The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 88 - 85 Academy Entrance

Chapter 88: Chapter 85 Academy Entrance

"He is..." Jin Mingxuan looked at the person leading the others, a bit puzzled as he tried to recall his name.

"Xu Mingfeng," Qing Yu prompted.

"Right, Xu Mingfeng," Jin Mingxuan clapped his hands together and said, "Another main character from that fiasco at Feiyin Pavilion. Tsk, tsk, the gall of that man. I have no idea who gave him the courage to pull such a stunt right in front of the Mountain River Academy."

"I don’t know, maybe he lost his wits after Zhang Qian Ding beat him last time."

That incident at the Feiyin Pavilion resulted in Zhang Qian Ding losing his qualification to enter Mountain River Academy for further study. The other instigator, Xu Mingfeng, didn’t end up well either. If it weren’t for his father being a high-ranking official and pleading on his behalf, he might have also been stripped of his qualifications.

After all, the incident had started with Xu Mingfeng’s arrogant provocation. His brazen character severely clashed with the modest and temperate ways of the Confucian, causing great dissatisfaction among the Confucian scholars.

"Ah gu gu gu..." Xu Mingfeng raised the jug he was carrying and took several big swigs, "One must drink in the daylight when singing songs, to accompany one’s youth on the return home. Fine wine, fine wine..."

"Brother Xu, what a fine poem!" The few others who had come along with him followed suit, raising their heads to drink heartily.

"It seems he really has lost his wits, look at him. He wasn’t so wild last time at Feiyin Pavilion," Jin Mingxuan shook his head and said.

"Heh." Qing Yu chuckled without a word.

Xu Mingfeng and company’s carefree behavior wasn’t due to them really losing their wits, but rather they had just somewhat shed the usual fetters, letting loose their true selves.

Ever since Qing Yu had studied the "Yin Yang Technique," he had refined the Longevity Powder with the "Alchemy" within it. The Longevity Powder was now quietly becoming popular among officials and the noble families of Northern Zhou. When taken with strong alcohol, it activated the circulation of blood and unblocked the meridians, also clarifying one’s thoughts.

However, should one consume it in large amounts, though it would bring double the pleasure, it also ravaged the nerves, resulting in a severe addiction.

From the perspective of Qing Yu, the creator of this medicine, Xu Mingfeng was too deep into using the drug. In just a short few days, he had ingested a large quantity of Longevity Powder; he was beyond saving.

"Xu Mingfeng, the Academy is a place for teaching and nurturing, a place of civilization and etiquette; it’s not a place for you to behave so dissolutely!" A loud shout suddenly came, and a scholar in white strode forward.

"Whoa, look who it is, isn’t that the sickly Feng Jiu?" Xu Mingfeng tilted his head, his drunken eyes blurrily looking at the angry scholar in white.

The newcomer was indeed Feng Jiu, a senior student at the Academy who had returned a day early to prepare for the upcoming matters.

"Wow, his head must be filled with nothing but alcohol to dare call Feng Jiu like that," Jin Mingxuan exclaimed in a low voice, his face filled with excited anticipation for the drama about to unfold.

The slowly gathering crowd also had the look of onlookers eager to watch the excitement.

This was indeed too thrilling; nobody thought that just a few days after the last major spectacle, another was about to unfold here.

As mentioned before, Feng Jiu was still a prince after all. Those nobility of the second generation, while looking down upon Feng Jiu, still had to maintain a semblance of respect. Thus, they would neither call Feng Jiu by his name nor did they want to call him Ninth Prince, so they compromised by calling him "Ninth Young Master".

Xu Mingfeng calling him out by name like this clearly showed he couldn’t be bothered to even feign the basic decorum—laying it bare and ready to tear into Feng Jiu.

"Xu Mingfeng," Feng Jiu’s face was dark, "What do you intend to do? Surely, you don’t want to follow in Zhang Qian Ding’s footsteps?"

The bystanders all around held their breath, watching the unexpected drama unfold. It was rare for the Mountain River Academy to refuse entry to someone twice in a row.

"I am just..." Xu Mingfeng was speaking entirely from his heart now, on the verge of uttering something calamitous.

"Hey, Ninth Brother, Young Master Xu is just a bit too frank and outspoken. Why dwell on it and be so aggressive?"

The crowd’s attention shifted toward the source of the voice, where a young man adorned in a pearl crown and dressed in a royal purple robe, accompanied by an obliging servant with a subservient demeanor, made his way forward at a leisurely pace.

"The Sixth Prince, Feng Chaonan, brother to Feng Jiu, the son of the current Empress. Chaonan’s name suggests an aspiration for the southern homeland occupied by Daqian, a testament to the Emperor of Northern Zhou’s affection for him. And Xu Mingfeng’s father, Physician You Guanglu Xu Weiran, is one of the Sixth Prince’s supporters." Jin Mingxuan whispered quietly.

"How do you know?" Qing Yu looked at him in surprise.

"In these past few days, I haven’t just been indulging in the company of women," Jin Mingxuan said with a self-satisfied smile. "Tianyue Workshop has many officials and nobles coming and going; there’s no news I don’t hear."

Feng Jiu looked at the Sixth Prince Feng Chaonan, who had abruptly appeared, with an ice-cold gaze.

Although the two were brothers, one was dressed modestly and the other luxuriously. Feng Jiu’s expression was cold, showing none of the warmth expected between brothers. As for the Sixth Prince Feng Chaonan, despite his cheerful demeanor, his eyes couldn’t hide the disdain and disgust he felt, or perhaps, he didn’t bother to conceal it.

The brothers were at odds in every aspect, just as their positions stood in opposition, so too did their physical stances, confronting each other.

"Such an arrogant and rebellious wretch should not be easily forgiven!"

"Young Master Xu is just a bit unrestrained in his words and actions, fits the definition of a bohemian rather than a rebel. Moreover..." Feng Chaonan’s tone became somber, "can you stop your superior? You haven’t even mastered Vast Righteous Qi, so there’s really no difference between you and them. To severely punish him, it would be more appropriate for the Eighth Prince to step in."

"Clang—" A sound rang out as Xu Mingfeng threw his wine jar to the ground, shattering it and sending wine splashing in all directions.

Feng Chaonan was closer to Xu Mingfeng than anyone else, and aside from Xu Mingfeng’s party, he was directly in the line of fire.

"Splat."

A servant behind Feng Chaonan silently stepped forward, a gust of Yin Qi swept by, and the wine that splashed toward Feng Chaonan turned into ice beads, bouncing off the ground.

"Pure Yin’s True Qi," Qing Yu scanned the understated servant, "a pale face without a beard, no Adam’s apple, an aura of Yin Qi, and a servant of the Imperial Family, a eunuch."

As someone who had practiced the eunuch’s Cultivation Technique, Qing Yu was extremely sensitive to these details and recognized the servant’s background at a glance.

"What’s the point of all this nonsense? Feng Jiu, take a punch from me first. If you can stand your ground, then you’ll earn the right to talk to me." Xu Mingfeng shouted loudly, stepping forward with a punch aimed at Feng Jiu.

This move made not only Jin Mingxuan but everyone present believe Xu Mingfeng had lost his wits.

"It’s surprising, Xu Mingfeng is actually so rash. He seemed quite well-mannered before." Jin Mingxuan thought the drama was over, but unexpectedly, it took a dramatic turn, reaching a climax that had him excitedly wide-eyed.

"Possibly because he’s always pretending to be cultured, too repressed. Now he’s unleashing his true nature and completely out of control," Qing Yu chuckled softly.

Well, Qing Yu had originally thought there was still hope for Xu Mingfeng, that he might yet kick his habits. Now it seemed that was off the cards; he wouldn’t live long enough to suffer the backlash of the Longevity Powder.

Things were getting more and more interesting.