Chapter Forty-Seven: Rumors Take Flight

The moon had not yet risen high when Chen Bo collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. The exhaustion from the day weighed heavily upon him, and the lingering effects of yesterday’s excessive drinking only made it worse. His head was muddled, and as the breeze drifted in through the window, his drowsiness deepened until he surrendered entirely to sleep.

When Chen Bo awoke the following morning, everything seemed perfectly ordinary, as if nothing at all had transpired the day before. It was almost as though the deadly duel arranged the previous night had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.

Yet, in his heart, Chen Bo knew full well that his method of cultivation was unlike anyone else’s in this world. While others toiled relentlessly at their training day after day, Chen Bo’s only path to strength lay in consuming elixirs or devouring skill books. Of course, rare treasures and miraculous herbs could also serve his needs.

All was peaceful on his end, but outside, a storm was brewing. The news was simply too sensational: on one side was Chen Bo, the so-called talentless upstart who had recently become the talk of the academy for allegedly cheating his way in; on the other, the eldest son of the Lord of Tianyang City.

To complicate matters further, the greatest laughingstock of the City Lord’s mansion, Guo Zi’ang, had somehow become involved as well. Alongside him were two mysterious young lords from the capital, and it was rumored that even Yu Xiner had inexplicably been drawn into the affair.

“Have you heard? That Chen Bo, the one who can’t cultivate, is going to have a life-or-death duel with some guy named Long! Apparently, this Long fellow is from the same clan as Chen Bo and even shares a blood tie with him.”

“Really? But I don’t think Chen Bo is an idiot. Why would he agree to a death match? I don’t know exactly what level this Long is at, but he could definitely crush Chen Bo. Is Chen Bo insane, agreeing to something like this?”

“I heard it was Guo Liu from the Guo family who couldn’t stand Chen Bo, so he made his lackey—this Chen Long—fight a duel to the death with him.”

“There are so many suspicious points here. Why would Chen Bo agree to a duel? Don’t tell me it was just a moment of recklessness. To fall from being a genius to a nobody without losing his mind—he’s definitely not the impulsive type.”

“This fellow makes a good point. And why does Guo Liu have a problem with Chen Bo? Plus, Guo Zi’ang is involved now, but he’s actually taking Chen Bo’s side. Is this a case of like attracting like?”

“You lot are really out of touch! I’ve got a bombshell of a scoop here. Want to hear it?”

As speculation and gossip buzzed through the streets, a sudden shout drew everyone’s attention. Students and mentors alike, hurrying along, paused to see what was going on.

The speaker was a man of short stature, his small eyes darting about like a rodent’s, with an air of slyness that made him instantly untrustworthy.

Someone recognized him and scoffed, “Damn, it’s you again? Don’t tell me you’ll only spill the news if we pay you off!”

The little man grinned wickedly, then put on a serious face. “Old Bao, why must you speak such harsh truths? Would I ever say that I’ll only reveal the inside story if I’m given fifty spirit stones?”

“Damn! I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you! Are you going to talk or not? If not, we don’t even care to listen!”

“Hey, hey, hey! What’s your problem? Is it fun to ruin my business? If you don’t want to hear it, get lost!” The dwarf was angry; earning a few spirit stones wasn’t easy.

“What’s all this noise?” Out from the crowd strode a dashing young man in luxurious attire. He took out fifty low-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch and tossed them at the dwarf. “Enough with the nonsense, just tell us already!”

“Ahem! Since Young Master Liu has given me this honor, I won’t stand on ceremony. Everyone, allow me to explain in detail.”

“I happened to be nearby when Chen Bo and Guo Liu had their argument. I remember every word they said! I spent all last night sorting out the details. While I’m telling the story, please let me finish—give me just a little respect.”

He cleared his throat and continued, “Actually! There’s a deep and complicated romance between Chen Bo and our academy’s belle, Yu Xiner!”

At this, the crowd gaped in disbelief, but the storyteller had anticipated it. “I heard Guo Liu tell Chen Bo to stay away from Yu Xiner, because he had his sights set on her.”

“But Chen Bo and Yu Xiner’s feelings for each other must run deep. Chen Bo cursed Guo Liu to his face, leaving him utterly humiliated.”

“Enraged, Guo Liu wanted nothing more than to kill Chen Bo, but he couldn’t act personally without breaking the rules. So he used that fool Chen Long to challenge Chen Bo to a duel to the death!”

“If someone were trying to steal your woman, what man wouldn’t fight back? Even though Chen Bo knew he wasn’t a match for Chen Long, he stood up for Yu Xiner and accepted the one-sided duel!”

“Guo Zi’ang is Chen Bo’s sworn brother. I don’t know how they became brothers, but brothers always stick up for each other! So Guo Zi’ang stepped in. Guo Liu and Guo Zi’ang have been at odds since childhood, and the two started brawling.”

“It was a battle for the ages! Guo Liu was no match for Guo Zi’ang and was beaten so badly his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him!”

“Seeing their master beaten, Guo Liu’s followers tried to intervene, but on Guo Zi’ang’s side were Bai Ge and Dugu Yixiao, two of the most exceptional new students. They quickly flattened the lot of Guo Liu’s gang.”

“At this point, the academy mentors finally arrived. After learning what had happened, they punished Guo Liu’s group severely. Just as they were about to discipline Chen Bo’s group, Yu Xiner herself arrived!”

“She was so affectionate with Chen Bo—it made me green with envy! Who knows what Chen Bo did to win her heart? He truly is a model for all men!”

“Because the infamous ‘Witch’ stands behind Yu Xiner, none of the instructors dared touch Chen Bo’s party. In the end, it was Guo Liu and his lot who suffered a truly miserable fate.”

Having finished his tale, the storyteller took advantage of his audience’s shock to slip away. He ran a good distance before stopping, pulling off his human-skin mask and revealing a sly grin. Giggling to himself, he admired the spirit stones in his hand. “Ha! Those fools actually believed everything I said. Don’t they know that bluffing is my greatest joy? I’ve made a fortune today!”

Meanwhile, the crowd was in an uproar.

“I can’t believe there was so much going on behind the scenes! Yu Xiner already has someone in her heart? My life is over!”

“Chen Bo is really something! Now that’s what I call a real man!”

“What I don’t get is, why would Yu Xiner fall for a country bumpkin like Chen Bo? It’s baffling.”

“You don’t know? Word is, Yu Xiner has known Chen Bo for years. Look at her close friendship with Chen Bo’s sister. Who knows—they might have been childhood sweethearts!”

“Wow! How do you know?”

“I’m just guessing.”

“…”