Chapter 74: A Hurried Goodbye

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Li Huer’s expression was frozen, his two panda eyes blinked and looked towards the azure blue skies. He looked as grieved as a soldier leaving and not being able to return.

“Can you defeat me in a way that will allow me to keep my face?” Even though Li Huer constantly mocked Fang Zhengzhi during the theory examination, but in the combat examination, at least he knew himself well.

“How does Huer want it to be like?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled slightly.

“For example, we will first be locked in battle for around twenty bouts, then, with great difficulty, you defeat me!” Li Huer thought for a while, and decided that this method saved him some face.

“Alright!” Fang Zhengzhi generously nodded.

When he saw Fang Zhengzhi agree, Li Huer instantly smiled happily. Hurriedly turning his head around, he secretly shot a glance at Fang Zhengzhi and an expression of a successful plan appeared on his face.

Fang Zhengzhi also smiled slightly, as if he hadn’t noticed the expression on Li Huer’s face at all.

The competition went by rather quickly.

Not too long later, it was Fang Zhengzhi and Li Huer’s turn to mount the stage.

Due to Fang Zhengzhi’s stunning performance in the first round, he was naturally paid special attention during the second round.

On the judging panel, the gazes of the three people were fixated on Fang Zhengzhi. Below the stage, it was filled with examinees. On the spectator stand, Yan Xiu’s gaze also shifted over.

The only regret was that this round, Fang Zhengzhi’s opponent was indeed rather weak.

After all, Li Huer’s win in the first round was rather difficult. This was something that everybody had personally witnessed.

“Kill!”

Once the match started, Li Huer bravely and fiercely charged towards Fang Zhengzhi, his two tough fists carrying the sound of the wind.

At Fang Zhengzhi’s side, his movement was just as big, but compared to Li Huer’s fist, his was indeed much smaller, and his body wasn’t as stout and strong.

But, under Fang Zhengzhi’s deliberate actions, the sound of the wind indeed wasn’t soft.

“Boom boom boom…”

Two men, four fists, intensely collided into each other.

Li Huer advanced, Fang Zhengzhi retreated. Fang Zhengzhi advanced, Li Huer retreated.

Under the stage, as the examinees watched this intense battle, they were completely unable to understand what was happening.

“Why did the fight last so long?”

“This isn’t very right, Fang Zhengzhi had defeated Meng Yushu. Why is he actually fighting so hard with this idiot?”

The three on the judging panel were also filled with shock at this moment.

Li Huer’s abilities was something they naturally were able to infer with one glance. From the first round of assessment, there was almost no suspense in this competition.

Why would so many people pay attention to this.

The biggest reason was that everyone wanted to know what kind of ability did Fang Zhengzhi reach.

But now…

They had seen his abilities, but, this intense fight between the two, and being evenly matched, what was this about? With Li Huer’s abilities?

The crowd absolutely couldn’t understand this.

Fang Zhengzhi’s first round was initially a competition regarded to be without suspense, yet Meng Yushu lost.

The second round, it was still a competition regarded to be without suspense, but the difference was that Fang Zhengzhi was so strong that there would be no doubt about this win. Yet, the two were fighting so intensely, just like they were equally matched…

“He he ha he!”

Li Huer and Fang Zhengzhi fought intensely on stage, yet below the stage, nobody cheered. All of them stared blankly at the two, thinking that something was amiss.

Fang Zhengzhi was someone who kept his words. Since he had agreed to allow Li Huer to lose with face, naturally he had to care about their relationship, having grown up together ever since they were babies.

Hence, he didn’t rush at all.

Just like that, the two fought with punches and kicks on the stage for more than a quarter of an hour, and like before, didn’t even look like it was about to end.

“Giving chance?” Yan Xiu’s lips moved again, and said two words. Then, he looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s and Li Huer’s attires and seemed to have understood something.

Fang Zhengzhi and Li Huer continued to fight.

Finally, Li Huer’s eyes slowly lit up. Because, he had already “forced” Fang Zhengzhi to a corner of the stage. Furthermore, it seemed from Fang Zhengzhi’s expression that he didn’t realise that at all.

“An opportunity!” Li Huer felt a sense of delight within, and without caring about anything else, lowered his body into a deep squat. Then, his two arms reached out and pounced towards Fang Zhengzhi.

Tiger pouncing on the prey!

Li Huer had full confidence in this move, because it was personally taught to him by Li Zhuangshi. Its purpose was to pounce onto a powerful opponent and fall down the stage, hence, most probably, the opponent would definitely land before him.

“Fang Zhengzhi, I apologise! Anyway, you have already passed the Law of Dao examination!”

Looking at Fang Zhengzhi standing on one corner of the stage, Li Huer simply couldn’t contain the smile on his face anymore. He seemed to have already felt the glory and success right in front of his eyes.

Below the stage, the crowd of examinees witnessed this scene, their mouths agape in shock.

Did this mean that this was the end of Fang Zhengzhi?

“Plop!” A dull thud sounded out from below the stage.

Li Huer’s current posture was beautiful. Two fists reaching out towards the front, and two legs bent at an angle, lying face down on the floor.

It had to be said that the change in his movements was indeed extremely strange, in a flash, the tiger pouncing on the prey turned into eating dog faeces, and the reason that led to this was…

Unfortunately, Fang Zhengzhi suddenly slanted his body.

And very unfortunately, gave Li Huer’s butt a kick.

Just like that, an “evenly-matched” battle ended.

Li Huer raised his head. Spitting out the mud from his mouth, his expression was queer. What happened? He had clearly seen that he was about to embrace Fang Zhengzhi, why did he suddenly appear behind him?

Where was the face they agreed upon?

The sudden situation didn’t give him any face at all!

…

Based on Fang Zhengzhi’s battle in the second round, the crowd was just as stunned as the first round. The difference was that the process wasn’t quite the same.

Having passed two rounds, it could almost be confirmed that Fang Zhengzhi’s ranking would land him into the First-Class Roll.

Once they thought of this, the crowd began to look at Fang Zhengzhi differently. Even though these two rounds of fights in the combat examination left everybody speechless…

“Theory examination Roll Champion, combat examination First-Class Roll, not bad!” At this moment, County Head Wang also began to ponder, and looked at Fang Zhengzhi with some admiration.

This time, Imperial Messenger Qin didn’t speak, and calmly lifted up the cup in front of him and sipped on his tea.

The middle-aged scholar on the other hand turned his head to one side and huffed lightly.

…

The third round also employed the drawing lots method.

Fang Zhengzhi’s opponent was a man who wielded a spear, around the age of thirty with a few pockmarks on his face.

He was very evidently an “old-timer’ in the county examination.

Once he mounted the stage, he showed his rich experience. Instead of clashing with Fang Zhengzhi directly, he chose to do so indirectly.

On the other hand, Fang Zhengzhi didn’t rush, and with a relaxed expression on his face, employed the tactic of “If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move”, and quietly watched on. Very unfortunately, after circling Fang Zhengzhi twice, he accidentally tripped and amazingly fell off the stage…

…

The fourth and fifth round after that, Fang Zhengzhi’s luck was just as extreme, every opponent falling off the stage due to his own “blunders”.

On the other hand, Fang Zhengzhi helplessly spread open his hands, expressing his innocence.

…

Then, after rounds and rounds of innocence, the examinees shockingly realised a serious problem. Fang Zhengzhi seemed to have reached the finals.

His opponent wasn’t anybody else but the third in the theory examination, Li Bowei.

The crowd released a sigh of relief. “Fang Zhengzhi’s luck seems like it is finally going to end!”

After all, Li Bowei’s performance in the combat examination was completely different from Fang Zhengzhi, displaying true strength and power the entire time, and even defeated the second in the theory examination.

“Start!” The invigilator gave off the order to start.

“Please!” Li Huer very gracefully gave a beckoning sign towards Fang Zhengzhi.

“Please!” Fang Zhengzhi similarly mimicked Li Bowei’s actions.

Li Bowei finally smiled, but, the smile on his mouth was unusually cold, as if it came from hell, bringing along an air of chilliness.

“Five days ago, after a hurried goodbye under the moonlit night, I long to see you again!”