Chapter 124: False News (Requesting Subscriptions)

"Qingfeng Palm is perfected, Tiegu Gong is perfected—two perfected techniques on the ultimate martial path, Shen Ge lost without cause for complaint."

Zhang Wangshan let out a long sigh; the moment Lin Chen revealed his perfected Tiegu Gong, he had already accepted that Poyang County had lost to Poyang County.

He had heard of Tiegu Gong—a hardening art—and among the few ranked hardening techniques in Raozhou Prefecture, it was the most difficult to master.

Shen Ge did not take Tongqiao Dan, but Lin Chen achieved perfection in two entirely different arts—naturally, the latter was far harder.

"Congratulations, Su Shi-di."

"Congratulations, Su my lord."

Several ranked martial artists on the main stage offered their congratulations to Su Lingchuan, who now shed his earlier smugness and wore a modest expression: "Lucky, purely lucky."

"As per regulations, Poyang County wins this match."

Qiu Rufeng spoke calmly, his voice plain yet echoing throughout the entire training ground.

"We won!"

The Poyang County students, including Fu Ang, erupted in cheers, their eyes filled with gratitude as they watched the figure walk off the arena.

Without Brother Lin, our Poyang County wouldn’t just have lost—we’d have been utterly crushed.

If word of this defeat reached Poyang County, this year’s students would become its shame.

Whether old or future students, or even the martial circles of Poyang County, all would mock us—no one would care that Qianshan County produced two geniuses, Zhang Qi and Shen Ge.

"Master, your disciple has not failed your trust."

Back with the Poyang County side, Lin Chen bowed to Ceng Qingyao and Tai Rubai.

"Hmm."

Ceng Qingyao nodded in satisfaction, still reserved; Tai Rubai, however, slapped Lin Chen’s shoulder outright: "Good! Our Zhenyue Martial Hall now has a true genius."

Hearing Tai Rubai’s words, the masters of Tiexue Martial Hall and Tanglang Martial Hall exchanged helpless glances—Tai Shixiong really has no shame.

Zhao Qifeng of Kuangfeng Martial Hall chuckled: "Tai Shixiong truly has an eye for talent—taking Lin Chen into Zhenyue Martial Hall will become a celebrated tale in Poyang County’s martial circles."

Ceng Qingyao: "?"

Master of Tiexue Martial Hall: "?"

Master of Tanglang Martial Hall: "?"

…

Ceng Qingyao and the others stared at Zhao Qifeng in astonishment—how much did he have to flatter Tai Rubai to say something like that?

Was Tai Rubai really an eye for talent?

If Jingshui Martial Hall had an eye for talent, no one would object—after all, when Qingfeng Martial Hall abandoned Lin Chen, Jingshui gave him Class-A student status.

But Zhenyue Martial Hall? What talent? After three months of trials, which martial hall in Poyang County didn’t know Lin Chen had extraordinary martial insight?

"Su my lord and the others have left; let’s exit the training ground first."

The master of Tiexue Martial Hall spoke, leading everyone out of the arena.

On the spectator stands, half the remaining martial artists kept their gazes fixed on a certain figure until that figure vanished completely at the arena entrance, only then turning away.

Among them, the students from each county had the most complex expressions.

No one expected such twists in this year’s county duel between Qianshan and Poyang—no need to guess, the news would spread across Raozhou Prefecture within a day.

Though Qianshan County lost, no one would underestimate Zhang Qi and Shen Ge.

It wasn’t that they were weak—it was that Lin Chen from Poyang County was simply terrifying.

On the spectator stands, Jiang Qing vanished from her seat the moment Lin Chen left the arena.

"Brother Lin never fails to surprise me—even compared to those from the Wuyuan Academy, he’s no less impressive."

…

…

Outside the Wuzheng Office, three figures stood waiting a hundred meters from the gate, too afraid to approach.

"Damn it, the village chief sent us to find out the county duel results, but the Wuzheng Office doesn’t release anything—we have nowhere to get news."

These three were villagers from Linhu Village; only after arriving in Raozhou did they realize the county duel was held inside the Wuzheng Office—they couldn’t even enter.

Not only could they not enter, they couldn’t even get near the gate. Though martial artists came and went, the three had felt the aura of those entering and exiting the day before and dared not approach to ask.

"We have to ask today—otherwise the village chief will scold us to death."

"What if we just say we’re here to see Xiao Chen?"

"No—remember what the village chief told us: don’t distract Xiao Chen. Otherwise, do you think we’d even be allowed to come to the prefectural city?"

Watching the martial artists coming and going, their auras too intimidating to approach, the three delayed for half an hour before finally breaking.

"Forget it—we have to ask. We can’t just stand here forever."

"Someone’s coming out—looks young, probably a martial hall student, more likely to be reasonable."

Seeing several young figures exit the Wuzheng Office gate, the three gathered courage and rushed over.

"Wu… Wu Ye, we’re from Linhu Village."

"What Linhu Village? Get lost!"

The young students, especially the one who spoke, glared at the three villagers from Linhu Village—especially their stammering speech—and snapped impatiently.

These Yongfeng County martial hall students were in terrible moods after watching the duel between Poyang and Qianshan.

In past prefectural exams, Guangxin County always stole the spotlight, while Yongfeng County was always overshadowed. This time, with Guangxin County absent, every Yongfeng student had been eager to shine in the county duel.

But then Qianshan produced Shen Ge—and Poyang produced Lin Chen, stealing all the spotlight. Even though their own county hadn’t fought yet, they knew that when they did, everyone would compare them to Poyang County.

One man challenging an entire county? Impossible!

In this duel, Poyang County and Lin Chen would be the undisputed winners.

The three Linhu villagers fell silent, too startled to ask further, and turned to leave in panic.

"Wait—you said you’re from Linhu Village? Poyang County’s Linhu Village?"

The youth at the center of the group seemed to recall something and called out to the departing villagers.

"Wu Ye, we’re from Poyang County’s Linhu Village."

Upon hearing "Poyang County," the other Yongfeng students turned to look at the speaking youth.

Lian Yu’s face broke into a smile—he remembered, Lin Chen was also from Linhu Village.

"What do you want to ask?"

"Wu Ye, our village’s Lin Chen is also a martial artist from Poyang County—we want to know how he placed in this county duel?"

The three villagers answered honestly, then stared hopefully at Lian Yu.

Lian Yu didn’t answer directly but asked: "Since you’re from the same village as Lin Chen, why didn’t you ask him yourself?"

"Our village chief sent us to learn the duel results, but he forbade us from disturbing Lin Chen, fearing it would distract him."

Hearing this, Lian Yu exchanged glances with his fellow students, then sighed: "Your village’s Lin Chen lost—he was injured in battle and is now being treated. Whether he can ever train again remains uncertain."

"Ah!"

The three Linhu villagers froze in shock, unable to believe what they’d heard.

Lin Chen… Lin Chen lost?

Losing wasn’t the worst part—it was the injury. From the Wu Ye’s tone, it sounded severe.

Lin Chen was Linhu Village’s pride—if he was crippled, it would be a devastating blow to the village.

"Go back. The Poyang County students have lost—they won’t be in the mood to see you. Don’t linger in the prefectural city. Return quickly and prepare your village for the news."

Lian Yu watched the three Linhu villagers walk away, hollow-eyed, a sly, triumphant smirk on his lips.

"Lian Shi-xiong, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

"I was just joking. Don’t you think it’s more delightful to let Linhu Village suffer disappointment first, then reveal Lin Chen actually won first place? The contrast makes the joy sweeter."

"Lian Shi-xiong is right—letting Linhu Village suffer first, then discovering the news was false, will make their joy far stronger than if they’d heard it outright."

The other Yongfeng students chimed in, though whether they truly believed it was another matter entirely.

"I’m worried this might reach Lin Chen’s ears and cause trouble for us."

"Zhang Shi-di, you’re too timid. Do you think Lin Chen would dare attack Yongfeng County?"

"He thinks defeating Qianshan makes him invincible in the whole prefecture? In my view, he just hasn’t met our Lian Da-shixiong—if he had, he wouldn’t be so arrogant."

Lian Yu snorted. The "Da-shixiong" his fellow students mentioned wasn’t him—it was his cousin Lian Cheng. He spread the false news because he resented Lin Chen stealing the spotlight that rightfully belonged to his cousin. When these three villagers returned and delivered the lie, the county duel would already be over, and he’d be safely back in Yongfeng County—Lin Chen couldn’t possibly track down every village to find who lied.

"Let’s go to Weishangxian Restaurant in the prefectural city. Today I treat you all to their finest dishes."

…

…

The three Linhu villagers walked with pale faces, muttering: "How could he get injured?"

"How do we even tell the village chief when we get back?"

"We came to bring good news, but now it’s…"

"Spit spit spit—shut your cursed mouth! Lin Chen’s just injured—he might recover in a few days!"

"If it were just a few days’ rest, that Wu Ye wouldn’t have spoken like that—he told us to warn the village in advance!"

"We finally got a prodigy in Linhu Village—how could he get injured?"

The three villagers trudged along, lost in thought, and didn’t notice someone walking straight toward them—they collided.

"Ouch!"

The man fell to the ground.

"Can’t you watch where you’re going? Don’t you look where you’re walking?"

Hearing the man’s curses, the three snapped back to reality—they’d been distracted, but they’d been walking on the path, so how did they even hit him?

"I think my spine’s broken—I’m reporting this to the government office! You’ll be locked up for this! In Raozhou Prefecture, walking like this? You’re lawless!"

“No… we didn’t.”

The three villagers had never seen such a scene before; they panicked, unsure what to do. They wanted to rush forward and help, but the young man’s furious expression kept them back.

“Oh my, isn’t this little Third Master?”

A middle-aged man standing nearby spotted the scene and rushed over. When he saw the youth lying on the ground, his expression changed. He turned to the three villagers: “You’ve caused a huge trouble. This little Third Master has powerful connections—his uncle is a constable in the government office.”

Hearing that the fallen youth’s uncle was a constable, the three villagers grew even more terrified.

“Brother, we didn’t mean to! We were walking right along the roadside,” one villager pleaded.

“From your accents, you’re not from the prefectural city. His uncle’s a constable—do you really think the government office will side with you?”

“We’re from Poyang County.”

“My wife is also from Poyang County. Fine, for my wife’s sake, I’ll give you some advice.”

The middle-aged man glanced at the three villagers: “Before this little Third Master reports you to the office, pay him some money to settle this. Otherwise, if you’re dragged to the government office, you’ll be locked up for at least fifteen days, and your family will have to pay to get you out. Once you’re inside, his uncle will surely torture you.”

“Pay money?”

“Yes. How much money do you have? Let me see if I can plead with little Third Master to let this go.”

The three villagers exchanged glances, reached into their chests, fumbled for a long while, and pulled out a few pieces of silver and some copper coins—all they had between them.

The middle-aged man looked at the money the villagers produced and sneered: “That’s all? It won’t be enough.”

“Brother, we really don’t have any more. Please plead our case.”

“Alright, I’ll speak up for you. But whether little Third Master agrees—I can’t guarantee anything.”

The middle-aged man took the silver and copper coins and turned to the youth on the ground: “Little Third Master, these three are distant relatives of my father-in-law. Please don’t hold a grudge. This is compensation for your medical expenses.”

“Are you trying to bribe a beggar with this? Yang the Shopkeeper, today I’m sparing you the trouble because of your face—but this pittance won’t even cover a single drink for me.”

The young man cursed as he got up from the ground, snatched the money, glared at the three villagers, and strode off arrogantly.

“Alright, you’d better leave soon. Next time, watch where you walk. The prefectural city isn’t like a county town—everybody on the road might have a powerful person behind them.”

Amid the villagers’ gratitude, the middle-aged man also smiled and walked away.

“Second Brother, we have no money now—how do we get back?”

The three villagers looked miserable. They’d been terrified and handed over every last coin—they were now completely penniless.

Without money, they couldn’t return to Linhu Village. They couldn’t beg their way home.

“Go find Little Chen. The county contest is over—there’s no longer any reason to disturb Lin Chen.”

“Find Little Chen? But Lin Chen is injured…”

“Lin Chen is injured, but there’s still the martial arts academy. Besides, we just need to see his condition—then we can report back clearly.”

The three villagers returned to the Wuzheng Office and, gathering courage, spoke to the soldier at the gate: “Sir, we’re villagers from Linhu Village in Poyang County. Our villager Lin Chen is a trainee from this year’s academy. Could you please inform him we’re here? If he’s unable to see us, could you at least let a trainee from Jingshui Martial Arts Academy come out?”

All three had braced themselves for a scolding, but to their shock, after they made their request, the soldier didn’t rebuke them—he smiled and told them to wait by the gate. His attitude wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold either.

“Second Brother, if we’d known the Wuzheng Office officials were this polite, we shouldn’t have waited so long—we should’ve asked for a message right away!”

“Enough chatter. If we get to see Lin Chen, don’t say anything foolish—he’s injured and probably in a bad mood.”

The three didn’t dare stand by the gate; they quietly moved to a corner against the wall.

“Haibo Uncle, Fengyang Uncle… what are you doing here?”

Hearing someone call their names, the three turned instantly. When they saw who it was, their eyes widened in disbelief.

“Little Chen, you… you you…”

“What’s wrong with me?”

Lin Chen was puzzled. He’d just been notified by someone from the Wuzheng Office that villagers from Linhu Village wanted to see him. He’d assumed it was his family—but it was Haibo Uncle and the others.

“Wasn’t it said you lost the contest and got badly hurt?”

“Shut up!”

Wang Haibo cut off his companion’s words. What an idiot—why bring up the worst topic? Lin Chen lost the match; he’s surely upset. Why rub salt in the wound?

The fact that Lin Chen was even able to come out and meet them meant his injuries weren’t serious—that was already great news.

“Little Chen, winning or losing once doesn’t matter. The village chief said—”

“Haibo Uncle, hold on.”

Lin Chen frowned, interrupting Wang Haibo: “Fengyang Uncle, what exactly happened?”

“Little Chen, the village chief sent us to the prefectural city to find out the results of the county contest. Once we knew, we were to rush back and deliver the good news. We asked a few martial arts masters, and one of them told us you lost—and got injured—and told us to return and prepare everyone for bad news. Then… ”

After hearing the full story, Lin Chen’s expression turned cold. Haibo Uncle and the others had been swindled. That middle-aged man and the young man were clearly in cahoots—one played the good cop, the other the bad cop, scaring them into paying up.

More than the stolen money, Lin Chen wanted to know who had spread the false rumor.

If Haibo Uncle and the others carried this lie back to the village, it wouldn’t matter much—but his father and especially his mother would be heartbroken.

“Haibo Uncle, did you know the martial artist who spoke to you?”

“No, but from his accent, he’s from Yongfeng County. My wife’s uncle is from Yongfeng County—he speaks just like that.”

Yongfeng County?

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had no grudge against any martial artist from Yongfeng County.

“What could Yongfeng County people possibly want?” Fu Ang, who had followed Lin Chen, exploded: “Lin Shi-ge won first place and secured victory for Poyang County in the county contest—how dare they spread such lies? This must be reported to the academy master—we must demand an explanation from Yongfeng County!”

Hearing Fu Ang’s words, Wang Haibo and the other three villagers froze, unable to believe their ears.

“L-Little Chen won the county contest… and took first place?”

“Yes. And Lin Shi-ge turned the tide. Let me tell you—”

Fu Ang was about to boast wildly about Lin Chen’s achievements, but Lin Chen cut him off, turning to Wang Haibo: “Haibo Uncle, the person who gave you the news—was he leaving the city or entering it?”

“He was leaving—went that way.”

“Lin Shi-ge, you’re not going to chase after him, are you?” Fu Ang, alarmed, added: “The Wuzheng Office forbids trainees from fighting privately. Besides, he wasn’t alone…”

Hmm, that last part doesn’t matter.

“No chase.”

Fu Ang exhaled in relief. Let the academy master handle it.

“We wait right here. He’ll come back eventually.”

Fu Ang: …

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(End of Chapter)