Martial King's Retired Life
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Martial King's Retired Life - Volume 13 Chapter 81
Daren Academy was an entity that isolated itself from the world. Although the students didn鈥檛 feel that way, the Confucianism guards prevented any non-affiliated members from ever entering. Xiang Baxian鈥檚 father was the academy鈥檚 personnel, so Xiang Baxian technically inherited his father鈥檚 post. Because they didn鈥檛 know the nature or severity of crime he was arrested for, most members of the academy weren鈥檛 surprised to see Xiang Baxian released and back at the academy.
Xiang Baxian鈥檚 temporary substitute wasn鈥檛 as experienced as he was in embezzlement, bribery and the sort, so Xiang Baxian promptly resumed his post.
Given how obedient Xiang Baxian now was to Su Xiao, he didn鈥檛 hesitate to switch suppliers. Hence, there was now Zheng Datong on arithmetic and Shi Weiliang on music.
鈥淩ight, what鈥檚 next?鈥?/p>
With his arms crossed, Wu Dayong had a think before answering, 鈥淚 reckon we should carefully choose our remaining team members because, based on my evaluation of myself, I suck at all the classics. Therefore, we need five more team members.鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng: 鈥淭ry telling us something we don鈥檛 know. Who should we pick for the remaining five topics?鈥?/p>
He Shi: 鈥淐lass is about to start. Let鈥檚 head back to class first. We can devise a plan after.鈥?/p>
While they were in class, Su Xiao squatted at the window until their class was over. 鈥淵ou guys are finally done!鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng smiled. 鈥淒idn鈥檛 expect this, but Shi Weiliang said we can use her family鈥檚 restaurant as a meeting spot after class. Let鈥檚 continue our strategy meeting there.鈥?/p>
鈥淩eally?!鈥?/p>
When she approached the group, Shi Weiliang bashfully said, 鈥淢y parents said they would support me in any way they could when they heard I was participating. They said they鈥檙e willing to cook for us until the competition, too.鈥?/p>
Wu Dayong effused, 鈥淲hy are we still here, then? Shi Weiliang鈥檚 restaurant is the premium type!鈥?/p>
鈥淪o pathetic,鈥?He Shi mocked as he nudged Wu Dayong鈥檚 shoulder. He then solemnly asked Shi Weiliang, 鈥淒o we get rice refills?鈥?/p>
At Eight Deities, their most perceptive person and best strategist opined first, 鈥淭here are five more contests. I feel that everyone left is fairly close in all five subjects. I can鈥檛 think of anyone who stands out in any particular subject.鈥?/p>
Maybe out of anger over the last accident, Wang Zi scoffed, 鈥淟et鈥檚 have an equestrian contest. I鈥檒l give you a three second head start.鈥?/p>
Wu Dayong: 鈥淚鈥檇 give him six!鈥?/p>
He Shi: 鈥淪even.鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng: 鈥淚 hope you all can walk the walk! Go compete if you鈥檙e so good!鈥?/p>
The three turned away and whistled.
Su Xiao chuckled. 鈥淚 guess that means you鈥檙e all fairly close in skill, then. I鈥檓 not very good at equestrian, either, although I can run faster than a horse now.鈥?/p>
Everyone else: 鈥溾€︹€?/p>
鈥淚 really am bad at equestrian, though. Keep going, Zhou Teng.鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng: 鈥淗uh? Oh, right. So, I was thinking we need to ask for assistance from external sources. Let鈥檚 fill the roles we can, and then we鈥檒l ask others to help for the ones we have no hope at, such as calligraphy and rites. We aren鈥檛 really that bad. I mean, we could get by if we competed.鈥?/p>
Wang Zi: 鈥淒on鈥檛 we have the academy鈥檚 self-proclaimed greatest scholar? Surely calligraphy wouldn鈥檛 be the slightest challenge for him.鈥?/p>
Everyone cast their gazes towards He Shi, everyone except for Wu Dayong, who queried, 鈥淲ho? Me?鈥?/p>
He Shi sighed and then kicked Wu Dayong. 鈥淎s much as I鈥檇 like to tell you I could win it, writing documents is only one facet of calligraphy, not to mention it is the event with the least weight among the six events. I鈥檓 confident when it comes to writing documents, but I bet Brother Zi Ang rivals my calligraphy abilities. That being the case, I鈥檓 not better than the other classes in calligraphy.鈥?/p>
Everyone heaved a big breath, everyone except Wu Dayong, who said, 鈥淚 know someone who鈥檚 pretty good at calligraphy.鈥?/p>
Everyone looked up and whacked Wu Dayong over the head. 鈥淭hen tell us!鈥?/p>
鈥淪how some respect for the smartest man in the room, please.鈥?Wu Dayong rubbed his head whilst telling them, 鈥淥ur class鈥檚 Mu Anan, duh.鈥?/p>
Everyone had an 鈥渁ha鈥?moment, everyone except Su Xiao, who questioned, 鈥淲ho?鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng politely reminded, 鈥淭he girl who wrote you the love letter.鈥?/p>
鈥淟ove letter? 鈥?鈥榊ou are My 14th July鈥?!鈥?An unnatural white tinge came to Su Xiao鈥檚 face.
He Shi bobbed his head. 鈥淚 do remember Mu Anan is an accomplished novelist and poet鈥?in a unique way. There鈥檚 quite a number of her works at the academy, but I don鈥檛 have the guts to read them, so I don鈥檛 know what her calligraphy standard is.鈥?/p>
鈥淪he鈥檚 great,鈥?asserted the self-proclaimed smartest man in the room. 鈥淚t was a respected calligrapher who recommended Mu Anan her to Principal Huang so that her talent wouldn鈥檛 go to waste. Surely Principal Huang wouldn鈥檛 accept her for her poems and novels, right? Surely.鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng clapped. 鈥淚 never knew you could be useful until now. Could we trouble our two ladies to speak to Mu Anan on our behalf?鈥?/p>
Shi Weiliang and Wang Zi exchanged eye contact, then looked to Su Xiao.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e needed鈥︹€?/p>
鈥淚f somebody would just wink, she鈥檒l jump on board.鈥?/p>
As Su Xiao was still stuck in 14th July, he didn鈥檛 notice the gazes on him.
Among everyone in the group, He Shi had the best grasp on rites, followed by Zhou Teng. The problem was that He Shi鈥檚 leg had yet to recover, so performing certain actions to a winning standard was impossible. Knowing this but not wanting to hurt He Shi鈥檚 feelings, Zhou Teng conveyed, 鈥淚 guess we have three events sorted, then. We won鈥檛 need outside aid for rites. I shall bravely volunteer.鈥?/p>
Wu Dayong: 鈥淥l鈥?He, we鈥檙e not downplaying your competence. Your leg isn鈥檛 100% yet, so you鈥檒l just lose even if you try. We only need to win four out of seven events, so let鈥檚 just consider it a handicap.鈥?/p>
Su Xiao patted He Shi on the shoulder. 鈥淲e understand.鈥?/p>
He Shi: 鈥淭hank you. Let鈥檚 just consider it a freebie for them.鈥?/p>
Shi Weiliang: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 win everything in life. Just consider it another trip on the journey.鈥?/p>
Wang Zi: 鈥淗eh, don鈥檛 worry about it. There are worse.鈥?/p>
Zhou Teng: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e all so good, why don鈥檛 you sign up?! Why are we giving them a free win?! How incompetent am I to you?! Hey! Looking at me when I鈥檓 talking!鈥?/p>
Following a brief detour from the competition discussion, Zhou Teng said, 鈥淐hariotry, archery and martial arts are the three events left to address, none of which are our specialties.鈥?/p>
Wang Zi raised her hand. 鈥淚 know how to fight.鈥?/p>
Coming from a family that operated a martial arts school, without Ming Feizhen, she鈥檇 be the best fighter in their class.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably not as good as Xiao Han, though. I鈥檓 a little better than the average person at archery and riding a horse, but I鈥檓 definitely not good enough to beat the freaks of Iron Head Palace.鈥?/p>
Wu Dayong: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 put people on a pedestal like that. Archery and chariotry aren鈥檛 martial arts disciplines. Heck, I鈥檝e even seen them ride a horse or shoot an arrow; they weren鈥檛 that impressive. I think they鈥檙e about your level. You might even be able to flog them if you spend a few days learning from an expert.鈥?/p>
鈥淲here are we going to find an expert wiling to teach all of a sudden? Besides, do you even know a reputable archery teacher?鈥?/p>
Wu Dayong had no response, so he turned to Su Xiao. 鈥淪u Xiao, you know anyone?鈥?/p>
鈥淯h鈥?I d-, wait. I do, actually.鈥?/p>
***
鈥淪o, that鈥檚 why you鈥檙e here to learn archery from me?鈥?Ye Luo couldn鈥檛 believe what she was hearing.
鈥淵eah,鈥?replied Su Xiao, beaming brightly. 鈥淚 shall be in your care!鈥?/p>
