Chapter 26: Who Dares to Plot Against Me in the Shadows?

Ji Huo was speechless.
“This is just bullying. No wonder he managed to beat the young generation in the capital until they cried for their parents. Father, you’re the chief military officer—shouldn’t you reflect on the sorry state of Da Zhou’s youth?”
Ji Xiaoxiong picked his nose indifferently. “If they can’t teach their sons right, how is that my problem? Besides, Da Zhou hasn’t seen war for years. Young people just want to be civil officials and live comfortably—who wants to suffer and practice martial arts every day? After ten or twenty years of training, you end up as a bodyguard, while your peers who chose the civil path are already county magistrates.”
That was true. Ji Huo nodded. It wasn’t just the capital; even out west in Chuanxi, many young people aspired to become scholars and officials.
Another reason was the folk stories and tales popular in the martial world—most adventures told by storytellers involved scholars having romantic encounters in ruined temples or by the lakeside, or even just meeting beauties by reading aloud. These tales had convinced the youth that being a scholar was the profession with the most romantic opportunities. And since literati were associated with frequenting teahouses and enjoying performances, who wouldn’t be attracted by a career that seemed to come with such luck?
Ji Huo shook his head. These things had little to do with him—he was content to be a bystander.
“In fact, it’s only on the court that promising young talents are scarce. There’s no shortage in the martial world,” Ji Huo remarked casually. The young men under his command, the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends unit, were all outstanding—skilled in killing, arson, and robbery, all having inherited his teachings.
As for the shameless, lackadaisical middle-aged man across from him, pretending to be a young tough beating up children—even without Little Red Sugar’s intervention, any one of the top ten in the unit could teach him a lesson.
“But that’s the martial world, not the court. The martial world does train people, but it’s rife with intrigue and factional strife. A single misstep and you could lose your life. That’s why officials don’t want their children wandering in such danger,” Ji Xiaoxiong said.
“Even if they’re sent out, they’re accompanied by bodyguards, which defeats the purpose of the training. There are a few young ones who truly made their mark in the martial world, but only because they sneaked out and vanished—neither seen alive nor dead.”
Ji Xiaoxiong glanced at his son, squinting as he asked,
“You must have mixed in the martial world too—why have I never heard your name?”
Ji Huo laughed awkwardly, his expression pure as he replied, “I was too young—if I’d gone into the martial world, I’d just have been beaten up. All these years, I’ve been farming in the village.”
This brat is playing dumb again... Ji Xiaoxiong snorted coldly, “Then where did you learn your body-hardening skills?”
“There was an old man at the village entrance who practiced every morning. When I was small, I traded a sack of corn for some of his techniques.” Ji Huo replied without blinking, ready to spin the classic tale of falling off a cliff and miraculously surviving if his father pressed further.
Perhaps the story was too clichéd—after all, the teahouse storytellers recited such plots daily—Ji Xiaoxiong didn’t believe a word.
After a little while, the old emperor finally arrived, swaying as he walked.
“Let’s begin,” he declared, without further ado. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the imperial kitchen to serve, and dishes were laid out before the officials.
As soon as the emperor picked up his chopsticks, everyone began to eat.

This was exactly to Ji Huo’s liking—he was already so hungry his legs felt weak. Now that the food had arrived, he began to wolf down his meal.
“Slow down, there’s more to come.” When Ji Xiaoxiong, for the third time, failed to pick a dish before his son snatched it, he finally couldn’t hold back.
“Father, you should slow down too, there’s plenty more.” Ji Huo replied, mouth full of meat and words muffled.
Ji Xiaoxiong: “...”
For some reason, the only sounds in the grand hall were those of eating and picking up food; occasional whispers were barely audible, as if everyone present cared for nothing but their meal.
These old foxes—at banquets, they usually shout louder than anyone. Why are they all silent now? Are they that afraid I’ll push them forward? The old emperor cursed inwardly.
He glanced at the crown prince and the fourth prince sitting at the head—they, too, were burying their heads in their food, resembling ostriches. When they felt the emperor’s gaze, they lowered their heads further.
What worried them most was the matter the emperor had mentioned—because they truly had no solution.
“Your Majesty, if the banquet is only for eating and drinking, isn’t that a bit dull?”
Just as the saying goes, what you fear most is what arrives. You Zhuo, seated diagonally opposite, was startled, then rose to salute.
Here it comes!
The sound of silent eating paused; the same thought flashed through every official’s mind. The prince and fourth prince lowered their heads even more.
They’d expected the envoy from Liang to speak up now—after all, the news that Hu Fu had defeated over a dozen men at the embassy had already spread throughout the capital.
But the emperor’s demand that they find a youth who could beat Hu Fu was putting them in an impossible position.
Unbeknownst to others, the prince and fourth prince’s men had already tried to challenge Hu Fu, only to be soundly defeated and thrown off the stage in a few moves. If there were anyone left who could fight, they wouldn’t be in such a predicament.
Because of this, the emperor had scolded them in court more than once—but what could they do? If they could find someone, they would have.
If their own martial skills weren’t so lacking, they’d have rolled up their sleeves and gone themselves.
At least my brother is being scolded with me, so I’m not losing face alone, they both thought.
“Does the envoy have a suggestion? Speak freely,” the old emperor asked.
“Your Majesty, my junior has inherited our master’s teachings and recently made great progress in martial arts. He wishes to exchange skills with the promising youths of Da Zhou.”
You Zhuo smiled as he bowed to the assembled officials and the younger generation.

“As you all know, my junior has set up a challenge stage in recent days, but has yet to meet a worthy opponent. I believe among the court’s youth, there must be someone who can hold their own, so that the young of Da Zhou and Liang can advance together in martial arts.”
The meaning was clear—he was implying that everyone present was useless.
But You Zhuo kept mentioning “the younger generation,” preventing the older officials from stepping in without embarrassment. This way, his older junior could bully the youngsters with impunity.
Everyone present, whether officials or the younger generation, glared in anger, but none dared respond.
For the civil officials’ sons, it was no great shame—they were scholars, after all. But the sons of the generals, trained in martial arts from youth, had already tried and failed against Hu Fu. Not one could win.
“What’s this? Has Da Zhou reached such a low point that there isn’t even one youth willing to challenge my junior?”
“Da Zhou was founded on martial prowess—has no one left who practices martial arts?”
You Zhuo looked around, his smile growing ever more brazen, radiating triumph—this was a clear victory for him.
The prince and the fourth prince flushed with anger, gritting their teeth and plotting how best to get rid of this man.
Court Preceptor Li Xiu kept his eyes down, pretending to hear nothing. He’d brought his own son, who was now filled with hot-blooded zeal, ready to roll up his sleeves and fight—only to be silenced by a sharp glare from his father, after which he sat sullenly, shoulders slumped.
The old emperor’s face was unreadable, his expression like the abyss. He scanned the hall, taking in everyone’s reactions.
Then his gaze fell upon Ji Huo, who was happily gnawing on a chicken, oblivious to everything around him.
This rascal... The emperor’s eyes twinkled with amusement, and he exchanged a glance with Ji Xiaoxiong: You know what to do.
Suddenly, a sharp wind whistled through the air!
You Zhuo’s heart tightened; he opened his folding fan to block, and with a bang, a hidden object fell to the ground.
“Who dares launch a sneak attack on me!?”
You Zhuo looked down—only to see a chicken bone. Looking up toward the source, he saw Ji Huo glaring at him, half a roast chicken still clutched in his arms.