Chapter 463: The Beginning of Drowning
On a certain summer day, Tang Thirty-Six broke the hand of that instructor from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy. On the second day, he severely wounded that expert from the Tianhai family with a single sword strike, then won two more matches. On the third day, he won two matches cleanly in a row. On the fourth day, he won another match with effortless grace. On the fifth day, he swept through four consecutive matches with overwhelming momentum. Thus far, he had fought twelve battles on behalf of the National Teaching Academy without a single defeat.
The area in front of the National Teaching Academy had turned into a sea of flowers. Hundred Flowers Lane had finally lived up to its name for the first time. Even more joyful were the vendors selling flowers at the lane's entrance and the Four Great Gambling Houses setting up their betting stalls under the awnings. No matter how the odds shifted or how the betting options were adjusted, as long as people's attention grew, the merchants could always reap maximum profits from it.
Everyone was discussing just how long Tang Thirty-Six's winning streak could last. At the same time, they truly confirmed that the young master of the Wenshui Tang family, who had been known as a prodigy since childhood, was indeed as the Old Heavenly Diviner had commented during last year's Azure Cloud Ranking Reassessment—as long as he diligently cultivated, his realm and strength could easily advance by leaps and bounds, a thousand miles in a single day. Some had already begun to wonder where he would stand on this year's Golden Dot Ranking Reassessment at the age of seventeen.
As in previous days, Tang Thirty-Six stood in the ocean of petals, his expression calm, as if completely unmoved by the beautiful scenery or the shouts of the young women on the street. Yet in his mind, he was pondering some trivial matters—the weather had been hot lately, and the fresh flowers the vendors at the lane's entrance had transported from Qingqiu Commandery had grown too lush. Standing in the sea of flowers, he always felt as if he were standing in a pile of plump, tender pork belly.
"Truly impressive." A cold voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. "I'm curious—if the Golden Dot Ranking were to be reassessed now, where would you rank?"
As the voice sounded, a man in black cloth garments, radiating a chilling aura, slowly walked to the entrance of the National Teaching Academy.
This question was one many in the capital were curious about, but no one was more fitting or authoritative to ask it than this man. For this man in black was a powerhouse on the Golden Dot Ranking, ranked twenty-seventh, at the initial stage of the Gathering Stars Realm. His surname was Mu, his given name Laoban, and he was indeed called Mu Laoban. In fact, he was also a businessman dealing in tomb construction.
Mu Laoban had grown up in the Southern Youling region, and his cultivation methods leaned toward the sinister path of nether fire. His combat techniques were unpredictable and eerie, making it difficult even for opponents of the same realm to defeat him in single combat. He was a guest elder of the Tianhai family, and like Zhou Ziheng, he also held the identity of an instructor at the Ancestral Temple, so he was qualified to challenge the National Teaching Academy.
With Mu Laoban's appearance, the temperature at the entrance of the National Teaching Academy instantly dropped several degrees, and an extra chill emerged in the midsummer heat.
The crowd instinctively stepped back, and the young women's shouts turned into worried whispers.
Those who came to challenge the National Teaching Academy today had all submitted their challenge letters the previous night. Tang Thirty-Six was not surprised by this man's arrival and had already made thorough preparations in advance. He knew he was no match for Mu Laoban, because he wasn't a freak like Chen Changsheng, who could cross realms to defeat a Gathering Stars cultivator.
So he had no intention of fighting this man. He directly pulled a thick stack of banknotes from his bosom.
"The Tianhai family gives you three thousand taels of silver and a bag of crystal stones every year. I don't have spare crystal stones on hand right now, only thirty thousand taels in banknotes."
Just as the information provided by the Tianxiang Hall stewards had indicated, seeing the thick stack of banknotes in his hand, Mu Laoban's expression immediately changed. His eyes grew incredibly bright and fervent, and even the sinister chill about him diminished significantly. —Truly a man of extreme greed, Tang Thirty-Six thought with a smile as he watched the struggle on Mu Laoban's face.
Then he recalled how he had dealt with Zhe Xiu during the Grand Examination using just a roast chicken, and he felt that he was indeed uniquely gifted, with an extraordinary bloodline, a true genius for business.
Watching this scene, the capital citizens in the streets were dumbfounded, wondering if this was even allowed.
To Tang Thirty-Six's regret, but to the delight of the capital citizens who had come to watch the excitement, Mu Laoban ultimately resisted the temptation of money.
"I do love money, but there are things in this world more important than money." Mu Laoban looked at Tang Thirty-Six with regret. "You understand."
Tang Thirty-Six understood. For a sinister villain like Mu Laoban, things more important than money could hardly be concepts like justice or promises. It could only be leverage the Tianhai family held over him, or... more money.
Mu Laoban took a short black spear from his disciple's hand and walked to the edge of the sea of flowers.
That spear seemed to be forged from refined iron, but for some reason, it was exceptionally short. Presumably, its spear techniques in battle would be extremely treacherous, but the most sinister thing was the terrifying poison staining the spearhead.
"Is this allowed?" Tang Thirty-Six shouted toward the tea house across the lane.
The Li Palace clergy were responsible for protecting the safety of the National Teaching Academy, but those truly qualified to ensure the fairness of the academies' martial exhibitions... were in that tea house.
Only a very few in the entire capital knew that these days, Chief Archbishop Mao Qiuyu of the Hall of Glory and Chief Archbishop Si Yuan of the Hall of Resolution sometimes sat in that small building drinking tea.
There was no sound from the tea house, indicating that Si Yuan and Mao Qiuyu did not consider that poison-coated short spear a violation of the rules.
Mu Laoban looked at Tang Thirty-Six and smiled. His blood-red lips revealed stark white teeth that resembled animal bones in the depths of snow, and his voice was equally chilling: "Please."
"Please my head," Tang Thirty-Six said.
Mu Laoban's expression shifted slightly, the sinister chill in his eyes intensifying. "Could it be... that the National Teaching Academy wants to concede?"
"Idiot, the National Teaching Academy isn't just me."
Tang Thirty-Six sheathed his sword without hesitation, turned, and walked toward the academy gate, shouting, "Hurry up and come out. Since this guy won't take the money, I can't handle it."
The gate of the National Teaching Academy was pushed open, and Chen Changsheng walked out. As he passed Tang Thirty-Six, he couldn't help but complain.
"You said you could handle these things. Is this how you handle them?"
"What did I do wrong? Drowning... when soldiers come, we send generals; when water comes, we use earth to drown it. Thirty thousand taels in banknotes couldn't drown that greedy bastard, and I can't beat him, so of course you have to step in."
Chen Changsheng stopped and said helplessly, "Can you stop saying 'of course'?"
Tang Thirty-Six shrugged indifferently and said, "Don't forget what we agreed on."
Chen Changsheng nodded.
These past days, it had seemed like Tang Thirty-Six was fighting alone, but in truth, every night they would discuss the next day's opponents in the library. Even the severely injured Zhe Xiu occasionally offered extremely sharp insights. Combined with the steady stream of intelligence from the Wenshui Tang family and the Education Hub, this was how they achieved the twelve consecutive victories that shook the capital.
But there would always be opponents that neither he nor Tang Thirty-Six could handle. What then?
They had set a principle: regardless of victory or defeat, they could not suffer any irreparable severe injuries—such as damage to the Sea of Consciousness or the loss of an arm. As for other situations, they didn't need to worry too much. The Li Palace had sent two Red Archbishops with profound mastery of Holy Light magic to guard the National Teaching Academy, so no matter how they got hurt, it wouldn't matter.
As Chen Changsheng appeared on the stone steps, the crowd, which had just quieted for a moment, suddenly erupted in cheers even louder than before.
Tang Thirty-Six, about to enter the National Teaching Academy to rest, heard the noise behind him and couldn't help but mutter a few annoyed words.
These days, the National Teaching Academy's twelve consecutive victories had brought Tang Thirty-Six unprecedented glory, to the point that the capital citizens had somewhat forgotten Chen Changsheng's existence. Only now, with his dazzling reappearance, did they remember that he was the dean of the National Teaching Academy, the key figure in its revival, or rather, its soul. And as everyone knew, he was the academy's strongest fighter, having once crossed realms to defeat the Gathering Stars cultivator Zhou Ziheng...
Mu Laoban's expression grew even darker. Staring at Chen Changsheng on the steps, he said, "Should I feel honored, or should I feel sorry for you, Dean Chen?"
Chen Changsheng did not answer him. He held his sword horizontally before him and said, "Please."
Mu Laoban's expression turned grave. He slowly raised the black short spear, about two feet long, in his hand.
...
...
(In the past year, I haven't been following many books—mostly just Flourishing Tang, The Commoner, Return of the Cat, and some Korean entertainment novels. These books are gradually finishing. After Return of the Cat comes Flourishing Tang, and Yu Zui ended even earlier. Fortunately, when old books end, new ones naturally appear. I always keep trusting the authors I trust, like Fu Tian.
A few days ago, before Flourishing Tang ended, Fu Tian started a new book, unhesitatingly writing two at once. This struck me as incredible. How did this woman cultivate such formidable execution? How has she maintained her passion for writing all these years? Yes, you might have guessed, but you're wrong—this isn't an ad, it's a sincere sharing. Fu Tian's new book is called Ming Dynasty Survival Manual, and it's really good. If you don't believe me, go read it...)