You call this the way of the sword?

The Sha family is still alive, but they are already dead.

The moment the Pillar of State set his sights on the Sha family, their fate was sealed.

Yang Qingfeng didn't care about the state of the imperial leadership, whether good or bad; all he wanted was an explanation.

Now that we know the Sha family will pay the price, and Sha Yinzhen's death is not a pity, that's enough.

The gloom in his heart completely dissipated, and the feeling of relief that the big exam was over finally came over Yang Qingfeng. He felt relaxed and his spirits soared.

He looked at Qiao Lie and asked curiously, "You really know a lot."

Qiao Lie grinned, revealing a rather arrogant expression. "That's right. Don't you even know who you are, Young Master Qiao? A prominent young master from the capital."

Yang Qingfeng immediately thought of Deng Penghui and couldn't help but laugh, "Let's just call him Young Master Qiao, but let's skip the 'Young Master of the Capital,' I don't think it's a very nice term."

Qiao Lie raised an eyebrow, then suddenly composed himself and nodded, saying, "You're right. I used to wonder if there was some serious illness in the family that would force my siblings and me to suffer in Tiannan, but thanks to you..."

"After seeing the Sun family and the Sha family with my own eyes... I now feel as hard as a rock, and even my Qiao family will become impeccable and flawless."

Yang Qingfeng didn't know what the Qiao family in the capital was like, but he understood what Qiao Lie said and agreed, saying, "At least you won't suffer the same fate as Sha Yinzhen, who brought about the extermination of your clan."

"That's right, that's the most important thing."

Qiao Lie shook his head and sighed: "Senior Shou Shan is absolutely right. It's mainly because they're idle. Those sects and families were actually quite good at the beginning, assisting the cabinet in managing Yu Xia in an orderly manner. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the empire we have today. But after being complacent for too long, each generation has become worse than the last."

Even the best things will eventually spoil if left out for too long. Once they're spoiled, you have to replace them; you can't be reluctant to do so...

It was Yang Qingfeng's first time soaking in a hot spring, and he and Qiao Lie chatted for a long time until Lin Tong suddenly kicked the door open and shouted angrily, "You two must be soaking in there forever!"

"Hey, don't think you're so great just because you gave that humble abode some recognition. You've made everyone wait for you two to eat; you'll be punished by heaven!"

Lin Tong, convinced of his right, launched a fierce attack, leaving Qiao Lie speechless even with explosives in his mouth. Little did he know that the situation was not as he described.

As soon as I came out of the bathhouse, I could hear the noise of everyone before I even entered the building.

Upon closer inspection, a banquet was indeed set up in the hall, but everyone had already started eating; there was no sign of anyone waiting for anyone else.

Qiao Lie's temper was about to flare up, but Lin Tong preemptively pushed him into the corridor, sending him to a female classmate.

Yang Qingfeng was completely bewildered when a small hand pulled him into the building.

"Shh!"

Qiao Wanyi briefly covered Yang Qingfeng's mouth, then pulled him towards the corridor to peek.

By this time, the corner of the wall was already crowded with people. Lin Tong squatted at the bottom, with several female classmates' heads piled up like a human pyramid, their faces flushed, their ears perked up with a mixture of excitement and shyness.

Seeing this, Yang Qingfeng's eyes widened slightly. Just as he realized what was happening, a tense voice came from the corridor outside.

"Qiao...Qiao Lie!"

"Oh, Crystal Spirits, what are you all doing?"

"I...I have something to tell you!"

The girl in the corridor is named Lu Jingling, and she is a local girl from Longzhen.

Similar to Yang Qingfeng, she also rarely speaks, but while Yang Qingfeng is simply too lazy to talk, she is genuinely reserved.

In addition, she was petite and had a gentle personality, making her a 'coward' who rarely took initiative.

However, today she mustered up her courage and actually stopped Qiao Lie. Now, not only did everyone realize there was something wrong with eavesdropping, but Yang Qingfeng also stuck his head out and saw a completely bewildered look on her face.

"Ha..." Yang Qingfeng was about to laugh out loud when Qiao Wanyi quickly covered his mouth.

Qiao Lie also saw Yang Qingfeng, but he couldn't care less at the moment. He looked at Lu Jingling and suddenly asked nervously, "Why are you so serious all of a sudden? What happened to you? How much do you want to borrow?"

Lu Jingling nearly fainted; her face instantly turned as red as a monkey's bottom. "I'm not asking you for money!"

Qiao Lie felt his heart skip a beat. "Oh, then tell me, what is it?"

"I...I..."

Lu Jingling clenched her fists, stammered for a while, and then lowered her head, suppressing her embarrassment, and said, "You were in my second assessment..."

At this moment, all was quiet, and even the noise inside the building was strictly controlled.

Lu Jingling's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap.

Qiao Lie was the first to be hit. He was immediately stunned by the blast, his whole body stiffening. Only his eyes widened involuntarily, revealing the intense shock of being confessed to for the first time in his life, as well as his utter disarray.

The other teenagers all wore expressions of extreme horror.

Aside from his unattainable family background, Qiao Lie is indeed good-looking, but he has a violent and irritable personality.

Caotang is known as "the embodiment of rage", "the representative of a daredevil", "the reincarnation of high explosives", "the number one vanguard of Wendao Caotang", and "the biggest trap in Youlong Mountain".

This guy, who even uses the largest explosive barrel to blow up poop, actually won the girl's favor before them all. Is there no justice in this world?

Just as everyone was questioning their existence, Yang Qingfeng suddenly felt an itch in his ear and heard Qiao Wanyi's soft, magnetic voice, "Brother Qingfeng, I also have something to tell you."

Qiao Wanyi's breath was fragrant, and her words were filled with a warm, moist scent that blew into her ear and instantly reached her mind.

Instantly, Yang Qingfeng felt numbness all the way from his left ear to his neck.

Seeing his blank stare, Qiao Wanyi's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with a satisfied and pleased expression. Then, she grabbed Yang Qingfeng's sleeve, her cheeks flushed, and said, "My assessment is similar to yours, with only one difference."

"When the assessment started, a stand-in came to help me deal damage, and I was in the back providing support."

"This stunt double accompanied me for two rounds..."

At this point, Qiao Wanyi tiptoed again and whispered in Yang Qingfeng's ear, "You were also in my second assessment, and there were two of you... I protected both of the most important you."

What does this mean?

Yang Qingfeng knew perfectly well what was going on.

The second round of assessment is about protection—protecting your closest loved ones and the people you most want to protect.

If you appear in someone's evaluation, it means you are the person they care about most.

Lu Jingling discovered that Qiao Lie was among the people she was protecting in the second round. This made her realize that she truly had feelings for Qiao Lie and could no longer deceive herself. Only then did she muster up the courage to confess her love to Qiao Lie.

Qiao Wanyi takes it a step further, becoming both her protector and her substitute.

Listening to her story, Yang Qingfeng felt a little trembling, a little itchy, and a little floating inside, and suddenly he didn't know how to react.

At this moment, Qiao Wanyi tugged at his sleeve and shook it gently, saying in a coquettish tone, "I know you have important things to do, I won't cling to you all the time, I won't hold you back..."

Upon hearing the word "burden," Yang Qingfeng instantly snapped out of his daze. He frowned, immediately grasped Qiao Wanyi's small hand, met her eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Only those who don't want to take responsibility would use the excuse of being a burden or an obstacle."

"My business is still a long way off, I'm not in a hurry, and you don't need to worry about it..."

Listening to Yang Qingfeng's words, I felt the intense heat rushing towards me.

Qiao Wanyi stared at him intently, her eyelashes trembling, her pretty face flushed, and her heart pounding faster and faster until she felt so embarrassed by his gaze that her legs began to go weak.

"I imagine your exam results won't be bad either. Let's go to the International Education Center together first. We're from the Japanese side..."

Before Yang Qingfeng could finish speaking, Qiao Wanyi couldn't listen anymore. She let out a soft sob and collapsed into Yang Qingfeng's arms.

At the same time, Lu Jingling timidly walked up to Qiao Lie in the corridor and rested her forehead against his chest.

In an instant, screams and wails echoed throughout the building.

The boys covered their heads, looking left at Yang Qingfeng and right at Qiao Lie, screaming in agony and crying out that it was an outrage against heaven.

The girls were so excited they jumped up and down, covering their faces and screaming, their faces flushed red, revealing their pure innocence.