Book 12: Chapter 27

Tang Ye returned to wiping his instruments as if he never stopped.

Li Muye didn’t need to be erudite at martial arts to discern he lost the exchange, so he quietly asked, “How good is he?”

Shi Ganxian first reaction to Tang Ye’s interception was sorcery, not martial arts. “Hard to determine.”

“Compared to you?”

Shi Ganxian looked as though he was choking on words. He cleared his throat and answered, “Almost on par.”

You think I can’t smell your bullcrap?!

Lin Muye could call on the academy’s guards to help in a fight; however, that’d do his goal of asserting his dominance no favours, so he said, “Consider yourselves lucky.” Panic stricken, he crashed into a short table on his way out, knocking a sheet of paper to the ground. Already annoyed that he had to forfeit against Liu Shan Men’s two constables, he stamped on the sheet and scrunched it up underfoot.

“Oi.”

“What?” Li Muye turned around to see a fierce girl shielding a girl on the verge of tears.

Su Xiao: “Pick it up.”

Li Muye frowned. “What was that?”

“Picking up what you knock over is common sense, isn’t it?”

Li Muye exhaled sardonically. “Shen Yiren must not have told you who I am.”

“If you are part of the imperial family, it should go double for you. Your grandpa did everything in his power for the people. Are you going to embarrass your ancestors and tarnish their names?”

Of the two things Li Muye hated more than anything else, they were being underestimated in addition to being juxtaposed him to his father and grandpa. Su Xiao did both simultaneously. Hence, Li Muye stomped back to Su Xiao despite smiling. “You’re brave. I admire your fearlessness of aristocrats.”

Li Muye recognised Mu Anan as the famous weirdo of the academy who loved writing poems about ghosts, resulting in the principal moving her to Fangniu class.

Li Muye: So you’re having a go at me over some lowly peon’s stupid ghost poem? All right.

“The sheet I accidentally stepped on must have been yours, Miss.”

Mu Anan: “Y-yes.”

“Okay. Okay, okay, okay.” Li Muye inhaled, then raised his voice. “Because of your stupid poem! Because of you, peons think they can order me around! She’s standing up for you, is she?!”

Mu Anan broke down in tears.

Despite Su Xiao’s vindictive glare, Li Muye spread his lips triumphantly. “You think I’d hit her? Don’t worry. I wouldn’t personally dirty my hands. I’m going to have her house repossessed so that she has to live on the streets as a beggar. I want her to live while regretting this moment for the rest of her impertinent life. Constable, in a loud voice, tell me: can you protect her?”

Su Xiao’s emotions didn’t come to the surface, but he had no counter.

Aware he was victorious, Li Muye raised a hand to slap Su Xiao.

Thud!

Su Xiao caught Li Muye’s incoming hand. “… I kept thinking if it would be a bad idea for there to be friction between us.”

Li Muye felt as if a clamp was closing on his hand. “It hurts It hurts! Are you deaf?! Let go!”

“Thank you for proving you are the type we hate the most at Liu Shan Men. Next time you want trouble, come find me at Liu Shan Men!”

“Let go!”

Su Xiao threw Li Muye’s hand sideways.

Li Muye regained freedom and blood to his numb arm, but an external force delivered to his face spun him seven hundred and twenty degrees where he stood prior to dropping to the ground. The burning sensation on his cheek indicated to him that his last memory wasn’t his delusion: he really did get slapped flush on the face. He looked up in exasperation to see Su Xiao glaring down at him.

Hands on his hips, Su Xiao yelled, “Understand yet, buffoon?!”

Nothing, not Northern Wondrous Warrior’s family’s revival, not his grandpa’s reputation, not Yongheng Bank’s seal, nothing could hold a candle to the importance of the slap and question from Su Xiao.

“Huh?!” Li Muye crawled to his feet and brayed, “I must’ve been too lenient on you fools! Shi Ganxian! Get them!”

“Bring it on!” Su Xiao blustered.

Since disobedience wasn’t an option, Shi Ganxian took two tiny steps forward, then one big tactical stride backward, creating a situation where he could attack two people quickly. Reading Shi Ganxian’s thoughts, Li Muye kicked his henchman’s rear. “Keep stalling and I’ll have you filleted alive!”

Shi Ganxian: How is that any different to being filleted here?!”

Shi Ganxian was the type to only pick on those he knew he could beat. He had yet to work out Tang Ye’s style, so he was reluctant to engage.

Li Muye was so furious that he almost forgot he couldn’t fight and went after them himself.

One of Li Muye’s lackeys happened to arrive on the scene, but he spent a while trying to decipher the situation to no avail. Therefore, he whispered, “We found the Feizhen guy!”

Li Muye glared at Su Xiao whilst using his rationality to soothe his flames.

“He’s at Liu Shan Men…” Li Muye murmured. He turned back to Su Xiao and stomped. “Woman, I will never forget this.”

“I’m a man!”

The inflamed Li Muye sprinted off.

Why am I worked up over two unimportant constables? Why am I letting a woman get me worked up? I’m embarrassing myself. Liu Shan Men, huh? Think you’re tough, do you? Shen Yiren, just you wait. Wait, she’s only the vice-captain. Song Ou, just you wait!

People who saw the usually-composed Prince bolting through the academy were bewildered.

After Li Muye was long gone, the silent class erupted into cheers around Su Xiao and Tang Ye – except for Mu Anan, who cried even harder.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have shown you my poem,” conveyed Mu Anan.

“It’s not your fault. He’s the one who’s no good. Even without your poem, I couldn’t stand his bullying ways.” Though he asserted it with his chest, Su Xiao looked down to the hand he floored Li Muye with.

“You did the right thing.” Tang Ye set aside his erhu. “I would’ve hit him if you hadn’t.”

“Calm down! If you hit him, his head would’ve been separated from his shoulders!’

The class erupted into laughter.

Wu Dayong looked to Zhou Teng. Zhou Teng looked to Shi Weilang. The trio subsequently nodded in synchrony. “Hey, we have a favour we’d like to ask of you!”

Several students grouped up. “Please participate in the school idol competition as our class representatives!”

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