Disorder

Chapter 13: Disorder

On the third day of the examination, Xia Fan immediately sensed that something was off when he entered the inn's main hall.

It was quiet.

There were around ten people eating breakfast. Normally, asking one another for information or making friends would have been commonplace, yet today, no one took the initiative to speak.

Not only that, but they were seated much farther apart, with at least several paces between each person, as though they were guarding against something.

He could have understood if those being avoided were disciples of great clans. Yet everyone seated in the hall was an ordinary examinee.

When he entered, quite a few people even fixed their eyes on him. The faint, cold glint lurking in their gazes made him frown.

What was this about now?

Could it be that what he had done before the Fei Clan yesterday had already spread throughout Qingshan Town, turning him into a thorn in every examinee's side?

Surely not... If they were truly so "united," they should have broken through the Fei Clan's defenses yesterday.

Xia Fan suppressed his confusion and, following yesterday's routine, ordered a steamed cornbread bun and a packet of braised beef.

The Fox Demon had said she would not come again, but... who knew whether she might end up eating her words? After all, that law applied to every multiverse. There was no harm in preparing beforehand.

Even if she did not come, he could eat it himself.

After finishing the cornbread bun, Xia Fan planned to take another stroll through the Back Mountain and see if he could uncover anything else. The morning dew was heavy, but there were relatively few mosquitoes. If he followed the area around the tracks, perhaps he could explore farther than last time.

After leaving the inn, he was surprised to find that far fewer people seemed to be active in Qingshan Town today.

During the previous two days, examinees spending money everywhere to gather information had been visible wherever one looked.

Had they run out of money, or had the Fox Demon worked too hard at night?

Just as Xia Fan pondered this, fierce shouting and rapid, chaotic footsteps suddenly erupted from the mouth of a street ahead.

A person rushed out of the alley first, his face filled with panic. Four or five others followed close behind, all gripping wooden swords.

Clearly, the former was being pursued.

"Brother Xia! Quick, run!"

By coincidence, the unlucky fellow being chased was an acquaintance—Wei Wushuang.

Before Xia Fan could step aside, the group behind him had already noticed him. "Two is two. We have the numbers—surround them!"

As soon as the words fell, two of them had already overtaken Wei Wushuang and cut off Xia Fan's retreat in a single step.

Now he did not even have the chance to pretend he was sightseeing.

Looking at the five people tightening their encirclement, Xia Fan drew his wooden sword with a headache. "Wait. Can someone tell me what exactly is going on?"

"Watch out... Th-they're robbing examinees!" Wei Wushuang finally answered between gasps. "I-I was lured out by them, using the excuse of exchanging new information. When we got there, I realized something was wrong—"

"I told you to move faster, but you just had to let someone spot the flaw." The Yellow-Shirted Man glared at his companion, then turned to Xia Fan with a smile. "Actually, we do not want to make this too ugly. Hand over your silver and medicine packets, and I can let you go."

"You've spent all your money?"

"There's a little left," the other man admitted without trying to hide it, "but it will not last until the Scholar Examination ends. The places where Spirit Fire can be found are occupied by the great clans now. We can only wait for opportunities in the coming days."

"If I give you my money, what am I supposed to do?" Xia Fan pointed at himself.

"You?" The four exchanged glances and wore amused expressions. "Brother, how about coming back in three years? This time, let us have our chance first."

"Even though we are complete strangers?"

"Hey, stop playing dumb. What does this have to do with whether we know each other?" The short man whom the Yellow-Shirted Man had scolded stepped forward. "At this point, do you still not understand? The examiners clearly do not intend to let everyone pass safely. Whoever has the bigger fist gets to remain in Qingshan Town longer! We brothers can only gather enough people to pick off the little shrimp left behind by the great clan disciples."

"That's right. People like you have no chance of passing the Scholar Examination." The Yellow-Shirted Man did not bother concealing it. "Even if you escape today, you will not escape tomorrow or the day after. Qingshan Town is no longer a safe place. People like us are everywhere, and from what I know, some are even planning to make a move against the great clans. Meeting is fate. Rather than let someone else benefit, you might as well hand it over to us."

Xia Fan could not help recalling the scene he had witnessed in the main hall earlier.

So that was it... He suddenly understood. Was this the reason the atmosphere had felt so wrong? A considerable number of people had likely realized that the examinees still in Qingshan Town were gradually turning from examinees into hunters or prey. Forget gathering information—even normal conversation had become a risky affair. That was why everyone sat so far apart without saying a word.

As for the looks cast his way when he entered the hall, they had probably contained both wariness and appraisal—appraising whether he could become an ideal prey.

"Big Brother, why waste words on him?" Another man with a notably long face—the Horse-faced Man—impatiently waved his wooden sword. "One swing of this stick, and would he dare refuse to hand over his money? Leaving him with clothes to wear would already count as our kindness."

"Brother, I remember this guy!" someone suddenly said. "He was the one who made fools of everyone before Fei Nian yesterday! If not for him, the people behind would not have started having second thoughts. This guy is probably in league with the Fei Clan. We cannot let him off lightly!"

"You heard that too?" The Yellow-Shirted Man said with an embarrassed expression. "My offer is still valid. Hand over the money and medicine packets, and I will let you go. But after this, I cannot say. Do not make things difficult for me."

"Hey, how many can you handle?" Xia Fan lowered his voice and glanced at Wei Wushuang.

"I-I don't know... I've never fought anyone before..." The latter answered tremblingly, utterly lacking the ease he had shown when first dealing with Xia Fan.

It was not as though Xia Fan had never suspected whether this encounter was truly a coincidence, but judging by Wei Wushuang's reaction, if it were an act, it was far too convincing.

"Forget it. If someone hits you later, protect your face. Understand?"

"Just protect my face?"

"That's right. As long as your face is fine, no one will know you got beaten black and blue."

"Huh?" Wei Wushuang froze.

But Xia Fan had already pulled out a medicine packet from his robes.

"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! You brought this on yourself!" The Yellow-Shirted Man understood everything the moment he saw the packet. "Brothers, get him!"

"Idiot, at such close range, you still think you can prepare a Sorcery Art?" The Horse-faced Man charged first, raising his sword with a strange cry. "You're courting death—"

Before he could finish, Xia Fan flung the medicine packet at his face.

The packet burst open, and a skyful of dust struck him head-on.

"This... cough, cough... what kind of Sorcery Art is this?"

A sword strike to the head answered him.

With a dull thud, the Horse-faced Man was chopped straight to the ground and did not move again.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xia Fan held his breath and attacked. He aimed for vital spots such as their necks, waists, and groins, ensuring that a single blow would leave them unable to fight.

This was also the first principle of street brawling that his bargain-bin master had taught him—strike first and victory was assured; strike second and disaster followed. Sorcerers already possessed reactions and speed beyond ordinary people due to qi guidance. With preparation against the unprepared, Xia Fan had spent the past ten years undefeated across the long streets. Coupled with his broad-minded "talent" for drawing inferences from one instance to another, even his master had praised him as a natural fit for the jianghu.

Compared with Xia Fan, who had weathered countless real fights, the others were clearly far inferior—or rather, they had not guarded against the contents of the packet at all. Instead, they had all widened their eyes, wanting to see what medicinal herbs he would take out.

That undoubtedly made the dust-throwing even more effective.

"Big Brother, th-this does not seem to be a Sorcery Art. It's just ordinary dust!"

"Cough, cough! I don't care what it is! Hurry and... cough, cough... beat that bastard to death!"

Although every examinee was only allowed to bring one medicine packet into Qingshan Town, they were not forbidden from replacing its contents or making new medicine packets. Naturally, Xia Fan had not brought only one packet of eye-stinging dust. The second principle of brawling was: if you did not move, then do not move; once you moved, move like thunder. Never stop until the enemy had been thoroughly beaten into submission.

After the second packet of dust had been scattered, not a single person remained standing around him.

The Yellow-Shirted Man was no exception.

A clean, decisive strike had landed on his neck, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

From the first move to the end, it had taken only around ten seconds.

Wei Wushuang had followed Xia Fan's advice well. The instant the fight began, he had squatted down with his head in his hands. Apart from being covered in dust, he had barely taken any sword strikes.

"Get up. It's over," Xia Fan said.

Only then did Wei Wushuang cautiously release his hands and stand. After looking around in astonishment, he stared at Xia Fan in disbelief. "You... you're actually this strong?"

"Whether I'm strong depends on my opponents, and these people... were probably robbing someone for the first time too." Xia Fan bent down, grabbed one person, and slung him over his shoulder. "You carry one too. We need to hurry, before they wake up again."

"Wake up again?" Wei Wushuang's face changed. "Brother Xia, you aren't planning to..."

"What are you thinking?" Xia Fan rolled his eyes at him. "Harming examinees means immediate disqualification. I'm only going to throw them over to the other side of the bridge. Of course, after thoroughly cleaning them out first."

Having no silver was not a condition that triggered failure in the examination. If this group woke up and would rather camp in the wilderness than give up on revenge, that would be quite troublesome. It was better to send them directly across the bridge. Once they were thrown beyond the boundary, they could not set foot in the examination grounds again. It was a solution that uprooted the problem once and for all.

"So that's how it is." Wei Wushuang relaxed slightly. "Oh, right... When they took me to the end of the alley, I saw two people lying there too. They should have been examinees who were tricked earlier. Should we return their money..."

"No need." Xia Fan interrupted him. "Once they wake up, they will naturally understand what happened, and they will not be able to pin it on us. Perhaps withdrawing now would be better for them—if they cannot even handle this situation, becoming a sorcerer would only harm them."

Wei Wushuang lowered his head slightly, the look in his eyes turning complicated for a moment.

"You should consider whether it would be better for you to leave early too." Xia Fan did not avoid the other man's feelings, instead speaking bluntly. "It is only the third day, and money has already had this much influence. The conflicts ahead will likely grow more and more intense. That person who tricked you was right about one thing: Qingshan Town is no longer a safe place."