Disorder

On the third day of the exam, when Xia Fan walked into the lobby of the inn, he immediately sensed that something was off.

It was too quiet.

There were about ten or so people eating breakfast. Usually, everyone would be busy gossiping or making friends, but today no one took the initiative to open up.

Not only that, but even their seats were far away, each separated by at least a few steps as if they were trying to keep things to themselves.

If there were some candidates from an established family, it was still understandable. But everyone present was ordinary.

When he entered, many even coldly stared at him, causing him to frown in discomfort.

What on earth was going on?

Could it be that the news of what he did in front of the Fei family yesterday had spread through Qing Shan Town, making him everyone's common enemy?

Probably not… If they were so "united", they would have already broken through the Fei Family's defense yesterday.

Xian Fan put away his bewilderment and ordered a bun and some braised beef just like the day before.

Even though the fox demon had said that she wouldn't turn up, but… who knew? Maybe she just couldn't resist the food. Being prepared could never go wrong!

Besides, even if she didn't show up, he could always eat it himself.

Having finished with the buns, Xia Fan decided to check out the other side of the hill. Although it was a very humid morning, there were few mosquitoes. He planned to walk along the rail track to explore somewhere further away.

As he left the inn, he strangely noticed much fewer people walking around in the town.

It was only two days ago that the streets were packed with candidates paying to ask around.

Did they run out of money, or was the fox demon a bit too hard-working last night?

As Xia Fan pondered, a huge commotion ensued at the end of the street, and shouting and hurried footsteps could be heard.

A panicking man suddenly emerged from one of the side alleys, pursued by five men holding wooden swords.

Apparently, the man was being chased by them.

"Brother Xia! Run! Quick!"

Coincidentally, the guy being chased was someone he knew: Wei Wushuang.

Even before he could run away, the men chasing had already noticed him. "It's just one more guy. They're outnumbered! Surround them!"

In the next instant, two of the men ran past Wei Wushuang and blocked Xia Fan's way.

Now he couldn't even pretend that he was looking around at the scenery.

Looking at the five men circling in, Xia Fan drew his wooden sword, totally annoyed. "Wait, who can tell me what's going on here?"

"Be careful… th-they are robbing the candidates!" Wei Wushuang answered breathlessly, "I, I was scammed by them. They said that they could give me some information, but when I reached the place where we agreed to meet, I realized things weren't right…"

"I told you to be quick. But you're still so slow that he realized something was wrong!" The leader of the gang was a man in a yellow shirt. He glared at his accomplice before turning to Xia Fan and smiling. "Actually, we don't want to make things too awkward. As long as you hand over the silver and the medicine bag, I can let you go."

"You spent all your money?"

"Almost." They didn't intend to hide. "But definitely not enough to last to the end of the exam. All the places where we can dig for spirit fire are occupied by the established families, so we can only wait for the next few days."

"If I give you the money, what about me?" Xia Fan pointed at himself.

"You?" The four men looked at one another, amused. "Bro, how about coming back in three years?"

"Even if we don't know each other at all?"

"Hey, don't act dumb, what does this have to do with knowing each other or not?" The short man who had been scolded by the yellow-shirted man a while ago took a step forward. "Don't you understand at this point? The examiner clearly doesn't want everyone to pass, and whoever has the biggest fists will be able to stay in Qing Shan Town longer! The few of us can only gather so many people to compete for the spots leftover by the established families."

"That's right, there's no way people like you can pass the exam." The yellow-shirted man said bluntly, "Even if you can run away today, they'll find you tomorrow or the day after. Nowadays, Qing Shan Town is no longer a safe place. There are people like us everywhere, and as far as I know, there are even people who plan to make a move on the established families. As the saying goes, meeting is fate. Instead of becoming another's victim, just give it to us."

Xia Fan couldn't help thinking about the scene in the lobby.

So, that's why… It suddenly dawned on him. Probably, some people had already noticed that the candidates still in Qing Shan Town were turning from candidates to predators or prey. Let alone asking for information, even normal communication had become risky. That was why everyone was sitting far away from each other, not saying a word.

As for the stares he got as he walked into the lobby, it was a mixture of defensiveness and scrutiny. They were judging whether he could be an ideal prey.

"Bro, don't waste time talking to him!" Another "horse-faced" man impatiently waved his wooden sword. "Just beat him up and take his money! We're already kind-hearted if we leave him a piece of clothing to wear."

"Brother, I remember this guy!" Suddenly someone said, "Yesterday, he was the one who played a trick on everyone in front of Fei Nian! If it wasn't for him, the people at the back wouldn't have had the intention to back out. I'm afraid this guy is in cahoots with the Fei family, we can't let him off easily!"

"You heard that too?" The yellow-shirted man said, "My words are still valid now, if you hand over the money and the medicine bag, I will let you go. But it's gonna be hard to say later, don't make it hard for me."

"Hey, how many of them can you take on?" Xia Fan whispered at Wei Wushuang.

"I, I don't know… I've never fought… anyone before," Wei Wushuang replied warily. His confidence when they first met was nowhere to be found.

Xia Fan had doubted whether it was really a coincidence or not, but Wei Wushuang's reaction seemed real.

"Nevermind that, if someone beat you later, just remember to cover your face. Understood?"

"Face only?"

"Yes, as long as your face is fine, no one will know that you were beaten up."

"Huh?" Wei Wushuang was flabbergasted.

But Xia Fan had already fished out the medicine bag from his pocket.

"You're asking for it!" The yellow-shirted man understood everything as soon as he saw the medicine bag. "Brothers! Beat him up!"

"Idiot! Trying to cast a spell when we are so close?" The horse-faced man took the lead and lunged forward with his sword raised. "You REALLY are asking for it!"

Xiao Fan flung the bag at him.

The packaging opened up, and the horse-faced man plunged into a plume of dust.

"Cough cough… what kind of spell is this?"

Xia Fan answered him with a whack on the face.

With a muffled thud, the horse-faced man laid motionless on the ground.

Xia Fan took advantage of the chaotic situation. He held his breath and struck, aiming at the opponents' neck, waist, or crotch to ensure that a single blow would render the opponent incapacitated.

This was also the first principle of street fights his master had taught him — preemptive strikes would always win. Mystics, influenced by Qi inducement, had a quicker reaction and nimbler movement than the average person. As a strategic fighter, he totally conquered the streets with his skills in the past ten years. He also often thought out of the box, so he was able to adapt to the situation very easily. His talent was always praised by his master.

Compared to Xia Fan, the five were very inexperienced. Or rather, they were totally unprepared for what was in the bag. They were all staring and anticipating what kind of herb he was going to take out from the bag.

It doubled the effect of his tactic.

"Brother, I think it's just normal dust!"

"Cough, I don't care what it is, just… cough… beat that guy up!"

Although all candidates were only allowed to carry one medicine bag before entering Qing Shan Town, there was no prohibition on changing the contents of the bag or making a new one. Naturally, Xia Fan didn't just bring a packet of dust. The second principle of street fighting was to KO the enemy as quickly as possible as soon as the fight began.

After the second packet of dust, no man was left standing.

Even the yellow-shirted leader was knocked out by a strike on the neck.

It all happened within twenty seconds.

Wei Wushuang truly heeded his advice. The moment the action began, he squatted down and covered his face. Apart from being covered in dust, he was hardly hurt.

"Get up. It's over," Xia Fan said.

Wei Wushuang cautiously lowered his hands and stood up. He then looked around and faced Xia Fan in disbelief. "I didn't know… you were a pro!"

"Well, it all depends on the opponent. These guys… It's probably their first fight." Xia Fan bent down and carried one man on his shoulder. "You carry one too. We need to hurry before they wake up."

"Before they wake up?" Wei Wushuang paled. "Brother Xia, are you trying to…"

"What are you talking about?" Xia Fan rolled his eyes. "Killing other candidates will get us disqualified immediately. I'm just moving them to the other side of the bridge after taking all their money."

Having no money wouldn't disqualify them. If this group of guys stayed in the wild just to take revenge on them, it would be troublesome. The better option was to push them out of the boundary of the exam site. That way, they wouldn't be allowed back anymore.

"I see." Wei Wushuang was relieved. "Oh yeah… just now I saw two other candidates lying in the alley. I think they're the other victims. Should we give their money back to them?"

"That won't be necessary." Xia Fan interrupted him. "They will naturally understand what happened when they wake up, and they won't be able to find us. It might be better for them to quit on this. If they can't even handle this situation, becoming a mystic would be a disservice to them instead."

Wei Wushuang looked down. A mix of emotions filled his eyes.

"You should also consider whether you should leave early," Xia Fan said bluntly. "This is only the third day, yet the money problem has already reached this point. The conflict will only intensify. One thing the yellow-shirted guy said was right. Qing Shan Town is no longer a safe place."