Chapter 25

Outside the library’s main gate, several martial academy students arrived in twos and threes.

They stopped a few steps away from the guards, some peering curiously into the library, others whispering and laughing softly, most of them wearing expressions of schadenfreude.

The guard in charge of the library found this strange, as today was not the day for purchasing or exchanging martial techniques. He wondered why these students had come here.

However, as long as they did not enter the library, the guards would not interfere.

A moment later, four or five more students arrived. One of the earlier arrivals’ eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward to greet a man in a green robe, bowing and saying, "Senior Brother Wei Kai, why are you here?"

Wei Kai replied with a reserved tone, "It’s Junior Brother Wang. I was just passing by on my way to the Martial Hall."

Going to the Martial Hall via the library was clearly a detour, but Junior Brother Wang was not foolish enough to point this out. He smiled knowingly and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Wei, which bet did you place?"

Junior Brother Wang was referring to a very popular betting event in the martial academy at the moment—the life-or-death battle between Wei Changfeng and Hao Xiong.

Setting up a betting house was a sophisticated affair. The house would not just set up win and lose options; besides the main outcomes of win, lose, and draw, there were also细分出双方结束战斗的半刻局、一刻局、两刻局等等。

Currently, the majority of bets were on Wei Changfeng losing, but simply betting on the main loss wouldn't yield much profit. The truly high odds were in the time-based bets.

Wei Kai chuckled and said frankly, "I bet on the half-hour mark, just a small play of five hundred taels. What about you?"

The half-hour mark meant that Wei Changfeng would lose to Hao Xiong within half an hour!

Junior Brother Wang smiled bitterly, "I got the news a bit late, so I placed a bet on the one-hour mark."

Wei Kai said with a sneer, "One hour? You’re overestimating that kid. Even without this incident, he couldn’t withstand Hao Xiong’s Iron Sand Palm for ten moves. Holding out for half an hour is already giving him too much credit!"

"Since that's the case..."

Junior Brother Wang asked thoughtfully, "Senior Brother Wei, do you think he might run away?"

"Run?"

Wei Kai sneered, "You can run away from a monk, but not from a temple. He wouldn’t abandon his mother and sister, would he? I really would admire him if he did. Just wait and see the show!"

"Senior Brother Wei, I think we are all fellow disciples, so it’s best to be a bit more considerate with your words!"

A voice tinged with resentment came from the side.

Wei Kai turned his head and a cold smile appeared on his face, "I wondered who it was, it’s Senior Brother Li!"

The Li-surnamed senior brother who had delivered the Qi Nurturing Pill to Wei Changfeng walked over, glanced at Wei Kai, and did not speak further.

Wei Kai became even more displeased and said with a light laugh, "Could it be that Senior Brother Li also placed a bet on Wei Changfeng? Oh, you’re going to lose big. If mud can be made into a wall, the Luo River would have to flow backward!"

"Ha ha ha!"

His strange tone made the other martial academy students laugh along.

The Li-surnamed senior brother "harrumphed" and his face showed a hint of anger!

Creak!

At that moment, the library’s main door was slowly pushed open from the inside.

Wei Changfeng stepped out.

The mocking laughter abruptly stopped, and everyone’s gaze fell on him, most of them filled with surprise and doubt.

Because no matter how they looked at Wei Changfeng, he didn’t seem to be in any trouble. His face was unscathed, his clothes undamaged, and his expression calm, as if he had just taken a leisurely stroll inside the library, completely unharmed!

This was not normal!

But any disciple who had spent some time in the lower academy knew that the library was a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den.

Going to exchange martial techniques and secret manuals was one thing, but if you were assigned a duty there, no one had ever heard of anyone coming out unscathed.

The notorious and fierce reputation of Elder Ouyang Feng was a nightmare for the lower academy disciples!

Some disciples who had suffered before looked up at the sky, wondering if the sun was rising in the west today, as Ouyang Feng had not tormented Wei Changfeng?

This was completely out of character for the mad elder!

Wei Changfeng was also a bit surprised to see so many fellow disciples outside, but he didn’t think much about it and walked straight toward the dormitory.

"Hold it!"

Wei Kai immediately stepped forward to block his path, asking in a sinister tone, "Wei Changfeng, you have quite a bit of nerve. The Qingyun Hall assigned you to serve in the library, and you dare to run out privately. Aren’t you afraid of the disciplinary rules?"

Wei Changfeng frowned and countered, "Are you a disciplinary officer? If not, what’s it to you!"

He didn’t understand why Wei Kai seemed to regard him as an enemy.

But even if he didn’t understand, Wei Changfeng wasn’t the type to seek favor with someone who treated him coldly, so he retaliated without hesitation.

Wei Kai was choked by the last four words Wei Changfeng said and, in a fit of rage, clenched his fists.

The atmosphere on the scene immediately became tense.

"Wei Changfeng..."

The next moment, a hoarse but authoritative voice suddenly rang out.

Ouyang Feng appeared at the library’s entrance, not descending the steps, and threw something to Wei Changfeng, who had just turned around: "This nameplate is for you. From now on, you are the library’s duty disciple!"

After saying that, he turned and returned to the library, the main door slamming shut!

Wei Changfeng instinctively reached out to catch the item Ouyang Feng threw, and it was a cold jade nameplate.

The size of the jade nameplate was the same as the nameplates of the martial academy disciples, but it was much heavier. The flawless white surface was engraved with a book and pen pattern and the words "Library Duty Disciple"!

Library duty disciple!

The martial academy disciples on the scene were immediately in an uproar, their faces showing disbelief.

A duty disciple was different from a regular disciple, having a higher status in the martial academy. They were usually personally selected by the masters and elders who managed the three halls and two pavilions, responsible for some of the affairs in the halls and pavilions.

Since duty disciples had a bit of power, it was easy for them to gain some benefits, and if they had good talent, they could even receive guidance from the masters and elders!

For those disciples who had no hope of advancing to the upper academy, becoming a duty disciple was undoubtedly an excellent choice, a coveted position that everyone would fight for.

They had originally received news and deliberately detoured on their way to the Martial Hall to see Wei Changfeng’s downfall.

But they never expected that instead of seeing Wei Changfeng’s downfall, they saw his good fortune!

Why did such good fortune not fall on me?

Could those rumors be false?

Could it be that the mad elder has already recovered and returned to normal?

Why did Wei Changfeng have such good luck, and why did he gain Ouyang Feng’s favor?

Envious, jealous, and resentful eyes, filled with countless questions, focused on Wei Changfeng!

The most shocked was undoubtedly Wei Kai.

His clenched fists loosened in dejection, and he felt so depressed that he almost wanted to vomit blood.

With Wei Changfeng becoming a library duty disciple, the fifteen-day duty assignment became a joke. With this identity, he could freely enter and exit the library without any restrictions.

As a senior disciple in the lower academy, Wei Kai also knew that the library currently had no duty disciples, so Wei Changfeng’s true identity should be the chief duty disciple of the library!

How ironic that he had just said Wei Changfeng was mud that couldn’t be made into a wall, and now he was slapped in the face!

Why was this happening? Was there no justice in the world?

Depression, jealousy, and regret... These emotions gnawed at Wei Kai’s heart like venomous tongues, distorting his face and giving it a sinister look.

But no matter how bitter and angry he was, Wei Kai dared not make a move against Wei Changfeng, as that would be insubordination!

"Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations to Junior Brother Wei for becoming the chief duty disciple of the library!"

At this moment, the Li-surnamed senior brother walked over with a smile.

While congratulating Wei Changfeng, he also rubbed salt into Wei Kai’s wound: "To gain the favor of Master Ouyang, Junior Brother Wei’s future is very promising!"

In the Jingyun Martial Academy, even the headmaster Dongfang Zheng had some respect for Ouyang Feng, let alone the other masters and elders who wouldn’t even mention his name.

If Ouyang Feng didn’t have extremely strong cultivation, he definitely couldn’t have managed the library for decades!

So while subtly mocking Wei Kai, the Li-surnamed senior brother couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.

As the object of everyone’s envy and jealousy, Wei Changfeng remained unperturbed and calm. He put away the jade nameplate and bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Pausing for a moment, Wei Changfeng asked, "Senior Brother Li, are you here to see me?"

"Ah!"

The Li-surnamed senior brother slapped his forehead and said, "I almost forgot!"

"Just now, I encountered something at the martial academy’s main gate. Someone was carrying a patient and specifically asked to see you. The woman said only you could save her husband!"

"Junior Brother Wei, do you also know how to treat and save people?"

The Li-surnamed senior brother knew that Wei Changfeng was a pill master, but he was only fifteen this year. It was already extremely difficult for him to advance from a pill apprentice to a pill master, let alone have time to learn medical skills.

Even if he knew some medical skills, it was hard to believe that someone would bring a patient to kneel and beg for help.

The Li-surnamed senior brother was puzzled!

Wei Changfeng thought for a moment and immediately understood what was happening.

He nodded and said, "I understand. I’ll go and take a look now."

After bidding farewell to the Li-surnamed senior brother, Wei Changfeng hurried to the martial academy’s main gate.

Outside the lower academy’s main gate, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, pointing and whispering about a beautiful young woman kneeling on the ground. Next to her was a cart carrying a cargo.

On the cart lay a burly man, his face pale and his eyes tightly closed, with spots of blood on the ground.

The kneeling young woman was sobbing softly, looking very pitiful.

Wei Changfeng walked over and asked, "Madam, are you looking for me?"

"Are you Wei Changfeng?"

The beautiful young woman suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with joy.

She grabbed the hem of Wei Changfeng’s robe and pleaded, "Please save my husband, he’s dying!"