Martial King's Retired Life

“Damn slimeballs,” Tang Ye muttered under his breath.

“You’re no better than them!” brayed Che Gulu, who continued trying to keep scoring as a one-man team.

Seeing the tables turn in their favour, Ling Shaoxuan cockily said, “What happened? What happened? I told you there’s no hope for you! I gave you a chacee to submit to me, but you chose to embarrass yourselves. I truly feel sorry for you pitiful worms.”

“Brother Ling, there is no need to add insult to injury. Don’t burn bridges in the pugilistic world,” casually urged Xun Feng.

“Insult to what, Brother Feng?”

“Injury.”

“Where are they hurt?”

“In their feelings.”

“Hahaha!” Ling Shaoxuan slapped himself on the thigh. “Monks of Cold Mountain Temple are truly different. I’ll ignore the fools, then.”

Bai Yumo giggled until she saw Tang Ye’s scary gaze, prompting her to duck behind Xun Feng.

“What now, Tang Ye?!” questioned Su Xiao, continuing to hinder Che Gulu.

Che Gulu: “If you’re angry with them, shoot their arrows! Why are you targeting me?!”

Tang Ye had a good hold over his emotions, but the smugness of Xun Feng’s trio lit a fire under him. “I have a plan.”

“’Where the head goes, the body goes’ is a universal principle.”

“Their head?”

“Leave it to me. You learnt martial arts from Big Bro; I learnt experience. How are we going to help Vice-Captain Shen build another Liu Shan Men after we leave the capital if these scoundrels are too much for us?”

Tang Ye never had the same attachment to his identity as a constable of Liu Shan Men compared to Su Xiao, so Su Xiao was ecstatic, more ecstatic than winning the competition, to hear Tang Ye declare himself a part of Liu Shan Men.

“Good stuff! I knew you’d come around! I’m counting on you!” Su Xiao gave a big nod, then shot another arrow, knocking down another arrow Che Gulu tried to sneak past them.

Che Gulu hurled his bow aside. “I’m done!”

Tang Ye entrusted it all to Su Xiao with a nod, stopped shooting and gazed over to Xun Feng’s clique. Once he had an idea, he lowered his bow to use his hands as a speakerphone. “Ling Shaoxuan, have you no shame, speaking to us after stealing underwear?!”

It went without saying that Daren Academy’s scholars were incensed. How could they accept there being such a shameless pervert amongst their rank of elegant scholars? Nonetheless, Young Master Ling had to been to every brothel in the land and been put on the spot on big occasions plenty of times. He finished his shots, hitting all the boards he aimed at, leisurely lowered his bow and then responded, “How could you broke peasants understand the attraction we accomplished ones do?”

Ling Shaoxuan most certainly was shameless, but he was indubitably suave in his mannerisms.

Tang Ye added, “Not only did you steal, but you stole a man’s underwear.”

The crowd went from silent to clamouring instantly. Ling Shaoxuan nearly misfired his arrow at Xun Feng’s dome.

Xun Feng yelled, “Brother Ling, careful!”

During the commotion, Tang Ye shot three arrows, hitting three target boards.

“Sorry, sorry.” After Ling Shaoxuan apologised to Xun Feng, he turned to Tang Ye. “Oi, don’t slander my good name! Wh-wh-when did you ever see me steal a man’s underwear?”

“You’re absolutely certain you never stole, correct?”

“Never! Absolutely never! I swear to the heavens I am an upright man.”

Xun Feng tugged Ling Shaoxuan’s sleeve and, in a quiet voice, urged, “Drop it! Focus on defending! You’ve fallen for his ploy!”

Ling Shaoxuan shook Xun Feng off. “I still have to clear my name even if I fell for his ploy! How am I supposed to show my face in the capital if this gets out?”

Tang Ye scored another four points while the duo argued.

Realising they were in trouble if nothing changed, Xun Feng reached for his bow to stop Tang Ye, only to hear the latter add, “I, Constable Tang of Liu Shan Men, saw you steal underwear with both eyes. You still think you can weasel your way out?”

“Who gives a toss about a lowly constable! What proof do you have?! Please do not believe his lies. Oi, I can report you, you know!”

“You can stop resisting. How come Brother Yang from the next-door class lost his underwear? How come it happened on the same day you peeked on him washing?”

“That’s absolute nonsense! I peeked on a guy with the surname Jiang!” Only after he blurted it did Ling Shaoxuan realise he dug his own grave. “I-I meant that I happened to pass by and…”

Lan Jiqiong, watching from the audience area, roared, “I personally chased you over that! You claim it’s a lie?!”

Lan Jiqiong had to give up on arresting Ling Shaoxuan that day due to Ling Shaoxuan’s identity and failing to catch him red handed.

“No, no, no, Brother Jiang personally invited me to watch! It’s love!”

When those acquainted with Brother Jiang, who was at the front row, looked to him, he frantically explained, “Don’t look at me! I never said anything like that! Y-you shameless freak! Forget violating me like that; you would even frame me?!”

“Forget it?”

No matter who asked the rhetorical question, it immediately increased the quality of the rumours.

Not only was Ling Shaoxuan heartbroken from the betrayal, but he also struggled to find the words to rescue himself.

“You’re dancing to his tune, Brother Ling!” exclaimed Xun Feng.

How was Xun Feng’s voice going to reach Ling Shaoxuan when his mother’s voice probably couldn’t have reach him even if she tried.

Xun Feng took in a deep breath and using his school’s Lion’s Roar, thundered, “Please give us some silence!” overpowering the combined voices of the spectators to reinstate order. He subsequently continued, “Please do not listen to Tang Ye’s fibs. This is blatant disrespect for the traditional idol contest. He is clear to see he is deliberately trying to mislead you onto an unvirtuous path. He…”

Tang Ye obtained a few more points, finally overtaking Che Gulu to take first place. “Strange. Monk Xun Feng, you seem adamant about sheltering him. Are you two in some sort of relationship that can’t see the light of day?”