Chapter 141 (3): Let's Go, Academy Idol Fang!

For the average prodigy, even a warrior at the pinnacle of the King tier would've surely already collapsed from exhaustion by now, yet Fang Che wasn't showing any signs of slowing down at all!

From there, Li Changkong dealt a hundred more blows, slamming Fang Che down onto the stage every single time.

Finally, as Fang Che crashed down onto the stage once more, a hint of lucidity returned to his eyes, and he hurriedly began fleeing in a panic as he yelled, "What're you doing, Instructor Li?! This is the King tier selection trials! You can't be up here! It's against the rules!"

Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Finally, he had regained consciousness, and it had "only" taken over four hundred blows from an Emperor tier opponent!

"You think I want to be up here?" Li Changkong harrumphed. "I have to tell Instructor Bing about this once I get back. I bet she'll be so stoked she won't be able to fall asleep the entire night!"

"So... Did I win?" Fang Che asked with a dazed expression.

"You did!" An Ruoxing chuckled. "And in crushing fashion, might I add. You will be the southeastern representative for the next round of King tier selection trials to be held at the Guardian headquarters!"

This announcement was instantly met with thunderous cheers from everyone in the entire venue.

"Let's go, Academy Idol Fang!"

***

Fang Che's miraculous breakthrough served as a massive boost in confidence for everyone in the southeast. With Fang Che as their King tier representative, the southeast was definitely in good hands.

"Who's going to be taking all of the southeastern representatives to the Guardian headquarters?" Old Man Shen asked.

"That would be Chief Supervisor Zhao, of course," An Ruoxing replied.

"In that case, I'm going as well!"

An Ruoxing's first instinct was to turn Old Man Shen down, but a hesitant look then appeared on his face.

Fang Che was the brightest prospect that he had ever seen, so it would be a huge travesty if his performance in the next round of selection trials were somehow hampered due to discriminatory treatment from Zhao Shanhe.

Thus, instead of turning Old Man Shen down, he said, "I'll go as well then."

An Ruoxing was confident that Zhao Shanhe wouldn't actually do anything to harm Fang Che. They had been close friends for many years, and Zhao Shanhe had shown himself to be a morally just and upstanding man all this time, with the exception of his handling of Fang Che.

However, An Ruoxing didn't dare to get complacent.

If something were to happen to a prodigy of this caliber, then Xue Fuxiao would eat him alive!

Zhao Shanhe was hiding in the adjecent hall, eavesdropping on their conversation, and he was furious!

Recently, An Ruoxing had been constantly asking him which clan it was that had instructed him to oppress Fang Che.

I

am

doing this at someone's behest, but I can't tell you who it is! None of you understand my pain!

Meanwhile, Song Yidao was being congratulated by a bunch of envious hall masters.

With a prodigy of this caliber as his subordinate, the White Cloud Prefecture Hall of Protectionists had a glorious future ahead.

Song Yidao was just as astonished as everyone else, but he was doing his best to put on a composed smile, gloating to all of his peers while simultaneously putting on a humble facade.

"It's too early to be congratulating me. There's no guarantee that Fang Che will pass the Guardian selection trials..."

"There's no personal glory at stake for me. It's not like I care about that stuff anyway. We're all doing what we do for the sake of the continent..."

"The King tier representative from your Hall of Protectionists may not have done so well, but I'd say you stood out just as much as Fang Che did! Look at your massive face, it's the size of my backside! I spotted you right away in the crowd!"

"Hey, don't go! Let's keep chatting..."

The other hall masters were frantically trying to get away from Song Yidao.

All the while, Song Yidao was chasing after them while doing his best to maintain a humble facade, but his efforts were completely thwarted by the involuntary cocky grin that had plastered itself across his face.

Fang Che stepped off the stage to arrive before Ye Meng, who draped his cloak over his shoulders as she praised, "That was awesome!"

"How awesome?"

"Very awesome."

"I bet you were swooning for me, weren't you?"

"Maybe a little," Ye Meng conceded with a blush and a pout.

"I can be even more awesome in bed tonight!" Fang Che whispered into her ear.

Ye Meng's blush deepened even further as she turned away to talk to Old Man Shen, who was treating her like a granddaughter, smiling upon her with doting benevolence as he urged, "Make sure to look after yourself. I suggest you hire a maidservant to take care of the household chores in your stead. Right now, your priority should be to have a child!"

Ye Meng could only nod timidly in response, her face as red as a beetroot.

***

That night, Old Man Shen picked out a restaurant, and Fang Che was made to foot the bill for everyone.

An Ruoxing was also invited. He didn't know for what purpose Fang Che was treating everyone to a meal, but he would be a fool to pass up free wine.

At the table, Fang Che and Ye Meng began toasting everyone, and Old Man Shen and Li Changkong downed their cups of wine before pulling out presents for the newlywed couple.

Song Yidao had also prepared a present, while An Ruoxing was completely rooted to his chair.

This is a wedding banquet?! Why didn't anyone tell me? I wouldn't have come here if I had known! All of you are giving presents, while I'm just here drinking wine? The young couple will think I'm a shameless old freeloader!

With that in mind, he hurriedly excused himself, declaring that he had to make a trip to the lavatory.

Thankfully, his house wasn't far away, and he rushed back home as quickly as he could, then stormed inside like a burglar and grabbed a suitable wedding gift before immediately rushing back out.

"What the hell are you doing?!" his wife yelled from behind him. "This is your own house! Why are you running in here and grabbing stuff like you're a thief?"

An Ruoxing didn't have time to explain.

This was the fastest that he had ever moved, and he could swear that he hadn't displayed this level of speed even back when he was pursuing Yin Shengong!

Ye Meng had no reason to doubt An Ruoxing's lavatory excuse, but Old Man Shen, Li Changkong, Song Yidao, and Fang Che all knew what he was up to.

They exchanged an amused glance with one another, following which all of them burst into laughter in unison.

"Did you two really have to screw him over like this?" Song Yidao chuckled. "I thought the two of you only had something against Zhao Shanhe."

"Don't try to pretend like you played no part in this!" Li Changkong scoffed. "If you wanted to save him from embarrassment, then why didn't you tell him?"

Right at this moment, the door creaked open, and An Ruoxing made his way into the room with a dark expression, clearly having overheard the conversation between Song Yidao and Li Changkong.

However, he had to pretend like he hadn't heard anything, and he was even meticulously wiping his hands with a white handkerchief, acting as if he really had gone to the lavatory and had just washed his hands after doing his business.

After sitting back down, An Ruoxing gave Song Yidao a menacing glare, then said in a meaningful voice, "Stay behind after dinner, Hall Master Song. Let's have a nice, long conversation about the importance of respecting your superiors."

Song Yidao immediately turned to Old Man Shen and Li Changkong for help, but the two of them pretended to be oblivious to his imploring gaze as they gave An Ruoxing a warm welcome.

"You came back at just the right time, Deputy Chief Supervisor An! The dishes are all ready, let's dig in!"

An Ruoxing smiled as he took a sip of wine, and when it was his turn to be toasted by Fang Che and Ye Meng, he calmly pulled out a jade box as he said in an apologetic manner, "I didn't have time to prepare anything in advance. I hope this present of mine isn't too shabby."

"Thank you, Deputy Supervisor An."

Ye Meng's heart was filled with joy and contentment as she downed her cup of wine.

She felt honored to have these people bear witness to her marital union with Fang Che. All of these people were Guardians, just as her parents had been, so she felt as if they were like father figures to her, and the thought brought a film of tears to her eyes.

Father, Mother, I hope you're happy on the other side. I'm a married woman now. My husband may not be a great person, but I feel very happy and content with my life.

"Open it and have a look," Old Man Shen encouraged.

Fang Che was rather hesitant.[1]

However, he then noticed that An Ruoxing also seemed eager to see him open the gift.

"Open it. Honestly, I've had this box for so long that even I've forgotten what's inside."

This was not a lie.

In his haste to get back to the restaurant, he had grabbed a box at random out of a cupboard in the house, and he didn't get a chance to check its contents yet, so not only was Old Man Shen curious about what was inside, he was also eager to find out.

If it were an unsuitable gift, then he could replace it with another.

Fang Che obliged, gently opening the jade box to reveal a purple jade pendant.

It was a round piece of jade that was clearly of an exceptional quality, and at its center was a round hole through which a length of string had been inserted to form a loop.

Both Fang Che and Ye Meng faltered slightly at the sight of the jade pendant.

Why does it look so familiar?

Meanwhile, An Ruoxing's expression had completely stiffened at the sight of the jade pendant, and his face had taken on an ashen complexion.

Of all of the boxes in that cupboard, why did I have to pick out this one?!

1. In Chinese tradition, it's considered inappropriate to open a gift in the presence of the gift giver. ☜