Mu Yang Subdues Ma!

The story of a fairy falling in love with a cowherd is widely spread throughout the land of Shenzhou, so every noble family with a beautiful daughter is extremely wary of cowherds from outside.

Li Mu Yang was the cowherd that the Cui and Yan families were wary of.

Don't let Li Mu Yang's dark complexion fool you; he's not stupid at all.

He had been classmates with Cui Xiaoxin for three years. Although he had never had the chance to speak to her before, he was well aware of how outstanding her appearance, demeanor, and conduct were. There had long been rumors that Cui Xiaoxin came from an extraordinary background, but back then, Li Mu Yang was always in a daze, either sleeping or preparing to sleep, so he had no leisure to pay attention to such trivial matters.

If he dared to shamelessly go up and say a word to Cui Xiaoxin, not to mention how the teachers and students in the class would laugh, it would probably create an even more spectacular and comical version of the toad wanting to eat swan meat story in the school.

When the Beast-Faced Pavilion was attacked by assassins, he guessed that Cui Xiaoxin's background was unusual. How could a child from an ordinary family encounter such dangerous events?

Assassins are very expensive, you know? Who would hire an assassin just to kill a pig for the New Year?

Later, when he escorted Cui Xiaoxin home, he saw the luxurious carriage picking her up. The man in the blue robe used aristocratic knightly etiquette towards her—only the ancient and powerful aristocratic families in the imperial capital, who had stood for millennia, could afford high-level martial artists as private knights.

Li Mu Yang had to confirm one thing: Cui Xiaoxin indeed had an extraordinary background, and they were people from two different worlds.

Therefore, he was not surprised that Yan Xiangma would approach him today.

In fact, he had expected the other party's reaction to be even more intense.

Otherwise, how could he, a "cowherd," receive a profound lesson and retreat?

"But I want to go to Xifeng University in the imperial capital," Li Mu Yang said, looking at Yan Xiangma with a sincere expression. "Xiaoxin and I have made plans. We're going to watch the sunset over Weiming Lake together."

"Made plans?" Yan Xiangma was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He pointed his fan at Li Mu Yang and said, "Li Mu Yang, I've realized today that you're not only not stupid, but you're also very amusing—you and Xiaoxin made plans to watch the sunset over Weiming Lake together? Are you joking with me?"

"I'm not," Li Mu Yang shook his head. "We really made plans. If you don't believe me, go ask Xiaoxin. I've been studying so hard, not wasting a single second, because I want to go to Xifeng University—a man must keep his word. I said I was going to Xifeng University, so how can I not keep my promise?"

"Do you think you can get in?" Yan Xiangma sniffed and squinted with a smile.

"I don't know," Li Mu Yang shook his head. "But I have to try. If you don't try until the last moment, how can you give up?"

"Li Mu Yang." Yan Xiangma slammed his fan open. His patience was running out, and he really didn't want to waste too much of his time on a nobody. The reason he could still speak to him in this manner until now was that Li Mu Yang had saved his cousin, and the Cui and Yan families were not ungrateful bastards. Another important reason was that Li Mu Yang had treated him to watermelon chilled with well water. It was the best watermelon he had ever eaten. "I just praised you as a smart person, but clearly, you haven't thought through some things, or rather, you're unwilling to think them through. Do you know who you are?"

"I know," Li Mu Yang nodded. "I'm a high school student who is sick, looks bad, studies poorly, and was almost useless before this."

"That's accurate," Yan Xiangma nodded. "And do you know what kind of person Xiaoxin is?"

Li Mu Yang thought for a moment and said, "She's my friend."

"Friend?" Yan Xiangma grinned. "Are you just friends? Don't you have any romantic feelings for her?"

"I do," Li Mu Yang said. "I like Cui Xiaoxin. I discovered this fact just a few days ago."

"So then—" Yan Xiangma's voice suddenly became sharp and sarcastic. "Are you worthy?"

"—"

"What? Did I hurt your self-esteem?" Seeing Li Mu Yang remain silent, Yan Xiangma's lips twitched slightly. "But this is indeed a fact that no one can deny. You don't know Cui Xiaoxin's background, and I can't tell you. But I, Yan Xiangma, my father is Yan Bolai, the lord of Jiangnan City, the highest official in this city—even if Cui Xiaoxin were my own sister, do you think our family would agree to let her marry a high school student who is sick, looks bad, studies poorly, and is completely useless?"

"No," Li Mu Yang answered very affirmatively.

"Then, let everything return to its original point. You are still you, and Xiaoxin is still Xiaoxin—you accept this box, then wander around aimlessly waiting for the admission notice from Jiangnan University, and when Xiaoxin comes to tutor you again tomorrow, you tell her that you can't study anymore and want to give up. Wouldn't that be the smartest choice?"

"Yes," Li Mu Yang said.

"So, are we in agreement?"

"There's something I don't quite understand," Li Mu Yang said.

"What don't you understand?"

"I never said I was going to pursue Cui Xiaoxin," Li Mu Yang said in a deep voice. "I just like her, I feel like I like her a little, but I haven't said I'm going to pursue her now—I just want to be friends with her, even the most ordinary friends. I will work hard, do my best with all my strength. If I can get into Xifeng University with her, that would naturally be my good fortune. If I can't get in, I can accept such a fate."

"I will make myself excellent, so that one day I can match Xiaoxin's excellence. I will make her look at me with new eyes, and I will make her like me a little bit too. I know better than you that I am not worthy—I am not worthy of her. But that is not a reason for me to break off my friendship with Xiaoxin. If I can bring her happiness, I will ask her to accept my feelings. If I feel that I cannot do it, and I always feel unworthy of her when I am in front of her, then—I will sincerely wish her to find a better person. I think Xiaoxin will need some friends before she finds her husband. Won't she?"

"Xiaoxin is a very stubborn girl. Once she sets her mind on something, she will go all out. This includes tutoring me. She thinks I still have hope and can work hard one more time. So I have to work hard and strive with her—for more than ten years, I have never wanted to accomplish something so strongly. At this time, how can I tell Xiaoxin that I want to give up?"

Yan Xiangma pondered for a long time, then looked at Li Mu Yang and said, "You almost convinced me—but if you insist, you might lose everything. You won't be able to go to Xifeng University, and you won't be able to go to Jiangnan University either. You'll have nothing. At that time, do you think you'll still have any possibility with Xiaoxin?"

"If I tell Cui Xiaoxin now that I want to give up, will we still have any possibility?"

"At least you'll have Jiangnan University."

"But I want to go to Xifeng University."

"See, this is where we can't talk anymore," Yan Xiangma said with a smile.

Crack—

Yan Xiangma flicked the paper fan in his hand, and sharp spikes actually emerged from its iron frame.

Those spikes emitted a dark light, as if they had been soaked in poison.

"This fan is called Dragon Spine Fan. It can cut iron like mud and break bones. My elders told me it can even break the spine of a dragon." As Yan Xiangma spoke, the fan, with its frame as black as ink iron, spun rapidly in his fingers. A gust of wind whistled, and a ball of white light flashed around.

Chop—

The fan handle touched the lapis lazuli table in front of him, and a corner of the table was cleanly sliced off.

Chop—

Touching it again, another piece of lapis lazuli was shaved off the stone table.

Snap—

Yan Xiangma retracted the fan and held it in his palm, looking at Li Mu Yang with a smile. "You see, I can also negotiate with you in another way. But we are cultured people, noble and reputable—I can't use the methods of those ruffians. So, would you reconsider?"

"So powerful," Li Mu Yang said, his eyes shining as he looked at the Dragon Spine Fan in Yan Xiangma's hand. "It cuts through iron like mud and slices through stone like tofu. Cousin, this fan of yours is truly amazing."

Yan Xiangma was the second most powerful person Li Mu Yang had ever met, as formidable as the assassin Crow he'd encountered last time.

For some reason, seeing someone display such extraordinary abilities made his blood boil. It felt like an emotional summons.

Yan Xiangma was pleased with Li Mu Yang's reaction. "With your scrawny arms and legs, if this hit you, I bet all your bones would shatter, right? I, Yan Xiangma, wouldn't do something like that. So, Mu Yang, you should take care of yourself. Be amiable and safe, isn't that much better?"

Li Mu Yang gripped a corner of the table with his right hand. His face flushed slightly, and a red glow filled his eyes. A patch of slightly brownish scales appeared on the back of his hand. Clouds swirled and thunder crackled across the scales.

He exerted force from his dantian, and with a 'crack,' he ripped off a large chunk of stone from the lapis lazuli table.

He shook his head and said to Yan Xiangma, who was staring at him, dumbfounded, "Cousin is still more skilled. Look, the stone I broke off with my hand isn't as neat as what you cut with your fan."