Chapter 43: Sudden Turn |
The crowd seemed drawn like a magnet, rapidly gathering toward that direction, forming a whirlpool of human walls.
Whispered conversations spread like a tide, carrying shock, fear, and the complex emotions of rubbernecking.
"The Pine Breeze Martial Hall is really ruthless!"
"This Qin Lie is finished, what a waste of talent."
"Who told him to run into Gao Sheng?"
"Zhou Liang has really lost face this time, completely humiliated."
"I heard their two families have been feuding for decades, this grudge runs even deeper now."
...
"Make way, everyone make way!"
Crash!
Crash!
The crowd instantly parted down the middle, creating a pathway.
Zhou Liang walked at the front, his usual smile having long disappeared, leaving only barely concealed panic and anxiety.
Sun Shun and several disciples from Zhou's courtyard followed closely behind, carrying a simple stretcher.
Lying collapsed on the stretcher was Qin Lie.
Where was even half of his former arrogance and high spirits?
His entire body was like a puddle of mud, twisted at unnatural angles, especially his arms and legs. The miserable state was clearly not ordinary bruising or dislocation, but obvious traces of deliberately shattered tendons and bones.
His expensive practice clothes were stained with mud and blood, even clearly imprinted with several glaring shoe prints.
Watching Zhou Liang and the others hurry away, deliberate but malicious snickering came from the Pine Breeze Martial Hall's direction.
"Who did this?"
Chen Qing was completely bewildered upon seeing this scene.
Wasn't this supposed to be a martial examination? How did Qin Lie end up crippled like this?
Before he could think it through, this round of matches ended and a new round of lot drawing began.
After the lot positions were distributed, Chen Qing stood at the sidelines, focusing intently on watching the upcoming real combat matches.
The martial examination determined future prospects and destiny. Every martial student on the field gave their all, fighting with exceptional ferocity.
Besides gaining experience through personal combat, observing masters spar and studying their techniques and approaches could also yield great benefits.
Several of them made even Chen Qing's heart race with alarm.
Especially Mo Ziyu from the Blood River Gang, who had already achieved great accomplishment in hidden strength three years ago and had been concentrating on polishing his foundation, accumulating power to break through to transforming strength. He could be called unmatched below the transforming strength realm.
Anyone who drew him as an opponent sighed in despair, their faces turning ashen.
"Young brother's skills are clean and efficient, truly admirable."
At this moment, Lin Sheng approached with a face full of smiles, "Today's martial examination gathers many experts. I am Lin Sheng, formerly trained at Startling Swan Martial Hall. May I ask young brother's distinguished name? Since we can be considered fated to meet, how about making friends?"
Chen Qing glanced at him and smiled, "I am Chen Qing."
Seeing Chen Qing take the bait, Lin Sheng immediately cut to the point, "So it's Brother Chen! What a pleasure! Today's lot drawing truly depends entirely on luck. I wonder which number Brother Chen drew? Share it with us, in case we face each other, we can go easy, haha!"
He laughed falsely, leaning forward slightly with an urgent look of wanting to know the answer.
When Lin Sheng saw Chen Qing's lot number, disappointment flashed in his eyes. He chatted casually for a few sentences before leaving.
After Lin Sheng walked away, Chen Qing quietly asked the Escort Master Hong he had just met, "Escort Master Hong, what's that person's background?"
Chatting and exchanging pleasantries at martial examinations was common practice. Escort Master Hong had also appeared quite normal when greeting Chen Qing, but Lin Sheng's excessive enthusiasm aroused Chen Qing's suspicions.
Escort Master Hong glanced in the direction Chen Qing indicated and said flatly, "He used to be from Startling Swan Martial Hall, his skills aren't weak. Later, something happened and he left the martial hall. Now he's a retainer for the Huang family."
Escort Master Hong's tone was subtle, as if he wanted to say more but held back.
Chen Qing understood in his heart. For someone with hidden strength to leave a martial hall, either they were seeking better opportunities or they had done something unsavory and been kicked out.
Three more matches followed, with Chen Qing passing each round with "narrow victories."
"That's about enough," Chen Qing thought to himself.
Winning four consecutive matches was already quite a good record.
Those he would face next were mostly experts who had been famous in the county for years, experienced and ruthless.
To compete for martial examination rankings and make a name for themselves, these people all went all out, using their killing moves, making it extremely dangerous.
Two of them were even severely injured and disabled on the spot, carried out on stretchers.
The top fifty in the martial examination would all be awarded the martial scholar title, and the specific ranking didn't matter much in practical terms.
Fighting to the death for a mere empty title?
Moreover, Qin Lie being crippled had set off alarm bells in Chen Qing's mind.
"Brother Chen, truly magnificent skills!"
Lin Sheng sauntered over again with a beaming smile, "If your luck holds out a bit more, you might have great hopes of making the top tier!"
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to casually sweep toward the lot number in Chen Qing's hand, while internally cursing this kid's dog shit luck for encountering several mediocre opponents and actually winning four rounds in a row.
Chen Qing's expression remained calm, "Brother Lin flatters me too much. This time I drew number six in group A."
"Group A, number six!?"
Lin Sheng's eyes lit up. He instantly suppressed his inner wild joy, made small talk for a few sentences, then hurried away.
He had inquired several times and finally matched up against Chen Qing this time, so he rushed to report to Xu Xiuhua, patting his chest and guaranteeing he would humiliate Chen Qing thoroughly on the platform until he was completely disgraced.
Soon, a clerk called out loudly, "Group A, number six, take the stage!"
Lin Sheng eagerly leaped onto the platform, then shouted harshly toward Chen Qing's direction, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and get your ass up here! Are you scared? I heard you have some skills. Today this young master will properly weigh and measure you, see if you're the real deal or just a waste who can only run his mouth!"
He deliberately emphasized the words "waste" heavily, drawing sideways glances from the surrounding audience, planning to humiliate Chen Qing thoroughly and vent his master's anger.
Chen Qing looked at Lin Sheng like he was looking at an idiot.
Lin Sheng sneered, "What? Scared stupid?"
However, it wasn't Chen Qing who walked onto the platform.
A burly man with a stern, iron-like face slowly ascended the stage, the chill emanating from his body almost making the air freeze.
"It's Mo Ziyu, the young gang leader of the Blood River Gang."
"Has this Lin Sheng gone mad? How dare he insult the Blood River Gang's young leader like that!?"
"His temper isn't good at all."
...
The smile on Lin Sheng's face instantly froze. From wild joy to shock, his expression changed spectacularly, his face turning "whoosh" pale as a sheet.
He whipped his head around to look at Chen Qing below the stage, only to see Chen Qing standing with his arms crossed, a trace of an almost imperceptible, theater-watching smile at the corner of his mouth. He even slightly raised his eyebrows at him, as if saying, "Surprised? Unexpected?"
Lin Sheng's brain went "buzz," he understood, he'd been played!
Chen Qing had simply made up a random number!
Or rather, that Chen Qing kid had seen his own lot position and deliberately reported this number.
And he had spent ages wildly taunting his real opponent, that killing star from the Blood River Gang!
"Come on."
Mo Ziyu's face was so dark it could drip water, his voice ice-cold and bone-piercing, "Didn't you want to weigh and measure this young master, see if I'm the real deal?"
It's over!
Lin Sheng trembled in terror, a chill rushing from his feet straight to his head. He frantically waved his hands, "Young Master Mo! A misunderstanding! This, this is a huge misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding?"
Mo Ziyu smiled coldly, his form suddenly charging forward. An iron fist tore through the air, wrapped in suffocating force, striking straight toward Lin Sheng's face.
Comments 2