Chapter Forty-Nine: The Twelve-Word Sacred Incantation!

Qi Yuansheng thought of the time when he was thirteen years old, leading eight clansmen to slaughter an entire village. That day, the setting sun was like blood, casting a crimson hue over the entire world.

Although it was a bandit stronghold, and everyone in it, regardless of gender, had blood on their hands, some children were ultimately innocent. Blinded by the killing frenzy, he had left no survivors, and only when he regained his senses did he realize what had happened.

That year, he was at the seventh rank upper of the Military Strategist path, and today he was still at the seventh rank upper of the Military Strategist path. The long spear that had accompanied him since he was three years old was snapped by him that day, and by now it had become reduced to scrap metal.

The day he returned home, his second sister beat him until he passed out cold.

From that day on, he cast aside military texts and began to study the profound principles of the true Confucian classics. He wanted to find some answers within the Confucian texts, yet even he did not know what answers he was looking for.

When Qi Yuansheng snapped back to reality, he only saw Chen Qishan clutching his head and howling on the ground, while his two loyal lacklings were draped over him, letting Xue Yuan punch and kick them at will!

Qi Yuansheng seemed to see his former self in Xue Yuan, so he hurriedly rushed forward and grabbed Xue Yuan.

He shouted, "Brother Xue, stop hitting him! Someone's going to die if you keep going!"

Only then did Xue Yuan stop, cursing as he pointed at Chen Qishan and said, "I'll give Brother Yuansheng some face today, but stay far away from me when you see me in the future! Don't even talk about yourself, I get so crazy I scare myself!"

In truth, he didn't want to cause a fatality either, and was just waiting for someone to intervene so he could find a graceful way out!

Just as his voice fell, a harsh shout rang out!

"Audacious! Who dares to commit violence openly in the academy?"

This voice was as thunderous as a muffled roar, sending shockwaves through the air that almost formed ripples of solid force, causing a sharp ringing pain in Xue Yuan's eardrums!

Everyone present, including Qi Yuansheng, turned pale and stiffened!

The newcomer was Zhou Wenfeng, the proctor of White Egret Academy!

Zhou Wenfeng glanced at his godson Chen Qishan, whose head was covered in blood, and flew into a rage once again.

With a flick of his large sleeve, an overwhelming pressure burst forth, stagnating Xue Yuan's vital energy and making it hard for him to breathe.

"You, why did you beat him?" Zhou Wenfeng asked coldly.

Xue Yuan took a deep breath, barely suppressing his churning energy, and said, "He assaulted my friend Qi Yuansheng first. Everyone present can testify to that!"

Zhou Wenfeng swept his cold gaze across the crowd and asked, "Is what he said true?"

Yet among the dozens of scholars present, not a single one dared to speak up!

Chen Qishan, having caught his breath, let out a cold laugh to himself, thinking that if even a single person dared to report him, his three years at the academy would have been completely wasted!

Zhou Wenfeng looked at one of the scholars and asked, "You, did Chen Qishan throw the first punch?"

The scholar swallowed nervously, then shook his head and said, "Reporting to the proctor, this student was... was eating just now and didn't see anything!"

Zhou Wenfeng turned his gaze back to Xue Yuan, saying coldly, "Since there are no witnesses, that means you beat a fellow student and brazenly made false accusations. For these combined offenses, academy rules dictate thirty lashes and expulsion from the academy. Do you have any objections?"

The surrounding scholars were all struck with terror.

One must know that the flogging punishment at White Egret Academy was administered by a Confucian cultivator of the eighth rank lower from the Discipline Department. An ordinary student would be bedridden for half a month after receiving just three lashes!

If it were thirty lashes, even if that instructor showed mercy, the victim would at least be crippled!

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuansheng panicked and said, "Sir, it truly was Zhou Qishan who struck me first!"

"Then do you have any injuries on your body?"

"This... he only pulled this student's hair, so the student has no injuries..."

"In other words, there is no solid evidence?"

Qi Yuansheng was momentarily stunned, realizing that this matter could no longer be explained clearly.

So he gritted his teeth and said, "No matter what, this incident started because of me. Please inflict these thirty lashes upon me instead!"

Although he was not a student at the academy, Qi Yuansheng had long heard of White Egret Academy's flogging punishment, and he had no wish to see this Brother Xue beaten to death or crippled on his account!

Zhou Wenfeng, however, said coldly, "You fail to distinguish right from wrong and shield the perpetrator. You also deserve a punishment of three lashes! The two of you go receive your punishment together!"

Xue Yuan was so angry he laughed.

He pointed at Zhou Wenfeng and cursed, "Who the hell are you? That bastard Chen Qishan bullies people in the academy every day, and even an outsider like me knows it. When have you ever punished him?

So according to you, the strong beating the weak is fine, and the weak deserve it, but fighting back is a crime, right? The day your mother gets forcibly bedded by Great Scholar Chu, will you have to go help them make the bed, fold the blankets, and serve tea and water?"

This tirade scared the surrounding scholars into instantly retreating backward in a panicked wave. Even Chen Qishan suppressed his pain and rolled away as far as he could!

Hey now, you lunatic, if you're looking for death, don't drag us down with you!

You're even cursing Great Scholar Chu?

Even Qi Yuansheng was dumbfounded—wasn't Brother Xue being a bit too reckless?

Zhou Wenfeng flew into a towering rage, slightly lifting his wide sleeve as an inexplicable wave of energy surged within the dining hall!

Seeing this, Qi Yuansheng hurriedly spread his arms, using his massive torso to block the front of Xue Yuan!

"Sir, please show mercy!"

But Xue Yuan was no fool; how could he swallow such a loss?

He immediately shouted, "I am the Prince of Ning! The Emperor is my own elder brother, do you dare to kill me?"

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Wenfeng's eyes widened sharply, and he instantly reined in his power!

Confucianism emphasized seniority and hierarchy. If Xue Yuan were a student of the academy, even the Crown Prince could be disciplined by him, but unfortunately, he was not!

Since he was not, then as a prince, no one within the academy had the authority to touch him!

Although Zhou Wenfeng reined in his attack, stormy fury still churned within his heart!

This bastard had cursed both him and Great Scholar Chu in one breath!

After a moment of thought, he said, "Since you are a prince, naturally I cannot punish you! But even as you claim Chen Qishan pulled your hair first, you still had no right to throw your weight around and brutally beat him like that!

My Confucian school has always taken 'benevolence and love' as its foundation, and the Sage also said 'requite injury with virtue.' You brutally beat others over a trifle, possessing neither benevolence nor virtue; White Egret Academy cannot accommodate a madman like you!

Tomorrow's lecture by Great Scholar Chu is not for your ears. Prince, please take your leave!"

As the proctor, expelling Xue Yuan was completely reasonable and within the rules.

The surrounding scholars looked at Xue Yuan with expressions of profound pity. After all, the chance to listen to a lecture by Great Scholar Chu did not come around even once in three years; such an opportunity was infinitely precious to Confucian cultivators, and countless people desired it in vain!

When Xue Yuan heard this, he panicked as well!

Damn it, if he couldn't see Great Scholar Chu, where on earth was he going to obtain a strand of Great Scholar vital energy infusion?

Without the vital energy infusion, how could he save Lin Shishi, and how could he acquire the Xuanwu vital energy?

He immediately pointed at Zhou Wenfeng and cursed, "Damn your ancestors, do you people read the books of the Sages just to act like cowards hiding their heads? Requite injury with virtue, my foot! If everyone requited injury with virtue, then how on earth would virtue be requited? Have you never heard of 'requiting directness with directness, and virtue with virtue'?"

Zhou Wenfeng was instantly so infuriated that his teeth bared and his eyes cracked as he roared, "Audacious madman, how dare you blaspheme the words of the Sage! Even if you are a prince today, I must teach you a lesson!"

With that, he flicked his large sleeve, preparing to strike Xue Yuan!

Yet at that very moment, a deafening bell chime echoed through the air!

The bell toll was distant and lingering, as if traveling through ancient time and space!

Dong! Dong! Dong......

It rang a total of twelve times!

Instantly, everyone present, including Zhou Wenfeng, stood frozen in place with gaping mouths and dumbstruck expressions, as if struck by a binding spell!

It wasn't until the bell tolls faded that someone cried out in alarm.

"The Sage's Word Bell has rung! Someone has deduced the True Words of the Sage!"

Another person shouted in shock, "Twelve times! The Sage's Word Bell has rung a full twelve times! That means that person deduced twelve characters of the Sage's True Words all at once!"