Xu Yi had never dreamed that even while he lay quietly in this dilapidated stone hut after a random teleport, those two ghosts would come looking for him.
"Tsk, tsk. Before, I thought you were just pretending to be a refined scholar. Now I believe it. At a time like this, in surroundings like these, you can still lie back and relax. A true scholar lives with effortless grace—your reputation is well deserved."
The blue-robed fat man stared at Xu Yi and praised him in a sinister tone.
The red-robed brawny man roared, "You, Xu, dared to deceive me! If you've got the guts, don't crush your token. I'll tear you apart alive!"
Xu Yi said, "Brother Wu, what do you mean by this? Your Wu-mei admires my poetry, not me. There are plenty of women who like my poetry. If all their sweethearts came after me, would I still be alive? Brother Wu, tell me if that makes sense."
The red-robed brawny man froze. "I'm not called Brother Wu! My full name is Xie Anshi. I don't want to discuss what makes sense. I just want to beat you up." As he spoke, he moved to attack.
The blue-robed man egged him on. "This brat's only got a glib tongue. Brother Anshi, don't listen to his nonsense. Let's attack together and deal with him first."
Xu Yi waved a hand. "Hold on! We should clear things up before we start fighting. If you insist on attacking, I know I'm no match for you. At worst, I'll crush my token and be done with it. Everyone knows I only joined the competition because my clan forced me to. Losing would be perfect—I could go back to being a refined scholar."
At Xu Yi's words, the blue-robed fat man and Xie