Chapter 181: Chapter 140: Single Spear (2)

Yang Shaorong’s voice rang with conviction.

As a disciple, he would never dare claim credit for his master becoming a Grandmaster. In Yang Shaorong’s heart, even if Guo Wei wasn’t a Grandmaster in title, he was better than one. Although the master and disciple had their own private conflicts, Yang Shaorong had never once doubted Guo Wei’s strength.

Whenever he, the eldest disciple, mentioned Guo Wei to outsiders, he felt a great sense of pride.

“Lord Yang is absolutely right. I misspoke just now. Please forgive me.”

Feng Junyi, realizing his blunder, quickly corrected himself.

“Master Guo already has you. Why not have him give Chu Lingguang to me? My Soft and Flexible Technique is renowned even in the Imperial City,” Eunuch Liu said suddenly.

“You must be joking, Eunuch. My junior brother is our master’s closed-door disciple. How could we possibly hand him over to you? Even if my master were to agree, my junior brother might not,” Yang Shaorong said with a smile.

Eunuch Liu’s official rank was higher than his, but his influence didn’t extend into the Qiling Governor’s Mansion. Furthermore, this matter concerned Guo Wei’s reputation and Chu Lingguang’s future. So, while Yang Shaorong was polite on the surface, his imposing manner didn’t falter in the slightest.

“And what if he is willing?” Eunuch Liu pressed.

Yang Shaorong knew Eunuch Liu was referring to Chu Lingguang. But based on the news brought back by Wang Chao and the other reports he’d received, Yang Shaorong was certain that Chu Lingguang knew how to repay a debt of gratitude and would never betray Guo Wei.

However, he was still young. If he had to face Eunuch Liu directly, he might not be able to handle it. So, Yang Shaorong said, “If my junior brother does something wrong, it’s my duty as the senior brother to discipline him. If he won’t listen to me, then we can only have my master handle it himself. And as it happens, my master is at the Governor’s Mansion right now, waiting by the lake with my four other junior brothers for our return.”

“Captain Yang, you should understand that even if Chu Lingguang were to enter my tutelage, Master Guo would still be his master. In the future, when Chu Lingguang achieves great success, I can help Master Guo obtain that Grandmaster title he desires.”

Eunuch Liu had long known that all of Guo Wei’s disciples were loyal and honorable. Besides, this was Yang Shaorong’s territory. He might only be a Captain, but here in the Qiling Governor’s Mansion, only the Qiling Governor himself could give Yang Shaorong orders.

And he, after all, was a eunuch. Even with the Emperor’s favor, he didn’t dare act too arrogantly in front of a military general like Yang Shaorong, who had earned merits on the battlefield.

Moreover, if he tried to bully Yang Shaorong on his own turf, the Lord Qiling Governor would certainly not turn a blind eye.

Yang Shaorong had come to the academy to observe the competition and evaluate the performances of Li Dayao and Liu Wan on behalf of the Lord Governor.

“You misunderstand, Eunuch. The title of Grandmaster is well within my master’s reach; he doesn’t need us disciples to win it for him. However, my master is extremely fond of his junior brother. I must ask you to stop pursuing this matter.”

This was, for all intents and purposes, a stern rejection from Yang Shaorong.

Yan Zhen couldn’t help but marvel internally. ’What kind of charisma does Guo Wei possess?’ he wondered. Rumor had it that Yang Shaorong and Guo Wei had fallen out, but that now seemed like utter nonsense. Otherwise, why would Yang Shaorong go so far as to lock horns with Eunuch Liu over Chu Lingguang?

Everyone knew that eunuchs were petty and held grudges. After all, they served in the Imperial City. A single, well-placed, malicious word to their superiors could land Yang Shaorong in a position from which he could never recover.

But even with such a risk, Yang Shaorong hadn’t backed down. Normally, even if one couldn’t make a decision for their master, they would push the matter to him, telling Eunuch Liu to speak with Guo Wei directly. Instead, Yang Shaorong had taken full responsibility, intercepting the issue himself to prevent a direct confrontation between Guo Wei and Eunuch Liu.

There could be no other reason for this than to protect Guo Wei.

“Eunuch, this year’s generation is full of geniuses. Emperor Yue Xuan has his special bloodline, and Chen Jin possesses two streams of Dragon Elephant Power. They are both excellent candidates.”

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Feng Junyi quickly tried to defuse the situation.

Having watched the competition up to this point, these high-ranking Court officials, all powerful in their own right, could discern the level of skill and unique characteristics of people like Emperor Yue Xuan and Chen Jin.

Emperor Yue Xuan had only awakened a single stream of Dragon Elephant Power, yet his Qi Power was on par with Chen Jin’s. The only possibility was that Emperor Yue Xuan’s bloodline was special, making the Dragon Elephant Power he awakened stronger than others’.

“Young Master Yan, how does this Chu Lingguang compare to you back in the day?” Fan Zhibian asked, forcing a smile.

Feng Junyi had tried to shift the focus to Emperor Yue Xuan and Chen Jin. Regardless of whether it was aimed at him, Fan Zhibian couldn’t let him succeed.

Yan Zhen froze.

How could he not see the obvious intent behind Fan Zhibian’s sudden question? He recalled the previous competition, where he had taken first place at the academy. Eunuch Liu’s eyes had lit up then, too, but his esteemed master, Wei Yongguang, had acted first, forcing Eunuch Liu to give up.

If he answered poorly now, he would undoubtedly be adding fuel to the fire, leaving Eunuch Liu in an awkward position while also offending Yang Shaorong and, by extension, Guo Wei.

He remembered that Guo Wei had once saved his second brother.

Fan Zhibian also had ill intentions. So, Yan Zhen smiled and said, “The world is full of brilliant talents. In this vast land, both Chu Lingguang and I are insignificant. Neither of us is truly worthy of such attention.”

He neither belittled Chu Lingguang nor elevated himself. Instead, he was reminding Eunuch Liu that the Great Yuan Dynasty was immense, with dozens of Governor’s Mansions and academies in every region, all teeming with talent. Why not look elsewhere?

“I do not enjoy forcing matters. Later, I will ask Chu Lingguang myself. You have no problem with that, do you, Captain Yang?”

Eunuch Liu understood the meaning behind Yan Zhen’s words.

As an official of the Court who served in the palace, his ability to read people and situations was second to none here. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Yang Shaorong or the Qiling Governor; he simply understood there was no need to escalate the situation. He just needed a way to save face.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep