Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Within moments, the situation on the field had become clear.
Several contenders had retreated in defeat, leaving only two people standing, each holding a thick stack of Name Cards.
One was Xiao Chengxu.
The other was a young master dressed in brocade and a jade belt, possessing a suave and dashing appearance. His name was Ximen Chunqiu.
The Ximen Family was the largest merchant clan on the Glazed Continent, possessing wealth that could rival a kingdom. As the eldest son of the direct line, Ximen Chunqiu had possessed extraordinary talent since childhood, and his cultivation was on par with Xiao Chengxu’s.
At this, everyone watched with wide eyes, especially the daughters of official families, who were particularly nervous and excited.
These two were the most popular among this year’s freshmen, the objects of many young girls’ secret crushes…
Xiao Chengxu and Ximen Chunqiu stopped simultaneously by unspoken agreement. After counting, they found that they both held exactly fifty Name Cards.
Everyone else’s cards had already been snatched away.
That left only…
In an instant, both of their gazes converged on Ye Piaoling’s hand!
Hua Wuhuang’s Name Card had already been torn. The final card that would decide the winner was in Ye Piaoling’s grasp!
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Ximen Chunqiu smiled and said, “Brother Xiao, there’s still one Name Card over there. Why don’t you go and take it?”
Xiao Chengxu let out a cold laugh.
Everyone had just witnessed Ye Piaoling’s martial arts skills; she was not someone to be trifled with. Furthermore, she had a good sister, Hua Wuhuang, standing beside her, ready to help her fight.
Xiao Chengxu replied, “If I strike rashly, wouldn’t I just be letting you reap the benefits?”
“What a coincidence. I had the same concern, which is why I haven’t moved either.”
Ximen Chunqiu laughed. “Since that last Name Card can’t be easily taken, it seems you and I must fight it out to determine the victor?”
Xiao Chengxu snorted. “Under these circumstances, I have no desire to fight you to the death.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept meaningfully over the faces of the others present.
Ximen Chunqiu understood immediately.
If he and Xiao Chengxu fought until both were wounded, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn’t jump out to pick up the pieces, taking the opportunity to snatch all the Name Cards away…
“Then what should we do?” Ximen Chunqiu frowned. “Now that we have the same number of cards, a winner must be decided, right?”
Xiao Chengxu gave a cold snort and ignored him. He walked over to Ye Piaoling and bowed politely with his hands clasped. “Miss Ye, I was rude outside the gate earlier. If you give me the Name Card in your hand, I promise that once I become the Senior Brother, no one will ever dare to bully you again!”
“Don’t listen to his sweet talk!”
Ximen Chunqiu grew angry at the sight and shouted, “Miss Ye, you won’t regret giving the Name Card to me! I am a man who always knows how to repay a favor!”
Ye Piaoling looked at Xiao Chengxu, then at Ximen Chunqiu.
To become the Senior Brother, both of them were essentially asking to be added to her friend list.
Ye Piaoling sighed. “I don’t want to offend either of you. How about this? Let’s take a fair approach…”
Ye Piaoling said with a look of utter honesty, “Just tell me plainly what benefits you can offer me. Whoever gives more, I’ll give the Name Card to! Make the benefits practical; don’t give me any of that flashy, useless stuff.”
Ximen Chunqiu was quite quick on the uptake.
Hearing this, he immediately said straightforwardly, “I offer ten thousand taels in Silver Banknotes!”
Ye Piaoling turned to Xiao Chengxu. “Did you hear that? He’s offering ten thousand. What about you?”
Xiao Chengxu choked.
In terms of pure wealth, Duke Anguo’s Mansion could not compare to the Ximen Clan.
Knowing he couldn’t win this kind of bidding war, Xiao Chengxu smiled and said, “What does money matter? I can give you a Gold Inlaid Knife. It is a tributary item from the Western Regions, a rarity that cannot be bought even for a thousand pieces of gold.”
Ximen Chunqiu said, “I have a Weapon Pavilion in the east of the city, stocked with every kind of saber, sword, spear, and bow imaginable. I will give you the entire pavilion, plus ten thousand taels in Silver Banknotes.”
Ye Piaoling nodded in approval.
She then turned her gaze toward Xiao Chengxu.
Xiao Chengxu gritted his teeth and said, “Weapons are but worldly trifles. My Duke’s Mansion possesses a lingzhi mushroom that has been treasured for many years; it can be used to refine all sorts of miraculous elixirs. I am willing to trade it for your Name Card.”
Ximen Chunqiu countered, “I have a Medicine Shop in the west of the city, filled with all varieties of ginseng, lingzhi, and deer antler. I’ll give you the entire shop, plus the Weapon Pavilion and the ten thousand taels in Silver Banknotes.”
Xiao Chengxu’s face darkened. “You…”
Ye Piaoling clapped her hands. “Good! Young Master Ximen is much more practical! This Name Card belongs to you!”
With that, she flicked her wrist and tossed the Name Card to Ximen Chunqiu.
Ximen Chunqiu caught the card, cupped his hands, and smiled. “Thank you, Miss Ye. Once the ceremony concludes, I shall deliver everything I promised in full.”
“Deal,” Ye Piaoling replied, a trollish, scheming grin playing on her lips.
With this move, she had won big!
Xiao Chengxu: “…”
As they spoke, the incense stick burned out.
The Barrier dissipated, and Ximen Chunqiu walked up to the cultivator with his head held high, handing over one hundred and one Name Cards.
The cultivator inspected them and then announced in a loud voice.
“The winner of this trial is Ximen Chunqiu!”
“From this day forward, Ximen Chunqiu shall be the Top Disciple of the Tianwen Sect. May all disciples look to their Senior Brother as an example, cultivating diligently and never slacking for a single day!”
As the words fell, Gu Liuxian descended from the high platform according to custom to personally present the Senior Brother’s ceremonial sword to Ximen Chunqiu.
Ximen Chunqiu knelt on the ground and accepted the sword with pride. “Thank you, Grandmaster! In the future, I will lead by example and guide my junior brothers and sisters to strive for excellence!”
Watching this, Xiao Chengxu’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He had originally been determined to claim the position of Senior Brother, but now it had been snatched away by Ximen Chunqiu!
Xiao Mei grabbed his sleeve and said hatefully, “Brother, this is all Ye Piaoling’s fault! You should have been the Senior Brother!”
Xiao Chengxu clenched his fists but said nothing.
Having received his sword, Young Master Ximen turned to face the crowd with a smug, joyful expression.
The disciples cupped their hands in a collective salute. “Greetings, Senior Brother!”
Xiao Chengxu reluctantly followed suit, lowering his head to avoid seeing that irritating smile.
With that, the opening ceremony came to an end.
School was dismissed, and everyone prepared to head home.
Suddenly, Xiao Mei stepped forward and knelt on the ground, calling out loudly, “Regent King, this subject has a matter to report!”
The disciples stopped in shock, wondering what kind of trouble Princess Anguo was planning to stir up now.
Gu Liuxian, the elders, and the cultivators all looked toward her with slight surprise.
“Oh?” Di Xiulan’s gaze swept over indifferently.
Xiao Mei said loudly, “Ye Piaoling, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, just claimed in front of everyone that the Regent King has granted her a special exemption from Dali etiquette, stating she does not need to pay respects to the Imperial Family… I fear she is fabricating false decrees and using the Regent King’s name to openly flout the law for her own selfish gain, thereby damaging your illustrious reputation. Therefore, I have taken the liberty to report this!”
Listening to her words, Ye Piaoling realized the girl’s logic was clear and well-organized; there wasn’t a single flaw in her argument.
Now she was in real trouble!
Di Xiulan had certainly never given her such a right.
Given that man’s dark and cold-blooded nature, he definitely wouldn’t go easy on her once he found out she was using his name to swindle people!