The Invincible Supreme Medical God
Chapter 278 - 221: Sudden Strike_2

Chapter 278: Chapter 221: Sudden Strike_2

"Scum like you have no right to question me." Yan Xiaobao’s deep and steady voice resounded, carrying a heavy pressure that overwhelmed everyone present.

This pressure didn’t come from Lan Feng’s influence on Yan Xiaobao, but rather from Yan Xiaobao’s disdain for Li Cheng and Qin Zeng.

Qin Zeng felt as though he had fallen into a frozen lake. As his heartbeat grew erratic, his entire body started trembling, and goosebumps appeared all over his skin.

Hatred consumed the old man as he sensed the oppressive aura coming from someone who was only ranked as a student in cultivation. He opened his mouth to respond.

"You... you’re disqualified!" he yelled at Yan Xiaobao as he walked away. But the young boy neither paused nor slowed his steps as he strode toward the infirmary.

"Who would have thought it would end this way," Yan Xiaobao joked to the battered girl. "To think that you’re actually a girl—what a surprise." He continued, his body beneath her stiffening.

"How did you know?" she asked, growing wary, clearly concerned about what might happen next.

"Well, even if you are a girl, you’re really quite plain," Yan Xiaobao continued as though he hadn’t heard Wang Julong’s question at all.

From Wang Julong’s perspective now, Yan Xiaobao was carrying her like a princess. Unfortunately, one of his hands had gone astray, resting on her bandaged chest.

"You pervert!" Wang Julong exclaimed, her cheeks burning red, drawing curious but peculiar looks from the crowd gathering near them.

Despite the agony and bleeding all over her body, Wang Julong still blushed at the earlier comment.

"Don’t worry," Xu Yue said with a smile to the girl in her arms. "We’ll settle the score in next year’s rematch."

Yan Xiaobao glanced back, spotting a satisfied smirk as Wang Jingshen and a group of people hurried over.

The approaching figures seemed to be elders from the Wang Family, their faces alight with anxiety and consternation.

"Thank you, student," one of the elders said as they reached Yan Xiaobao. "We’ll take it from here," he continued, quickly snatching Wang Julong from Yan Xiaobao’s grasp.

Yan Xiaobao noticed a faint smile on the elder’s face, as if the man was worried Yan Xiaobao might uncover their secret.

"I’ll leave the rest to you, esteemed elders," Yan Xiaobao said with a slight bow. They nodded in acknowledgment before swiftly rushing toward the makeshift infirmary.

Yan Xiaobao stood behind, watching them disappear into the distance. Various thoughts swirled in his mind, but he couldn’t grasp any of them clearly.

He let out a deep sigh, turned around, and made his way back toward his friends, a complex expression etched on his face.

When Yan Xiaobao returned to the group, Deng Wu noticed his furrowed brows and faraway blue eyes, as though they were perceiving a world different from their own.

Initially, everyone wanted to ask about Wang Julong, but upon seeing the trance-like state Yan Xiaobao was in, no one dared to speak. A strange tranquility enveloped the boy who was slowly returning to reality.

The dreamy look in his blue eyes sharpened, and a sense of calm settled over his body, leaving behind no visible trace of his earlier daze.

Seeing his friends staring at him with visible confusion in their eyes, Yan Xiaobao let out a shy smile.

"Sorry," he said softly with an awkward tone, "I was just thinking about a few things. Did you say something?" His words, accompanied by his embarrassed smile, made Deng Wu snort. Knowing Yan Xiaobao so well, Deng Wu instantly recognized the boy’s attempt to avoid being questioned.

Deng Wu simply smiled and shook his head, redirecting his attention to Li Cheng and Qin Zeng, who were still standing on the stage. The two were no longer alone. All the elders within the academy had gathered on the stage, quietly discussing among themselves.

Finally, the principal of the academy straightened his back and stepped forward.

"The winner of the semifinals is student Li Cheng," he announced, his voice unassuming yet echoing across the entire stage with each word. "Five days from now, student Li Sheng will face off against student Yan Xiaobao in the finals."

After the announcement, an odd silence filled the vibrant arena, as though no one dared to break it.

Eventually, a few people cleared their throats and started cheering for Li Sheng’s victory. However, the applause appeared to come from only a few adults before it slowly spread throughout the spectators.

Although Li Cheng had shown a desire to kill Wang Julong, the audience was overwhelmingly aware of his sheer strength. A strong man, after all, commanded respect.

Yet, despite the kind attitude adults displayed toward him, not a single student clapped for Li Cheng. Everyone was shocked by the fact that he had contemplated killing a fellow student—a thought he’d entertained twice now.

Without saying a word, Yan Xiaobao turned around and began walking slowly toward his courtyard. Following behind him were five other young people, each quietly wondering what exactly had transpired when he and Wang Julong went to the infirmary.

As a thought crossed his mind, Deng Wu paid particular attention to Yan Xiaobao, and he began to chuckle softly to himself.

The boy’s laughter snapped Yan Xiaobao out of his contemplative thoughts. He shot an irritated look at Deng Wu for laughing.

Ever since Yan Xiaobao encountered the elders of the Wang Family, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. The elders had been quick to take the injured Wang Julong from his arms, making it evident they were fully aware of the young master’s true identity as a young lady.

This pointed to a deliberate decision by the family. What truly unsettled Yan Xiaobao was the moment when, as the elders approached and tried to take Wang Julong, she instinctively clung to his clothes, as though she wished to stay with him just a bit longer.

The proud rival Wang Julong seemed to prefer being in Yan Xiaobao’s arms rather than leaving with the elders. Sighing deeply, Yan Xiaobao thought to himself. There was nothing more he could do now, though a strange bond had formed between the two, born out of mutual recognition as rivals.

These feelings were new to Yan Xiaobao, who spent the entire walk back to his courtyard sighing, entirely unaware that the five people following behind him had now dwindled to just one.

Rong Xing had dragged her brother, Gao Yan, and Ma Kong back to her own courtyard, where she intended to train with all four of them. Though their original plan had been to follow Yan Xiaobao, this intent quickly changed when they noticed the pensive expression lingering on his face.

The only reason Rong Xing hadn’t brought Deng Wu along was because he’d been laughing all the while, as though he had figured out something the rest of them hadn’t.

"You know Wang Julong’s secret too, don’t you?" Deng Wu asked with a grin. Together, he and Yan Xiaobao were now in Courtyard 1009. Having paused his steps, Yan Xiaobao finally turned and raised an eyebrow at Deng Wu’s question.

"You know?"

"Little Dragon told me," Deng Wu replied smugly, watching for the young boy’s reaction. Yet, contrary to what Deng Wu had expected, there wasn’t even a hint of confusion in Yan Xiaobao’s eyes.

"You knew she was a girl?" Yan Xiaobao turned to Lan Feng. Lan Feng laughed and said, "I did tell you not to worry about such a small opponent." His comment made Yan Xiaobao roll his eyes in irritation, letting out an exasperated snort like an annoyed bird in Qi Cave.

"I knew she was a girl," Yan Xiaobao admitted, sitting under his favorite tree and sighing as he gestured for his old friend to take a seat beside him.

"What do you know about the Wang Family?" Yan Xiaobao suddenly asked, tilting his head to gaze at the autumn sky above.

"The Wang Family used to be the City Lord," Deng Wu began, though it was information Yan Xiaobao already knew. "Eventually, their economic status began to decline, and the city fell behind on taxes. At the time, the Royal Family sent Rong Liang here to take over as City Lord. The Wang Family was granted land to construct their family compound within the city and received a large sum of money to compensate for losing their position."

This was news to Yan Xiaobao, who listened attentively. Things began to make sense as he pondered why Wang Julong had been forced to live as a man.

"The Wang Family still wishes to regain its former status, but they can’t defy the Royal Decree. If they’re foolish enough to attempt that, the Royal Army would wipe out the entire family before they could hold the City Lord’s position for more than a few days."

Yan Xiaobao nodded; it all made sense. "So the reason for making her live as a boy was to prove that they have a young heir more suitable than the City Lord," Yan Xiaobao said, nodding thoughtfully. It did indeed make sense.

"In the end, though, it’s all just theory," Deng Wu sighed, leaning his back against the cold tree trunk, closing his eyes to bask in the chill air.

After a brief moment, Yan Xiaobao began practicing with his transforming weapon, Wind Blade. Within minutes, he was completely absorbed in his training, entirely oblivious to Deng Wu’s changing expression. Deng Wu was no longer smiling but instead looked at him with an unreadable, complex gaze.

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