41 4.3 (2/2)

At that moment, Hou Yi was following along with the other students, shaking his head. That Jin Yongguang, he had definitely forgotten Ding Bo's name, he had definitely eagerly agreed to this spectacle purely because he wanted to spar, he had definitely ignored rumors of what students suffered if they lost.

Was there anything that could interest him besides training and more training? But why was he even spending time on Jin Yongguang, what did he have to do with himself?

When he glanced up, however, he surprisingly found that Jin Yongguang was...staring at him?

Somewhat puzzled, he nonetheless flashed his signature mild smile and caught up to the other boy. In a warm tone, he warned, ”Yongguang, perhaps you should be more careful. After all, Ding Bo is stuck in fourth place because he can't bear to attack our third-ranked student.”

Chen Yu blinked.

Indeed, if Ding Bo steeled himself against his love for Murong Wen, who held the third place, he would easily beat him, thereby earning the right to challenge the second-ranked Jin Yongguang. The original owner might have even lost to the bigger boy, although that wasn't an issue now.

This wasn't news to Chen Yu.

Instead, what was unexpected was firstly, that Hou Yi had so coldly pointed out his minion Ding Bo's lack of sound judgment; secondly, that he'd hinted at how Murong Wen had maintained his status; thirdly and, most importantly, that he believed Jin Yongguang, who presented himself as a silly brute, would go through all the steps necessary to understand his meaning.

Furthermore, it was odd that the words which should have come across as a threat seemed to be genuinely rooting for him.

En, Hou Yi was a weird kid, not someone Jin Yongguang could fathom. So Chen Yu simply laughed, responding, ”Ah Yi, don't worry, it's just a friendly competition! Also, if I win, can you train with me? You're the best in the academy, I bet I'll learn lots!”

Gazing at that foolish face, Hou Yi lost any will to enlighten the boy on the consequences of losing this 'friendly competition.' Besides, the battle maniac apparently remembered his name, how could he refuse?

---

Meanwhile, Jin Zhong sat across from his wife, discussing how to take care of their eldest son.

Realizing that she still wasn't convinced that Jin Yongguang needed to be dealt with, he gritted his teeth and explained again, ”You know that even if Yongguang seems stupid, he often notices what normal people can't, like some kind of animal instinct. What if he enters the military and makes a connection between the missions I've had information on and their high fatality rates? He might already be suspicious about why I've asked him to tell me about the academy's talented students.”

Madam Jin recognized the danger, but she was reluctant to give in. ”That...that's true, but he's our son! Even if he did find out what you've been doing, would he really turn you in?”

Jin Zhong scrubbed his head. ”I don't know, that's the problem. Yongguang has always been different from us. Then...should we wait and see?”

But when he asked that, Madam Jin stiffened. While she hated to sacrifice her son, being discovered wasn't something they could chance. Thus, their positions switched, with her urgently whispering, ”How can we take the risk? What if the old man learns about it?”

They both shuddered. Jin Zhong's father might no longer be as active politically, but he remained a staunch loyalist, he would never forgive anyone who'd betrayed the Federation.

Recognizing their helplessness, the two gritted their teeth, resolved to get rid of Jin Yongguang. Anyway, their younger boy was so much more obedient, he had not once gone against their wishes like Yongguang had. If that unfilial child hadn't insisted on attending that ridiculous academy, how could they be in this situation now?

As for how to prevent Jin Yongguang from entering the military, aware that their pleas would fall on deaf ears, they began deliberating on a way to disable him so severely that it would be physically impossible for him to enlist. Since neither of them knew the situation inside the academy very well, however, they wracked their brains in silence for a long time.

Finally, Jin Zhong jumped up, rummaged through a pile of papers on his desk, then plucked a letter out.

To his wife's confused gaze, he disclosed, ”The academy recently sent a notice that the quarterly assessment trials will be taking place soon. Since we can't figure out a way to cripple his body, we can at least act on his reputation! I've heard that many of the teachers there have ties to the military, if they witness him viciously harming another student, would anyone recruit him for their team?”

Madam Jin's eyes darted around, pondering what her husband had said. Frowning, she argued, ”Yongguang isn't that kind of boy, he'd stop if the other person was very injured.”

”Normally, that would be the case...but what if we can fix the fight?” Jin Zhong muttered.

The woman gaped. ”Bribe the opponent? The academy's students wouldn't ever lose on purpose!”

Pacing around the room, Jin Zhong gripped the letter tightly. ”No, that would be the case for most of them, but do you remember that boy Yongguang always talks about? Murong something?”

Madam Jin grasped what her husband was implying. ”That commoner boy? The one that Yongguang said he's faced in the second-to-last round for every assessment?”

The couple's faces lit up. The more they considered it, the more it seemed that it would work. A guaranteed opponent who lacked money...

Thus, they immediately sent someone to find out the information of the commoner boy.