Chapter 206: Shame
The thing that Fang Zhengzhi didn’t lack the most was patience.
Control over the World of the Sage had been lost. Everybody in the World of the Sage kenw this. Hence, the people of the Imperial Academy would similarly know this. He didn’t know what was the situation at the Imperial Academy at this moment.
However, there was one thing he was sure of. The longer he dragged, the more advantageous it was for his side.
"How would you feel if I use this Blazing Qilin Spear to make an exchange with you?" A slight smile appeared at the edges of Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth. He patiently waved the Blazing Qilin Spear in his hand with a sincere expression of his face.
"Use the Blazing Qilin Spear to make an exchange with me?!" Ying Shan was slightly taken aback. Then, he became truly shocked.
He hadn’t interacted much with Fang Zhengzhi. In reality, this was the first time they had met with one another. However, he didn’t believe that Fang Zhengzhi was an idiot.
Will someone who attained the Double Roll Champion in the county and capital examinations be an idiot?
Definitely not.
Moreover, Ying Shan would definitely not be so naive as to believe that Fang Zhengzhi’s brain had suddenly failed. He could feel Fang Zhengzhi’s calm and collected demeanor. Under such dire circumstances, such a demeanor was already deserving of respect.
Then, what is Fang Zhengzhi’s intention?
Ying Shan couldn’t understand.
The surrounding examinees couldn’t understand as well. When they heard Fang Zhengzhi’s words, they were dumbfounded. Behind their confusion, there was even greater horror and worry.
They were truly afraid that Fang Zhengzhi would give the Blazing Qilin Spear to Ying Shan.
After all, Fang Zhengzhi was a person who would be impossible to read by ordinary thinking.
If the Blazing Qilin Spear was really passed into Ying Shan’s hands by Fang Zhengzhi, that would be the time that they would truly lose their last chance of survival.
The shock on Ping Yang’s face couldn’t be concealed as well.
If there was one person who seemed relatively calmer at the scene, that would be Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu didn’t know what Fang Zhengzhi wanted to do. However, no matter whether Fang Zhengzhi’s words were true or false, he would still believe that Fang Zhengzhi had his own reason for doing this.
"Fang Zhengzhi, the Blazing Qilin Spear is mine!" Ping Yang felt like she had to remind Fang Zhengzhi of this fact.
"But, isn’t it now in my hands?" Fang Zhengzhi reminded Ping Yang as he held on to the Blazing Qilin Spear to accept the reality in front of her.
"If... you pass the Blazing Qilin Spear into the hands of the demon race, I will never forgive you." Ping Yang evidently didn’t expect Fang Zhengzhi to say such a shameless thing.
"Between your life and the Blazing Qilin Spear, which one would you choose?"
"I want both!"
"One cannot be too naive. You always have to sacrifice one thing to gain another. I choose life, so, naturally I will have to sacrifice the Blazing Qilin Spear." Fang Zhengzhi chided patiently.
"Hmph!" Being unable to win the argument, Ping Yang didn’t bother arguing further.
When Ying Shan heard the conversation between Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi, his eyes glinted with light. Even though he wasn’t keen on believing Fang Zhengzhi’s words, there was always a probability. If Fang Zhengzhi truly gave up the Blazing Qilin Spear, that would save him quite a lot of trouble.
"You are truly willing to pass the Blazing Qilin Spear to me?" Ying Shan thought for a moment, and then decided to maintain his patience for a little while longer.
"Of course." Fang Zhengzhi seemed very sure.
"Alright, as long as you pass the Blazing Qilin Spear to me, I will spare your life!" A deep, sinister smile formed at the edges of Ying Shan’s lips.
"Make an oath."
"An oath? Sure! I, Ying Shan, swear to the Demon God that as long as Fang Zhengzhi passes the Blazing Qilin Spear to me, I will definitely spare Fang Zhengzhi’s life!" Ying Shan hesitated for a moment, but decided to swear solemnly in the end.
After all, he only swore to spare Fang Zhengzhi’s life. He didn’t promise to not attack Fang Zhengzhi. For example, disabling him for life?
"Yes, this oath doesn’t seem too bad. However, what I want isn’t for you to spare my life, so... I believe this oath is useless." Fang Zhengzhi nodded very seriously.
"You..." Ying Shan face fell. The smile on his face froze instantly. He felt as if he had been fooled around with.
Furthermore, him, the great Ying Domain Vice Domain Chief of the Ten Devilish Domains, was actually fooled around by this tiny kid in front of so many people of the human race?
You don’t want life. Then, what were you discussing with Ping Yang about? And why did you still ask me to make an oath?
This is shame, true shame!
The other examinees looked at one another, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry.
Call Fang Zhengzhi stupid?
But the great Vice Domain Chief of the Ten Devilish Domains seemed to have been fooled and played around with by Fang Zhengzhi.
Call Fang Zhengzhi smart?
What kind of smart person would take out the Blazing Qilin Spear, the only source of self-protection, as an item of exchange at such a time?
Ping Yang’s clear gaze shot towards Fang Zhengzhi. She really wanted to exclaim, well done! However, when the words reached the edges of her mouth, she swallowed it back. After all, Fang Zhengzhi was using her Blazing Qilin Spear to make a bet.
"Hmph, I just knew you would talk glibly!" Ping Yang huffed lightly and cocked her head to one side.
On the other hand, Yan Xiu’s expression remained calm. It was just as if everything was to be expected.
Among the people present at the scene, the person who was affected the most was Nangong Mu. He could clearly feel that Ying Shan’s emotional state had been battered greatly.
The pressure from Ying Shan’s territory had been noticeably reduced by a little.
Within the time span of a few sentences, Fang Zhengzhi was able to cause Ying Shan to almost lose control over his emotions twice, giving Nangong Mu more time and more strength. How is Fang Zhengzhi able to achieve this? Nangong Mu really couldn’t understand.
Xing Qingsui’s expression was a ghostly shade of pale. But, he strenuously continued to hold his eyes open. He felt somewhat angry, angry at himself for bringing Ying Shan into the World of the Sage. Even more, he hated himself for not holding his guard against Ying Shan.
If it wasn’t for this, how would Ying Shan’s sneak attack be a success?
Now, all he wished for was to use his life to exchange for all the mistakes he had made. However, he had already lost his qualification to do so. The only person who was qualified to do this now was Fang Zhengzhi.
"What are your terms? I will only give you one chance to speak!" Ying Shan had no way to continue negotiating with Fang Zhengzhi happily any further. Because, he felt that he might die of anger if this continued.
"My terms are very simple. I want to use the Blazing Qilin Spear to exchange for your weakness!" Fang Zhengzhi could feel Ying Shan’s rage. Thus, he couldn’t continue to fool around. It is fine to play with fire, however, no matter what, it isn’t fine to burn up oneself.
"Weakness?" Ying Shan was taken aback. He really didn’t expect Fang Zhengzhi to ask for this.
The other examinees were also taken aback.
This exchange simply couldn’t complete. Why would Ying Shan be stupid enough to tell his weakness to Fang Zhengzhi? That was evidently impossible. Then, what were the intentions of Fang Zhengzhi’s words?
"The Blazing Qilin Spear is what I use to protect my life. Your weakness is what you use to protect your life. I am using my life protection to exchange for yours. Such an exchange is only fair, don’t you think so?" Fang Zhengzhi ignored the glances coming from the surrounding people. Instead, he looked at Ying Shan calmly.
"Ha ha, what you said does makes sense." When Ying Shan heard this, he finally laughed out. "Then, how can you prove that the weakness I speak of is real?"
"All you have to do is to make an oath to the Demon God. Or, maybe you can let me jab at your weakness just once?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ying Shan anticipatedly.
His intention naturally wasn’t to make an exchange.
Even people of his previous world weren’t stupid enough to make an exchange with a stranger, and there were even less reasons to do so under current circumstances. Thus, the reason he wanted to exchange Ying Shan’s weakness was because weakness was too vague, and hard to trade.
Of course, if Ying Shan really revealed it, he didn’t mind listening.
However, will the Vice Domain Chief of the Ten Devilish Domains be so stupid? Fang Zhengzhi didn’t have such a hope. Yet, what would be the difference whether he did or not? His aim was to delay time, hence, the purpose of this exchange was only an excuse to delay time.
A vague and extremely complicated exchange was the best way to delay time.
Furthermore, most importantly...
Fang Zhengzhi was conducting a test.
He was testing how much Ying Shan feared the Blazing Qilin Spear.
From their conversation, Fang Zhengzhi could confirm that Ying Shan knew very well the power of the Blazing Qilin Spear. Hence, if Ying Shan really agreed to this exchange, it meant that he was indeed extremely fearful of the Blazing Qilin Spear. The results of the battle will hence be an unknown. If Fang Zhengzhi himself fought with all his strength, there would be at least a fifty percent hope of winning.
However, if Ying Shan immediately chose to give up on the bet.
This meant that the threat of the Blazing Qilin Spear to him would at most cause some light injuries, that was it. If he wanted to leverage on the Blazing Qilin Spear to defeat Ying Shan, there wasn’t even a one out of ten chance of winning.
"Ha ha ha... You are truly willing to go to such painstaking lengths as to use the Blazing Qilin Spear to exchange for my weakness? Unfortunately, I will have to disappoint you." Ying Shan already didn’t bother to engage in any further conversations with Fang Zhengzhi. Waving the blade on his hand, he prepared to advance.
When Fang Zhengzhi saw Ying Shan’s determined attitude, he knew that the Blazing Qilin Spear on his hand didn’t pose as much of a threat to Ying Shan as he thought.
However, he was just trying to delay time. Hence, he didn’t mind talking more.
"Calm down. If you don’t agree to these terms, we can change to another one..."
"Stop your nonsense, prepare to die!"
Ying Shan was truly enraged this time.
Even though the Blazing Qilin Spear posed as a threat to him, he was ready to fight to the death. He hadn’t even thought of walking out of the Yan Capital alive. Then, as long as this threat didn’t cost his life, it wasn’t considered a threat.
Stepping out, Ying Shan had actually given up on the trapped Nangong Mu under his immense rage and instead turned around and charged towards Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up, and his plan instantly changed.
The tactic of delaying time immediately turned into creating a diversion and luring the enemy away. Moreover, he had never thought that he would have to fight face-to-face with Ying Shan so quickly.
Hence, when Ying Shan moved, he quickly shouted out.
"Quick, run!"
Then, without giving any opportunity for Ping Yang and Yan Xiu to speak, he pulled along the two people on his left and right and began to run. That demeanor was completely devoid of any hesitation and doubt.
The examinees who were prepared to watch a huge battle unfold at one side were instantly stunned.
If this was the combat examinations, wouldn’t running immediately when the battle began mean that one admitted defeat and was to be eliminated?
Can he not be so weak?
In any case, you are holding on to the Blazing Qilin Spear, one of the ten great treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty. If now isn’t the time to fight with all your might, when is? At the very least, why can’t you at least make a few jabs with the spear and run away when the situation turns dire?
Isn’t running away once the enemy comes like what you are doing now a little too shameless?
Will Fang Zhengzhi care about these things that didn’t cause any pain or discomfort?
Of course not.
Preserving his life was his greatest virtue. As for enlightenment during a battle or making a comeback, to hell with these! That’s forceful cheating.
"We are just making an exchange, can you at least show some sincerity? If you can’t accept one of the terms, we can always continue discussing. If the next one is rejected as well, there is always another one! Fighting and killing are never ways to resolve a problem..." As Fang Zhengzhi ran, he didn’t forget to shout out loudly.
"Alright, let’s sit together and talk this out nicely!" Ying Shan’s eyes were already somewhat bloodshot. The feeling of being shamed affected him deeply, hence, he gritted his teeth tightly.
"I feel that it is still better to maintain some distance. If you stop, I will definitely stop immediately." Fang Zhengzhi would definitely not fall for this trick.
"Hmph!" Ying Shan huffed coldly. He didn’t bother replying Fang Zhengzhi any further. The speed of his legs increased, instantly turning into a smoky shadow...
Ying Shan’s speed gave Fang Zhengzhi a huge shock.
Isn’t this a little too fast?
Luckily, I am prepared and learnt Yan Xiu’s Wind Shadow Technique so that I won’t be too slow either.
One chased, while the other ran.
Ying Shan’s territory naturally shifted a little towards Fang Zhengzhi’s position.
Nangong Mu, who was initially trapped within Ying Shan’s territory, regained some colour in his face. The pressure on his body also relaxed very evidently. His eyes were filled with a slight shock as the green and blue territory illuminated up and expanded.
Even if the rest of the examinees didn’t understand Fang Zhengzhi’s intention, it was impossible for him not to understand.
Only he knew how many intentions Fang Zhengzhi had.
Without further ado, and even without much hesitation, Nangong Mu turned around and leapt towards the position of the rock. The Green and Blue Dual Blades on his hands slashed towards the four black chains that sealed the golden sword.
The golden sword hilt was wrapped around by a golden dragon, whose faint golden glow illuminated the blade of the sword.
The chains that were able to seal such a sword naturally couldn’t be broken with any ordinary weapon. However, the swords on Nangong Mu’s hand were not ordinary weapons either.
They were treasures that were passed down through generations among the Nangong Nobles. The Green and Blue Dual Blades.
The Green and Blue Dual Blades, other than being the essential weapon for employing the Green and Blue Secret Art, was extremely sharp. Even among the weapon list of the Great Xia Dynasty, it ranked in the top thirty.
"Clang!" A crisp sound resounded.
A pinkie sized incision was made on the black chain.
Nangong Mu’s body trembled. Fresh blood spurted out of the wound on his chest, staining the robe he wore on his body red.
Such a movement naturally wouldn’t escape Ying Shan’s ears.
The figure that charged towards Fang Zhengzhi decelerated. Turning back his head, Ying Shan realised that Nangong Mu had raised his Green and Blue Dual Blades once again and slashed down with lightning speed.
"I see!" As the Vice Domain Chief among the ten domains, he was naturally well-versed with the arts of war. However, due to his rage, he fell for Fang Zhengzhi’s trick.
This struck another blow to his pride.
Fang Zhengzhi must die!
However, the more pressing problem now was to stop Nangong Mu from pulling out the sword.
Ying Shan instantly made a decision. Turning his body, the entire body once again charged towards Nangong Mu, who was standing on the rock. He simply didn’t bother with Fang Zhengzhi anymore.
Fang Zhengzhi always upheld a famous quote.
If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move. If the enemy moves... I will move around, anyhow!
Now that Ying Shan had moved towards Nangong Mu, he naturally couldn’t allow Ying Shan to reach Nangong Mu’s side as easy.
"Watch out for my hidden weapon!"