Chapter 193 The Victims Are Paired

A gentle breeze ripples across the blue lake, the bamboo grove rustles, the golden vines sway in the rosy light, and clusters of flowers and grasses release their fragrance.

Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu each moved into a house with a large courtyard. Compared to the dark cabin in the woods they had been in before, this place had a babbling brook and a wide view, making them feel refreshed and relaxed.

Xiao Wu spoke up: “Brother, it seems Xin Youdao lost. Sigh, could it be because he was affected by that earlier battle? I feel bad for him.”

When the two geniuses from Shanhe Academy were competing, the spectators kept shouting and cheering. Even those who were not there could hear the sound, which was like the sound of waves.

In any case, the two moved into their new home and were in a great mood looking at the picturesque scenery around them.

“Cheng Rui,” Xin Youdao called out to the woman in yellow, trying to stop her.

“Never mind that. I don’t believe it’s such a coincidence. It must be a high-level divine seed that he temporarily invited to suppress his cultivation level and intercept you before the final battle.”

Cheng Rui didn’t believe that it was realistic for two “fierce dragons” to suddenly emerge from this year’s freshmen.

Looking across Kuncheng, among the dozen or so institutions of higher learning, apart from Ling Yu and Chunyang, where else could there be any new disciples who could rival Xin Youdao?

Cheng Rui walked quickly, and her old residence came into view.

She spotted the two men at a glance. The older man was actually using the fishing rod she had left behind to fish for the five-colored dragon carp in the lake. He looked so relaxed.

In an instant, her chest heaved violently, feeling suffocated, and she said, “Look, those are the two people, don’t tell me you don’t know them!”

Ling Yu was dressed in black, with black hair that reached his shoulders. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he possessed a restrained heroic spirit. His calm and composed demeanor revealed his strong confidence.

Especially tonight, after defeating Xin Youdao, one of the strongest candidates in this year’s unified examination, it was as if he had cultivated some kind of energy and completed a transformation. Now, Ling Yu’s spirit and energy have all increased, and he can feel it himself; his cultivation has clearly improved.

His pupils contracted slightly. Was this the person that Master Wu thought highly of?

With a whoosh, he seemed to teleport, stepping over the branches of the golden vine tree and floating lightly like a fallen leaf to the boy fishing.

Wu Yaozu, carrying a barbecue grill, happened to walk out of the courtyard gate and saw this scene. He said, “We just moved in, and someone already wants to challenge us and take back the house?”

“Why did you make a move?” Ling Yu approached and stared at Qin Ming.

“It’s none of your business.” Qin Ming glanced at him.

Ling Yu thought for a moment and said, “I want to have a match with you!”

He decided to act decisively to clear up the misunderstanding between Xin Youdao and Cheng Rui. Most importantly, he himself wanted to assess the other party, as Master Wu valued this person highly.

Therefore, he simplified the complex and stopped explaining or elaborating on anything.

Qin Ming was surprised. Was it really that direct?

Ling Yu believes in the principle of simplicity, and he doesn’t need any other reason to test his swordsmanship across the world.

“No way!” Qin Ming refused outright; he didn’t want to engage in a meaningless sparring match.

“Right here, it won’t take you long,” Ling Yu said, his black hair fluttering in the night wind, his eyes deep and radiating a powerful conviction.

“Still here? Are you crazy, or am I crazy?” Qin Ming decisively refused. He would go bankrupt after one battle, and if he fought another, he and Xiao Wu would have to sell themselves to Shanhe Academy.

“Why is someone here again?!” Qian Chuan, a senior student, was quite helpless. He was on duty here today, and this kind of thing always happened.

“Hiss!” He gasped, drawing in the mist from the lake. Who did he see? It was Ling Yu!

He was immediately at a loss. He had thought the duo were nobodys, but how come he always ended up facing off against such celebrities?

“This battle is inevitable!” Ling Yu walked forward, his hair flying, his black clothes fluttering, and his whole body surging with a strong aura of heavenly light.

Above his head, a celestial waterfall seemed to cascade down. Although it was very blurry, the fact that the light of the sky could create such a hazy and wondrous scene was already incredibly amazing!

Some people call him the Young Ancestor, which is indeed because he is exceptionally talented and has reached a level that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve.

At the same time, a strong spiritual light emanated from between his brows, like a sword drawn from its sheath, slicing through the night fog; he was a man who walked two paths simultaneously.

Boom!

The ground trembled slightly as he gathered his strength. With each step forward, his spirit and will were sharpened like a heavenly blade, becoming piercing and radiating an imposing aura.

Ling Yu’s physical body was also glowing, becoming increasingly dazzling, resonating with his spirit, as if emitting the clanging sound of a heavenly blade being sharpened. His entire being merged into the vast night, as if borrowing some kind of terrifying “power”.

“Bang!”

A grill flew over, but it was blasted apart by Ling Yu’s protective aura.

He turned around abruptly, not expecting anyone to intervene forcefully.

Wu Yaozu looked at the grass trampled by this person, teleported to his side, and immediately unleashed a powerful attack. Rainbow light flew out from his body, and he was wielding a mysterious brass pestle.

Of course, not wanting to go into deep bankruptcy was only one of the reasons. Xiao Wu felt guilty and thought that Xin Youdao’s defeat might be related to him. Therefore, when he saw another person coming to cause trouble, he really wanted to take action.

The ground cracked open instantly after the massive collision, and the nearby vines and flowers were once again devastated.

“You want to bankrupt us?!” Little Wu was furious. The divine rainbow transformed into a dazzling golden arch bridge, pressing down on Ling Yu, not wanting him to cause any more damage.

“Huh?!” Ling Yu was shocked. How could this short-haired boy be so strong?

He already knew about most of the outrageous people in this cohort, and the sudden emergence of two individuals with performances that exceeded expectations was indeed quite absurd.

Little Wu is the sole survivor of the Fourth Desolate Land, so he is naturally extremely powerful!

He blocked Ling Yu’s path, using a golden bridge to guide him, attempting to extract the other’s consciousness and spiritual light. Ling Yu, with his ambition to test his sword against the world, possessed terrifying foundations and astonishing strength. Now, his entire body erupted with dazzling light, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, spreading its wings to tear apart all obstacles and illuminate this land.

In the distance, some people exclaimed in surprise, as if they saw a bright sun rising slowly in the night sky.

With a thud, Ling Yu felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He tried to turn around, but he couldn’t. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

In that final moment, he was consumed by rage. The young man whom Master Wu valued was so unscrupulous, actually ambushing him! Qin Ming put down his hand, showing no embarrassment.

Since Xiao Wu had already taken action, and given the bloody lesson of bankruptcy before him, Qin Ming naturally wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen again this time, and simply and forcefully stopped him.

Seeing this from a distance, Cheng Rui, the girl in yellow, screamed and ran away, because she was the one who led the group there and was afraid that the two boys would beat her up as well.

At this point, she believed that Ling Yu had nothing to do with those two unruly teenagers, and that he himself had been knocked down. Xin Youdao was injured and walked slowly, having just arrived here.

The dozen or so teenagers and boys around him happened to see this scene from a distance, and they were all dumbfounded and extremely shocked.

They knew that the main characters tonight were Ling Yu and Xin Youdao. As a result, the two mysterious youths made a brutal move and knocked down the two geniuses one after the other.

If this gets out, it will definitely cause a huge uproar!

What would it feel like for the spectators to know? Such a bizarre “sparring” was taking place in a secluded corner. Xin Youdao’s feelings were complicated; he and Ling Yu were practically side-by-side, both of them knocked down! Cheng Rui whispered, “Youdao, I believe you. Ling Yu didn’t send anyone to stop you; he… became a victim too.” The group: “…”

They were all speechless. Qian Chuan, who was on duty here, was stunned into a daze. This was Ling Yu, one of the two top experts tonight, who had also fallen on this patch of grass.

He knew that Ling Yu and Xin Youdao were destined to be on the front page of tomorrow’s newspapers, but it turned out that they had such a “hidden story” behind them, and that they both had a shameful side tonight. If the outside world found out, it would definitely cause a huge uproar.

And all of this was because of those two unknown boys!

Qian Chuan found it unbelievable; that dilapidated meadow seemed to possess a magical power.

He stared at it for a long time, but didn’t dare to go over, because he was truly in awe of that magical meadow and the two mysterious boys.

The aftermath of the great battle was still intense, with many people discussing it and some heading towards the residence.

Xin Youdao had a dozen or so people around him go over and try to stop Ling Yu from losing his composure and being embarrassed if he was discovered in this state.

“Brother, wake up.” Qin Ming shook Ling Yu.

Wu Yaozu’s eyes widened in disbelief, because he saw Ming Ge casually pull three gold notes from that man’s pocket. Could that even be possible? He felt like he had opened a window to a new world!

Qin Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief. Were Tang Jin’s lineage really that wealthy? Each gold note was worth five hundred gold coins!

Before his body exploded, even after accumulating for so long, the total amount accumulated was far less than this.

Qin Ming spoke up: “This wasn’t robbery. He attacked me first, and I was forced to retaliate, so he became my prisoner. However, because of your interference, Xiao Wu, I have to return the five hundred gold coins.”

He stuffed one gold note back, leaving two, and several dozen gold coins.

“Brother Ming, you’re so considerate, you’re a good person!” Wu Yaozu exclaimed, now the two of them wouldn’t go bankrupt.

After his initial excitement, he felt a pang of regret, saying, “What a huge loss! I forgot to raid the gold when I defeated Xin Youdao.”

Not far away, Xin Youdao happened to be walking over. When he heard these words, the veins on his forehead almost popped out.

Qin Ming said, “The nature of the situation is different. When you challenge others, you can’t have such thoughts. I was attacked and forced to defend myself. I’m just collecting ransom from prisoners in a normal way.”

Ling Yu woke up and immediately flew into a rage, wanting to fight the other party to the death!

However, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and was somewhat dizzy. If he were to fight like this, he would definitely suffer a huge loss.

Xin Youdao said, “Brother Ling, don’t get agitated. You should leave here first. Everyone else has returned, and it’s not advisable to cause any more trouble tonight.”

He had to stop it, not wanting things to escalate, because he didn’t want this mess to be reported tomorrow; otherwise, it would be a bloodbath.

Ling Yu pointed at Qin Ming, his chest heaving with anger. Finally, he turned and left, naturally not wanting to be in the newspapers tomorrow and become a laughing stock.

“I want to have a proper showdown with you!” he said before leaving. “There’s no need,” Qin Ming said, wanting to advise him not to be so anxious.

The esoteric Buddhist and immortal path disciples who lived here had all returned, and upon seeing Xin Youdao and Ling Yu, they were extremely excited.

A large crowd swarmed around them, showering them with enthusiasm, like stars around the moon, surrounding the two in the center.

“Brother Ling, you are truly the glory of our generation! I eagerly await the day you wield your sword across the land, sweep away all your rivals, and reach the pinnacle!”

“Brother Xin, though you lost, you are still glorious; your brilliance has amazed everyone…”

Such praise and those ardent gazes wouldn’t have bothered Ling Yu and Xin Youdao on ordinary days; they were already used to it. But right now, their mood was terrible.

Every word they uttered felt like a whipping.

They didn’t know how much time had passed before they finally squeezed out of the crowd, both letting out a long sigh of relief. They were covered in sweat; what had just happened was an ordeal for them.

“What?! You lost to the boy from Black and White Mountain?!” Tang Jin suddenly turned around and looked at the indignant boy.

“I didn’t lose! He’s unethical; he ambushed me!” Ling Yu grew angrier as he spoke, clenching his fists. He shouted, “Please, Senior Sister, make arrangements! I want to fight him fair and square!”

“They might not accept the challenge,” the purple-eyed raven said.

(There’s more to come!)