I'm coming clean: I'm the reincarnation of the God of Literature.

Gu Ang took a punch to the face, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he seemed not to feel it.

In the end, only Sun Zhi was left, with Gu Ang holding his wrist.

"You...you mustn't do anything rash...my father is..."

"The essence of teaching lies in specialization!"

Gu Ang ignored his nonsense and punched Sun Zhi in the eye socket.

The punch was held back, so it didn't rupture the eyeball, but it did give Sun Zhi a shiny black panda eye.

Sun Zhi rolled his eyes and collapsed limply to the ground.

The battle ended too quickly.

From beginning to end, it only took a dozen or so breaths.

There was silence at the entrance of the academy.

The students watching stared wide-eyed at the boy standing in the center of the field, blood trickling from his mouth and his clothes disheveled.

Gu Ang was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

He looked at the several people lying haphazardly on the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes held an unprecedented firmness and majesty.

He took a deep breath and spoke loudly to the terrified crowd around him:

My younger brother said that scholars should persuade others with reason.

"But he is physically weak, and some of his reasoning is not convincing."

"My name is Gu Ang, and Gu Ci is my younger brother."

Gu Ang raised his calloused fist. "From now on, if anyone dares to spew nonsense again, I'll use this fist to teach them what 'reason' really means!"

These words, though crude and direct, carried a heroic spirit that stirred the blood.

Someone in the crowd shouted "Bravo!" first, followed by scattered applause, which eventually turned into thunderous applause.

Although scholars value refinement, they also despise such arrogant and domineering young men. This beating was satisfying!

"elder brother."

A soft call came from behind.

Gu Ang trembled, and the fierce aura dissipated instantly.

He turned around and looked at Gu Ci with a somewhat helpless expression, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Ci'er, I...did I cause you trouble? They..."

Gu Ci stepped forward and took out a clean white handkerchief from his pocket.

He stood on tiptoe and wiped the blood from the corner of Gu Ang's mouth.

Her movements were gentle, and her eyes held no blame, only deep heartache.

"Does it hurt?"

Gu Ang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, which aggravated the wound on his lip. He hissed and gasped, "It doesn't hurt! It's like a mosquito bite. Those cowards aren't even as strong as Qingqing."

Looking at the bruises on her brother's face, Gu Ci felt as if something was blocking her heart.

This is the first time in his life that someone has ever risked everything to raise their fist in order to protect his reputation.

This honest and kind-hearted man is using his clumsy methods to support himself in this perilous provincial capital.

"Brother, you looked really cool when you were reciting the Three Character Classic just now," Gu Ci said softly.

Gu Ang's eyes lit up: "Really? I knew it! Master Wei said that you have to shout to make a fight more imposing. I thought that as a scholar's brother, I couldn't shout 'kill' or 'slash', so I recited the text."

Gu Ci couldn't help but laugh, her eyes slightly red.

"Come on, let's go home. I'll apply the medicine for you."

Gu Ci took Gu Ang's calloused hand, looked away from the wailing lads on the ground, and turned to leave.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two brothers. One tall and one short, one martial and one scholarly, they appeared remarkably harmonious on this ancient street.

……

Half an hour later.

Inside a mansion in the east of Jiangzhou City.

With black eyes, Sun Zhi knelt on the ground, sobbing, "Young Master Zhao, you must do me justice! Those Gu brothers are too arrogant, they have no regard for the law! They're committing crimes in the street!"

Sitting in the armchair, Zhao Wenxuan toyed with two iron walnuts, his face gloomy.

He never expected that Gu Ci, that country prodigy, would have such a capable older brother.

"Alright, stop howling."

Zhao Wenxuan waved his hand impatiently, "Five against one and you still got beaten up like this? If I were you, I would have already found a block of tofu and killed myself."

Sun Zhi shrank back, not daring to make another sound.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a goatee walked out from behind the screen.

He was the Zhao family's advisor, surnamed Wu, with a pair of triangular eyes that revealed his shrewdness.

"Young master, this matter is quite interesting."

Master Wu stroked his beard. "That Gu Ang, I heard, only started practicing martial arts half a month ago. Before that, in Qinghe County, he was just a farmhand."

"So what?" Zhao Wenxuan sneered.

"A farmer's son was able to defeat five martial arts experts in just half a month, which shows that he has the potential to become a martial arts master."

Master Wu narrowed his eyes. "Moreover, this also exposes one of Gu Ci's weaknesses."

"What weakness?"

"He cares too much about this older brother."

Master Wu chuckled sinisterly, "Today, Sun Zhi only hurled a few insults, and Gu Ang went berserk and attacked. If it were us..."

Zhao Wenxuan's eyes lit up: "You mean, start with his family?"

"No rush."

Master Wu waved his hand, "Since an open approach won't work, let's investigate further. I've already sent people to Qinghe County. I heard the Gu family's rise to prominence only happened in the last few months. Where did the money come from before? Gu Ci was a quiet, reserved person before he was eight. How did he suddenly become so clever? There must be something fishy going on here."

Master Wu walked to the window and looked at the night that was gradually falling outside.

"As long as we find a little bit of leverage, it won't be difficult to make him reveal his title as the top scorer in the provincial examination, let alone the provincial examination."

"As for that Gu Ang..."

Master Wu sneered, "Just a fool's courage. Once the provincial examination is over, and Gu Ci is no longer around, killing him will be as easy as killing an ant."

Zhao Wenxuan beamed with joy, spinning the iron walnut in his hand with a crackling sound.

"Alright! Let's do as Master Wu says! I want to see how long this child prodigy can keep up this act!"