The Two Playing Dead

Trying to show off in front of me? I'll make you fly!

Zhuang Xun snorted disdainfully in his heart as he looked at Yang Huan, who was lying motionless outside the door.

The teacup was no divine weapon. Even with the empowerment of the Six Harmonies Force, it had only lightly injured Yang Huan; his opponent still had the strength to fight.

Through the perspective of his Spiritual Sight, Yang Huan's blood qi was flowing rapidly, and his heart was pounding wildly.

But suddenly, everything went limp.

Zhuang Xun blanked for a moment, then realized that the other party probably found it too embarrassing, so he was just lying there playing dead.

This is hilarious. What an idiot...

If it wouldn't break Bai Yujing's persona, he would really love to run over and shout, “Yang Huan! No sleeping here!”

Meanwhile, there was another person inside the door who was also playing dead.

Through his Spiritual Sight, Guichen's heart was beating fast, and his breathing was slightly ragged. He was clearly still conscious.

Is this guy really the protagonist? He seemed like it at first, but not so much now. Anti-climactic... Zhuang Xun paid him brief attention before ignoring him.

It didn't matter either way. In fact, it might be better if he wasn't, as it wouldn't disrupt his plans on Mount Dazhou.

“Brother Bai... the cup... flew over... knocked him away... and it's over?”

Bai Yujing raised his head, looking at Zhou Zixing, who was still standing there, stammering and gesturing wildly with his hands. Once the youth finished speaking, Bai Yujing nodded slightly.

“Yes.”

“Hahaha, I see!” Understanding dawned on Zhou Zixing, and he excitedly picked up a teacup and threw it to the ground.

Smash! Staring at the shattered pieces of the teacup, Zhou Zixing, who had been full of anticipation, froze.

“Huh? This teacup isn't a divine weapon?”

“Brother Bai, how did you... do that?” he asked instinctively.

“Just some minor force-exertion techniques. If Young Master Zhou is curious, Yujing can teach you.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Brother Bai! If I learn this trick of yours, I will definitely call all my friends over and show off in front of them!” Although disappointed that his own teacup wasn't a divine weapon, Zhou Zixing was overjoyed to hear that Bai Yujing was willing to teach him.

“Then you'd better focus on your health and longevity, Brother. Oh, and you should tell those fair-weather friends of yours to do the same, so they can actually live to see... their seventies or eighties?”

After teasing her brother, Zhou Ziruo looked at Bai Yujing and silently mouthed the words "Six Harmonies Force." Upon receiving his nod of confirmation, her beautiful, picture-perfect eyes widened slightly.

Heavens, it really is a martial arts technique.

She recalled that her master, who was once hailed as the number one genius of Mount Dazhou, had apparently only comprehended the Six Harmonies Force upon reaching the Third Rank realm. Yet, Senior Brother Bai was currently only at Sixth Rank... His talent was truly not a single bit inferior to his looks.

Just then, Zhou Zixing suddenly remembered that the Crimson Robe Attendants were still present.

Looking at the group of Crimson Robe Attendants standing uneasily in the center, the gloom in his heart vanished instantly, and he burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha! Since you gentlemen wish to attend this Young Master's coming-of-age ceremony, how could I possibly not welcome you! Please, sit wherever you like! Don't be polite!”

A mature-looking Wrath Robe stepped forward, biting the bullet and cupping his hands.

“We still have official duties to attend to, so we won't disrupt the enjoyment of Young Master Zhou and Chief Disciple Bai.”

He cupped his hands to Bai Yujing again and said, “Chief Disciple Bai, our captain has always been obsessed with martial combat. Hearing that the Chief Disciple was here today, he simply couldn't resist the urge to test his skills. There was no other meaning behind it. We hope the Chief Disciple can show some understanding.”

Playing along with the polite formalities, Bai Yujing said, “The exchange with Shock Robe Yang has been highly beneficial to Yujing. Please convey my words, Wrath Robe: Yujing looks forward to our next duel.”

Outside the door, Yang Huan, who was pretending to be unconscious, was so mortified that he wished he could bury himself in the ground.

The Wrath Robe said awkwardly, “Yes, I will convey the Chief Disciple's words to our captain. We shall take our leave now.”

With that, he waved to the other Crimson Robe Attendants, picked up Yang Huan, and beat a hasty retreat. At the same time, he lamented in his heart, “Sigh, this is truly embarrassing. When we get back, the captain is going to be laughed to death by his colleagues.”

Once the Crimson Robe Attendants were far away, the crowd in the hall erupted into a flurry of chatter.

“Chief Disciple Bai's strength is truly unfathomable. Even Yang Huan couldn't last a single move against him!”

“Indeed! Using a teacup as a weapon—how elegant! How confident! It is often said that true martial experts can injure people with flying flowers and falling leaves. Chief Disciple Bai has probably already reached that realm!”

“The Crimson Robe Attendants have always been overbearing and arrogant. I never expected to see them in such a pathetic state.”

“Well, it depends on who they are facing. Chief Disciple Bai is the personal disciple of a Zenith! If Yang Huan had won, that would be one thing. But since he lost so miserably today, not only will no one back him up, he'll probably even face punishment when he returns...”

In a corner of the hall, Li Xiangzhi instinctively looked at An Dafu.

Noticing his gaze, An Dafu remembered his earlier boastful claims and felt deeply embarrassed. His eyes darted around as he said, “Well... I only thought Senior Brother Bai was inferior to the Four Great Young Masters because I heard others say so. Those people are really misleading.”

Yan Pingsheng said deliberately, “Indeed. Knowing nothing yet daring to spout nonsense and mislead others.”

An Dafu flushed even redder, quickly nodding in agreement.

“Right, right, right. There are too many people pretending to know everything these days. Next time anyone dares to say Senior Brother Bai is inferior to the Four Great Young Masters, I'll definitely curse them out.”

“Senior Brother Bai is too amazing. He joined the academy in the same batch as us, yet he's already such a powerful martial artist.” Li Xiangzhi stared at Bai Yujing in the secondary seat and asked, “How high do you think Senior Brother Bai's martial arts have reached? Since he easily defeated a Sixth Rank Shock Robe, he must be at least Fifth Rank, right?”

“I think he's at Fourth Rank.”

An Dafu declared confidently, “I once followed my dad and watched two Fifth Rank experts fight. I feel like neither of them was as impressive as Senior Brother Bai.”

“Hey, I'm not that high yet, only Sixth Rank...” Zhuang Xun felt quite smug in his heart.

In another corner, Guichen, who was lying on the ground, listened to the gasps of admiration and swooning sighs from the crowd regarding Bai Yujing. He felt a sudden urge to open his eyes and look, but when he remembered his current situation, shame welled up in his heart.

At the thought of the Crimson Robe Attendants who had put him in this situation, fury burned in his chest. In his mental ranking of hatred, the Crimson Robe Attendants instantly leaped to second place, second only to the Ye family.

He thought fiercely about how he would seek revenge, while simultaneously hoping that someone would pull him out of this embarrassing predicament.

If someone did, he would definitely devote everything to repaying...

“Young Master Zhou, please call a physician to treat that junior brother on the ground.”

Guichen froze. Forgetting his fear of being caught pretending to be unconscious, he cracked his eyes open slightly. In his vision, Bai Yujing seemed to be bathed in a soft, ethereal light.

“Is he... an immortal?” he murmured in his heart.

“Thank me, kid. I just can't stand seeing others in an awkward spot...” Bai Yujing blew on his hot tea and took a gentle sip.

After chatting with Zhou Zixing for a while about the key points of the Six Harmonies Force, Bai Yujing estimated that he had sat there for a full shichen. He politely declined Zhou Zixing and Zhou Ziruo's invitations to stay, then left on horseback to return to his loyal Wanxing Martial Academy.

Up on the side cliff, Zhuang Xun slumped onto a grand armchair in an incredibly ungraceful manner. With a flick of his feet, his boots flew off, and he leaned back against the chair, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Ah, there's truly no place like home.”