Chapter 11: To set traps and get caught?
Mei Deng who was reaching the end of his performance was almost in tears, as nolstagic memories of him and his Yaoyao flooded his head. Just as he was about to recite the final lines, a forceful fist was swung at him!
Our young doctor who had no experience in fighting whatsoever was already prepared to accept the weight of the heavy punch.
But little did anyone expect the swift outcome...
Just as the punch was about to land on his left cheek, a sudden surge of electricity coursed through Mei Deng's whole body. And just like the flicking of a switch off and on, Mei Deng swiftly changed personalities.
He was able to swiftly grab this youngster by the wrist and counter his attack, pinning him to the floor, yet, without hurting a muscle on his body.
"What's this? I'm strong!" He exclaimed, as he stared at the man he had pinned without breaking a sweat.
From a corner of the room, the alchemist spread his lips into a thin lipped smile, as he observed all that would occur.
The scholars on the other hand rushed to the scene and swiftly separated the two, flocking around Ming BaoZhai. Without communicating with each other, they already knew how best to handle the situation.
"What's this? Yu Xiaoguang?! How dare you steal into the imperial college and Shame us!" A scholar accused, turning the tide on him.
"And more so, you dare to impersonate our star student?! Pueh! Pueh!" The lean looking man, spat at him in disgust, staging a perfect scene for the alchemist.
"Was expulsion not good enough for you? Shall we have to involve the officials?" The calligraphy scholar scolded, raising up his fan to hit Yu Xiaoguang on the head.
Mei Deng who was certain that it was the other student who lunged at him first, refused to be bullied publicly.
"Pardon me scholars, but I think that involving others in this matter won't benefit anyone. How shameful would it be, that the imperial scholars could not handle such trivial matters?" Mei Deng did not try to sound witty, but his tone hinted that he was mocking these men.
Their eyebrows twitched in rage.
"What's this?! Is this failure trying to school us? How about we pronounce judgement on him?"
"Yes. Yes. If we shouldn't involve others, then we ourselves should dissolve the matter."
The scholars looked to one another, confirming that they all had the exact same thought in their head.
"Interesting." The alchemist mouthed under his breath, intrigued by the way Mei Deng replied the scholars, and interested by their counters.
Of course, the students themselves didn't remain silent while all this was happening, they whispered amongst one another, without a care in the world.
Brother Chen and his group in particular were a part of the majority, who dissed Yu Xiaoguang for showing his face at school after being expelled.
"I shall take whatever punishment I get for trespassing, but I wish for justice to be administered. For as you see, I was wrongly expelled only yesterday, and without good reason...."
While Mei Deng spoke, the alchemist decided to busy himself with other matters. He pulled back a lousy student who was trying to slip away from the main room along with his lousier friends.
"Tell me, who is this Yu Xiaoguang?" He inquired, curious to know more about the student who had caught his eye with his flawless fighting technique.
"A good for nothing bully! He was expelled just yesterday under charges of harrasment on the elderly while in school uniform. Looks like he's back to stir up more trouble. Be warned uncle, he's been held back for three years now." The lousy student informed him, even daring to give him advice.
"Oh? So he's just another delinquent?" The alchemist let lease of the student, heavily disappointed that this Yu Xiaoguang was not as promising as he imagined.
'If only Mei Deng were here, I wouldn't be so bored, heavens knows why he didn't show up today?' He thought to himself as he tried to take a quiet exit as well.
'Perhaps he's busy saving others as I speak, if I leave now, I might catch him at that wonton shop!' The old timer all too eagerly thought, whilst he stroked his silver beard.
Little did he imagine, that this Yu Xiaoguang and Mei Deng were the same person. The nation's treasured talent also failed to realise he was the old uncle in the wonton shop whom was being harassed.
He turned to leave the hall, but suddenly stopped in his tracks the moment his ears picked up on one word alone.
"Old-timer."
Not just that, but his mind suddenly recalled where he had heard the voice of Yu Xiaoguang. He recognised it to belong to none other than the student who had saved him just the day before.
"It cannot possibly be me they're referring to as an old timer..." The alchemist tried to soothe his tensed nerves as he swiftly started counting his age.
"There are witnesses! Even your classmates saw you beating an old timer at the wanton soup shop! You dare say your expulsion was invalid?! Have you no Shame!." A scholar attacked Mei Deng, making sure to place stress on the word, old-timer.
"M.m..m...e...me? An old-timer?" He was far too stricken with shock, that he failed to see that Mei Deng was being bullied.
"No such thing happened, I simply aided an oldie who was choking on his food." Mei Deng replied, keeping a cool and level head.
"O...old...oldie?!!" The alchemist was almost paralysed with a shocking realisation, that it was indeed him who was being referred to as old.
"Lies! I saw with my own eyes how Yu Xiaoguang pounced on an aged Man and punched him miserable." Brother Chen cried out from the heart of the crowd, using the bodies of his classmates to shield his identity.
"Aged?!" That was the limit, this uncle was take the blow of being called an old timer or even an uncle, but Aged, was something he could not tolerate!
'Don't worry Mei Deng, I'll avenge us both! These bullies won't get away with toying with our dignity!' the alchemist folded up his sleeves and angrily marched forward, to the heated scene.
Mei Deng who was far too blunt ended up getting a punishment he did not up for, from the all knowing scholars.
"We'll look into your expulsion, but first, we must punish you for trespassing and assaulting our star student." The head scholar announced, gesturing the arithmetic scholar to get the whip.
The stout man hurriedly took to his heels and returned with a long horse whip, meant to discipline the delinquent.
"Yu Xiaoguang! For preying on the peace of our welcome ceremony, we are forced to lift our hand of Justice and discipline you! With ten lashes of horse whip!" Said the head scholar, wearing a proud face.
He wanted nothing more than to be the one to personally repay Yu Xiaoguang for all the hardships he had caused him.
"If that is what you deem fit...then I accept my punishment whole heatedly. I won't go back on my words." Mei Deng announced, in the most selfless tone, that the one meant to punish him was reluctant.
'Is this truly the brat who troubled me? What is this angelic light about him?' The head scholar loosely held unto the whip, uncertain about his decision.
Mei Deng gently fell to his knees, awaiting his punishment, the same way a lamb awaited to be sacrificed. He was the splitting image of a diety at that moment, some might even say he looked worship worthy.
How wrong they were!
'Acting innocent will surely melt all their hearts, hehehe... Even if they continue being stubborn, Yu Xiaoguang is strong and got at combat. I certainly won't be harmed at all.' he mused to himself, inwardly grinning mischievously from ear to ear.
Just as the head scholar was about to administer discipline to him, a calm voice sent a cold shiver down his spine.
"Huh? What's this? Just how low have these scholars fallen? Passing off revenge as justice?" The alchemist stepped into the spotlight, standing right next to Mei Deng.
"Just what exactly are you trying to teach these students? How to set traps and get caught?" He went on to ask, pulling out a red piece of cloth from his robe.
He pressed it into Mei Deng's hands, and sent the youngster a reassuring smile, as he finally got a good glance of his face.
"Now then... Whose idea was it, to frame my precious student?" He announced in a frightening tone, staring daggers at all the scholars one after the one.
No one needed to say a word, it was clear by the way these infallible men stood in raw fear. That this old uncle, was most certainly the alchemist.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone