Chapter 172: The Round-Faced Fool
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“Does it concern the Cultivation World Grand Competition?” Master Jie Tan asked.
Master Jie Chen shook his head.
Master Jie Tan smiled faintly. “Everything is predestined. Let it unfold naturally.”
Jie Chen nodded and continued turning the Buddha Beads in his hands.
After a long pause, he couldn’t help but speak again. “Senior Brother, I suspect it’s Silence causing trouble outside.”
A month ago, Silence had requested to go ahead alone to the Aspiration Pavilion. Jie Chen disapproved, but Silence’s incessant nagging eventually wore him down, and he reluctantly agreed.
The moment Silence left, Jie Chen regretted his decision.
Silence hadn’t practiced Silent Meditation long enough; his temperament was unstable and prone to losing control. If he got into an argument with someone…
Hiss.
The thought alone was too disturbing for Jie Chen to entertain further.
Jie Tan’s expression remained serene. “Junior Brother, you’re overthinking. Silence is imbued with Buddhist virtue. He can surely control his emotions with ease.”
Jie Chen hesitated, his lips twitching as though he wanted to say more.
He felt his Senior Brother didn’t truly understand Silence. When Silence got angry, his mouth reacted faster than his mind. If Silence could exercise restraint, he wouldn’t have been made to practice Silent Meditation in the first place.
But seeing Jie Tan already closing his eyes to chant scriptures, Jie Chen decided not to disturb him further. He could only bottle up his concerns.
…
Meanwhile, Tang Rui jumped down from the second floor, landing directly in front of Silence. The two faced off.
“You bald donkey, say that again! I’ll skin you alive and use your hide for lamp oil!” Tang Rui bellowed.
“Round-faced fool, dumb and pale, better bow and quickly bail!” Silence immediately crafted another rhyming insult.
The rhyme was so catchy that the onlookers couldn’t help but silently repeat it to themselves several times, stifling laughter as their faces flushed with effort.
Tang Rui’s pale face turned an alarming shade of green. Infuriated, he drew three flying needles from his belt, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. “You bald donkey, I’ll kill you!”
“Stop!”
Just as Tang Rui was about to release the needles, a cultivator clad in the robes of the Aspiration Pavilion appeared swiftly on the scene.
He scanned the crowd, his mere presence exuding authority without a trace of spiritual energy. Yet, there was a palpable sense of danger about him.
The crowd quickly understood: this man must be a Nascent Soul Elder of the Aspiration Pavilion.
Tang Rui realized the man’s identity too and dared not act recklessly, though his frustration was palpable.
“Senior, I didn’t start this! It was that bald monk who insulted me first!” Tang Rui protested.
The Nascent Soul Elder turned to Silence.
Clad in white robes and wearing a look of compassionate sorrow, Silence truly resembled an enlightened monk when silent.
Under the elder’s sharp gaze, Silence offered no explanation. Instead, he calmly performed a Buddhist gesture. “Amitabha. This humble monk Silence greets the senior.”
The elder’s expression softened immediately. But when he turned back to Tang Rui, his gaze grew sharp and menacing.
“Slandering others adds to your offense. If you cause trouble again, you’ll be expelled from Flame Blazing City and barred from the competition.”
Tang Rui wanted to cry but couldn’t. He dared not argue with a Nascent Soul Elder, so he had no choice but to accept the scolding, though he silently cursed Silence and Yu Zhao in his heart.
Silence deserved to die. And the woman accompanying him deserved the same fate.
Tang Rui swore that if he encountered them in the individual matches, he would make them understand the meaning of living hell.
…
Above in the teahouse, Yao Ji and Ten Thousand Slayer were equally infuriated with Silence.
He had insulted them so brazenly in front of so many people. If they let this slide, their reputations would be trampled into the ground, leaving them to be devoured by others without a shred of dignity remaining.
Naturally, Yu Zhao was also added to their growing list of targets.
Since she was clearly allied with Silence, eliminating her along with him was the only way to root out the problem entirely.
Unaware that she had gained three more mortal enemies, Yu Zhao left the chaotic scene with Silence after the Aspiration Pavilion elder departed.
With previous events as a lesson, the crowd dared not tease or block the pair. They could only watch with complicated expressions as the two walked away, their gaze lingering on Silence’s imposing figure, which left an indelible mark in their minds.
Once they had left the city, Silence suddenly stopped and looked apologetic. “The three I confronted earlier are not virtuous people. I fear they may also resent you because of my actions. That is my fault.”
His earlier outburst had been satisfying, but as he calmed down, he began to regret it. If he were alone, it would have been no issue. However, Yu Zhao had been by his side, and with the temperament of those three, she had likely become their enemy as well—dragged into trouble she hadn’t caused.
Yu Zhao responded calmly, “Master Silence, you need not worry. I would have clashed with them sooner or later. This only changes the timing, not the outcome.”
Silence was taken aback. “You’re not here for the sect competition but the individual competition?”
“Yes.”
“But…” He wanted to question why she, clearly a disciple of a sect, was not competing on behalf of her sect. However, recalling their brief acquaintance, he swallowed his words.
Yu Zhao had no intention of explaining. “Let’s continue. I need to reach Aspiration Pavilion before the individual competition registration closes.”
“Alright.”
Although Yu Zhao seemed unbothered, Silence still felt guilty for the potential trouble he might have brought upon her. As a result, he became noticeably quieter during their journey, complying with her lead without much conversation.
After two days of continuous travel, they finally arrived at Aspiration Pavilion just before sunset. Outside the pavilion’s mountain gate, a long queue stretched in orderly lines. Shouts, exclamations, and muffled thuds blended into a cacophony of noise.
“May I ask, are you here for the individual competition or the sect competition?”
The unusual pairing of Yu Zhao and Silence naturally drew attention wherever they went. A disciple from Aspiration Pavilion approached them soon after they stopped.
“Individual competition,” replied Yu Zhao.
“Sect competition,” answered Silence simultaneously.
Their contrasting answers stunned the disciple momentarily. So, they weren’t together after all.
“Senior Brother, please wait a moment.” The disciple called another to assist. “Take this Senior Brother to your sect’s resting area.”
“Yes, this way, Senior Brother,” the newly arrived disciple said, gesturing for Silence to follow.
Silence glanced at Yu Zhao, who gave him a reassuring nod. Bowing deeply, he clasped his hands together in farewell before following the disciple.
Yu Zhao, on the other hand, was directed to join the line for individual competitors. The registration process involved an initial screening, determined by the hosting sect. For this year’s competition, Aspiration Pavilion required participants to strike a Copper Bell and undergo a bone-age test. Only those who succeeded in ringing the bell could proceed with their registration.
Renowned for their expertise in artifact crafting, Aspiration Pavilion’s bells were not ordinary. Even the weakest bell required Foundation Establishment (late stage) to ring. Furthermore, the clarity and resonance of the bell’s sound served as a measure of the competitor’s strength. Only those capable of producing a long and clear sound would stand out.
Standing at the end of the line, Yu Zhao used her divine sense to scan the process and understood it immediately. Striking the Copper Bell posed no challenge for her; her concern now was how to make the sound resonate longer and travel farther.
With each muffled clang, the line moved forward. Occasionally, disheartened cultivators left with sighs, their disappointment spreading unease among those still waiting. Some were so nervous that their palms sweated, dampening their robes.
Finally, a resonant clang rang out.