Chapter 22, Dismissal

Translator: StarReader

 

Outside the small courtyard, the atmosphere was tense and awkward. Five outer disciples stood there, each fidgeting nervously, trying to avoid eye contact.

 

The situation was delicate.

 

Although the five had to discuss it among themselves, they each had to decide what name to write on the bamboo slip inside the small hut before handing it over to Li Kui. Since others couldn’t see the results when they were handed over, this opened up countless possibilities—whether it was forming alliances with some while excluding or opposing another.

 

With so many variables to consider and schemes to play out in their minds, their thoughts became increasingly tangled.

 

Even though Zhang Tieniu had extraordinary martial arts talent in his Lower Dantian, and Yang Caizhi was cunning and shrewd, both of them were extremely cautious at this moment. They dared not casually open their mouths for fear of offending someone.

 

Because if anyone offended others, it would only take a moment for the offended party to write down their name out of resentment—and that person would immediately be eliminated and discarded.

 

Moreover, it was even possible that the more powerful abilities one exposed, the greater the threat they posed. Others, out of concern, might join together to cast a vote against them, taking advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the strongest competitor early on.

 

No one could discern what others were thinking in this critical moment; everyone worried about being stabbed in the back by someone else.

 

The only way to break this deadlock was if someone voluntarily withdrew. Then, everyone could cast their vote for them, which was the only method that would allow the five of them to avoid openly breaking ties.

 

But such a possibility did not exist.

 

All five outer disciples came from impoverished backgrounds and had joined the Medicine King Group in pursuit of a brighter future. None of them were willing to ruin their own prospects by voluntarily withdrawing and heading to the Errand Hall.

 

Among the five major branches of the Medicine King Group, the Errand Hall held the lowest status and offered the most bleak prospects. A disciple from the Errand Hall not only received no further instruction from their master but also had to support themselves financially, using their own earnings to purchase martial arts manuals and medicinal texts.

 

A low-ranking disciple who scraped by doing menial tasks was too busy trying to survive and held no hope of ever becoming a fearsome martial artist, let alone achieving their lifelong dream of standing tall in the martial world. Such severe consequences naturally make no one willing to be eliminated first.

 

…

 

Su Chen remained silent, then suddenly raised an eyebrow, listening intently as he listened to his master and Wang Fugui talking inside the courtyard. He was about a dozen paces away from the stone table in the center of the courtyard. With his Grandmaster perception, he could clearly make out every detail of the conversation between Master Li Kui and Wang Fugui.

 

Su Chen was shocked to the core, feeling a chill run down his spine. He had never imagined that Master Li Kui regarded the five outer disciples as nothing more than labor, treating only Wang Fugui, the inner disciple, as his prized apprentice. Even Yang Caizhi and Zhang Tieniu, who went out of their way every day to please Master Li Kui—offering him cured pork, something Zhang Tieniu himself hated to part with—would be completely ignored by Master, treated like they didn’t exist at all.

 

This made Su Chen feel incredibly angry and crushed.

 

Yang Caizhi was quick-witted and immediately thought of a more secure plan.

 

He looked pitifully at the other four fellow disciples; suddenly his eyes welled up with tears, and he collapsed to the ground, sobbing hysterically.

 

“I’m so unfortunate! I used to be a well-known, rich young man in Gusu County City. But my father failed the county exams twenty years in a row, wasting away our family’s savings over generations. Our family fell into ruin, forcing him to work as an accountant in a shop, suffering the disdain and mockery of our neighbors. My father sent me to the Medicine King Group, hoping I could make something of myself and restore our family’s honor! If I get eliminated today, what face will I have to show my father? It’d be better for me to just drown myself and die!”

 

Yang Caizhi lay on the ground covered in dirt, his face tear-streaked, crying so hard it broke one’s heart. The other senior brothers were stunned. Seeing how miserable he looked, they felt sympathy for him.

 

But they weren’t fools either. They were quick to realize that Yang Caizhi’s act was a clear attempt to garner their pity—hoping they wouldn’t write his name down. The more pathetic one appeared, the less likely they were to be targeted for elimination.

 

Zhang Tieniu quickly joined in, pleading with the other senior brothers. He claimed he was from a lowly butcher’s family, and his father had slaughtered pigs for over a decade before finally sending him to the Medicine King Group, hoping for some kind of future. He begged them not to write his name down out of mercy.

 

Qin Huihui seemed a bit shy and unsure, hesitant to ask for help. Her eyes pleaded with the others as she glanced around nervously.

 

Kong Xinqiao said nothing, instead beginning to cry sadly, her tears streaming down her face as she clutched at her chest.

 

Eventually, the four noticed only Su Chen remained silent. They all looked at him hopefully, expecting a miracle to save them from their predicament.

 

Su Chen stared back at them, bewildered. Why were they looking at him? Did they think he’d step aside? They had the wrong idea!

 

The four seemed poor, but was that worse than his fate? He had a terminal illness, was almost sold into slavery, was forced to leave home, and nearly became a vagrant in the county.

 

Compared to their struggles, his was far worse. There was no reason for him to back down.

 

Crossing his arms, Su Chen felt both amused and exasperated at their hopeful gazes.

 

Yang Caizhi and the others grew disappointed as they realized no one wanted to step aside. It seemed their only hope now was to try winning over allies by undermining each other.

 

Su Chen watched them scheme and plot, trying to outsmart each other to gain a modicum of favor. He sighed inwardly at their desperation.

 

Everyone here was under the same master, having lived under the same roof for half a year. They were brothers and sisters at the very least, so it was unthinkable to let Li Kui and Wang Fugui watch them turn against each other in such bitterness.

 

Su Chen pondered for a moment and proposed an idea: “At the end of it all, we five are brothers and sisters. Regardless of who ends up eliminated, it will inevitably lead to turning against each other, with the eliminated one harboring lifelong resentment toward the others. That would make it impossible for us to remain close. So why not hand in a blank instead?”

 

Yang Caizhi wiped away tears and shook his head vehemently. Defying Li Kui’s order was out of the question, no matter how many risks they faced. It would be better to eliminate one person among the five.

 

Qin Huihui and Kong Xinqiao also opposed the idea. After following their master for half a year, they knew his temperament well. He valued his authority above all else and tolerated no disobedience from disciples. Any defiance would result in harsh criticism or severe punishment.

 

Only Su Chen dared to entertain such rebellious thoughts.

 

Su Chen saw them silent and reluctantly came up with another idea. “What if we do this: each of us writes our own name on the bamboo slip and returns it to Master. Since there are five slips, each with a different name, it won’t go against Master’s order or harm our bond. In the end, it’ll be Master who decides whom to eliminate. Whoever is chosen will have no grounds for complaint, and we’ll remain good brothers and sisters afterwards!”

 

The group of apprentices fell silent.

 

“That… could work?”

 

The idea was fresh and innovative, but wasn’t the outcome still the same? It was just a different method—avoiding open defiance among the apprentices or overtly defying the master’s orders. Yet ultimately, it still meant letting Master make the final decision… though this approach seemed a bit more subtle, with a hint of backhanded compliance.

 

Yang Caizhi, Zhang Tieniu, Qin Huihui, and Kong Xinqiao all felt uneasy, fearing that Li Kui might see through their scheme. They whispered among themselves for quite some time, trying to think of another way.

 

But no one could come up with a better idea. Reluctantly, they agreed to Su Chen’s proposal and each wrote their own name on a bamboo slip.

 

After finishing their discussion, the five individuals returned to the courtyard, each entering the hut in turn to retrieve a bamboo stick. On each stick, they carefully wrote a name before handing it over to Li Kui, who was seated on the stone stool.

 

Su Chen regretted that, despite his exceptionally sharp hearing, the distance made it difficult for him to clearly hear the faint rustling sounds of writing inside the hut. He could only vaguely discern that each person was writing a name on their respective bamboo stick.

 

Unable to decipher anything further, Su Chen chose not to dwell on it and instead waited patiently for the outcome.

 

Once all five outer disciples had completed their task, they stood respectfully with their hands at their sides in front of Li Kui, awaiting his final decision regarding the elimination process.

 

Li Kui impassively gazed down at the five bamboo sticks in his hand, each bearing a name. However, the names he saw were vastly different from what he had originally anticipated.

 

Even he could say that he had not expected such a result.

 

Li Kui raised his head, casting a cold glance over the five of them. His calculating gaze seemed to weigh something, yet his composed face gave away nothing unusual.

 

After half a stick of incense time, he remained silent.

 

The outer disciples felt increasingly uneasy and puzzled. If Master Li Kui showed no trace of furious anger, did that mean he hadn’t seen through their intentions?

 

Finally, after a long silence, Li Kui said calmly, “Su Chen, stay behind. I have a few words to share with you. The rest of you can leave.”

 

His eyebrows jumped suddenly. “Me?” Su Chen asked.

 

Li Kui showed nothing. He simply had Su Chen stay behind. That could only mean one thing… Su Chen had been the first apprentice to be discarded by Master Li.

 

Wang Fugui and Li Jiao, two inner disciples, were both startled.

 

“Could it really be Su Chen who was discarded first?”

 

Though they couldn’t predict which outer disciple would be the first to be discarded by Master Li, Su Chen had always been known for being low-key. That made him a less likely candidate for elimination.

 

But among the five outer disciples—how many of them had voted against Su Chen, compelling Master Li Kui to discard him without a second thought?

 

Yet, Master Li Kui didn’t explain anything. He merely instructed Su Chen to stay behind.

 

Yang Caizhi, Zhang Tieniu, Qin Huihui, and Kong Xinqiao, the other four outer disciples, were also visibly stunned. They couldn’t fathom why Master Li Kui would immediately discard Su Chen without any explanation, but they didn’t question his decision.

 

All the inner and outer disciples followed Master’s instructions without delay. They left the courtyard one by one.

 

The courtyard only had Su Chen facing Li Kui.

 

Li Kui fiddled with the five bamboo slips in his hand, his gaze cold yet oddly peculiar as he stared at Su Chen.

 

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew tense and eerie.

 

Su Chen slightly bent his back, feeling a chill running through him, his unease intensifying with each passing moment.

 

“Su Chen, among the five outer disciples I’ve taught, you have always been the most steady and composed, even more scheming than Yang Caizhi. Guess how many of these, written by your fellow brethren, have your name on them?”

 

Li Kui spoke slowly.

 

A sudden dread shot through Su Chen’s heart.

 

What did Master mean by asking this?

 

Did that imply there was more than one with his name?