Chapter 36: Damn it! I’ve Become a Part of Prey!

"To my dear son!"

"Recently, I have heard that your swordsmanship is astonishing and that you have displayed extraordinary talent. This brings me great joy..."

In a short while, Chen Yi finished reading the contents of the letter.

Chen Taiping’s letter was brief. Beyond expressing his happiness at Chen Yi’s talent for the sword, it served mostly as a reminder and words of encouragement. He warned him not to reveal his talent too openly, to remain cautious and low-key, and to avoid a repeat of the incidents like the one during the Lantern Festival. Furthermore, he expressed his well-wishes for Chen Yi’s future admission into the Taixu Dao Sect, urging him to practice diligently and strengthen himself. Finally, Chen Taiping mentioned Chen Yuan in the letter.

"So, the eldest brother has already successfully gained entry into Wuliang Mountain."

Chen Yi put the letter away, deep in thought. This was good news. However, why did his father instruct him not to disclose this matter for the time being? Was there some hidden secret behind young Chen Yuan’s admission to Wuliang Mountain?

After a long while, Chen Yi shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it further. Perhaps he was overthinking. After all, once Chen Yuan entered Wuliang Mountain, his future achievements would only grow, and even if there were secrets, they would not affect him.

Having reasoned this through, Chen Yi let out a long sigh, a light smile appearing on his young face. It seemed that even while stationed at the Beixiong Pass, his father, Chen Taiping, remained concerned about the family. Setting aside the incident at the Lantern Festival—where the guard at the Marquis of Wu’an’s estate was indeed unable to stop the mad old man—even with his grand-uncle and others present, it was hard to guarantee that he and Lin Xueru wouldn't have been abducted. But the news of Chen Yuan entering Wuliang Mountain had not yet reached the estate, yet his father had received word of it first. This clearly showed that Chen Taiping’s level of attention toward the family, or at least toward his two sons, was quite high.

"Father, you really should show Mother a little more care as well," Chen Yi thought, recalling the look of disappointment on Xia Wanwan’s face earlier, and couldn't help but complain silently. Since he was already writing letters home, what would it hurt to write a few more lines?

...

As July passed, the weather turned so scorching that even breathing felt like inhaling heat. Across the entire Kyoto Prefecture, with the exception of the Imperial Palace, the various districts of the Changle and Yongnian counties were forced to activate defensive arrays to escape the heat. This undoubtedly increased the burden on the treasury, causing some unease among those who did not usually pay much attention to the weather.

This was especially true after news spread to the capital that the formidable Left Minister, Xie Jing, had personally visited the disaster-stricken areas for a month and yet failed to resolve the drought. Speculations were rife. Some said that the disaster stars had shifted and the dragon energy of the Wei Dynasty was in danger. Others argued that whenever a great disaster occurred, great figures would rise. Still others claimed that the Xijiang and Jiangnan prefectures had been too prosperous and had offended the gods and Buddhas above, resulting in divine punishment.

This indirectly led to two very obvious changes in Kyoto. One was the continuous rise in the prices of rice and flour, prompting even the steward in charge of procurement at the Marquis of Wu’an’s estate to curse under his breath. The other was that the incense smoke at the Dakong Temple had become even more vibrant. The nobles seemed to truly believe the rumors of the gods’ wrath, and each was eager to donate their entire fortune to the Dakong Temple in search of protection. For a time, the already flourishing practice of worshipping Buddha became even more intense than before in the capital.

It was said that the old Daoist priest at the Taixu Dao Sect’s branch office had more than once cursed Abbot Kongjing for his incredible luck. Of course, the version relayed by Miss Ning was not so vulgar. She simply remarked at the academy, "Master Gu is very angry; do not discuss anything regarding Dakong Temple recently, or you will get beaten." It seemed that the old priest was indeed in a very bad mood.

Strangely, despite all of this, no news emerged from the imperial court. It was only heard that His Majesty had gone to the rear mountain hunting grounds.

"Is he indifferent, or is there some deeper meaning?"

Based on Chen Yi’s understanding of the Wei Emperor, nothing he did, no matter how strange, was ever a whim. It was just like how he had been assigned to the Xingwu Academy instead of Chen Yuan. The most direct result was that the families of those frontier soldiers who had previously received royal favors all hoped their children could enter the Xingwu Academy. This not only spread the reputation of the Xingwu Academy, but also turned him, the "reincarnated Sword Immortal," into the academy’s model student.

Could it be that His Majesty had the gift of foresight? Chen Yi could not fathom it, but it did not stop him from focusing more on his training. Just like a saying he had heard in his previous life: "When everyone says you are strong, you had better truly be strong!"

Although the "reincarnated Sword Immortal" rumor was something that wise men would dismiss, there were simply too many fools.

"Chen the Second, you must have used some trick to defeat Miss Ning that day; I don’t believe your swordsmanship is that strong."

"Unless you duel with me!"

It was unclear which fool had misled Xu Sannian, the third son of the Military Marquis under the Prince of Zennan. Relying on the two-bit family blade techniques he had learned, he marched up to Chen Yi before the lesson started and challenged him to a duel.

"Are you sure?" Chen Yi looked at him with skepticism, as if staring at an idiot. It had only been a month since his bout with Ning Xue; could someone really be foolish enough to think they stood a chance?

"Chen the Second, are you afraid? If you are afraid, then, then..." His voice faltered, and Xu Sannian looked red-faced toward Gongye Shou, the heir to the Prince of Zennan.

"Then kneel down and call me father?"

"Yes, exactly."

"And what if you lose?" Chen Yi asked with a smirk. He didn’t like duels without stakes, and a "father-son" wager was a different matter entirely.

"Of course, he will also have to kneel and call you father, Yi-ge," Du Yanqing chimed in at the right moment.

"That’s right, if you want to challenge Yi-ge, you have to put something on the line," Du Yan added, nodding in agreement. Wang Yongnian nodded vigorously from the side, his round face filled with excitement. Even Lin Xueru wore a smile, showing no concern that Chen Yi might lose. While others didn't know, those who spent time with him knew that Chen Yi’s swordsmanship could only be described in two words: Invincible!

At least for the past month, Du Yanqing and the others had practiced against Chen Yi using the techniques taught by Miss Ning more than once. The results were predictable; it was a miracle they hadn’t screamed for mercy.

"Take the bet, Xu Sannian, don’t be afraid." Before Gongye Shou and the others could speak, the Twelfth Prince, Wei Letian, clapped and cheered them on.

Xu Sannian hesitated, looked around, and after seeing Gongye Shou nod, he agreed.

Chen Yi shook his head, not even bothering to stand up, and simply said, "Come on then."

"Don't look down on people!" Xu Sannian drew his wooden sword and leapt at him.

*Bang.*

He came fast, and went even faster. Chen Yi merely raised his hand and swatted him away with the scabbard, saying helplessly, "Why bother?"

"Ha! Someone has to kneel and call out 'father' now." Being children, they were all prone to rowdiness. Xu Sannian’s face turned various shades of blue and red, but then Chen Yi said, "You can skip the kneeling, just say it."

"Fa... Father..."

No sooner had he said it than Gongye Shou and the others nearby stood up with looks of resentment.

"Xu Sannian, time to go."

"Oh." Xu Sannian’s shame vanished instantly, and he smiled at Chen Yi before jogging to catch up with them.

Everyone was stunned. Chen Yi looked at the group from the Prince of Zennan’s faction, confused. "Why are they leaving?"

Du Yanqing and the others were equally baffled, looking at each other. "Yi-ge, were we too harsh?"

"That shouldn't be. They were the ones who proposed the duel and the stakes; it’s poor form to just leave because they lost," Du Yan said indignantly.

However, a few from the faction of civil officials nearby seemed to have realized something. Xie Dong’an, the grandson of Left Minister Xie Jing, stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "With Chen Yi at the Xingwu Academy, we truly have no hope of standing out here. I am leaving as well."

Wei Letian looked at him curiously and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Your Highness, I am going to study at the Imperial Academy."

Not only Xie Dong’an, but the other descendants of the civil officials behind him also stood up to follow. "We are also heading to the sacred grounds of the academy to study Confucianism."

"So, Gongye Shou and the others are doing the same?" Wei Xiaoyun realized, asking in surprise.

Though young, Xie Dong’an was already showing signs of great intellect. "The Prince of Zennan’s faction must be intending to join the Southern Barbarian Sect for training."

"Farewell, classmates, until we meet again."

With that, they walked out of the Qingzheng Hall. Only then did Chen Yi fully understand. He had thought that the noble children who could enter the Xingwu Academy might be young, but they couldn't be idiots, and they certainly wouldn't come to challenge him for no reason. He never expected that Gongye Shou and the others were using him as an excuse to leave the Xingwu Academy!

Damn it!