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墨書 Inktalez
Where has the resolute gaze gone?
Everyone stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock as they watched the scene before them, their eyes brimming with terror. They couldn't discern what Chen Anlin's strike truly was. All they felt was a sense of speed; the black shadow seemed to slice through the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek, rushing towards Xiao Chen.
It was a sword—a powerful sword energy.
Someone shouted, "Could it be the Chen family's ultimate technique, the Shadow Sword Technique? This technique is not easy to master. Has Chen Anlin learned it? The power behind this is no joke!"
It was terrifying. Even those standing aside could feel the pressure; if this sword energy were to come at me, I wouldn't know what to do!
Indeed, just as most people said, Xiao Chen, who was targeted by the sword energy, wore an expression of despair. He couldn't muster any emotion to resist.
Why? Why is this happening? Why is someone who only bullies others so powerful?
Why are they picking on me?
He wanted to defend himself but felt that if he did, he would be torn apart in the next moment.
Block! Block! Block!
Xiao Chen roared, unleashing a powerful force to shield himself.
But soon after, a fierce attack came crashing down, and his chest was swiftly torn open.
It's over; my judgment was wrong.
Xiao Chen's face turned ashen, his bulging eyes devoid of any resolute color, replaced instead by fear.
This was a fear of his impending death. Am I really going to die?
In this life-and-death duel, even if he died, Chen Anlin would bear no responsibility.
Just at that critical moment, a gust of wind rushed in.
"Don't harm him!"
Zhou Tong acted swiftly, extending her delicate hand to dispel the powerful remnants of the sword energy. She then supported Xiao Chen as he landed.
Lying in Zhou Tong's embrace, Xiao Chen felt the softness of her body and a wave of warmth washed over him. He couldn't help but swallow hard, realizing he had been saved by his teacher. How comforting it was.
Zhou Tong observed his dazed expression and sighed inwardly. Had Xiao Chen really been so affected by the defeat? Where had that resolute gaze gone?
With this thought, a cold, domineering glint appeared in her eyes as she glanced at Chen Anlin. It was all because of him that Xiao Chen had been defeated and brought low. Why was Chen Anlin so insufferable?
Why had Zhou Tong suddenly intervened? This was against the rules. After all, Xiao Chen hadn’t conceded nor had he been knocked out of the ring; this was too unfair to Chen Anlin. Just a moment ago, she had thought Xiao Chen was quite impressive, but now… was this all he had?
At that moment, Xiao Chen snapped back to reality and quickly stood up, his eyes regaining their determination. "Teacher, thank you for saving me."
A warm feeling spread through him; Zhou Tong had come to his rescue. Was it possible that she had feelings for him?
With that thought in mind, he discreetly glanced at Zhou Tong's profile, finding her even more beautiful than Zhao Yao, exuding a mature charm.
"No need to thank me. It's others who lack reason. It’s just a competition, yet they resort to such ruthless measures!" Zhou Tong's gaze turned icy as she looked at Chen Anlin.
Though Xiao Chen had lost this battle, she felt it was somewhat understandable. After all, Chen Anlin had initiated a sneak attack from the very beginning, which was hardly honorable.
Of course, Xiao Chen had also used surprise tactics to defeat his opponents before; she believed there was a reason behind his actions. But what Chen Anlin did was simply bullying.
"Ruthless measures? Teacher Zhou, are you out of your mind? In a match like this, anything goes! If I were killed instead, would you still come to my aid?" Chen Anlin scoffed dismissively.
"As a teacher at this academy, I would certainly treat everyone equally and would definitely intervene," Zhou Tong replied with a flash in her eyes, her words betraying her true feelings.
"Haha, only a fool would believe that."
Chen Anlin waved his hand dismissively and said, "I can't be bothered to waste words. This match is mine; Xiao Chen, do you admit defeat or not?"
He deliberately aimed to force Xiao Chen into admitting his loss, hoping to undermine his martial spirit. However, Xiao Chen's expression changed. How could he possibly admit defeat in front of everyone?
Zhou Tong's eyes flashed with coldness as well. This Chen Anlin was truly disrespectful, trying to suppress Xiao Chen like this. The thought that her disciple's future in martial arts might be affected filled her with anger. How could there be such shameless people in this world?
No, not while I'm here!
Zhou Tong patted Xiao Chen on the shoulder and turned to Chen Anlin. "You don't need Xiao Chen to say it; I'll say it for him. This time, Xiao Chen was already injured and was ambushed by certain people, which is why he lost!"
What a convenient excuse! Fine, I can't be bothered to argue about that. But the bet must still be honored: you will apologize to me in the Great Zhou Daily for three days! Additionally, you owe me ten thousand taels of silver."
At these words, Xiao Chen's expression shifted slightly. Both conditions were unbearable for him. Apologizing for three days would be incredibly humiliating and would greatly impact his martial spirit. As for the ten thousand taels of silver, he barely had a few taels in his pocket—where could he possibly get that much?
And if he couldn't produce the silver, according to the law, he would face imprisonment. Eventually, he would be sent to the border to mine as repayment for his debt; this was a common method employed by the laws of Great Zhou.
What should I do? What should I do?
Just then, Zhou Tong spoke again: "Chen Anlin, before we discuss the terms of the bet, let's talk about your earlier fight. You attempted to seriously injure someone—how do you explain that?"
Zhou Tong's eyes flickered as she sought an excuse to help Xiao Chen avoid fulfilling the bet.
"Explain? What nonsense! This match had no restrictions; people have died in previous matches—were those who killed ever punished?" Chen Anlin's gaze fixed on Zhou Tong.
In that moment, Zhou Tong's eyes darted away; she knew that what Chen Anlin said was true.
"I see now—you want to help Xiao Chen evade his obligations, don’t you? Do you think my Chen family is easy to bully? Believe it or not, I'll go straight to His Majesty!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted in an uproar.
For this, Chen Anlin actually dared to report to the authorities!
No one doubted Chen Anlin's words, as everyone knew that he was a childhood friend of the Empress and their relationship was very close.
Zhou Tong felt a pang in her heart, her mind buzzing. This Chen Anlin was actually using the Empress to threaten him. But the key was that his threat had worked.
She felt a wave of frustration; how could someone so arrogant be so powerful?
Chen Anlin, fine. Considering you are a student of mine, I will forgive you and not pursue what happened during the duel just now. As for your bet with Xiao Chen, how about this: he can publicly apologize to you for three days in the newspaper. As for the ten thousand silver taels, we can arrange for installment payments.
She understood that Xiao Chen couldn't come up with that much money at once, hence the suggestion of installments.
"Impossible." Chen Anlin waved his hand dismissively. "If you don’t give it to me now, don’t blame me for reporting to the government. At that point, he will only end up locked away."
"Chen Anlin, how can you be like this? It’s just an installment plan! Your family is so wealthy; that money is practically blowing in from the wind. What’s the harm in owing a little?" Zhao Yao couldn't hold back any longer and shouted.
"Hahaha!"
Hearing Zhao Yao's words, Chen Anlin burst into laughter, his smile laced with mockery and disdain.
"What are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?" Zhao Yao glared at him.
"I laugh because if Xiao Chen has no money, then why did he bet against me? I laugh because your Zhao family is also quite wealthy. Since you’re helping him so much, why don’t you just pay for him?"
At once, Xiao Chen looked expectantly at Zhao Yao. After all, in the past when he lacked resources and equipment, she had supported him quite a bit.
But at this moment, Zhao Yao's gaze began to flicker.
Her Zhao family was indeed wealthy, but ever since her engagement to Chen Anlin was broken off, many of their business deals had vanished. Those partners had grown distant from them, leading to a significant financial strain on the Zhao family; even her pocket money had dwindled.
Moreover, many elders in the Zhao family were already dissatisfied with her. If she were to give money to Xiao Chen, an outsider, it would surely raise objections from her family.
"Yao'er, how about you..."
Seeing Zhao Yao remain silent, Xiao Chen took a deep breath and spoke up.
But before he could finish his sentence, Zhao Yao helplessly replied, "Xiao Chen, I'm sorry. I don’t have any silver on me either; I’m afraid I can’t help you."
Xiao Chen quickly said, "I know you don’t have any. But could you ask your father for some? Don’t worry; I will definitely pay it back."
He knew that Zhao Yao's father valued him highly and believed that if she just asked, her father would most likely help out.
Unfortunately, Zhao Yao showed an expression of difficulty once again.
If it were in the past, her father might have helped, but now he certainly wouldn't. Ever since the last incident, her father had clearly stated that she should not have any contact with Xiao Chen. She couldn't bring herself to say it outright, fearing it would anger him.
"Xiao Chen, my family is also in a difficult situation. I'm truly sorry," she thought.
"What good is your apology to me? If you don't give me the money, I'll be locked up," Xiao Chen thought bitterly. He felt Zhao Yao didn't understand; why was she being so stingy at a time like this? With the vast Zhao family, couldn't they come up with a mere ten thousand taels of silver?
"Don't forget, I fought for you in this competition. If it weren't to uphold your reputation, would I have stepped in at all?"
Seeing Xiao Chen's grim expression, Zhao Yao felt a pang of distress and quickly said, "Xiao Chen, don't worry. I'll think of a way."
"Then hurry up and think of something," Xiao Chen urged eagerly.
"I know a manager at a pawnshop who can help you with a loan. You just need to sign a promissory note and use your student token from Huqing Academy as collateral. They offer discounts for students from Huqing Academy and will definitely lend you ten thousand taels of silver. Then you can pay back Chen Anlin."
Zhao Yao's eyes lit up as she proposed the idea.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's face darkened.
"Borrowing money? Do you think I don't know about loans? The problem is that the interest there is terrifyingly high, and it's compounded! Moreover, if you can't pay it back, they can come after your student token from the academy. If you fail to repay them, you won't be able to participate in the academy's assessments, and according to their rules, you'd have to sell yourself to the pawnshop."
Women would end up in disgraceful positions, while men would become thugs.
The more Xiao Chen thought about it, the angrier he became. It was truly unfortunate that even Zhao Yao couldn't help him at such a critical moment, especially after all the good he had done for her in the past.
[Ding! Defeated Xiao Chen in front of everyone and plundered one hundred thousand luck points from him.]
[Ding! Xiao Chen is preparing to borrow money from the pawnshop; luck points plundered.]
"Pfft! This guy is really going to borrow money from the pawnshop," Chen Anlin chuckled.
"Hey, Xiao Chen! If you don't pay me back soon, I'm going to report you!" Chen Anlin shouted.
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