The Irreplaceable Proof

The Irreplaceable Proof

"I didn't expect you to speak up for me." Seeing Fang Xiandao approach, Luo Qingqing jumped down from the long table.

"Is that so strange? Didn't the noble families only manage to monopolize the Spirit Fire Ground before by helping one another?" Fang Xiandao flicked his fan. "Though the rule of occupying it for only one day was not something the Fang family participated in discussing."

The young man beside them, Luo Fengqing, the Luo Family's senior disciple, could not help frowning. "This matter was not reached through a full discussion around a table. Fei Nian initiated it at the time, and unfortunately, no Fang family disciples were present. We could only act according to circumstances. Besides, Sanmen had many people. I think one day was a reasonable rule. Otherwise, if they truly caused a scene—"

"Enough. I didn't come to listen to your lecture." Fang Xiandao cut him off. "I merely wanted to confirm one thing. Even with the Great Desolation Evil Night upon us, the Luo Family will not simply give up and obediently withdraw from Qingshan Town, will you?"

He was asking about the Luo Family, yet his gaze was not on the senior disciple at all. It was fixed directly on Luo Qingqing.

She nodded. "If it were the Evil Night from a century ago, the Luo Family would naturally avoid it like the plague. But it has been unleashed time and again, and there have been no rumors of an Evil Night raging within Qi State. Therefore, I want to see with my own eyes just how much power it still possesses."

"Just as I expected." Fang Xiandao chuckled. "And your method should be to use those well tunnels beneath Qingshan Town, right? The entrances are narrow, but the interior is crisscrossed like a spiderweb. Easy to defend, difficult to attack—it is indeed a fine choice. Unfortunately..."

Luo Fengqing's expression had already tightened the moment the other party mentioned the well tunnels. When he heard those final words, he immediately asked, "Unfortunately what?"

"Unfortunately, the best location has already been occupied by my Fang family." Fang Xiandao grinned.

Luo Fengqing could not help freezing.

"Otherwise, what did you think we were doing while the Fei and Luo families occupied the Spirit Fire Ground for those two days?" He toyed with the fan in his hand. "Though divination cannot accurately determine the details of an event, warning of danger and finding places to hide are not difficult. You stole the first move in gathering Spirit Fire. This time, it should be the Fang family's turn to go first. Do you remember what I said? Only those who seize the initiative can turn misfortune into good fortune."

"You..." Luo You'er said anxiously. "Did you come here just to deliberately anger us?"

"Just a small return gift." Fang Xiandao smiled faintly. "Besides, if I were a Luo Family genius, I would not tell everyone about something so important. Even after all these years, the Great Desolation Evil Night remains exceedingly dangerous to us. If panicked fleeing examinees can draw away some of the Evil Spirits' attention, would that not correspondingly ease our own pressure? Or are you simply that eager to eliminate your rivals?"

Without waiting for anyone to retort, he cupped his hands toward Luo Qingqing, turned, and walked out of the crowd.

"Then... see you in two days. I hope you will still be safe and sound by then."

"That bastard is truly hateful!" Luo Changtian said indignantly.

"Hateful as he is, he is not without reason." Luo Fengqing looked reproachfully at Luo Qingqing. "I do not understand why you insisted on revealing the clue we worked so hard to obtain to everyone. Aside from pushing the Luo Family to the crest of the storm, this brings a hundred harms and not a single benefit. Qingqing, it is not that I wish to use my status as senior brother to pressure you. It is simply that you have been extremely abnormal these past two days—first leading female disciples to block the inn's main hall, then taking a group of people up the mountain. From beginning to end, you never explained your reasons to me. Do you not trust me?"

Luo You'er shrank back a little. "Uh... that is not a matter of trust..."

"I wasn't asking you." The senior disciple shot Luo You'er a glare, then continued, "Now the Fang family has gotten ahead of us. There were already few usable places in the well tunnels, and with them taking one, it is hard to say how many people we can even keep. The entire plan practically has to be redone. And there is also the Fei Clan—they may not know as much as we do about the Great Desolation Evil Night, but they cannot possibly know nothing. Announcing it was no different from reminding the Fei Clan in advance to prepare, adding pressure to your own competition."

He paused, and his tone grew several degrees harsher. "Junior sister, it is not that I do not allow you to have secrets, but you should not place personal interests above the Luo Family. If you do not want me to report this matter to Master and the clan head, then explain clearly right now the reasons and thoughts behind everything you have done these past two days!"

"If I tell you, then you will not tell Master?" Luo Qingqing asked in return.

"...That depends on the severity of the matter," Luo Fengqing said gravely.

"Actually, I have been thinking all along about the essence of this examination, or rather... what the Proctor truly wants to see." After a moment of silence, she said, "Gathering Spirit Fire? So long as the location is chosen properly, even ordinary people can do that. And what did we do? We used our advantage in numbers to exclude Sanmen, then negotiated an internal distribution to ensure that some disciples could pass the Scholar Examination. Beyond that, there was nothing else."

"What is wrong with that?" Luo Fengqing said as if it were only natural. "Strengthen your own advantages, conceal your own weaknesses, strike the enemy's weak points with your strengths—only then can you remain undefeated through a hundred battles. Master has always taught us this."

Luo You'er and Luo Changtian nodded along as well.

"Nothing is wrong with it, but it has little to do with Sorcery Arts themselves." Luo Qingqing revealed a strange smile. "If that were all, the martial sects of the jianghu would be no weaker than us. Think about it—if the Wu Gang or local thugs and powerful bullies had joined this examination, could they pass the Scholar Examination? In numbers, they have more people. In methods..." At this point, she paused slightly, as if recalling something, and said with a trace of irritation, "Sorcery Arts might not even hold the advantage. If a real fight broke out, we might be the ones to lose."

Luo Fengqing shook his head. "Those people cannot even sense qi. They have no qualifications to participate in the Scholar Examination. Why make such a self-degrading assumption?"

"It is only an example. Sorcery practitioners are sorcery practitioners because they can accomplish what ordinary people cannot. What the Bureau of Military Affairs needs are sorcery practitioners, not gangs that win through numbers." Luo Qingqing said calmly, "Now I understand what makes us unique, or rather, the essence of this examination."

"To fight... Evil Spirits?" Luo You'er asked tentatively.

"Not only that. Do you remember what I said the Bureau of Military Affairs' duty was? To maintain order in this world." She shifted her gaze toward the panicked crowd in the square. "If this were not an examination... what should the Bureau of Military Affairs' sorcery practitioners do?"

"Mm, first notify the local authorities, evacuate the civilians, then stop the Great Desolation Evil Night from spreading?"

Luo Changtian followed her gaze for a while, then suddenly revealed an incredulous expression. "Could it be that you mean—"

"That's right. I believe gathering Spirit Fire is merely a surface-level pretense. The core of the examination lies in the people here—all participants are carrying out a simulation of an Evil Spirit incident. Only, those playing the civilians are not local residents, but the examinees themselves." Facing the morning breeze of late summer, Luo Qingqing spoke softly.

Her words seemed calm on the surface, yet they exploded like a thunderclap in the hearts of the Luo Family disciples!

"Examinees who fear risk and are afraid to face Evil Spirits directly will be warned and evacuated by us. The coming Evil Night will be resisted by us. No matter how difficult the situation, maintaining order remains the sorcery practitioners' foremost duty. It has nothing to do with numbers, nor does it distinguish between noble families and Sanmen. Those who dare remain are all our aid. Martial sects of the jianghu cannot do this, nor can local thugs and powerful bullies."

Luo Qingqing tucked back the loose strands of hair blown across her forehead and said word by word, "This is what sorcery practitioners can do, and it is the proof that we are irreplaceable!"

"Wow," Luo You'er was the first to exclaim. "When you put it that way, I feel as though my entire mind has become clear!"

"So that is why the Proctor chose the Qingshan Array as the examination site... So that is how it was."

"Worthy indeed of being the genius among the Luo Family's new generation of disciples!"

Luo Changtian and Luo Tang joined in praising her as well.

For a moment, Luo Fengqing could not say anything. Looking at the woman standing before him against the wind, she was clearly right in front of him, yet he felt she was drifting farther and farther away. He even had the illusion that he could see only her back.

When had this change begun?

He remembered that when Luo Qingqing had once stunned everyone with a single brilliant feat, he had been genuinely happy for her from the bottom of his heart.

"Fine, I acknowledge your reasoning. If this were merely about seizing Spirit Fire, the noble families' advantage would indeed be too great." Luo Fengqing drew a deep breath. "But what does that have to do with you sealing off the inn's main hall, and taking people up the mountain without informing me?"

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose that." Luo Qingqing blinked.

"Junior sister, you—"

Just as Luo Fengqing was about to say more, a burst of urgent shouting interrupted his questioning.

"B-Bad news!"

An examinee staggered into the square, shouting between gasps, "Something terrible has happened! We are trapped in this town!"

"What do you mean, trapped?"

"Don't stop halfway through! What exactly happened?" The already uneasy crowd erupted into another wave of commotion.

"After I discovered that the townspeople were gone, I went to check the suspension bridge. I never expected, never expected... the bridge had been cut down!"

"You said... what!?"

The news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving the examinees present dumbfounded.

Only the Luo Family disciples maintained calm expressions.

"Senior sister."

"Luo Qingqing."

Luo You'er, Luo Changtian... and the other Luo Family members all turned toward Luo Qingqing as if by prior agreement.

Luo Qingqing knew that whatever she did next, she would receive their full support.

She took out a third Amplification Talisman and climbed onto the long table again.

"Everyone, do not panic. There is more than one way out of town! Among the ridges at the Spirit Fire Ground, we found two Stone Grottos containing several large Wooden Kites. Though they have some age on them, their frames are basically intact. They should be usable after some repairs! What we need to do now is build a Release Platform and prepare for evacuation. Anyone willing to lend me a hand, come with me now!"

"Come with us!"

"Together with the Luo Family!"

The other Luo Family disciples all chimed in.

The spreading chaos in the square was brought under control.

Though many people still argued without end, at least at this moment, everyone had a temporary goal to follow—like a straw before a drowning man, whether it worked or not, they would want to try grasping it.

Part of the crowd began moving toward Green Mountain. Walking at the very front were the Luo Family disciples in blue robes bearing twin feathers. Completely unlike the situation three days earlier, the noble family of You Province had now become the leader of the crowd.