Chapter Sixty-Six: A Time of Turmoil

Within the city of Yangzhou, Qingqing took the mud-stained letter from the courier and thanked him repeatedly.

The courier drank deeply from his wooden ladle of well water and waved his hand, “No need to be so polite. The sender paid us a handsome reward, so it’s only right we do our utmost.”

Obaba pressed a silver ingot into the courier’s hand in thanks. He had watched Qingqing’s sorrow these past days and felt it keenly himself; though his skin was dark, he regarded Yulang and Qingqing as family.

The courier had thought Obaba was nothing but a common slave from the Kunlun Mountains and treated him accordingly at first. But seeing him produce such a large ingot of silver, he dared not slight him any further, accepting the gift with respectful gratitude.

Qingqing read Yulang’s letter of safe return again and again, scrutinizing the handwriting, fearful that fate was playing another cruel trick.

Li Dahuo and Xue Wenyang stood aside, watching Qingqing’s shifting expressions of joy and sadness, and finally felt a measure of relief. Had they received no word from Yulang, neither of them could have stopped Qingqing’s hunger strike, no matter what they tried.

In these days, news of victory arrived incessantly from the frontier. The Tiance Army, allied with Longyou, broke through several cities of the Tubo, taking thousands of heads and earning great glory. Li Shao, intending to stop at success, planned to return to the capital, but Huangfu Weiming, greedy for merit, insisted on conquering Shibao City. There, he suffered heavy losses, and deputy general Chu Xu paid with his life to cover Huangfu Weiming’s retreat.

Yet Huangfu Weiming concealed the defeat, reporting nothing and entering the capital to present prisoners and claim rewards.

When this news reached Moonwashing Academy, the students of Yulang’s unit felt even greater contempt for their senior’s character. Coupled with a speech Li Guangbi once made, they began to look down on even Headmaster Chen Wuning, losing all former respect.

The students planned that, upon Yulang’s return, they would together resign from the Academy and seek new prospects under his guidance.

Moonwashing Academy was divided; in recent years, its number of outstanding graduates had dwindled, drawing the envy of rival institutions.

White Cavern Academy and Skywalker Academy arrived in Moonwashing Academy under the pretext of scholarly exchange, but their true aim was to crush the Academy’s reputation with the quality of their own young talents and seize its crown as the king without a crown.

One side was determined to win, while the students of Moonwashing Academy avoided battle with indifference, leading to repeated humiliating defeats.

Many outstanding youths who had come to Yangzhou from afar intending to study at Moonwashing Academy now reconsidered, tempted to leave with the admissions teams of White Cavern and Skywalker academies, unwilling to trust the old legend of Yangzhou any longer.

“Headmaster, rumors abound that Moonwashing Academy’s teaching is poor and ruins its students. Many of the newly enrolled are restless; if this continues, the Academy’s thousand-year legacy may not survive.” In the council hall, Instructor He reported quietly. He could tolerate the provocations of the rival academies, but the apathetic attitude of his own students pained him.

Chen Wuning sighed, “Perhaps they heard some rumors during their last excursion and no longer trust this old body. My own disgrace is small, but to see the painstaking efforts of the former headmaster go to waste… that breaks my heart.”

“How could Huangfu Weiming act so? He once possessed both character and temperament here at the Academy. How could years in officialdom turn him into this? The students of Yulang’s unit rode a thousand miles to rescue their senior; Dai Yang was crippled in battle yet received no military compensation. How many hearts has this chilled within our Academy? Alas.” Instructor He was deeply angered by Huangfu Weiming’s conduct, and it was clear his indifference was the direct cause of Moonwashing Academy’s current crisis.

Chen Wuning paced with hands behind his back, “I trust Huangfu Weiming’s character; he has always been measured. He must have his own reasons for acting this way. He is not the sort to hoard military rewards or withhold compensation. Otherwise, he would not have such prestige in the Longyou Army. This act is self-destructive—he has not only broken with Moonwashing Academy, but even with the Longyou military group.”

“Instructor Chen, even now you defend him, while the students have wronged you so. Even I feel indignant…”

Chen Wuning smiled faintly, “They say I am harsh and unkind, used to hiding like a turtle—once beneath Princess Taiping’s skirts, now within Moonwashing Academy. If I cared about such talk, how could I have lived to this day? Let them say what they will. In conduct and action, I seek only a clear conscience. What need is there to explain myself to others?”

Now, among the young disciples of Moonwashing Academy, the only one Chen Wuning could rely on was Wu Songru, newly arrived from Chang’an. Though he had spent only a year at the Academy, he was deeply grateful for what he had received here. Thus, hearing the Academy was under attack from the other two, he came from the Wu family to Yangzhou at once, determined to resolve the crisis.

By the bronze cauldron in front of the Academy’s Hall of Nurturing, Wu Songru won victory after victory, overwhelming the challengers from White Cavern and Skywalker academies in classics, strategy, poetry, and cultivation.

Yiningyuan, the most outstanding disciple acknowledged by both rival academies, frowned as he pondered which challenge would best give him the advantage against Wu Songru. Both had just entered the initial realm of Enlightened Mystery, and their combat strength should be similar. But Yiningyuan feared Wu Songru’s grandfather, the “Saint of Painting” Wu Daozi, suspecting he might have some hidden trump card.

The leader of Skywalker Academy, Instructor Zhang, sported a neat, graying mustache. Though he was a rival, he admired the young man Moonwashing Academy had produced. Instructor Song of White Cavern Academy, on the other hand, was filled with jealousy. “We were about to topple Moonwashing Academy’s reputation—how did such a figure appear suddenly?”

Song’s eyes flickered. Turning to Instructor He, who managed Moonwashing Academy’s affairs, he said, “Wu Songru is the grandson of the Saint of Painting, Wu Daozi. That he excels above his peers is only natural. As far as I know, he has spent less than a year at Moonwashing Academy; in my view, he is not qualified to represent the Academy in battle! His mastery of painting is a Wu family technique—what does it have to do with Moonwashing Academy?”

Instructor He, who had managed Moonwashing Academy’s disciplinary hall for years, would not be so easily cornered. He replied, “Song, your words are laughable. Yiningyuan’s father was once one of the top ten sword masters of Western Shu’s Sword Pavilion. His achievements are naturally due to his father as well. By your logic, does that mean he is not qualified to represent Skywalker Academy either?”

Song seemed prepared for this retort and immediately countered, “Yiningyuan’s father, Yitianxing, has been broken since he was defeated seven years ago by the youngest Taoist prodigy, Li Bi. He can no longer be called a master, and hasn’t even the courage to lift a sword. So everything Yiningyuan has learned comes from Skywalker Academy—without a trace of family inheritance!”

Instructor Zhang was displeased. This was a sore spot for Yiningyuan, something he himself would never mention before outsiders, yet Song brought it up without hesitation. Yiningyuan’s face remained impassive, betraying no emotion.

His father, Yitianxing, had been defeated in three moves by Li Bi, then thirteen years old and newly accomplished in swordsmanship. Suffering a heavy blow to his Daoist heart, he never recovered. This was the greatest motivation for Yiningyuan’s relentless pursuit of strength—he was determined to challenge the Taoist prodigy and reclaim what his father had lost. Years ago, he had hoped to enter Moonwashing Academy, but Chen Wuning rejected him, saying his intentions were impure. Thus, today he followed Instructor Zhang to humiliate Moonwashing Academy, hoping to redeem his past shame.

Song looked mockingly at the speechless Instructor He, his scornful gaze sweeping over all Moonwashing Academy’s students.

Qingqing, watching from the sidelines, clutched the Whetstone Blade tightly. She despised these petty, opportunistic faces. How she longed to see Yulang wield the black blade and slap them hard across the face.

The Whetstone Blade seemed to sense her thoughts and trembled faintly.