Shan Yichun said, “They’re not that easy to break.”
His words made it clear that he was determined to have the students from Changning serve as their sparring partners.
Shi Ran, who had been ignored earlier, was already seething with anger. Seeing the martial arts instructor on such good terms with Wen Lisheng, she sneered sarcastically, “Instructor Shan, you’ve really thought this through. No matter how close you are with Miss Wen in private, what does that have to do with us? Why should we serve as sparring partners for the people from Changning?”
This remark was like adding fuel to the fire. The students from Qianshan were already unwilling, and after hearing her words, they immediately erupted in protest, expressing their reluctance in every possible way.
Seeing their disdainful expressions, the students from Changning also looked on with contempt, openly mocking them for their cowardice.
Wen Lisheng watched as the two sides argued fiercely. With so many people shouting over each other, it was even noisier than a marketplace. Her ears were buzzing—what a mess this was!
Just as everyone was in an uproar, Shan Yichun roared, “Shut up, all of you!”
He used his inner strength, and his voice was deafening, carrying far into the distance. Those nearby suffered the brunt of it, covering their ears and falling silent. Only then did the surroundings quiet down, leaving only the sound of the waterfall rushing in the background.
After a moment of silence, Shan Yichun turned to the Qianshan students with a cold expression and said, “Let me make this clear to you. For this Martial Appreciation Assembly, Prefect Wen has ordered two representatives to be selected from each hall to participate. You now have two choices: volunteer or determine the final candidates through competition.”
The Martial Appreciation Assembly was held once every three years, a large-scale martial arts exchange event among the various martial arts sects. This time, the venue was chosen in Yiguan County. Seizing this rare opportunity, the deans of Changning discussed and decided to select students from the Jia and Yi halls to participate as well. Although it was highly likely they would be eliminated in the first round, it was still a rare opportunity for them to gain experience.
When Prefect Wen heard the news, he had always held a bias against Eternal Peace Academy. Now, unwilling to let Changning steal the spotlight alone, he ordered Qianshan to also select some outstanding individuals to participate in the Martial Appreciation Assembly.
This put the instructors in a difficult position. Several days had passed, and not a single person had been chosen.
Today, Shan Yichun had brought the students here with the intention of having them compete in teams to select the winners and submit the list. Coincidentally, they ran into the students from Changning.
Moreover, jade must be carved to become a vessel. These pampered young masters and ladies always thought that excelling in academics was enough, looking down on those who practiced martial arts. Every time Shan Yichun taught them martial arts, he was met with disdain, and he had long been holding back his anger. He wanted to use this opportunity to humble their arrogance, so he extended an invitation to the students from Changning.
Crossing his arms, he said coldly, “I’ll count to ten. If no one volunteers, we’ll go with the second option.”
With that, he began the countdown.
However, these students usually spent their time studying and writing, often belittling martial artists as crude, violent brutes who couldn’t carry a load or lift a hand. How could they dare to participate in the Martial Appreciation Assembly?
After the count of ten, not a single person made a sound. The silence was a stark contrast to the earlier chaos.
Xie Xiaonan lifted his eyelids and glanced around, letting out a soft, mocking laugh.
Shan Yichun scanned the crowd. Seeing no one step forward, he decisively turned and waved to Qi Gong. “Bring your students down.”
He was tall and sturdy. Although he usually smiled and acted carefree, he was a man of his word.Qi Gong had already given up on resisting. If he tried to pull these students away now, no one would be willing to leave. He could only wave his hand at them and warned, “Let me make this clear first: this time, we’re meeting through martial arts. Everyone must know their limits. If any trouble arises, no one will cover for you.”
The Changning students agreed readily, laughing and following behind Qi Gong as they descended the rocky slope and approached the Qianshan students.
Earlier, the two groups had been separated by some distance, one above and the other below. Now, face-to-face, the atmosphere grew even more tense than before. When their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly.
While Qi Gong and the two instructors from Qianshan discussed matters to the side, the students from both sides no longer interacted. However, a few troublemakers continued to provoke with their gazes. Many were simmering with anger, waiting for the instructors to finish their discussion so they could settle things with their fists.
But Qi Gong, well aware of these students’ tendencies, proposed a clever solution. He suggested that the Qianshan students select sparring partners from Changning to form two-person teams, after which the teams would compete against each other. In other words, it would be impossible for the Changning students to directly fight the Qianshan students.
If anyone tried to clash with their Qianshan teammate, it would mean forfeiting the competition. As spirited youths, none were willing to admit defeat, so they would naturally give their all to compete for ranking.
Thus, under these reluctant circumstances, the Qianshan students were to choose their own partners.
Murmurs of complaint rose here and there. Wen Lisheng stood on tiptoe to count the Qianshan students. Excluding Xie Xiaonan and the person beside him, there were fifteen in total. Changning had brought eighteen students this time, so the numbers didn’t match up. If they paired off, one person would be left out, and Wen Lisheng very much wanted to secure that solitary spot.
She had absolutely no desire to participate in this sparring session.
As she was thinking this, she saw Shan Yichun walk up to Xie Xiaonan, seemingly negotiating something with him.
Wen Lisheng didn’t think Xie Xiaonan would take part in such a boring activity. Though dressed in the same uniform, he stood apart from the other Qianshan students.
She couldn’t hear what was being said over there, but suddenly Xie Xiaonan lazily lifted his eyes and looked toward Wen Lisheng. Their gazes collided.
She immediately lowered her eyes and turned her head away.
As she watched, the number of people in front dwindled until all fifteen Qianshan students had chosen their partners, leaving only Shen Jiaqing, Wen Lisheng, and a petite girl.
Shen Jiaqing had refused three people, while Wen Lisheng had not been chosen by anyone.
Qi Gong stood to the side, momentarily silent.
Wen Lisheng pointed at the petite girl and said to Qi Gong, “Let Shen Jiaqing team up with her. That way, I won’t have to participate. After all, I—”
Before she could finish, Shan Yichun’s voice came from nearby. “Wait, there are still people left.”
Several of them looked over at once and realized that Shan Yichun had approached without them noticing, standing beside Xie Xiaonan.
Wen Lisheng immediately had a bad feeling and instinctively took half a step back.
Then she heard Shan Yichun ask, “Are there three people left?”
“Yes,” Qi Gong replied. Perhaps noticing that the petite girl had been overlooked, he pointed at her and said, “Don’t underestimate this little girl just because she’s short. She’s quite agile.”
The petite girl stole a glance at Xie Xiaonan, her ears instantly turning red, and spoke up for herself. “I—I’m very fast with a blade.”
However, Xie Xiaonan didn’t even look at her. He merely lifted his chin slightly and said, “Wen Lisheng.”She was startled. Just hearing those three words made her legs tremble uncontrollably, and she hurriedly said, “I’m not participating!”
Shan Yichun said, “What’s this? The county magistrate’s daughter wants special treatment?”
Wen Lisheng waved her hands repeatedly, stammering in fright, “I-I-I can’t even lift a sword!”
Xie Xiaonan seemed to have anticipated her reaction. “When you lifted that stone earlier, you seemed quite strong.”
Panic was practically written all over Wen Lisheng’s face. Flustered, she glanced at Shen Jiaqing, who caught her signal and stepped forward, declaring with righteous boldness, “I’ll team up with you. No one in Changning can beat me.”
Xie Xiaonan didn’t respond, but Xi Lu, standing beside him, somehow produced a wooden sword out of nowhere. With a graceful flourish, he switched the sword from his right hand to his left behind his back, his movements smooth and sharp, looking incredibly cool.
Xi Lu said, “Little brother, if you team up with me, I’ll teach you this move.”
Wen Lisheng sneered inwardly, thinking, Do you really think you can lure my friend away with such a simple trick?
Before the thought could fully form, Shen Jiaqing frowned and said very seriously to Wen Lisheng, “Sorry, Pear, but I really need to learn this move.”
Wen Lisheng genuinely wanted to imprint the sole of her shoe squarely on Shen Jiaqing’s face.
Suppressing her anger, she said, “Our academy’s teacher definitely knows it too. Ask Teacher Qi to teach you.”
Xi Lu raised an eyebrow. “Only I know this move.”
Shen Jiaqing echoed, “Only he knows this move.”
Wen Lisheng smiled at him. “And only I know the move that can turn you into a pig’s head.”
Xi Lu patted Shen Jiaqing’s shoulder, comforting him, “Even if you get beaten into a pig’s head, once you learn my sword flourish, you’ll still be a handsome pig’s head.”
This hit the nail right on the head. Shen Jiaqing almost immediately abandoned his hesitation and happily formed an alliance with Xi Lu. “Good brother, with the two of us teaming up, we’re sure to win first place in the competition.”
Wen Lisheng was so furious she could have died, her teeth grinding audibly.
The sound of her grinding teeth was so loud it drew Xie Xiaonan’s sidelong glance.