Chapter 49 : An Unexpected Incident
49: An Unexpected Incident
Wei Xiao was stunned. He shouted toward the platform, "Junior Brother Fu! What are you doing? Come down!"
Xie Jingming was also dumbfounded. He spoke anxiously, "A-A-Pei, don't be impulsive. I'm fine."
Fu Peibai pushed aside his hand and provocatively lifted her chin at the man across from her. The corner of her mouth curled into a mocking smile. "Scared?"
The man froze, then raised his sword. "What do I have to be scared of! Fine, let's fight!"
But before he could finish speaking, the head judge climbed onto the platform and roared, "What is this commotion! This is the inner disciple examination. How dare you act so recklessly! Both of you, get off this platform!"
Fu Peibai did not move. Her demeanor was completely different from usual as she spoke calmly, "Senior, please explain the situation to the Sect Master and request that he grant Fu Peibai this match."
The head judge's heart skipped a beat when he heard that name. Nowadays, Fu Peibai's reputation was resounding not just on Cangqiong Peak but throughout the entire Heavenly Pole Sect. Everyone regarded him as the Sect Master's future son-in-law. The Sect Master's intention to cultivate him was plain for all to see. Naturally, this was someone the judge dared not offend.
So he hurried to the viewing platform and truthfully explained the entire situation to Lu Wencheng.
At that moment, Lu Wencheng was holding a crystal-clear lychee. His eyes held an unreadable expression. After listening, he waved his hand and granted permission. Once the judge had left, he casually asked Lu Yanran beside him, "Yanran, what is your view of this Fu Peibai?"
Lu Yanran's expression was placid. She lowered her eyes slightly. "Youth has its own wildness. His heart is like the blazing sun, fearing neither proud snow nor frost."
Lu Wencheng clapped his hands and laughed upon hearing this. "Good, good indeed. A fine wildness of youth."
The head judge had returned to the fighting platform by then. He panted as he said, "The Sect Master has granted permission. You may proceed with the match. However, this bout will not count toward the inner disciple examination, and you must stop at first contact. No injuring your opponent."
Fu Peibai narrowed her eyes. Her wrist flicked, and the sword blade trembled. A strange excitement surged through her body.
"Come then."
Those light, casual words made the man across from her swallow hard. But unwilling to show weakness, he also raised his sword.
This impromptu match had officially begun.
Fu Peibai abandoned her usual defensive approach and launched a fierce offensive from the very start. Her blood boiled, raged, and surged through her veins. Her entire body felt as if it were submerged in rolling, bubbling water, burning from within.
Her sword moved faster and faster, growing more and more fierce. Hook, parry, point, flick, thrust, slash, chop. Each move was agile yet imbued with power. The man was no match for her at all. He remained on the back foot, desperately dodging her attacks.
Fu Peibai delivered another chopping strike, just like the one the man had used against Xie Jingming earlier. The man's sword snapped in two from the force. He stared as the sharp silver blade light rushed toward him. For a moment, he forgot to dodge and stood frozen in place.
Everyone watched with bated breath, thinking Fu Peibai was about to bring the blade down. But when it was a little more than an inch from the man's shoulder, the sword stopped dead in the air.
Fu Peibai scoffed. "Swords have no eyes. You should be more careful." After saying this, she withdrew her sword and descended from the platform.
The man stood frozen on the platform, cold sweat soaking his body from fright.
Xie Jingming's eyes went wide. He looked at Fu Peibai with an expression full of worship. "A-Pei, you, you're so amazing!"
Fu Peibai exhaled deeply, smiled, and said nothing. Her mind was somewhat muddled at the moment, so she failed to notice the strange look Wei Xiao cast at her from beside her.
Another half hour passed. Wei Xiao was called by name to compete on another platform, but he was quickly defeated. This surprised Fu Peibai. She remembered that when she sparred with Wei Xiao last time, his martial arts skills were far above hers. He should have been able to easily defeat that opponent.
Seeing Fu Peibai's puzzled expression, Wei Xiao smiled vaguely. "I was careless, careless. What a pity."
After that, it was Fu Peibai's turn to take the stage. She was now brimming with fighting spirit, and her dantian overflowed with internal energy. She easily secured her first victory, and then won several more matches with equal ease.
By the final match, she discovered her opponent was He Cong.
He Cong's martial arts were among the best of the younger generation. The spectators below thought Fu Peibai had finally met her match. But the final result left everyone dumbfounded.
He Cong lost, and he lost miserably. Throughout the entire match, he was completely suppressed by Fu Peibai, beaten so thoroughly that he had no chance to counterattack. Even He Cong himself could not believe it. He stared at his fallen sword, then at Fu Peibai, his face filled with shock.
He had been somewhat distracted because of last night's events, but he should not have lost to Fu Peibai. The other person had only studied martial arts for a single year, while he had trained for fifteen. How could he have lost so humiliatingly?
"No, impossible. You've only studied martial arts for one year. How could you... how could you defeat me so easily? Impossible. Who are you? Who exactly are you?" He Cong asked in disbelief. Proud and arrogant as he was, he could not accept such a defeat.
Fu Peibai frowned and pressed her lips together. She also found it baffling. Just as she was about to speak, her vision suddenly went black. A sweet taste rose in her throat, and her legs instantly lost all strength. Her entire body pitched forward.
Blood spurted from her mouth, spreading through the air as a crimson mist. Then, before everyone's eyes, she collapsed heavily onto the fighting platform.
Her vision blurred, everything turning into hazy double images. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed. She could only hear the noisy voices around her and the sound of footsteps drawing near.
"A-A-Pei!"
"Junior Brother Fu!"
"What happened?"
"..."
These voices seemed to drift from some distant place, sounding ethereal and far away. She could not hear them clearly. In the final moment before her consciousness faded, she saw a swath of white skirt hem at the corner of her half-closed eyes, and a familiar, faint, cold fragrance reached her nose.
Then she felt a pair of cold hands support her back, and moments later, one of those hands touched her face. Her face felt cool against those fingers.
She no longer had the strength to open her eyes to see who this person was. But in her heart, she knew. The person before her was the one she thought of day and night, the one who haunted her dreams.
Her barely sustained spirit finally gave way, and she lost consciousness in Lu Yanran's arms.
Lu Yanran looked down at He Cong, her eyes harboring seething anger. Her voice was not loud, but it carried immense menace. "What did you do to her?!"
He Cong was stunned by the shout. Seeing Fu Peibai suddenly cough blood and collapse, he had also been genuinely shocked. "I, I didn't do anything."
Lu Wencheng rushed over at this moment. He glanced at the unconscious Fu Peibai, and his face darkened. "Now is not the time to assign blame. Wu Zhong, go fetch a physician quickly."
Wu Zhong was about to respond when Lu Yanran scooped Fu Peibai up in her arms. Her voice was cold and somewhat unyielding. "No need, Father. She has an old ailment. The physician at my peak is familiar with her condition. I will take her back to Chaoquan Peak for treatment."
Lu Wencheng narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Lu Yanran for a moment, then agreed. "Then go quickly."
Lu Yanran hurried away from the training grounds with Fu Peibai in her arms. Everyone watching this scene was dumbfounded. People said that when a man carried a woman, it meant mutual affection. But what did it mean when a woman carried a man?
The Peak Master of Chaoquan Peak had always been cold and self-possessed. When had she ever lost her composure like this? The two of them clearly had an unusual relationship. Wasn't it said that Fu Peibai and the Second Young Miss were a couple? Now it seemed the Eldest Young Miss was also involved. Could this be some torturous love triangle? The crowd immediately began whispering among themselves.
Lu Wencheng's thick brows furrowed tightly. He shouted, "Continue the examination!"
He turned and walked back to the viewing platform, his expression somewhat grave. "Wu Zhong, did you find Yanran's behavior strange just now?"
"It seems the Eldest Young Miss treats Fu Peibai differently from others."
"That is not what I mean."
"This subordinate is slow to understand. Please enlighten me, Sect Master."
"When I looked at her just now, the way she spoke seemed almost unfamiliar to me." Lu Wencheng stopped walking and looked back at the white figure gradually receding into the distance.
Wu Zhong paused. He had been by Lu Wencheng's side for over a decade and quickly understood his meaning. He said, "Does the Sect Master wish for me to investigate?"
Lu Wencheng frowned, appearing to be deep in thought. After a while, he spoke. "Tell me, is my suspicious nature a good thing or a bad thing? Now I have even grown suspicious of my own daughter."
"The Sect Master bears great ambitions. Before achieving success, naturally he must be cautious in all things."
Lu Wencheng's expression softened, and a faint smile appeared. "Your way with words has certainly improved. There is no need to investigate Yanran for now. By the way, what have you found regarding the matter I asked you to look into last time?"
"That disciple named Wei Xiao has no verifiable background. His entire past is a blank, yet his skills far exceed those of his peers. He is highly suspicious. As for Fu Peibai's background, this subordinate has only gathered some rough information. He is from the northwest region. His parents were both farmers who raised a son and a daughter. Later, they suffered the calamity of the Falling Shadow Sect. The entire village was massacred. Because of this, his specific background cannot be traced."
Lu Wencheng nodded. "Find an opportunity to dispose of Wei Xiao. He is nothing more than a rat of unknown origin. I could have tolerated his presence, but he insists on appearing before me, which I find distasteful."
"Yes, Sect Master." After speaking, Wu Zhong asked, "Does the Sect Master intend to make use of Fu Peibai?"
Lu Wencheng walked back toward the viewing platform. As he walked, he said, "At times, looking at this young man is like seeing myself in my youth. It is hard not to feel sentimental."
"Furthermore, Qingwan likes him so much. And now it seems Yanran also has unusual feelings for him. This boy certainly has ability. He has managed to win the hearts of both my daughters. Regardless of whom he ends up with, he is destined to be my son-in-law. I have no son of my own. In the future, this vast Heavenly Pole Sect will naturally need someone to inherit it. Let us cultivate him for a few more years and see if he can shoulder this responsibility."
After Lu Wencheng finished speaking, he noticed something strange in Wu Zhong's expression. He asked, "What is it? Do you have a different opinion of this person?"
"This subordinate observes that his nature is upright and rigid. I fear that in the future, he may not approve of what the Sect Master is plotting, and he may become an obstacle to the great undertaking."
Lu Wencheng gave a low laugh and said casually, "Under a great undertaking, there are countless obstacles. If he becomes yet another one, simply remove him."
His tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were speaking of sweeping away a piece of rubbish.