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Chapter 182 - Whoever Loses Must Kneel and Repent
Wen Lingzhao was furious!
Zheng Muyao wasn’t the only one to sense this; even Xiang Ming and the others watching from further away felt it.
All of them were surprised. Remember, Wen Lingzhao had always been lofty and aloof, as cold as ice.
In the time following her enrollment in Heaven’s Origin Academy, no one had ever seen her lose her temper over anything. She always seemed calm and aloof, as if she were above it all, like an immortal beauty detached from the petty concerns of mortals.
They almost never saw her have a drawn-out conversation with a man.
But now, she hadn’t just spoken with that male stranger in blue for a long time; it seemed she’d lost her temper. This was unprecedented! Who wouldn’t have been surprised to see this?
Before Su Yi could respond, Xiang Ming hurried over, a concerned look on his face. “Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao, are you alright?”
“This is none of your business,” she said coldly. Even as she spoke, her gaze bore directly into Su Yi.
Su Yi paid Xiang Ming no heed either; he simply ignored him.
Instead, he looked calmly at Wen Lingzhao. “It seems you have no idea what ‘self-awareness’ really means. I can’t be bothered to explain it to you, so I’ll simply say it again: so long as you agree, I’ll leave as soon as we’ve signed our contract.”
Wen Lingzhao had already been on the verge of losing control, so when she heard this, her gaze turned even frostier and more terrifying. “Before this, I never once hated you. I saw you as a victim, just like me. But now, I find you rather loathsome!”
With that, she turned and walked off. Her voice emanated from afar, “If you want to kick up a fuss, go right ahead! But don’t forget: this is Heaven’s Origin Academy. Not just anyone can run wild here!”
Her heart was already full of anger and disappointment. She couldn’t be bothered to converse with Su Yi any further.
Su Yi’s brow furrowed, and his gaze turned colder. “You’ve let your anger muddle your head, and you can’t think clearly. Out of respect for Lingxue, I’ll give you fifteen minutes to cool down and think it over. If, even then, you still don’t agree, don’t blame me for forcing the matter.”
Wen Lingzhao was already quite a distance away when she heard this. She froze, almost unable to believe her ears.
Then, she whipped around and stared directly at the distant Su Yi. This time, her voice was bone-chillingly cold, and she paused for emphasis between each word. “Su Yi, listen carefully! I’ll be the one to resolve this marriage, not your ludicrous contract!”
Everyone nearby heard her loud and clear, and all of them were stunned.
Su Yi!
So, the blue-robed youth who’d infuriated Wen Lingzhao was actually her live-in husband, the infamous waste, Su Yi!
Before her voice even finished echoing through the air, the atmosphere grew heavy and stifled.
Wen Lingzhao’s slender figure gradually faded away. The others remained, but their expressions were strange.
Su Yi still stood there beneath the lush pine tree, his hands behind his back, calm as ever. It was as if he didn’t even notice all the strange gazes directed right towards him.
He said it himself: he’d give her fifteen minutes to think things over. Naturally, he had to do as he promised.
“So, you’re Su Yi, the one who tainted Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao’s reputation.” Xiang Ming finally reacted, and when he looked at Su Yi, his gaze instantly turned cold and sharp.
Su Yi didn’t so much as glance at him. He directly ignored this famed disciple of Heaven’s Origin Academy, the son of the provincial governor.
In response to this disdainful attitude, Xiang Ming’s expression darkened.
When the young men and women clustered around him saw this, they frowned too. A waste and a live-in son-in-law, that’s all. What gives him the right to be so arrogant?
One of them, a young man in a blue shirt, couldn’t help but interject, “Su Yi, you really think you’re hot stuff, huh? Didn’t you hear what Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao said just now? This is Heaven’s Origin Academy; it’s not a place where someone like you can run wild!”
A pretty young woman sighed. “Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao is one of the most dazzling figures of our generation, yet she’s stuck with a man like you? Agh. A marriage like this was no different from pushing her into the fire pit.”
“Su Yi, hurry up and apologize to Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao, or else, we won’t let you off!” A fiery-tempered youth in black stepped forth in a huff. He stuck his finger right at Su Yi’s face as he cursed him out.
The whole crowd was up in arms. Su Yi had become their common enemy.
Xiang Ming silently took two steps back, then whispered into the ear of the white-robed man beside him, “Junior Apprentice Brother Tian Dong, don’t you think it would be even better if this Su Yi ‘fell from grace’ here and now?”
The white-robed youth he called Tian Dong instantly understood his meaning, and he nodded silently.
But just as Tian Dong was about to intervene, the nearby Zheng Muyao sensed that the situation didn’t look optimistic, and she rushed over and shouted, “What the hell are you going on about? You planning to bully him?”
She crossed her arms in front of her, and her pretty eyes flashed like lightning as her gaze swept across the gathered youths. Her exquisitely made-up face was now utterly cold.
Everyone’s expressions shifted; all of them were surprised. This was the treasure of the Zheng Family. Why the heck would she speak up on behalf of some worthless live-in son-in-law?
Tian Dong’s brow furrowed too; he hadn’t anticipated this.
Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Apprentice Sister Zheng, are you and Su Yi acquainted?”
Zheng Muyao glanced surreptitiously at Su Yi, then said coldly, “I’m not afraid to tell you that he’s my Uncle Su! You’d best be respectful!”
Uncle!? None of them knew quite what to say to that
.
Finally, the black-robed youth who’d tried to force Su Yi to apologize earlier couldn’t take it any longer. “Junior Apprentice Sister Zheng, are you sure there hasn’t been some mistake? This is Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao’s nominal husband, that waste of a live-in son-in-law! He’s a stain on her illustrious name! He
. How could he be your uncle?”
The others nodded in turn.
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand,” said Zheng Muyao irritably. “In any event, I brought Uncle Su here today. Disrespecting him means disrespecting me!”
Everyone glanced at each other in bewilderment.
How, exactly, had a waste and a live-in son-in-law become the uncle of the daughter of the Zheng Family, the infamous Little Witch?
Wasn’t this a bit too unreasonable?
Tian Dong couldn’t help but hesitate. He certainly couldn’t afford to offend someone of Zheng Muyao’s status.
But it was then that he picked up on Xiang Ming’s gaze. His heart shook, and he instantly understood. “This matter concerns Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao’s dignity!” he said through clenched teeth. “It doesn’t matter who shows up; Su Yi still has to apologize to her!”
Tian Dong was Xiang Ming’s right-hand man. When he spoke up, how could the others fail to realize the implications?
Immediately, the other young men and women chimed in:
“Senior Apprentice Sister Zheng, you saw how disrespectful Su Yi was to Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao too. It doesn’t matter what kind of relationship you have with him; we cannot simply let this go.”
“That’s right. He’s just an outsider, yet he dared barge into our academy and act wantonly. He’s simply tired of living!”
Everyone started talking at once, and none of them were being the least bit respectful. This left Zheng Muyao a bit stunned.
But before long, she understood. All of this was due to Xiang Ming’s presence!
With the son of the provincial governor to back them up, they naturally had no need to fear her.
Zheng Muyao took a deep breath, but just as she was about to say something, Xiang Ming laughed and cut her off. “Junior Apprentice Sister Zheng, I know what you want to say, but you can see the current situation too. You cannot decide this.
He paused, then sighed. “Of course, if Su Yi is willing to apologize to Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao, I trust that none of us will pursue the matter. After all, he’s ultimately just a live-in son-in-law, while we’re inheritors of Heaven’s Origin Academy. If we bully him and word gets out, we’ll only invite others’ ridicule.”
Zheng Muyao’s willow eyebrows knit together. In terms of status and position, she couldn’t suppress Xiang Ming. If he refused to give her face, there was nothing she could do about it.
“Su Yi, if you’re a man, don’t just hide behind a woman! Do you dare face me in a duel? If you lose, all you have to do is go apologize like a good little boy. How about it?” The black-robed youth proclaimed in a loud voice, his expression a clear provocation.
This was Heaven’s Origin Academy, while his opponent was the worthless live-in son-in-law of legend. He was completely confident in his chances.
When the others heard that, they burst into mocking laughter.
Earlier, Su Yi hadn’t paid any of this any heed. Even though they provoked him repeatedly, he couldn’t be bothered to take them to task for it.
But now, these ant-like existences were only getting more and more arrogant. He couldn’t help but regret leaving Cha Jin behind.
If this were just a matter of squishing a few ants, a Wheel of the Moon Sect disciple like her would be more than enough to get the job done. Why would he need to concern himself with this then?
“Want to play? Fine,” said Su Yi flatly. “How about this? I disdain taking your puny little life, so if you lose, you’ll just have to kneel and repent. How about it?”
When they heard this, the crowd was stunned. None of them would have guessed that Su Yi would dare accept this challenge, much less that he’d suggest such a humiliating form of punishment.
The Little Witch’s eyes lit up, and her heart filled with excitement.
When her father ordered her to serve at Su Yi’s side, she was originally unwilling. He had to force her into it.
It didn’t matter that her father praised Su Yi to the high heavens or that he thought Su Yi as capable as a fallen immortal. She hadn’t seen his skills for herself, so it was hard to avoid a certain degree of skepticism.
But this was an opportunity. She could finally see for herself just how capable Su Yi really was!
Xiang Ming couldn’t help but inwardly shake his head. A few verbal taunts, that’s all. You already can’t take it anymore?
Someone like you isn’t even worthy to carry Wen Lingzhao’s shoes, yet you somehow became her husband. Just nominally, but still. It’s infuriating!
“You said it yourself. If you lose, don’t accuse me of bullying you!” said the black-robed youth coldly.
Su Yi ignored him. Instead, he glanced at the others. “How about you lot? Do you want to play too?”
They almost dared not believe their ears. Is he trying to provoke everyone here?
What wild arrogance!
Even the girls were furious now. This live-in son-in-law is absurdly arrogant. Doesn’t he realize where this place is? How dare he provoke us like that! Is there something wrong with his brain, or is he really just that ignorant?
“Hah? Don’t you think your words are a bit too brazen?” Even Xiang Ming was stunned. He shook his head and chuckled. “If you can really beat them all, I don’t mind playing with you myself. But of course, I highly doubt you’ll ever get the chance to exchange blows with me.”
His tone was casual and understated, but his words carried unconcealed disdain.
The crowd couldn’t help but mock themselves. It’s true! Why lose our tempers with someone so brainless? It’s beneath us; we’ll only make ourselves look bad.
They instantly felt much calmer, to the point that when they looked at Su Yi, their gazes now carried a hint of pity.
Oh? Xiang Ming is going to make an appearance too? Even better! This way, I’ll actually get to see what this ‘Uncle Su’ of mine is really capable of! Zheng Muyao’s heart burst with excitement, and her eyes sparkled like gemstones. She was really looking forward to this!
“So, does that mean you all agree?” When Su Yi saw this, he couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Great. In that case, I guarantee I’ll play with every single one of you today.”
The youth in black couldn’t repress himself any longer. He stuck out his jaw, clasped his fists, and said icily, “Heaven’s Origin Academy inner disciple, Hu Jiao of the Starry Court. Please, ‘enlighten’ me!”