Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion
"It’s no problem. I think North Mountain is great. There’s a lot of freedom," Wen Qingye said with a smile.
Gao Yuerou gazed at Wen Qingye with her large eyes before saying with a hint of resignation, "Oh, I see..."
"Yuerou, let’s go over there! Brother Feng is about to challenge the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion!"
"Yeah! I wonder if Brother Feng can clear the 5th Layer, but the 4th Layer should be no problem for him."
"That’s right, let’s go, let’s go!"
As her companions tugged at her, Gao Yuerou gave Wen Qingye an apologetic look and said, "I’m going to go watch first. I’ll come find you in a bit."
"Yeah, go on ahead," Wen Qingye said with a nod.
Gao Yuerou was pulled away by her companions. Wen Qingye also strolled over to the entrance of the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion, where a surprising number of people in the crowd recognized him.
"Hey, look. Isn’t that the only student from North Mountain?"
"I think that’s him. I saw him on the day we joined Qig Mountain Academy. I think his name is Wen Qingye."
"What a fool. Choosing North Mountain is a dead end. He’ll just be wasting his life away, and he can forget about ever entering the Inner Courtyard."
Wen Qingye paid no mind to the crowd’s gossip, his expression calm as he gazed forward.
Gao Yuerou bit her lip. Seeing Wen Qingye standing all alone amidst the sounds of ridicule, she found she couldn’t bear it. She turned to the others from South Mountain and said, "Wen Qingye is my friend. I’m going to go talk with him."
A young woman beside her grabbed Gao Yuerou’s arm. "Yuerou, don’t go. Can’t you see how everyone is pointing and whispering about that Wen Qingye? If you ask me, we should stay away and avoid unnecessary trouble. Students from North Mountain are destined to have no future."
Zhou Yang nodded. "Exactly. Wen Qingye is not on our path. Being in North Mountain is a slow death. We’ll barely see each other in the future anyway. Yuerou, you shouldn’t go. With Brother Yu’s help, you’re sure to enter the Inner Courtyard sooner or later."
"Kang Yan, how could that possibly cause trouble? Qingye and I grew up together, and he hasn’t done anything wrong. How can I just ignore him?" Ignoring their attempts to stop her, Gao Yuerou walked toward Wen Qingye.
The moment Gao Yuerou walked away, a vicious glint flashed in Zhou Yang’s eyes.
Kang Yan’s brow furrowed. "Zhou Yang, go give that Wen Qingye a ’reminder.’ Make him understand his place. He needs to learn that not just anyone can get close to a woman Brother Yu has taken an interest in."
Zhou Yang scoffed. "I’ve been wanting to go over there. If it wasn’t for Yuerou’s sake, I’d have taught him a lesson already."
At that moment, Wen Qingye stood at the edge of the crowd. With his hands clasped behind his back holding the Ancient Moon Sword, he stood proudly against the wind, his expression calm and composed. He was like a crane among chickens, utterly distinct.
Upon seeing him, Gao Yuerou’s heart suddenly began to race, and her face grew hot. She touched her cheek and wondered, ’What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel like this?’
Wen Qingye looked at Gao Yuerou in confusion. "What’s wrong, Yuerou? Where are your companions?"
"It’s nothing, it’s nothing! I just came over to chat with you," Gao Yuerou said, waving her hands quickly. "They’re still over there."
Wen Qingye smiled. "Not staying with your companions? They seemed quite friendly with you."
Gao Yuerou quickly shook her head. "It’s fine. They’re just casual acquaintances. I’m not that close to them; we’ve only known each other for a few days."
As she spoke, Gao Yuerou’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. ’Am I trying to explain myself?’ she thought. ’Why do I feel the need to explain this to Wen Qingye?’
"You’re Wen Qingye, right? Let me give you a word of advice: there are some people you can’t afford to offend. Be careful who you cross."
Just then, a cold, sinister voice sounded near Wen Qingye’s ear. He looked over and saw it was the man from before, Zhou Yang.
Wen Qingye turned to Zhou Yang, a curious look on his face. "Oh? And how exactly have I offended someone I shouldn’t have?"
Zhou Yang pointed at Gao Yuerou. "Stay away from her. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences. Understand?"
Hearing Zhou Yang, Gao Yuerou’s face flushed with anger. "Zhou Yang, who do you think you are? I’ll spend time with whomever I please. It has nothing to do with you!"
She then turned to Wen Qingye, saying anxiously, "Wen Qingye, don’t listen to his nonsense."
"Wen Qingye, a man ought to know his own limitations," Zhou Yang said coldly.
Wen Qingye shrugged, his eyes fixed on Zhou Yang. "And what if I say no?"
At this, Zhou Yang’s expression darkened. He said in a sinister tone, "Gao Yuerou is someone our South Mountain’s Brother Yu has taken a liking to. You can’t say I didn’t warn you."
When the surrounding crowd heard Zhou Yang, they all turned to look. They all knew who "Brother Yu" was. He had to be referring to South Mountain’s genius disciple, Xia Moyu.
Gao Yuerou’s face was scarlet with fury. "You’re lying! When did I ever agree to anything?!"
Just then, the doors to the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion swung wide open. But with everyone’s attention on Zhou Yang and Wen Qingye, not a single person noticed.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Cradling his sword, Wen Qingye let out a great laugh and strode toward the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion. He completely ignored Zhou Yang’s warning, scoffing at the threat and even more so at the name Xia Moyu.
"With that kind of bearing alone, Wen Qingye is definitely somebody."
"Hmph. Xia Moyu is one of the top three geniuses in Qig Mountain Academy. I’d say this Wen Qingye has let a pretty face go to his head."
"The South Mountain Sect always sticks together. That Wen Qingye is just some nobody from North Mountain, all alone with no one to back him up. He’s really picked a fight he can’t win this time."
...
Wen Qingye walked slowly into the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion. A sudden light flashed, and he found himself in an open field. In the center stood a scarecrow. Its entire body was yellow, seemingly crafted from some kind of strange wood. It looked nimble and light, and seemed to possess a life-like quality.
The scarecrow held a blade that glinted coldly; it was clearly sharpened. Its eyes held a ghostly glimmer.
About five breaths later, a dense wave of Primordial Qi erupted from the scarecrow’s arm with a HISS. It kicked off the ground and charged at Wen Qingye.
The scarecrow’s slash was unnaturally fast. A flash of cold light shot past, accompanied by the whistle of the blade slicing through the air. A normal person would have been too stunned to even think of dodging.
Wen Qingye’s eyes flickered. He immediately ducked, dodging the slash. In that same instant, he drew his sword.
SCHWING!
A golden light flashed from Wen Qingye’s sword, like an uncanny golden snake, as he thrust straight for the scarecrow’s chest.
THWACK!
Wen Qingye’s strike was fast, accurate, and clean.
Once pierced by Wen Qingye’s sword, the scarecrow immediately froze, as if it had lost its very Spirit.
Wen Qingye knew this meant he had passed the first test. He had struck the scarecrow’s vital point; a real enemy would have already collapsed.
Wen Qingye sheathed his longsword and walked, step by step, toward the stairs ahead.
