Chapter Thirty-Six: A Sinister Victory

Ye Xin furrowed his brows, sensing something was wrong. The hour was still early, the sun had yet to rise, and since Wei Qingfan had stepped forward, the Fifth Battalion’s morale had plummeted. Perhaps, in the next moment, Wen Rong and the others would admit defeat, rendering all his arrangements futile.

Wen Rong, Shen Miao, and Shao Xue exchanged glances. Should they keep fighting? Their spirits had indeed faltered. Facing Tie Huizhen, perhaps they could gamble once more, but in front of Wei Qingfan, returned from the battlefield, their efforts seemed utterly meaningless.

There was a wall ahead, clearly insurmountable—must they crash into it?

“This must be Young Master Wei?” Ye Xin walked forward at a measured pace. “I’ve heard much about you.”

“And you are…?” Wei Qingfan looked at Ye Xin. The Wei family had been in seclusion for nearly twenty years, and Wei Qingfan had always been with his father. He had never met Ye Xin and naturally had no connection to him.

“I am Ye Xin.” Ye Xin replied with a cheerful smile.

“So you’re Young Master Ye!” Wei Qingfan smiled as well.

“My younger sister often mentions you, saying you are a gentleman of refined manners, courteous and principled, with a keen sense of justice—truly a model for the younger generation.” Ye Xin spoke slowly.

Ye Ling’s expression grew somewhat odd. When had she said such things? Just then, Shao Xue tugged at her sleeve, and Ye Ling quickly lowered her head.

“Oh?” Wei Qingfan was surprised, his gaze shifting to Ye Ling. But with her head bowed, her expression was hidden. After a moment’s pause, he smiled again, “Miss Ye flatters me. I dare not accept such praise.”

Deng Duojie’s eyes showed a deepening resentment. She understood well—Ye Xin had just returned to Jiuding City, and the siblings hadn’t met in four years. How could Ye Ling have often spoken of Wei Qingfan? In what way? Still, this was not the moment to step out and publicly accuse Ye Xin of nonsense.

“Otherwise, my sister seldom praises anyone so highly. I believe Young Master Wei must have inherited the true spirit of Wei Shuai.” Ye Xin continued.

“You’re too kind.” Wei Qingfan replied, turning his head to glance at Tie Huizhen.

Ye Xin spoke eloquently, continuing to praise Wei Qingfan. Whenever Wei Qingfan showed a hint of impatience, Ye Xin would promptly shift the conversation to Wei Juan, his father. After all, as a son, Wei Qingfan could hardly brush off someone lauding his father, so he had to play along, at least for now.

The expressions of those present were varied. Ye Xin had always been known for his unruly behavior; even among his companions, when the topic of Lord Tie Xinsheng arose, Ye Xin dared to speak irreverently, never showing such respect for anyone.

Wen Rong and the others felt puzzled, while Deng Duojie believed Ye Xin was afraid—afraid of a triumphant Wei Juan and the Wei family. Ye Xin had once relied on Ye Guanhai’s power to dominate, so now Wei Qingfan was entitled to act as Ye Xin once had, disregarding all others.

Initially, Wei Qingfan managed a few polite responses, but his smile grew increasingly forced. Eventually, he could no longer endure and interrupted Ye Xin, “Young Master Ye, the flag contest has already begun. You’d best step back a little. We can discuss anything else later.”

“Very well.” Ye Xin was unconcerned, raising his head to look at the sky—the sun was just peeking out, the clouds tinged with dawn’s glow. “But… Young Master Wei, though I am incompetent, I still wish to contribute something to the Fifth Battalion.”

“Oh?” Wei Qingfan seemed surprised, scrutinizing Ye Xin. “Alright, for the sake of Wolf Commander, I’ll let you take three moves.”

“Everyone in Jiuding City knows I cannot condense vital energy.” Ye Xin smiled bitterly. “Not just me—even any student from the Fifth Battalion, who could possibly stand as your opponent, Young Master Wei?”

“Then you mean…” Wei Qingfan prompted.

“Let’s have a contest of wit—a battle of minds.” Ye Xin answered.

“Young Master Wei, this useless fellow is clearly stalling!” Tie Renhao interjected suddenly.

“Fifth brother, we saw through this long ago,” Tie Huizhen said calmly. “But what use does their delay serve?”

“Perhaps Young Master Wei is curious what tricks he’s up to,” Deng Duojie added, now openly hostile.

“Young Master Ye, our contest is for the flag. Isn’t this a bit frivolous?” Wei Qingfan shook his head.

“It’s a game, after all.” Ye Xin smiled. The first rays of morning sunlight illuminated the forest, and Li Chonglou should be awakening. As he spoke, Ye Xin retreated. “Here’s the question… Two people fall into a pit at the same time. One dies, the other survives. The dead is called ‘dead man.’ What do you call the one who’s alive?”

Ye Xin didn’t care whether Wei Qingfan and the others agreed to the contest of wit; he simply threw out the question. No answer was necessary—he had already heard movement from the depths of the forest. Li Chonglou was coming.

“What sort of contest is this?” Wei Qingfan sneered.

“Idiot! Even a three-year-old knows the answer!” Tie Renhao said coldly. “The living is called ‘living man.’”

“Wrong. He’s called ‘help!’” Ye Xin laughed. “Tie Renhao, oh Tie Renhao, not only are you despicable, you’re also utterly stupid. It’s a miracle you’ve survived this long! Look at Young Master Wei and your sister—they stayed silent because they knew the question wouldn’t be so simple. Only you rushed to answer, showing off your foolishness!”

Wen Rong and the others, after a moment’s thought, understood and smiled. Tie Renhao’s face turned ashen, and he roared, charging toward Ye Xin.

“The contest of wit is over. I’ve won. You fight your battle—I want no part. If anyone lays a finger on me, I’ll go to the Grand Commandant’s Office and accuse them of attempted murder!” Ye Xin had already retreated to the very back. At that moment, Li Chonglou emerged from the dense forest, looking utterly disheveled, with mud covering his hair and collar. While the Fifth Battalion students had rested in their tents, Li Chonglou had endured a night of mosquito bites, his face covered in red welts.

Seeing the standoff, Li Chonglou paused, instinctively reaching for his waist. His eyes suddenly flashed with sharp determination.

“Fight! Go on, start fighting…” Ye Xin, not the least worried, snapped his fingers.

“Ye Xin, where do you think you’re going?!” Tie Renhao roared again, striding forward, unconcerned about the Grand Commandant—he was determined to teach Ye Xin a lesson today, no matter what!

“Hahahahaha…” Suddenly, Li Chonglou burst into laughter, each burst louder and more intense than the last, ending in wild cackling.

Today was cursed. The battle should have erupted long ago, but Ye Xin’s meddling delayed it, and now, as Ye Xin retreated, Li Chonglou stepped forward, making Wei Qingfan and the others restless. Especially Tie Renhao, who, if not for his hatred of Ye Xin, might have changed direction immediately.

“You’ve lost!” Li Chonglou declared, after laughing himself out, then reached to his waist, pulled out the battalion flag, and unfurled it with a flourish.

Seeing the flag fluttering in the wind, Wei Qingfan, Tie Renhao, and the others were left dumbfounded. The Fifth Battalion students were equally stunned, hardly daring to believe their eyes.

What was happening? Where had Li Chonglou gotten the battalion flag?

Shen Miao suddenly stepped forward, quickly approaching Li Chonglou and carefully examining Xie En’s signature. It was unmistakable—definitely Xie En’s handwriting.

Shen Miao’s expression turned very strange. She turned and nodded to Wen Rong and the others, signaling it was indeed the Fifth Battalion’s flag.

“So, we won?” Xie En walked over slowly, then whistled.

A figure appeared in the distance, leaping through the branches like an ape, swiftly making his way forward and springing into the field.

Soon after, Wu Man arrived, striding forward and shouting, “What’s going on? The fight ended before it began? Did they surrender?!”

“Sorry, Instructor Wu,” Li Chonglou replied calmly, his posture upright and imposing. Ye Xin’s finger snap had put him in a certain state—he was a hero, a great hero who turned the tide! He spoke with added emphasis, “We won. You lost.” With that, Li Chonglou shook the flag in his hand.

Wu Man had never paid much attention to Li Chonglou, but upon seeing the flag, her eyes went wide. Suddenly remembering something, she turned sharply to look behind her.

On the summit of Left Mountain, a red flag fluttered in the wind. Though the distance was far, she could see it clearly.

“Scoundrels! How dare you cheat?!” Wu Man shouted in anger.

“Instructor Wu, are you saying the First Battalion can’t accept defeat?” Li Chonglou replied confidently. “Whether or not we cheated, just bring that flag over and see for yourself. To be frank, that flag was one I switched out—the real battalion flag is right here!”

“Bring the flag here and let me see.” The elder suddenly spoke.

“Li Chonglou, hurry and hand the flag to Vice Dean Zhang,” Xie En said.

Li Chonglou walked to the elder, bowed deeply, and presented the flag with both hands.

The elder carefully examined the flag and nodded, then turned to Wu Man, “Instructor Wu, have someone bring the flag from Left Mountain.”

As the saying goes, the higher the rule, the greater the loophole. Whenever rules are made, there are those who find ways to exploit them, prompting further refinement, only for new loopholes to be discovered.

Longteng Martial Academy had never encountered a student like Ye Xin. The competition’s rules worked well for ordinary students, but in Ye Xin’s eyes, they were riddled with flaws.

If Wu Man refused to accept defeat and escalated the matter to the deans, the outcome was unpredictable, but surely the rules would become more rigorous—for example, from now on, not only would the instructors sign the battalion flags, but the academy supervisors would too.

But for Ye Xin, it would still be useless. If he wanted, he could always find another loophole.

“Deng Duojie, go bring the flag over,” Wu Man said coldly.