Chapter 54 Striking Terror with a Single Move

"Meng Yuxi, what is the meaning of this?"
"Can this even be allowed, Eunuch Wen?"
"Is this truly not considered cheating?"
"I refuse to accept this!"
"None of us accept this!"
The disciples of the Zhenshan Sect, both those already eliminated and those still remaining, exchanged a glance and began shouting loudly.
Although Cui Xiucheng had won his first match, he had done so in an utterly disheveled state. As for Meng Yuxi, he had not even moved a muscle, merely standing on the stage and chuckling a few times before miraculously claiming victory.
"On what grounds is this judged?"
Cui Xiucheng’s gaze turned icy cold.
"What is there for you to complain about? The rules are the rules. Are the students of the Zhenshan Sect incapable of understanding simple instructions?"
Meng Xueqiao pointed at Cui Xiucheng’s faction and rebuked them.
The scene instantly descended into a state of disorder. By this point, a greater number of examinees had chosen to side with Meng Yuxi. Many of them felt that Cui Xiucheng had serious flaws in his character, given how he frequently persecuted his own martial brothers, while the remaining loyal followers of the Zhenshan Sect seemed utterly numb to it all.
"Tell me, everyone, whose examination ground do you think this is?"
Eunuch Wen, who usually maintained a smiling demeanor, allowed a layer of frost to settle over his features.
Hearing this, Meng Yuxi hurriedly gestured for his supporters to quiet down. When Meng Xueqiao tried to speak further, Meng Yuxi delivered a heavy slap to his shoulder, sending him staggering forward with his forehead scraping against the dusty ground.
Cui Xiucheng’s faction, however, was not nearly as compliant. Their Zhenshan Sect was also centered around the capital. Although they hailed from the southern regions, they always fancied themselves half-capitalites in their hearts, and naturally showed little respect for a eunuch who merely smiled all the time.
Convinced that Meng Yuxi’s victory was flagrantly unfair to him, Cui Xiucheng made no real effort to restrain his fellow martial brothers.
"Meng Yuxi, if you have any shred of shame, fight me again in a rematch!"
"I can fight you!"
"I can fight you too!"
The disciples of the Zhenshan Sect acted as though they were completely deaf to Eunuch Wen’s words.
A fierce glint flashed in Eunuch Wen’s eyes as he split his lips into a grin, revealing a row of gleaming, bone-white teeth.
"Heh, you mere children dare to raise a ruckus at an imperial grace examination hosted by His Majesty? Showing such disrespect to the Emperor—even if Zhenshan himself were here, I would not give him an ounce of face!"
Without taking a single step, Eunuch Wen materialized right in front of the clamoring crowd. Before anyone could see how he moved, a succession of crisp, popping slaps echoed through the air. Apart from Cui Xiucheng and the thin, bamboo-pole-like Liu Baiwei, every single member of the Zhenshan Sect slumped limply to the ground like softened noodles, and quiet was instantly restored to the arena.
The onlookers, witnessing this sudden turn of events, felt a chill run through their hearts and stared in panicked bewilderment.
Meanwhile, Eunuch Wen had already glided back to his original spot.
"Eunuch Wen, I offer my apologies on behalf of my martial brothers for disrupting the imperial examination," Cui Xiucheng said, bowing deeply. "However, was your use of force not overly heavy-handed? After all, many disciples of Zhenshan serve the Great Li Dynasty with ardent loyalty right here in the capital."
"Young Master Cui, your venerable elder is close by, and His Majesty is present as well," Eunuch Wen replied unsparingly. "If you have any grievances, you are entirely welcome to ask your elder to impeach this servant, or you can submit a direct royal complaint to the Emperor. This servant will await it."
"As for disrupting the examination, as the proctor of this martial evaluation, this servant’s actions were merely a preliminary warning—and an exercise of considerable restraint at that."
Cui Xiucheng nodded slightly. "Eunuch Wen, I have already offered my apologies. I have no doubt that when my master returns, he will duly punish these unruly disciples. But the dignity of the Zhenshan Sect shall be decided by my master; as a humble disciple, I merely accept the punishment and report the facts as they are."
"Very well. This servant shall wait in the capital for the Scholar of Zhenshan to seek me out."
With that, Eunuch Wen waved his hand, and several junior eunuchs came forward to carry away the unconscious examinees.
Privately, Meng Yuxi thought to himself: How strange. Is the Master of Zhenshan still in the capital, or has such a renowned scholar met with misfortune without any of these capital grandees noticing? That seems rather unbelievable.
"For the next stage, fifteen candidates have advanced. Since fifteen is an odd number and based on the scores from the previous round, Meng Xueqiao has attained the highest cumulative points. Therefore, Meng Xueqiao receives a bye. The rest of you, come forward and draw your lots."
"As for the examinees who failed to advance, please clear the grounds immediately. This servant does not wish to see any idlers causing a disturbance here!"
Eunuch Wen pointed toward the black lot-drawing box before him. Hearing his tone, the remaining defeated examinees left crestfallen, not daring to linger any longer.
By this moment, not a single person dared to raise any further objections. Eunuch Wen had stated the rules with absolute clarity from the start, and everything had proceeded strictly in accordance with them. Even with all of Cui Xiucheng’s eloquence, he found himself entirely devoid of arguments.
Meng Xueqiao murmured quietly, "Fourth Brother, you must exercise the utmost caution in the next round. Aside from Meng Mingzhe, everyone left in the arena is a formidable adversary."
Meng Yuxi nodded.
The pairings had already been posted: Meng Yuxi was matched against Liu Baiwei, while Cui Xiucheng would face Meng Mingzhe. Among the remaining match-ups, not a single competitor belonged to the Zhenshan Sect. It appeared that the Zhenshan Sect’s education prioritized literary arts above all else; aside from Cui Xiucheng and Chen Zhiwei, who had both learned distinct martial arts, the rest possessed only mediocre skills.
"Damn it, what a pity I didn't draw that bastard Cui Xiucheng," several examinees muttered curses under their breath after checking their lot tags. These individuals were scholars from Suzhou who had watched Cui Xiucheng driven into such a wretched state by Chen Zhiwei’s flurry of attacks. They all assumed that Cui Xiucheng merely possessed formidable true qi, while his actual martial arts were mediocre and his combat experience even more lacking.
They had all hoped to test their mettle against the proud son of heaven from the southern prefecture, and teaching Cui Xiucheng a lesson would have been the icing on the cake.
In Meng Yuxi’s mind, however, such talk sounded like nothing more than putting up a brave front. After all, he had not yet seen the true extent of Cui Xiucheng’s martial prowess. Though the youth had appeared disheveled earlier, aside from his true qi and that ambiguous Night Raksea Explores the Sea technique, Cui Xiucheng had yet to reveal his true repertoire.
"Just like the previous round, proceed with the bouts in the order of your numbered tallies."
"Take the stage!"
Eunuch Wen no longer maintained his genial expression. From this round onward, every victor would secure a place among the top ten. Once the top ten were decided, His Majesty himself might personally inspect them.
The first to take the stage were Cui Xiucheng and Meng Mingzhe.
After exchanging formal martial arts salutes, the match commenced.
Meng Mingzhe smiled at Cui Xiucheng and said, "Brother Xiucheng, I have long heard of your esteemed reputation, and our fathers are colleagues in the imperial court. Yet it is only at this imperial examination that we finally have the fortune to meet. It is truly a regret of a lifetime that we never crossed paths sooner."
Cui Xiucheng replied in kind, "Indeed. Brother Meng, you truly embody the demeanor of a true scholar, unlike certain younger brothers of yours."
Meng Mingzhe chuckled softly. "Brother Xiucheng, I am well aware that I am no match for you. How about this—shall we settle this through a literary duel of two rounds and call it a day?"
Cui Xiucheng cupped his fists. "I wonder how Brother Meng envisions a literary duel?"