sad and angry. Also, he felt wronged.


    ¡°Help me! Help me!¡± Li Muyang shouted loud. Meanwhile, he waved desperately, trying to let Cui Zhaoren, who was on the ship, see him.


    However, no one on the ship responded to his calls for help.


    ¡°I am willing to confess¡­¡± Li Muyang said, his eyes red. He knew that once he confessed, there would be only one road open to him, the way to extinction. He would be parted forever from his parents and relatives.


    However, he would rather go through the trial of the Empire than die in the mouth of the monster.


    In Li Muyang¡¯s eyes, the Department of Supervision of the Empire was the most vicious place in the world.


    Therefore, he believed that his parents and other family members would not think that he had conspired with the enemy and betrayed his country. Because of this, he firmly believed that one day, the sins of the Department of Supervision would be made known to the public.


    At that time, the world would prove his innocence.


    ¡°I am willing to confess¡­¡± Tears poured down Li Muyang¡¯s face.

 Chapter 82 - Millions of Great Soldiers!

    Because the distance between them was too far, they could not hear what Li Muyang was shouting about.


    However, when Cui Zhaoren saw Li Muyang gesturing with his hands and feet on the Alligator Dragon, he thought that he was dancing with joy to show off and provoke them.


    ¡°Come on! Do you dare to come and hit me? If you dare not do that, you will be my grandson. YOU ARE ALL DAMNED IDIOTS!¡±


    This was what Cui Zhaoren and all the other people on the ship interpreted Li Muyang¡¯s actions to be.


    ¡°What is that bastard doing? Does he want us to go there and beat him up?¡±


    ¡°Why would that monster help him? Is he in cahoots with that monster?¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang not only has colluded with the enemies, but also has illicit relations with the monster. His sins are unforgivable.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Young master¡­¡± Su Rong was worried that Cui Zhaoren would act on impulse in anger, so he hurriedly reminded him, ¡°We have more important things to do. Why don¡¯t I ask them to steer the ship into the tributary? Thus, we can speed up and get to Capital Heaven. Compared with Li Muyang, we have more important things to deal with. If the goods are lost, they will launch a crazy counterattack. We may go back one day earlier so that we can make better preparations. Young master, please think twice.¡±


    ¡°More important things¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren looked at Li Muyang, who was on top of the head of the Alligator Dragon and his face became increasingly cold. ¡°Do you think that Li Muyang is not important enough?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Though he took the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam and managed to enter Starry-Sky Academy, we will have more opportunities to handle him when we are back in Capital Heaven¡­ He can never attain the highest level in one step, can he?¡±


    ¡°I did not manage to kill him with that sword strike,¡± Cui Zhaoren said.


    ¡°That was because you relaxed your vigilance against him. He appears to know nothing about martial arts and has no cultivation, which deceived you.¡±


    ¡°In this world, there is no such thing as being deceived or being negligent. There is also no good or bad luck. I did not cut off his head with my sword strike, which was a fact that everyone saw.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, take a look at the Alligator Dragon. Look at its eyes. What can you see from its eyes?¡±


    Su Rong looked over intently and said, ¡°In its eyes, there is gunk and a sense of meekness.¡±


    Su Rong was slightly shocked. He looked at Cui Zhaoren and said, ¡°Young master, do you mean that Li Muyang has subdued the monster? How did he manage to do that in such a short time after he fell into the river?¡±


    ¡°In addition, do you have any other reasons to explain all that we have seen?¡± Cui Zhaoren sneered and said, ¡°You have just said that the Alligator Dragon is speedy and can travel thousands of miles in a day. And it is cruel and aggressive in nature. It likes killing¡­ However, it saved Li Muyang from the river.¡±


    ¡°Li Muyang, who used some magical boxing style to block my Dujie Sword, fell into the river after being seriously injured. Then, an Alligator Dragon came immediately to protect him. Beyond these, he took the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam of the Empire and was accepted by the Starry-Sky Academy. Do you think that such a person is not important enough?¡±


    ¡°Young master¡­¡±


    ¡°If I do not get rid of him, I can no longer find peace.¡± Cui Zhaoren wielded his long sword and thundered suddenly, ¡°Kill him.¡±


    Upon receiving the order, the dozen or so black-robed supervisors immediately pulled out their long blades from their sheaths. Every one of them pushed against the ground with one foot and soared into the air. They shot toward the distant Alligator Dragon, which stood in the middle of the great river and almost towered into the clouds.


    Clang!


    Clang!


    Clang!


    Those black-robed supervisors avoided the head of the dragon, which was the most aggressive part and they chopped at its belly and back, which was as tall and broad as mountains and rivers.


    Those black-robed supervisors stopped right on its body. Holding the handles of their blades up high, they thrust them vigorously deep into the body of the dragon. Even though the Alligator Dragon had scales to protect its body, the pain was too much for it to withstand.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    The Alligator Dragon let out a hair-raising howl.


    Its body began to shake, but it tried the best to keep its body in balance for fear of throwing off its owner with his kingly demeanor into the river.


    They stabbed repeatedly. Each of the attacks was fierce and fatal.


    The body of the Alligator Dragon rose and fell in the river, as it tried to get rid of these little men on its body. It intended to bring them into the river because they brought it as much suffering and pain as those damned dragon lice.


    Li Muyang was struck dumb.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this monster the tool used by the Department of Supervision to extort confessions? Are they trying to kill it now?¡±


    ¡°The friend of the enemy is my enemy. Similarly, the enemy of the enemy is my friend.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, this super ugly and extremely ferocious big guy is my friend?¡±


    Li Muyang was overly excited.


    He found a chance of survival again, feeling like he was being saved already.


    No wonder the monster had not hurt him. Instead, it dutifully carried him on top of its head as if it was his mount. It turned out that they were good friends.


    However, his pal was being killed and bullied at this moment.


    This made Li Muyang extremely angry.


    He stared at the nearest black-clothed man and started to accumulate his Qi in his Dantian, exerting all his strength in an instant.


    He delivered a punch.


    BANG!


    It was the Shattering Fist of the Qi-breaking Technique!


    Before the black-robed supervisor could moan, his body exploded, with the shattered pieces of broken limbs falling onto Cock-Crow Lake, amid his spilled blood.


    A companion had been slaughtered, which flamed the hatred of the other black-robed men from the Department of Supervision. Also, they found it hard to accept the fact.


    As people from the special department of the Empire, bullying others was the norm, but no one dared to bully them.


    Several men in black exchanged a look and surrounded Li Muyang, who was standing on the head of the Alligator Dragon, from three sides.


    They had already witnessed the power of Li Muyang, so they decided to attack him from three sides at the same time. Therefore, even if Li Muyang punched one of them to death, the other two could take the opportunity to wield their blades and cut his body into more than 300 pieces at that moment.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    The Alligator Dragon sensed the danger and suddenly opened its mouth and spewed forth a large amount of yellow-green liquid.


    In front of him, a man in black had no time to dodge. That yellow and dirty liquid completely enveloped him. The liquid was so dense that he could hardly breathe. Then, his body fell into the river.


    The Alligator Dragon shook its head and used its sharp teeth to bite the long blade in the hands of a man in black.


    Another man in black came from behind Li Muyang. He exerted great strength into his blade, which suddenly turned bright and emitted a light green glow. Even the handle was vibrating, along the whole long blade. It seemed as if the blade was going to get out of his hand.


    They were getting closer.


    The black-robed supervisor had been running on the Alligator Dragon for a long time and after several consecutive leaps, he put his long blade right on top of Li Muyang¡¯s head.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± bellowed the black-robed supervisor. He raised his long blade and hacked at Li Muyang¡¯s head.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Without any warning, the body of this black-robed supervisor suddenly burst open and turned into a rain of blood.


    Behind it, the tail of the Alligator Dragon was slowly pulled back, creating waves thousands of feet high.


    ¡°Trash.¡± Cui Zhaoren said in a low voice. He moved a little and disappeared from the side of the ship.


    When he appeared again, he was already standing on the back of the Alligator Dragon.


    Raising the heavenly sword high in his hand, he slashed at the abdomen of the Alligator Dragon.


    Its blood spurted wildly and a large piece of skin and flesh from the back of the Horned Dragon was completely cut off by him.


    ¡°Ow!¡± The Alligator Dragon struggled and twisted even more frantically. This killing move of Cui Zhaoren had hurt it too much.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The Alligator Dragon threw its tail toward him but only hit its own body.


    That was because immediately after Cui Zhaoren¡¯s successful strike, he darted away.


    Now, he was circling the enormous body of the Horned Dragon, around and around. After each circle, he would slice off a piece of meat from it.


    After dozens of rounds, the huge body of the Alligator Dragon was badly mutilated and many wounds were so deep that even its bones could be seen.


    Although the Alligator Dragon was huge in size, it was not very flexible. Taking advantage of this weakness, Cui Zhaoren understood that he could attack the dragon at will as long as he avoided its aggressive mouth and tail.


    Even under the protection of the armor-like scales, it could barely prevent itself from being wounded by the cutting edge of the Dujie Sword.


    More than anything, its main task was to protect Li Muyang, so it could not go under water and escape.


    Like a simple-minded guy with well-developed limbs, it stood there and let its enemy cut its flesh and bones, but it could not draw any vigorous counter-blow.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡­


    It began to yowl. Its cries became increasingly painful and heart-rending.


    Li Muyang¡¯s eyes turned red and widened because of his boiling rage.


    ¡°These supervisors do not just want to kill me but also intend to kill such a cute monster, which saved my life and tried its best to protect me. Only because it had some relationship with me, they framed this monster for colluding with the enemy!¡±


    However, this monster was his buddy, a partner whom he could count on.


    Li Muyang would not allow them to hurt the Alligator Dragon, although he did not know its name yet.


    ¡°Bastard! Come and fight against me!¡± Li Muyang roared, clenching his fist, which then creaked. He shouted at Cui Zhaoren, who was as fast as a bird in the forest, ¡°You coward, come and kill me! If you are so capable, come and kill me!¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± the cold voice of Cui Zhaoren sounded.


    He slashed at the head of the Alligator Dragon from its back. But when the Alligator Dragon rolled up its tail and took a wild swing at him, Cui Zhaoren instantly disappeared.


    As his body disappeared, countless Cui Zhaoren appeared in the air. Cui Zhaoren¡¯s numerous clones held a great many Dujie Swords and stabbed at every part of the Alligator Dragon.


    The gigantic Alligator Dragon was surrounded by Cui Zhaoren¡¯s countless clones.


    He used the ¡°Infinite Sword Skill¡± and incarnated into one hundred thousand copies, which enabled him to be invincible when facing his powerful enemies. Without any distractions, his heart stayed untainted.


    The heavenly Tao was the greatest, so everything in the world could be killed.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    A loud, crisp sound was heard.


    Then, the sky was filled with blood and a huge head fell toward the river.


    ¡°Plop!¡±


    Big splashes rose from the surface of the water and then a large part of the river water was dyed red by the blood from the head.


    It was the Alligator Dragon which had dominated the waters for thousands of years. It just started to understand the intentions of human nature and was learning how to protect its master.


    However, Cui Zhaoren chopped its head off simply with one sword strike.


    Originally, the Alligator Dragon would not have been killed, but it threw Li Muyang away at the most dangerous and critical moment.


    It was because it felt that the real killing move of Cui Zhaoren was aimed at Li Muyang.


    It exchanged its own life for Li Muyang¡¯s life.


    The headless body of the Alligator Dragon floated in the river for a long while before it unwillingly fell backward into it.


    ¡°Clank!¡±


    Because of that, the river water overflowed and the whole earth trembled.


    ¡°You deserve to die!¡± Li Muyang descended from the sky and then floated in the air.


    His eyes turned red and his dark pupils were engulfed by a blood red fog.


    The black scales on the back of his right hand seemed to come alive. It came out of his body and spun wildly above his head.


    The clouds began to rumble violently.


    The scorching sun was high in the sky, but there was also thunder.


    Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!


    It was a sunny day, but on the river, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.


    The river was surging as the black clouds rolled past in the sky.


    The white clouds above had been driven away and a large mass of dark clouds had appeared, covering the sky.


    It started to rain. At first, there were just tiny raindrops. Instantly, the drizzle turned into a heavy downpour and then into a torrential rain.


    The whole world seemed to be covered by the intense rainfall. It was a scene that only appeared when it was the end of the world.


    It was an abnormal scene. In the fierce and frightening storm, the unlucky ship shook violently and seemed as if it would keel over anytime and sink.


    Some people cried out. Some others were pleading and some were even praying to the heavenly deities.


    Each of them held on to anything that they could grasp tightly on to, wishing that any immortals would hear their calls and help.


    Cui Zhaoren stopped his attacks.


    He felt the pressure.


    The heavy pressure that stiffened his body and slowed down the movements of his sword. Under this life threat, he could scarcely breathe.


    Cui Zhaoren was also suspended in midair as he faced Li Muyang from a distance.


    ¡°What the hell is this monster?¡± Seeing that the situation was going against him, Cui Zhaoren instantly leaped forward and flew toward the ship like a sea swallow in the storm.


    When he landed on the ship, he turned to look at the place where the Alligator Dragon had fallen onto.


    All of a sudden, a shocking scene appeared.


    In the heavy rain, countless fish and shrimps emerged from the water.


    Swarms of them came over together, like a sea wave that had been stirred up by a storm.


    They jumped up from the water and fell. Then they leaped up again and fell.


    It was as if they were crazed and they went for the ship in a frenzy.


    PA!


    A water snake rushing to the forefront crashed onto the ship. It was knocked unconscious and fell into the water. But after it, many more water snakes bumped into the ship.


    Crack!


    A crab, which was as big as a millstone, hit the ship. The hard crab shell was smashed to pieces, but the impact of the crab caused a fatal damage to the ship. On the ship, a huge crack appeared at the place where the crab had hit it.


    A small blackfish crashed into the ship and its head was also smashed into pieces. A wave came and swept its body parts away. But after that, more and more blackfish, which seemed to have no fear of death, knocked against the ship.


    Millions of great soldiers came to protect the real dragon. When the dragon king was furious, the whole world would be shocked.

 Chapter 83 - Blades and a Heavy Rainstorm!

    What a breathtaking scene!


    In the river, the fishes and crabs frantically rammed the body of a ship as if they had a grudge against this ship.


    At first, they pounced on the ship one after another, using their heads and bodies to launch suicidal attacks.


    With their heads, those beasts hit the ship, and their heads were broken and bleeding.


    The bodies of the others that knocked the ship were smashed to pieces.


    Lots of fishes were knocked unconscious and washed away by the river waves.


    ¡°Thud!¡±


    ¡°Thud!¡±


    ¡°Thud!¡±


    At that time, they were a bunch of inexperienced and disorganized animals, so the thuds that came from them were still chaotic.


    When more and more fishes and crabs died, another overwhelming amount of them rushed over.


    Then, the waters of the river rolled as if the river water were boiled.


    These small creatures formed into high walls and huge waves.


    All sorts of them made up a huge colorful dragon, which then rushed straight toward the ship.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    As they became more and more experienced in hitting against the ship, the sounds that they made were gradually unified and grew much louder.


    It seemed that they were going to fight to their last gasps.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    All of them united in one purpose.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The noise that they made rose to a deafening pitch.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The massive sounds even resounded through the skies!


    They would never stop striking until they crashed the ship.


    With the extreme relentlessness, the rain poured down more and more heavily. Falling down fast like arrows, the large number of raindrops covered the entire river.


    On the great river, the ship rocked up and down. It seemed that the ship and all the people on it would be destroyed at any time.


    Those college students and travelers on the ship were scared out of their wits, and many of them were even scared into crying.


    ¡°God, these fishes and crabs are going to eat us! But I don¡¯t want to die! I really don¡¯t want to die like this¡­¡±


    ¡°The wrath of heaven! This must be the wrath of heaven! Just now, they killed the huge dragon, and their evil actions have brought the retribution upon all of us!¡±


    ¡°The Alligator Dragon must have become a lord in the underwater world. Now all these fishes and shrimps under its rule are coming to revenge for its death!¡±


    ¡­


    The emotion of fear was spreading throughout the ship, on which cries and screams were ringing out continuously.


    By this time, Cui Zhaoren was no longer in the mood to deal with those gossips.


    He had been staring at Li Muyang, who was suspending in the air. At this time, since the rain was too heavy and the dark clouds were too thick, even with his excellent eyesight, he could only see a blurred shadow in the sky.


    Just because he could only see the hazy outline of Li Muyang, the shadow made him get increasingly worried.


    It was always much easier to understand and deal with the things that could be seen clearly. Those things that people knew nothing about were always unfathomable and terrifying.


    When he met Li Muyang the first time, Cui Zhaoren didn¡¯t think there was anything special about him.


    Among all the college students, even Zhang Linpu, from Jia County, seemed to be more outstanding than him.


    However, Yan Bolai, the City Lord of Jiangnan City, came to see him off in person. It was only when Cui Zhaoren heard those people on the ship shouting Li Muyang¡¯s name that he started to feel curious about this guy.


    Recently, he had been handling cases on the border, which was far away from the prosperous Capital Heaven. Thus, he knew nothing about Li Muyang¡¯s result of the Liberal-arts Exam and the news that Yan Xiangma called him ¡®Jiangnan¡¯s fine horse¡¯. Well, it was even more impossible for him to know the fact that Li Muyang was accepted by Starry-Sky Academy, which a diploma mill in many people¡¯s eyes.


    However, from the conversation between Yan Bolai and Li Muyang, he knew clearly that this uncle did not like Li Muyang. Because if Yan Bolai cherished him for real, he would not come to see him off at such a point.


    If his uncle cherished Li Muyang and felt close to him, he certainly would let him know the importance of hiding the capacities and bide the time. After all, only by keeping a low profile could one live safer and longer.


    When the City Lord of Jiangnan City hated a person, he could simply kill him with a sword. It was also a good choice to ask someone to put him into a sack and throw him into a river, or a forest full of wild beasts. Why did he have to spend much effort to do so many unhappy things?


    Cui Zhaoren carried out a critical task, so he didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble. However, he thought that if there was a chance, he might as well help his uncle to eliminate his threat.


    This time, Cui Zhaoren abandoned the military ship and transferred the important criminal to Jiangnan City by swift horses. And through Maplewood Ferry in Jiangnan City, he took the waterway to Capital Heaven. All of this went on smoothly, thanks to the big help of the City Lord of Jiangnan City. Since Cui Zhaoren owed Yan Bolai such a big favor, he thought it was not bad to return him a small favor first.


    Perhaps, even he did not notice that he had already regarded Li Muyang, a nobody in his mind, as someone that could be killed at will.


    Later on, many passengers on the ship lost their belongings. Coming here after those college students, Li Muyang stepped forward and asked to search the thief upstairs. Besides, he mentioned his close relationship with Yan Bolai and Yan Xiangma, which made Cui Zhaoren very angry because he felt Li Muyang had brought dishonor to his family.


    How could a beautiful flower like him have something to do with that piece of shit?


    Because of Li Muyang, he even got angry with Yan Bolai and Yan Xiangma. ¡°How could they get involved with such a small potato?¡± Cui Zhaoren wondered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they know that those low-class people were shameless? As long as we treat them a little better, they can be bold enough to do anything in the name of us! Li Muyang may bluff and cheat his way around outside. Or even worse, he can do some illegal things on behalf of the Yan Family or the Cui Family. Won¡¯t he bring shame to our two families?¡±


    ¡°If so, I can never let such a rogue go.¡±


    In his heart, Li Muyang was just an unimportant person¡ªhe was not even worthy of his mention or notice.


    It was true that Li Muyang won first place in the Liberal-arts Exam. Once every year, there was a number one candidate in the Liberal-arts Exam, but how many of them could accomplish great achievements eventually?


    Though Cui Zhaoren did not get the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam, he looked down on those people who had taken the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam.


    Only when he heard that Starry-Sky Academy accepted Li Muyang did he get a bad feeling about him, who was actually a hidden tiger hunter, instead of an ignorant pig, a prey of the tiger.


    Li Muyang disguised himself as a harmless pig, so who would be the tiger that he was going to get?


    The answer was self-evident.


    Cui Zhaoren did not want to be the tiger that would be eaten by the pig, so he was determined to make the pig a dead one.


    All of a sudden, he launched a sword strike, aiming at Li Muyang.


    It was a sinister but dangerous move.


    According to him, he could put an end to all of this with one single sword strike.


    Now that his important prisoner escaped, he could just vent his anger by slaughtering Li Muyang.


    However, to his surprise, he missed his target and failed to cut Li Muyang¡¯s neck off. Instead, wounded, he repeatedly retreated after being punched. Li Muyang severely disgraced him before his subordinates and those college students.


    Afterward, things were out of control. After Li Muyang fell to the river, the Alligator Dragon appeared but was then killed. At present, there was an abnormal scene¡ªfish soldiers and crab generals caused havoc in the great river.


    Was this what made Li Muyang so extraordinary?


    Was it because Starry-Sky Academy knew all this so that it especially accepted him?


    If Li Muyang was a master, then which realm he had reached?


    Cui Zhaoren, who had already achieved the Upper Level of Floating Cloud, was one of the most well-known masters among the younger generation of the empire. Even Yan Bolai, the Governor of Jiangnan City, was not on the same level as him.


    Had Li Muyang already achieved the Vicissitude Realm or even some higher realms like the Starry Sky Realm and the Spirit Wandering Realm?


    It was impossible.


    In the empire, there were only dozens of people who were in the Vicissitude Realm. Some of them were supported by the imperial family. Others were either the masters of rich and powerful families or the leaders of sects. There were also generals who had conquered some places and Provincial Magnates. If Li Muyang had reached the Vicissitude Realm, did such a cultivation genius still need to go to the Starry-Sky Academy?


    As for the experts in the Starry Sky Realm or the Spirit Wandering Realm, they were already super masters of the entire Divine Land. Therefore, their exalted names had long resounded in the ears of everyone in the Divine Land.


    The Dragon Slaying Realm?


    In the past ten thousand years, not a single real dragon had ever been found, and no one had ever heard of a master in the Dragon Slaying Realm.


    ¡°Young master¡­¡± Su Rong¡¯s hands had been clinging tightly to the side of the ship. His black robe had long been drenched by the heavy rain. Also, his long hair was messed up by the strong wind, and his face was covered with rainwater. ¡°The rain is too heavy, so we can¡¯t steer the ship into the tributary. Besides, since those fishes and shrimps hit the ship too violently, I¡¯m afraid that the ship won¡¯t be able to hold on for too long. After a while, the ship will probably break apart, and everyone on this ship will die in the river.¡±


    Cui Zhaoren¡¯s hair was still tied in a perfect bun, and his black robe remained spotlessly clean. He, who had a handsome face, was still in his best condition.


    The wind howled, and the rain was so heavy that it seemed to be powerful enough to destroy a city! However, as if the fierce wind and storm had eyes, they automatically bounced away when they reached a dozen meters near Cui Zhaoren. Therefore, he, who was like staying in a peaceful sea that was glinting in the sun, remained untouchable.


    ¡°As my Military Advisor, do you have any good suggestions?¡± Cui Zhaoren asked, twisting his lips into a cold, light smile.


    ¡°Young Master, I advise you not to tangle with him. These supervisors and I will pin down him, and you should leave as soon as possible.¡± Su Rong voiced out his suggestion with some difficulty. He knew that the young master was a very conceited man, and he just advised him to run away in advance. That was to say, even before the fight between Cui Zhaoren and Li Muyang began, Su Rong humiliated his young master because he implicated that Cui Zhaoren had no chance to win.


    If Cui Zhaoren blamed him, Su Rong might come to a sticky end.


    However, this was an urgent matter. Since he had already put it very bluntly, Su Rong thought he didn¡¯t have to curtail the truth anymore.


    Around them, there were many black-clothed men, all of whom were looking in the same direction with alarm. Looking at them, Su Rong said, ¡°We will fight to the death to protect our young master!¡±


    ¡°Leave?¡± The sneer on Cui Zhaoren¡¯s face disappeared, and a trace of warmth appeared on his face when he looked at Su Rong. After all, this elder man had served his family for many years and was indeed loyal to him. Although his proposal sounded a bit harsh, it was a sincere suggestion with the best interests of Cui Zhaoren. ¡°I can escape, and so can the whole Cui Family. But how can people of the empire¡¯s Department of Supervision run away from this?¡±


    ¡°Young master¡­¡± Su Rong was anxious and went on to persuade him. ¡°It¡¯s just an expedient measure. You should, first of all, ride out this crisis today. In the future, you can still have chances to compete with Li Muyang.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s too late.¡± Cui Zhaoren shook his head and said, ¡°Even if I want to leave, I¡¯m afraid he will not agree¡­¡±


    Cui Zhaoren looked up at the figure high in the sky and felt even more uneasy.


    When Cui Zhaoren looked into his eyes, Li Muyang was also watching him.


    What a horrifying pair of eyes! They were blood-red as if the painter had added a layer of red pigments to them.


    ¡°Brothers in the Department of Supervision¡­¡± Su Rong shouted loudly. ¡°Are you willing to come out and fight with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The officials answered in unison.


    ¡°Kill!¡± Su Rong roared, and the black robe on him swung open all of a sudden.


    Wherever his Genuine Qi went, his wet clothes were immediately dried with those raindrops on them evaporating into gas.


    His right hand pressed against the side of the ship, and he leaped high. With his feet in the air, he pounced on Li Muyang, who was high above.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    The more than a dozen supervisors drew their long blades out of their sheaths. After bowing to Cui Zhaoren, they were about to attack the monster high up in the air with their swords.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The deck trembled, and the hard boat deck of the ship made out a cracking sound.


    It seemed as if a powerful and huge falling stone had attacked the deck.


    The rainwater accumulated on the deck turned dark red, and there was a strong smell of blood.


    That wasn¡¯t a stone, but Su Rong, the military counselor who rushed out first.

 Chapter 84 - Kill Seriously!

    Su Rong flew out and then flew back.


    The living Su Rong flew out, and the dead one was sent back from the air.


    All of this happened in a breath¡¯s time.


    In the process, those supervisors, who were ready to risk their lives to fight with Su Rong, had just pulled out their swords. They saluted Cui Zhaoren, which could be regarded as their farewells to him.


    However, Su Rong died.


    He was killed within a single round.


    They didn¡¯t even see Li Muyang make a move, and Su Rong was already dead. Before they could do anything to help, Su Rong was killed.


    Because of that, those supervisors with high fighting morale, who had fully prepared to die for their young master, were suddenly caught in a dilemma. They did not know whether they should proceed or retreat.


    To fight or not to fight: that was the question.


    Su Rong was an intelligent counselor that the Cui Family put by Cui Zhaoren¡¯s side, but Cui Zhaoren seldom used his suggestions. It was because Cui Zhaoren thought that he was a few hundred times smarter than Su Rong.


    However, to show his respect to his family and display that he was modest and prudent, Cui Zhaoren was still willing to keep Su Rong by his side. Sometimes when he was unable to take care of some things, he could entrust them to Su Rong. After all, most of the supervisors, who were only good at killing people with blades and doing criminal investigations, were not suitable to handle official affairs.


    Su Rong had just reached the Upper Level of Mountain Realm. In a small city, he could be considered an expert. However, in Capital Heaven, where there were various kinds of masters, he ranked the lowest.


    After Li Muyang punched Su Rong, an expert at the Upper Level of Mountain Realm, to death, the dozen supervisors were about to attack him together. But since their strength was even inferior to Su Rong, they would undoubtedly be killed within a few punches from Li Muyang.


    Cui Zhaoren saw Li Muyang attacking.


    Under the dark clouds and in the torrential rain, he was the only one at the scene who was able to accurately capture Li Muyang¡¯s traces and movements.


    At high speed, Su Rong rushed toward Li Muyang, wielding the Mountain-moving Fist that he was best at.


    He delivered the punch, which was powerful enough to move a mountain.


    Many shadows of his punch appeared. It turned out that six persons looked the same as Su Rong swung their fists at Li Muyang.


    At the moment, Su Rong could only make five phantoms. Thus, the five virtual images and he formed this attack formation.


    Su Rong risked his life to fight, so his fighting spirit soared aloft.


    Even with Cui Zhaoren¡¯s critical eyes, he could tell that Su Rong punched much better than expected.


    It was Su Rong¡¯s most brilliant and lethal punch.


    Presumably, Su Rong was also very excited at that time. He, who was full of confidence, believed that he was in control of the whole situation.


    The six figures rushed to Li Muyang¡¯s side and respectively attacked him from the top, the middle, and the bottom.


    Li Muyang fought back.


    He suddenly waved his right hand, which had been hanging down, as if he had been prepared for a long time.


    It was the only punch that he made.


    Then, Su Rong flew away.


    The real Su Rong flew up, not the five phantoms of him.


    Li Muyang was not affected by those illusions at all, and from beginning to end, he had been staring at the real Su Rong.


    This was a tragedy that was destined to happen to Su Rong from the very beginning.


    ¡°Unfathomable.¡± This was Cui Zhaoren¡¯s evaluation of Li Muyang.


    ¡°He stopped breathing,¡± A black-robed supervisor squatted down to feel Su Rong¡¯s breath and said in an angry voice, ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s risk our lives to avenge our military counselor¡¯s death!¡±


    Cui Zhaoren stretched out his hand to stop them and said softly, ¡°You are no match for him.¡±


    ¡°We are willing to die in the battle.¡±


    ¡°Then, the only thing you can do is die,¡± Cui Zhaoren pressed his hand on the handle of his sword and said. ¡°You¡¯re all my trusted subordinates. I don¡¯t want you to die in this battle. You should live for the existence of the Department of Supervision¡­¡±


    Crack!


    Like crazy, the fishes and shrimps continuously hit against the ship and finally made a large crack on the part of a ship where the water entered.


    Water instantly poured into the lower deck, and gradually, the ship started to tilt.


    However, the fishes and shrimps didn¡¯t stop hitting. They took the crack as a breakthrough point and knocked against the ship even more violently.


    Crack! Crack!


    More parts of the ship were shattered, and the original crack grew much larger.


    Boom!


    A loud noise was heard.


    The ship broke into pieces and crashed down with a loud bang.


    ¡°Help! I¡¯m dying! Help!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my dear God. Stop raining now! Withdraw your supernatural power, please!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t grab my plank. I held on to it first¡­¡±


    On the ship, the students and travelers on their business trips cried bitterly. Some were pleading, and some were cursing. Those intelligent passengers had already found some objects that could float on water. Thus, once the ship collapsed, they could hold those floating objects to keep themselves from sinking into the river with the ship.


    Although it was hard to survive on this storm-shrouded river, there would be a chance of survival, wouldn¡¯t there?


    At the moment when the ship fell, Cui Zhaoren leaped up into the air, his clothes fluttering in the wind. Once again, he appeared in front of Li Muyang.


    One was a white-robed youth, while the other was a black-robed attacker.


    The eyes of one person were as dark as ink, and the other¡¯s were as red as blood.


    It was as if they were destined to be opponents.


    However, they all had cold eyes.


    Li Muyang¡¯s eyes were cold and profound, and in his eyes, there was unconcealable killing intent.


    Cui Zhaoren¡¯s eyes were also ice-cold. The coldness was his usual attitude.


    In addition to the coldness, there were many doubts and an intense killing intent in his eyes.


    In an inevitable confrontation, the braver one will win.


    Cui Zhaoren could tell that this time Li Muyang was going to fight to the last gasp.


    ¡°Are you Li Muyang?¡± Cui Zhaoren asked in a low voice. This was not the first time that he asked it. In fact, he had asked this question countless times in his heart.


    Cui Zhaoren already had an answer in his heart¡ªYes, he was Li Muyang.


    But how could he be Li Muyang?


    If a freshman of the empire had already got such strength, why would he go to Starry-Sky Academy?


    He was more convinced that this man was not the real Li Muyang, or it should be said that a monster must have controlled Li Muyang¡¯s body. Only in this way could he explain everything that had happened in front of him.


    Could it be that he had the blood of some noble creature in his veins? Thus, after Cui Zhaoren knocked him into the river, the part of the noble creature in him suddenly awakened.


    ¡°I¡¯m Li Muyang,¡± Li Muyang replied calmly. His voice was neither too fast nor too emotional. It sounded like the indifferent voice of Cui Zhaoren.


    Now, Li Muyang appeared to be even colder than Cui Zhaoren, who used to be very indifferent.


    ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t want to reveal your background, right?¡± Cui Zhaoren¡¯s lips slightly curved into a cruel sneer.


    ¡°What can you do if I tell you the truth? What if I tell you nothing?¡± Li Muyang looked at Cui Zhaoren with eyes full of pity and sympathy.


    He actually felt sorry for Cui Zhaoren, the direct descendant of one of the most powerful families of the empire.


    Cui Zhaoren did not like the look in his eyes, which provoked him a little.


    ¡°Anyway, you are going to die.¡± Li Muyang licked his lips and said these words coldly.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren gradually stopped sneering. He was a serious person, and he was also an earnest person. On such a serious occasion, he should do something earnestly. For example, he had made up his mind to kill, right here, right now. ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± He said.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    There came the sound of a long blade coming out of its sheath.


    However, when this sound was heard, Cui Zhaoren had already turned into 100,000 phantoms. Together, they chopped at Li Muyang, who was suspending in the air.

 Chapter 85 - The Second Sword Strike—Emptying Karma!

    The ¡°Infinite Sword Skill¡± was a top-notch cultivation method in the world, and it was an essential foundation that the Cui Family had relied on for thousands of years to be one of the richest and most powerful families of the empire.


    Few people could survive from the Dujie Sword of the Cui Family, which was known for its overbearing power.


    However, the Dujie Sword could only be considered as the branch, the flower, or the fruit of a plant.


    In contrast, the ¡°Infinite Sword Skill¡± was like the trunk of a plant, which deeply rooted in the earth and played a vital role in delivering nutrients to the branches.


    The ¡°Infinite World Skill¡± could be divided into nine levels. Though Cui Zhaoren was only at the fifth level, he had already become a great figure in Xifeng Empire. During the three years after he took over the Department of Supervision of the empire, he established many illustrious military exploits and was highly regarded by the royal family of the empire.


    In his twenties, Cui Zhaoren had reached the height that many people had to spend all their lives¡¯ efforts to achieve. In fact, lots of elder people of the Cui Family, who were between forty and fifty, or even between sixty and seventy, still found it hard to go beyond the third level to reach the middle stage, a more mysterious and profound stage.


    Li Muyang wanted Cui Zhaoren to die, and Cui Zhaoren also wanted to kill him.


    Before Cui Zhaoren finished speaking, he had already produced 100,000 phantoms.


    The moment when Li Muyang heard him pull out his sword, the Dujie Sword in his hand had already turned into countless swords shooting toward Li Muyang.


    When Su Rong wielded his Mountain-moving Fist, he punched Li Muyang with his five phantoms. So, only the punch thrown by him was the real fatal blow.


    Unlike Su Rong¡¯s phantoms, Cui Zhaoren¡¯s 100,000 clones could launch real attacks, though they were also virtual images.


    Li Muyang had to repel all of them, for he would turn into fly ash if any of Cui Zhaoren¡¯s clones successfully wounded him.


    Now, Li Muyang was confronting so many clones and must fight against the sword attacks from these 100,000 enemies. How could he make that alone?


    When the 100,000 figures gathered together, they covered half of the sky. Moving about freely in the sky, the sword Qi coming from the 100,000 swords actually blocked the rainstorm and thunder.


    Since the heavy rain couldn¡¯t get in and thunder couldn¡¯t be heard, it seemed as if this area were in a vacuum now.


    While the other areas were still under the dark clouds, continual flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, this place was pitch-black and peaceful without any noise.


    The might of this sword strike was invincible!


    The first sword strike of the Dujie Sword¡ªCutting off Bonds!


    This was the first of Dujie Sword¡¯s greatest sword strikes and also the move that Cui Zhaoren could do the best.


    Li Muyang was still suspending in the air, exuding a very mature aura as if he had gone through numerous ups and downs since ancient times. And he gave people a feeling of coldness that seemed to come from the ancient glacier era.


    With his pair of blood-red eyes, he looked at countless shadows made by the 100,000 swords and a trace of confusion emerged in his heart, ¡°Why would I have a familiar feeling to this sword strike?¡±


    He tried hard to think, but couldn¡¯t figure out where the feeling came from.


    It was fantastic, but meanwhile, Li Muyang felt quite distressed.


    The familiar feeling forced Li Muyang to think about the question of who exactly he was.


    Li Muyang felt a sense of oppression, which came from the inside and outside of his body.


    The threat from outside was the momentum of these swords, and his internal stress was caused by fear.


    Li Muyang had already felt how horrifying this sword strike would be and was fully aware that it could cut all his ties to the past.


    He turned into a ball in the cyclone, which might be crushed into a meat pie or torn into pieces by the two powerful forces at any time.


    He stood in the wind, his black hair flying and his white robe fluttering.


    Just a few months ago, Li Muyang was a good-for-nothing who looked as dark as a piece of charcoal. But now, he actually became powerful enough to fight with the high-level master of the empire!


    Li Muyang closed his eyes.


    Suspending above Li Muyang¡¯s head, the black scale that came out of his body turned into something like a diamond-shaped black inkstone.


    It looked truly radiant with its glittering surface.


    With a closer look, a tiny flash of lightning was darting around in the scale. However, being trapped there, it just could not find a way out.


    Cui Zhaoren¡¯s black robe and shadows of swords enveloped Li Muyang who then disappeared from the sky.


    When the others on the river looked up, they saw that Cui Zhaoren had turned into a huge Buddha whose figure filled the sky.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    He was shining with golden light.


    Then, a beam of light shot up into the sky, and the entire surface of the river was lit up as bright as day.


    No, that was not right. In fact, the hot sun was originally high in the sky. It was the sudden change of weather and torrential rain that made the day as dark as the night.


    Because of the big movements and the shocking fight scene of them, all those merchants and university students, who were running for their lives by wooden planks, looked up into the sky in surprise. However, they did not know what exactly had happened.


    The dazzling light beam even turned the area around it golden.


    At this moment, half of the sky in sight became golden.


    Li Muyang disappeared, and so did Cui Zhaoren, along with the 100,000 copies that he produced.


    However, the golden color seemed to be as steady as the solidified pigments. Neither could the fierce wind blow it away nor could the heavy rain wash it away.


    Only time could dilute and fade it.


    As time went by, the golden light gradually darkened and then disappeared.


    The sky fell into darkness. The rain began to pour violently down, and the rolling black clouds also showed up again.


    Li Muyang was gone, and so was Cui Zhaoren.


    ¡°Puff!¡±


    There was a sound on the river. With the long sword in his hand, Cui Zhaoren, who was in a black robe, jumped up from the depths of the river.


    Once again, he stopped in the air. His handsome face looked as cold as an iceberg, and there were traces of blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth.


    He took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth.


    Then, he let go of the handkerchief in his hand. In the heavy rain, it soon got soaked and then was blown away by the strong wind.


    Like the handkerchief, Li Muyang was nowhere to be seen.


    Cui Zhaoren was worried because he could not find Li Muyang.


    If Li Muyang was dead and gone, he would not give a damn. But now, the fact was that Li Muyang was missing, and alive.


    Cui Zhaoren felt that Li Muyang was not dead.


    He used the first sword strike ¡°Cutting off Bonds¡± and squeezed Li Muyang into a small white dot from all directions. With that, he thought that he could resolve the big trouble and relieve his worries from then on.


    But when his Sword Qi was about to touch Li Muyang¡¯s body and the momentum from the 100,000 swords was going to crush Li Muyang into dust, the black jade-like scale floating in front of Li Muyang suddenly sped up to spin, and then burst open.


    A bolt of lightning broke out of his body and shot toward Cui Zhaoren with a booming sound.


    It moved utterly without fear and looked unstoppable with its awesome power.


    Peremptorily, it shuttled back and forth among the countless shadows and barriers as fast as a flash of lightning. Like a hoodlum, the scale smashed the 100,000 Cui Zhaoren into numerous pieces without mercy.


    Dashing around madly through the sky, it broke down the sword momentum that Cui Zhaoren had paid considerable efforts to gather. After this heavy blow, Cui Zhaoren lost the upper hand.


    After all, the scale attacked abruptly and appeared to have an awful lot of force.


    Cui Zhaoren, who concentrated on applying his sword skill, found it hard to resist it, so he intended to avoid its powerful offensive. But unexpectedly, the power of the sword Qi and the aftershock of the explosion pushed him into the silt at the bottom of the river.


    However, where did Li Muyang go?


    On high alert, Cui Zhaoren was waiting for Li Muyang to fight back against him.


    He knew that he would definitely return.


    Then, Li Muyang descended from the sky above Cui Zhaoren.


    He came down slowly from a higher and more distant place in the sky.


    Once again, he stopped right in front of Cui Zhaoren.


    Such a distinct way of reappearing greatly dissatisfied Cui Zhaoren, who was inflated with pride, and gave him a very strong sense of crisis.


    Cui Zhaoren was well aware of the power of the big explosion, so he wondered. ¡°How could he easily rise deeper into the sky instead of being taken down by the aftershock?¡±


    Merely judging by this move, Cui Zhaoren could tell that Li Muyang was more than one realm higher than him.


    ¡°But which realm have you achieved exactly?¡± Cui Zhaoren asked while cursing in his heart. ¡°Can¡¯t you talk nicely? Can¡¯t give me honest answers to my questions? If even you don¡¯t know which realm you are in, I suppose only God knows the answer.¡±


    ¡°Now, I remember.¡± Li Muyang looked at Cui Zhaoren and said with a cold, deep voice, ¡°You once attempted to kill me.¡± It sounded as if he even felt a little happy to recall the past.


    ¡°When? Where?¡± Cui Zhaoren looked puzzled. He was absolutely sure that it was the first time he had met Li Muyang, so he could not possibly have tried to kill him.


    If he had failed to kill Li Muyang last time, how could he be so stupid to repeat this mistake?


    At the very least, he should have called together the elites and strongest experts of his family and brought them to ambush him.


    ¡°You failed.¡± Li Muyang added with the corners of his mouth lifting slightly¡ªhe gave him a mocking smile.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cui Zhaoren fell into a great rage.


    He didn¡¯t like to be slandered, although he often did that to others. It was generally known that the Department of Supervision was very good at incriminating others. If it didn¡¯t frame up innocent people, there would be no need for it to exist at all.


    He particularly hated to be looked down upon by others. As a descendent of the Cui Family, an influential family, he was overweeningly arrogant and could only see great things like the moon, the stars, or the Milky Way. How would he pay attention to those ordinary people who were like worthless dirt in his eyes?


    However, Li Muyang had done the two things that he hated most.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill him,¡± Cui Zhaoren thought to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got it wrong,¡± said Cui Zhaoren. He wanted to cough very much because his throat was not comfortable, but he didn¡¯t want to do that. Instead, he forced himself to suppress the cough. In his view, it was disgraceful to cough. Moreover, he thought that Li Muyang, a person of low position in his eyes, would be very likely to sneer at him. In fact, Cui Zhaoren had known how sarcastic this sharp-tongued b*stard would become when he sneered at others. ¡°If I had tried to kill you before, I would have never tried it once more. If I had failed to kill you the first time, I would have realized the gap between you and me and would have found a better way or a more suitable person to get rid of you. I never make the same mistake. This matter has nothing to do with my honor, but I can¡¯t allow it to insult my intelligence.¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, there was no difference between the so-called good and bad people, but there is a big difference between smart persons and fools,¡± Cui Zhaoren said, revealing a very annoyed expression, ¡°Compared with bad people, I hate stupid people more. So, don¡¯t take me as one of those fools.¡±


    ¡°It was not you,¡± Li Muyang said, ¡°But the person used the same sword skill. What¡¯s the name of your sword?¡±


    ¡°Dujie Sword,¡± Cui Zhaoren said.


    ¡°The Dujie Sword¡ªfew people can survive from the Dujie Sword.¡± Li Muyang muttered to himself with a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°I can¡¯t remember from which ancient scroll that I saw this sentence. Alas, I have lived for such a long time and have read so many books that I can¡¯t remember it clearly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren blew his top.


    He blurted out in his heart. ¡°If you continue acting arrogantly like this, I will be too furious to focus on fighting with you!¡±


    ¡°How old are you? How dare you say that you have lived for too long and have read too many books?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡±


    ¡°As a smart person, I know that I should leave here immediately,¡± Cui Zhaoren said aloud. ¡°If I want to escape, you can¡¯t stop me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Li Muyang sighed.


    ¡°But I choose to stay.¡± Cui Zhaoren smiled lightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m really curious about how far you can go. The first sword strike is called ¡°Cutting off Bonds¡±, but you survived from it. Now, I¡¯ll launch the second sword strike¡ªEmptying Karma! Take it, please.¡±

 Chapter 86 - Burning Black Flames!

    A man, who was wise at all times, chose to do a stupid thing this time.


    This was how Cui Zhaoren evaluated himself.


    Like crazy, he decided to do something stupid.


    Cui Zhaoren had killed people before. In fact, since he was in charge of the Department of Supervision, killing was all in a day¡¯s work.


    He would kill people for many things, such as power, benefits, his superiors, and his family. Sometimes, people would die in his schemes and intrigues, and sometimes, he would kill people only to fawn upon someone. What was worse, he might take the life of a person who had a quarrel with him. In a word, he killed whenever he wanted to.


    This time, he insisted on fighting against Li Muyang only to see whose skills were better.


    There was an old saying that ¡°After grasping the supreme skill, you can serve with the imperial family¡±.


    This sentence showed the relationship between interests. It seemed that everyone was trying their best to cultivate only to seek a position in an imperial court.


    However, those cultivators might have different purposes.


    Some of them practiced in order to stay ever-young while some pursued to become great figures. There were also some cultivators who desired to be crowned with eternal glory. Sure enough, a part of them just had a love for cultivation.


    In the Starry Sky History, only those who were keen on cultivating and practicing martial arts could finally become the best and be dominators of the world.


    Li Qiubai was one of these people, and so was Du Ruofu.


    Cui Zhaoren was an extremely proud person, for he had great confidence in not only his talent and intelligence but also his family¡¯s unique techniques.


    Now, he had made up his mind to fight for the reputation of the Dujie Sword and the ¡°Infinite Sword Skill¡±.


    Also, he would fight to prove that his years of diligent study was not in vain.


    Therefore, he would do everything he could to fight against Li Muyang.


    Either Li Muyang or he would die.


    This looked fair enough.


    Li Muyang knew what Cui Zhaoren was thinking, so he said, ¡°I really don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°But now, I admire you a little,¡± Li Muyang said in a low voice. ¡°As a young master of a rich family, you were fearless in the face of danger and chose not to escape. You¡¯re willing to fight to the death. I admire your courage!¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Cui Zhaoren looked at Li Muyang, who was floating in the air, and he added, ¡°Born in a humble family, you can get yourself great abilities and mighty power. Though I don¡¯t know what has happened to you, I respect you because you have miracle skills. Everyone knows that no pains, no gains. However, only a few of them can pull through firmly to the end.¡±


    Only outstanding people could recognize and admire the excellent ones of their kind. Those idiots would only point at their backs and say with envy, ¡°They¡¯re just lucky.¡±


    After exchanging a few words, they knew each other better. Somehow, Cui Zhaoren and Li Muyang start to appreciate each other.


    Finally, they found some strong points of each other that they liked.


    ¡°Then, show me your second sword strike,¡± Li Muyang said aloud. ¡°Is it named Emptying Karma?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Only after clearing up all karma can one achieve what he wants.¡± Cui Zhaoren said with a smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t yet perfectly mastered this sword strike. This will be the first time that I fully display it. Therefore, I hope you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°I see. I will remember this name,¡± Li Muyang said. ¡°If anyone uses this sword strike to deal with me in the future, its name will come back to me and I¡¯ll think of you.¡±


    Cui Zhaoren felt a little uncomfortable and secretly complained. ¡°What do you mean by saying that?¡±


    ¡°The battle has not yet begun and you said that you would remember me in the future¡­ You made it sound like I would die this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too, in my heart,¡± Cui Zhaoren replied.


    He then stopped talking because he thought that the actual strength speaks louder than words.


    He raised his right hand and held his long sword up high, his face quite calm.


    When strong Qi flows entered into his black robe fast, it started to flutter violently as if it could no longer bear the pressure.


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    The sound of tearing brocade came. It turned out that the hem of Cui Zhaoren¡¯s black robe was torn off.


    However, the hem did not fly away but suspended in the air like Cui Zhaoren.


    With Cui Zhaoren as the core, a cyclone was formed, and the piece of cloth also stayed in the cyclone.


    Cui Zhaoren had produced 100,000 clones, who filled the sky. Like him, all of them were holding the swords high.


    Then, in an instant, the 100,000 copies of Cui Zhaoren united into one¡ªthe real Cui Zhaoren.


    Cui Zhaoren moved his left hand and cast a sword spell, and instantly more than a dozen emblematic gestures appeared around his five fingers. The scene looked complicated and gorgeous, dazzling people¡¯s eyes.


    The long sword held up high in the air began to shine, giving out rays of black light. These flames coming from the hell were black, the color of death.


    It was said that when Earth Store Bodhisattva saw all living beings suffering in the hells, he felt their unbearable pains. So, he vowed that he would stay in the hells to rescue them all and cause them to leave the realms of the hells. ¡°If someone has to take the tough stuff, let me do it. Only when the beings who are undergoing retribution for their offenses have all left the hells will I myself become a Buddha.¡± With his bodhicitta, Earth Store Bodhisattva added great wisdom into the Hell Fire from the hells and created the Dujie Sword Technique. By teaching others this technique, he intended to help them empty their karma, get rid of their human bodies and became Buddhas.


    While absorbing Cui Zhaoren¡¯s internal strength, flames rose up continuously and grew much bigger. Now, the original little spark caused a great fire.


    Like a torch, the long sword ignited a huge piece of the sky around it.


    The black flames were burning but produced no heat waves. In fact, these extremely cold flames gave people the creeps.


    It was cold!


    It was bone-chilling cold!


    Click! Click!


    The humid air was turned into fog. Beyond that, all the living beings in the sky and even the falling raindrops were frozen in an instant after being burned by the Hell Fire. When those raindrops fell on the river, they had already become black frozen balls.


    Pa! Pa! Pa!


    The ice balls were beating against the surface of the river, which was another devastating blow to those college students and travelers who were still floating on the river.


    The river was very wide and its banks were out of sight. Thus, it was almost impossible for them to swim to the shore by their physical strength.


    These people were waiting for the storm to pass, and then there would be other ships to salvage the wrecked ship and save them.


    To their disappointment, no other ships came to their rescue, and it actually started to hail.


    Zhang Linpu began to roar in his heart.


    ¡°Oh, my God! A moment ago, the scorching sun was high in the sky. But now, it¡¯s thundering and raining heavily. Just after the fish and shrimps crashed our ship, hailstones fall upon us! Will God stop only when all of us are killed? I¡¯m not going to Capital Heaven. I want to go home¡­¡±


    Li Muyang also felt cold.


    To be exact, it felt more than cold¡ªit was chilly and horrifying.


    Someone had asked about Earth Store Bodhisattva, ¡°In this world, what is the coldest thing, the hottest thing, and the most domineering thing respectively?¡±


    He replied, ¡°The hottest thing is the underground fire. The Hell Fire from the hell is the coldest while the fire caused by heaven is the most overbearing.¡±


    The Hell Fire, the coldest thing in the world, could freeze people¡¯s limbs, blood, thoughts, and all other things.


    It could also make karma cease to be effective.


    In the sky, the burning flames of the black Hell Fire crawled fast toward Li Muyang, like the wet paint that was poured onto a large piece of silk.


    Click! Click!


    Before the arrival of the Hell Fire, Li Muyang had already felt its chill menace.


    However, he made no attempt to escape and was ready to confront his enemy head-on.


    Li Muyang knew that the momentum of Cui Zhaoren¡¯s sword had been formed, so Cui Zhaoren would cut at him any moment he moved.


    Cui Zhaoren held his sword up but did not wield it only because he had not found any flaws of Li Muyang.


    If Li Muyang remained still, he certainly would not make any mistake. But if he moved a little, his opponent could find his weak point to attack.


    Of course, the two sides should be peerless masters who were well-matched. Otherwise, the weaker one would be killed within one sword strike no matter he or she moved or not.


    Li Muyang¡¯s hair was wrapped in a milky mist, and his wet clothes froze in an instant.


    Even the drop of rain hanging on his eyelashes and the blood on the corner of his mouth solidified.


    Click! Click!


    Li Muyang¡¯s body stiffened, and he was like an ice sculpture at this moment.


    The Hell Fire was still burning, but Cui Zhaoren¡¯s left hand, which was casting a spell, suddenly stopped.


    He then put his left hand on the handle of a sword. Now, he was holding his long sword up high with both hands.


    Then, he brought the sword with black flames down and violently slashed at Li Muyang.


    It seemed to be a simple sword strike.


    It also appeared to be a casual one.


    On the surface, Cui Zhaoren launched an ordinary sword strike.


    However, it represented the highest point of all Cui Zhaoren¡¯s achievements in sword cultivation.


    His speed was neither fast nor slow, and the strength that he used was neither too strong nor too weak.


    Everything that he made to wield this sword strike was just right.


    It was a perfect delight to the eye for his moves looked beautiful and harmonious.


    Harmony was considered as the most supreme law in the world.


    Cui Zhaoren launched his sword strike, aiming at Li Muyang, who was frozen by the Hell Fire.


    ¡°Click!¡±


    In the sky, a long black flame appeared and cut through the sky like a fire dragon, slashing at Li Muyang, who was at the other end of the sky.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The entire sky was shrouded by Hell Fire. The black fire that was burning fiercely darkened everything between heaven and earth. It looked as if a huge black cloth had covered the sun above.


    ¡­


    The sky was plunged into darkness. It rained heavily, and it seemed that the black Hell Fire would not be extinguished in a long while.


    In the darkness, someone sighed wistfully.


    ¡°How could this be?¡± It was Cui Zhaoren¡¯s voice which was filled with deep regret. He was still alive but sounded exhausted.


    There must be a lot of questions that he could not get the answers!


    ¡°I said that you have once attempted to kill me.¡± Li Muyang¡¯s voice also came from the darkness. ¡°Of course, it was not you, but you two used the same sword technique. However, that person did not use Cutting off Bonds or Emptying Karma, but another sword strike¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, it must be Violate Divine Will.¡± Cui Zhaoren smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Among the three sword strikes of the Dujie Sword, Violate Divine Will requires the greatest sword awareness. For thousands of years, no one in my family has comprehended and mastered it. It has never occurred to me that not only did you see it but also this sword strike didn¡¯t kill you. Who are you exactly?¡±


    ¡°That sword strike failed to kill me, and I found out a secret,¡± Li Muyang said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Since I have seen the ¡®Violate Divine Will¡¯, which is the best and flawless one, I know what the perfect state of the three sword strikes should be. Thus, the moment you made this sword strike I saw its flaw.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren began to cough violently, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.


    At this time, he was too feeble to maintain his perfectly elegant image as a man of noble birth.


    Gradually, the black flames faded away, and the sky returned to normal.


    The storm stopped and the dark clouds dispersed.


    Once again, the blazing sun shone upon the earth and the sky turned clear and blue, showing a breath-taking scene.


    All the others who had been swimming in the river looked up. However, before they could show a relieved smile, they were even more scared.


    All of a sudden, they all wondered in horror. ¡°The weather changed so fast. Was there anyone manipulating it from behind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made a fool of myself in trying to display this technique before you,¡± Cui Zhaoren said, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Li Muyang said, ¡°I happened to think of something in the past.¡±


    ¡°Did you say that you have seen someone use the Violate Divine Will?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Although I¡¯m not in the position to make this request, I suppose I won¡¯t get another chance to say it if I don¡¯t ask. Could you¡­ Could you please show me the third sword strike?¡±


    ¡°I only know its moves but not its spirit.¡± Li Muyang told him.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll feel completely satisfied if I can only catch a glance at it. Please enlighten me.¡±


    Li Muyang hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Well, I can show you how to do it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Cui Zhaoren said gratefully, ¡°Try it with my broken body, please.¡±

 Chapter 87 - He Would Not Regret Dying After Learning the Truth!

    Cui Zhaoren, by a fillip, sent the long sword in his hand to Li Muyang through the air.


    Li Muyang reached out and grabbed the sword.


    The hilt of this sword was jet-black, and its blade was silver-white.


    In light of the blazing sun, the sword glittered with flowing light and color.


    It was a superb sword!


    ¡°It¡¯s Divine-will Channel Sword, forged from overseas occult iron by Cao Yezi, a famous sword-casting master from Capital Heaven. Back then, he named this sword ¡®Divine-will Channel Sword¡¯ because he wanted its owner to comprehend the Divine Will as soon as possible and wield the Dujie Sword¡¯s third sword strike¡ªViolate Divine Will. However, it seems that both of us have disgraced ourselves,¡± Cui Zhaoren said, full of regret.


    He secretly sighed with emotion. ¡°In the vast Divine Land and the prosperous world, there are countless people of unusual abilities and incredible rarities. If I can live one more day, I can see more of them, but unfortunately¡­ What a pity!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, please receive this sword as a thank-you gift from me. Though the gift may be trifling, my feeling of it is profound. If such an excellent sword sinks to the bottom of the river, it will be a reckless waste.¡± Cui Zhaoren looked at Li Muyang with a sincere look and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t got a sword yet, so you may as well carry it with you. When you find a better sword in the future, you can give it to any other great master. I think this sword deserves a glorious future.¡±


    Li Muyang sensed that Cui Zhaoren was reluctant to die and his pity for this sword. He thought, ¡°If you had known that things would turn out this way, would you make the same choice?¡±


    Nevertheless, he thought slightly higher of Cui Zhaoren¡¯s personality and asked, ¡°May I know your name?¡±


    ¡°Cui Zhaoren.¡± Li Muyang¡¯s question slightly delighted Cui Zhaoren. There was a widely spread saying among cultivators: ¡°Tell me your name because I never kill a nobody.¡± Asking the name of a defeated opponent before his death showed that the winner wanted to remember him. It was an act that had a special meaning for cultivators like Cui Zhaoren because it meant that he had won Li Muyang¡¯s respect. Otherwise, why would he bother to ask his name? Thus, he answered, ¡°Cui Zhaoren from the Cui Family.¡±


    ¡°Cui Zhaoren?¡± Li Muyang frowned slightly. After thinking for a long time, he asked, ¡°Is your surname Cui?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cui Zhaoren did not understand why Li Muyang¡¯s face changed. He looked embarrassed and introduced in detail. ¡°The Cui Family in Capital Heaven.¡±


    This time, Li Muyang thought for a longer time.


    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± Cui Zhaoren was a little worried. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he dare to use the sword after hearing about my background? If so, I won¡¯t get the chance to see the Violate Divine Will. Not only can¡¯t I see it now, maybe I can¡¯t see it for the rest of my life. It¡¯s really a great pity in life!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Li Muyang said, ¡°Have you decided it? If I try the sword strike with your body, you will be dismembered on the spot and have no chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°But if I choose not to do that, will you let me go?¡± Cui Zhaoren asked with a smile.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± This time, Li Muyang gave him a quick answer.


    Previously on the ship, Cui Zhaoren did not give Li Muyang any chance to defend himself or prepare for the fight. He slashed at Li Muyang without warning, intending to wipe him out by force.


    Fortunately, Li Muyang had learned the extraordinary Qi-breaking Technique and had been on the alert all the time. Therefore, he was just pushed into the river and saved by the Alligator Dragon. Otherwise, Li Muyang would have already become a dead body gnawed by fishes and shrimps.


    In that case, would Li Muyang still have a chance to fight with Cui Zhaoren? Would he still have a chance to know Cui Zhaoren¡¯s persistent pursuit of Martial Arts and his love for the well-known sword?


    Dead people had no chance to forgive others.


    Empty Karma, the second sword strike launched by Cui Zhaoren, revealed the truth that one will always reap what he or she has sowed. One good turn deserves another, and so does the evil turn.


    Li Muyang would never forgive Cui Zhaoren, no matter what kind of person he had become.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Cui Zhaoren was not surprised by Li Muyang¡¯s answer at all. He said, smiling, ¡°If I die for Violate Divine Will, the third sword strike that no one in the Cui Family has ever touched in the past thousands of years, I shall die without regret.¡±


    Li Muyang nodded and said, ¡°Then watch carefully.¡±


    Cui Zhaoren closed his eyes.


    For an expert like him, he could perceive each move of his opponent without using his eyes. In the presence of attentiveness, he could even sense Li Muyang¡¯s every breath.


    Eyes sometimes could be deceptive so that with his eyes open, he might not feel the tremendous power of this mystical technique.


    Li Muyang moved.


    With a flash of golden lightning flicking on the blade, the sword was held up high in the air by him.


    It was the same start-up move as Cui Zhaoren¡¯s second sword strike, but then Li Muyang changed the pattern midway.


    Emptying Karma, the second sword strike, required Cui Zhaoren to accumulate his strength before releasing it. Meanwhile, he should apply his Infinite Sword Skill to activate the Hell Fire, which would become the power source of attacks.


    It was a powerful strike that could burn everything, leaving nothing but a black void.


    However, wielding such a strike would also drain the energy in his body and destroy his foundation.


    In fact, the Second Sword Strike¡ªEmpty Karma was sort of a self-destruct attack: if people wanted to use this skill to kill, they had to risk their lives.


    Of course, most people were killed by this domineering sword strike, so it was worth trying.


    Besides, ordinary cultivators could not master the strike¡¯s complicated incantation gestures.


    The third sword strike displayed by Li Muyang had few changes. He simply raised the sword in the air to cut and abruptly stopped there ¨C he drew the sword without slashing.


    In addition to flashes of lightning jumping on the blade, it just looked like an ordinary way to hold swords.


    The muffled thunder in the distance sometimes sounded as if it came from somewhere beyond the highest heavens, and sometimes it was like rolls of loud drums nearby, causing their eardrums to vibrate.


    However, such a sword-lifting style broadened Cui Zhaoren¡¯s outlook, enlightening him in an instant.


    ¡°Discard the dross and select the essential; Simplify what is complicated.¡± Cui Zhaoren muttered to himself, ¡°The second sword strike is more complicated than the first one, so my family thought that the third one would surely be more complex than the second one. Besides, the book ¡®Dujie Sword¡¯ only introduces this single sword-shifting move so that my family regarded it as an incomplete book ¨C all of us thought there must be some lost parts. But that was not the case. The essence is actually on the four words: draw sword without slashing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that Earth Store Bodhisattva created the book ¡®Dujie Sword¡¯ to enlighten people in the world. Then, the third sword strike, the most important move that has epitomized the thought of this book, should include the supreme Buddhist wisdom. In Buddhism, there is a well-known story: Holding the Flower and Smiling. Someday, the king of the Brahman heaven invited Sakyamuni Buddha to expound the law at the Meeting at Mount Lingjiu. With many followers, the king appeared before the dais, held out a golden poluo flower in greeting, and then took a seat at the side. The Sakyamuni Buddha took the flower and sat there serenely without saying a word. Many people were there to hear the Sakyamuni Buddha expound the law. However, while covertly glancing at one another, they all failed to grasp the meaning of this gesture. Only Mahakasyapa broke into a smile. Sakyamuni thereupon announced: ¡®I have profound Buddha dharma that can illuminate all things of the cosmos, transcend life and death, and break the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. With them, you can see through the false surface and be a Buddha. To hand down the dharma with unspeakable beauty, I won¡¯t write it down but will only impart it through hearts. I now bestow them upon Mahakasyapa along with my gold-thread cassock and alms bowl.¡±


    ¡°Earth Store Bodhisattva understood Buddha dharma well, so he was capable of turning things of great complexity into extremely simple ones. Also, he could make traces disappear. Since marks were wiped, there would be no flaws to be found. Without flaws, cultivators could never be defeated. That was why Li Muyang said that he had seen the perfect state of ¡®Dujie Sword¡¯.¡±


    Cui Zhaoren felt extremely excited in his heart. Now, he knew that he had only gained a superficial understanding of Dujie Sword. The more anxious he was, the harder it would be for him to make progress. The third sword strike could never be achieved by practicing, but by understanding. ¡°Violate Divine Will¡± meant that one should first comprehend the divine will before attempting to violate it.


    What¡¯s Divine Will exactly? For those cultivators, it could be considered as love, interest, or the highest level of cultivation.


    The key lay not in gaining but in abstaining.


    Therefore, only those with great mind wisdom might get a chance to know the truth of divine will.


    Only people who were free from human desires and passions could become a Buddha. It was the most basic and straightforward Buddhist theory but was ignored by everyone.


    ¡°I see,¡± Cui Zhaoren said with a relieved smile on his face. With this pure and noble smile, he looked kind and merciful, a little like a Buddha. ¡°I see.¡±


    Li Muyang wielded his sword.


    There was no wind and thunder, nor was there any momentum.


    Not a single trace of Sword Qi appeared in this absolute silence.


    It appeared to be a sword strike from an ordinary cultivator.


    However, claps of thunder from the highest heavens responded to him and came violently at Cui Zhaoren.


    ¡°With Hell Fire, this strike would be even better,¡± Cui Zhaoren sighed and said.


    Although Li Muyang had memorized the moves of Dujie Sword¡¯s third sword strike, he did not know the sword spells. More importantly, he could neither start up the Hell Fire nor apply the Infinite Universe Skill. Hence, this sword strike he launched only demonstrated the strike¡¯s form but didn¡¯t show its spirit. Because of this, the power he released was significantly reduced, only a tenth of his original power at most.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Cui Zhaoren said gently.


    The white light covered the sky, and the lightning was even more dazzling than the sun in the sky.


    The radiance emitted by this sword strike actually dimmed the light of the sun! People on the ground could only see the white light, but it was hard for them to see the sunshine that once had illuminated the world.


    A white ditch appeared in the sky. It split the sky as well as the white cloud in half.


    White clouds drifted over, but could not cross the ditch!


    The ditch was like a real one!


    Before the white light dissipated, Cui Zhaoren was gone.


    Li Muyang floated in the air and remained silent.


    ¡°Young Master!¡± An official of the Department of Supervision cried out. In the river, he was holding onto a plank from the boat to survive. But when he looked up at the sky and found that Cui Zhaoren disappeared, his eyes turned red, and he shouted, ¡°Brothers, quickly get back to report. Revenge for our young master with no delay!¡±


    As he spoke, he had already jumped out of the river and stood on the plank. Then, with a tap of his toes, he leaped into the air.


    In mid-air, he unsheathed his long blade.


    Clang!


    He chopped at Li Muyang, who was descending slowly.


    Bang!


    Li Muyang punched out, and the official immediately burst open in the air.


    ¡°I, Qing Feng, will go and avenge our young master¡¯s death. Brothers, leave now!¡±


    Another official jumped up and was instantly killed by Li Muyang with a punch.


    ¡°Take care of my family. I, Mo Chao, will fight to the death with the enemy.¡±


    One after another, those burly men in black rose in the air like strong puppets and slashed at Li Muyang with their broadswords.


    The bodies of their companions exploded in the air, but even such a dreadful scene could not stop them from revenging.


    Fight to the death!


    In this battle, 21 members of the Empire¡¯s Department of Supervision were killed, including Cui Zhaoren, the head of the Department of Supervision.