The man carefully glanced at the old man and said with a stiff smile, "Your Excellency seems to place great importance on that matter?"
"Obvious bullshit."
The red-goateed old man smacked his lips and said with a sneer, "Anything that has to do with my goatee is a matter of life and death importance."
Don't tell me that scarlet-red goatee of yours is your lifeblood?
The man in shades cursed in his mind but he did not dare to speak further. He thought to himself how Zhu Shiye had truly met an eminence in his life.
Why didn't he encounter such a good thing when he was young?
Well, that's not right. Wasn't he standing beside such an eminence? Even if he did not get meat to eat, he could at least get some soup to drink sooner or later, right?
Haha, wasn't it the good fortune of three lives to become the chief's subordinate?
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah~"
At that moment, the boy-crazy crowd, which had finally come to a rest, suddenly roared once again.
"Ah! Ah! Ah~"
The old man refused to play second fiddle and immediately shouted louder than the maniacs.
The man in shades was staring in a dumbfounded manner as he sensed the 'burning' gazes from the audience stands. He hurriedly slipped behind the red-goateed old man and cursed in his heart.
The good fortune of three lives my ass. It's clearly the punishment from ten lives worth of sin!
The man carefully probed his head out and looked at the passageway to see the 'culprit'.
The person who walked out was a thin youth. He had stylish black hair with a cut face. His facial features were distinct with sword-like eyebrows and brilliant looking eyes. He had a cold expression and he could not be deemed handsome, but he was very cool. The stylishness he demonstrated during the tournament had destroyed several fanatics that had raging hormones.
"This person is Wei Long," said the man in shades with a cough. "God of Assassination Wei Tai's son. Well-versed in the art of assassination. He is proficient at hidden blades and shadow strikes. He has extremely fast speed and he can have astounding bursts of speed. On a certain level, he can restrain Bunny Cao and is the only rookie at the tournament who had a chance of defeating Bunny Cao. Unfortunately, he had encountered Chen Lingcun in the quarter-finals. He had stabbed Chen Lingcun in the back but failed to break his defense. Finally, he was punched out of the arena with one strike."
The red-goateed old man finally stopped his 'wailing' upon hearing his subordinate's description. He stroked his goatee and said softly, "That punk, Wei Tai, is actually willing to expose his son. It looks like he can't bear nurturing his son into an assassin and wants to make him a hero assassin… If there is a chance, I can actually help him."
His subordinate looked at Wei Long in envy. He thought to himself how lucky these children were. Who said that people born in the same era as Bunny Cao and Speechless Li had been born in the wrong era? If not for the two children, 'that matter' would absolutely not have happened. This bunch of children would also not have such great opportunities.
The host quickly finished introducing Wei Long since there was not much information about him as he was the God of Assassination, Wei Tai's son.
"Tinkle—"
Chimes were heard from the passageway before a petite young girl in Daoist robes walked out of the passageway slowly.
The girl in Daoist robes had elegant features and her black, lustrous hair was tied into a Daoist bun. Her eyes were as bright as the stars and she wore a white Daoist robe with flowery patterns. There was a white brocade by her waist that hung several bells. With each step, her bells would shake incessantly.
"Tinkle—"
As the audience looked toward the petite girl in Daoist robes, they suddenly recalled her diligent performance in the arena. Immediately, they broke out into thunderous cheers.
The man with the shades also revealed an appreciative look as he said, "Your Excellency, this girl is a female disciple of the Three Clarities Daoist Temple. Her name is Petite Yu and she is proficient in Daoist arts. However, it's mostly supportive techniques so she isn't skilled at duels. Despite that, she became a dark horse during the tournament selection by managing to squeeze into the top eight."
"Like Chen Lingcun, she had used her affiliations to enter an autonomous university, forcefully gaining the qualifications to participate in the selection. Apparently, it has to do with her senior brother's participation in the collective training selection so she had pleaded with the old Daoist priest for permission to participate in it. The old Daoist priest thought that it was impossible for her to enter the top ten, considering how she had only cultivated in supportive Daoist arts, but Petite Yu had managed to use the eight Daoist incantations that she was unfamiliar with to defeat one opponent after another. It is apparent how talented she is."
The old man nodded and said with a smile, "Not bad!"
Truly, there were very few rookies that focused on supportive skills. It was not easy for a person to enter the top ten in the selection tournament based on her own strength.
Without holding back, the host similarly spewed out praises for Petite Yu. His praise for her made her blush slightly. She was a shy person, to begin with, so under the gazes of so many people, she was eager to shy away.
At that moment, Xiao Xiao, who was standing close to her, gave her a friendly smile. It immediately left Petite extremely touched as she hurriedly moved close to Xiao Xiao. Out of the top ten rookies for the tournament selection, there were only three girls. It was truly a depressing sausage fest.
Petite stayed close to Xiao Xiao and immediately, she felt safe. With the two beauties standing close together, it became a beautiful scene. It attracted the gazes of the audience.
And at this moment, a rookie walked out of the passageway at an inopportune moment. It made the audience draw a gasp when they turned to look at him.
They felt that the change of scenery was too drastic, making them turn their gaze back.
It was no wonder the audience acted so. It was because the rookie that had appeared was an intolerable sight to the eyes.
He was a stout man. His arms and back were bulging with muscles like a dragon. They seemed to contain immense power and he had a face that wasn't too much to be described as 'extremely vicious'. A patch of hair that circled the remaining black hair had been trimmed away, and in the middle of his head was yellow hair that stood up like a rooster's crown. His slightly widened eyes seemed to be filled with flames of anger, while a hideous scar went from his forehead down past his right eye. His mustache was a messy scrawl, and a prominent double chin brought out the terrifying weirdness of his face.
The man in shades took a glance at his information and his expression changed slightly. With a sigh, he said, "His name is originally Ye Youtian and now, he has taken on the alias, Ye Jiaquan. He was once a 'wolf cub' reared by Seven Duke Wolf…"
Upon hearing the words Seven Duke, the gaze under the old man's shades changed slightly.
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Chapter487 An unmistakable 36E
"Why? Is Seven Duke Wolf planning on stepping beyond his authority to interfere with the two-faction collective training? It looks like I'll need to find time to have tea with Seven Duke Wolf and have a chat?"
The red-goateed old man's eyes narrowed slightly. His eyes suddenly turned as sharp as a sword.
The man in shades immediately jumped in fright. For the great man in front of him to 'have tea' or 'chat', it would cause reverberations throughout China once again despite how lightly he put it.
He hurriedly said, "Sorry, sir. I didn't make it clear! Ye Youtian may have been a wolf cub of Seven Duke Wolf, but he has already broken away! His participation in the collective training selection and his final entry has nothing to do with Seven Duke Wolf!"
The red-goateed old man gave a nonchalant glance at the man in shades and said, "Is it so easy for the
Seven Duke Wolf's wolf cub to break away?"
The man in shades nodded in reply, "With Seven Duke Wolf's style, he would rather slaughter a worthless wolf cub than let it go. Although Ye Youtian is a progeny of the Ye family, his talent is rather ordinary when compared to Heartless Ye and his sister. That sly old fox of the Ye family has already disavowed him. So logically speaking, Ye Youtian has no way of escaping Seven Duke Wolf's clutches. But strangely, the Mù family had produced fifteen kilograms of glass coral in exchange for Ye Youtian's life."
"Fifteen kilograms of glass corals? That isn't a small amount."
The red-goateed old man asked, "Why would the Mù family do so?"
His subordinate glanced at the information and an odd expression suffused his face. He whispered, "According to our investigations, it was not the Mù family trying to protect Ye Youtian. Instead, it's the oldest daughter of the Mù family, Mù Hongyi, who secretly stole fifteen kilograms of glass coral from the Mù family's treasure vault. Apparently, Mù Hongyi had done so…for eros…"
"Eros!?"
The red-goateed old man lowered his head and glanced at the distant Ye Jiaquan and said with a fuming smile, "Are you kidding me?"
"Sir, you misunderstand!"
The man in shades panicked in horror as he hurriedly explained, "Si… Your Excellency, you are mistaken. The reason of eros was done so by Mù Hongyi not because of the ugly looking Ye Youtian but because of Chen Lingcun's brother, Chen Duqu. Mù Hongyi has been pursuing Chen Duqu for five whole years to no avail. It recently seemed to bear some fruit and after knowing that Chen Lingcun wanted to protect Ye Youtian, Mù Hongyi immediately stole fifteen kilograms of glass coral to give to Chen Lingcun. She claimed that it was 'one of the dowries of your sister-in-law'… In short, it's because Chen Lingcun wanted to save Ye Youtian."
The red-goateed old man cursed angrily, "Punk, can't you directly say the last sentence? Must you tell such a complicated story? Instead, you missed a salient point—Why would Chen Lingcun save Ye Youtian?"
The man in shades gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Yes, Si… Ahem. Because of Seven Duke Wolf's orders from before, Ye Youtian had taken on the alias of Ye Jiaquan and infiltrated Gaia. He had accidentally exposed his identity during Gaia and Zeus's battle exchange. According to our information, Ye Youtian and Chen Lingcun happen to be rookies of Gaia's Annihilation division this year. Chen Lingcun might have saved Ye Youtian mainly because of their good relationship in Gaia. As for Ye Youtian participating in the selection, it is likely that he had done so to accompany Chen Lingcun. It was unexpected that he would enter the top ten…"
When the red-goateed old man heard those words, he mused, "Gaia again? If I didn't remember wrong, Shi Xiaobai that has caused quite a stir recently is also from Gaia?"
The man in shades said with a nod, "It's not only Shi Xiaobai. Mu Yuesheng, Wen Hezheng, and Kevin on the organization collective training's name list are Gaia rookies as well. Although Wen Hezheng and Kevin's qualifications are still being discussed at a meeting, it is unlikely that Azure Emperor Jiang would change a rule he set easily, considering his personality. As such, including the two from the academic faction, out of the twenty people for the two-faction collective training, it is possible that six of the rookies come from Gaia or were formerly Gaia rookies… Something might be amiss with this matter…"
"Somewhat interesting."
The red-goateed old man sucked at his cigar and said, "Gaia was a powerhouse in the hero faction three decades ago but it has waned in recent years, eventually becoming second-rate. If not for One-Pun and Hisith holding up the organization, they would have been devoured by the seven major organizations who are coveting 'Gaia's heritage'. Who knew that they would cause such a stir this time. Could it be a dead cat bounce?"
The man in shades closed in and repressed his voice and asked, "Is there a need to send Dragon team to investigate it thoroughly?"
"There's no need," said the red-goateed old man with a shake of his head. "I had some ties with Gaia in the past, so I'll let it pass."
"Yes!"
The man in shades did not dare speak further. He had no right to sway something the chief had decided.
While the duo was discussing the matter, the host had already finished introducing Ye Jiaquan. He had even rushed to introduce the remaining two people who appeared.
"Lu Hu and Zhan Peng…"
The man in shades hurriedly introduced the last two rookies.
And in the stadium, the host had already left. The yellow-browed elder that had left the stadium silently walked out once again. With the microphone in hand, he spoke slowly with a thick northeastern accent, but whatever he said was dry and uninteresting about the expedition.
The old principal of Peihua University had looked rather impressive when he appeared but once he began giving a speech, his awe immediately diminished. The audience was also rendered speechless but they did not dare express it on their faces.
However, the red-goateed old man cursed without fear, "For Peihua University to dare get Illiterate Wen be its principal, it will be doomed sooner or later."
The moment the red-goateed old man said those words, the yellow-browed elder immediately cast his gaze over. Despite only pausing on him for a second, it made the man in shades break out in cold sweat. He could not help but shrink his neck back in fear.
A banter between great figures was not something a tiny shrimp like him could withstand, even if it was a gaze!
At that moment, the red-goateed old man said suddenly, "Why are there only nine?"
The yellow browed elder had already begun his shoddy speech but there were only nine rookies present—Chen Lingcun, Mù Yaotian, Princess Xiao Xiao, Zhu Shiye, Wei Long, Petite Yu, Ye Jiaquan, Lu Hu, and Zhan Peng.
The man in shades faltered for a moment before he immediately said, "Bunny Cao is missing…"
The old man asked, "Why isn't Bunny Cao here?"
His subordinate said with a placative smile, "I…I do not know… Bunny Cao had finished the finals half an hour ago. It doesn't make sense for her lack of attendance…"
The red-goateed old man shot a glance at the man in shades before extinguishing his cigar. He placed the remaining bit into the pocket on his chest before saying, "Then, let's go back."
"Yes!"
The man in shades hurriedly nodded. With the participation of old Principal Wen in the expedition ceremony that followed, it would probably become rather 'uninteresting'. It was equivalent to going through the boring motions and there was indeed no value to watching it any further.
…
…
Just as the man in shades guessed, ever since the yellow-browed elder began his speech, the so-called expedition ceremony became extremely boring. The nine rookies had only said a few words each while the rest of the time was dedicated to the yellow-browed elder's reading of his script. He used a northeastern accent to recite it at a tortoise's pace. It was more vexing than a monk's chanting.
But thankfully, the expedition ceremony only lasted for half an hour before it came to an end.
With the expedition ceremony ending, it also meant that the academic faction's selection tournament had finally come to an end. Mù Yaotian immediately began pestering Chen Lingcun while the other rookies began having various exchanges.
Xiao Xiao did not stay behind after she exchanged her contact information with Petite Yu. She ingeniously went around the reporters' ambush and secretly left from a safety exit. The Xiao family's old steward had been waiting for her for some time and he drove an ordinary-looking private car to fetch his young mistress.
Xiao Xiao very quickly left Dragon Summer Stadium by car.
On Beijing Third Ring Road, the private car was cruising at an adequate speed.
A cool breeze entered through the open window, ruffling the girl's long hair. Pink strands of hair fluttered in front of her delicate face that had eyes which were as beautiful as a portrait's. Like the descent of cherry blossoms, it was beau
tiful and mesmerizing. People in the cars that passed by her car would occasionally be stunned from catching a glimpse of the passing beauty. It nearly caused accidents.
Xiao Xiao had her head turned to look at the scenery that was whizzing past the window. Her eyes lost focus as though she was contemplating something. Her expression looked somewhat melancholic.
The steward had seen this scene through the rear-view mirror and was somewhat puzzled. He thought to himself that his young mistress had not only entered the name list of the two-faction collective training, but she had also obtained the outstanding result of placing fourth. Why did she look like she had been eliminated?
After hesitating for a moment, the steward eventually decided against inquiring.
Xiao Xiao sighed lightly as she rubbed the Azure Descendence Bow beside her. As she caressed the bow's body that seemed as mild as jade, she felt a cool touch that gradually calmed the slightly vexed emotions she was having.
She had lost. Twice.
She had suffered an utter defeat during her battle with Bunny Cao during the semi-finals.
During the match for third place, she was barely defeated by Mù Yaotian.
The abject defeat she suffered in the first match made her understand the gap between a genius and a 'freak of nature'. The second match where she was barely defeated made her realize that she was still lacking in many things.
Ever since the encounter in the virtual world, Xiao Xiao understood that there was always someone better. She had been admitted into China's best institute of higher learning, Peihua University, with her placing third at Beijing's entrance exams. She believed that she was outstanding compared to her peers but after meeting Shi Xiaobai, she had received one setback after another. It also gave birth to her competitive spirit.
She began thirsting to become stronger.
Therefore, she began pulling her bow and shooting arrows every day. She would repeat the same action without feeling fatigue or loneliness. After day after day of cultivation, compared to the 'Crimson Netherworld' she had used in the virtual world, she had grown a lot.
Absolute Choice 10 Page 31
