The students from Changning walked along the edge of the mountain rocks, all looking down with smiles on their faces, occasionally whispering to one another. The two groups appeared separated by height, seemingly unrelated, but in reality, their gazes were already filled with veiled provocation when they met.
Qi Gong thought to himself that this was bad—he hadn’t expected to encounter them here. He turned and urged, “Watch your step and stay close to the group.”
Wen Lisheng was also among the crowd. She glanced down briefly but didn’t see Xie Xiaonan. Since everyone was wearing the same uniform, finding a specific person required careful observation. Wen Lisheng patiently scanned the area again.
Sure enough, she spotted Xie Xiaonan hidden in the shade of a tree in a secluded spot. The pale purple robe he wore toned down the aura around him considerably. He was expressionlessly watching the Changning students by the mountain rocks. As his gaze shifted, Wen Lisheng averted her eyes before he could look her way, turning her head aside.
This part of the journey felt agonizing. The longer they lingered, the more likely trouble would arise.
“Hey, it’s really lively down there!” As expected, someone suddenly shouted, “When the sun comes out, you better hide well—don’t let the delicate skin of the young ladies and gentlemen get sunburned!”
This remark ignited the already suppressed emotions, and the Changning faction burst into raucous laughter.
A girl from below shouted loudly, “This wild mountain is full of monkeys, chattering away and annoying everyone!”
The students from Qianshan also jeered in a disorderly chorus, “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen monkeys walking in a line.”
This comment was rather pointed. Wen Lisheng, having been called a monkey, was naturally angry. If not for her lingering concerns, she would have already pointed fingers and picked a fight.
Shen Jiaqing, with his even worse temper, immediately bent down to pick up a rock to throw. Wen Lisheng, quicker than him, grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing? How old are you to resort to violence so easily? You have no maturity at all. Let them shout if they want to. Do smart people bother arguing with fools?”
Shen Jiaqing thought it over and agreed—he was already a mature man and shouldn’t engage in such childish behavior.
Before he could put the rock down, another voice came from below, “Some mountain monkeys spend all day swinging swords and spears, dreaming of becoming the Monkey King, but in reality, they can’t even compare to a single hair of his.”
Shen Jiaqing raised the rock in his hand again. “That one’s definitely aimed at me.”
Wen Lisheng hurriedly stopped him, also feeling annoyed. She thought to herself that the Qianshan people were truly irritating but advised, “Why are you so quick to take the bait? You’re not a mountain monkey!”
Shen Jiaqing lowered his hand again. “You’re right. Besides, I don’t swing swords or spears.”
He had always used a sword.
After these few exchanges, the two groups were already at each other’s throats. The Changning students simply stopped walking altogether, standing by the mountain rocks to shout insults below. Wen Lisheng felt overwhelmed, pushing through the crowd to approach Qi Gong. “Teacher, please lead us away from here. If this keeps up, it’ll be hard to avoid a confrontation.”
Qi Gong had no choice but to sternly reprimand them a few times. Seeing their teacher angry, the Changning students reluctantly quieted down and continued walking, their faces filled with resentment.
Unexpectedly, the brats below pushed their luck even further. “No matter how fierce mountain monkeys are, they’re still beasts. They’re bound to be afraid when they see humans.”
Wen Lisheng could no longer hold back. Her anger flared up instantly, and she immediately picked up a large rock to throw down. “Who are you calling a beast?!”Shen Jiaqing was so frightened that he hurriedly grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Lizi, if you throw this stone, you’ll kill someone!”
“Killing those gossipers would bring peace and quiet!” Wen Lisheng struggled free from his grip.
“We’re all mature now; there’s no need to argue with those fools,” Shen Jiaqing tried to persuade her using her own words.
“Perfect! Maybe a good hit with this stone will knock some sense into them!” Wen Lisheng fumed.
Qi Gong was also startled by the scene and quickly stepped forward to snatch the large stone from her hand. “Little ancestor, this is not something to throw.”
Seeing her anger, the others fell silent, not daring to make any rash moves.
Her past incident of beating up the legitimate daughter of the Shi family had become known throughout the city.
This person had a record.
Just then, a delicate voice chimed in, “Miss Wen, your nasty habit of shouting and threatening violence hasn’t changed a bit. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were some bandit leader from the mountains.”
Wen Lisheng was momentarily dazed upon hearing the voice. When she focused her gaze, she saw a graceful young woman slowly approaching. The jade hairpin on her head swayed gently, complementing her beautiful, flower-like face—a truly pleasing sight.
Yet it was this very pretty face that Wen Lisheng had nearly scratched to shreds with her nails.
This young woman was named Shi Ran. Seven years ago, her granduncle’s granddaughter entered the palace and was now a favored imperial consort. As the saying goes, when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Every year, the Shi family sent numerous gifts to their relatives in the capital, scrambling to establish connections and gain a bit of the prestigious reputation of being related to the imperial family. In Yiguan County, they naturally walked with their noses held high.
Last year, Shi Ran’s careless words angered Wen Lisheng, who rolled up her sleeves, pinned her to the ground, and beat her. Not only did Shi Ran lose face, but a bloody scratch was left on her fair, delicate cheek. It took the best medicine and nearly half a month for the mark to fade. Meanwhile, Wen Lisheng simply dusted herself off and went off to Eternal Peace Academy without a care, earning Shi Ran’s deep-seated hatred.
This was their first encounter since the fight.
But for Wen Lisheng, it had been several years. Later, Shi Ran was sent to the capital to participate in the imperial consort selection and reportedly succeeded in entering the palace, rising to the rank of Noble Lady. However, after Xie Xiaonan smashed through the palace gates, those imperial consorts likely met unfortunate ends.
As for the petty grudges from back then, Wen Lisheng didn’t care in the slightest. She remained unmoved by Shi Ran’s provocation, merely glancing at her without any intention of engaging.
The two martial arts instructors from Qianshan had watched enough of the drama by now. One who appeared relatively young stood up and said with a chuckle, “Since we’ve met here, it must be fate. How about letting the youngsters from Changning serve as sparring partners today?”
Upon hearing this, Qi Gong gave a forced smile and said, “Are you trying to add to my troubles?”
Putting it nicely, it was called sparring, but everyone knew that students from Qianshan rarely practiced martial arts. Even those who did were merely putting on a show with flashy but impractical moves—how could they possibly compete with the students from Changning?
Having Changning students as sparring partners was essentially giving them a chance to openly beat up Qianshan students.
As soon as these words were spoken, opinions were immediately split between opposition and support.
Qi Gong was the first to refuse. “These youngsters are hot-headed and don’t know their own strength. If any Qianshan students get hurt, it’ll be hard to handle.”
The martial arts instructor clicked his tongue. “What’s there to fear? Who hasn’t taken a few punches in their youth?”Wen Lisheng leaned in, standing on tiptoe to look down. She saw the martial arts instructor with his chest half-exposed, hands on hips and head raised, his posture thoroughly improper, exuding the air of a street ruffian from head to toe. She snorted with a laugh, “Master Shan, if your hands are itching, you can always come to Changning to spar with our Master Zhong. Why take it out on your students?”
Shan Yichun also laughed, “Little Pear, you haven’t come back to see me since you left Qianshan. Now that I’ve finally caught you here today, why not come down and show me what you’ve learned in Changning?”
Back in the days at Qianshan, Wen Lisheng had gotten along very well with Master Shan. This man had once been a wandering beggar and had a particular fondness for food, so Wen Lisheng used to bring him tasty treats from the streets every time. Over time, they built a friendship.
“Can’t do that,” Wen Lisheng whispered. “If I end up hurting a Qianshan student, there’ll be big trouble.”