Chapter Forty-seven: All Truth Is Revealed in the Arena

With the morning matches concluded, all members of the Luoyang Martial Arts School except for Chen Xiangru had advanced to the next round. Luo Changning and the others were about to look for Xiang Ao when they were intercepted by disciples from the Divine Hand Martial School.

“Hold it right there! Don’t get cocky. You’ve injured our young master and Brother Wang—we’re not just going to let that go!” Brother Wang was the disciple who had suffered a humiliating defeat at Ma Qingyun’s hands.

Though Liang Zhenyun was an affable person, he was fiercely protective of his own. Even if he didn’t wish to offend the Divine Hand School, he still stepped forward and said, “Let’s settle everything on the platform.”

The disciples from Divine Hand Martial School burst out laughing, as if they’d heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. One of them, with a sly, rat-like face, sneered, “You country bumpkins, don’t think you’re something special just because you’ve won a few matches. The only reason you could show off in the ring before is that you haven’t yet faced our Senior Brother Ling. When you do, all you’ll be able to do is kneel and beg for mercy!”

Luo Changning responded with a cold smile, “Is that so? Then let’s wait and see if it’s your Senior Brother Ling who’s formidable, or if our Luoyang School proves superior.”

Ma Xue’e nodded vigorously, chiming in, “That’s right! Who knows who’ll end up begging for mercy!”

With that, they ignored any further reaction from the Divine Hand disciples and walked away.

“Bah! Who do they think they are?”

“Hmph. Let’s see how long those yokels can stay smug!”

“That’s right, our Senior Brother Ling isn’t someone to mess with.”

Of course, their outburst wasn’t truly for Gao Haitian’s sake. It was more that their young master and fellow disciple had been defeated in only a move or two, making them lose face before the other schools. Humiliated and angry, they wanted to vent their frustration by shaming Luo Changning and his friends. But as luck would have it, the others didn’t even bother to spare them a glance.

Back at the Evergreen Inn, Xiang Ao hosted a generous feast, ordering two full tables of dishes. Luo Changning, Ma Xue’e, Ma Qingyun, Xiang Yinglong, and Chen Xiangru sat at one table, while Xiang Ao, Xiang Tong, Mao Ruolin, Liang Zhenyun, and Mo Feng sat at another.

The private room soon filled with food and drink. Laughter and conversation flowed freely among the group. Though there were matches in the afternoon, it didn’t stop them from relaxing a little; a drink or two was nothing to worry about.

In the afternoon’s matches, only Mo Feng and Xiang Yinglong from Luo Changning’s group faced disciples from Divine Hand Martial School, and both won with ease.

Whether it was their luck or Divine Hand’s, neither had yet faced Ling Yancheng head-on.

After a restful night at the inn, the disciples of every school gathered at the county office early the next morning for the third round. Only fifteen contestants remained, most from Divine Hand and Luoyang, with the others little more than background characters.

Still, all who had advanced were truly skilled—by the standards of young martial artists in Qiuhe County, at least—so the audience found the matches entertaining despite not being able to participate themselves.

This third round took longer than the previous two, lasting until late afternoon. During the break, Ma Xue’e sent Chen Xiangru out to buy snacks, munching away as she watched, her mouth never pausing.

The results astonished many: of the five finalists, Luoyang and Divine Hand each claimed two spots. Luo Changning and Ma Qingyun represented Luoyang, while Divine Hand’s finalists were Ling Yancheng and, surprisingly, a thirteen-year-old girl.

The girl was of average looks—not a budding beauty like Ma Xue’e, whose future radiance was already apparent—but she was neat, forthright, and had a heroic spark in her eyes that easily won one’s favor.

As in previous years, the finals were dominated by the two leading schools. The surprise this year was that Bo Er from Baishui Martial School had also made it to the final round.

This left the schoolmasters with mixed feelings—envy, jealousy, and the sense that change was in the air for Qiuhe County. At the very least, the era of Gao Ba's unchallenged supremacy was over.

Both Xiang Ao and Bai Yuliang had solid backing, so Gao Ba dared not openly cause trouble as their schools grew stronger. Though most still believed the Divine Hand School would claim the championship, it was already better than in previous years, when four of the five finalists were always from Divine Hand.

As long as Luoyang and Baishui could narrow the gap with Divine Hand, Gao Ba would be forced to act with more caution and restraint.

Gao Ba could easily guess what the others were thinking and sneered to himself. In his eyes, as long as there were no innate-level martial artists among them, the other schools were no threat at all. They could jump and shout all they wanted—it would never hinder his path. He also knew that Bo Er’s astonishing footwork was not something Bai Yuliang could have taught; it must have come from either a fortuitous encounter or a secret family art.

He had heard that Bo Er was an orphan. If the boy ever blocked his path, disposing of him would be easy enough. As for the two boys from Luoyang, their reckoning would come as well.

Not that he considered them worthy of his attention—just a few postnatal-level martial artists, nothing more. But Gao Ba was not one to forgive a slight. Anyone who cost him or the Divine Hand School their pride would be made to pay in turn.

Chen Xiangru and Mao Ruolin, though eliminated, were not disheartened. The former took it in stride, while the latter never cared much about the matches to begin with—no expectations, no disappointment.

After dinner at the Evergreen Inn, Luo Changning and the others returned to their rooms to rest. Ma Xue’e, however, couldn’t sit still. She dragged Xiang Yinglong and Chen Xiangru out for a stroll, with Liang Zhenyun tagging along out of concern, and Mo Feng inviting himself.

It didn’t take long before Ma Xue’e lost interest in wandering around. Liang Zhenyun was tolerable, if a bit taciturn, but Mo Feng made her uncomfortable and annoyed—she simply didn’t want to shop with him, yet he kept chattering at her side.

She scowled to herself: “Why is Senior Brother Mo so irritating? Even candied hawthorn has lost its sweetness listening to him…”

Seeing Ma Xue’e’s lack of enthusiasm, the group decided to return to the inn. Halfway there, Mo Feng seemed to spot something, excused himself, and told them not to wait.

Liang Zhenyun nodded. “Mo, finish your business quickly and come back to the inn. Best not to run into that Divine Hand crowd.”

“Got it, brother.”

Once the others had gone, Mo Feng made his way toward the figure he’d seen earlier.

“What a coincidence, Junior Sister Feng! I didn’t expect to run into you here,” Mo Feng said with a harmless, boyish smile.

Standing before him was a young girl named Feng Shiyan, the very disciple who had defeated him that morning and advanced to the finals.

Feng Shiyan looked at him coldly, a mocking smile on her lips. “I didn’t expect it either. What, are you still bitter about your loss and here to cause trouble?”

Mo Feng chuckled. “Come now, Senior Sister Feng, do I seem like the petty type? You beat me with your skill, and I admit I was no match.”

She seemed about to reply, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure approaching and turned away from Mo Feng, heading toward the newcomer.

“Senior Brother Yancheng, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for ages!”

Ling Yancheng looked down at the girl, half a head shorter than himself, and smiled indulgently. “My fault, Shiyan. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

The two walked away together, and Mo Feng watched their receding figures with a bemused smile. “So this is Ling Yancheng? Seems he’s just another man wrapped around a woman’s little finger…”

(The Black River County arc has gone on for quite a few chapters now—it’s time to bring it to a close. After all, this is a historical novel, not a martial arts saga, and there’s no need to dwell too long on the school ranking tournament. The real purpose of the Black River journey was to introduce some key characters who will appear again. It’s time for a new plot to begin!)