Chapter 251 - 160: Glory
Chu Lingguang stood on the path by the canal, gazing at them from afar.
Even though he had given his Second Aunt and her family a significant amount of silver taels, their lifestyle remained as frugal as ever. They had set aside most of the money, planning to use it for Zhang Linghua’s dowry and for their two sons’ future imperial examinations.
Guo Fang would usually let Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family take home any leftovers, which she always accepted gladly. Zhang Da would head to the tile factory early in the morning, but he would often first go into the nearby mountains to chop a load of firewood. He’d leave it there and then retrieve it after work, by which time the sky was nearly dark.
The couple often returned to Liu Family Gully together as dusk fell.
At that moment, the sky was a dusky yellow.
The canal path and the main road through the wheat fields were about a hundred meters apart, but Chu Lingguang was an imposing and eye-catching figure. Dressed in brocade robes and carrying his Lightning Spear, he sat tall atop his Little Red Horse, and both Zhang Da and his wife spotted him.
The couple waved to Chu Lingguang.
"Lin Guang, why don’t you come over for dinner?"
Zhang Da called out, setting down his load of firewood.
"Hya!"
Chu Lingguang offered a small smile, then spurred his Little Red Horse into a gallop along the canal path, heading for Cyan Cloud Mountain. He glanced back at his aunt and uncle, who were shrinking in the distance, and couldn’t help but tighten his grip on his long spear. He vowed to himself, ’Master, Second Aunt, just you watch. I will not lose to Samba. I will win this battle and claim glory for myself!’
Never before had Chu Lingguang felt such an intense desire to defeat someone.
This drive came not only from the expectations of people like Guo Wei and his aunt, but also from his own fierce rebellion against his destiny.
As night fell.
Chu Lingguang charged toward Cyan Cloud Mountain alone.
He had to master the secrets of the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear in these final two days and defeat Samba in the upcoming match.
Time flew, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Chu Lingguang charged down from Cyan Cloud Mountain early in the morning and hurried back to the Martial Arts Hall. No one knew what he had been doing up there for the past two days.
The local hunters only knew that for the past two days, the roars of wild beasts had frequently echoed from Cyan Cloud Mountain. Great flocks of birds had burst from the trees, never to return.
Outwardly, Chu Lingguang appeared no different than usual.
He had even washed himself in a cold forest spring before descending the mountain that morning.
The sound of Little Red Horse’s hoofbeats reached the Martial Arts Hall from a long way off.
From a distance, Chu Lingguang could see that a large crowd had gathered around the Martial Arts Hall.
Lord Xu, the County Magistrate of Baiyang County, had arrived at the Martial Arts Hall early that morning. Constables from the County Yamen stood guard at the entrance, while a huge crowd of onlookers surrounded the building. Many proprietors from Wine Street had even left their businesses to watch.
Chu Lingguang saw Butcher Hu and Chun Ju in the crowd.
He had seen how fickle people could be, and he couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Butcher Hu and Chun Ju avoid him like the plague as others had. So, instead of using the main entrance, he decided to slip in through the back.
"Chu, you can definitely win! I, Old Hu, believe in you."
Just as Chu Lingguang was leading Little Red Horse to the stables to give it some hay, Butcher Hu’s voice boomed from outside the main gate.
He was a butcher on Wine Street, and though he was in his fifties or sixties, his voice was still powerful from years of hawking his wares. The sound made Chu Lingguang smile as he recalled the time Butcher Hu had beaten gongs and drums at the Martial Arts Hall’s entrance. He took the last handful of horse beans from his pouch and gave them to Little Red Horse.
He then made his way to the reception hall.
Guo Wei had been waiting for a long time.
"Master, I’ve returned."
Chu Lingguang went to pay his respects to Guo Wei.
He saw that the reception hall was full of familiar faces.
There was Boss Zhuang from the blacksmith shop, Leader Ma from the Weiyuan Escort Agency, Da Wang, Xiao Wang, Da Wu, and Xiao Wu. Even Teng Qingshan and Lin Yuanfu, who had helped clear his name before, were there. Master Yan had even come all the way from South City.
Li Yishan was there too, standing in a corner. After Chu Lingguang had avenged him, Li Yishan had seen the error of his ways and was now the Guard Commander for the North City Li Family.
It was Guo Wei who had originally sent Chu Lingguang to the North City Li Family to work as a laborer. Li Yishan’s current position as commander there was likely also related to Guo Wei.
"Rise. The Turkic Mission will be here shortly."
Guo Wei said with a smile.
Chu Lingguang hadn’t revealed his strength since finishing the medicinal bath, so Guo Wei had no idea how much he had improved. But with the moment of truth at hand, Guo Wei could only put on a relaxed face to avoid putting any more pressure on him.
"Chu Lingguang, we’re here to cheer you on!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Greetings, Master Guo."
Just then, another group entered through the doorway.
It was Emperor Yue Xuan, Chen Jin, Yan Chengdu, Lin Longde, Hu Yanlin, Gu Changda, Gao Yimu, and Qi Shiwei—a group of fellow examinees he had met at the academy.
Thanks to the Turkic Mission’s deliberate hyping, the duel between Chu Lingguang and Samba was now common knowledge. Both Emperor Yue Xuan and Chen Jin had fought Samba before. Even when they teamed up, they couldn’t last thirty rounds against him. Now, the two of them were pinning their hopes on Chu Lingguang.
"Everyone... thank you!"
Chu Lingguang never imagined that so many people remembered him. Not everyone was like the villagers of Liu Family Gully, who avoided him as if he were a curse.
"The two of us have fought Samba, so listen closely. This is what we learned."
Emperor Yue Xuan and Chen Jin recounted their fight with Samba in great detail, and Chu Lingguang listened intently. A short while later, a voice announced from outside the gate, "Samba, foremost warrior of the Aika Tribe, has arrived!"