In the afternoon, Xu Jianxing came to the side cliff again to try his luck.
Just as he reached the courtyard entrance, the gate swung open on its own without any wind. Xu Jianxing paused, then said joyfully:
“Senior Brother, you're back!”
“Yes.”
Beneath a solitary tree, a youth clad in white sat alone by a stone table, sipping tea. His demeanor was serene, like a graceful orchid or a jade tree.
He brushed his sleeve toward the seat opposite him, his voice as calm as water. “Sit.”
“Yes.” The originally swaggering Xu Jianxing could not help but grow restrained. He quickly walked over and sat opposite Bai Yujing. Seeing that the other party was about to pour him tea, he hurriedly stood up to stop him:
“No need, Senior Brother, I'll do it myself.”
“Alright.” Zhuang Xun set down the teapot and asked, “Is the matter with the Law Enforcement Hall easy to handle?”
Xu Jianxing said excitedly, “Very easy! Senior Brother, the moment your name was mentioned, the disciples were extremely cooperative, and the handover was completed very quickly.”
“Hmph, except for that stubborn fellow Yang Ling, who is still unwilling to hand over power.” He said with schadenfreude, “But don't worry, Senior Brother. Even if he refuses to hand over power, it won't affect anything. His subordinates have all secretly defected to us. That fellow is probably still kept in the dark right now.”
Zhuang Xun asked, “Did Junior Brother Yang say anything?”
Xu Jianxing said, “He said if you want the Law Enforcement Hall, Senior Brother, you'll have to fight him first. Pfft, who does he think he is? He doesn't even deserve to oppose you, Senior Brother.”
Zhuang Xun's expression remained unchanged, showing no emotional fluctuation. “Did Junior Brother Yang mention a location?”
“Right on the martial arts field of the Law Enforcement Hall. He even wanted to send you a challenge letter, but I sent him one first. Hmph, if he wants to challenge you, Senior Brother, he'll have to get past me first.”
“Understood. Reply to Junior Brother Yang and tell him I've received it, and I will come to fulfill the appointment tomorrow.”
Xu Jianxing paused for a moment, then immediately said, “Yes! Senior Brother, I'll go tell that fellow right away.”
...
At noon the next day.
Even before Bai Yujing and Yang Ling arrived, the martial arts field of the Law Enforcement Hall was already packed with people.
It was noisy and clamorous, with everyone discussing who would ultimately win between Bai Yujing and Yang Ling, and some had even started placing bets.
However, up until now, the voices supporting Bai Yujing's victory were still much louder.
Lin Wudu, one of Yang Ling's confidants who had a pale face and gentle features, secretly bet one hundred taels of silver on Bai Yujing. Later, feeling a bit guilty, he returned to the betting table and shouted loudly:
“Fifty taels of silver on Senior Brother Yang!”
Hearing this, the surrounding people could not help but turn their gazes toward him.
Among them, a dark-faced man snorted coldly and said, “Hey, pretty boy, stop pretending. You secretly defected to Senior Brother Bai. Do you have a clear conscience toward Senior Brother Yang?”
“I...” Lin Wudu flushed red, unable to refute, because he had indeed secretly pledged allegiance to Bai Yujing yesterday.
“Wait...” He thought of something and looked suspiciously at the dark-faced man. “You charcoal head, how did you know?”
“Heh, still pretending,” the dark-faced man, Li Zhong, sneered. “Yesterday, I saw you walk into Senior Brother Xu's courtyard with my own eyes.”
“You saw me walk into Senior Brother Xu's courtyard? Why on earth were you hanging around outside Senior Brother Xu's courtyard... You motherfucker, you charcoal head! You secretly defected to Senior Brother Bai yourself, yet you have the nerve to call me out!”
Li Zhong chuckled and looked at the sky guiltily. “One hundred taels on Senior Brother Bai to win.”
“Senior Brother Bai and Senior Brother Yang have arrived!”
The crowd automatically parted to form two pathways. From the east, the cold-looking Yang Ling walked in alone, stepped onto the martial arts stage, closed his eyes, and remained silent.
From the southwest, the handsome Bai Yujing walked in, surrounded by a crowd like stars around the moon. Seeing that Yang Ling was not speaking, he also kept his mouth shut to act like a master.
Meanwhile, on the open-air balcony on the second floor, the other four true disciples of the martial academy were also watching the battle.
Lin Qingsu, the true disciple of the Pianqian Courtyard who had pale skin and looked as delicate and sickly as Xi Shi, looked at Zhou Ziruo and asked softly:
“Senior Sister Zhou, who do you think will win between the Chief Disciple and Senior Brother Yang?”
Leaning against the railing, Zhou Ziruo stared intently at Bai Yujing below. Hearing this, she said with a smile, “I'm not sure, Junior Sister Lin. Why don't we each support one of them and see who wins in the end?”
Lin Qingsu let out a soft “Ah,” not daring to respond.
At this moment, Yi Wangyou, whose height was clearly only half of the other three true disciples, puffed out his chest, crossed his arms, and said coldly and proudly:
“They are merely ordinary mortals who happened to be born in an era without me, the Little Overlord.”
Zhou Ziruo coaxed him like a child, “Yes, yes, yes, you are the most powerful, you are the most powerful.”
As she spoke, she reached out to pat Yi Wangyou's head, but Yi Wangyou nimbly twisted his waist and dodged her.
I didn't even want to pat you anyway... She raised her hand as if to strike, trying to scare Yi Wangyou.
“Blehh! Useless, useless! You can't hit me, trash Senior Sister.”
“You...”
“Why are the Immortal Senior Brother and Senior Brother Yang fighting?”
Hearing this, Yi Wangyou, who was playing around with Zhou Ziruo, stopped and looked in surprise at the round-eyed burly man who was scratching his head.
What a philosophical question. Brother, you've really stumped me there.
Noticing this gaze, Shi Kaishan turned his head to look around. Finally, he lowered his head and gave Yi Wangyou a simple, honest smile. “Junior Brother, eat more so you can grow as tall as me in the future.”
Yi Wangyou said, “As if you need to tell me. I, the Little Overlord, will definitely grow taller than the city gate in the future.”
Zhou Ziruo said, “If you don't eat properly, you won't even be as tall as the stone lions at the city gate.”
Beside them, Lin Qingsu, who had been quietly watching Yi Wangyou, couldn't help but imagine Yi Wangyou's face on Shi Kaishan's body, and she burst into a secret giggle.
Yi Wangyou demanded, “What are you laughing at!”
“Ah? No, nothing.” Lin Qingsu was startled and waved her hands repeatedly.
...
The sun slowly climbed to the center of the sky, and the time arrived at the noon appointed in the challenge letter.
Yang Ling opened his eyes and said, “I am not targeting you. I am just unwilling to have my position taken away so inexplicably.”
Bai Yujing said, “Yujing understands. Brother Yang—Yujing shall address you as such before the victor is decided between us. However, among martial artists, the strong have always risen to the top. This is an eternal truth. Conversely, if Yujing loses, Yujing will also willingly yield the position of Chief Disciple to Brother Yang.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was deeply moved.
Previously, the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall were willing to accept the change of ownership of the hall out of consideration for Bai Yujing's appearance, strength, status, and talent. But now, based on this astounding magnanimity alone, they were willing to follow Bai Yujing.
While everyone was shocked into silence, Yu Wuyong, who had secretly snuck into the Law Enforcement Hall, excitedly raised his brush and wrote rapidly in 《The Analects of Bai》, recording this conversation in the style of a classical Chinese anecdote.
Zhuang Xun had no idea that in the future, millions of years from now, this classical prose would be selected for elementary school Chinese textbooks, becoming one of the classical texts that elementary school students were required to memorize.
It even gave rise to an idiom.
—“Bai Ceding the Chief Seat,” used specifically to describe someone of immense magnanimity and benevolence.
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