Body Measurement Regulations
Xu Ziye and Shi Minghui crashed into the ground from the sky. Elder Leng disdainfully shook his head at them. “The bet should be honoured. Mu Yu undoubtedly completed the pill. According to the terms of the bet, these two are obligated to honour their end of the deal. Our disciples should carry themselves honourable. I won’t allow our disciples to be scum without principle. You two lost the bet, so uphold your end of the deal.”
Elder Leng bringing back the two was a surprise. To be honest, Mu Yu didn’t pine his hopes on them making good on their word. Mu Yu was more interested in finding out why Elder Leng helped him out. Anyhow, Shi Minghui and Xu Ziye had no way of shirking the consequences.
Shi Minghui and Xu Ziye pulled their faces out of their dirt and crawled to their feet. Shi Minghui would’ve flown off the handle, but his grandpa’s martial uncle? Yeah right. Elder Leng, tired of their stalling, pressured them with his aura to intimidate and questioned, “What was the bet?”
“Loudly declare they’re imbeciles so that everyone in the sect hears. Slap themselves twenty times. Crawl up Bamboo Peak on their knees and apologise to Elder Ku Mu,” effused Cai Lie.
“No, it was ten,” Mu Yu fairly rectified.
“No, it was forty!” exclaimed Cai Lie, garnering a laugh from Mu Yu.
“Start. If you’re too quiet, you’ll have to start over. I want all of you here to remember you all must carry yourself with honour,” warned Elder Leng.
Xu Ziye: “I… I… I’m an imbecile!”
“Again!” demanded Elder Leng. “I’ll have you shouting until next year if you keep whispering.”
“I am an imbecile!” belted Xu Ziye, slapping himself after.
Shi Minghui gnashed his teeth as he glared at Mu Yu. “I am an imbecile!” he roared, moving onto slapping himself after.
There was an unwritten code among the elders: get on anyone’s side but Elder Leng’s because he was biased and would abuse his authority. The elders watching on had to resist laughing. Daoist Yun Dan, who was off in the distance, had the luxury of enjoying the entertainment in its full glory.
“Crawl faster, or I’m going to make you crawl again,” threatened Elder Leng, as he watched the two crawl up Bamboo Peak.
Elder Leng gave Mu Yu a “be thankful” grin. Mu Yu was as befogged as everyone else. Mu Yu asked Cai Lie, “What’s the second exam?”
“The second test requires you to concoct a rank four pill. They will randomly select a pill for you to produce. The third round asks you to produce the best pill you possibly can. In essence, both are judged based on the pills you produce.”
Ku Mu’s plan was to teach Mu Yu some pill alchemy skills right before the contest. How that turned out was obvious. The second round was a big elimination round. The sight of Elder Leng’s shifty grin turned on a light for Mu Yu.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Mu Yu told Cai Lie and Tian Ran.
Mu Yu cut Elder Leng off as the latter was on his way to Pill Manual Hall. Elder Leng said, “You here to thank me? You don’t need to thank me.”
“Why did you let me skip the second round?”
“I let you skip it for your sake. I’ll be damned if you Ku Mu taught you any impress pill alchemy skills.”
“The third round is also a pill alchemy test, isn’t it? Wait… you don’t plan to play dirty in the third round, do you?”
“Hah, just wait and see. If you want the slot, stay in your lane, hahaha.”
“Not telling?”
“No.”
“Let me guess: you want me to finish incomplete pills for free, don’t you?”
“N-No!” Elder Leng averted his gaze.
After spending all day juggling ideas, Mu Yu could only conjure one possible use he served Elder Leng. He fumed, “Don’t tell me you changed the third round to completing an incomplete pill!”
Elder Leng coerced their patriarch, stating it would be worth trading a slot for Mu Yu to complete a pill for them. Mu Yu’s accomplishments in the first two rounds were of no value to them, after all. The third round, on the other hand, was impossible for anyone but Mu Yu to pass. Forcing Mu Yu into a situation where he only had one chance was tantamount to forcing him to succeed.
“Well, you have to pay to play.”
“Sad for you. I finished learning Speed Alchemy Mental Cultivation and can’t complete pills anymore.”
“What did you just say?!”
Mu Yu ran off. Meanwhile, Elder Leng raged, “Who flipping told you to learn that?! Was it Ku Mu? God damn it! I’m going to handicap him!”
Mu Yu had no choice but to complete the pill for the pill. Still, infuriating Elder Leng was decent payback for the trap.
By the time Mu Yu found Tian Ran, Alchemist Yao had taken Cai Lie. Mu Yu, therefore, opted to take Tian Ran up to see Ku Mu. Shi Minghui and Xu Ziye? They probably wouldn’t reach the top by nightfall, but who cared? Who’d want to stoop to their level, wasting time on people he didn’t care about?
Since Leng Bingxue was inside the house, Mu Yu politely knocked despite it being his lodging. A middle-aged man opened the door to Mu Yu’s bewilderment. He sneaked a peek inside. Nobody else was around. Hence, he asked, “Who are you? Where are my shifu and shimu? Where did they take their tryst?”
“Tryst? You can have this!” The man smacked Mu Yu on the head. “Open your eyes and look closely.”
Mu Yu hissed out of irritation. He examined the man’s face. “You appear to resemble Gramps a little. Are you his illegitimate son?”
“I’m Ku Mu, you wretched punk!”
“Oh, Ku M-, huh?!”
“Reversal pill.”
“This is your appearance twenty years ago? Wait, you angry again?” asked Mu Yu, recalling he didn’t hear Ku Mu stutter once.
“I don’t stutter anymore.”
“Reversal pill treats stuttering now, as well?”
“I can also cultivate again.”
“You can… what…” stammered Mu Yu, trying to find words. He realised, “Doesn’t that mean I don’t need to produce a meridian unsealing pill?”
“What are you thinking about now?”
“… I deserve a prize for greatness,” Mu Yu haphazardly blurted.
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