Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 580 - 579: If you can’t beat them, join them

Chapter 580: Chapter 579: If you can’t beat them, join them

This difficulty did prove to be a bit much for those young nobles.

But since they were able to participate in such a public competition, they all must have practiced.

The young master was the first to go on stage, riding his horse around the arena and finally, at the spot designated by the judges, he shot his arrow, hitting the bullseye and scoring ten points, just like the first time.

After dismounting, many young nobles surrounded him with praise, "The young master is truly impressive, riding so fast and still hitting the target dead center. It looks like the top prize is certainly yours."

Pleased by the compliments but modest, the young master said, "The competition has just started, there are still many events to come. Being in the lead at the beginning isn’t that remarkable, staying ahead is what really counts."

He glanced at Tian Peng, seemingly directing his comment towards him.

The other young nobles didn’t notice the young master’s glance and continued to heap praises on him. It was only when the examiner struck the gong that they dispersed.

The archers who followed made some mistakes, but nothing too serious; the worst was merely three points.

Tian Peng’s score was the same as his first attempt, ten points, right at the bullseye.

It was only the second archery event, so it could have been that Tian Peng simply had a talent for archery. The others comforted themselves, thinking that he might not be so fortunate in the other events.

By the time the third event came around, Tian Peng had scored another ten points, and the attitudes of some young nobles towards him began to change.

"This commoner seems to have some skill; evidently he came to the martial examination well-prepared."

"So what? The rankings have long been decided. Our participation is just for show. Surely he won’t outperform us in the martial examination and displace one of us?"

This very scenario seemed increasingly probable, especially as the examiner looked at Tian Peng with admiration. Some of the young nobles with lower rankings began to feel nervous.

"It’s over, you’re right, it’s definitely possible. We who have lower scores really could be surpassed."

This indeed deepened their sense of crisis. The young master overheard their conversation while preparing to change, saying nonchalantly, "What’s the big deal? Just make an effort, and you can win it back. There’s nothing to fear if you’re already scared."

"You’re right, young master. We were just talking off the cuff. In the end, it’s up to us to try our best," said the noble who had spoken earlier upon seeing the young master approach.

The young master had only made a passing comment, and now hearing their response, he gave no indication of interest and left.

Once he was gone, the young nobles who had been talking instantly changed their tune.

"He himself doesn’t have to worry, after all, the top prize has long been secured for him."

"Exactly, it just goes to show that those at the top will never understand the sorrow of us below."

They conversed back and forth, completely ignoring the fact that the young master was indeed very skilled, hitting the bullseye with all three of his horseback shots. While Tian Peng was formidable, their scores so far were identical.

"Hey, if this commoner wins again later, doesn’t that mean there will really be no room left for us?" one asked.

He was telling the truth; their rankings were already towards the back, and no one knew who would be bumped off.

"Then, to prevent him from continuing to win, should we do something about it?" another noble suggested.

To them, Tian Peng was just a commoner; his proper place was working the land, not entering officialdom, so they felt no guilt in contemplating such actions.

A few people whispered about the next steps, resolving to join forces to ensure this peasant returned home to till the fields.

As they spoke, they glanced over at Tian Peng, who noticed their looks; even without knowing what they were saying, he could tell they were up to no good.

After conspiring on how to deal with Tian Peng, smiles of triumphant scheming appeared on their faces.

This was not a place he was meant to be; since he insisted on interfering, he couldn’t blame them for their discourtesy.

After the mounted archery came the close combat, followed by mounted combat and hunting over the course of three days – today was centered on mounted archery and the fighting.

The close combat paired participants off in twos; the winner would gain five points before the next round of fighting for another five points, continuing until only one person ultimately emerged victorious.

Actually, there were three hours of rest between the two exams, and then the afternoon exams could proceed directly.

Some young masters whose homes were nearby or had speedy carriages returned home directly, like young master and several other lords.

Those who lived farther away just rested at the examination site; after all, three hours weren’t long, and it would soon pass with a little lie-down.

The exam venue would supply food; Tian Peng had just arrived in his room when a servant knocked on the door, "Examinee, here is your lunch for today."

Although the lunch had a full array of meats and vegetables, the presentation left much to be desired. Tian Peng didn’t feel like eating as he told the servant, "Thank you, just leave it here. I’m not really hungry right now, I’ll eat when I am." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The servant paused, then, without saying anything else, nodded, "My lord, you must remember to eat."

It would have been fine if he hadn’t said that, but his words made it seem particularly intentional.

Tian Peng simply nodded in response, "Alright, I got it."

The servant nodded and left.

"What’s the matter, this Zhu Ganglie, a mere countryman, isn’t tempted by such fine food?" a lord asked in confusion after hearing what the servant had said.

"Heh, what’s the rush? Some people, the less they have, the more they pretend to have. If he had started eating voraciously as soon as the servant brought the bowl, it wouldn’t match the impressive demeanor he’s been showing off, would it?"

Indeed, the logic was sound, and the other young masters said nothing, urging the servant to go back and check later.

Tian Peng, looking at the meal on the table, knew exactly what was going on and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Without even having taken any notable action yet—merely excelling at archery—he had already struck such fear into those young masters. He wondered how they would react once they witnessed his actual skills.

There was definitely something added to the food, but he couldn’t be sure what exactly.

Remembering the fearful and cowering attitudes of those young masters, the worst he expected in his meal was something like croton oil; they might fear him claiming a high rank but wouldn’t resort to grievous harm.

He tossed the meal on the table out of the window and placed the now empty bowl back on the table.

The servant knocked again, "Lord, have you finished your meal? I’m here to collect the bowl. If you haven’t eaten yet, please do finish up."

Tian Peng opened the door and handed the clean bowl to the servant, "Your cooking isn’t bad, it’s just a bit bland. Use more salt tomorrow; salt isn’t that expensive. Don’t be shy with the seasoning."

The servant relayed Tian Peng’s exact words to the young masters, who were quite disdainful in response.