C91 I Am also Pitiful

Feng Tiange moved with deliberate slowness as he drew his sword, yet the wooden scabbard at his side trembled as if it could barely contain the weapon.

On the stage, the sword's edge cut through the air, its tip poised to strike the throat.

Below the stage, Gu Ruochen and Jun Wushang exchanged a glance, while Su Hu, standing behind them, watched with brightened eyes.

Suddenly, Feng Tiange abruptly flicked his sword upward!

*Thud—*

The wooden swords clashed violently, producing a grating sound. As everyone stood in shock, both wooden swords slipped from their hands and shot out simultaneously.

"Ah—"

By the time the crowd reacted, the two wooden swords were embedded three inches into the ground at Zeng Ren'an's feet, right next to his silk boots!

Zeng Ren'an, the son of the city gate officer Zeng Xian, was the same person who had just helped Wei Zhanpeng kick Xie Ruxuan to the ground.

Seeing the swords nearly end the Zeng family line, Zeng Ren'an screamed in terror, sounding like a pig being slaughtered.

On the stage, Wei Zhanpeng turned his head, eyes wide with anger, and shouted, "You did that on purpose!"

"Please," Feng Tiange replied calmly, raising his hand in a respectful gesture.

Wei Zhanpeng, feeling deeply humiliated, stomped forward and charged at Feng Tiange, throwing a heavy punch straight at him.

Given the limited damage of hand-to-hand combat, there's always been a saying that brute strength can overpower skill.

Wei Zhanpeng was confident that in a bare-handed fight against Feng Tiange, he had the upper hand. He attacked with fierce determination, holding nothing back. However, Feng Tiange effortlessly caught Wei Zhanpeng's powerful punch with just two fingers and, in an instant, twisted his hand downward. A sharp crack echoed across the ring.

The crowd gasped.

"Ugh—" Wei Zhanpeng winced in pain, but his anger kept him from backing down. He swung his leg in a fierce kick aimed at Feng Tiange's stomach.

Some people just don't know when to quit. Even when the gap in skill is insurmountable, they refuse to accept it.

As Wei Zhanpeng's kick came toward her, Feng Tiange sidestepped, her left foot landing squarely on his ankle. "Don't move."

Crack—

The sound came from Wei Zhanpeng's ankle.

Feng Tiange sighed, exasperated. "I told you not to move."

She intended to teach Wei Zhanpeng a lesson, but she hadn't meant to go so far.

As Wei Zhanpeng was carried off the ring, he glared daggers at Feng Tiange. But she just shrugged it off, echoing Su Hu's sentiment: "Glare all you want, I'm not bothered."

The round-robin competition concluded with the first group, led by Tiange, securing a decisive victory. While many saw this trial as a chance for each newcomer to showcase their abilities, the astute observers realized that the instructor's true focus was solely on the first group. It was evident without much thought that this cohort, with Tiange at the helm, was destined to make a significant impact in the future.

As Tiange was about to leave the training ground, Ruxuan blocked her path. "The more you act like this, the more it shows your guilt," Ruxuan accused.

Tiange remained silent, not attempting to sidestep her.

"You think ruining my life will make me crumble? No! One day, I'll make everyone who wronged me pay!" Ruxuan's eyes were red, tears threatening to spill, yet she fought to hold them back. Unlike her previous arrogance, there was now a stubborn resilience in her.

Tiange finally understood that only through trials and hardships does one truly mature. She had once endured unbearable pain herself...

Ruxuan didn't linger long. At that moment, Su approached Tiange, his gaze following Ruxuan's retreating figure. "Why did you stand up for her earlier?"

"She seemed pitiful," Tiange replied, feeling that Ruxuan wasn't beyond redemption.

"I'm in a tough spot too!" Su Hu leaned in closer. "Can you help me out here?"

"No way."

Feng Tiange wasn't foolish. Without the strength to back it up, any show of loyalty was just plain stupid. She was confident she could knock Wei Zhanpeng right off the stage, but she also knew Gongsun Pei could put her in a coffin.

"Hey, that really hurts my feelings!" Su Hu couldn't understand why he ranked lower than Xie Ruxuan in Feng Tiange's mind.

The next moment, Feng Tiange suddenly stopped and turned to Su Hu.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to cry."

Only when Su Hu's frustrated figure disappeared from sight did Feng Tiange start moving again, leaving the Imperial Academy.

Inside the carriage, some people had been watching the drama unfold for quite a while. Rong Qi didn't have a good impression of Su Hu. The Four-sea Merchant Alliance had investigated him for two months without finding a single clue, which made Rong Qi feel uneasy. He had a nagging feeling that Su Hu would eventually ruin his plans.

Feng Tiange was used to Rong Qi's uninvited appearances, but that didn't mean she had to tolerate them.

"Want to know how Xie Jin died?" Rong Qi cut straight to the chase just as Feng Tiange reached to grab his collar.

As expected, Feng Tiange was very interested in this topic. According to Rong Qi, Xie Jin had been strangled to death, not hanged.

In the carriage, Tiange sat silently, her eyes fixed intently on Rong Qi, as if trying to find something hidden in his expression. Time seemed to stand still, and the carriage was enveloped in a profound silence.

"And then?" Tiange finally couldn't resist asking.

"There's no 'then,'" Rong Qi replied, shaking his head.

Tiange smiled, a chilling edge to her expression. She knew Xie Jin hadn't died by hanging. What she wanted to know was who had strangled him.

Just before Tiange could take action, Rong Qi said something significant, "If you want, I can take you to see Xie Jin's body."

This offer successfully diverted her attention.

"Xie Jin was buried yesterday. How can you take me to see him?" Tiange looked at Rong Qi, her eyes filled with confusion.

Regardless of how Rong Qi planned to do it, what puzzled Tiange was why Rong Qi was so invested in this matter.

"I had Lei Yi switch things around, so the one buried yesterday wasn't Xie Jin..." Rong Qi glanced around deliberately before leaning closer to Tiange. "The one lying in my mansion is."

Upon hearing this, Tiange reassessed Rong Qi, her gaze probing. "Has the King extended his reach into Qi Country?"

Rong Qi thought for a moment and nodded. "The King suspects there's more to Xie Jin's death and tasked me with investigating discreetly, so I had Xie Jin's body taken."

"You better think it through before you answer," Tiange said, not surprised that the King could send spies. What puzzled her was why he chose Rong Qi. Was he out of his mind?

"I've thought it over. Even though I'm sharing this secret with you, I won't let the King know you're in on it," Rong Qi promised confidently.

Tiange didn't know what to commend Rong Qi for. "When will you take me to see Xie Jin's body?"

"Tonight," Rong Qi whispered.

Tiange didn't refuse. Although she wasn't particularly concerned about Xie Jin's death, something felt off. If possible, she wanted to understand why Beiming Yuan was so determined to kill Xie Jin...