After Xie Fuyao was sent flying, all the finger strikes returned like birds returning to their nests. They didn't dissipate without a trace, though Fang Jie, unable to sense the surrounding energy, didn't notice. At this moment, he was as ferocious as a prehistoric beast, his bloodshot eyes particularly terrifying.
After sending Xie Fuyao flying with a single punch, Fang Jie glanced at the Jiangnan young master slowly sliding down the wall. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. He lightly touched the ground with his foot, his figure suddenly moving forward, and in the next second, he was beside Xie Fuyao. Fang Jie lowered his head, his bloodshot eyes staring directly into Xie Fuyao's eyes as he asked, word by word, "You want to kill me?"
His tone was as cold as unyielding ice, sending chills down one's spine.
At this moment, Fang Jie gave the impression of being some kind of out-of-control wild beast. Xie Fuyao, leaning against the wall, tried to stand up; the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth indicated he had suffered a serious injury. In fact, if Xie Fuyao hadn't gathered all his internal energy from his dantian to defend himself the moment Fang Jie threw the punch, that blow, if it had landed on an ordinary person, would likely have shattered half their skull.
"Answer me," Fang Jie said, leaning down to look at Xie Fuyao.
This young master from Jiangnan, who had previously single-handedly blocked over thirty people from entering, was now utterly devoid of his former arrogance. This punch had shattered his pride, sending him crashing down to earth. From the beginning of his cultivation journey, Xie Fuyao had never imagined he would be forced into such a situation.
"Yes," he replied, wiping the blood from his mouth and looking up at Fang Jie truthfully.
Bang!
A thick cloud of dust suddenly erupted as Fang Jie stomped Xie Fuyao's body into the hard pavement. Amidst the flying dust, the proud young master from Jiangnan was bent forward, his back sinking deep into the road. Dust billowed, and the red-eyed youth exuded a chilling murderous aura.
"Because you felt I threatened you, you prepared to kill me?"
Fang Jie withdrew his foot from Xie Fuyao's abdomen, slowly squatted down, and looked into Xie Fuyao's eyes, asking, "The moment you changed your finger technique, was the killing intent in your heart already uncontrollable? Unlike before when you sealed the Qi Sea of others to subdue them, you wanted to shatter my Qi Sea with a more powerful finger strike. If I die, you won't feel you've done anything wrong; on the contrary, you'll be happy to have eliminated an opponent ahead of time. Is that right?"
Xie Fuyao had no strength left to answer, no capacity to answer at all.
Fang Jie's kick was far too heavy, embedding his body directly into the ground of the official road.
"So..."
Fang Jie straightened up, looking down at Xie Fuyao, and said, "I don't need to feel any guilt if I kill you now."
He raised his foot, aiming at Xie Fuyao's forehead.
"Fang Jie, no!"
Zhang Kuang, having regained some strength, struggled and shouted as Fang Jie prepared to kill. The other soldiers also gasped and shouted, trying to stop Fang Jie from making a mistake. The professors on the city gate tower paled when Fang Jie raised his foot again. Yan Qing leaped down from the tower like a white streak of light, rushing towards Fang Jie. However, he couldn't move forward any further, fearing Fang Jie would stomp down without restraint.
"How dare you!"
"Enough!"
The one who shouted "How dare you!" was Cui Pingzhou. Although he was enraged by Xie Fuyao's provocation, he couldn't stand by and watch Xie Fuyao be trampled to death by Fang Jie. The one who shouted "Enough!" was Pei Chuxing, his eyes filled with hostility as he stared coldly at Fang Jie. In their eyes, Xie Fuyao was one of them. Yu Xiao, standing to the side, remained silent and motionless, seemingly lost in thought as he watched the sudden turn of events.
Fang Jie's foot stopped a short distance from Xie Fuyao's forehead. He slowly glanced back at the crowd, gave a cold laugh, and said, "If I had crushed his skull, wouldn't you all think I went too far? In your eyes, if I had stomped on him, it would have been an intolerable and despicable act, right? You would be angry, and even feel that my foot on Xie Fuyao was an insult to you, right? Then, if Xie Fuyao had shattered my Qi Sea and killed me with a single finger, what would you have done?"
Fang Jie's cold gaze was filled with a chilling killing intent. "You'll say, 'What a pity, what a pity,' right? But you'll forgive Young Master Xie's slip-up, forgive him for accidentally killing a lowly border soldier. Because in your eyes, even killing someone is a minor, forgivable offense for you aristocratic families. A little underhanded manipulation to kill someone won't affect you much. But my stepping on him is a heinous crime, unforgivable?"
Fang Jie shook his head and sneered.
"Your anger is full of justice."
Having said this, he slowly pressed his foot down.
"Is it worth ruining your future by killing a defeated opponent?"
Just then, Dean Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy slowly floated down from the city wall. Not falling, but descending as if a cloud were supporting his feet. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Fang Jie calmly, and said, "There seems to be nothing wrong with stepping on someone who tried to kill you, although it violates the rules of the Martial Arts Academy. However, I personally witnessed Xie Fuyao strike first, and no one can falsely accuse you of premeditated murder. If we must say something, it can only be considered manslaughter."
"But..."
Dean Zhou, who had landed, slowly walked towards Fang Jie, saying as he went, "Even if you are not punished, what will you gain? A moment of satisfaction? Or the regret for the next few months, years, or even decades? Undeniably, if you can't even control this much anger, you won't have the chance to regret for decades, or even a few years."
Fang Jie turned to look at Dean Zhou, frowning slightly.
Dean Zhou smiled and said, "I won't spout any nonsense about repaying evil with kindness or resolving conflicts. In my opinion, if there's a grudge, you should naturally seek revenge. He hit you, so you should naturally hit back—that's perfectly reasonable. But if he hit you and you just swallow your anger, my Martial Arts Academy won't accept someone like that. A person without manly courage is better off finding a wealthy family to be a young master. However… having courage doesn't mean being foolish; the difference is just a matter of perspective."
"Why are you advising me?"
Fang Jie suddenly asked Dean Zhou, "With your cultivation, you could stop me with a flick of your finger, or even send me flying, smashing me into a pile of mud, right?"
Dean Zhou shook his head and said, "No… if I wanted to smash you into a pile of mud, I wouldn't need to flick my finger."
"Alright."
Fang Jie slowly took a breath and withdrew his foot from Xie Fuyao's forehead.
"Then I won't kill him."
...
...
In front of the earthen wall of the Martial Arts Arena, not many examinees had arrived within the time limit. Because they ate too much in the morning, many people were too weak to continue and vomited halfway through the journey. Others were defeated in the battles along the way and lost the ability to go on.
When the sun was high in the southern sky, the professors of the Martial Arts Academy announced the end of the two assessments. All candidates who failed to arrive at Tu City on time failed. Those who arrived at Tu City within the allotted time received excellent grades. Such grading standards seemed remarkably lenient.
In fact, only six people arrived at Tu City on time.
Fang Jie, carrying Zhang Kuang, was the third to arrive at Tu City. Faster than him were Cui Pingzhou of Boling and Pei Chuxing of the Pei family. For some reason, Yu Xiao, who clearly had some reservations about Xie Fuyao, helped Xie Fuyao up and walked all the way to the entrance of Tu City. Only these six people received excellent grades.
Such battles looked rather brutal.
Fang Jie put Zhang Kuang down and let him rest against the Tu City wall. Gasping for breath, Zhang Kuang glanced gratefully at Fang Jie and said thank you.
Fang Jie didn't speak, but got up and walked back.
Zhang Kuang, watching the boy's retreating figure, asked, "Where are you going?" Fang Jie, without turning around, replied, "To take the brothers to the finish line." Zhang Kuang was taken aback, then shouted that the time limit had been exceeded. Fang Jie shook his head and continued walking towards the entrance of the training ground without a word.
Those soldiers whose Qi Seas had been sealed were freed after Xie Fuyao was knocked down, but with their Qi Seas bound, they would find it difficult to recover their strength in a short time. A dozen soldiers were still lying at the entrance of the training ground; some struggled to crawl over to inquire about their comrades' injuries.
Fang Jie reached the entrance, looked at his panting comrades, and apologized. Then he went over and helped a border soldier up, carrying him on his back and striding towards Tu City. No matter how his comrades on his back tried to persuade him to put them down, Fang Jie simply shook his head and remained silent. He carried the soldiers, one by one, who hadn't recovered their strength, to the foot of the earthen city wall, setting them down one by one, even as Zhang Kuang did so.
Back and forth, everyone present watched the young man, a complex feeling churning within them. Later, soldiers who arrived gradually helped Fang Jie carry the last three or four men back. Silently, all the military-trained examinees slowly gathered around Fang Jie, their eyes filled with genuine respect as they looked at this boy, smaller than all of them.
A row of soldiers sat against the earthen city wall, still not fully recovered, but almost simultaneously raised their right arms, placing them across their chests, offering Fang Jie the most standard and solemn Sui Dynasty military salute.
As they raised their arms, the soldiers who had gathered around did the same. The densely packed military examinees outside the earthen city wall were filled with heartfelt admiration for the young man.
The soldiers of the Sui Dynasty never abandon or forsake.
Fang Jie smiled, raised his right arm in return, and then sat down with a thud. He looked up at the clear blue sky, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. With that laughter, the boy stretched out his arms and lay back. He lay on the ground, laughing like a madman, and Zhang Kuang laughed along with him. Eventually, all the soldiers joined in, looking utterly foolish.
The aristocratic examinees looked at the soldiers as if they were idiots, their eyes filled with contempt.
Yu Xiao put Xie Fuyao down on the ground. He looked at the blood at the corner of Xie Fuyao's mouth and then at the clearly visible footprint on his chest.
"Did you bring any medicine?"
He asked.
Xie Fuyao slowly shook her head.
Yu Xiao's lips curled into a smirk. "Arrogant people don't carry medicine."
He pulled a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Xie Fuyao. "While it can't compare to the miraculous elixirs of your Wudang Mountain, it should help your injuries. That guy held back; otherwise, how could you have survived without breaking a single rib? He seems reckless, but upon closer inspection, he's more cunning than anyone else. However, the way he carried those soldiers back and forth just now really made him look a bit foolish… Do you think he's foolish?"
Xie Fuyao opened the bottle, and a refreshing fragrance immediately wafted out. He poured out a pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it with a slight frown.
"Foolish?"
He suddenly smiled and said, "I really don't know if I can see through him after this defeat, or if this defeat was just meaningless. Just now, I kept watching him carry people back and forth, and suddenly I felt that I was the one who was hopelessly foolish. He carried all those soldiers to the foot of the earthen city wall. To others, it seems like a fool's act, but thinking about the great gains after doing that foolish thing, it would make everyone who laughed at him today so jealous they wanted to bang their heads against the wall. He pretended to kill me, but when I saw him carrying those people back, I understood. How could someone like that... kill me? How could he need others to persuade him to understand?"
"Perhaps you're overestimating him."
Yu Xiao stood up, looking at Fang Jie, and said, "Perhaps it's the darkness in your heart that's causing this. Who knows if he's really a loyal and righteous fool?"
"Loyal and righteous?"
Xie Fuyao pursed her lips, feeling the warm sensation in her lower abdomen. "The medicine took effect so quickly; clearly, the one Yu Xiao gave him was no ordinary medicine."
"Perhaps. If he really is that kind of person, I think I should admire him… But why did you help me?"
He asked Yu Xiao.
Yu Xiao glanced at Xie Fuyao, smiled, and said, "There aren't many who are qualified to be my friends, and you're one of them."
"And him?"
Xie Fuyao pointed to Fang Jie.
"Him?"
Yu Xiao was silent for a moment, then answered seriously, "He's not qualified to be my friend, but… he is qualified to be my opponent."
"Xie Fuyao."
"Hmm?"
"Why hold back? Your Four Symbols Finger Technique couldn't possibly have only reached the Xia Fa Thunderclap level."
"I have to hold back something."
Xie Fuyao smiled, struggled to her feet, and looked at the group of soldiers: "Who knows if that guy has some hidden skills? If everything is exposed, what a boring world it would be!"
On the earthen city wall, Dean Zhou looked at the examinees with a smile.
Yan Qing, somewhat wistfully, said beside him, "That was quite a close call. Now I understand why you said Fang Jie was a freak."
"A close call?"
Dean Zhou shook his head. "One won perfectly, the other lost perfectly. Where was the close call?"