On the third day of the exam, when Xia Fan walked into the hotel lobby, he immediately felt something wrong.
That is silence.
There were about a dozen people eating breakfast. Normally, it would be common to inquire about each other's news or make friends, but today no one took the initiative to talk.
Not only that, but the positions where they were sitting were also much further apart. There was at least a few steps between each of them, as if they were on guard against something.
If the person being kept away was a disciple of an aristocratic family, he would still understand. But the people sitting in the hall were all ordinary candidates.
Even when he came in, many people focused their attention on him, and the cold light in their eyes made him frown.
What's going on
Could it be that what he did in front of the Fei family yesterday had spread throughout Qingshan Town, making him a thorn in the eyes and flesh of all the candidates
No way... If they were really so "unified", they should have broken through the Fei family's defense line yesterday.
Xia Fan was puzzled and ordered a steamed steamed bun and a pack of braised beef as usual.
Even if the fox demon said that he would not come again, but... who knows whether it will taste really good? After all, this theorem applies to any multidimensional world, and he can never go wrong if he prepares in advance.
Even if the other party doesn't come, he can still digest it by himself.
After eating the steamed buns, Xia Fan planned to walk around the back mountain to see if he could discover anything more. Although the dew is heavy in the morning, there are relatively few mosquitoes. If you walk around the track, you may be able to explore further than the last time.
After leaving the hotel, he unexpectedly found that there seemed to be fewer people in Qingshan Town today.
In the past two days, you can see candidates everywhere spending money to inquire.
Is this because they don't have enough money, or is the fox demon working too hard at night
Just as Xia Fan was thinking to himself, a fierce shouting and rapid and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the street in front of him.
I saw one person rushing out of the alley first, looking extremely panicked, followed closely by four or five people running out, all holding wooden swords in their hands.
Apparently, the former is being chased.
"Brother Xia! Hurry, run!"
Coincidentally, the unfortunate guy being chased turned out to be an acquaintance - Wei Wushuang.
Before he could get out of the way, the group behind him had already noticed him. "Just two, there are many of us, so surround us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two of them had already surpassed Wei Wushuang and blocked Xia Fan's retreat.
Now he didn't even have the chance to pretend to look at the scenery.
Looking at the five people who were surrounding him, Xia Fan pulled out his wooden sword with a headache, "Wait, who can tell me what is going on?"
"Be careful... he, they are robbing the candidates!" Wei Wushuang, who was out of breath, finally answered, "I, I was tricked out by them on the pretext of exchanging new information, and I found out that something was wrong when I got there -"
"I want you to act quickly, and you have to show your flaws." The man in the yellow shirt who took the lead glared at his accomplices, turned to Xia Fan and smiled, "Actually, we don't want to make things too stiff, as long as you hand over the money and the medicine bag , I can let you go."
"Have you run out of money?"
"There is still a little bit left," the other party didn't mean to hide it, "but it won't last until the end of the military examination. The place where the spiritual fire can be dug is currently occupied by aristocratic families, and we can only wait for the opportunity in the next few days."
"What will I do if I give you the money?" Xia Fan pointed to himself.
"You?" The four of them looked at each other with funny expressions on their faces, "Brother, how about you come back in three years? This time you will help me first."
"Even if we don't know each other?"
"Hey, stop pretending to be stupid. What does this have to do with whether you know each other?" The short man who was scolded by the man in yellow took a step forward, "Don't you understand that we have reached this point now? The examiner clearly does not intend to let everyone They all pass smoothly, whoever has the bigger fist can stay in Qingshan Town longer! We brothers can only gather so many people to eat some of the shrimps left by the disciples of the family."
"That's right, it's impossible for people like you to pass the military examination." The man in yellow shirt said without hesitation, "Even if you can hide from today, you can't hide from tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Today's Qingshan Town is no longer a safe place. , there are people like us everywhere, and as far as I know, there are even people who plan to take action against the noble family. The so-called encounter is fate. Rather than taking advantage of others, it is better to leave it to us. "
Xia Fan couldn't help but think of the scene he saw in the lobby before.
So that's it... He suddenly realized that this was why the atmosphere was not right. I am afraid that quite a few people have noticed that the candidates who are still in Qingshan Town are gradually changing from candidates to hunters or prey. Not to mention asking for information, even normal communication has become a risky thing. That's why everyone sat far apart and said nothing.
As for the look he gave when he walked into the lobby, I'm afraid it was both defensive and scrutinizing - scrutinizing whether he could become an ideal prey.
"Brother, what nonsense are you talking to him about?" Another "horse-faced man" with a long face waved the wooden sword in his hand impatiently, "With this stick, how dare he not give you money? Can you leave him a piece of paper? Even if we wear clothes, it’s a sign of our kindness.”
"Brother, I remember this guy!" Someone suddenly said, "He was the one who teased everyone in front of Fei Nian yesterday! If it weren't for him, the people behind him wouldn't have the intention to quit. I'm afraid this guy is in the same group as the Fei family. , we can’t let him go easily!”
"Did you hear it too?" the man in yellow shirt said with an embarrassed look, "My words are still valid now. If you hand over the money and medicine bag, I will let you go. But it will be difficult to say later, don't make it difficult for me. .”
"Hey, how many can you deal with?" Xia Fan lowered his voice and glanced at Wei Wushuang.
"I, I don't know... I have never fought with anyone..." the latter replied tremblingly, completely losing the naturalness he had when dealing with him at the beginning.
It was not that he had not doubted whether this encounter was a true coincidence, but judging from Wei Wushuang's reaction, it would be too realistic if it was staged.
"Forget it, if someone hits you later, just cover your face. Do you understand?"
"Just cover your face?"
"Yes, as long as your face is fine, others won't know that you have been beaten."
"Ah?" Wei Wushuang couldn't help but be stunned.
And Xia Fan had already taken out the medicine bag from his arms.
"You will be fined if you don't drink the toast, you asked for it!" The man in yellow shirt understood everything as soon as he saw the medicine bag, "Brothers, give it to me!"
"Idiot, you still want to prepare alchemy at such a close distance?" The horse-faced man took the lead, shouting strangely and rushing forward with his sword raised, "Looking for death—"
Before he finished speaking, Xia Fan threw the medicine bag towards his face.
The package spread out, and the dust in the sky hit him.
"This is... ahem... what kind of magic is it?"
The answer was a blow to the head.
With a muffled sound, the horse-faced man was knocked to the ground without any further movement.
Taking advantage of the chaos in the crowd, Xia Fan held his breath and struck, aiming at the opponent's neck, waist, crotch and other vital parts, ensuring that one blow would render him incapable of combat.
This is also the first principle of street fighting that Master Baian taught him - the first strike will win, and the second strike will suffer. The alchemist is affected by the Qi, and his reaction and speed are already higher than that of ordinary people. He can calculate with his mind but not his mind. In the past ten years, he has been invincible in the streets. Coupled with his "talent" of having a broad mind and being able to draw inferences from one instance to another, even his master praised him as being born to join the world.
Compared to Xia Fan, who has experienced a lot of practical combat, the others were obviously inferior. In other words, they didn't pay attention to the things in the bag at all. Instead, they all opened their eyes, wanting to see what medicinal materials he took out.
This undoubtedly strengthens the power of scattering ashes.
"Brother, this, this seems to be either Fang Shu or ordinary gray!"
"Ahem, I don't care what it is, give it to me quickly... ahem... fuck that guy to death!"
Although all candidates are only allowed to carry one medicine bag before entering Qingshan Town, there is no prohibition on changing the contents of the medicine bag or making new medicine bags. Naturally, Xia Fan would not just bring a bag of dust to blind his eyes. The second principle of fighting is to stay still, move like thunder, and never stop until the enemy is completely defeated.
After the second bag of ashes was scattered, there was no one standing around him.
The Man in Yellow Shirt is no exception.
He was hit in the neck by a clean chop and passed out on the spot.
From the start to the end, it only takes about ten seconds.
Wei Wushuang implemented his suggestion very well. The moment the fight started, he squatted on the ground with his head in his hands. Apart from his head being covered in dust, he hardly received any blows.
"Get up, it's over." Xia Fan said.
Wei Wushuang then cautiously let go and stood up. After looking around in surprise, he looked at Xia Fan in disbelief, "You... are actually so powerful?"
"Whether they are powerful or not depends on the opponent, and these people... It is probably their first time to do 'robbery'." Xia Fan leaned over and grabbed someone on his shoulders, "You also have to carry one on your back, we have to hurry up, lest we They wake up again.”
"Wake up again?" Wei Wushuang's expression changed, "Brother Xia, don't you want them to..."
"What are you thinking?" Xia Fan rolled his eyes at him, "Those who murder candidates will be immediately disqualified. I just want to throw them over the bridge. Of course, after a thorough search."
Having money or not is not a trigger for failing the exam. If this group of people wakes up and would rather live in the wild to take revenge, it will be very troublesome. It is better to send them across the bridge directly. As long as they are thrown across the border, they will not be allowed to step into the examination room again. This can be regarded as a once and for all solution.
"So that's it." Wei Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief, "By the way... When they took me to the end of the alley, I saw two people lying there. They should be the candidates who were defrauded before. Do you want to return the money to them? …”
"No need." Xia Fan interrupted, "When they wake up, they will naturally understand what happened, and they won't be able to find us to blame. Maybe it would be better for them to just quit - if they can't cope with this situation, they won't be able to take the exam. Instead, the soldiers harmed them.”
Wei Wushuang lowered his head slightly, the look in his eyes was complicated for a moment.
"You should also consider whether it would be better to leave early." He did not avoid the other party's mood, but said bluntly, "This is only the third day, the influence of money has reached this point, and the conflict will probably get worse in the future. . The person who lied to you is right about one thing, Qingshan Town is no longer a safe place."