Martial World Full of Disguises

8: Encountering a Petty Person

Fu Peibai set down her pack and walked to her assigned group. Everyone here was a youth of fifteen or sixteen. They were currently stretching and warming up, rubbing their fists together in preparation. She swallowed hard, growing even more nervous.

Soon, the gong sounded. With a cry of "The examination begins!" competitors stepped onto the grounds for each group. Fu Peibai stood at the edge, her expression focused as she watched the situation in her group.

The two youths from her group who took the stage had changed into martial uniforms. After accepting their wooden swords and bowing to each other, they separated and stood facing one another with swords raised.

The youth on the left was clearly more confident. He launched the first attack. His feet moved, and he quickly closed the distance to his opponent. He drew back his long sword, gathered power, then thrust it forward suddenly. The blade aligned with his arm, stabbing straight toward his opponent's chest. Though his attack was fierce, his opponent was no weakling either. That youth's eyes flashed. He deftly twisted his body to evade. While defending, he didn't forget to attack. His wrist turned nimbly, bringing his sword down like a sharp axe toward his opponent. His opponent took the blow to his waist and abdomen and retreated two steps in pain, revealing an opening. The youth seized the moment. His sword hand suddenly bent upward at the wrist, turning the blade vertical, then thrust straight at his opponent's chest. A red mark quickly appeared on the light colored martial uniform of the opposing youth.

Two points!

The spectators cheered together, clapping and praising.

Fu Peibai looked somewhat transfixed. This was her first time seeing people compete in martial arts. It was far more exciting and thrilling than what she had read in storybooks.

The two on the platform engaged in fierce combat once more. Their strengths were evenly matched, each having their moments of advantage. But Fu Peibai no longer had the heart to watch. These people's abilities far exceeded her imagination. Her chances of passing this first round were slim. She could only win through cleverness. But how could she win cleverly?

While she was lost in thought, several rounds had already been fought on the platform. From the main platform, a loud call rang out. "Fourth group, Fu Peibai, prepare!"

"Fu Peibai! Where are you? Are you here?!"

The disciple in charge shouted loudly twice more. Only then did Fu Peibai snap out of her contemplation. She quickly raised her hand and climbed onto the platform. By pure coincidence, standing opposite her was none other than Mo Qingyuan, the one who had tried to speak with her at the foot of the mountain.

Mo Qingyuan narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected such a coincidence. He gave a cold smile that went unnoticed, then took his wooden sword and stepped forward to bow.

The match between these two quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers. Everyone wanted to see what skills this farm boy possessed.

Fu Peibai held the wooden sword and discovered that she was so nervous her hands were trembling slightly. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.

Once the word "Begin" fell, Mo Qingyuan lunged at her with his sword. His movements were swift and fierce. Fu Peibai couldn't react in time. She had no actual combat experience. In the next moment, her left chest was struck by the tip of the wooden sword. Her body even retreated two steps from the force of the blow. She stared blankly at the red mark staining her left chest.

If this were real combat, she would already be a dead person.

Hisses rose from below the platform. Mockery, ridicule. She felt her ears buzzing as countless noisy sounds drilled into them.

She took another deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. There was still a chance, still a chance. She kept telling herself this as she readied her sword and assumed her stance.

On the opposite side, Mo Qingyuan curled the corner of his mouth. He had only used thirty percent of his power and still struck this kid. The person before him was no match for him at all. So he made a rather provocative gesture, beckoning Fu Peibai to attack him.

But Fu Peibai wasn't stupid. If she attacked proactively, she had no chance of winning. She could only defend and turn defense into offense, seizing her opponent's openings and scoring points when the opportunity arose.

Seeing Fu Peibai remain motionless, Mo Qingyuan grew impatient. Time was precious. He had to gain more points in the shortest time possible. So he didn't delay any further. He raised his sword and attacked again.

Having experienced the first attack, Fu Peibai kept her eyes fixed on her opponent. Just as the sword tip was about to reach her neck, she turned her head, ducked low, and rolled to Mo Qingyuan's side. In the blink of an eye, she was behind him. Her hand rose and her sword fell. Mo Qingyuan's back was struck.

One point!

Mo Qingyuan looked back in disbelief. He had actually underestimated this kid. He grew alert and moved, putting distance between himself and Fu Peibai.

He stood on one side holding his sword in one hand. Fu Peibai crouched on the other side, gripping her sword with both hands in a defensive posture. The two faced each other, neither launching an attack for the moment.

Mo Qingyuan estimated the time. If this dragged on any longer, it would be over. He could only let out a loud shout and charge forward with his sword. This strike aimed at Fu Peibai's right arm, because he had noticed that her right arm seemed to have an old injury and was weaker than her left.

Fu Peibai still didn't rush. Only when the sword was before her eyes did she duck to evade. Then her left leg hooked out, attempting to trip Mo Qingyuan. Mo Qingyuan's gaze hardened. He used his sword to block Fu Peibai's leg. But what he didn't expect was that she wasn't actually trying to attack his lower body. It was only a feint. Her real intention was still from above.

Seizing this opportunity, Fu Peibai quickly rose and drove her elbow forcefully into her opponent's back. The blow landed. Mo Qingyuan fell forward and took another sword strike to his back.

Now the spectators below completely erupted. Everyone was shocked by Fu Peibai's unorthodox movements and techniques. Someone was the first to clap and cheer, then thunderous applause followed.

Mo Qingyuan lay on the ground, having eaten a mouthful of dust. Listening to the voices cheering for Fu Peibai beside his ears, and thinking back to the scene at the foot of the mountain, old grievances and new hatreds surged upon him together.

Humiliated and furious, he scrambled to his feet. Without caring about anything, he chopped toward Fu Peibai. If before he had been careless and used only thirty or forty percent of his skill, now he was using his full power. Even every attack contained barely suppressed killing intent.

What Fu Peibai had exploited earlier was Mo Qingyuan's carelessness. Now that he was using his complete skill, the situation immediately became one sided.

Fu Peibai was being crushed. The wooden sword struck her arm, waist, abdomen, back, and thigh again and again. Though she was agile, faced with such fierce and rapid attacks, she had nowhere to dodge.

Another fierce sword stroke came, directly chopping onto the back of her neck. Her vision went black. She stumbled, nearly falling forward. Fortunately, she managed to steady herself by planting her sword on the ground at the last moment. But before she could turn around, the person behind her struck her right arm with another sword stroke. Then she was kicked to the ground.

She fell, seeing stars. Just as she tried to push herself up, a heavy foot stomped on her back, pressing her back down onto the ground.

Seeing this, the crowd cried out for him to stop. This was no longer a competition. It had clearly evolved into a beating.

But Mo Qingyuan, having lost his reason, wasn't listening. He raised his leg again and stomped on Fu Peibai's injured right elbow. Then he slowly ground his foot down, a twisted smile on his face.

Fu Peibai broke out in cold sweat from the pain. A muffled groan escaped her. Mo Qingyuan ignored the commotion below. He crouched down and said, "Beg me. Beg me and I'll let you go."

Fu Peibai clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, appearing to accept her fate. The main platform on the other side had also noticed something wrong here. They had sent someone walking over.

Mo Qingyuan grabbed the hair at the back of Fu Peibai's head and was preparing to slam her head into the ground. In a flash, a small stone moving at extreme speed struck his wrist. As the stone fell, his wrist went limp and dangled uselessly. He raised his head and roared in anger, "Who?!"

From the stone steps in the distance, two female figures slowly appeared, one in black and one in white. The white robed woman walked over first. She wore a veiled hat with white gauze covering her face. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew past, lifting a corner of the gauze curtain. Though her true face couldn't be seen clearly, just by looking at her graceful figure, one could imagine what an otherworldly, peerless face lay beneath the white veil.

The woman slowly walked to the edge of the grounds and stopped. When the main platform saw this, the four middle aged men all rose together. They quickly hurried over to the white robed woman's side and said respectfully, "Greetings, Peak Master."

Everyone who heard this understood immediately. Who else could the Heavenly Pole Sect's only female Peak Master be but the sect master's eldest daughter, the Peak Master of Chaoquan Peak?

One by one, they stretched their necks, wanting to catch a glimpse of the face beneath the woman's white veil.

The white robed woman didn't remove her veiled hat. Through the white gauze, she swept her gaze over the situation on the grounds. She asked coolly, "Do the four Hall Masters not have an explanation for the current circumstances?"

The four men's faces stiffened. They pushed responsibility onto each other, neither daring to speak. Finally, a young disciple in charge stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Peak Master, it seems these two had a verbal conflict during the match, which caused the situation to spiral out of control and turn into a brawl."

The woman's voice grew even colder. "A brawl? I clearly saw this young master here delivering a one sided beating to the one on the ground. And now you're telling me they were fighting each other?"

That disciple's heart tightened. He detected the dissatisfaction in the woman's words. He quickly added, "This disciple only saw from a distance and didn't witness it personally. What I just said was merely speculation. The facts should be as the Peak Master stated."

The woman gave an indifferent hum. She turned the pointed question toward the four middle aged men. "Then what do the four of you think should be done about this?"

"How about we first ascertain the cause and circumstances, then handle it according to sect rules? What does the Peak Master think?" The man who spoke wore a cautious expression.

The woman didn't speak, which was taken as tacit agreement. Then the oldest of the four stepped forward. He summoned some authority and presence. With hands behind his back, he asked the two youths on the ground, "Which of you will tell me what exactly happened here just now?"

Fu Peibai was still lying on the ground. She had indeed been beaten severely. Her head was still dizzy and muddled, her mind blank.

She vaguely recalled that Mo Qingyuan's hand gripping her hair had suddenly released. Not long after, that familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance drifted to her nose. She opened her eyes a crack. Within her field of vision was an expanse of pure white skirt hem, and immaculate, flawless shoes.

Neither of the two involved spoke. Fu Peibai didn't have the strength. Mo Qingyuan was scared senseless. By now he had regained his reason. Looking at the people before him, he knew he had caused a major disaster. His face had gone completely pale.

The man saw that questioning these two wouldn't yield anything. So he turned and asked the spectators below, "Did any of you clearly see what happened on the platform?"

A silence fell over the grounds. No one responded.

"You. You speak!" The man pointed at someone in the front row.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Speak quickly."

The youth who was pointed at touched his nose. Actually, he didn't really know what had happened either. He had only seen that person on the platform suddenly start attacking the farm boy like a madman.

Now he could only steel himself and recount everything he had seen, detail by detail.

After listening, the man was still contemplating how to handle the matter when another short, stout man walked out and addressed the white robed woman. "Peak Master, I venture to guess that this young master's sudden loss of control in attacking his opponent must have been because he was verbally provoked or subjected to humiliating and slanderous words during the match. That is why this young master lost his reason and beat his opponent." After saying this, he turned to Mo Qingyuan and asked with apparent severity, "Did he say something reckless and insult you?"

Mo Qingyuan came to his senses. He looked at the man before him, who had deep ties of friendship with his father. He quickly understood the other's meaning. This man was helping him. So he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes. This fellow, seeing he couldn't beat me, insulted my mother to distract me. I held back several times, but he only pushed further. I truly couldn't swallow my anger, which is why I lost my composure."

The man nodded, looking somewhat like a fair magistrate delivering a verdict. "In that case, although you struck first, considering there were mitigating circumstances, you will be shown some leniency. As for you..." The man looked at the youth still lying on the ground, meeting those clear black and white eyes.

The youth's pupils were pitch black, revealing no emotion. She just stared straight at him. The man felt a bit guilty and shifted his gaze away. "Unable to match your opponent in skill, you actually resorted to such low and despicable tactics. Even if you had won, it would have been against all honor and ethics. Considering you are still young and your character not yet set, I won't hold it against you for now. I now announce that you are stripped of your qualification for this examination. Leave the mountain on your own."

Fu Peibai suddenly raised her head. She stood up, trembling. She held her right arm weakly and said sternly, "I didn't! I never spoke a single word to him!"

The man paused. Being shouted at by a youth, he lost face. He immediately scowled. "Don't be ungrateful. If you continue to make excuses and refuse to admit your fault, it won't be as simple as just being driven down the mountain!"

Fu Peibai's thin chest rose and fell. Her skin was dark, otherwise one would certainly be able to see how flushed her face was at this moment.

"I said I didn't! I didn't mean I didn't!"

The man grew angry too and shouted back, "You say you didn't, so that makes it true?! Your word alone, how can we believe you? Let's ask the people below. Is there anyone who will testify for you?" The man asked this naturally because he was certain no one below would be willing to testify for this nameless kid. But unexpectedly, a weak voice came from below. "I can testify..."

Everyone on the platform looked down. It was a youth who appeared frail and sickly who had spoken.

And this person was none other than the young master who had walked up the mountain alongside Fu Peibai.

That youth had never received so much attention before. He grew nervous for a moment, stuttering as he spoke. "I, I can testify for him. He really didn't, didn't speak to that person. He never even opened his mouth."

The man on the platform who had been helping Mo Qingyuan immediately changed expression. He looked like he had swallowed something bitter, his face alternating between green and white. Finally, he gave a stiff wave of his sleeve and said, "I leave the decision to the Peak Master."

The white robed woman stood to the side, watching everything indifferently without speaking. An eerie silence fell over the platform and the grounds below.

Fu Peibai's jaw was clenched tight. She looked toward the white robed woman. Though separated by a layer of white gauze, she could feel the other's gaze falling upon her. She unconsciously tightened her fists.

The white veil stirred slightly in the wind. The woman opened her mouth and spoke indifferently. "Since there is a witness, that means this young master here was lying." She paused, then her tone suddenly turned cold. "To win by any means, disregarding the rules, falsely accusing another. According to sect regulations, expel him from the mountain. He is forever forbidden from entering the Heavenly Pole Sect."

Mo Qingyuan was instantly dumbfounded. His legs went soft and he fell to the ground. He begged loudly, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I shouldn't have lied, I shouldn't have beaten him! Please forgive me! Give me another chance! I beg you, I beg you all!" As he spoke, tears and snot streamed down his face. He looked utterly wretched.

The disciple in charge, who had been about to drag the person away, stopped his movements upon hearing this. He looked at the woman, waiting for her to speak.

"What are you all still waiting for?" The woman's cool voice came from behind the white gauze. The two disciples didn't dare delay any longer. Each seized one of Mo Qingyuan's arms. No matter how he pleaded for mercy, they paid him no attention. Soon, they had dragged him far down the stone steps and out of sight.

After this incident, the matches on the grounds had long since stopped. The crowd looked toward the white robed woman. She walked gracefully to the main platform and sat down. The black robed woman followed closely behind. Once the white robed woman was seated, she called out loudly to the grounds, "What are you looking at! The examination continues!"