Lu Chenzhou stood up abruptly.
Cao Zhengchun, however, unhurriedly adjusted his cuffs and stood up slowly.
A faint, ambiguous smile still hung on the corners of his mouth.
“Oh? Young Hero Chen?
I haven’t heard of such a person in the Academy.
Mountain Lord Lu, why don’t we go and take a look together?”
...
At the Academy gates.
The rain poured down in torrents.
Chen Zui’s red-tasseled spear traced sharp arcs through the rain, forcing three white-faced, beardless eunuchs who were lunging at him to retreat repeatedly.
His coarse cloth tunic was already soaked through, and rainwater flowed down the spear shaft, condensing into crystal droplets on the spearhead.
Standing opposite him were five eunuchs dressed in crimson-purple robes, each wielding a longsword and moving with eerie agility.
Their sword techniques were unlike the vigorous styles of martial world sects; instead, they carried a feminine and treacherous force, every thrust silent and stealthy.
Several flagstones beneath Chen Zui’s feet had already shattered, their jagged edges glinting coldly in the rain.
“I have long heard that a remarkable young spearman has emerged in the martial world. Seeing you today, you truly live up to the reputation.”
The leading eunuch spoke in a shrill, high-pitched voice that sounded exceptionally piercing amidst the curtain of rain.
He was white-faced and beardless, appearing to be in his early forties. His eyes were narrow slits, glinting with a hint of malice.
“Kid, I advise you to put down your spear and follow us back to the capital to plead guilty. You might even be able to keep your life.”
Chen Zui held his long spear horizontally, the rainwater flicking off the shaft in an arc.
“And if I don’t?”
“Then don’t blame me for being merciless.”
Before the words had even faded.
The eunuch’s figure vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, a sword light lunged out from the rain on Chen Zui’s left, aimed straight for his ribs.
Chen Zui didn’t even blink.
Employing the Dragon Roam movement technique, he became like a swimming fish, sliding through the gap between the sword light and the curtain of rain.
At the same time.
The long spear in his hand shook violently, the shaft vibrating in the rain and emitting a low hum.
Thirteen Ghost Shadow Spears Fifth Form: Ghosts Wail on a Rainy Night.
This form was the specific killing move within the Thirteen Ghost Shadow Spears for fighting enemies in the rain.
The heavier the rain, the stronger the spear’s momentum.
In this moment, the endless threads of rain seemed to become extensions of his spearhead. Every drop of rain carried a thread of cold yet non-sinister spear intent, blanketing the eunuch from all directions.
The eunuch’s pupils constricted as he desperately swung his sword to parry.
But no matter how fast his sword was, it could not be faster than the rain.
Over a dozen spear shadows lunged from the rain simultaneously. He managed to block seven or eight, but the remaining few struck his shoulders and legs squarely.
Thud, thud, thud—
Several muffled sounds rang out.
Blood blossomed from the eunuch’s shoulders and legs as he collapsed backward into the puddles, kicking up a spray of water!
Seeing this, the other four eunuchs’ expressions changed in unison. They simultaneously drew their swords and lunged at Chen Zui!
Four longswords wove a dense, airtight sword net in the rain. The intersecting sword lights sealed off all of Chen Zui’s paths of retreat!
The four worked with exceptional coordination, clearly having trained together for many years.
Although their sword techniques followed the feminine path used by castrated men, they secretly aligned with a certain combined-attack formation, their power multiplying when they joined forces.
Chen Zui, however, was completely undaunted.
The red-tasseled spear in his hand suddenly changed its form.
The rainwater on the spear shaft was instantly frozen into frost by a piercing chill.
Using the Wind and Snow Night Return Spear in this torrential rain felt inexplicably eerie.
Amidst the heavy rain, only where his spearhead passed did the raindrops condense into ice beads and patter to the ground!
“Stop!”
Just then, an aged and authoritative voice called out from inside the Academy.
Lu Chenzhou and Cao Zhengchun arrived at the Academy gates one after the other.
Lu Chenzhou looked at the mess of shattered flagstones and the eunuch lying in the puddles covered in blood. His face darkened. He was about to step forward to intervene when Cao Zhengchun stopped him.
“Mountain Lord Lu, what’s the hurry?”
Cao Zhengchun stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves of the Academy’s main gate, watching the chaotic fight in the rain with great interest.
Rainwater flowed down from the flying eaves, forming a water curtain in front of him that made his features appear blurred.
“These god-sons of mine are usually pampered in the palace. It’s rare for them to have the chance to exchange moves with a true expert of the martial world.
Since they’ve run into one today, why not let them spar? It will broaden their horizons.”
Lu Chenzhou turned his head, his gaze piercing as he stared at Cao Zhengchun.
“Lord Cao, this is at the Academy gates, not in the palace.”
“What of the Academy gates?”
Cao Zhengchun smiled slightly, a flash of meaningful mockery in his bright black eyes.
He watched the struggle in the rain for a while, then suddenly tilted his head as if he had just remembered something, speaking slowly.
“Mountain Lord Lu, I misjudged things earlier.
This young man with the spear has exquisite technique and moves with poise; he is a top-tier expert even in the martial world.
I have heard some rumors in the capital.
A young spearman recently emerged in the martial world.
He crippled the Young Sect Master of the Jinyang Sect in Luoyan City and received the sword inheritance of the Sword Attendant Gu Yiyou.
Half the martial world is looking for him.”
He paused, his gaze falling on Chen Zui, the smile on his lips deepening.
“If I’m not mistaken, it is the person before us, isn’t it?
The Academy is a quiet place for study, yet it hides a prominent figure of the martial world.
I am curious, is this Young Hero Chen a student at the Academy, or an instructor?”
Lu Chenzhou’s fist slowly tightened inside his sleeve.
“Chen Zui is my guest. Though he is of the martial world, he acts with righteousness and is no villain.”
“A guest?”
Cao Zhengchun let out a soft laugh that sounded particularly grating in the rain.
“Mountain Lord Lu, just now in the hall, you repeatedly claimed that Qingya Academy does not involve itself in court politics or the martial world.
But now, a spearman who is being hunted by half the martial world and who carries the legacy of a Sword Immortal is living in the Academy.
Mountain Lord Lu, I am truly curious.
Is your Academy a quiet place for teaching and educating...
Or is it a safe harbor for martial world figures?”
He turned around to face Lu Chenzhou directly. His voice was very low, yet every word was crystal clear.
“If martial world figures can find shelter in the Academy...
Then the students of the Academy interact with such people daily, being influenced by what they see and hear.
Are they learning the way of the sages, or the unruly air of the martial world ruffians?
His Highness the Second Prince already suspected that the Academy’s academic atmosphere was improper.
Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, it is indeed true.”
He paused, his tone becoming increasingly meaningful.
“Mountain Lord Lu, you said earlier that the Academy only pursues scholarship.
But it seems that the Academy not only pursues scholarship but also raises death soldiers.
The crime of ‘forming factions to discuss politics’ has not yet been cleared, and now another one of ‘maintaining martial ruffians’ has been added.
Even if I wanted to cover for you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to.”
Lu Chenzhou was choked into silence by these words.
In the rain.
Chen Zui had already exchanged dozens of moves with the four eunuchs.
His spear technique became increasingly sharp in the torrential rain. The eeriness of the Thirteen Ghost Shadow Spears and the chill of the Wind and Snow Night Return Spear were used alternately, his spearhead tracing dazzling trajectories through the rain.
Although the four eunuchs had the advantage in numbers, they were gradually falling into a disadvantage.
Their sword techniques were certainly feminine and treacherous, but before Chen Zui’s ever-changing spear style, they seemed to be struggling to keep up.
Chen Zui’s figure flickered as he broke free from the four-man sword net. The long spear in his hand suddenly whirled in a horizontal sweep, the shaft carving a ring of water like a silver hoop in the rain.
Coiling Serpent Willow Spear Sixth Form: Serpent Coils Thrice.
The spear shaft coiled around one of the eunuchs’ sword blades like a spirit serpent and twisted violently. The longsword flew out of the man’s hand, flipping several times in the air before pinning itself into the stone lion in front of the Academy gate!
Having lost his weapon, the eunuch stumbled back, his foot slipping as he fell into a puddle in a pathetic state.
Seeing this, the other three did not dare to attack rashly. They retreated several steps, holding their swords defensively in front of them.
A hint of wariness had appeared in their gazes as they looked at Chen Zui.
Chen Zui pulled back his spear and stood firm, the butt of the spear thudding heavily onto the flagstones and splashing water.
He was soaked from head to toe, his coarse cloth tunic clinging tightly to his body, outlining his well-proportioned and powerful physique.
Rainwater flowed down his cheeks, but he simply wiped it away with his hand and looked up at Cao Zhengchun under the eaves.
“Eunuch Cao, these god-sons of yours aren’t very good. Do you want to come down and try for yourself?”
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