Book 2 Chapter 15

Later in life, the grim work ethic

Later in the year, it felt like a slap in the face.

The back of his head dinged. Nahuahai narrowed his eyes. His anger rose.

As they were about to leave, I cheered them on,

After dozing off with one case solved, I realized that I hadn't done enough.

It was a cold question. Later, she felt like crying.

Have you really done that many bad things in your life?

I also regretted that the heavens deserved such a big punishment.

"That's right, that's what……."

Shocked that the unwelcome clutter he thought he'd gotten rid of had reasserted itself, he couldn't answer her question right away. His mind was a jumbled mess, a tangle of threads that he couldn't seem to untangle, and it was futile to ask him a question and hope that the right answer would come out of it.

"Does this silent pondering mean you haven't found a solution yet?"

The way he curls and uncurls his right fist, it's not as if he's pretending. The way he curls his right fist, clenching and unclenching it, is more than a little frightening. The ominous appearance of the clenched and unclenched fist, coupled with the crackling sound of the knuckles, created a great visual and auditory threat. Apparently, this intimidation was effective, and Nadonghai, who had regained his composure, waved his hands in the air.

"Oh, no, who am I, not a windfall after 30 years of information trading, and do you think I'm incapable of solving such a small, insignificant problem?"

After deliberately ignoring Bi Ryuyeon, who was about to nod her head in agreement, she cleared her throat and continued. It's not just words, it's eloquence that persuades others. However, as he was about to speak, his face suddenly became animated, his eyes sparkled with a strange light, and a strange air current hovered in the depths of his pupils, suggesting that he had something else in mind.

"The Ascension Martial Festival is a qualifying examination for the most gifted and talented of the Martial Kingdoms to soar to the heights of their dreams and join the Martial Academy of Heaven, the premier unmanned training institution in the Martial Kingdoms. Held once a year, the number of people who enter to compete in this test is staggering, but the difficulty of the Ascension Test is so high and difficult that only about five hundred people out of a crowd of tens of thousands are able to cross the Iron Wall and become a true member of the Heavenly Martial Academy. This iron barrier is so high and hard that even those who fail the first round of screening are countless, not to mention the difficulty of the first and second rounds of qualification. Out of the countless contestants, only a few can actually make it to the main stage and showcase their skills and talents in front of everyone."

Later, he pointed a finger at himself, as if for real, and calmed his breathing, which had become ragged.

"The rules and regulations for these festivals are very strict and rigid, and they have a reputation for being as firm as a mountain, so if you haven't applied by the time the deadline passes, there's honestly no way you'll be able to participate in this year's festival."

"……."

She wondered why he was bothering to go through the trouble of recounting the story again when everyone had heard it before.

"He-or-I……."

Later, he emphasized this part of his speech by breaking it up syllable by syllable. The most important part of his speech was about to begin. The previous part was merely an introduction to set the stage for what was to come. This was the real meat of the speech.

"This doesn't mean that all avenues of entry to the Heavenly Hall are closed; there is one way to enter the Heavenly Hall that doesn't involve the Ascension Festival."

"Really?"

At Nadonghai's words that there was a way, Bi Ryuyeon's eyes began to sparkle with interest. Having succeeded in piquing his opponent's interest and getting him to pay attention to his story, Nadonghai continued.

"As you know, the Crew System is a general examination where all martial artists, both common and powerful, are fair game to apply and have their qualifications and abilities tested. However, in addition to the Crew System, there are also special examinations for special people, by special people, for special people."

"Ho-ho, what's that, that's a very interesting story."

"Yes, in addition to the crew system, the Academy of Heaven and Earth reserves a portion of its enrollment for those with special talents, the so-called kiji or gifted students, who are given special privileges to match their talents and abilities. Here's what it says."

Later, Hai began to ramble on with a long-winded explanation based on his desperate professionalism.

"The system can be described as a kind of recommendation admission system, in which the elders of the prestigious factions of the great powers and the masters of the great powers' giant factions admit only those who are personally recommended by them to the Heavenly Martial Academy after a simple qualification test, and the laws and regulations state that the origin and faction of the recommended candidates are not taken into account. This is to preserve the idea that the system is meant to discover special talents hiding in powerful countries, regardless of their origins and status. However, this original intention has been lost and is now rarely followed. No one would sacrifice the chance to have the honor of producing a Tiankuan (天館徒: a term used to describe students entering the Heavenly Martial Academy) that would bring glory to their sect, and out of every hundred, a hundred disciples are recommended by their own sect and faction. However, rules are rules, and it's clearly stated in writing in the Tianwu Academy Admission System Regulations (天武學院入學濟度關聯法規): in principle, it is possible to receive a nomination from an elder of another sect. However, this is a special test, and the number is strictly limited in inverse proportion to its benefits. Only a handful of factions and powers recognized by the Heavenly Martial Hall as first-class factions can nominate a single person, and even a simple qualification examination is easier said than done, with the Heavenly Martial Hall arbitrarily eliminating nominees at any time if they deem their talents and abilities unqualified. It's like culling and culling and culling for the sake of a jade stone, so the door is as narrow as the eye of a needle, so which faction would be willing to give up that spot? That's the biggest problem……."

Nadonghai blurted out a rhyme, as if he had something to aim for. Her reaction was exactly what Nahuahai expected. This simple, straightforward behavioral response was her hallmark.

"Really? Well, then I guess I'll just have to go over there and talk to them peacefully."

Later, when she realized she was falling for Hae's trick, she just smirked.

"So what's the closest first-rate sect around here, one that has something called referral rights, of course? It's a hassle to travel far, and it's expensive, so the closest one in terms of distance would be good."

Bi Ryuyeon was meticulously concerned about expenses and efficiency-how to become less of a nuisance. His attitude was that it didn't matter how powerful or how big a sect was, as long as they could increase efficiency and reduce expenses. Later, Liu Hai replied with excitement.

"Yes, it's a martial arts manor called Hoa Zhang, located within the city of Nanchang. The head of the manor is a man named Hoa Fierce Sword Houtian Shang, and it's a manor that he raised from the bottom of the heap with a single sword, and it's a sect that has risen to the top of the powerhouses with nothing more than his martial prowess. It's said that the twenty-six techniques of the Fierce Sword Technique are so powerful and changeable that there are very few who can match them, even within the powerhouses."

"Distance?"

"Yes, the manor is located in Nanchang Castle, so it's close enough that you can reach it on foot in less than two hours."

"Really? Then tell me where it is."

After listening to Hae's long-winded explanation, Bi Ryuyeon is not impressed.

"You mean, the location? You can't be……."

Mal was acting surprised, as if to restrain Bi Ryuyeon's behavior, but inwardly Nie Hai was smiling a smile of conversion.

"No way. Just tell me the story already."

Inwardly, Liu Hai rejoiced. Bi Ryuyeon's simple ignorance had made it so easy for her to be caught in his web. Everything Nie Hai had said and done up to this point had been orchestrated to bring about this moment. He had analyzed and understood the personalities and behavioral patterns of Bi Ryuyeon and Yin Dao, and had cleverly manipulated them to bring about this outcome. And just as he had planned, she was caught in the net he had laid out for her, and of course, she was caught in his net as well.

Later in the year, the relationship between the two was still ambiguous, but I decided to worry about that later. It was clear that they were one and the same, and that was enough. Right now, he had more important things to do.

"If you want to find Hoa Zhuang, just head towards North Gate Boulevard in Nanchang City, grab any passerby on the way and ask them, it's the biggest and most famous manor in the area, so it shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Really? Well, thank you, and we'll leave you to it, thanks."

"No, are you going to leave already?"

It was later in the year, when they greeted each other with a smile on their faces and the exact opposite of their intentions. I was really worried that these ignorant people would not have the courtesy to say no, and that I would have to sit down again later, but fortunately, they didn't try to sit down anymore.

"Good luck, then."

After saying this, Bi Ryuyeon stood up from her seat, followed by Yin Dao, who had been sitting silently with a frown on her face, and the two of them disappeared as quietly as they had arrived. Looking at their departing backs, Nahuahai called out.

"If you need something from time to time, please don't hesitate to reach out to this firestarter. I'm always here to help, so feel free to use it."

The sound echoed around the room until it was deafening to hear how loudly I was shouting nonsense that wasn't even half of what I had in my mind. I hadn't considered the proverb that the mouth is the root of all evil and the advice of the sages that words are the seed.

The two had come like a storm and gone, leaving behind nothing but a scene of disaster. Seeing that the two newcomers had completely disappeared from his sight, Nie Hai's face turned cold. His body seemed to be completely drained of energy. His complexion, which was pale and cold at first, gradually turned redder and redder, until one by one he began to blanch, and finally turned as red as forged iron.

The bump on her forehead looked like it was about to burst open and spew blood. With a reddened complexion, she screamed outside, using her tantrum as fuel for her rage. All of her pent-up frustration exploded in a wave of sound.

"You bastards, you cursed sons of bitches, you deserving bastards, you will surely be judged by heaven. Wait and see, wait and see. Hahaha……."

Later, as he spewed out unspeakable and unwritten insults, unbecoming of the head of an organization, he calmed down a bit. Moreover, when he thought about what he had done, he was overwhelmed.

Two abominations who had come like a sudden storm and left nothing but a scene of disaster in their wake. There was one thing Jing Shun hadn't said to the two bastards that wouldn't have been cool if he'd beaten them to death: if he wanted to join the Academy of Heavenly Martial Arts as a samurai, he could demand the right to take the special examination for Bi Ryuyeon Yan. It was an offer that the Heavenly Martial Academy could not refuse, as they were desperately short of martial artists, and would be sorry to lose even one.

It was a small price to pay for a man of his stature to become a Musabu, and the later years had not taught them such an easy and simple method. If this were true, then there would be no need for Bi Ryuyeon and Yin Dao to travel to Hoa Zhang hand in hand. Liu Hai deliberately concealed this fact and sent them to Hoa Zhang on purpose. In fact, objectively speaking, the chances of Hoa Zhang being able to stop Yin Do were nil.

Hoa Zhuang, the first martial arts center in Nanchang!

Of course, this is not a place to be taken lightly. The fact that the Hoa Zhang can proudly display a sign and claim to be a sect in the front yard of the Heavenly Martial Academy, a temple of martial arts, is a testament to its potential. However, this was not because of Hoa Zhang's master, Lord Hoa Mengsword, the Heavenly Spirit.

"The 26 Forms of the Flying Tiger Sword Technique. It was a powerful sword technique, to be sure, but even if Master Ho Tianxiang had cultivated it to the point of polarization, it had never occurred to him that it would be enough to stop Yeomdo's manifestation, the Crimson Seventeen Flames of the Fire Spirit Flame Heavenly Sword Segment. Yeomdo's own personal Qin Xin strength alone was not at all insufficient for him to be considered equal to, or even better than, Kang Hao's top-ranked sect. Nie Hai, who had gathered and processed a great deal of the information scattered about Kang Hao, knew this better than anyone.

Mr. Yeomdo was well qualified. Of course, it's important to note that personality and character are not part of this qualification. Therefore, if the Hoa Zhuang was the only force that could deal with Yidao and the unfortunate brat that came with him, Later Sea would not have lured Yidao and Bi Ryuyeon there in the first place.

But there was a part of him that believed. There was an unexpected variable residing in Hoa Giang right now. A real person who had made Hoa Zhang what it is today. There was an existence that was the master of the Hoa Zhuang Master, Hoa Mengsheng. An existence that had passed on the truth of the sword to Hao Mengxuan, and allowed Hao Zhang to establish himself within South Chang City. He was confident that his Frozen Ice Sword, which could freeze even moonlight, would be able to ward off the Yeomdo.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the only one who could stop her. That's why Nie Hai lured Yidao and the spoiled brat to the Hoa Jiang with the intention of saying, "You bastards, let them have their comeuppance! The only person who could stand up to Yeomdo. This was because there was a person who was ranked alongside the Five Great Swordsmen of the Heavenly Realm, a person who was both praised and reviled by powerful martial artists, and who was currently staying there.

The thought of it made me feel excited and exhilarated. My turbulent mind quickly calmed down. Yan Dao would probably suffer one big defeat this time. That's what Nie Hai firmly believed. However, after sending the two of them off to the Hoa Zhang, he felt a vague sense of unease, as if his nostrils had been pinched. So he prayed to the heavens. He prayed and prayed and prayed with all his heart that the two of them would become bread. It was only for the heavens to decide if they would hear him, or if they would reject him heartlessly. …….

It was only then that Later Sun summoned his youngest disciple, Black Samui, who had been pacing restlessly outside, and instructed him in the urgent task at hand. It was a task of great importance and urgency.

"Ginseng."

"Yes, my lord."

"You run now and fetch me a sack of royal salt!"

"What? King salt?"

For a moment, he couldn't understand what she was talking about. He was talking about salt out of nowhere, with special emphasis on the word "king".

"Yes, and with a very bold one at that."

He was currently in charge of Shun Feng's chores as a terminal disciple, and even if he had any doubts about her mental state, he couldn't bring himself to speak up. He could only do as he was told.

Later, Liu Hai first ordered Black Samui to bring him a sack of royal salt, but when he did, he realized that it wasn't enough. Considering what they'd been through today, this wasn't going to be the end of it, so he shouted outside again.

"Ginseng, it won't work. Bring me another sack of royal salt, and a master. I'm going to solder today. I've got a mange, a big, bad mange!"

Later in the year, when he realized that one sack of salt wasn't enough, he ordered another sack, meticulously sprinkling coarse royal salt over every inch of the house. He then spent a fortune to have a famous taoist solder, chant, and cover the whole place with expensive amulets.

But will this be the end of the bad blood between two men who could be called walking disasters because they've been salted, doused, and charmed…….