Stepping through the school's main gate, Guan Heng followed the spacious Vermilion Gate all the way to the library in the depths of the secluded path. Gradually, he felt that something was wrong.
He was a nobody here. Aside from Xie Ziyou and Wu Cong, it was reasonable to say that he didn't know anyone here.
But along the way, he received a lot of strange looks. With Guan Heng's excellent hearing, he could hear people pointing and whispering from time to time not far away.
What were they talking about?
Could it be that he was famous now?
Just as Guan Heng was puzzled, a teenager with a high nose bridge, thick eyebrows, and big eyes walked toward him. His back was ramrod straight, and he held a roll of straw paper loosely in his hand.
Seeing Guan Heng from afar, he frowned and unfolded the paper to look at it. Then he compared it to Guan Heng's face, and a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes. He leaned sideways to put some distance between Guan Heng and Guan Heng. Then he tilted his head and spat on the ground as if there was a large garbage dump in front of him.
Guan Heng was speechless.
He had been holed up in the mountains for two years, so he knew that he was probably not in his prime.
But after all, he was Guan Jia's face for the marriage alliance. Even if he didn't take care of himself, he was still a wild and handsome young man. There was no way he would be so ugly that he would be spat on while walking.
Guan Heng quickened his pace and caught up with the teenager. He raised his hand and patted the teenager's shoulder. "Wait, classmate, I think … I haven't offended you, have I?"
"Slap!"
The thick-browed teenager slapped away Guan Heng's hand. His eyes were wide open. "Don't touch me!"
His reaction was unexpected. Guan Heng was stunned for a moment. He stretched out his hand for a few seconds, then helplessly dropped it.
The back of his hand was red.
"I don't know how you sneaked into the school." The teenager's voice was filled with uncontrollable anger, and his face was red. "We cultivate dutifully and walk the right path. Every bit of Xuan Li is obtained through our own hard work. No matter how high or low our cultivation is, we have a clear conscience."
"But you, you cultivate Devil Arts and rely on evil methods. Don't you feel ashamed?!"
Demonic arts?
Guan Heng was stunned in place and said in disbelief, "Who told you that I cultivated demonic arts?"
"Isn't that obvious?" The young man gritted his teeth, "In two years, an ordinary person who can't cultivate has become a fifth-level cultivator. If you didn't cultivate the demonic arts, is your Xuan Li blown by the wind?"
Guan Heng stared blankly at the youth, his eyes blank.
He had heard a little about the demonic arts in the past.
However, there were no real immortals in this world, nor were there real devils. There were only people who practiced different cultivation methods. Guan Heng knew that some cultivation methods were too cruel and brutal. When they were exposed, they were called devil cultivation methods. However, he could not understand why this accusation would fall on him out of nowhere.
Was it because he had improved too quickly, as if he had taken a shortcut?
The scorching sun scorched the earth. After being exposed to this kind of light for a long time, even one's scalp felt numb.
Hearing the quarrel between the two of them, the other students who were passing by gradually gathered around them, forming a human wall around the two of them.
"What are you arguing about? Who is this person? "
"It's Guan Heng! Haven't you heard? The one who cultivates the demonic arts. "
"Oh, Guan Heng! I just heard people talking about him … … is it him? He doesn't look like he cultivates the demonic arts. "
"Idiot, would a devil write that he is a devil on his forehead? Think with your toes, how can a normal person reach fifth-level in two years? "
"Maybe he signed a contract with some devil and sold his young and fresh body and soul … …"
"Oh, I get it. It's no wonder that everyone says that people who look like dogs are the ones with the most evil hearts … "
Public opinion could melt metal, and mosquitoes gathered to form thunder.
Guan Heng was surrounded by a large number of unfounded suspicions and accusations. More and more people gathered around him, and the discussion gradually expanded from whispers to loud and clear scientific explanations and attacks in public.
Saliva converged into an ocean, and the pointing fingers condensed into waves that covered the sky and earth, almost drowning the youth in the middle.
A blinding light shrouded his head, as if there was a furnace above his head. Layers of people blocked the flow of wind. Guan Heng lowered his head slightly, the fringe on his forehead lightly sliding down to cover his eyes.
His right hand that hung by his side trembled slightly. The back of his hand had been hit hard just now, and there was a red swelling that spread like vines.
After listening for a long time, Guan Heng slowly and lightly smiled.
"You say that I cultivate the demonic arts, do you have proof?"
The clamor like mosquitoes and flies suddenly stopped.
The surrounding crowd looked at each other, momentarily speechless.
But the melon-eating crowd had always heard about the melon, and did not care about the true cause of the matter. As long as jealousy and suspicion were rooted in everyone's human nature, Guan Heng would not be able to easily escape today.
Sure enough, not long after, someone in the crowd shouted loudly, "Then tell me, if you don't cultivate the demonic arts, how can your cultivation increase so quickly?"
Guan Heng felt that the voice was somewhat familiar.
The tips of his ears trembled slightly, and his mind quickly searched. He actually pulled out a figure from the depths of his memory, a person's name.
He hesitated, "… Zhao Youcai?"
The crowd was silent.
A few seconds later, someone squeezed through the crowd and walked up to Guan Heng with his head held high.
It was a youth with red lips and white teeth. His appearance was delicate and his eyes were clear and bright. He wore a blue brocade robe embroidered with silver thread, and the fine lines were like a swimming dragon's tail. Under the sunlight, the robe reflected silver light. His expression was flamboyant and pure.
"It's me," the young man replied. His eyes were filled with resentment and anger as he said in a deep voice, "Guan Heng, I really didn't expect that after not seeing you for two years, you would still step onto this evil path in the end."
Guan Heng did not know whether to laugh or cry. "What evil path?"
"It's what you said to me back then!"
Zhao Youcai stared at him with bright eyes and said in a clear voice, "Cultivation is so annoying. If I can't break the Barriers from Heaven by the age of sixteen, I might as well find some demonic arts to play with. Xie family, Guan Jia, they can all stand aside … and so on."
"… Can't you tell that I'm angry?"
"Angry words are the truth!"
Zhao Youcai put his hands on his waist and scowled. He originally had the posture of a shrew, but it forced him to put on the temperament of a handsome youth. Instead of saying that he was scolding, it was better to say that he was indignant and sad that his friend had been unfaithful.
The youth looked at Guan Heng and said bitterly, "Do you think I don't know you?"
"Our houses are only one street apart. Two years ago, you couldn't break the Barriers from Heaven, and I remember clearly how you ran around the city with a big rock on your back every day!"
"Guan Heng, tell me the truth. Where have you been these two years? Did the Guan Jia drive you away? Do you hate them and want to go back and take revenge by cultivating demonic arts? "
What kind of nonsense was this?
Guan Heng looked at the youth's determined expression and suddenly had a terrible headache.
The guy in front of him was from the Zhao Family, and was indeed his childhood playmate.
At that time, the Guan Jia had not developed to its current scale, and many places relied on the local tyrant, the Zhao Family.
The Zhao Family saw the potential of the Guan Jia and wanted to cultivate an affiliated family. The two families had a honeymoon period, and the patriarch took the lead to call each other brothers. Guan Heng was often dragged to play with Zhao Youcai.
At that time, he realized that although Zhao Youcai looked like a smart person, he was actually muddle-headed and honest on the inside. He was very easy to coax and believed everything that was said.
However, later on, with the rapid development of the Guan Jia, they gradually showed signs of surpassing the Zhao Family.
The Zhao Family felt threatened and their attitude towards the Guan Jia gradually turned cold. The two were restrained by their respective families and gradually cut off contact with each other.
"Zhao Youcai, Zhao Youcai," Guan Heng muttered in a low voice, "After so many years, you haven't improved at all. If you had a few more brains, you wouldn't be used as a tool today."
Zhao Youcai had been staring at Guan Heng. When he saw his lips move, he immediately said nervously, "What did you say? Louder, I can't hear you clearly. "
"… I'm praising you for being smart."
Guan Heng smiled bitterly and helplessly, his mind working quickly.
It was useless to reason with these people.
What's more, there was definitely a mastermind behind today's events. It was easy to smear someone's name, but difficult to explain. No matter how much Guan Heng said, he would probably only get a "Tsk" or a "Boring" from the crowd.
What Central Academy students? When it came to eating melons, they were no different from the aunties sitting on stools and eating melon seeds in the neighboring alleys.
With this thought, Guan Heng's eyes turned and he looked up at the group of students and said sincerely, "Come, since you all came to find me today, I'll talk to you about this so-called" Devil Arts "."
"In your hearts, how do you define the Devil Arts?"
"Is the cultivation process bloody and cruel, causing harm to other people or things, and using heartless methods to achieve a rapid increase in cultivation in a short period of time?"
Zhao Youcai thought for a moment and nodded seriously.
The whispers around them quieted down a lot and many people nodded thoughtfully.
Guan Heng smiled, his voice gradually softening as he earnestly said, "Therefore, if my cultivation process does not result in such a result, and if it can be promoted and reproduced, and is applicable to everyone present, then what I cultivate is not a demonic art. Is that right? "
— — To deal with this group of people who didn't care about making things bigger, the first step was to drag them into the water and make the situation closely related to them.
Sure enough, as soon as Guan Heng said this, the surrounding people immediately gasped and their expressions changed.
There was no cultivator who didn't desire to become stronger.
"It can be promoted?"
"What the hell? Really? I can also jump five levels in two years? "
"That's right." Guan Heng nodded.
Under the crowd's covetous gazes, he patted the hem of his lapel very easily and casually pinched his fingertips, creating a wisp of cool breeze.
Internal Force vibrated, like a long sword sweeping, immediately clearing a clean space on the ground.
The people closest to him felt a chill on their cheeks, as if a cool breeze had passed by them.
When they lowered their heads, a small layer of stone had been shaved off under their feet. The stone chips were blown away by the wind, revealing a clean cut surface, and their clothes and shoes were not damaged in the slightest.
The layman watched for the excitement, the expert watched for the skill.
As soon as this precise control of Internal Force was shown, many people in the crowd suddenly changed color.
Previously, there were so many of them that they forgot that Guan Heng, who they were cursing and threatening, was not an ordinary person, but a young, promising, and amazing expert.
Seeing this, Guan Heng casually smiled and sat down cross-legged in Shi Shiran.
"Come," he said easily, "Before I talk about my cultivation method, I'll tell you a story first."
… …
Xie Ziyou lifted the hem of her skirt and used her Internal Force, rushing like a cool breeze to the gate of the courtyard.
Previously, when he had just left, he had heard that Deacon's Hall had given Guan Heng a task card to pick a thousand Crafty Butterfly Orchids in seven days.
What bullsh * t!
The Crafty Butterfly Orchids in the back of the mountain were the dean's treasures. Raising them was troublesome, and picking them was even more arduous and unrewarding. With Guan Heng's current status as the dean's disciple, why would he need to do such a tedious task?
This was obviously another obstacle for the protagonist.
There was no need to guess who the mastermind was. Other than a certain guy with the surname Wu, Guan Heng did not know anyone else in the school.
Xie Ziyou suppressed her anger and hurried back to the courtyard to find You Qin. She asked her to bring Liu Shu and the others to the back of the mountain to pick the Crafty Butterfly Orchids.
After everything was arranged, Xie Ziyou walked out of the courtyard and heard another piece of unimaginable news — Guan Heng had been stopped at the entrance of the courtyard and was forced to give an explanation about the problem with the demonic arts.
Xie Ziyou was speechless.
What kind of protagonist was this? A troublemaker?
The System was also very helpless. "You, your Goldfinger mission is over. You don't need to worry about this anymore …"
"What do you know?" Xie Ziyou defended herself as she flew from pavilion to pavilion, "Good after-sales service is a necessary condition for a company to seize market share."
"Oh," the System was amused. "You, you just finished a part-time mission and you want to steal the job of a Goldfinger employee?"
Xie Ziyou's ears turned red. She pursed her lips and pretended not to hear it.
With a gust of wind under his feet, he leaped dozens of meters in a few leaps. Not long after, the magnificent vermilion gate of the academy came into view.
… Eh?
Xie Ziyou suddenly felt that something was wrong.
The crowd in front of him was sitting in a circle neatly, like stars surrounding the moon. The handsome young man was in the center.
It did not look like a crowd attack.
It looked like … they were playing with handkerchiefs?
…
"Woo, woo, woo …"
"Oh my god, this is too tragic!"
"A true warrior dares to face a bleak life, dares to face the dripping blood. I finally understand the meaning of this sentence …"
The sun moved to the west, and the shadows of the trees danced.
The hottest time of the day had passed. The wind brought the unique freshness of the evening. The blue sky was deep, and there was a trace of red clouds in the distant sky.
The people sitting on the ground raised their hands to block the sun and secretly shook their heads and wiped their tears.
Most of them were born rich and had focused on cultivation since young. A lot of resources were given to them, and they had to choose how to use them. Spirit herbs and pills were eaten and thrown away.
They did not know how miserable the poor children outside the aristocratic families lived.
Guan Heng selected and adapted his own experience, and told it in an exaggerated tone.
He was very eloquent, and he knew how to embellish and whet people's appetite. What was originally a simple story was full of twists and turns, and it was full of suspense. It was intoxicating.
The sense of immersion was very strong.
Xie Ziyou, who was listening from afar, was also very surprised.
He blinked his beautiful peach blossom eyes and said to the System in surprise, "How come I never knew that Guan Heng had this ability?"
"How could you not know?" The System reminded him, "He told you that he learned to sing and tell stories."
Xie Ziyou thought hard for a long time, and finally pulled out a few words from the depths of his memory. When he had just attached himself to the jade bracelet to get close to Guan Heng, the young man had said something similar, but …
"Wasn't that used to get information from me?"
Xie Ziyou was puzzled, "He also said that he knew how to butcher pigs."
The System indicated that it could only help Xie Ziyou recall, but it could not analyze for Xie Ziyou.
Xie Ziyou bit his lower lip, and with a light tap of his toes, he leaped onto the roof of a nearby attic.
There was an old tree beside the attic, and its branches and leaves trembled as it stretched out.
The green leaves swayed gently, forming a fresh umbrella to shield the young man who was carefully lying down on the roof, and secretly pricking up his ears.
Xie Ziyou looked at Guan Heng from afar.
His nose was handsome, and his eyes were as bright as stars. The young man's mouth was slightly raised, as if he was smiling all the time.
The bright golden sunlight dyed his shiny black hair with a layer of floating light. The light was also reflected in his eyes, bright like a flame that would never be extinguished.
"… That's good."
The System asked, "What's good?"
Xie Ziyou's Fair Complexion rested his chin on the back of his hand, and used his slender left index finger to point at Guan Heng from afar.
"You see, he's willing to talk about his past. Doesn't that mean that he's walking out of that experience?"
It was the same with storytelling.
For the past two years, the young man had been trying to separate his past from reality.
He did not want to show these skills in front of You, because those were the skills he learned to please Xie Xiannu, and his history as a tool for the marriage between the Guan Jia and the Guan Jia.
"He should have let it go by now."
Xie Ziyou said softly, and his eyebrows gradually curved, and his peach blossom eyes overflowed with a gratified smile.
A cool breeze blew on his face, like a soft and holy feather, slowly drifting in the air and landing on his soft heart.
"… But I don't think so." The System said softly.
Being questioned, Xie Ziyou was stunned.
"Why?"
The System said, "Didn't you notice? Guan Heng's story has been told in a tragic direction, and there are many places where he uses artistic methods to exaggerate it. "
"But there's a part, which should have been the most tragic part, that he's deliberately avoiding."
"Is that so?" Xie Ziyou was doubtful, "It's already tragic, isn't it?"
"You!"
The System said helplessly, "Think about it carefully."
"About the part where his father, the head of the Guan Jia, asked You Qin to kill him … Did he say anything about it?"
On the wall, Xie Ziyou looked lost, and he held his chin, deep in thought.
As a bystander of the banishment, Xie Ziyou naturally knew the whole story.
But in the hearts of the audience in front of Guan Heng, the story was whatever Guan Heng said.
Especially for Zhao Youcai, who was sitting closest to Guan Heng, every brick and tile, every street and alley, was the place where he lived in his hometown.
As the young man listened to Guan Heng's narration, he felt as if he was there, and he could not help but imagine that everything that Guan Heng said had happened to him. His father did not love him, his grandfather did not love him, the servant girl he had taken care of for many years poisoned his food, and he was chased for thousands of miles …
As he thought about it, Zhao Youcai's eyes turned red.
He carefully moved closer to Guan Heng, and looked at Guan Heng's chiseled face, and said sadly, "Big Brother Guan, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were living such a miserable life …"
Guan Heng smiled lightly, and did not say anything.
It was indeed miserable, but it was more exaggerated. At least the part about Youyou was cut out — he would not reveal all the secrets hidden in his heart.
"If I had known that Guan Jia would treat you like this, I would have brought you to my house."
Zhao Youcai blinked his bright and round almond-shaped eyes, and said sincerely, "Who does Guan Jia think he is? Big Brother Guan, why don't you come home with me during the holidays? I'll call some servants, and we'll go to Guan Fu to seek justice! "
"… No need."
Guan Heng did not know whether to laugh or cry.
This guy was really easy to coax.
How did the Zhao Family train their successor? Weren't they afraid that he would be kidnapped on the streets?
Guan Heng patted the young man's shoulder to comfort him, and then lowered his head, and whispered in the young man's ear,
"There's no need to go home. You just have to tell me who told you that I cultivated the Devil Arts, and you'll be doing me a great favor. "
"Okay!"
Zhao Youcai did not hesitate, and immediately said, "It was Wu Cong, Senior Brother Wu!"
Guan Heng nodded in understanding, and his eyes gradually darkened, as if there were dark waves surging in the deep sea, rising and falling under the curtain of night.
It really was him.
His guess was right, Wu Cong really did have a backup plan.
If he did not return to the academy today, and instead stayed in the deserted back mountain picking grass for seven days, after seven days, who knew how many people would hear the rumors, and what kind of rumors would be spread by those people.
Today, they could say that Guan Heng cultivated the Devil Arts, and the day after tomorrow, they could say that he ate human flesh, and the day after that, they could say that he was the reincarnation of the Devil Child.
After all, cultivators were just special mortals, and they also had seven emotions and six desires. Rumors and slanders always killed people without leaving a trace. No matter how high one's cultivation was, as long as one was still in the mortal world, they would inevitably be tormented by these rumors.
Guan Heng slightly closed his eyes, and his mind was working quickly.
Wu Cong had been in the Central Academy for a long time, and it could be said that he could cover the sky with one hand.
If he deliberately spread the rumors, he would not be able to compete with him by just relying on a bitter story.
Moreover, not everyone would be convinced by the pitiful story, and not everyone liked to listen to stories.
While Guan Heng was thinking carefully, an impatient voice came from the crowd:
"Hey, Guan Heng, are you done with the story? Where is the cultivation method you talked about? "
Several people around him immediately agreed.
Guan Heng slightly raised his head, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.
The second step in dealing with the onlookers was to change the topic, secretly change the concept, and replace the original focus with a new question, and use the situation to coerce and entice.
The corner of the youth's mouth rose little by little, and a faint and confident smile appeared. He raised his right hand straight, and raised three fingers, pointing straight at the sky.
"My cultivation method has a total of three points."
"First, train in the depths of the mountains where there are few people. Dig up the spirit plants that grow by absorbing the essence of the world, cook them with a special method, and absorb them into the body."
Immediately, someone disagreed: "My family sells spirit plants. I've eaten more spirit plants since I was young than all of you eat rice. Why can't I jump to the fifth level in two years?"
Guan Heng shook his head.
"I'm talking about natural spirit plants. Don't use the things you accelerate to make up the numbers."
"Your family sells spirit plants. Even if it's under the guise of natural spirit plants, how many of them are natural spirit plants? Is it even ten percent? "
"You!" That person said angrily, "Don't slander …"
"Whether or not I'm slandering you, go home and ask your parents." Guan Heng said in a low voice, and his tone was unyielding. "This student, in front of all the potential customers, don't ask questions that expose the quality of your family's products."
"…"
That person was choked, and his face turned red. He stared at Guan Heng and silently opened his mouth, but in the end, he could not say anything like "My family never adulterates the things we sell."
He could only sullenly sit back down with trembling lips.
"I'll continue to talk about the next point." Guan Heng said.
"Second, fight with wild mystical beasts with real swords and spears, regardless of the consequences, regardless of life or death. I recommend a place where people rarely go, like Luo Ling."
The surrounding people sucked in a breath of cold air. This time, there were even more people who were dissatisfied.
Someone shouted in disbelief: "How is this cultivation? You're asking us to throw away our lives!"
"You can't say that." Guan Heng smiled and patted his chest, "Look at me. Didn't I also survive?"
"… You're different from us!"
Guan Heng raised his eyebrows: "How are we different?"
"We both have two eyes, one mouth, two arms, two legs. If I can do it, why can't you?"
"…"
The indignant voices in the crowd had just started, but they could not think of how to continue for a while, so they withered away sullenly.
Guan Heng let out a long sigh.
"But you're right." The teenager said righteously, "We are indeed different."
"I'm not talented. I only broke through the Barriers from Heaven two years ago."
"But when everyone here was born, someone helped you clear your meridians. You began to condense Elixir at the age of three or five, broke through the first stage at six or seven, and broke through the second stage at the age of ten. At my age, I was at least a third stage cultivator. Am I right?"
Guan Heng chuckled and rubbed his nose in self-mockery.
"Your starting line is already farther than the end line of most people in the world. But now, why are you inferior to me? "
The whole circle was silent.
After a few seconds, someone cautiously asked: "… Why?"
The corner of Guan Heng's mouth raised slightly, and the light in his eyes shone brightly.
An invisible pressure suddenly erupted from his tall and thin body and spread to the whole audience.
In an instant, everyone felt as if a strong wind had swept across their faces. Everyone was shocked, and their faces were scraped painfully by the pressure.
"Because you're not. Ruthless. Enough."
The teenager said each word clearly and powerfully.
The whole audience was silent.
"About this, does anyone have any questions?"
Guan Heng supported himself with one hand and slowly got up. His ridiculously long legs were casually propped up. His lean calves were a healthy wheat color, and the lines were smooth. There were no obvious muscles, but they faintly contained an extremely strong explosive force.
This time, no one questioned his words.
"If not, I'll say the last one."
Guan Heng's mouth held a smile. His voice was calm, but it was like Hwang Jong-dae Rok, shocking everyone.
"If you want to become stronger, leave the family first."
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