Xue Hao's face was dark and purple, his lips trembling, his eyes filled with resentment and despair.
He had been the eldest son in his family, and with decent talent, he had hoped to break into the inner academy in a few years. Once in, the position of head of the Xue family would be his without a doubt.
But now... everything was destroyed. Even if he did make it into the inner academy, the position of family head was no longer within reach.
Moreover, he had been engaged to two beautiful cousins and had his eye on a young lady from the collateral branch of the Zuo family. The families had made an agreement—if he entered the inner academy, he would immediately marry the Zuo family girl. But now, all of that had become a bubble, bursting into nothing.
His beautiful cousins, the Zuo family girl—now they were all in the eyes of other young men of the Xue family. The day after his defeat, two letters of annulment arrived at his doorstep. The Zuo family's collateral branch even sent someone to formally break the engagement.
Thinking about it, tears rolled down his face. He wished he could rush over, tear them apart, and devour their flesh and bones.
Yang Qingxuan glanced at the middle-aged man, a sneer escaping his lips. "I see you're full of vitality, your kidney energy is strong. Just have a few more children. As for this one—he's a bully, a villain, worse than a dog or a pig. Better off without him."
The middle-aged man exploded in fury. "Shut up! When did it become your place to teach me, a member of the Xue family?!"
A cold and sinister aura flowed around him, and without a word, he seemed ready to strike.
The elderly man with the long beard exclaimed, "Wait! Don't kill him with one slap! That would be too kind."
The head of the Hu family also spoke up, "After all, we're at the entrance of Tiancong Academy. If you kill him here, it might cause a bad influence."
Although the two families were angered, they didn't have the personal grievances that the Xue family had, so their emotions remained much more controlled.
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out. The faces of the three families changed drastically, and they all stopped in their tracks. The head of the Xue family hurriedly retracted his hand, not daring to strike.
In their heated exchange, they hadn't noticed that a crowd of students had gathered around. One of them, a tall young man with long eyebrows, was dressed in a pale yellow robe with golden embroidery, a jade pendant hanging from his waist. He was coldly observing them.
"Heh, so you all know this is Tiancong Academy, yet still dare to cause trouble here? It seems that your backgrounds must be earth-shattering. Why don't you introduce yourselves so I, Chen Ting, can admire you?" The corners of Chen Ting's mouth curled into a mocking smile.
The three families were startled. Seeing his attire and the imposing air around him, they realized his background was extraordinary. None dared to act rashly.
The head of the Xue family cupped his hands in greeting. "This young brother, we are not here to cause trouble, but to seek justice. This man injured my son the other day, and today we are here to make him pay with his life."
Chen Ting glanced at Yang Qingxuan, noticing that the young man remained calm and unfazed despite being surrounded. He wasn't even slightly flustered, composed as ever. This intrigued him.
Yang Qingxuan, in turn, looked at Chen Ting curiously. He noticed that many students had surrounded the three families, all wearing cold expressions, as if they were part of some organization.
He couldn't help but wonder, Is this some sort of academy mafia?
Chen Ting withdrew his gaze and nonchalantly asked, "Is this person one of Tiancong Academy's students?"
The head of the Xue family nodded, "Yes."
Chen Ting then asked, "And are you all from Tiancong Academy?"
The head of the Xue family shook his head, "No."
Chen Ting's expression darkened. He scolded, "Outrageous! Non-students of my academy dare to come here and kill my fellow student!"
The heads of the three families were stunned. The head of the Zhou family quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting. "This young brother, our juniors are students of Tiancong Academy. It was this young man who injured them."
Chen Ting coldly replied, "That's a matter for the students themselves. What does it have to do with you? If you want to settle the score, let your juniors handle it themselves. Running to their parents to complain after getting beaten up? These three students have quite the ambition."
"Hahaha."
Laughter filled the air as more and more students gathered around, watching with amusement. The heads of the Zhou and Hu families flushed with embarrassment and lowered their heads. Xue Hao, however, remained expressionless, his eyes full of hatred as he continued to glare at Yang Qingxuan.
The three families' members, too, felt utterly humiliated.
The head of the Zhou family lowered his voice and said, "Young brother, we have many members working in the Imperial Capital's Imperial Guard. I'm also the deputy team leader of the seventh squad's sixth division." He pointed to the elderly man from the Hu family and the head of the Xue family, saying, "These two are deputy team leaders of the third and fourth divisions, respectively."
The elderly man from the Hu family stroked his beard and added, "This kid's grandfather is a janitor at the academy."
Their meaning was clear—We're letting you know our powerful backgrounds, and that Yang Qingxuan's background is nothing compared to ours. You should weigh the situation and decide whose side to take.
After all, Chen Ting's extraordinary demeanor showed he was likely from a noble family. Since officials usually protect their own, it was impossible he would oppose them for the sake of a janitor's grandson.
Chen Ting nodded slightly. "Got it. I've noted your positions."
The head of the Zhou family was overjoyed and cupped his hands, "Haha, this young brother is indeed a wise one. May I ask about your esteemed background?"
Chen Ting replied indifferently, "I don't need to say much about my background. I'm not planning on becoming friends with any of you, nor do I want your flattery. As for today's matter, I'll be reporting it to Lord Hou Mingyi, the commander of the Imperial Guard, and let him handle it with the academy."
"What? Ah!"
The heads of the three families were stunned, their mouths agape, frozen in place.
Chen Ting sneered at them. "The Imperial Guard's duty is to protect the capital and safeguard the country. Yet, you three bring your men here to cause trouble at Tiancong Academy. I'm sure Lord Hou Mingyi will want to personally visit the academy and explain this to the academy's headmaster."
"Ah?!!"
The entire group of over ten people from the three families sucked in cold breaths, trembling in fear.
The three family heads were utterly dumbfounded. If this reached Lord Hou Mingyi, and he involved "The Martial King" Qing Buli to explain, then their families were finished.
"Y-young... young brother... please don't..." The elderly man from the Hu family turned pale, quickly lowering his voice and begging Chen Ting.
The head of the Zhou family also hurriedly lowered his head, saying, "We were just confused, it was a moment of folly. Please, young brother, show mercy."
Zhou Cang, Hu Ding, and Xue Hao were all frozen in shock, unable to believe how things had turned out.
Yang Qingxuan found it quietly amusing, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of the academy's strength. With such protection, many troubles could be avoided.
At the same time, he felt a bit of goodwill towards this Chen Ting, someone he had never met before. He quietly noted the favor in his heart.
Little did Chen Ting know, that a simple act of goodwill—helping Yang Qingxuan out of a tight spot—would one day bring unimaginable benefits to him and his family.
In hindsight, Chen Ting would definitely consider this one of the wisest and most important decisions of his life.