Chapter 17

"君子报仇十年不晚, among the top ten in Hong County, I remember you all. Wait until I master offensive literary talismans, and I will deal with you one by one!"

One can lose a battle, but not lose one's dignity. Whoever dares to point at him and curse, he must curse back!

Yue Heng planned to cower in the corner, using the power of the 'Life' literary talisman in his body to protect his vital organs. He knew that this battle today was inevitable. Although the other side was numerous and powerful, he had a strong recovery ability, and with the heart-saving pills that Min Xuhuai had given him, he should be able to survive today.

Seeing this, Wen Xinyue, who was standing nearby, suddenly drew a fiery red whip from somewhere, and with a lightning-fast movement, she whipped it in the air, creating a loud crack that made the servants cover their ears and freeze in place.

"Hmph! Do you think I'm dead?"

Wen Xinyue said with a pout, her arm waving, and the fiery red whip, like a flexible snake, wrapped around the arm of the servant closest to Yue Heng. She pulled back, and the man spun around seven or eight times, fell to the ground, rolled a few more times, and hit his head on the carved railing, fainting with a white-eyed stare. This scared everyone, and no one dared to touch Yue Heng again.

The difference between a low-level warrior and a literatus was evident. Just in terms of strength, Wen Xinyue could take down everyone on the third floor of the Zhuangyuan Pavilion.

Not to mention status. The only person with a background greater than Wen Xinyue was the top-ranked Ji Gongzi from Hong County, who came from Qi Prefecture. To Wen Xinyue, the other literati were just some worthless young masters, either sons of minor officials or merchants, not even comparable to Yue Heng, the illegitimate son of the Qi County Magistrate!

"Did you dare to hit my person?" Wen Xinyue raised her whip, pointing it at the trembling literati. The fiery red whip on the ground was still trembling, resembling a man-eating demon snake.

"Your person?"

Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun shouted in unison, their hearts breaking. The other young masters all opened their mouths wide, completely disbelieving this fact!

"Your person?"

Yue Heng was surprised, his mouth agape. He looked at the graceful back, long hair flowing over her shoulders, a slender waist, and a well-endowed figure, truly a killer from behind, and from the front too.

But he only knew her as "Second Miss Wen" and "Xiaoyue." He had just confirmed she was a warrior three seconds ago, and they hadn't even spoken a word in the half-hour they had met. How did he become her person?

"Ah!"

Wen Xinyue covered her mouth, a blush appearing on her face, realizing she had said something wrong in the heat of the moment.

But so what if she was wrong?

When had Second Miss Wen ever cared about such trivial details? When had she ever cared about what others thought of her?

"Hmph, you poor scholars, you dared to lay a hand on him without even knowing his identity? I warn you, whoever harbors ill intentions towards him is opposing me, Wen Xinyue!"

Wen Xinyue knew that Yue Heng's identity as the illegitimate son of the Qi County Magistrate should not be easily revealed. Although she was reluctant to protect him in public, she had to fulfill her promise to her father. Now that things had come to this, she didn't care anymore.

"Huh? Ill intentions? Could he really be someone important?"

Kuang Qing was almost in tears, and Kuang Yun couldn't bear to look. He raised his head and sighed, trying to swallow his bitter tears. It's over, really over, too late, really too late. Second Miss Wen and this person really have that kind of relationship...

The other young masters were equally stunned, especially Bai Ming, who was truly shocked. Yue Heng was becoming more and more incomprehensible.

The first point was that he didn't die even when injured so badly. The second point was that he could still take the exam with a broken arm, so determined. The third point was that he was considered a close friend by the great physician Min Ling. The fourth point was that he, who didn't even make the thousand-person list, was someone even Wen Xinyue admired. Combined, this was too much to think about!

"Could he really be... No, no, no, after five or six years of being classmates, don't I know who he is? But this... doesn't make sense!"

Bai Ming quietly retreated into the crowd, deciding to stay out of this mess for now.

He decided to observe for a while. Today, not just him, but the Kuang brothers and others had all been humiliated. Ji Gongzi, with his greater background, was not afraid of Wen Xinyue, and the others were also very不服气 (unwilling to accept it). He needed to think of a way to unite everyone against Yue Heng!

Seeing Wen Xinyue's domineering presence, Yue Heng finally felt relieved, but he remained vigilant, ready to use the 'Life' literary talisman to protect himself.

One person stepped forward to break the awkward silence. He was a graceful young master, handsome and elegant, dressed meticulously, with a smile that made people feel comfortable, and he bowed politely to the two of them.

"Miss Wen, today is the day of the announcement. The friends who made the list were a bit excited and acted improperly, offending you. Please forgive us. We are all friends, and we don't want to cause any trouble. Today's bill will be on me, Ji Cong. I will personally apologize to Miss Wen and this Yue Gongzi with a toast later!"

Ji Cong, a man of great literary talent, was famous and had ranked first in the spring examination in Hong County this year, coming from the Ji family of Qi Prefecture. It was rumored that the Ji family had been demoted to Hong County by the Prince of Chu You, but very few people knew the truth.

Wen Xinyue was a bit wary of him, and since Ji Cong was so polite, she couldn't lose face by getting angry. She had to give him this face.

"Let it go today! Who cares about your money?"

Wen Xinyue casually threw a small piece of gold on the table, huffed, and walked towards the stairs. After a few steps, she noticed that Yue Heng wasn't following and turned back, impatiently urging him, "Come on! Are you going to stand here and wait for them to challenge you in a literary duel?"

"What a spendthrift!"

Yue Heng was heartbroken over the piece of gold, which was worth half a year's living expenses!

Hearing Wen Xinyue call him, Yue Heng lifted his head and chest, walking past the top ten in Hong County with pride.

He finally understood that the second daughter of the Wen family, with her imposing presence, had intimidated these weak Hong County literati into silence!

However, some things were a man's responsibility, and women couldn't do them. In the moment of confrontation, Yue Heng had already made up his mind. It was time to settle old debts!

As he passed Bai Ming, Yue Heng deliberately stopped, staring into his eyes, and taking advantage of Bai Ming's reluctance to meet his gaze, he said coldly, "Brother Bai, you slandered me, bullied me, insulted me, laughed at me, belittled me, despised me, hated me, and deceived me. You may do as you please, but the heavens and the spirits know the truth. I will still say it: when I become a scholar, I will give the murderer a full body!"

Not only did Wen Xinyue stop, but everyone else perked up their ears to listen.

This mysterious Yue Gongzi seemed to have a life-or-death grudge against Bai Ming. What was this about a murderer?

"Nonsense, how did I... slander you like that?"

Bai Ming's face turned green. He couldn't remember all the insults he had said.

Given his character, he would have slapped Yue Heng in the past, but now, even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare to act!

"Who was it just now who pointed at me and said I didn't make the thousand-person list? I hate it when people point at me!"

"But I didn't point at you, it was Shi Gongzi..."

"Shut up! Who said they would open a betting pool, betting that the first to become a scholar tomorrow would be Kuang Brother?" Yue Heng glared at Kuang Qing.

"We clearly said Ji Gongzi would be the first to become a scholar..."

"Hmph! Ji Gongzi, everyone is praising you. Can you recite your spring examination essay now, so we can all appreciate the level of the top-ranked person in Hong County?" Yue Heng glared at Ji Cong again.

"Yue Gongzi, what are you doing?" Ji Cong's expression suddenly changed, surprised that the fire had reached him.

Seeing that Yue Heng was about to offend everyone, Wen Xinyue couldn't stand it anymore. She took two steps, grabbed Yue Heng's right arm, which was in a splint, and said angrily, "Let's go!"

Yue Heng couldn't match her strength and stumbled to the stairs, still unwilling to leave. He tried to use his legs to hold onto the railing, refusing to go.

He pointed at the stunned young masters with his left hand and shouted arrogantly, "You all look down on people! I, Grandpa Yue, am making a threat here. In tomorrow's re-examination, I, who didn't make the thousand-person list, will also enter. The first new scholar in Hong County this year will be none other than me, Grandpa Yue! Ow, it hurts... Don't pull me, let me fight them one-on-one! I can take ten!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

After the two of them left, the third floor of the Zhuangyuan Pavilion suddenly let out a collective sigh of relief.

Song Gongzi said resentfully, "Who is this person? How can he be so arrogant? He completely ignores us!"

Shi Gongzi was equally angry, "He said he hates it when people point at him, but just now he was pointing at us and issuing a challenge!"

Bai Ming's back was drenched in sweat. He had felt a strong threat from Yue Heng. Now, he and Yue Heng were at a life-or-death impasse, and he had to face it.

Seeing the right moment, Bai Ming quickly said, "I have studied with this person for five years and swear by the Divine Palace that he is a poor scholar with no support! He has failed the spring examination five times in a row and didn't make the list this year. He is over eighteen and will not escape the blood levy this year! Don't look at me, I only had some verbal disputes with him. This person is narrow-minded, and if he ever becomes powerful, he will mercilessly settle old scores, using every means possible!"

Kuang Qing's face turned white with anger, and he kicked a flower pot in the pavilion, "I will report to Master Wen and make sure this trickster is barred from the re-examination. How can he become the top scholar? The day of the blood levy will be his death day!"

Kuang Yun was even more furious, smashing a carved teacup, "This scoundrel must not be allowed to live! This treacherous person, with ill intentions, has an uncle who is a bailiff in the county. I will report him and have him thrown in jail!"

The third floor was filled with discussion, and the good mood of the young masters celebrating the top ten was ruined by Yue Heng. With Bai Ming's instigation, they all united, determined to take revenge.

No one noticed that the mysterious Ji Cong did not join in the condemnation. He stood in a corner, unnoticed, looking out the window.

Ji Cong couldn't help but laugh, "Slandering him, bullying him, insulting him... he really is an interesting person!"

At that moment, he was holding a delicate object in his hand. No one knew that it was slightly warm.

This Spirit-Initiating Pearl from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, besides being portable and nourishing the literary heart and stabilizing the Divine Palace, had another feature: it could sense the spiritual power of literary talismans. When facing Yue Heng, he felt the Spirit-Initiating Pearl react strangely, just like when he saw the family's elders with literary fame. He knew exactly what this meant!

Outside the Zhuangyuan Pavilion, Second Miss Wen was pulling Yue Heng's broken right arm, and the two of them were pushing through the crowd, seemingly going to look at the announcement again.

Ji Cong couldn't help but laugh, "Slandering him, bullying him, insulting him... he really is an interesting person!"

At that moment, he was holding a delicate object in his hand. No one knew that it was slightly warm.

This Spirit-Initiating Pearl from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, besides being portable and nourishing the literary heart and stabilizing the Divine Palace, had another feature: it could sense the spiritual power of literary talismans. When facing Yue Heng, he felt the Spirit-Initiating Pearl react strangely, just like when he saw the family's elders with literary fame. He knew exactly what this meant!