Chapter 48: Chapter 46: Injuries

On this day, Chen Qing practiced several sets of his fist forms. Beads of sweat soon trickled down his temples.

He casually wiped the sweat away and walked over to Sun Shun, his face showing a perfectly calibrated expression of concern. “Brother Sun, Junior Brother Qin’s injuries… Have they gotten any better?”

Sun Shun was wiping down the weapons rack. He paused at the words and sighed heavily. “He’s awake, but his condition… Ugh, it’s not looking good.”

His brow furrowed, and he lowered his voice. “That Gao Sheng was clearly aiming to kill. Junior Brother Qin is lucky just to be alive. His major tendons… they’re severed! Forget a full recovery; right now, he can barely even get out of bed to walk.”

“It’s… it’s that serious?”

Sorrow and disbelief instantly filled Chen Qing’s face. “But didn’t Master say he’d spare no expense to heal Junior Brother Qin?”

Zhou Liang had been devastated by Qin Lie’s grievous injuries. His self-recrimination and guilt were palpable, and he had indeed vowed to use every resource at his disposal to save his favorite disciple.

A bitter smile touched the corner of Sun Shun’s mouth. “That’s easy to say, but reattaching severed tendons isn’t something ordinary medicinal broths can fix. It would require a Large Medicine Spirit Fish, one at least twenty years old. A treasure like that… isn’t it worth more than a thousand pieces of gold?”

He shook his head, his voice as heavy as stone.

Hearing the price, Chen Qing’s anxious heart quietly settled, though his expression remained grave.

As if to console himself as much as Chen Qing, Sun Shun mumbled, “Maybe Junior Brother Qin has fortune on his side. Maybe one day he’ll just…”

’Impossible,’ Chen Qing sneered inwardly. ’Not unless Large Medicine Spirit Fish start growing out of the ground!’ He knew he would have to keep a close eye on Qin Lie’s “injuries.”

“Brother Chen! You’re in! You passed!”

A breathless, nearly cracking shout from the courtyard entrance tore through the somber atmosphere within.

Every disciple froze. All eyes shot toward the messenger, who was leaning against the doorframe, gasping for air.

The disciple’s chest was heaving, his face flushed with ecstatic joy. He looked at Chen Qing and cried, “Thirty-ninth place! Brother Chen, you ranked thirty-ninth! The Officials… the Officials have already sent someone to your home to deliver the good news! Brother Chen, you’ve become a Martial Scholar!”

The crowd went wild!

The entire Zhou Institute instantly erupted! Even though everyone had anticipated it, now that it was official, the impact of the title “Martial Scholar” was still immense.

“Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen!”

“Congratulations, Brother Chen!”

“This is truly a joyous occasion!”

Whether sincere or feigned, a tide of congratulations instantly washed over Chen Qing.

From this moment on, Chen Qing’s status was completely different.

Sun Shun clapped Chen Qing hard on the shoulder and boomed with laughter. “Hahaha! Excellent! Junior Brother Chen, congratulations! You’re a man of official standing now! You’ve brought great honor to your family!”

On the edge of the crowd, Zhengzi Bridge’s expression turned incredibly sour. A colossal wave of regret washed over him; he was kicking himself for his past actions.

’If only I had known Chen Qing had this kind of potential…’

Qi Wenhao and several other veteran disciples, who had failed the exam for years, watched on with complicated expressions, a mix of disappointment and envy. They stood in silence, apart from the clamor.

For them, the title of Martial Scholar was already an unattainable dream.

Chen Qing smiled and accepted the flood of compliments, but his mind remained as clear as a mirror, alarm bells ringing incessantly. ’My rank is about what I expected. If I had gone all-out in the second round, I might have placed higher, but that would have only attracted more trouble and scrutiny. A flowing river doesn’t strive to be first; it strives to be unending. Keeping a low profile now is for the sake of a much greater surge in the future.’

“Junior Brother Chen,”

Zhou Yu’s gentle voice sounded at the right moment. She had a sincere smile on her face. “Father would like to see you.”

“Yes, Senior Sister.”

Chen Qing gathered his Heart and Spirit and acknowledged her. Under the crowd’s watchful and varied gazes—some fervent, others complex—he followed Zhou Yu calmly toward the rear courtyard.

「 」

「At the same time, at the entrance of the Gaolin County Yamen.」

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Gongs cleared the path. Several Government Officials in bright red uniforms emerged in a line from the main gate of the County Yamen, their expressions solemn, each holding a scroll.

“They’re posting the results! The Martial Arts Examination results are out!”

The high-pitched cry was like cold water hitting a pot of boiling oil; Government Street instantly erupted into chaos.

“Look! They’re posting the results!”

“Move! Let me see!”

“Don’t push! Stop pushing! You’re stepping on my foot!”

…

Amid the chaotic crowd, Xiaohai from Chaiyu Square, who made his living selling firewood, was carrying his empty pole and preparing to head home. He got swept up in the surging tide of people and was involuntarily shoved right in front of the public notice.

His father had been an impoverished teacher. After he suffered a stroke, the family fell on hard times. Xiaohai was simple and honest, often bullied, and not particularly sharp, but he could at least recognize a few hundred characters and occasionally earned money by writing letters for others.

He stood on his tiptoes and squinted, laboriously searching for a familiar name among the densely packed list.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a single name on the list. He blinked hard, then confirmed the place of origin written beneath it—Mute Bay!

A huge, indescribable wave of ecstasy rushed straight to the top of his skull!

“He’s… in! Elder Chen’s grandson… he’s in!!”

Xiaohai let out a sudden, hoarse cry. Forgetting all about his carrying pole, he tossed it to the ground. Like a crazed young bull, he shoved his way through the crowd and sprinted toward Chaiyu Square with all his might.

He had to be the first one to tell Elder Chen the momentous news.

He ran until he lost track of time, his legs feeling as if they were filled with lead and his lungs burning. At last, he burst into the entrance of Chaiyu Square.

At the entrance of the tailor shop, Sister Lin was stitching a shoe sole. Startled by his frantic, disheveled sprint, she called out, “Xiaohai! What’s the rush? You running like your pants are on fire?”

Xiaohai leaned on his knees, panting heavily, his chest heaving. After a long moment, he managed to squeeze out two words: “He’s… in!”

Sister Lin’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stood up. “In? In what? Did your father have another stroke?”

“No… no!”

Xiaohai waved his hands frantically and finally caught his breath. His face twisted into an ecstatic grin, and his voice, though hoarse, was startlingly loud. “It’s Elder Chen’s grandson! The results are out! He… he’s a Martial Scholar! He passed!”

“What?!”

The shoe sole in Sister Lin’s hand fell to the ground with a THUD. Her eyes went wide as saucers as she shrieked, “Re… really?! Elder Chen’s family has a Martial Scholar?!”

She subconsciously assumed it was Chen Heng, the young grandson Elder Chen always talked about who trained hard in martial arts and had the most hope of bringing glory to the family.

Old He from the coffin shop was the quickest to react. He strode out of his shop, his booming voice cutting through the street noise. “Quick! Don’t just stand there! Hurry to the Chen Family and share the good news! Elder Chen, get ready to receive the official announcement! Get the wedding money! And a chef, quickly, hire a chef! We can’t delay the celebratory banquet for a second! This is a matter of immense honor for our Chaiyu Square!”

BOOM!

Old He’s words lit a powder keg, and all of Chaiyu Square instantly erupted!

“Let’s go! To the Chen Family’s house!”

“This is incredible! The Chen Family has produced a Scholar!”

“The heavens have opened their eyes! It’s been so many years since our Chaiyu Square has produced a Martial Scholar!”

“Chen Heng is so promising! He’s brought honor to our neighborhood!”

“Chen Heng passed!”

…

The joyous news spread like wildfire, sweeping rapidly through all of Chaiyu Square.

For this poor district, a place perennially extorted by gangs, the emergence of a Martial Scholar was nothing short of a heaven-sent blessing.

It meant the residents could walk a little taller from now on. The Martial Scholar from Changsheng Street was a prime example—even the gangs who collected Incense Money had to treat him with respect.

The excited crowd merged into a great flood, a mighty torrent of people surging toward the Chen Family’s home, filled with irrepressible excitement and hope.

…

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