Chapter 134: 134. Putting On An Act of Profundity (First Update)
Translator: 549690339
“Don’t misunderstand, he was talking to Zhengzheng while playing with the child,” Su Liang explained.
Xing Yusheng smiled, “We all understand.”
Su Liang: … She doesn’t care what they think.
The preliminary trial of the Military Exam was held in West City. There were many people, and no Combat Stage was set up. Instead, a large square was divided into separate areas.
Two people from the same group would compete, one eliminated and the other advanced, and the advanced would enter the next round of trials.
On the first day of the preliminary trial, two rounds of selection would be held, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and more than half of the participants would be eliminated in one day.
As there were limited spaces, not everyone could compete at the same time, so they had to take turns entering the arena.
Qi Yan and Qi Jun went ahead to check Su Liang’s group assignment.
Suddenly, Qin Yujin pulled at Su Liang’s sleeve, “Is that Nian Ruxue?”
Following the direction of Qin Yujin’s gaze, Su Liang first saw the maid of Nian Ruxue whom she had met twice before. Standing next to the maid was a delicate young man, but with obvious curves showing through, it was obvious at a glance that she was a woman, and her stature was no different from that of
Nian Ruxue.
The reason why Qin Yujin was not sure was because the person was wearing a delicate silver mask, revealing only the eyes and lower jaw.
“Is it her?” Qin Yujin frowned, “Why is she wearing men’s clothes and a mask?”
Su Liang expressed her confusion.
Soon, people around them started discussing, saying that Nian Ruxue participated in the Military Exam and dressed in men’s clothing with a mask to hide her face to avoid her opponents treating her like a woman and holding back.
“Miss Nian is here to compete with us openly and honestly, which is really admirable,” one man said loudly, “I don’t know about anyone else, but if I were to fight against Miss Nian, I wouldn’t be able to bear to hurt her with such a
beautiful and captivating appearance!”
A group of men joined in the commotion.
For a moment, Nian Ruxue was treated as a goddess-like existence by many
men.
This time, everyone’s expectations for Nian Ruxue in the Military Exam suddenly skyrocketed.
There are always oddities in crowded places.
Soon, someone said that compared to Nian Ruxue who also participated in the Military Exam, Su Liang was not as magnanimous, and it was hard to guarantee that she would not use her beauty to confuse her opponents.
Hearing these words, Lin Xueqing was furious!
Her sister Su was here to compete, not to confuse her opponents. If an opponent was disturbed by Su Liang’s beauty, how could it be her fault? It meant that the opponent’s mind was not good enough, and it would not be a grievance if they lost.
“This is blatant discrimination!” Lin Xueqing was indignant, “They think that if a woman fights against a man, even if she wins, it’s not because of her real abilities, but because of her looks! On what basis do they demand Su Liang to dress as a man and cover her face? To put it that way, I think those people should cover their own faces, lest if Su Liang loses, it would be because their ugly faces scared her and affected her performance!”
Xing Yusheng couldn’t help but laugh and nodded repeatedly, “Xueqing’s point is very reasonable.”
“Fair competition, what does it matter whether it’s a man or a woman? Nian
Ruxue is just putting on an act, while Su Liang is truly open and honest.” Lin Xueqing declared that those who admired Nian Ruxue and belittled Su Liang would have their faces slapped!
The Qi brothers returned and reported that Su Liang was assigned to the tenth group, with four people in total. Two would be selected in the morning and one in the afternoon. After two rounds of elimination, the final winner would advance to the next day’s selection.
“The first ten groups are starting, right over there, Miss Su should go quickly!” Qi Yan pointed in a direction.
Xing Yusheng asked Qi Jun, “What about Nian Ruxue?”
Qi Jun said Nian Ruxue was not in the same group as Su Liang, and her order was quite far behind.
Su Liang’s first opponent was a tall, strong man of the power type.
The referee introduced the ages of both parties.
Su Liang had just turned fifteen.
The opponent was thirty-four and a half, which happened to be within the maximum age limit for the Military Exam.
This competition between a man and a woman who were about twenty years apart was the first of its kind in the history of the Military Exam.
Before the fight began, the man sneered and said, “Little girl, I won’t show you any mercy!”
Su Liang’s expression remained calm, “Me neither.”
Among the participants in the preliminary selection were people of various skill levels, which Su Liang already knew.
However, she didn’t expect that the first opponent she met was quite skilled, strong indeed, but also agile.
Several other groups nearby had started and quickly ended their fights, and they all gathered around to watch Su Liang’s match.
“I didn’t expect her to be so amazing!”
“It’s a pity for both of them to meet in the first round. No matter who loses, they’re both unlucky. They both had the potential to make it to the final battle!”
Everyone discussed excitedly. It was rare to see such an exciting competition in the preliminary selection round.
Xing Yusheng asked Ning Jing in a low voice, “Could someone have deliberately arranged a strong opponent for Su Liang’s first match?”
By doing so, not only could they gauge Su Liang’s strength, but they would also have a chance to eliminate her quickly.
Although the Imperial examination in Qian Country was strictly controlled, the Military Exam preliminary selection had many participants and more relaxed rules, so it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to manipulate the outcome.
Moreover, random grouping was like “destiny”, leaving no traces for others to find.
Ning Jing didn’t answer Xing Yusheng’s question but silently watched the fight.
“Go, Auntie!” Zhengzheng rode on Lu Yu’s neck and waved his little hands, cheering with all his might.
The two seemed evenly matched.
Qi Jun whispered to Xing Yusheng, “Miss Su is not using her full strength, she is probing the opponent.”
Xing Yusheng felt the same. Although the opponent had an imposing presence, Su Liang seemed to handle the pressure with ease.
Just as Lin Xueqing let out an exclamation, thinking that the tall, strong man was about to hit Su Liang, he was knocked down to the ground by Su Liang’s cunning roundhouse kick!
Everyone stared in astonishment as the comparably delicate and fragile Su Liang defeated the strong man.
Meanwhile, the defeated man came to terms with the fact that Su Liang’s strength was greater than his own. He never had a chance to hurt her; he was constantly being suppressed by her.
He wasn’t resentful, nor did he want to continue fighting. He admitted defeat, handed over his sign, and disappeared into the crowd.
Su Liang, wins!
Lin Xueqing and Qin Yujin, one on each side, hugged Su Liang, even more excited than her.
Zhengzheng smiled brightly, “Auntie is the best!”
The next match was in the afternoon, and Su Liang left after her match.
Xing Yusheng asked Qi Yan and Qi Jun to stay and pay attention to any strong opponents, especially Nian Ruxue’s first match, to see how powerful she was.
Xing Yusheng didn’t care about Nian Ruxue, but he knew she did not get along with Su Liang. Her engagement to the second prince would inevitably cause trouble for Su Liang, so she was a potential enemy to watch out for.
Duanmu Chen didn’t appear, but sent a subordinate to watch and report back to him. The subordinate was not well-known in Chang’an.
Wan Hui invited them to the Wan Family Restaurant and reserved the best private room for them.
Everyone raised their glasses to toast. Besides Ning Jing, who remained aloof, everyone else was beaming.
“Feels like I’ve already secured the title of Top Scholar.” Su Liang laughed.
“Aunt will become the Top Scholar.” Zhengzheng always knew how to catch on to the main point.
Lin Xueqing smiled, “I believe Sister Su will definitely become the Top Scholar.” Xing Yusheng nodded immediately, “Me too.”
Qin Yujin joked that their souls were perfectly in tune and added that she was also confident in Su Liang.
Su Liang looked at Ning Jing directly, “What about you?”
Ning Jing shook her head, “The opponents are unknown; don’t be blindly over-confident. ”
Zhengzheng giggled, “Just be confident!”
Everyone laughed.
The first round of the competition ended after noon, eliminating half of the competitors in half a day.
Qi Yan and Qi Jun only came to the restaurant afterward.
“Miss Nian’s opponent was very weak; she defeated them with one move and pushed them out of bounds,” Qi Yan snorted, “I think there’s something wrong with the grouping!”
Qi Jun shook his head, “Hard to say. In the three large groups, Miss Su and Miss Nian aren’t in the same group, they might only encounter each other at the very end.”
“Could Nian Ruxue cheat by bribing someone, so she always gets paired with weak opponents?” Lin Xueqing asked.
“But judging from today’s groups, it might not be anything shady, perhaps it’s just a coincidence,” said Qin Yujin.
“Anyway, I think she’s the type to use underhanded tricks,” Lin Xueqing said, “Even without any issues, she’s no match for Sister Su!”
Su Liang coughed lightly, “Don’t praise me too much behind closed doors. Ning
Jing knows my strength very well; he doesn’t think it’s certain.”
Zhengzheng, the little cutie, raised her small hand and said loudly,
“Definitely! ”
Ning Jing looked at Su Liang, his expression calm, “Don’t disappoint
Zhengzheng.”
Su Liang rubbed her forehead, “I’ll do my best.”
On the first day of the Military Exam, the whole city was discussing it, talking mostly about Nian Ruxue.
A noble lady enjoying a life of luxury, yet unafraid of hard work and dedicated to martial arts practice.
She had never shown her martial arts skills before, remaining humble and low-key.
To ensure fairness, she dressed as a man and wore a mask.
Some even elevated the notion, saying that with such beauty and hard work, Nian Ruxue was striving to bring honor to Qian Country.
The above were all examples of the wonderful reputation Nian Ruxue had in the capital city.
There were few mentions of Su Liang. Those who did, some talked about the mystery of her resurrection, while others used her to highlight Nian Ruxue’s generous spirit.
Only a few who had witnessed Su Liang’s strength personally today believed that she could make it to the end without accidents.
The Nian Family.
After the marriage grant, Nian Ruxue was treated coldly by the old Nian matriarch and Nian Jitang and his wife. But today, their attitude towards her had improved.
A maid brought Bird’s Nest soup for Nian Ruxue, saying that the old matriarch ordered her to drink it.
“Put it down.” Nian Ruxue said indifferently as she groomed herself in front of the mirror, showing no joy.
The maid put down the Bird’s Nest and quietly left the room.
At the door, she bumped into someone.
“Eldest Young Master!” The maid quickly stepped back.
Nian Jinxing grabbed the maid and pushed her out, shutting the door behind him.
The maid almost fell and stood outside looking uneasy.
“What are you doing, brother?” Nian Ruxue asked with displeasure.
Nian Jinxing walked up to Nian Ruxue and leaned in close, looking into her eyes as he whispered, “How did you do it?”
Nian Ruxue leaned back and frowned, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“You can deceive others, but not me!” Nian Jinxing sneered, “I know your true ability!”
Nian Ruxue stood up and snorted coldly, “I had good luck today and faced a weak opponent. Can’t you stand to see me succeed, brother?”
“How could I not? You’re my dear sister.” Nian Jinxing picked up the mask from the table, covered Nian Ruxue’s face, and laughed, “But I don’t want to end up like Nian Jincheng, being played by you. You’re the smartest person in the Nian Family. I’ll give you one more chance; tell me, what did you do?”
Nian Ruxue’s face turned icy, “Am I really so unbearable in your eyes, brother?”
“There’s no need for such empty words, they only hurt our feelings,” Nian
Jinxing scoffed. “Since you won’t tell me, I’ll take this mask away.” Nian Ruxue stared at him, “What the hell are you up to?”
Nian Jinxing suddenly closed in, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and whispered menacingly in her ear, “Dressing as a man and wearing a mask, acting so mysterious, you don’t seem like my sister who always thought herself the most beautiful woman in the world, and hoped all men would be bewitched by her! Those reasons might fool others, but don’t I know you better?”
Nian Ruxue’s face darkened, “Think what you want!”
“I do have a daring guess, brother, and I wonder if you’d like to hear it?” Nian Jinxing let go of Nian Ruxue, put the mask on his face, and barely hid the wickedness in his eyes, “The one who really participated in the Military Exam isn’t you, but a stand-in you hired.. Am I right?”
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