Chapter 44: Unlucky Person.
Fang Che looked at Ding Jueran and smiled faintly.
Three seeds, one used to kill Ximen Xuri, one resolved, leaving two.
Ding Jueran must not be killed again. So Fang Che took another route: to befriend him.
Using the frank and passionate spirit of a warrior to arouse the warrior's heart in him.
Open and aboveboard, with an air of integrity.
Ding Jueran, on the other hand, clearly appeared to be a reclusive and solitary person, the kind who lacked friends even more.
Furthermore, due to age, teenagers of seventeen or eighteen, no matter how bad, always have a heart full of passion. Ah, commonly known as chuunibyou.
So Fang Che's plan worked.
Of course, if this method proves ineffective, Fang Che will change it at any time. After all, dealing with different people requires different methods.
Ah, making friends first, there's no problem with that, right? As for how things will develop in the future, that remains to be seen.
Fang Che was very satisfied.
Out of the three targets, two had already been dealt with.
As for killing Ximen Xuri himself, that could also be considered as dealing with him.
...
Seven advances, four clear!
Fang Che took the lead.
At this moment, everyone could see that Fang Che truly had the strength to win. It could even be said that he was a strong contender for the championship.
After all, no one could surpass his move, "Blade Performs the Floating Tower."
Countless students were pounding their chests and stamping their feet in regret.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Moreover, among so many championship contenders, Fang Che had the lowest betting rate.
Only about seven thousand points were bet on him.
And the vast majority of those bets were placed by the beauty-loving sisters who liked to watch handsome men!
It can be seen that in this society where looks matter, the beauty-loving faction still has a huge advantage.
The beauty-loving faction achieved a huge victory!
Almost all the male students in the school were defeated!
For a while, the sound of mourning filled the air.
On the other hand, the female warrior students who had bet on Fang Che were cheering, their voices sweet and uniform, actually drowning out the screams of the male students.
"Cousin, cousin!"
"Cousin is mine!"
"Ahhhh... I didn't expect to win, but I won..." said a round-faced, chubby female student, looking pleasantly surprised.
Her voice, like a knife, stabbed into the hearts of many gamblers.
She hadn't even expected to win...
While they analyzed and pondered, constantly arranging and choosing, they ended up falling into a pit.
And they couldn't get out!
Countless male students felt their vision darken, feeling that their future at the martial arts academy was bleak and without hope.
"I don't want to live..."
"I don't want to live either!"
"I think about my living expenses, meal money, and cultivation costs after today... I just want to die! Ahhh..."
"You... you bet everything? You didn't even leave any money for meals?"
"Isn't that trying to take a risk? I didn't even leave half a point, I bet everything on this useless Ding Jueran... Eh? Eh, brother, you mean you still have some?"
"Get lost! I don't have any!"
"No, no, brother, big brother, dad! From tomorrow on, I will only look up to you... Dad, dad, please don't leave..."
"..."
The entire Baiyun Martial Arts Academy was shrouded in gloom.
...
In the next match, Huo Churan will face Xie Gongping.
Before the battle began, almost everyone felt that the champion of this grand competition had already been decided.
Fang Che was almost certain to win the championship.
The remaining matches were just for second and third places.
There was really nothing much to look forward to.
Because Fang Che's move, "Blade Performs the Floating Tower," was already an unbeatable existence. Even if the remaining competitors had overall strength stronger than Fang Che's, as long as that move was forced out, it would be almost certain defeat.
In that case, what was there to fight for?
No matter how they fought, none of them would be first.
But the excitement, intensity, and tenacity of this battle completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
Huo Churan and Xie Gongping started fighting with all their might as soon as they stepped onto the stage.
First, they exchanged punches and kicks, sounding like drums. When both of them were bruised and swollen, they drew their swords and knives at the same time, fiercely attacking each other.
Later on, their weapons were broken, and then they started fighting hand-to-hand.
The two of them actually fought for a full hour, with no clear winner!
In the end, both of them ran out of true energy, but they refused to fall and continued to fight each other with pure physical strength!
The audience below couldn't help but exchange glances, all of them getting goosebumps and feeling deeply shocked.
What deep-seated hatred could lead to such a situation!
Mo Ganyun stood beside Fang Che, smiling, "These two families are ancient enemies; the two guys have been at odds since they were three years old..."
"Oh? Tell me about it?"
Mo Ganyun's rough face showed a hint of a smile as he said, "Huo Churan is the legitimate son of the Huo family, an eighth-tier aristocratic family in Fubo City, while Xie Gongping is the legitimate son of the Xie family, also an eighth-tier aristocratic family in Fubo City. Both of them are geniuses."
"The Huo family and the Xie family have been at odds for two thousand years. Originally, both families were seventh-tier families, but because they fought each other, they both fell to the eighth tier. As a result, their hatred grew deeper. So these two great families always fight to the death whenever they meet! This is in the martial arts academy, so they can't kill each other. If it were outside, they would have settled their grudges long ago."
When Mo Ganyun mentioned, "This is in the martial arts academy, so they can't kill each other," he glanced at Fang Che.
It was meaningful.
Fang Che suddenly realized and said, "I see."
Then he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"As far as I know, Brother Fang, you are the first person in the Baiyun Martial Arts Academy in the past three hundred years to kill someone during the freshman competition."
Mo Ganyun sighed, "Talent."
"Huh?"
"Don't think that just because you killed Ximen Xuri, everything is calm now; but the martial arts academy has to do a lot of work. Regardless, Ximen Xuri was legitimately admitted to the academy and was one of the top students. He was killed on the spot in front of tens of thousands of people during the freshman competition... It's always a huge incident for the academy."
"No matter how despicable Ximen Xuri was, how much he broke the rules, how his sneak attack failed and he was killed... those are just reasons. They cannot cover up the fact that a martial arts student was killed in public shortly after entering the academy."
"For you personally, perhaps you only need to guard against retaliation from the Ximen family. After all, everyone with eyes can see that you're not to blame. But just because you're not to blame doesn't mean others won't suffer."
Mo Ganyun gestured with his eyes towards the stage, "Didn't you notice... the referees on the stage have changed? When you fought Ximen Xuri, those two referee instructors were probably unlucky, because they were the ones ultimately responsible."
Fang Che fell silent for a moment before whispering, "In that situation, how can we blame those two teachers? No one could have reacted in time."
"That's true, but at that time, they were the only ones on the stage. It's their fault for not being able to stop it! Because they were the referees! They were also responsible for safety."
"The academy may reason with you, and everyone knows what happened, but society won't reason with you! The fact is, a well-behaved child was killed as soon as he entered the academy, and you, as a teacher, were there but didn't stop it! This is negligence, it's a serious crime!"
"With the strength of the academy, they naturally don't care about a ninth-tier family like the Ximen family, but they must give an explanation to the various sectors of society. So, even if it's known that there are reasons behind the incident, even if it's known that the two instructors are innocent, this stain is unavoidable."
Mo Ganyun sighed, "If no one protects those two instructors... I'm afraid..."
He shook his head and fell silent.
There was a loud bang on the stage.
It was Huo Churan and Xie Gongping simultaneously punching each other in the eye sockets.
Both had black eyes.
Then, both completely exhausted, swayed with their bruised and swollen heads and fell backwards.
With a bang, they landed on their backs with all four limbs in the air, simultaneously lying down.
It was actually a draw, with no clear winner!
The whole arena was in an uproar.
No one had expected that these two would end up like this after such intense fighting.
But everyone could see that these two kids had not only tried their best but had also used every ounce of their strength.
It's just that they couldn't defeat each other.
Helplessly, they had to announce a draw.
Fang Che, however, didn't pay attention to the stage anymore. Instead, he was thinking about what Mo Ganyun had just said.
For a while, he felt a little heavy-hearted.
The battle between Huo Churan and Xie Gongping had taken up the entire afternoon!
It was already late in the day, so the upcoming battles between Qiu Yunshang and Jing Shuanggao, as well as the final battle for the top three, would have to be postponed until tomorrow.
Moreover, they had created a problem for the academy: these two had drawn, so how could they proceed with the top seven and top four?
Are they going to have a top seven to top five?
This matter needs further consideration.
Fang Che declined Fang Qingyun's invitation and left him alone.
...
The two instructors responsible for overseeing Fang Che and Ximen Xuri's fight, Gao Yunqi and Zhou Yi, had heavy expressions as they left the martial arts academy and found a small tavern to discuss.
They only ordered two small dishes but went through four large jars of wine.
Without touching the food, they had already finished one jar each, still silent.
Finally...
Gao Yunqi chuckled bitterly, "This matter is truly... mysterious. This situation can be considered unlucky."
Zhou Yi grinned, "Yeah, it's mysterious. After getting injured last time, I wanted to die on the front lines, but a transfer order sent me to Baiyun Martial Arts Academy... At first, I was adamantly against coming, but I eventually did."
"After arriving here, life was comfortable, not as dangerous. So, I found a wife, had children. I originally wanted to use my remaining strength to nurture talents here, so my life wouldn't be in vain. I didn't expect... hehe..."
Zhou Yi chuckled, "I don't really mind, but it's a pity that my wife and children, who just enjoyed a few years of happiness with me, will now have to live in fear."
He sighed. "I guess it's my own fault. I spent my whole life cultivating, fighting, without any thoughts of having a family for 150 years. But now, returning with injuries and burdening someone else with a wife, it's really... pointless."
"If only I had known back then, why did I bother."
Gao Yunqi smiled faintly, "Same here, my wife and children are still at home... Hehe, let's drink."
Zhou Yi asked, "What do you think the academy will do this time?"
"The academy will definitely protect us."
Gao Yunqi sighed, "Especially Vice Dean Huang, he won't back down. With his support, as long as we have thick skin, there won't be much trouble. Just a superficial punishment, after enduring for a while, the storm will settle."
Zhou Yi grinned, downed his bowl in one gulp, and said, "If only we really had thicker skin, that would be great."
"Hehehe..."
Gao Yunqi chuckled, raised his wine bowl, and said, "Let's drink, let's drink."
"Unfortunately, Baiyun Martial Arts Academy's thousand-year reputation cannot be tarnished because of us. As long as the academy protects its own teachers, regardless of right or wrong, the academy is just protecting its own interests."
"Yes! If this gets out, it will be seen as officials protecting each other, ignoring the plight of the common people."
"Exploiting the weak and vulnerable."
Both men had been in the martial arts world for their whole lives. How could they not think of the repercussions of this matter?
Reputation is not something easily restored!
"When the academy makes its decision, let's volunteer to go to the border of Xinchu. We might as well have a few more fights with those demon bastards from the Only Me Orthodox Sect!"
"Agreed!"
They raised their wine bowls and smiled at each other.
Former acquaintances, current colleagues, and tomorrow, they would once again be comrades!
"Let's do it!"
"Let's do it!"
"Remember to take care of your family."
"Got it."
The two burst into laughter.
..........
The beginning of this chapter was not originally in the draft. After reading the chapter summary last night, I realized that some people really don't understand the book.
They actually thought Fang Che was genuinely trying to befriend Ding Xuran, and then said Ah Che was a naive newcomer to the martial arts world. Surprisingly, there were quite a few likes and replies agreeing with this.
To avoid being misled, I deleted those comments.
Then this morning, I specifically added an explanation.
For those who can understand the plot, just treat it as a filler.
Please understand my helplessness in adding this paragraph.
If this book is fortunate enough to be published, this added section will be removed.
As for Ding Xuran's future... Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out.
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