Chapter 285 A Young Man's First Trial

Jiang Yuheng finished speaking and, without waiting for Chen Mu to respond, turned and walked away.

His back was straight, and his pace was a bit faster than when he had arrived, as if he were afraid that staying even a moment longer would reveal something.

Ling Xiaoning leaned in toward Chen Mu and curled his lip.

"Tsk, a loss is a loss; this guy is just stubborn."

Chen Mu shook his head and said nothing.

He could tell that although Jiang Yuheng was arrogant, he wasn't the type to be insidious or cunning. He felt stifled and unconvinced, and he was constantly at odds with him, but he always used open strategies and never resorted to underhanded tricks behind the scenes.

That night when he snatched Zhuifeng, although he had gone too far, he had taken the initiative to admit his mistake afterward. He knelt when he had to and kowtowed when he had to; he didn't shirk responsibility, nor did he smear anyone else.

In today's sparring, although he lost, his parting words—while still sounding arrogant—were completely free of any snide sarcasm.

This person was just someone high-minded and proud who couldn't bring himself to lower his face.

Chen Mu withdrew his gaze and thought no more of it.

...

Not far away, two figures stood side by side.

Cheng Xiaoqing stood under the veranda with his hands behind his back, his gaze resting on the gradually dispersing training grounds, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Beside him stood a youth, roughly sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features, red lips, and white teeth; he was quite handsome.

He wore a tight-fitting outfit with a short sword hanging at his waist, and at this moment, he had his arms crossed over his chest, looking unimpressed.

"I thought he was some remarkable figure, but it turns out he's nothing special."

The youth spoke, his voice crisp but tinged with arrogance.

Cheng Xiaoqing did not speak, only glancing at him, but the youth was completely unaware and continued to mutter to himself.

"You know what Senior Sister is like; she's usually as cold as ice and never gives anyone a pleasant look. I've secretly asked her many times what kind of person she would ever look at differently? She never answers, but this time, passing through the Jingzhou Prefecture, she actually specifically asked me to bring a Secret Manual to this Chen Mu."

As he spoke, he curled his lip again.

"I thought he was some figure with three heads and six arms, but this is it? Fighting to a draw with that Jiang Yuheng—I've seen Jiang Yuheng, and he's just average. In our Bell Guards, he'd only be at a mid-tier level. How impressive can this Chen Mu be if he only managed a draw with him?"

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaoqing couldn't help but smile.

"Baizhou, you are wrong about that."

This youth was none other than Liao Huaizhong's fourth Disciple, Xie Baizhou.

He was Liao Huaizhong's youngest apprentice, pampered by his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, having never suffered any grievances from childhood to adulthood, which had fostered a somewhat unruly and arrogant nature.

However, his talent was excellent, and his Aptitude for the sword was something even Liao Huaizhong praised incessantly; therefore, despite his young age, no one dared to look down on him.

This trip was on the commission of his third Senior Sister, Chu Jiangli, to detour to the Jingzhou Prefecture for the sole purpose of delivering a Secret Manual to Chen Mu.

Hearing Cheng Xiaoqing's words, Xie Baizhou raised an eyebrow.

"I'm wrong? Uncle Cheng, you saw it too just now. If Chen Mu really had some skill, he should have taken him down in a few moves. Why drag it out so long?"

Cheng Xiaoqing shook his head and looked at Xie Baizhou, his eyes carrying a hint of testing.

"Baizhou, you only saw that he fought to a draw, but you didn't see why he fought to a draw."

Xie Baizhou was taken aback.

"Why? Isn't it just a draw? What else could there be to say about it?"

Cheng Xiaoqing stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the training grounds. At this moment, Chen Mu had already sheathed his blade and was whispering something to Ling Xiaoning, his face still holding that calm expression—neither proud nor weary.

"Think carefully: in that battle just now, was Chen Mu ever serious?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Baizhou frowned even tighter. He stared at Chen Mu's back, trying hard to recall the scene of the battle just now.

Chen Mu's blade indeed seemed to lack any killing intent. Every time Jiang Yuheng revealed an opening, he would stop at the point of contact and never pursue. Several times when Jiang Yuheng's sword stance was chaotic and his chest and abdomen were exposed, if it had been Xie Baizhou, he would have stabbed him with a sword long ago—why wait for the opponent to regroup?

But Chen Mu did not; he merely withdrew his blade, waited for Jiang Yuheng to steady himself, and then continued.

The more Xie Baizhou thought about it, the more he felt something was off.

He had originally thought Chen Mu lacked the ability to seize the opportunity, but now, thinking back carefully, it was clearly intentional.

Chen Mu was holding back his strength with every strike, leaving room in every counterattack. He wasn't fighting seriously at all; he was practicing with Jiang Yuheng.

As soon as this thought popped up, Xie Baizhou immediately felt his face flush.

He had just brazenly said that Chen Mu was nothing special, yet the man hadn't been unable to beat Jiang Yuheng—he simply hadn't intended to win at all.

Seeing his expression change, Cheng Xiaoqing knew the boy had figured it out. He smiled gently and spoke slowly.

"Baizhou, you are still young, and it is only natural to have some arrogance with your skills. But there is more to this world than just fighting and killing. When to advance, when to retreat, when to win, and when to settle for a draw—the knowledge within this is far deeper than the sword techniques you practice."

Xie Baizhou curled his lip, and that stubborn streak flared up again.

"Uncle Cheng, I don't like to hear that. I practice the sword to win. A win is a win, and a loss is a loss; why all the twists and turns? If it were me, and someone dared to provoke me like that, I would beat him until he couldn't get up, just to let him know how high the sky and how deep the earth really are."

Cheng Xiaoqing looked at him, shook his head, and said nothing more.

This child had been pampered since childhood, had high talent, and had experienced smooth sailing all the way. Having never suffered any setbacks, he naturally didn't understand what it meant to have a sense of propriety or what it meant to weigh the pros and cons.

He spoke with such relish, but were things in this world ever that simple?

If everything were truly handled according to one's whims, Jiang Yuheng would have lost all face today and could have become a mortal enemy of Chen Mu by tomorrow.

While Jiang Yuheng was not worth worrying about, he did, after all, have the behemoth that was the Jiang Family of the North standing behind him. For a newcomer like Chen Mu with no roots or foundation, if he truly clashed with the Jiang Family, his path ahead would only become more difficult.

But Cheng Xiaoqing did not say this out loud.

Some lessons cannot be learned just by hearing others talk; one must suffer setbacks oneself to truly understand.

Seeing Cheng Xiaoqing not speaking, Xie Baizhou glanced toward the training grounds again and saw Chen Mu sheathing his blade, preparing to leave. His eyes lit up, and he was suddenly full of energy.

"Uncle Cheng, I want to go and meet him."

Cheng Xiaoqing raised an eyebrow.

"Now?"

"Yes, right now."

As Xie Baizhou spoke, he had already rolled up his sleeves, revealing his lean forearms, looking eager to try.

"You praise him like a flower, so I want to see just how much real skill he actually has. If he can't even beat me, then I don't think I need to give him the Secret Manual that Senior Sister asked me to deliver, lest it be embarrassing."

Looking at him, Cheng Xiaoqing was both annoyed and amused.

This child really feared neither heaven nor earth.

However, upon second thought, letting him try might be good.

Although Xie Baizhou was young, he was, after all, one of the Bell Guards, and his skills were more than a notch above others of his age. With him taking action, he might be able to force out some of Chen Mu's true ability.

Only, now...

"He just finished a fight and hasn't even caught his breath. If you go up to challenge him now, aren't you afraid people will say you won unfairly?"

Xie Baizhou waved his hand, completely unconcerned.

"What of it? It's not like I'm going to fight him to the death right now. I'll find him to spar tomorrow; today, I'll just get familiar with him and see what kind of person he really is."