Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Burning with Rage
Luo Tang walked over, looked at Wen Qingye, and asked softly, "Brother, are you alright?"
Wen Qingye looked at Luo Tang in confusion. "What could be wrong with me? I’m doing just fine."
"Fine?" Luo Tang’s eyes grew wide.
Wen Qingye scanned Luo Tang’s body. "You seem to be walking normally, but the print from your left foot is shallow. Did someone injure your leg recently?"
Luo Tang looked at Wen Qingye and frowned. "Brother, do you really not know, or are you just pretending?"
Wen Qingye stood up and faced Luo Tang. "What is it I’m supposed to know?"
"Yann Xiangyang issued a ban against you, did you know? Anyone from South Mountain who dares to associate with you will be severely punished. Take Gao Yuerou, for example. The South Mountain instructors won’t even let her attend lectures anymore. She’s also been cut off from the Primordial Stone distributions. Right now, she’s a total pariah in South Mountain—no one dares to go near her."
Wen Qingye’s brow furrowed deeply. "That really happened?"
"The rumor going around is that you used some trick to pass the 5th Layer of the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion. Yann Xiangyang has been saying that challenging you will expose you for what you really are. She’s even offered a huge reward to any new student who can defeat you. On top of that, she used her influence to completely cover up the fact that you killed Zhao Feng, so no one outside knows. The new students from East Mountain and South Mountain have been eagerly enforcing her ban. A while back, a bunch of them came to North Mountain to challenge you. When they found you weren’t here, they started smashing the place up." At this, Luo Tang rubbed his nose in embarrassment. "I fought a few of the new students from East Mountain, but I was outnumbered. They’re the ones who injured me."
Wen Qingye knew Qig Mountain Academy had a rule allowing students to spar and compete with one another.
’They actually dared to come and smash the place?’ The thought struck Wen Qingye.
Luo Tang said cautiously, "Brother, you really didn’t know? Please don’t get angry when I tell you this."
"Speak," Wen Qingye said flatly.
Luo Tang continued, "It seems Shii Jie from East Mountain was trying to destroy your herb garden when Xiaxia stopped him. When he saw her, he got handsy. As Xiaxia fought back, a large number of Primordial Stones and medicinal herbs fell from her robes. The whole group from East Mountain scrambled to grab everything and then ran off."
Wen Qingye’s expression was calm, but a storm raged within him. He looked at Luo Tang, his eyes blazing with fury, and said, "They’ve got a lot of nerve."
With that, Wen Qingye walked straight into the thatched hut.
Inside, Xiaxia was poring over an herb manual on the table. When she saw Wen Qingye, she smiled. "Master, see? I’m studying hard. You don’t need to watch over me every second."
Wen Qingye asked, "Xiaxia, how did your arm get injured?"
Xiaxia grinned. "A Gale Wolf scratched me. Didn’t I tell you already?"
"And the Primordial Stones and pills Lil Ya gave you?" Wen Qingye pressed.
Xiaxia pouted. "Oh, the Primordial Stones and pills? I used them all up. I even gave a bunch to Sister Yuerou."
Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s eyes turned cold as he snapped, "Xiaxia, are you still lying to me?"
Xiaxia froze. Then she saw Luo Tang walk in through the door and shot him a harsh glare. "Master, you know everything?"
"I was just worried about you..."
Wen Qingye grabbed Xiaxia by the hand and started walking outside.
"Master, where are we going?" Xiaxia asked, confused.
Without a word, Wen Qingye led Xiaxia toward East Mountain.
Seeing this, Luo Tang hurried to follow.
.....
At the foot of East Mountain, Xiaxia stood in the middle of the road, looking at Wen Qingye in confusion. It was just after classes had ended, and throngs of new students were making their way down the mountain.
Wen Qingye watched the East Mountain students pass by. Suddenly, he blocked the path of one who was heading down the mountain.
"What do you want?" The East Mountain student sensed Wen Qingye’s hostility and frowned.
"Were you at North Mountain a few days ago?" Wen Qingye asked.
The student looked Wen Qingye over, then nodded. "I was. What of it?"
Wen Qingye nodded. "Good. You wanted to challenge me, didn’t you? Here’s your chance."
"You’re Wen Qingye?" the student exclaimed.
His cry was like a spark in a powder keg. Everyone in the vicinity turned to look.
"Wen Qingye’s here! He finally showed up!"
"The nerve of him, coming all the way to our East Mountain!"
"Hahaha, I thought Wen Qingye was going to hide for the rest of his life!"
The surrounding East Mountain students were all fired up, their eyes fixed on Wen Qingye with manic excitement.
"That’s right. You wanted to challenge me, didn’t you? We can have our match now," Wen Qingye said with a nod.
Hearing this, a spark of fighting spirit lit up in the East Mountain student’s eyes. He had entered the academy at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation and had now reached the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Heaven. Although he had heard about Wen Qingye’s cultivation level, he was rather dismissive of the rumors about his combat prowess.
If he defeated Wen Qingye, not only would he make a name for himself, but he would also earn praise from Yann Xiangyang, the big shot from South Mountain. At that thought, the East Mountain student began to tremble with anticipation.
The other East Mountain students watched him with faces full of envy.
"What’s his relationship with Wen Qingye? Why would Wen Qingye come all this way just to challenge him?"
"He’s so lucky. As long as he isn’t completely useless, if he beats Wen Qingye, he could probably get straight into South Mountain."
"This has to be fishy. The two of them must have planned this together."
......
Wen Qingye looked at the student with a faint smile. "Shall we begin?"
"Of course!" the student said, nodding gleefully.
A sharp crack echoed in everyone’s ears!
BANG!
Before anyone could even react, the East Mountain student was sent flying, slamming hard against a wall.
’Fast! So incredibly fast!’
Only a handful of people had even been able to process what happened.
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Wen Qingye strolled over to the fallen student, hauled him up with one hand, and dragged him over to stand before Xiaxia.
"Kneel. Apologize," Wen Qingye said coldly.
"What? You dare make me kneel—?"
THUD!
Wen Qingye kicked the back of the glaring student’s knee, forcing him to collapse to the ground.
Xiaxia stared in disbelief. She never imagined Wen Qingye would do something like this.
"Apologize," Wen Qingye repeated.
The East Mountain student said defiantly, "I won’t—"
THUMP!
Wen Qingye smashed the student’s head straight into the ground. It made a sickening sound as it hit the Cyan Stone pavers, and blood immediately began to pour from the wound.
"Wen Qingye, you’re going too far!"
"Yeah! So what if he lost the challenge? You can’t just make him kneel and apologize!"
"Do you really think you can do whatever you want just because you’re a little strong?"
Wen Qingye ignored the crowd’s curses, his icy gaze still fixed on the student before him. "Apologize!"
The East Mountain student was finally starting to feel scared. Trembling, he gritted his teeth and forced out to Xiaxia, "I... I’m sorry."
Wen Qingye nodded. "Now get lost."
Hearing this, the student scrambled up as if granted a pardon and fled down the mountain, blood still streaking his face.
Wen Qingye then turned his head toward the student who had been shouting the loudest. "You," he said flatly. "Weren’t you at North Mountain a few days ago to challenge me? I’m giving you a chance now."
