Chapter 13 The Hunter's Five-Stone Powder

Xiang Ruzhen caught a glimpse of the shadow on the ground out of the corner of her eye and quickly dodged to the side. Although she avoided vital parts, the sharp Dragon Halberd still cut a half-foot-long gash on her arm, and blood immediately gushed out.

Clang! The gong rang out just then. Ling Zhaoren, looking smug, said confidently, "When the gong rang, I thought you were going to cheat."

"Shut up!" Ling Zhixu's face was half ashen and half black. "Someone tell me what happened!"

Lu Jinlan cupped his hands and said, "That's how it is..."

"Shut up too!" Ling Zhixu said angrily. "You instigated trouble and spouted nonsense. I won't listen to your side of the story."

Lu Jinlan secretly rolled her eyes, thinking to herself: Do whatever you want.

The deputy examiner hurriedly said, "Please, Dean, allow me to say a word."

Ling Zhixu lowered his eyes and glanced sideways, saying with dissatisfaction, "You were in charge of the examination hall, yet you made a mess of things here. Isn't your statement just one side of the story?"

The deputy examiner lowered his head and dared not speak. Suddenly, one of the students stepped forward and said loudly, "Dean, I can objectively recount what happened."

Ling Zhixu raised an eyebrow slightly, "Why should I believe you?"

The man respectfully said, “I am Zuo Suizhi. I lost the first round and am no longer eligible for admission. Whether I won or lost on stage is none of my business. I only arrived in the capital yesterday and don’t know anyone here. The two sides in the conflict are unrelated to me, and I have no reason to be biased. Besides, there are tens of thousands of people present, in addition to the examiners and examiners. If I am lying, you can check with a few people later to see if it is true or not.”

Ling Zhixu sat upright in his chair and beckoned, "Zuo Suizhi, come forward and speak."

Taking advantage of the break, Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin hurriedly jumped onto the stage to bandage Xiang Ruzhen's wounds.

Yan Wuxin frowned as he looked at the long gash. "With injuries like this, can you still hold on?"

Xiang Ruzhen smiled, her face pale. "Do I have the right to give up?"

Lu Jinlan's nose stung with tears as she said, "Stop saying things like that. Nothing is more important than life. What's so great about this lousy academy that it's worth risking your life for? Does winning or losing even matter that much?"

Looking at their worried faces, Xiang Ruzhen's eyes gradually reddened. "Yes, what's so good about this shabby academy that operates behind closed doors?"

She smiled at Lu Jinlan, "I heard everything you just said. I know this place isn't as wonderful as I imagined. Winning and losing are important to me. I really can't accept losing to a despicable person like Ling Zhaoren. But actually, that's not what I care about most."

"You spoke up for me under immense pressure, a blessing that despicable people could never have in their entire lives. Your unwavering support for me makes me feel like I've already won."

She held Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin's hands. "This lousy academy isn't anything special, but when I think of my two friends here, it becomes the place I most want to stay. I've always been a loner, a boring and dull person, and no one makes friends with me. But now, we're friends, right?"

Yan Wuxin rubbed his sore eyes and teased with a smile, "I thought we were friends last night."

Lu Jinlan chuckled, "We slept together all night last night, why are you still saying these things? Of course we're friends, what else could we be?"

Xiang Ruzhen smiled and nodded, "Okay, you're risking your lives to fight for fairness for me, isn't it because you hope I can stay? I won't let your efforts go to waste. I want to stay here more than ever before."

Xiang Ruzhen glanced at the tall gate of the academy. "This may be a problematic place, but if we stay here, we have hope of solving it. If we all leave, when will the problem be solved? And who can we rely on to solve it? If another Xiang Ruzhen appears, will she be so lucky as to meet another Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin?"

The two followed her gaze and fell silent for a moment.

Ling Zhixu had finished listening to Zuo Suizhi's statement and announced loudly to the crowd, "The academy will investigate the weaponry issue. Now, the exam continues. Xiang Ruzhen, are you still able to participate?"

Xiang Ruzhen stood up and answered confidently, "Yes."

Do you have any other weapons?

"No."

"Use mine," Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin said at the same time.

"Use mine instead; you'll have an easier time fighting with a long weapon." Yan Wuxin handed the Phoenix Cry Longsword to Xiang Ruzhen.

Ling Zhaoren returned to the stage with a smug look on his face. Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin were still standing next to Xiang Ruzhen, looking at the wound on her arm, hesitating to leave the stage.

Xiang Ruzhen smiled at their worried expressions. "Don't worry, you've forgotten, I'm a hunter. Blood is the hunter's poison. Go down and watch me easily win this round."

Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin returned to the audience. Due to the recent commotion, some candidates had bruises and swelling on their faces. The faculty members were too lazy to maintain order, and everyone just sat wherever they wanted, with no one caring.

The two sat down close together, exchanged a glance, and neither of them looked relaxed.

They believed Xiang Ruzhen could win, but she couldn't take it easily. Ling Zhaoren, that bastard, was a force to be reckoned with, and Ruzhen was injured. With the tides turning, this battle wouldn't be easy.

The gong sounded again, and the battle on the stage quickly escalated into a scorched-earth state. The two clashed once more, their eyes filled with a murderous intent that threatened to kill them.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as everyone realized that this was a life-or-death situation.

The fight on stage was fierce, and those in the audience couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed.

"Luckily I didn't run into those two, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to go home."

"That move was too dangerous; if it were me, I would already be dead."

"You only died from that move? I would have died from my previous move."

Lu Jinlan grew increasingly uneasy as she listened to the whispers around her. Xiang Ruzhen's aggressive fighting style pushed her strength to the limit, showing no regard for her wounds. The hemostatic powder had long since lost its effect, and the white cloth on her arm was quickly stained bright red.

Lu Jinlan was filled with regret. She shouldn't have impulsively exchanged for ninety-nine Power Pills, using up her daily exchange quota at once. Now, if she urgently wanted to exchange for some hemostatic and pain-relieving medicine, she would have to wait until tomorrow.

Ling Zhaoren also noticed that Xiang Ruzhen's arm was bleeding. She kept attacking her right arm, watching the white cloth turn red, watching the blood stain her entire sleeve, watching the blood droplets flow from her upper arm to the back of her hand, and then drip onto the stage.

At first, Ling Zhaoren thought this was her hope of victory. Even if a winner couldn't be decided immediately, if the fight dragged on, Xiang Ruzhen would bleed dry. But gradually, she felt an unprecedented fear.

As they fought at close range, the strong smell of blood seeped into her nostrils, and the force of each blow against her grew heavier with each strike, causing Ling Zhaoren to feel a chill run down her spine.

Is she even human? How can a human not feel pain? How can she show no fear of death? What is she thinking? Has she gone mad?

What suffocated Ling Zhaoren when she fought Xiang Ruzhen was not her extraordinary strength, but something else that was perhaps indescribable and invisible. That thing was firm, powerful, and oppressive, enveloping her and making it hard for her to breathe.

Bang! The Dragon Halberd in Ling Zhaoren's hand was suddenly knocked away, and the Phoenix Cry Longsword was pressed against her throat. As the cold blade pressed against her neck pulse, Ling Zhaoren involuntarily closed her eyes.

It was too fast; everything happened in an instant.

In the instant she closed her eyes, she heard someone frantically shouting to bang a gong, but she knew it was too late. Slit her throat under the gong's bang, and there would be no punishment. If it were her, she would definitely do the same.

But Xiang Ruzhen is not her.

The long sword left a tiny scratch on her neck, followed by a sharp pain in her arm. Xiang Ruzhen, suppressing the sound of the gong, made a long cut on her arm, exactly in the same spot as her previous injury.

The entire audience took a deep breath. Ling Zhixu stood up, caught his breath, and announced loudly, "Xiang Ruzhen of Mianzhou wins."

It's said that people feel dizzy at the moment of success, but Xiang Ruzhen walked off the stage with perfect clarity and returned to her chair to continue watching the selection. Then, just when everyone thought she was alright, she suddenly fainted.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a medicine shop. Her clothes had been completely changed, her wounds had been re-bandaged, and there was a bowl of ginseng tea on the bedside table.

She had just sat up when a composed middle-aged woman lifted the curtain and came in from outside, saying softly, "Young Madam Xiang is indeed young and strong. Despite losing so much blood, she only slept for an hour before waking up. Here, have some ginseng tea to soothe your throat. The ginseng and donkey-hide gelatin porridge is ready; I'll have someone bring it in right away."

Ginseng and donkey-hide gelatin porridge? Xiang Ruzhen hurriedly said, "How much would that cost? I'd rather not."

The woman laughed and said, "Young lady, you're joking. These are all our own things, so they're free."

The woman turned and left. A moment later, a handsome male servant came in to serve her. Xiang Ruzhen inquired briefly and learned that this place was only one street away from the Royal Academy.

This is called Jiu'antang, a nationally renowned time-honored pharmacy. It sells medicine and practices medicine, with over a dozen stores in Beijing alone. This is the flagship store in Beijing, and the man who just visited was Ping Xiyu, the head manager of Jiu'antang.

Xiang Ruzhen, holding the porridge, asked in confusion, "I have never met Manager Ping before, so why does she say this is her own?"

The male servant chuckled softly, "Because the owner of Jiu'an Hall is my family head, my family head is Lu Jinzhao, the richest man in Yunzhou, and my young master is your good friend Lu Jinlan. Aren't we all family?"

Lu Jinzhao? Xiang Ruzhen, born in the remote Mianzhou, also knew this name. The Lu family's businesses spanned various industries, making them incredibly wealthy; who didn't know them?

However, Lu was a prominent surname in Yunzhou, and although Lu Jinlan came from Yunzhou, she didn't have the arrogant demeanor of a rich girl, so she didn't make too many connections. Unexpectedly, she really was Lu Jinzhao's daughter.

Xiang Ruzhen hurriedly asked, "What's your name?"

“My name is Qing’er. I came from Yunzhou with the young master. The young master specifically instructed me to take good care of you.”

It turned out that Lu Jinlan had gone to Yan Wuxin's place yesterday, leaving Ximo and Qing'er to return to the inn on their own. After discussing it, the two of them went straight to Jiu'an Hall to explain the situation to Manager Ping.

The young master's exam was a big deal, so Manager Ping immediately arranged for them to stay at the shop. The next morning, he took the two of them and several medical workers to the examination hall to reserve seats. Unfortunately, although they managed to get front-row seats, they were furthest from Lu Jinlan, separated by a fighting platform, and couldn't say a word to him.

The place was packed with people, and Ping Xiyu tried several times to move but failed. Later, seeing Lu Jinlan win, she felt relieved and thought she would meet him after the event. But a short while later, she suddenly saw Lu Jinlan stand up and incite the crowd, and a fight broke out.

Ping Xiyu was terrified and led a group of people to desperately push in that direction, arguing with people countless times along the way. Their small team circled halfway through the dense crowd, more exhausted than the people on stage, drenched in sweat. Just as they were about to give up, they heard Lu Jinlan jump onto a chair and shout, "Is there a doctor? Someone has fainted!"

Ping Xiyu quickly called out, "The doctor is here!"

But now she had her chance. The crowd, being quite sensible, made way for them. Ping Xiyu finally managed to rush over, grabbed Lu Jinlan's hand, and was too excited to speak.

Lu Jinlan had last seen her in Yunzhou and didn't recognize her at first. He awkwardly pointed to the unconscious Xiang Ruzhen and said, "The injured person is over there."

A note from the author:

----------------------

Wushi San is a stimulant.