The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 119 - 116: Two Actors

Chapter 119: Chapter 116: Two Actors

"Mr. Wuqu," Qing Yu and Feng Jiu bowed in respect.

"Meng De, aren’t you going to explain?" Wu Qu’s face was like an ancient well without ripples, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

"Did the teacher see it?"

A light breeze swept past, and Wu Qu was silently speechless, eyes deeply fixed on Qing Yu.

A complex and indescribable expression surfaced on Qing Yu’s face as he sighed deeply, "Teacher, please forgive me. This student did not intend to conceal the truth. I’ve made up my mind to support Brother Feng and assist him in ascending to the position of Crown Prince. To do so, I cannot become a Core Scholar of the Academy and drag it into this affair.

The Academy does not prohibit ordinary scholars from involving in politics, hence I concealed this matter."

Ordinary scholars of the Academy do not carry the representative weight of Core Scholars. Moreover, some ordinary scholars come from influential families in the Divine Capital, inherently bearing the imprint of their households. The loyalties of their families are their own loyalties, and the Academy has no power to forbid them from serving certain individuals.

After speaking, Qing Yu bowed deeply and did not straighten up for a long time.

Wu Qu simply watched quietly, for a long, long time...

"If that is so, why did you confront them?" Wu Qu suddenly asked.

"They" naturally referred to Xie Guangran and his companions.

"They were excessively bullying, and I couldn’t accept that, so naturally I had to take action," Qing Yu maintained his bowed posture as a somewhat muffled voice emanated from beneath his lowered head.

"Yet why did you use foul language to insult the deceased?"

"Speaking the truth is not foul language to me, and in my words and deeds, I have a clear conscience," he said resolutely. Despite the muffled voice, the tone could not conceal its unwavering spirit.

"Alas..." Wu Qu suddenly sighed. "Stand up."

Qing Yu straightened his back as instructed.

Wu Qu’s gaze remained on Qing Yu, now showing an expression that was complex and indescribable; the very look that Qing Yu wore earlier seemed to leap through space and time to appear on Wu Qu’s face.

"The struggle for the princehood is fraught with hidden dangers and endless treacheries; dare you claim that you will pass through these crises unscathed? Or do you have the confidence to say that you will not become a perpetrator of such schemes?"

"Whether overt attacks or hidden threats, I will face them with equanimity. Life or death, the choice is mine; I harbor no regrets. As for becoming one who thrives on devious plots and schemes, honestly speaking, while I am confident I will not fall so low, I cannot guarantee it 100%. That is why I cultivate the ’Vast Righteous Qi.’ Should I truly degrade myself to such a state, the ’Vast Righteous Qi’ will punish me," Qing Yu declared, hand pressed against his chest.

"What about you, Feng Jiu? Have you decided to join this tragic competition for succession among brothers?" Wu Qu’s gaze shifted to Feng Jiu, who had been silent.

"I made up my mind long ago. If any other brother seizes the position of Crown Prince, there will inevitably be a settling of accounts come autumn. Of the thirteen brothers, who knows how many will remain. Ever since the Laba Festival, I decided to join my brothers every year in sharing Laba Porridge."

"In that case..." Mr. Wuqu pondered for a good while...

"Meng De, go back and transcribe ’Ritual Records: Confucianism’ three times to reflect on the shortcomings in your words and actions. In the future, avoid speaking lightly of the deceased." With these words, Wu Qu disappeared.

The distinctive wildness of his Qinggong stirred up the snow along his departure.

With that ordeal over, Qing Yu and Feng Jiu exchanged glances.

’Not a bad performance.’

’The same goes for you.’

The two mavericks among the Confucians shared a smile, commending each other’s superb acting skills.

And in that moment, Qing Yu’s smile held a particularly profound meaning.

Mr. Wuqu thought he had accidentally discovered Qing Yu’s embodiment of ’Vast Righteous Qi,’ unaware it was Qing Yu who had deliberately revealed it to him.

He believed that with their Innate Realm cultivation, people like Qing Yu wouldn’t notice him hiding his presence, despite not being particularly skilled at concealment.

Little did he know, it was precisely because Qing Yu sensed him nearby that he chose to use ’Vast Righteous Qi’ against his adversaries, intentionally exposing this secret before him.

Qing Yu’s spiritual sense was far beyond ordinary, on par with the Divine Origin Realm despite being at the Innate Realm. Now, with the Hidden Meridian opened and the ’Black Heaven Book’ mastered, his spiritual sense increased dramatically. The ’Black Heaven Book’ was a shortcut to Refining God. Qing Yu, having cultivated it, could not claim to have reached the Divine Origin Realm immediately, but he could be considered an incomplete version of that Realm. Even a Divine Origin Realm Martial Artist suppressing their power to match Qing Yu’s level might not defeat him.

Thus, albeit Wu Qu could deceive Feng Jiu and the others, it was impossible to pull the wool over Qing Yu’s eyes. Perhaps someone skilled in concealing their presence within the Divine Origin Realm could have done so.

The fundamental reason for Qing Yu’s actions stemmed from the task Lu Qifeng gave him, which involved a competition at the Literary Arena, confronting the Philosophers on behalf of Mountain River Academy.

Nevertheless, Qing Yu was still clueless about Lu Qifeng’s intentions—how to propel Qing Yu as a new-generation representative of the Academy into the contest.

However, not knowing the specifics did not prevent Qing Yu from preparing. First and foremost, he had to let the Academy know about his ’Vast Righteous Qi.’ It wouldn’t do to unveil his ’Vast Righteous Qi,’ causing a sensation during the Literary Arena competition.

That would seem suspicious. Zhuge Longsu and the others were upright in nature, not fools. Fools could not become heads and lecturers at Mountain River Academy, let alone cultivate ’Vast Righteous Qi.’ Those who cultivate it are well-versed in literature, and literature enlightens the mind; those well-read can’t be idiots, which is precisely why Qing Yu found it laughable for Xie Guangran and his trio to treat the scholars of the Academy as naive and foolish.

But by revealing his ’Vast Righteous Qi’ beforehand, he could significantly diminish the Academy’s suspicions. At least they wouldn’t readily doubt Qing Yu’s intentions.

In doing so, should he remain in Northern Zhou after the Literary Arena contest, having established some footing, Qing Yu was not inclined to give up easily. As for convincing Six Gates to allow his stay in Northern Zhou instead of returning to Daqian, that would depend on Qing Yu’s own means—and in this regard, he was quite confident.

The sole downside was the lack of Ming Rui’s cover, potentially exposing Qing Yu’s ’Vast Righteous Qi’ as a facade. But that was in the past. Now, with the ’Black Heaven Book’ mastered and the power of Ten Thousand Transformations at his disposal, how could Qing Yu fear his disguise being detected? Didn’t Feng Jiu start parading around as a Core Scholar in the Academy months ago?

"Now, it all hinges on the competition at the Literary Arena..." Qing Yu looked up at the sunset following the snowfall, quietly contemplating.