Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Undercurrent

The back courtyard.

A man with a dignified air was facing a pond, performing his Breathing and Exhaling exercises.

The man stood as straight as a spear. With every breath, he seemed to resonate with the entire courtyard, and a peculiar vibrational frequency caused faint ripples to spread across the surface of the pond before him.

This man was none other than Yang Shaorong, who had been transferred from South City to the Governor’s Mansion and promoted from his rank as Captain to the higher one of Captain.

Seeing that Yang Shaorong was at a critical point in his Breathing and Exhaling, Wang Chao slowed his pace and stopped ten meters behind him.

WHOOSH!

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Yang Shaorong’s chest swelled. A stream of white air shot from his mouth toward a willow tree on the opposite side of the pond. The willow leaves rustled and ripples spread across the water as if a great goose had just swooped past.

“Eldest Brother, news has arrived from the South City Martial Arts Examination.”

Wang Chao said as he stepped forward.

“How did our two junior brothers do? By my calculations, today should only be the third trial.”

Yang Shaorong asked, taking a sip of clear tea.

“You’ll be surprised when I tell you, Eldest Brother.”

Wang Chao said, deliberately keeping him in suspense.

“Don’t tell me our two junior brothers were affected by the Noble Family Disciples… Master is a great teacher. They couldn’t have failed to even achieve A Class, could they?”

Yang Shaorong said worriedly.

“No, the results exceeded everyone’s expectations! Our two junior brothers didn’t disappoint Master. In fact, our youngest brother, Chu Lingguang, even took first place in two events! In the Qiao Pass, he defeated Yan Chengdu with over ten extra pounds of Qi Power. In the second trial, the saber competition, he used his Continuous Slash Saber Technique and struck so hard that the webbing of Yan Chengdu’s hand split open. In the end, they tied for first place in the saber event.”

Wang Chao said in amazement.

He quickly handed the message slip to Yang Shaorong.

Yang Shaorong was skeptical. He took the note and read it, his expression slowly shifting to one of shock and disbelief. He said, “You told me before that Cai Touli died at our youngest brother’s hands.”

“That’s right. It was getting dark that day, and Cai Touli was chasing me relentlessly. He was afraid our youngest brother would go back and report to Master, so he threw his long saber. But our youngest brother drew his own saber and killed him in a counter-attack. All Twelve Iron Mountain Saber Techniques landed on Cai Touli’s body. No one ever expected that our youngest brother had killed a wanted criminal over a year ago.”

Wang Chao nodded in agreement.

Yang Shaorong couldn’t help but recall what Chu Lingguang had been like on the day of Guo Wei’s birthday celebration.

Cai Touli had been caught off guard, exhausted, and bare-handed, which was why Chu Lingguang managed to kill him. Yang Shaorong didn’t know much about Chu Lingguang’s aptitude, but he and all his fellow disciples knew that it had taken Chu Lingguang a full year of practicing the Iron Mountain Fist just to develop Fist Force.

Slow-witted but hardworking and diligent. Those words summed up the impression Yang Shaorong, Wang Chao, and the others had of Chu Lingguang.

For this South City Martial Arts Examination, both Yang Shaorong and Wang Chao had been focused on Hei Hu, wanting to see what rank he could achieve for Guo Wei.

When they learned that several Noble Family Disciples from the Governor’s Mansion had gone to South City to participate in the examination, the disciples had all been worried. They feared their two junior brothers would fail, leaving Guo Wei disappointed and frustrated.

But now, hearing that Chu Lingguang had actually taken first place in two events, dominating the field in the Qiao Pass, and that Hei Hu had also achieved A Class results in two categories, both Yang Shaorong and Wang Chao were utterly astonished.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Yang Shaorong sighed.

“Eldest Brother, the Yan Family is determined to take the top spot in the South City Daoist Examination. I’m worried…”

Wang Chao said.

“The Yan Family wouldn’t dare to tamper with the Martial Arts Examination, especially with Master overseeing things. Few in South City would dare cause trouble right under his nose. But you’re right, the Yan Family is dead set on securing the top spot in the South City Daoist Examination. My second and third brothers and I have duties here and can’t easily leave the mansion. You should set off at once. Go to South City, greet Master on my behalf, and congratulate our two junior brothers on their resounding success.”

Yang Shaorong said after careful consideration.

“Alright. I’ll borrow your thousand-mile horse, Eldest Brother.”

Wang Chao nodded.

“Go quickly!”

Yang Shaorong tacitly agreed.

Wang Chao hurried out. After quickly packing his bags, he went to the stables to retrieve Yang Shaorong’s thousand-mile horse. Just as he was about to leave the General’s Mansion, he saw Yang Shaorong waiting for him at the gate, holding a book.

“Do you have any other instructions, Eldest Brother?”

Wang Chao asked.

Yang Shaorong tossed the book to Wang Chao and instructed, “These are my research notes from the past year or so on the Yan Family’s Ultimate Killing Saber Technique and several other Martial Arts. Take them to Master and our youngest brother.”

“This is wonderful!”

Wang Chao was overjoyed.

As if remembering something, he asked, “If I run into Senior Sister Guo in South City, what should I…”

Yang Shaorong’s expression faltered, his face gradually turning stiff.

“Eldest Brother, I’ll be on my way.”

Sensing the awkwardness, Wang Chao mounted the thousand-mile horse and rode off toward South City.

An image of a young girl appeared in Yang Shaorong’s mind. The two of them were running through the fields, while a tall man up ahead with a quiver on his back called out, telling them not to fall into the ditch.

Yang Shaorong sighed softly and turned back into the mansion.

「The Yan Family Estate.」

“Young Master, a message has arrived from South City.”

A servant removed the message from the carrier pigeon and delivered it, still sealed, into the hands of Young Master Yan, Yan Yusheng.

“Brother, it’s news from South City. Aren’t you going to look?”

Yan Yusheng called out to a young man who was practicing his Saber Technique.

“You read it first, then tell me.”

The young man slashed out with his saber. There was no Sword Cry, but a wave of air the width of a finger coated the blade’s edge. A new, shocking gash appeared on the stone wall before him.

If that slash had been aimed at the wooden posts in the Martial Arts Examination, it probably would have split several of them at once. His Sword Force was just that terrifying.

This was none other than the most outstanding disciple of the Yan Family’s younger generation: Yan Zhen. At thirteen, his Qi Power was already four to five hundred pounds, and four years ago, he had been the top scorer in the Jin City Daoist Examination’s martial arts section.

After taking first place in the Jin City Daoist Examination four years ago, Yan Zhen could have participated in the Provincial Examination a year later and easily obtained the title of Martial Arts Scholar. However, the Yan Family kept him hidden away, making him wait until next year to take the Provincial Examination.

There were rumors circulating.

It was said the Yan Family did this so Yan Zhen could cultivate for three more years, allowing him to take first place in next year’s Provincial Examination and become a Jie Yuan. From there, he could participate in the Imperial Examination and, in the final Palace Examination, receive the Emperor’s personal commendation.

The Yan Family wanted to cultivate Yan Zhen into a Martial Champion Scholar.

And not just any Martial Champion Scholar, but one who had taken first place in all three major examinations: the Daoist Examination, the Provincial Examination, and the Imperial Examination.

People couldn’t help but mock the Yan Family for their fantastical ambitions.

The Great Yuan Dynasty revered martial prowess, and Martial Examinations were held everywhere. A dark horse emerged in every session. For the Yan Family to think Yan Zhen could take first place in all three was simply a pipe dream.

But this also served to illustrate just how terrifying Yan Zhen’s talent was.

Rumor had it that Yan Zhen’s Qi Power now exceeded fifteen hundred pounds. Over the years, the Yan Family had kept him “sealed in a jar,” so to speak. No outsider knew just how strong he had truly become.

All Yan Yusheng knew was that a year ago, Yan Zhen had secretly gone to Baiyang County and killed Big Saber Hong in less than ten strikes.

He knew his older brother was a martial arts fanatic.

He was the future hope of the Yan Family.

Unlike himself, who spent his days womanizing and drinking. Fortunately, they shared the same mother, so when his older brother took power in the future, he would be able to get a piece of the pie.

So he tore open the message slip and began to read it carefully.

He had intended to read it aloud to his brother.

But when he saw that Yan Chengdu had placed second in the Qiao Pass and tied for first in the saber competition, Yan Yusheng couldn’t bring himself to say a word. He was especially filled with resentment when he saw that the person who had defeated Yan Chengdu was listed as a disciple of Guo Wei.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep