Chapter 101: The Match
Nan Yu pretended not to understand what he meant. "What pleasant smell? I didn't smell anything."
Yu Lanfeng suddenly found the scent somewhat familiar. The way he looked at Nan Yu changed slightly. "Did you... happen to come into contact with something rather unusual before?"
Nan Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Yu Lanfeng was able to identify what it was just from that faint lingering scent?
Had he used it before as well? Or... was there something wrong in that department?
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward a rather delicate area on Yu Lanfeng.
Yu Lanfeng naturally noticed exactly where Nan Yu was looking. In that instant, he became certain that Nan Yu knew what he had come into contact with before.
Then why had he touched that sort of thing?
Could it have been prepared for him?
"You prepared it for me?" Yu Lanfeng asked.
Nan Yu jumped in shock. "What? Prepared what for you?"
Seeing Nan Yu's bewildered expression, Yu Lanfeng immediately realized he had guessed wrong. He secretly relaxed a little. Perhaps he had asked too many questions.
Nan Yu took a deep breath. "Actually, here's what happened..."
He briefly recounted everything that had happened at school.
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly. "You're saying that person called Yun Feiyu gave it to you?"
"Yeah. When I opened the box, I thought they were pearls at first. But when I squeezed one, it felt soft. I realized something wasn't right, so I threw it away. But... why are you so familiar with that smell?"
Faced with Nan Yu's soul-level interrogation, Yu Lanfeng answered, "I came into contact with it during a mission before. In a certain sense, it really is a good thing."
Nan Yu blinked. "How is it good?"
Yu Lanfeng gave him a meaningful look. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Nan Yu felt somewhat embarrassed, but he still nodded.
"I really do want to know."
"If you want to know, then I'll tell you. After eating it, it can enhance a man's endurance in bed..."
Nan Yu instantly covered his face.
It wasn't that he couldn't listen to this sort of topic.
The problem was discussing it with Yu Lanfeng.
Whenever they talked about something like this together, he couldn't help imagining the two of them in that situation.
Yu Lanfeng watched him hide his face. Even the small part that wasn't covered had turned completely red, making him want to laugh.
They had only just started talking.
How was he already this shy?
For some reason, a mischievous thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Still want to hear the rest?"
There was no way Nan Yu would back down so easily.
"Keep talking!"
Yu Lanfeng continued, "After taking it, it can prolong the duration, enhance performance, and the effects last for an entire night."
"And afterward, as long as you get a good night's sleep, there won't be any aftereffects."
Nan Yu lowered his hands and stared at him in astonishment.
"I've heard people mention that before, but is it actually true? Even with the best medicine, after... doing it for an entire night, you'd still be exhausted afterward, wouldn't you?"
"And this stuff obviously isn't cheap. How could someone as poor as Yun Feiyu possibly afford it? And he even gave it to me? Could he have been hinting that he and Bai Zhouyun have already slept together? And that they even bought something this rare and expensive just so they could enjoy themselves more?"
Only after saying that did he notice the strange look in Yu Lanfeng's eyes.
He immediately stopped speaking.
"Uh... I was just saying whatever came to mind."
"Does it bother you?" Yu Lanfeng asked.
"Bother me about what?"
"That the two of them have already slept together."
Nan Yu didn't even need to think before answering. He blinked.
"What is there to be bothered about? It has nothing to do with me anyway."
Then he continued, "Actually, I think the two of them make quite a suitable pair. They've been hiding it pretty well lately, though. Probably because they're afraid I'll notice. Neither of them has been showing up in front of me much recently."
Yu Lanfeng asked, "If their relationship is exposed later, what will you do?"
"I'll use the opportunity to cancel my engagement with him. Even if I can't completely break off the engagement, I'll make sure he pays a heavy price. Consider it compensation for all the grievances I've suffered over the years. What do you think?"
"I'll help you."
A smile spread across Nan Yu's lips.
"Really?"
"This time, I'll help too."
Nan Yu paused slightly.
"You mean... you're going to make a move?"
"My sister."
Nan Yu suddenly understood.
No wonder the Empress had always treated him so kindly every time they met.
So she had been viewing him as her younger brother's future partner all along.
Well... that wasn't a bad thing.
"So..."
Yu Lanfeng sighed.
"My sister plans to begin setting everything in motion after the competition. I'll be helping from the shadows as well."
Nan Yu looked surprised.
"You mean... you've already found evidence against Bai Zhouyun? If my engagement with him is going to be dissolved, a few rumors and bits of gossip won't be nearly enough."
"I know. Don't worry. My sister has already made thorough preparations."
Nan Yu subconsciously reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
He felt... completely at a loss.
This was the first time he had ever encountered something like this.
"I don't really know what you're planning, but this concerns me too. If there's ever a time when you need me to step forward, don't keep it from me, alright?"
"Don't worry. This time, we'll definitely help you end your engagement with him."
The corners of Nan Yu's mouth curled upward.
"Alright."
He was more satisfied than ever.
All he could think about now was waiting for the competition to end.
Although Yu Lanfeng hadn't explained exactly what they intended to do, Nan Yu inexplicably felt completely safe.
Nan Yu slept especially well that night.
The next morning, he arrived at school bright and early.
Only after arriving did he realize there were apparently no classes that day.
However, since most people had heard that Nan Yu would be competing against a Mental Power User from the allied nation who was supposedly a prince, many students still came to watch.
Nan Yu also spotted Chen Yuming and Zheng Fengyin standing off in a corner.
Unfortunately, Zi Zhoulin—the first person he had contacted—had not arrived yet.
He was probably still on his way.
Judging by the schedule, he should reach the Capital Star in another few days.
At that point, the three of them ought to get along well together.
Normally, the dormitories housed four students.
However, because it wasn't always easy to divide everyone evenly, there were occasionally two-person or three-person dorms, with four being the maximum.
Perhaps because all three of them had been personally contacted by Nan Yu, and because all three possessed exceptional talent and ability, they had been assigned to live together.
As for the other two seniors Nan Yu had contacted...
To be fair, they were decent enough.
But the academy didn't believe that, even after studying for another three years, those two students would display any truly outstanding improvement.
They were simply returning to polish their résumés once more.
That way, in the future, they could finally enjoy the ordinary life that graduates of the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star were supposed to have, instead of constantly being mocked and insulted.
Nan Yu looked around, but he didn't see the delegation from the allied nation.
He and Yang Zhou simply headed to the nearby general-purpose building, found an empty office, and waited there for the competition to begin.
As one of the school's celebrities, there wasn't a single teacher who didn't recognize Nan Yu.
When he explained that he only wanted to sit there for a while until the match began, none of the teachers objected.
Instead, they warmly welcomed him and invited the two of them to rest.
Suddenly, Nan Yu realized something.
He still had absolutely no idea what they were actually going to compete in.
Could it really be a competition to see who could remove Mental Contamination from an Ability User faster?
But then who would volunteer?
An Ability User's Mental Sea wasn't something that could casually be used for a competition. If either Mental Power User made even the slightest mistake, the damage to the Ability User could be severe.
That was why Nan Yu found it rather strange. What exactly was the format of this competition supposed to be?
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
Perhaps Heaven had heard his thoughts, because not long afterward, the principal called him.
"Student Nan Yu?"
"Principal?"
"Oh dear, I've been so busy lately that I almost forgot to tell you about the competition. I won't go into all the details, so I'll just give you the basics. There will be three rounds, basically a best-two-out-of-three format. The first round is simply a comparison of Mental Power levels. It doesn't require much technical skill. The second round will be removing Mental Contamination from an Ability User whose contamination has reached A-rank."
Nan Yu frowned slightly.
"Really? You all agreed to that?"
"At first, we were all against it," the principal admitted. "But they said they'd provide the two volunteers themselves, so it wasn't really our place to stop them."
"I'm just worried they might tamper with those two people somehow, so be careful."
Nan Yu nodded.
So this was what Yu Lanfeng had meant earlier when he said the other side might try something underhanded.
"Then what about the third round?"
If it really was a best-two-out-of-three match, Nan Yu was confident he could win the first two rounds.
The third round wouldn't even be necessary.
Still, for the sake of making the competition look complete, it had to exist.
The principal sounded conflicted.
"They haven't decided on the third round either. They seem to have a great deal of confidence in that Mental Power User and believe he'll easily win the first two rounds."
Nan Yu paused in surprise.
That was exactly what he had been thinking himself.
Was that Mental Power User really that capable?
And had everyone who came with him agreed with that confidence?
Was Wu De truly that strong?
Nan Yu had never heard of him before.
Even in his previous life, there had never been anyone by that name.
If someone this powerful really existed, based on everything Nan Yu knew, he shouldn't have remained completely unknown.
So Nan Yu still believed the man's confidence was nothing more than an act.
"Don't worry, Principal. This is our territory after all. They won't dare play any tricks. I have people protecting me, so you don't have to worry about them making a move against me."
The principal smiled in relief.
"You're right. In that case, I won't be attending today's competition. You youngsters can have your fun. Once it's over, go home and get some rest."
That suited him perfectly.
A small competition like this hardly required the principal to appear.
Not only was the principal absent, but not a single member of the Imperial Family showed up either.
However, Nan Yu soon spotted Yuan Qiyang approaching.
He walked over to Nan Yu and casually glanced at Yang Zhou standing beside him.
The glance was extremely well concealed.
Had Nan Yu not been watching him the entire time—and had his own Mental Power not been so keenly sensitive—he probably wouldn't have noticed at all.
Those two...
They had probably spent quite a bit of time secretly building their relationship inside the game behind his back.
He wondered whether they would actually end up together.
"The Imperial Family sent me to watch your match," Yuan Qiyang said.
Nan Yu looked surprised.
"The Imperial Family actually sent someone for a competition like this?"
"There really wasn't much need," Yuan Qiyang admitted. "But they're still a delegation from an allied nation. We have to show the minimum level of courtesy. Otherwise, if word got out, people would say the Empire is petty."
Nan Yu nodded.
"That makes sense. Sending the Crown Prince is certainly more than enough in terms of status."
Now, whenever Yuan Qiyang faced Nan Yu, he barely even dared to breathe too loudly.
The entire Imperial Family knew that, sooner or later, Nan Yu would definitely end up with his uncle.
Although Nan Yu was still engaged, that engagement would soon disappear.
As Crown Prince, Yuan Qiyang naturally knew what his mother had been doing.
She had been quietly making preparations all this time, and she hadn't exactly hidden them from the rest of the family.
If anyone casually asked, she would reveal bits and pieces.
It wasn't difficult to guess the overall picture.
Yuan Qiyang suspected his mother's reason for speaking about it so openly was simple.
She hoped that once the family understood the situation, they would lend a helping hand if possible.
Even if they chose not to help, she at least didn't want anyone getting in the way.
Especially his father.
From the very beginning, the Emperor had maintained a neutral stance.
Neither supporting nor opposing it.
Though deep down, he had leaned slightly toward skepticism.
After all, he had personally witnessed everything that happened back then.
However, as the Empress repeatedly produced increasingly disgraceful evidence, even the Emperor gradually changed his opinion.
He still wasn't especially enthusiastic.
But he certainly wasn't going to interfere.
Especially after learning that the respected Old Master Bai—the same man the Emperor owed a favor to—had secretly been keeping mistresses despite his advanced age.
Not only that.
He had even fathered illegitimate children.
His explanation?
The Emperor supposedly liked seeing him remain devoted to his late wife.
Because he didn't want to leave a bad impression in the Emperor's eyes, he had hidden everything for all these years.
When the Emperor first heard this, he was completely dumbfounded.
Whether Old Master Bai remarried or not...
Wasn't that entirely the Bai family's private affair?
How had the blame somehow ended up on his head?
What did it have to do with him?
Thinking back carefully, however...
He had indeed once commented on how loving the couple looked together.
Something along the lines of, "You two are perfectly matched. Stay together forever."
Well then...
He had never imagined that an offhand remark would be taken so seriously.
Old Master Bai had practically treated it like an imperial decree.
The whole situation left the Emperor feeling unbelievably awkward.
But after calming down, he became increasingly dissatisfied.
Either don't look for another woman at all...
Or if you do, bring her home openly.
Was the Emperor really going to brand him a traitor over a family matter?
Of course not.
Family affairs were family affairs.
It wasn't his place to interfere in another household's private business.
Yet this Bai fellow had been using such a righteous-sounding excuse to keep women outside.
And from the looks of it, he'd cast a very wide net.
Current investigations had already found three different women pregnant with his children.
Each woman was living separately, completely unaware of the others.
In any case, the Emperor's impression of the Bai family had become extremely poor.
Then he compared Bai Zhouyun's thoroughly disgraceful investigation report with Nan Yu's file.
He felt that not only was the Bai family no longer worthy of standing alongside the Nan family...
Bai Zhouyun himself wasn't worthy of standing beside Nan Yu either.
Nan Yu was currently the Empire's only...
The only person with a realistic chance of becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User within the next decade.
No matter which nation he lived in, someone like that would enjoy special privileges.
In the Empire, however, one only gained extensive freedoms and rights after actually becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User.
In many other countries, someone as exceptional as Nan Yu would already have the right to make decisions about matters such as his own marriage, even without holding great political power.
The Emperor genuinely found that somewhat frustrating.
The Empress had even considered changing the Empire's regulations.
But after thinking it through, she realized that the current law was only unsuitable for Nan Yu alone.
For the Empire as a whole, it was still appropriate.
So she ultimately kept the idea to herself.
Otherwise, the Emperor's opinion of Nan Yu might have worsened.
When it was finally time for the competition, Nan Yu looked toward the academy's enormous central plaza and nodded in satisfaction.
Now this looked more like it.
The competition platform had already been constructed.
A large crowd had gathered around it, seemingly just waiting for both competitors to arrive.
The agreed starting time was ten o'clock in the morning.
That way, the competition would finish relatively early.
Nan Yu checked the time.
It was almost ten.
Yuan Qiyang led him toward the platform.
Just as they arrived, they saw a group of about ten people slowly approaching from the distance.
Their clothing style was obviously different from that of the Empire.
Nan Yu immediately recognized them as the delegation from the allied nation.
Among them was the shortest member of the group.
That was presumably the Mental Power User who had challenged him.
Nan Yu watched him for quite a while.
The other man showed no sign of noticing his gaze.
Little by little, Nan Yu lost the last bit of interest he had.
Ordinarily, an exceptionally strong Mid-Tier Mental Power User should be sensitive enough to notice someone staring directly at them.
Yet this Mental Power User hadn't noticed anything at all.
Of course, it was also possible that he simply had no intention of looking this way.
But who could say what the real reason was?
About two minutes before the competition officially began, as the two competitors walked toward the platform, the other man finally noticed Nan Yu.
He strode forward arrogantly.
Stopping two or three steps away from Nan Yu, he looked him up and down.
"I originally thought the strongest Mid-Tier Mental Power User on the Empire's Capital Star would be someone truly outstanding. Seeing you in person is far more disappointing than your reputation. If I'd known this earlier, I wouldn't have bothered coming."
Nan Yu looked at him calmly.
"You know me?"
Wu De frowned.
"Hm?"
Nan Yu smiled.
"I don't even know who you are. I've never heard of you before. Yet you actually know me. I'm honestly flattered. Thank you."
His words might as well have directly pointed at Wu De's nose and said:
My reputation is bigger than yours. You know me, but I don't even know who you are.
As soon as he finished speaking, scattered laughter rippled through the audience.
However, everyone tried to suppress it as much as possible.
After all, they still wanted to leave some dignity for their allies.
The laughter quickly died down.
Wu De recovered almost immediately.
"Sharp tongue. Let's see if you can keep talking like that in a little while."
Nan Yu smiled.
"In that case, let's begin. I still don't know what the third round is supposed to be. Since your side chose the first two events, if we actually make it to the third round, how about I choose what we compete in?"
Wu De snorted coldly.
"Of course."
Looking at Wu De, Nan Yu couldn't help thinking that if the man's temper were a little better, combined with his fairly handsome appearance, he would probably be quite dazzling.
Unfortunately, Wu De constantly carried himself as though he were the greatest person under heaven.
It was truly a waste of such good looks.
"Let's begin," Nan Yu said.
The first round was simply a comparison of their Mental Power values.
It was over very quickly.
Nan Yu's Mental Power reading shot upward continuously before stopping firmly at the absolute peak of Mid-Tier.
Only the tiniest sliver separated him from High-Tier.
Just the tiniest sliver.
The gap was so small it was almost impossible to distinguish.
Even so...
That final step remained an enormous barrier.
Only Nan Yu himself could break through it later.
Since there was only one testing machine, Nan Yu went first.
After his results appeared, not only was the audience stunned—
Even Wu De stared in disbelief.
The spectators had always heard stories about Nan Yu.
Or they knew he had successfully completed another commission.
But those were only stories.
This time, they had witnessed his true Mental Power value with their own eyes.
Nan Yu slowly stepped back and stopped beside Wu De.
"Your turn, my ally."
The corner of Wu De's mouth twitched.
Backing out now was impossible.
He could only grit his teeth and walk toward the testing machine.
He knew his own Mental Power value perfectly well.
He had shown it off countless times.
Back home, no Mid-Tier Mental Power User had ever surpassed him.
Over time, he had come to believe that he was unquestionably the strongest Mid-Tier Mental Power User.
Only now did he awaken from that intoxicating feeling of constantly being praised and admired.
So...
There really were Mid-Tier Mental Power Users stronger than him.
This time...
He had lost.
The testing machine might have belonged to the Empire.
But there was absolutely nothing wrong with its accuracy.
This wasn't the first time any of them had used it.
Minor fluctuations in readings were perfectly normal.
However, if anyone tampered with it enough to create a significant discrepancy, anyone familiar with the machine would spot the problem immediately.
Nan Yu smiled pleasantly.
"So? Shall we begin the second round?"
"The sooner we finish, the sooner everyone can go back and rest."
"I do feel a little sorry for the students who built this platform, though. It was only used for such a short time before it has to be taken apart again..."
Wait.
Maybe it didn't need to be dismantled after all?
Looking more carefully...
Wasn't this simply the same stage the academy used for its anniversary celebration every year?
Well then.
Even this had been reused to save money.
It seemed the academy truly had complete confidence in him.
They hadn't taken Wu De seriously from the very beginning.
And looking at the situation now...
The gap between the two of them really was rather large.