Chapter 86: Beneath a Great Reputation, No Empty Scholar

Thud~

A figure landed in the blink of an eye!

Everyone looked over and saw the newcomer was a young gentleman, followed closely by a beauty in white who dropped down behind him.

Whoosh~

All along both banks of the river, people stared in unison. The woman wore a plain white dress, tall and slender with a cold, striking face, a sword at her side like a heroine stepped straight from a book, even carrying a few hints of the bearing of "the foremost beauty of the Daoist sect."

Yet the gentleman in white beside her had an air that surpassed even hers by a notch!

Clad in a brocade robe patterned with clouds, two weapons hanging at his waist, his cold, stern eyes like a chilly spring. After landing, he showed not a trace of stage fright or arrogance, merely glancing about casually, looking for a seat.

The contestants on the round platform in the middle of the river all had uncommon backgrounds. Seeing such a brazen entrance, they couldn't help muttering a few words:

"This fellow's a bit full of himself…"

"Who is he?"

"Flew down from the young lord's viewing stand, and he's carrying a sword—looks like someone from Mount Zihui…"

"Why can't I read anything off the guy? Could it be he has no cultivation at all?"

"If your family had no cultivation, would you dare jump down from a five-story building?!"

……

Wei Lu, as the eldest grandson of the Great Qian martial arts champion, was no slouch in experience. After a brief appraisal, he recognized the woman as a direct disciple of Mount Zihui.

But the man who appeared so light and carefree had an aura terrifyingly strong. Wei Lu didn't recognize him at all, and his gaze grew solemn:

"And the two of you are?"

Linghu Qingmo, gazed upon by countless people, did not falter. She held her sword and offered a standard jianghu salute:

"Mount Zihui, Linghu Qingmo."

"Xie Jinhuan, a pleasure."

"……"

As the words fell, the area around the arena clearly fell silent for a beat, followed by a sound like thundering drums:

Gulp~ gulp~……

The Echo Drum tested one's composure in the face of events. As long as one's emotions fluctuated past a threshold—whether shock, fear, or excited thrill—it would make a sound.

The dozens of contestants present had spent the last few days mostly chatting about the Danyang Major Case and the Dried Corpse Case. Suddenly seeing the very person who had broken formation with a single saber leap out, they couldn't help being startled.

And from the spectators along both banks, an uproar gradually rose:

"Whoa…"

"So this is the Danyang Divine Constable who single-handedly boarded the pirate ship and scared Magistrate Wu into fainting?"

"How is he so young? Looks like he's only around twenty…"

"I heard he's the lady of Changning's paramour—well, he is pretty handsome~…"

"Young Master Xie! Over here, over here! Auntie Wanwan is right here…"

"Pah~"

……

Linghu Qingmo had been strutting proudly, sharing in the glory.

But hearing that familiar voice, her heart gave another jolt, and she quickly turned her head toward the riverbank.

She discovered that the "primary wife," Lin Wanyi, dressed in a stunning ink-green gown, was standing at the window of a tavern, gazing from afar at her and Xie Jinhuan!

Linghu Qingmo, suddenly spotting Lin Wanyi at such an occasion, felt no less tense than a concubine traveling with her man and bumping into the first wife on the street—instantly on edge!

But getting off the stage was clearly too late. She could only steel herself, nod in reply, and mutter inwardly:

It's over, it's over…

When I get off later, Physician Lin won't come over and pull my hair, will she…

Wasn't she in Danyang? How is she this clingy?

……

Xie Jinhuan, on the other hand, remained as composed as ever. He smiled at the bespectacled girl, swept a glance around, found no empty seats, then took Seeing Mo Mo and leapt onto a boat on the river, found two empty seats, sat down, and crossed his legs to settle his qi as he waited for the match to begin.

Zhang Huaiyu, who had been observing Xie Jinhuan the whole time, saw that he offered no opening remarks, so he spoke up first:

"Young Master Xie is a paragon of the righteous path, willing to give his life for the common folk. Coming here to play house with the likes of us is surely going too far."

If Xie Jinhuan hadn't been here to scrape together money to level up, he definitely wouldn't have stepped onto the field today. At this, he cupped his hands in a salute:

"Brother Zhang, you flatter me. I merely did what was within my power. I can't even count as righteous, let alone live up to being a paragon."

These words were utterly sincere, without a trace of falsehood!

One could tell as much from the Echo Drum, steady as an old dog.

Seeing this, Zhang Huaiyu couldn't help but feel pressure in his heart.

Knowing full well how great his own merits were and how fine his reputation, yet insisting he "couldn't count as righteous"—that was a bit too much posturing.

If it were mere verbal humility, there would still be some smugness, pride, or secret delight within, which would cause the Echo Drum to produce a faint ripple—just not enough to exceed the threshold.

Yet Xie Jinhuan was directly "still as a placid lake," which meant either there was some hidden reason, and he genuinely felt he didn't count as righteous, and was simply speaking the truth.

Or else he was a true "gentleman," who, even after giving everything for the common folk, still felt he hadn't done enough, and was too ashamed to claim credit or grow arrogant!

Xie Jinhuan had already taken his pills and charged onto the ship to fight the demon Kou to the death—what hidden motive could possibly make him feel he was not righteous?

So this was the genuine mindset of a gentleman, a Dao heart without blemish…

Truly, beneath a great reputation there is no empty scholar…

Wei Lu hadn't even started competing before he knew he was going to lose today for certain.

But losing to a madman like Xie Jinhuan, who would risk his life to slay demons and vanquish evil, left him with nothing to say. Losing to a hypocrite like Zhang Huaiyu, however, was unacceptable. Having stewed on his emotions, he spoke:

"Let's begin."

……

Dang~—

Wang Shizi stood atop the highest floor and personally struck the golden gong, signaling the official start of today's "social death situation."

Silence fell along both banks of the river; only the very regular, faint sound of drums could be heard:

Dong dong~ Dong dong~……

Over thirty people sat upon the Echo Drums, waiting quietly for the trial.

After delivering two opening remarks, Fan Guangyuan, the owner of the Golden Tower, got straight to the point:

"This examination, spearheaded by Wang Shizi and deliberated upon by the Young Masters of Wenzheng Street, consists of three rounds. The first two are for qualification. The rules are: 'If the drum sounds like thunder, if you leave the drum surface, or if you disturb others,' you are judged defeated. Round one begins now."

Having spoken, he gestured toward the Golden Tower. Several capable attendants were seen carrying a table covered in red cloth to the center of the stage.

"The object used for this first round is a supreme treasure invited from the ancestral temple by the Young Masters. Not only do successive kings pay homage to it, but even Wu Zu once offered incense. Great scholars and famous literati have praised it as 'the foundation of the state and the root of the people.' I hope you will not be too shocked upon seeing it..."

"Weng..."

Upon hearing this introduction, the onlookers along both riverbanks grew curious and began whispering among themselves.

All the contestants were also stirred emotionally, secretly guessing what the object might be.

After the table was set down, Fan Guangyuan, the owner of the Golden Tower, adopted a solemn expression, wiped his hands with Mao Jin, and seemed ready to reveal some priceless treasure.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts naturally rose to their throats. Several contestants, due to excessive nervousness, had already triggered the Echo Drums at this stage and were immediately eliminated.

Even Xie Jinhuan, upon witnessing this spectacle, frowned inwardly and pondered:

Could they have brought out the original of the "Dragon Soaring Response Art"? The ghostly wife would have taken it for free right there...

Or perhaps the Great Qian Dynasty's secret martial treasure, the Command to the King...

Yet, even though everyone guessed as boldly as possible, the following scene made them feel they had underestimated the lower limits of these prodigal sons!

Seeing that the owner of the Golden Tower had sufficiently whetted everyone's appetite, he pinched a corner of the red cloth and suddenly flung it open:

Huala~

Beneath the red cloth appeared a lifelike Yang Guan!

The Yang Guan originates from reproductive worship, and indeed, "procreation" is the foundation of the state and the root of the people.

This particular Yang Guan was extremely realistic!

Formed entirely from natural black jade, it was one chi in diameter and three chi tall. The jade was plump, the grain clear, and it stood with head held high, reaching toward the sky!

It gave off a domineering aura that seemed to ask, "Of the fairies in the heavens, who dares come to this mortal world!"

Because it was so solemn and grave, the moment it appeared, the style of the circular platform instantly collapsed. The area surrounding the Golden Tower fell into silence, followed immediately by:

Dong dong dong dong~

The drumbeats surged like a tide...

(End of this chapter)