Chapter 168: Setting His Own Price
Time continued to flow, and the expressions of the examinees outside the building grew increasingly grave, the shock in their eyes deepening. No one knew when this battle would finally reach a conclusion—after Tianhai Shengsheng had left, Gou Hanshi and Zhexiu were undoubtedly the two strongest among the examinees present. By all logic, this fight should not have lasted this long.
The prolonged duration of this battle was nothing like the one between Chen Changsheng and Luoluo. The sounds emanating from the Dust-Washing Building never ceased—sometimes like thunder, sometimes like massive waves crashing against the sky. In the azure heavens, patches of vibrant cloud wisps appeared from time to time, signs of the small world being disturbed by the clash of true essence. These sounds and images all testified to the ferocity of the battle raging within.
Outside the Dust-Washing Building, silence reigned. Everyone stared at the tightly shut doors, listening to the sounds coming from within, their hearts tense, wondering what exactly was happening inside. When half an hour had finally passed, even the faces of the three disciples of Li Mountain Sword Sect began to show signs of worry.
After Tang Thirty-Six had spoken those words to Chen Changsheng, he never opened his mouth again. His expression grew heavier, his gaze more serious, and he stood straighter, as if to show respect for someone through this posture.
Half an hour passed, and the battle continued. Xuan Yuan Po looked at Tang Thirty-Six and asked, "Do you know something? Is something wrong?"
Tang Thirty-Six was silent for a moment before saying, "That wolf cub is fighting for his life."
In the previous round, Zhexiu had taken the banknote, nodded in satisfaction, and said he would fight well—and so he had, sending that nominal classmate from Starfall Academy out of the academy. Before this round, he had said nothing, but the facts proved he was fighting for his life.
There are many ways to fight. Fighting well is one; fighting for your life is another.
No matter how strong Zhexiu was, he still had an insurmountable gap in cultivation realm compared to Gou Hanshi, who had already reached the Thorough Illumination stage. If he wasn't giving it his all, how could he have lasted this long?
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
He understood very well why Tang Thirty-Six had suddenly said that to him.
The fighting will Zhexiu had displayed and the price he had paid could never be bought with that flimsy banknote. When a mercenary starts fighting for his life, it proves he truly wants that thing.
"Wolves are the most persistent and enduring animals in the world."
Luoluo listened to the sounds occasionally coming from the Dust-Washing Building, a look of pity on her small face. She said, "When Zhexiu first hunted a demon soldier, he was only eleven years old. That time, he chased that demon soldier across the snowy plains in the dead of winter for three months. Only when the demon was utterly exhausted and weak did he finally succeed in the kill."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that the wolf clan's patience and endurance were indeed formidable.
What he didn't realize was that this was only the most superficial, glorious part of that story.
After a moment of silence, Luoluo continued, "But no one knows that at that time, the hidden illness in his body suddenly flared up. Add to that more than ten days without food, only drinking some snow water, and he was truly one step away from death. If that demon soldier hadn't broken down and given up, the one who would have died first might have been him."
Silence fell by the grove.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the tightly shut doors of the Dust-Washing Building, his emotions complex as he said, "In that wolf cub's dictionary, there are no words like 'give up' or 'mercy.' If it weren't for the limited space in the Dust-Washing Building and the restrictions on the battle format, letting him and Gou Hanshi fight to the death in the real world, no one knows who would last until the end."
Chen Changsheng looked toward the Dust-Washing Building and said nothing.
Above that circular building, the clouds in the azure sky were torn into shreds. From time to time, piercing howls rang out—whether it was the wind roaring or wolves howling, each sound struck fear into the heart.
His gaze fell on the door, but it was as if he could see inside the building, see Zhexiu's expressionless face silently battling Gou Hanshi, blood from his fingers slowly dripping to the floor.
Standing at the Grand Examination site, it was as if he could see the past—a thin, young boy silently stalking through wind and snow, his body, weakened by severe illness, swaying as if about to collapse.
But on the boy's young face, there was no trace of fear or retreat. He stared at the back of the burly demon soldier ahead, waiting for the other to fall before him. His eyes were filled with hatred and endurance, looking just like a wolf—because he was a wolf clan youth.
As Tang Thirty-Six had said, if Zhexiu and Gou Hanshi were to fight to the death in the real world, no one knew who would last until the end. However, the academy was a small world, not the real world, so the one who lasted until the end was still Gou Hanshi—this poor-born disciple of Li Mountain who had thoroughly read the Daoist Canon.
With a harsh creak, the tightly shut doors of the Dust-Washing Building slowly opened. Gou Hanshi walked out slowly, stepping onto the stone stairs. He coughed painfully twice, his face somewhat pale, his steps slow. Guan Feibai and Liang Banhu went to meet him, while Qi Jian frantically searched for medicine in his bag.
Zhexiu also came out of the Dust-Washing Building. But he didn't walk out on his own—he was carried out. Blood dripped continuously from the edges of the stretcher, a shocking sight. His pale face showed no expression, looking very calm. His eyes were tightly shut, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking at that moment.
Like a wolf, he had silently and stubbornly clung to Gou Hanshi, fighting for most of an hour, inflicting no small injury on Gou Hanshi. But he had also paid a heavy price. With his current injuries, it was absolutely impossible for him to continue fighting—there was even a risk to his life. He should have been sent out of the academy for treatment. Yet earlier in the Dust-Washing Building, when the presiding priest of the Li Palace had tried to make such an arrangement, he was forced back by the indifferent emotion and persistence in the young man's eyes, and could only have him carried out of the building.
Forcing Gou Hanshi to such a state, Zhexiu earned the awe of all the examinees present. But the word "awe" ultimately fell on "fear." People looked at the blood-dripping stretcher and him lying in it, saying nothing. No one stepped forward to show concern or comfort. He was participating as a student of Starfall Academy, yet in the previous round, he had crippled his classmate from the same academy. Now Starfall Academy wouldn't bother with him either. The Li Palace priests, holding the stretcher, looked at the examinees outside the Dust-Washing Building, unsure where to send him.
It was at this moment that Chen Changsheng, leaning against the white poplar tree, stood up with difficulty.
Luoluo understood his intention. She patted Xuan Yuan Po on the back, signaling him to go forward and take the stretcher. Xuan Yuan Po dared not object and stepped forward, taking the stretcher with one hand.
The stretcher arrived by the grove. Zhexiu lay quietly on it, his face pale, covered in blood, unable to move or speak. But he opened his eyes, looking very calm.
With a ripping sound, Xuan Yuan Po began bandaging him. Chen Changsheng fed him medicine. Luoluo looked at him with complex emotions. Tang Thirty-Six sighed, "Why did you have to fight so bitterly?"
Zhexiu looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Add to the price."
(Here, Zhexiu is naturally the Zheng Haonan of the underworld—cool... That's two thousand words for today.)