36 Chapter 35: Official Match (2/2)
”Luo Bin's not the only victim,” Tong Xue informed me when Zhu Jiao sank into a sullen silence. ”He has been picking on other students as well, especially during the two months you weren't here. In fact, I think he had gotten worse after your disappearance.”
That coincided with the stunt he pulled in Sen Lin Forest when he attempted to murder me in cold blood.
Tong Xue must have read my mind or at least picked up those thoughts, for he leaned a little closer and dropped his voice to a whisper.
”He's been getting a lot bolder when he believed that he could get away with murder. After the cover-up, he seems to believe that he's untouchable.”
”Of course,” Zhu Jiao grumbled bitterly. ”He literally got away with murder.”
”I can't believe the academy didn't punish him!” Tang Qi Hong hissed furiously, balling her fists.
”…so you all knew that he was the one who attacked me.”
”Some of us saw it,” Ban Zhang said quietly. ”Even Teacher Jiao. But Principal Xiao hushed it up, and we were ordered not to talk about it.”
”I heard that the academy was under pressure from the White Tiger Sect,” Tong Xue offered.
”Master told me to continue pestering and petitioning to Principal Xiao,” Tang Qi Hong grumbled. ”But he threatened to expel me, so she had no choice but to stop. She told me that the White Tiger Sect has great influence on the academy.”
”Nonetheless, it doesn't change the fact that Qi Fu Ren's behavior is getting worse.” Ban Zhang sighed as he slumped his shoulders. ”Right now, we're at a loss at what to do.”
”…Uh huh.”
”Speaking of which, when do you intend on taking the level 5 test?” Zhu Jiao asked me. I shrugged.
”Not anytime soon.”
”Eh? Why? You should take it as soon as possible.”
I raised my eyebrow at Tong Xue's exclamation. ”Dude, I almost got my ass kicked by a level 4 test dummy. What do you think will happen if I attempt to challenge a level 5 test dummy?”
Zhu Jiao snorted at that. ”Are you trying to be funny? Don't bother deceiving us. I know you were holding back. You clearly weren't using your true strength.”
”Eh?” Tong Xue turned to stare at him blankly. ”How do you know?”
”Do you honestly think Fei Wu would have survived two months in Sen Lin Forest with only that amount of strength?”
”Zhu Jiao has a point there,” Ban Zhang admitted with a nod. Tang Qi Hong merely shook her head, having guessed that as well. Tong Xue swiveled his head around and groaned.
”I…never realized that.”
I patted him sympathetically, though I was secretly relieved that I was able to hide my true strength so well (Zhu Jiao was an exception, that guy was insane). ”Don't worry. It's not important. Anyway, there's no point sticking around here. Let's go.”
The five of us slunk away from the spectator window and began returning to the dormitory. With the official match over, there wasn't any reason for us to remain. As we walked forward, I was suddenly aware of one of our classmates coming over.
”Tu Zi Yi?”
The disciple from the Lunar Rabbit Sect nodded and stopped before us. She glanced around nervously, fidgeting, before settling her gaze on me.
”Fei Wu, do you have a moment?”
Tang Qi Hong immediately tensed up and instinctively stepped between us.
”Oi, oi, what is this?” A mischievous grin was spreading over Tong Xue's face. He looked from Tu Zi Yi to Tang Qi Hong to me, and back again, giggling idiotically.
”It's not what you think,” Tu Zi Yi told him coldly. She glanced at Tang Qi Hong and her eyes softened. ”Don't worry, I just want to ask him a couple of questions.”
Tang Qi Hong didn't relax, but I gently gestured for her to withdraw and sighed, having guessed what this was about.
”You want to ask about my techniques…and why they're so similar to your sect's.”
Tu Zi Yi's eyes widened, having been caught off guard by my bluntness. She glanced uncertainly at the other three guys and Tang Qi Hong, but Ban Zhang took the hint. Nodding, he gestured for Zhu Jiao and Tong Xue to leave with him. Tang Qi Hong also read the mood and obediently distanced herself.
”Eh…”
Tong Xue wanted to stick around for a bit longer, but he realized that he wasn't welcome here. So he reluctantly followed.
”Make sure you tell me about this later!” he called out to me, earning a glare from Tang Qi Hong.
”I already told you that it's not what you're thinking!” Tu Zi Yi shouted at him before he disappeared. I shook my head.
”Ignore Tong Xue. He's just joking. More importantly…” I stared at her seriously. ”What is it you want to ask?”
”Isn't it obvious? If you already know that it's regarding your techniques, I want to know where you've learned them. And how? How did you get access to our Lunar Rabbit Sect's techniques? Who taught you?”
”First, it seems like you're misunderstanding something.” I held up a hand. ”The kicks I'm using are not the same as the kicks from your Lunar Rabbit Sect. they might be similar, but I do not believe they are identical.”
”What are you talking about?!” Tu Zi Yi demanded. ”No matter how I look at them…”
”Secondly,” I cut her off rudely. ”I learned these kicks from Lunar Rabbits.”
That silenced Tu Zi Yi. She stared at me intensely, as if unable to decide whether I was messing around with her or not.
”I'm not joking,” I assured her. ”I really did learn those kicks from Lunar Rabbits.” Sighing, I leaned back. ”You do know I was trapped in Sen Lin Forest for two months, right? How did you think I survived? By learning and adapting to the demonic creatures and magical beasts living in Sen Lin Forest, of course.”
”That's…”
Tu Zi Yi trailed off. I shrugged.
”Well, I don't blame you. But I believe your Lunar Rabbit Sect was founded by someone who learned or at least tried to imitate the devastating kicks of a Lunar Rabbit. So it's only natural that the kicks I learned directly from sparring Lunar Rabbits are very similar to the ones your sect has passed down for generations.”
”…I see.”
Tu Zi Yi sighed, and then turned away.
”I can't say I completely believe you, but I'll take your word for it. For now, anyway.”
”I'm not lying. It's up to you if you want to believe me or not, but I'll tell you now that I didn't encounter any master in Sen Lin Forest who taught me Lunar Rabbit kicks. They were all really learned from those magical beasts themselves.”
Unable to argue, Tu Zi Yi waved me away before she talked off. I watched her leave, and then turned back to catch up with my friends.
*
”So what really happened between you and Tu Zi Yi?”
Tong Xue was hovering behind me, relentlessly asking that same question over and over again. I sighed and shook my head.
”I already told you. Nothing. She thought I learned martial arts techniques from her sect, and I assured her that I didn't.”
”Is that all? Really?”
I really hated it when Tong Xue teased me like that, so I just shut up and refused to play along with him.
”Stop bothering Fei Wu!” Tang Qi Hong snapped, but I had the feeling she showed up nearby just to eavesdrop on the conversation. She seemed incredibly relieved that nothing had happened, or perhaps I was being overly self-conscious. ”If he says it's about martial arts, then that's all it is!”
”But hey, I was surprised when you used those kicks against the level 4 test dummy.” Tong Xue finally turned serious, partially because he was wilting under Qi Hong's glare. ”They really resembled the kicks that Tu Zi Yi used. It's only natural that people think you've learned her sect's techniques.”
”They're similar, but they're not identical.”
”Of course someone with an intimate knowledge would know that, but have you forgotten that the students of Wu Ling Academy all come from different sects?”
”No.” It wasn't that I forgot that, but I wasn't exactly expecting anyone to know anything in detail. But I was too tired to split hairs, so I left it at that.
Unfortunately, I wasn't given much of a respite. Barely had we finished our conversation when there was a loud crash in the corridor.
”What happened?!”
”Whoa!”
”Let's go take a look!” Tong Xue shot up from his seat and hurried outside. Despite my exhaustion, my curiosity got the better of me and I followed him, just as eager as everyone else to see what had transpired.
”!”
The moment I stepped outside, I recognized the unmistakable figures of Qi Fu Ren and his two cronies, Hu Shuo and Ba Dao.
That wasn't all. Against the wall, lying in a heap, was the miserable figure of Luo Bin. Qi Fu Ren stepped on him, preventing him from getting up. Evidently, he was the one who attacked and threw Luo Bin against the wall.
”Fuck you…” Luo Bin spat defiantly, even as Qi Fu Ren ground his head against the floor.
”Huh?” Qi Fu Ren snarled as he shifted more of his body weight to crush Luo Bin. ”Did I hear that right? From someone who lost to me? Someone who can't use his qi?”
”I'll kill you,” Luo Bin growled. ”After I recover, I'll kill you. I don't care if it takes six months or a year, I'll definitely…!”
”Hmph.” Qi Fu Ren kicked Luo Bin up, slamming the poor guy against the wall. ”Big talk from someone who can't use his qi, especially after losing so pathetically to me yesterday. Perhaps you haven't learn your lesson yet, human punching bag!”
Raising his lightning fist, he punched Luo Bin, discharging the powerful electricity to electrocute the latter, who was now unable to muster any qi defenses now that his dantian was damaged.
The fist never reached Luo Bin.
Bam!
”Hmm?”
Qi Fu Ren scowled when he saw that I had intercepted his fist, preventing him from landing a blow on Luo Bin. He turned to glare at me.
”Another one who doesn't know his place.”
”Hey!” Tang Qi Hong was rushing forward. ”Stop it, you guys!”
I nodded at her and gestured for her to stand back, but she did so only reluctantly. Nonetheless, she was getting ready to intervene if necessary. Fortunately, I didn't intend to go to blows with Qi Fu Ren. Not yet, anyway.
”Don't you find it boring to pick on the weak?”
”Pretty rich, coming from a weakling like you.”
Yet here I was, able to intercept his Lightning Fist without so much as a scratch or negative reaction. If Qi Fu Ren was intrigued by my resistance, he showed no sign of it. After all, Zhu Jiao had demonstrated previously that it was not impossible to defend against Qi Fu Ren's signature Lightning Fist attack.
”If you really think I'm weak, then you wouldn't be afraid to accept my challenge then,” I replied with a smile.
”!”
Qi Fu Ren blinked in surprise, not expecting the curveball I threw at him. Behind, his cronies waddled up.
”Of course boss wouldn't be afraid!”
”He'll just wipe you across the floor!”
”You'll regret ever challenging him!”
”Boss will just utterly destroy you, right boss?”
A single glare from Qi Fu Ren silenced his rambling flunkies. Then he slowly turned to regard me, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
”Afraid? I'm more worried that you would never come around to challenging me.”
”Well, here I am, challenging you right now.” I shrugged nonchalantly as I casually inserted myself between Qi Fu Ren and Luo Bin. ”An official match, in front of everybody. A few days from now, on Saturday morning. How about it?”
”Hmph. Consider your challenge accepted. In fact, make sure you don't run away.”
With a snort, Qi Fu Ren turned away and waved flippantly. Hu Shuo and Ba Dao hastily followed in his wave, but not before sending venomous looks in my direction.
”Isn't that too reckless?!” Tang Qi Hong demanded. I shook my head, but before I could answer, someone else popped up.
”Are you seriously challenging Qi Fu Ren?” Tong Xue asked, concerned. As always, he was almost invisible when Qi Fu Ren was fully engaged in the conflict, and conveniently reappeared when the violence was gone. ”He's at level 5 and the fifth level of Qi Essence Stage, you know?!”
”Who cares?” smirking, I pushed my glasses up my nose as I watched Qi Fu Ren and his posse leave. ”Levels aren't everything, you know.”