Chapter Eighty-Five: Farewell

“When you stepped onto the battle stage…”
Lin Chong smiled faintly. “I was already here.”
In the instructor’s eyes was a hint of paternal pride, as if watching his own disciple come of age.
With a solemn tone, he continued, “You performed exceptionally well today. You seized the moment and gave it your all. It was a splendid victory!”
As he spoke, Lin Chong gave Fang Xiao a thumbs-up, expressing his sincere admiration.
Fang Xiao scratched his head, feeling slightly embarrassed by the praise.
Lin Chong went on, “As for someone like Xue Zhenhai, a petty schemer concerned only with his own interests, he is entirely unworthy of being an instructor in the Martial Hall. You need not worry about him any longer. I doubt he’ll have the face to remain here at the academy.”
As the vice instructor of the Six Rivers Academy, a martial master who had opened his meridians, Xue Zhenhai had publicly slandered Fang Xiao in front of hundreds of students and even tried to bully the weak with his authority.
His vile and despicable behavior left everyone aghast!
Yet when Lin Chong suddenly appeared, Xue Zhenhai’s arrogance crumbled into obsequiousness, and he fled in utter disgrace.
His shameful conduct was on full display!
The question remained:
How thick-skinned would Xue Zhenhai have to be to keep his seat after all this?
Fang Xiao hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Instructor Lin, I intend to withdraw from the academy.”
Lin Chong was startled. “I told you—Xue Zhenhai won’t be staying!”
He assumed Fang Xiao feared retaliation, so his assurance was resolute.
“That’s not it,” Fang Xiao replied frankly. “It’s just that this place no longer feels right for my training.”
“I’d like to practice at home, or perhaps…”
He looked at Lin Chong with bright, hopeful eyes. “Instructor, what if you left the academy too, and became my private tutor? No matter the tuition fee, it’s not an issue!”
If, in the beginning, Fang Xiao had come to Six Rivers Academy brimming with enthusiasm, then all the hope he’d once held had now turned into disappointment.
He no longer wished to waste precious time on such trivial matters.
He wanted only to grow stronger—ever stronger!
And of all those at the academy, Lin Chong was the one he trusted and respected the most.
If Lin Chong were willing to become his true master, it would be perfect!
Lin Chong gave a helpless laugh and shook his head. “In truth, I returned this time to bid you farewell.”
Fang Xiao was stunned. “Instructor, where are you going?”
“Song Prefecture,” Lin Chong replied. “It’s countless miles from Qing Prefecture. Once I leave, the mountains and rivers between us will be vast, and there may never be another chance to meet.”
“Take good care of yourself. No matter how hard it gets, you must strive to live on!”
Fang Xiao felt a sting at the bridge of his nose. “Instructor, is it truly necessary?”
“Yes.”

Lin Chong answered calmly, “It is my fate. I can’t keep running from it.”
A lock of hair above his brow turned visibly white in an instant.
“Fang Xiao, don’t be sad.”
He patted Fang Xiao’s shoulder. “All feasts must come to an end. For us to have shared this bond as master and student is already a great blessing from the heavens.”
“This spear…”
He handed the red-tasseled spear from his shoulder to Fang Xiao, saying in a deep voice, “This spear has been passed down in my family for over a hundred years. Its materials are ordinary, but it carries the soul of the Lin family spear.”
“So long as the spear’s spirit endures, even if the weapon itself is destroyed, the Lin family spear will live on!”
“Fang Xiao, now I entrust it to you.”
The weight of the spear in his hands felt immense.
As Lin Chong had said,
It was indeed very ordinary—the waxwood shaft was covered with scars, the tasseled fringe was thick with dust, and the metal tip had lost its luster and sharpness.
It would be worthless at a pawnshop.
Yet grasping the red-tasseled spear, Fang Xiao felt a strange sense of kinship, as if their bloodlines were intertwined.
It was as though this weapon had accompanied him through countless years—through wind and rain, hardships and battles beneath the blazing sun, and on the fields of war.
“Do not disappoint it!”
When Fang Xiao snapped back to himself,
Lin Chong had already disappeared from the training ground.
But his final words still echoed in Fang Xiao’s ears.
Clutching the spear, Fang Xiao bowed in the direction from which the voice had come, performing the student’s salute.
Though Lin Chong had always refused to formally acknowledge Fang Xiao as his disciple or let him speak his name outside,
At this moment of parting,
He had changed his mind.
It might have no practical significance,
But to Fang Xiao, it meant everything.
Straightening up,
Fang Xiao took the spear and strode purposefully to the clerks’ office.
The clerks were in charge of the daily affairs of the academy. Inside sat a lean, middle-aged man.
Before the man could speak,
Fang Xiao unhooked the bronze token from his waist and slapped it on the table.
“I wish to withdraw from the academy.”
The token marked his status as a Martial Hall student, including his student number.
The clerk jumped in surprise. “W-Withdrawing?”
While students leaving the academy was not unheard of—Six Rivers Academy was famous for its strict standards, and many were eliminated or left on their own—
No one had ever come to withdraw so boldly, spear in hand and head held high.
The clerk’s eyes darted nervously. Grabbing the token, he forced a smile. “This is a significant matter, sir. Allow me to inform the instructors and return to process your paperwork.”
Fang Xiao nodded. “Very well.”
He was not an unreasonable person.

Surely the clerk wouldn’t go to Xue Zhenhai…
Right?
“Please wait here.”
The middle-aged clerk heaved a silent sigh of relief and hurried out with the token.
Fang Xiao took a seat on a bench and waited patiently.
After barely half a cup of tea’s time,
An aged voice suddenly echoed in the room. “You are Fang Xiao?”
What sorcery was this?
Fang Xiao jumped in alarm, instinctively turning around.
Somehow, there was now an unremarkable old man in a gray robe standing in the room!
He had made no sound,
Nor had Fang Xiao sensed his presence.
Fang Xiao gripped the spear tightly, his eyes wary.
Though he sensed no danger,
The man’s sudden appearance demanded vigilance.
Noticing Fang Xiao’s guard,
The white-haired elder smiled. “I am He Zhizhou, Chief Instructor of Six Rivers Academy.”
Chief Instructor?
Fang Xiao blinked, then hurriedly rose and bowed. “Student Fang Xiao, greetings to Chief Instructor He!”
Although he only knew two of the four instructors at the academy,
He Zhizhou’s name was widely known.
It was unlikely this was an impostor.
“No need for formality,”
He Zhizhou waved his hand, indicating Fang Xiao should sit again.
The chief instructor asked with curiosity, “Fang Xiao, does Daoist Pang know you intend to withdraw?”
“Um…”
Fang Xiao hadn’t expected the chief instructor to be on such familiar terms with Daoist Pang.
He could only answer honestly, “He doesn’t.”
There was no point in lying.
“You should have told him,”
He Zhizhou said with a chuckle. “That day, Daoist Pang came to see me, begging for an enrollment spot. I took the opportunity to extort five jars of his Drunken Blossom brew—he nearly fell out with me over it!”
He burst into hearty laughter.
Fang Xiao was left speechless.
Who could have guessed that, behind his admission to Six Rivers Academy,
Such stories had been brewing!
What a rash decision this was.