Chapter 321: Chapter 276 Short Spear
"Hehe."
Situ Zhi chuckled softly, speaking gently, "So, what you mean is, if I don’t cooperate, you and your superiors—the ones standing behind the shadow wall right now, eavesdropping and spying—will throw me into the Stone Coffin Forest?"
"We don’t wish to see that happen either." The interrogator did not deny that supervisors from the garrison were listening in and observing. He calmly said, "Initially, the Stone Coffin makes one feel as if each day is a year. They feel completely bound and unable to move, subconsciously cursing loudly and making threats, their words filled with the utmost vulgarity.
Soon after, the person inside the Stone Coffin will begin to beg for mercy. They’ll plead just to move their limbs a little, to see a bit of light, or to have someone to talk to. They would be willing to pay any price for relief from the Stone Coffin.
In the end, only loneliness and despair remain in the Stone Coffin. They will pray over and over again for someone to open it and drag them back to the interrogation room.
Unfortunately, more than eighty percent of people never get this opportunity. They will remain in the Stone Coffin until the very last moment of their lives."
Situ Zhi’s smile gradually faded. Tilting his head, he gazed at the interrogator and slowly said, "You have no idea what you’re facing, nor do you know what you’re about to experience. It’s like a spoiled child, completely unaware of the dangers lurking beyond the confines of their home."
"Then tell us," the interrogator said immediately. "You don’t have a strong hatred for Yu Country, you’re not driven by faith, and you have no reason to persist. Even being locked up here is ten thousand times better than the Stone Coffin. Who is helping you? What are you scheming in the shadows?"
"Heh." Situ Zhi shook his head. "You’re right. I don’t hate Yu Country, nor do I have any faith in Haotian or any other deities. However, I’m very clear on one thing: compared to their methods, loneliness and despair are not to be feared. Take me to the Stone Coffin."
---
A light rain drizzled from the sky, the air permeated with the scent of damp earth and vegetation.
The martial arts contest continued.
A temporary wooden canopy, augmented by a Water Avoidance Talisman to shield from the rain, had been erected over the spectator stands. Since it was currently vacation time, the number of spectators was even greater than before.
CLANG!
The sound of weapons clashing rang out. A Zhou Kingdom student flew out of the arena, his feet skidding several times on the grass to halt his retreat before he angrily threw his shield to the ground.
His opponent, Pei Jing, exhaled a turbid breath and walked down from the arena slowly. While accepting a cotton cloth from a friend to wipe the dust from his Canghai Sword, he nodded towards his opponent as a sign of respect.
"Pei Silang has improved greatly," Yang Yu remarked from the spectator stands. "It’s only been a few days, yet his sword control is effortless, and his Sword Intent is unbroken and endless. If this were a few days ago, even if he could have defeated his opponent, it certainly wouldn’t have been as smooth and easy as it is now."
"After all, actual combat is the best teacher." Li Wei sighed, somewhat regretfully. "It’s just a pity that my Cultivation isn’t high enough. Opportunities for exchange with cultivators from different countries are rare; it’s a real shame to miss out this time. Who knows how many years it will be until the next one."
While they chatted casually, the sound of footsteps approached from behind the stands. Li Leqing turned her head, somewhat surprised. "Fourth Brother?"
"Prince Yue."
Everyone stood up. Prince Yue, Li Hui, waved his hand amicably. "Let’s not use ’Your Highness’ in the Academic Palace. ’Senior’ or ’Brother’ sounds much better."
Having not seen him in a long time, Li Hui seemed to have become even more rotund. He had a plump and fair appearance that, for some reason, didn’t come off as greasy—perhaps due to the handsome face inherited from the Li Royal Family. A handsome, chubby fellow.
"Risheng, this is from the Yan Family’s Eldest Son for you. I just happened to bump into him at the entrance of the Academic Palace and brought it along," Li Hui gestured to his subordinate, who brought over a long wooden box and handed it to Li Ang.
"Thanks..." Li Ang took the long wooden box, then hesitated a moment. "Brother."
"That’s more like it." Li Hui smiled, pulling out a stack of wedding invitations from his robes and handing them out. "My wedding is the day after the Qiqiao Festival, on the eighth day of the seventh month, at Furong Garden. Try your best to come, everyone."
The Qiqiao Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, is, in a sense, Yu Country’s Valentine’s Day.
"We’ll definitely be there." Yong Hongzhong and the others solemnly accepted the invitations. They were well aware that Li Hui was Emperor Yu’s most doted-upon son. The upcoming wedding promised to be as grand as the Crown Prince’s wedding during the Holy Empress’s time, perhaps even more luxurious. As Li Leqing’s friends, their attendance wouldn’t imply they were taking Prince Yue’s side. Besides, it would be a good opportunity to experience such a grand event.
"Next to enter the arena, from the third year of Zaiqian at the Academic Palace, Li Ang!"
The announcer’s voice resonated from the Martial Arts Arena, immediately drawing the crowd’s attention towards Li Ang. Murmurings rose from the distant stands.
"It’s my turn." Li Ang nodded slightly to his friends, picked up the wooden box, and made his way through the aisles toward the arena below.
"Could it really be him?"
"Who else? There are many with the same name, but only one from the third year of Zaiqian."
"He’s reached the Rain Listening Realm too? But even at the Initial Stage of Rain Listening, he probably won’t get very far in the martial arts contest..."
Whispers filled the stands on either side. Li Ang ignored the sideline chatter and arrived at the base of the arena. He exchanged greetings with Ren Xin, who was acting as the judge for the day, then placed the wooden box on the table and lifted the lid.
Since Bian Chenpei, a disciple from Taihao Mountain, had smuggled in a Starfall Mind Artifact with terrible consequences, the Martial Arts Arena had imposed a temporary rule. This rule prohibited contestants from carrying overpowered weapons.
"Hmm?" Ren Xin glanced into the box and saw that it contained not a Telekinesis Control Device, but a short spear.
A Triangular Spear.
"A Doctor from the Forging Workshop helped me craft this spear previously," Li Ang explained. "The day before yesterday, I commissioned a craftsman from the Duke Yan Mansion to modify it, adding some weight and special designs. It shouldn’t violate any rules, right?"
"It’s not against the rules," Ren Xin replied with curiosity, "but Risheng, aren’t you mainly studying Mind Study and Talismanic Studies? Aren’t you carrying any other Telekinesis Control Devices or talismans?"
"No need for now," Li Ang shook his head. The initial few rounds of the martial arts contest would pair him with opponents at a similar level: those at the Initial Stage of Rain Listening. If I can’t easily overpower them, then I can forget about teaching Bian Chenpei a lesson. For now, a single Short Spear is enough.
"There’s no need for an introduction for Li Ang. His opponent this time is from Taihao Mountain, Gao Xiangming."
With the announcer’s words, a slender-looking youth stood up from among the Taihao Mountain students and walked towards the arena.