8mi Chapter 74 Shocks the Academy, Martial Arts Examination Ends
Chapter 74 Shocks the Academy, Martial Arts Examination Ends
The door to the Xuan-class martial arts training room was ajar.
The noise immediately subsided.
Chen Ye strode out from inside.
A commotion arose in the crowd, with people whispering and exchanging words.
"He...he's out?"
"Is this a victory or a surrender?"
The loud sounds of fists and feet clashing had just come from inside the room, and everyone was waiting for the outcome.
They had expected to see a body being carried out, or to wait for a blood-soaked loser to crawl out of the door.
But no one expected that it would be Chen Ye who came out.
His robes were slightly wrinkled, and there was only a few drops of blood on his body.
Seeing his calm expression and unhurried gait, he did not look like he had just experienced a life-or-death battle.
This left everyone somewhat puzzled.
Just after Chen Ye walked out, Si Ji, who had not shown up until now, also came out of the Xuan-class training room. He hurriedly closed the door behind him and left without calling the next examinee in.
The remaining candidates in the courtyard looked at each other, puzzled.
Many people secretly glanced at Chen Ye out of the corner of their eyes, their eyes filled with barely suppressed curiosity, eager to know what had happened inside.
About an incense stick's time later, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.
The headmaster led a group of school officials into the room, and everyone quickly made way for them.
Xue Zheng was as calm as still water. His sharp gaze swept over the examinees in the courtyard, and without saying a word, he pushed open the door to the Xuan-character martial arts training room and went inside.
One of the examinees near the door peered through the window and gasped in shock, freezing in place.
The instructor maintaining order in the courtyard shouted sternly, "What are you looking at! Go back and wait!"
"What happened?"
"The examiner inside... is dead!"
"Dead?!"
Someone glanced at Chen Ye and said with a hint of fear, "He beat him to death!"
The message was whispered out.
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
Fear, suspicion, disbelief...
After a while, the two soldiers guarding the door were called inside.
Two men, one on each side, dragged a corpse over two meters tall out of the training room. It was the examiner of the Xuan class.
The man's face was completely rotten and unrecognizable.
He was like a punching bag, with blood gushing from his mouth and nose.
As Du Wang's body was dragged out, the courtyard exploded as if a drop of water had fallen into boiling oil.
"He's...he's really dead!"
"The examiner... he actually beat him to death!"
Countless gazes pierced Chen Ye like needles.
The candidates stared at him in horror, as if he were a ferocious beast that had emerged from the deep mountains.
They simply couldn't believe that such an ordinary-looking young man could kill the examiner without getting hurt.
They were so shocked they couldn't speak.
In all the years of the martial arts examinations in the capital, such a horrifying thing has never been heard of.
This is definitely the first time.
Soon after, Xuezheng came out of the room, gave Chen Ye a complicated look, and then announced loudly, "The exam continues. Candidates from the Xuan class will be assigned to the other training rooms for testing."
The people in the courtyard finally managed to recover from their shock.
Subsequent tests continued, with candidates entering one by one for comparison.
Chen Ye walked to a corner alone, closed his eyes to rest, and waited for the martial arts exam to end.
He exuded a faint but palpable aura of menace. Occasionally, when candidates took a few steps closer, they would inexplicably feel a chill run down their spines and involuntarily stop in their tracks.
No one dared to approach and speak to them, let alone disturb them.
Time passed little by little.
After the last person finished their test, the instructors in the academy announced that all martial arts examinations for that day were now over.
Six days later, the results were posted outside the school office.
The candidates gradually dispersed through the side door.
When Chen Ye walked out of the school, the sun was already setting in the west, turning into an orange-red fireball, hanging half-hidden among layers of clouds, slowly sinking downwards.
During this time, occasionally some chivalrous wanderers or poor scholars would muster up their courage and step forward to befriend him, but Chen Ye had no interest in dealing with them at the moment and would only nod in response.
After leaving the school, Chen Ye found his horse, mounted it, and galloped straight into the city.
He rushed to Fengqing Tower, summoned the waiter, and ordered him to invite Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang.
Upon receiving the news, the two accepted the invitation and rushed over.
It was still that familiar private room.
Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang arrived one after the other at roughly the same time.
Upon meeting, Zuo Dongxi laughed heartily, "Brother Chen, the martial arts exam must have gone very well today! Shall we hold a celebration banquet in advance?"
Su Guang, standing nearby, smiled and curiously inquired about the details of the martial arts examination.
But Chen Ye was unwilling to talk about it further.
He looked at the two of them and said seriously, "I invited you two here today not because of the martial arts examination."
Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang exchanged a glance. Seeing Chen Ye's solemn expression, they also suppressed their smiles and asked, "What is the matter?"
"The Feng family."
Chen Ye's eyes darkened, and he immediately recounted how he had been targeted during today's competition.
After hearing this, Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang were completely stunned, their faces filled with horror.
"This person came for me, and he must be connected to the Feng family. So as soon as I left the school, I immediately went to find the two of them."
Chen Ye looked at Zuo Dongxi and said, "Brother Zuo, have you heard anything about what the Feng family has been up to lately?"
Zuo Dongxi pondered for a moment and said, "Speaking of changes... there is one. I heard that Feng Bainian seems to be loosening his grip, and perhaps he will soon lift the confinement of Young Master Feng."
Feng Bainian was the head of the Feng family. He had been managing the household for many years, but his reputation in the capital was not good. He had done a lot of things like bullying men and women.
Su Guang, who was standing to the side, knew that this matter might be dealt with leniently in the end, but at this moment, a trace of anger and disappointment still flashed across his face.
Chen Ye pressed further, "Is this information reliable?"
Zuo Dongxi nodded and said, "It's absolutely true. Xing'er heard Feng Bainian say it herself when she was serving him in bed at night."
Chen Ye sneered, "It seems that it's highly likely that Young Master Feng is starting his revenge."
Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi both tensed up at the same time.
This matter involves the three of them.
Now that they've already made their move against Chen Ye, it seems no one can escape the consequences.
"Then how should we deal with this?" Su Guang asked in a deep voice.
Chen Ye pondered for a moment, then looked at Zuo Dongxi and asked, "Brother Zuo, have you finished dealing with the Green Wolf Gang? How's the relationship with the government officials going?"
Zuo Dongxi replied, "Now that I've started a caravan business in the north of the city, although I don't charge them 'security fees,' the benefits I give them are actually 10% more than what the Green Wolf Gang used to offer. They treat us much more 'attentively' now than they used to treat the Green Wolf Gang."
"Then I'll trouble you to use their connections to thoroughly investigate the background of Du Wang, the examiner for this martial arts examination, and see if he really has any connection with the Feng family. At the same time, keep a close eye on the Feng family mansion, especially the activities of the eldest son's branch."
"Du Wang..." Zuo Dongxi repeated the name, carefully memorizing it, and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it right away. I'll contact you immediately if I get any news."
"Well, that's all for now. Everyone should head back early." Chen Ye stood up and said, "I've been busy all day, and I need to return to the Cui residence to report to the Third Miss, so I won't be having dinner with you two."
"It's alright, getting down to business is the priority."
The three men looked at each other and nodded, then parted ways at Fengqing Tower.
Chen Ye handed the horse to Su Guang and walked back to the Cui residence alone.
The first thing he did upon returning to the manor was to find Hongling and tell her that he wanted to meet with Miss Cui to report on the day's martial arts examination.
Upon receiving the news, Cui Xijun immediately put down her work and came to see him.
"How was it? Did the martial arts exam go well today?" Cui Xijun asked softly as she sat down.
Hongling, standing to the side, held a lamp and lit the candles one by one, gradually bathing the hall in a warm yellow glow, making it brighter.
"Everything went smoothly, but..." Chen Ye stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "During the competition, I accidentally killed one of the examiners."
"..."
Cui Xijun suddenly raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes staring blankly at him.
Even Hongling, who was standing to the side, trembled upon hearing this.
The candlelight flickered in the lamp, the light and shadow danced a few times, and then settled again.