Volume One, Chapter Seven: Come, Call Me Your Foster Father!

“One hundred... percent? How is that possible?”

Xu Cheng’s face was full of disbelief as he quickly turned toward the target. There, a long arrow was neatly lodged in the bullseye.

Xu Cheng couldn’t believe it. “How could this be? How could Xie Zheng have such archery skills? It’s absolutely impossible!”

He ran toward the target, stumbling as he went.

When he saw the arrowhead firmly fixed in the center of the target, he was stunned. How could this be?

Grabbing the senior’s collar, Xu Cheng demanded, “Are you cheating?”

Faced with Xu Cheng’s accusation, the academy senior furrowed his brows, brushed off Xu Cheng’s hand, and said coldly, “Xu Cheng, losing is losing! If you doubt the academy, you can seek out the three masters—they will give a fair judgment!”

After saying this, the senior grew increasingly annoyed and spat out, “You’re only asking for trouble, fool!”

After being scolded, Xu Cheng couldn’t believe it, but the fact was undeniable.

“Well, well! What a shocking twist! So the Sixth Prince really enjoys playing dumb and hiding his true strength. He’s been pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger all along. Now, Xu Shi is going to acknowledge his sworn father!”

A busybody, never one to miss an opportunity to stir the pot, raised their hand and shouted, “Swear the father! Swear the father! Swear the father!”

Under such chanting, Xie Zheng had no choice but to comply; if he refused now, he would likely become the biggest coward in the academy.

So, Xie Zheng shrugged and looked helplessly at Xu Cheng. “Xu Shi, it’s not like I want this, it’s really because you made the bet. Now that everyone is watching, you shouldn’t try to back out, right?”

“Of course, if you want to renege, that’s fine too—I don’t mind. Let’s just bury the hatchet!”

The more he said, the more shameless he seemed.

Qin Yuan smiled gently and said, “This guy, why didn’t I know he was this sly before?”

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the three masters of the academy—though they usually didn’t interfere in such matters—the masters often said: “A gentleman’s word is as weighty as nine tripods.”

Now, Xu Cheng, unwilling as he was, had no choice but to swallow his pride.

He kowtowed, voice barely above a whisper: “Sworn Father, Xu Cheng pays his respects!”

“Well, well, well, good son, get up now!”

From now on, Xie Zheng could use this incident to tease Xu Cheng. Though Xu Cheng would surely deny it later, it didn’t matter; a little loss now was no big deal.

With the father-son recognition complete, this dramatic challenge concluded. Afterwards, the academy students dispersed, leaving behind plenty of anecdotes for idle gossip.

Xu Cheng glared at Xie Zheng and stormed off in anger.

It seemed that today’s humiliation would only make Xu Cheng more determined to seek revenge; Xie Zheng would have to be fully prepared.

At this moment…

Qin Yuan appeared.

Facing this woman adorned in academy robes with breathtaking beauty, Xie Zheng could no longer feign reverence; no longer fawning, he looked at her without restraint. Before, he dared not meet her gaze, fearing it would defile a goddess, but now, without the pretense, she was just a beautiful woman.

“Wasn’t it satisfying to slap Xu Cheng in the face?” Qin Yuan’s first words made it clear she thought Xu Cheng was far too immature.

“Not really! Offending Xu Cheng for no reason means I’ve completely angered the Marquis of the North. How many lives do I have among his peers?” Xie Zheng said stubbornly.

Qin Yuan smiled and said bluntly, “To be precise, you’ve already broken a taboo with the Marquis of the North. You have no life to spare!”

“You wicked Qin family!” muttered Xie Zheng, only daring to say this to Qin Yuan.

But Qin Yuan didn’t take offense. Instead, she asked, “Are you willing to go somewhere with me?”

“No! Nothing good ever comes from the Qin family,” Xie Zheng immediately refused and turned to leave.

Qin Yuan said, “Don’t you want to find a safe path, to learn the secrets of the Marquis of the North? When he comes for you, you’ll have something to save your life!”

“Of course, whether you want it or not is up to you!” Qin Yuan then turned and walked away with a touch of pride.

At this point, Xie Zheng understood. He had thoroughly offended Xu Cheng, and after seizing control of the Divine Martial Army, the Marquis of the North would surely move to teach him a lesson.

If the Marquis of the North taught him a lesson…

A useless prince, broken or wounded, wouldn’t be surprising!

The Qin family really knew how to manipulate people. Xie Zheng only wanted to survive, and to survive meant having some means to defend himself against the Marquis of the North’s threat.

Only by holding evidence could he survive.

“Hey! I’m coming with you!” Qin Yuan laughed softly. “That’s right! Don’t try to keep your hostility toward the Qin family. Maybe the Qin family is your strongest backing!”

Ignoring her lecture, Xie Zheng began walking in the opposite direction.

“Hey, you’re going the wrong way!” Qin Yuan looked awkward.

She was just pretending!

...

The academy was vast, with each student housed in a separate room.

The women lived in the northern gardens, facing south.

Arriving at Qin Yuan’s residence in the northern gardens, the scenery was indeed far superior to the boys’ side. A faint fragrance filled the air, making Xie Zheng slightly envious.

They reached a small courtyard named “Zhuo Yuan.”

Pushing the door open, Xie Zheng looked around. Though the courtyard was small, it was meticulously clean, with a fish pond, rockery, and beds full of iris flowers.

Inside the courtyard, Xie Zheng was about to follow Qin Yuan into her chamber but was stopped with a snap.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, “Sixth Prince, it is proper etiquette for a gentleman to stop at a lady’s chamber door and not enter.”

“Wait a moment—I’ll get something for you!”

“Tch, this prince doesn’t care for that!” Xie Zheng sneered and went to sit at a stone table in the courtyard.

What was Qin Yuan going to prepare?

Xie Zheng was curious.

If it was something to save his life, he wouldn’t mind having dealings with the Qin family.

Qin Yuan was quick and didn’t bring much—just a few letters. After a moment, she handed them to Xie Zheng.

“Take a look! While it won’t shake the Marquis of the North’s household, it will make him cautious and unlikely to act personally.”

With this, Xie Zheng opened the letters skeptically. As he read carefully, he was even more shocked than before.

He nearly couldn’t hold back: “The Marquis of the North is wildly overconfident. Sending three thousand troops to fill a living pit—this is too audacious!”

The Marquis of the North had been ordered to resist the Northern Barbarians.

He commanded three hundred thousand troops, guarding the northern seven provinces to block the barbarians. Over the years, he had secured the northern border of Danning with glorious military achievements.

Yet every border skirmish reported many casualties to the court.

The Marquis’s troops lost many lives over the years, and detailed records existed.

But these letters revealed unreported casualties—hidden losses.

The “living pit” was a massive crater created by explosives during a northern border battle.

Due to seismic tremors, the ground beneath the pit collapsed, deepening it several times over.

Many soldiers had died there.

As a result, both countries signed a strategic treaty not to fight in the “living pit” area.

The name “living pit” remained.

The Marquis of the North used three thousand men to fill that pit.

The pit’s location was critical—if either side broke the treaty and attacked from there, it would cause devastating damage to the enemy.

It seemed the Marquis had traded the lives of those men for a decisive war that shook both nations—

The Battle of the North!

Xie Zheng hadn’t expected such a backstory.

Qin Yuan had heard about it from her father but understood why her father had never exposed it.

“It is shocking, isn’t it? I was also stunned when I first heard it. But the Battle of the North was crucial to Danning’s dignity. Although the Marquis violated the treaty, he dealt a severe blow to the Northern Barbarians, giving Danning a period of peace!”

“Therefore, those who know the truth generally don’t speak of it—it’s a taboo in the court.”

Qin Yuan’s meaning was clear: she told Xie Zheng this to give him leverage for self-preservation.

But since it was a scandal that concerned Danning itself, he must not speak of it—otherwise, even the Qin family couldn’t protect him!

“To bring chaos upon the world by one’s own hand—Princess Qin is truly daring to show me this!” Xie Zheng smiled at Qin Yuan, who seemed well prepared.

“It’s fine! I’m not afraid of you spreading rumors, but those who spread such rumors often die mysteriously. You wouldn’t want to be the one who disappears without a trace, would you?”

Xie Zheng hesitated.

Even the simplest could understand now: someone would come to quash these rumors. The moment they surfaced, they would be snuffed out.

“So, what force is this?” Xie Zheng wanted to be cautious.

Qin Yuan teased unexpectedly, “Guess.”

Xie Zheng was speechless.

Seeing his reaction, Qin Yuan’s face lit up but she didn’t answer his question.

“Alright, no more jokes! Remember, before your grand wedding, you’re going back to confinement, right? Well, during that time, I’ll lend you a book…”

“What book?”

“‘Survival’!”