Chapter 10: Battle Between Saber and Spear

"Your master told you that you were high A-grade?" Huang Yifan asked.

"Maybe a bit higher, he wasn't sure," Fang Che replied. "He doesn't have access to the facilities that our academy does."

"Your master is a fucking idi..."

Huang Yifan's voice cut off mid-word as he realized that badmouthing Fang Che's master to his face would perhaps evoke resentment within him, but judging from his reaction, it seemed that he didn't care at all.

Huang Yifan gave an awkward chuckle, then quickly dismissed Fang Che. "Make sure to work hard on your cultivation. No one else is here yet, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to get a headstart over your peers for the new student tournament."

With that, Fang Che departed.

Following his departure, Lü Jiaoshan asked, "Why did you ask me to leave the office earlier?"

"What a stupid question!" Huang Yifan scoffed. "I asked you to leave because there are some things that I don't want you to know. Isn't the answer obvious?"

Lü Jiaoshan was stunned into silence.

He's right! I don't even have anything to say to that!

All of a sudden, Huang Yifan rose to his feet in an urgent manner.

"I have some urgent business to take care of. If someone comes to see me during this time, then tell them to wait."

After that, he sprang straight out the window, in such a hurry that he didn't even want to waste the time to leave through the door.

Before Lü Jiaoshan had a chance to reply, Huang Yifan was already gone.

What could've possibly gotten him this worked up?

***

If Fang Che had possessed mediocre aptitude, then Huang Yifan wouldn't have been in such a hurry.

However, such an exceptional prospect had to be taken extremely seriously.

Chen Ruhai was his former subordinate, and he was the one who had informed him that Fang Che was a member of the One Heart Church.

Chen Ruhai was lazy and short-tempered, but never made mistakes in his job, yet what Huang Yifan had seen for himself was clearly at odds with the report from Chen Ruhai.

Furthermore, the report concerned a prodigy brighter than any Huang Yifan had ever seen, so this matter had to be treated with the utmost care.

Huang Yifan felt like he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he didn't get to the bottom of this.

Hence, he traveled all the way to Green Wave City at his absolute top speed.

***

Chen Ruhai was rubbing his feet with the door closed.

The entire room absolutely reeked.

Huang Yifan burst through the window without warning, then swore loudly in disgust before sending Chen Ruhai flying into the opposite wall with a kick.

Huang Yifan then darted out the window and continued swearing profusely outside.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! All you do is rub your stinky feet all day!"

Huang Yifan felt as if he had just flown into a biohazard.

The stark contrast between the fresh air outside and the putrid stench in Chen Ruahi's office was so severe that he had almost suffocated, and even now, his previous meal was threatening to make its way back up his digestive system.

Chen Ruhai's first instinct was to raise the alarm, thinking that he had been attacked by an intruder, but upon catching sight of Huang Yifan, he hurriedly swept a sleeve through the air.

All of the doors and windows of his office were instantly opened, while the dead skin that he had rubbed off onto the floor flew out amid a gust of wind.

"What are you doing here, Boss? Please take a seat!" he offered with a fawning smile.

"I'm not sitting in your stinky office! Go wash your hands! Now!" Huang Yifan snapped.

Chen Ruhai hurriedly rushed out to the bathroom while instructing someone to find them a clean room.

***

A short while later, the two of them found themselves in a clean guest hall.

Chen Ruhai had scrubbed himself so clean that he was practically glowing, and he was even wearing several scented pouches.

"You sit over there!"

Huang Yifan made sure that Chen Ruhai was seated as far away from him as possible, then closed the door before casting a soundproofing enchantment.

Huang Yifan was already someone who didn't keep up with personal hygiene as much as he should, but he was practically the embodiment of cleanliness when compared with Chen Ruhai.

***

"Do you know why I'm here?"

"Has Fang Che already arrived at the academy?" Chen Ruhai asked.

"That's right."

"What do you think of him, Boss?"

"I saw no problem with him at all. I exerted so much mental pressure on him that he fell unconscious, and even then, he showed nothing but a heart of gold. Have you made a mistake?"

Chen Ruhai was just about to reply when Huang Yifan interjected, "Think long and hard before you give your answer! Right now, this is an extremely important matter!"

Chen Ruhai faltered slightly upon hearing this.

"In that case, I wouldn't dare to make the conclusion myself. I'll bring you all of the files that I have on Fang Che and have you make the decision."

With that, he paid a visit to the archive room, then returned with a stack of files containing all of the records on Fang Che.

These records included detailed rundowns of everything he had said and done ever since he came under scrutiny, and there was even mention of Ye Meng and the intelligence she had gathered from him.

***

Huang Yifan read through the records extremely meticulously, remaining silent the entire time.

He had arrived in the morning, and by the time he was done, it was already dawn the next day.

He spoke not a single word, drank not a drop of water, and didn't get up once from his chair.

He took immense care in every single word that he read, and only as the first light of the rising sun began to shine in through the window did he finally set down the files before closing his eyes.

Chen Ruhai had been with him this entire time, and he had also been silent this whole time.

Some time later, Huang Yifan opened his eyes as he declared, "According to these records, there's no doubt in my mind that Fang Che is a member of the One Heart Church, but there's also no doubt in my mind that he's a good kid."

"I haven't met Fang Che myself. I also arrived at the same conclusion regarding his affiliation with the One Heart Church, and I sent you a report on the matter as a precautionary measure."

"I understand. I'll make sure to keep an eye on him. I'm going to take a stroll around Green Wave City today, there's no need to accompany me. I'll go back to the academy once I'm done."

"You came all this way here, at least allow me to treat you to a meal before you go..."

"Fuck off! I can't eat anything when I'm with you!"

Huang Yifan rolled his eyes in exasperation, then tossed two vials of pills at Chen Ruhai as he said, "Take one pill every seven days. There are a hundred pills in those vials, come find me when you've finished the supply."

"Yes, Boss!" Chen Ruhai replied, picking up the vials as if they were prized treasures.

"I understand that the Thousandfold Corpse Poison is incurable, but you can't just let yourself go like this! You're a hall master, start acting like one!" Huang Yifan scolded.

"Yes, you're right, Boss."

Huang Yifan gave a dismissive wave before vanishing out of sight.

Chen Ruhai heaved a forlorn sigh, then went to read through Fang Che's records himself.

After that, he removed the pillow from his bed to reveal a hidden locked compartment, and he locked files inside before placing the pillow back on top.

***

Huang Yifan stayed in Green Wave City for three days before returning to the academy.

***

Meanwhile, Fang Che had already returned to his Virtue Manor.

"Welcome back, Young Master," Ye Meng greeted. "The courtyard next to ours has also been purchased, but I don't know by who. I didn't dare to try and find out while you were away."

An intrigued look appeared on Fang Che's face upon hearing this.

The timing seemed a little perfect to have been a coincidence.

It's either the One Heart Church or the Hall of Protectionists.

With that in mind, Fang Che scolded, "How about you mind your own business? When are you going to make your next breakthrough? Hurry up and cultivate!"

Ye Meng pouted in displeasure before departing, while Fang Che also went to cultivate.

He didn't care who it was that had purchased the courtyard. If it were the One Heart Church, then someone would contact him soon, and if it were the Hall of Protectionists, then Ye Meng could deal with them.

That night.

Fang Che was awoken in his bed.

He could feel the earth trembling beneath him, but in an unnatural manner unlike an earthquake.

With his wealth of experience, he instantly knew that a battle between extremely formidable beings was taking place somewhere far away.

Their battle had shaken a certain vein in the earth, and that was what was causing this faux earthquake.

He could tell that the battle was taking place somewhere extremely far away, and in light of that, the combatants had to have been unimaginably powerful.

In the face of a warrior of that caliber, even Fang Che at the height of his powers in his past life would've been crushed like an ant.

Who could it be?

***

The next day.

Fang Qingyuan paid Fang Che a visit, and the latter took this opportunity to have the former eat the two remaining Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit.

Fang Qingyun remained oblivious the entire time, drinking to his heart's content with Fang Che before going back to his dormitory room to sleep.

The next day, all of his dorm mates were woken up by a foul stench.

"What the fuck! Fang Qingyun, did you shit yourself?!"

They fled from the room with their noses pinch, following which one of them threw a rock onto Fang Qingyun's bed.

"Fang Qingyun, you can't just shit in the bed just because you're drunk!"

Fang Qingyun woke up from his inebriated slumber, and his reaction to the foul stench in the room was the same as everyone else. "What the fuck! Did someone shit their bed?!"

***

Two hours later.

Fang Qingyun had scrubbed himself clean, but was receiving a collective beating from his dormmates.

His bedding was beyond cleaning, so it had all been burned.

Fang Qingyun had to beg on his knees and promise to buy everyone food for a month to prevent his dormmates from telling everyone that he had shit his bed.

Fang Qingun knew that he definitely hadn't done that, but he also had no clue what had happened.

He began retracing his steps.

So I had a meal with Fang Che, and then...

***

Only after three days had passed did news regarding the faux earthquake arrive.

In a battle between the saber and the spear, the former had been defeated.

The entire world was stunned by this news.