Descendants of the False Gods

Chapter 027: Life in the Imperial Capital (Part 5)

After being exposed, Xiao Yi finally told everyone that a few years ago, when he went to the seaside outside the East City with Xiao Xiong, they lost track of time and, in a hurry to get home, they saw a house with a low roof and a pile of broken bricks leaning against the wall. They realized that by climbing over this house, they could save a long detour. So, he tried to climb up.

Once on the roof, he found that many houses were interconnected. Some rooftops were higher, some lower, and some houses had platforms as roofs. So, that time, he climbed over more than twenty rooftops, shortening his journey by a quarter.

From then on, whenever he returned home from the East City, he would try to take the closest “road” home. The “road” he chose was often made up of rooftops of varying heights or low walls that could be easily scaled, saving time from making detours.

Over time, it became a habit, and this habit made him more skilled at jumping and climbing. As a result, when delivering goods to the Northeast District, he could do so at the fastest speed possible.

After the other kids learned the details, they eagerly encouraged Xiao Yi to take them on a journey along this route. Although the first time they tried to follow Xiao Yi’s method of jumping over walls and through courtyards, they were unskilled and it wasn’t as quick as taking the main road, and in some places, they couldn’t navigate as smoothly as Xiao Yi, they thought it was a really cool way of moving. It was like the moves of a martial artist using high-flying kicks and techniques.

From that day on, they added an extra layer of fun to their daily deliveries, trying out different climbing techniques on their return journey. However, this also brought some downsides. For example, although there were normal walking paths, they would climb over obstacles and take detours, which significantly reduced their delivery efficiency. Moreover, they often had to deal with complaints from city residents who would report to Yan Tie or Yan Bo that the rooftops were damaged, or goods were stepped on. As a result, the two brothers had to pay compensation frequently. Although the compensation amount was not large each time, it added up to a considerable sum due to the multiple claims every week.

The more they crossed the city, the more skilled they became at overcoming obstacles, but as they spent more time in the city, unpleasant things inevitably happened. Xiao Xiong was the heaviest of the group, which made his wall-climbing ability the worst. His weight limited his jumping height, so every time he came back, he would try to find a way to leverage his jump over higher walls.

This time, he finally figured out a trick and climbed a wall nearly three meters high. However, he soon realized that while getting up was easy, getting down was hard. On one side of the wall was an alley with a raised stone for leverage, making it easy to climb up, but on the other side was a large courtyard full of potted plants and small trees, leaving no place to land.

A chubby figure balanced himself on the wall, moving slowly, trying to find a spot to land and return to the ground. However, when someone in the courtyard noticed him and yelled “Thief!” in panic, Xiao Xiong quickly pretended to be frightened, scrambled down the wall, and jumped into the alley.

Xiao Xiong got up and tried to walk away with a sprained ankle, but he was soon cornered in the alley. It turned out the courtyard belonged to a minor noble, and the young nobleman, accompanied by bodyguards and servants, trapped him in the alley.

Xiao Xiong explained and apologized repeatedly, but still got beaten up. Although he wasn’t seriously injured, he was left bruised and battered.

At first, the matter seemed to be over. However, a few days later, when Xiao Xiong passed by the noble’s house while delivering goods again, the young noble accused him of stealing what he was carrying. Xiao Xiong argued, but soon the situation escalated into a physical confrontation, and a fight broke out between them. It wasn’t clear who started the fight, but Xiao Xiong, skilled in martial arts, initially gained the upper hand and knocked the young noble down with a few quick moves. However, the noble’s servants arrived, and a group of them started beating Xiao Xiong, leaving him with bruises and injuries.

Lan found out about it and wasn’t happy. He gathered a few kids to confront the noble’s family. What started as a simple confrontation quickly turned into a fight between four eleven-year-olds and six adult servants. Lan and Luo, who had been trained in martial arts from a young age, along with Xiao Yi and Xiao Xiong, managed to knock down the six servants. Xiao Xiong even took the opportunity to give the noble’s son a beating. That day, it was a small victory for them.

The next day, the noble came to the delivery station to make a scene. Luckily, the four kids were out delivering goods, and Yan Tie was also away. Only Yan Bo was present at the time. Yan Bo apologized profusely and paid for the medical expenses to settle the matter, sending the noble on his way.

When the four kids returned and found out what had happened, Yan Bo just told them to be more careful when going out and not to get into any trouble, thinking that the matter was over and not pressing the issue further.

However, a while later, the noble’s son rallied a group of students from the West City Academy and blocked Xiao Xiong again. This time, Xiao Xiong was quick-witted. When he saw the noble and his group, he didn’t wait for them to react but turned and ran. In the end, he managed to avoid all attempts to trap him and made it back to the shop.

It seemed like they had made an enemy now. The four kids decided not to take any deliveries that day and started planning their revenge. That night, under the cover of darkness, a few shadows appeared on the wall of the noble’s house in the South City. They threw stones at the garden, breaking several potted plants, and smeared excrement on the small trees along the wall.

The next morning, the noble was furious and shouted at his servants in anger.

After that, there were several instances of brawls between the two groups of children on the streets of the South City. They were only stopped when the city’s patrol guards intervened. Finally, the two groups decided to settle their differences with a showdown on the flat grassland two miles west of the Royal Garden in the North City.

Autumn was almost over, and the winter season was about to begin. The Royal Garden in the North City, located under the Tianma Peak near the Imperial Guard’s military camp, was surrounded by the evergreen mountain range that separated the Empire from the Li family’s military clan. The west side of the garden was a large expanse of grassland, where the Imperial Guard’s cavalry trained and raised horses. During the winter rest period, the cavalry would move into the stronghold inside Tianma Peak, and the grassland would be left undisturbed.

On an afternoon before the winter rest began, a large group of children gathered on the grassland in the northwest of the Imperial Capital. These children were divided into two groups—one much larger, almost occupying seven-tenths of the total number, and the other smaller, with only four standing together in a line.

The two groups argued about the rules of the competition. Eventually, they decided to hold three matches: one-on-one, two-on-two, and four-on-four. The team with the most knockdowns in all three rounds would win, with the option for repeated participation. In total, seven participants from each side would be involved in the three rounds. To win, a team needed to knock down four opponents.

The rules meant that the third match would be crucial. For the team with only four members, they had to win the first two rounds; otherwise, the third round would turn into a battle of fewer against more.

The larger team came from the Southwest Academy of the Imperial Capital, and the smaller one was from the Imperial Youth Academy.

The first match had the Southwest Academy sending out a tall, fair-skinned youth with long hair named Ji Yang. On the Imperial Youth Academy’s side was Lan, also tall with long legs, yellow skin, black eyes, and a crew cut.

The two stood in the center of the arena formed by the crowd, about three meters apart. They saluted each other with a fist salute and then assumed fighting stances.

Ji Yang attacked first, stepping forward with a series of three kicks aimed at Lan. The first kick targeted Lan’s left knee, and Lan blocked it with his calf. The second kick aimed for his waist, and Lan blocked that too, using his calf. The third kick came at Lan’s head, but Lan ducked just in time.

Lan had initially planned to block the attack with his arm, but after feeling the strength behind the kicks, he realized that Ji Yang had undergone intense leg training. Since his team was outnumbered and he had to compete in three rounds, Lan chose to dodge rather than absorb the full force of the third kick.

After the three kicks, Ji Yang adjusted his stance. Through the exchange, he realized he hadn’t gained an advantage—Lan’s defensive reactions were quick, and his blocking power wasn’t weak. Although Ji Yang had only used 30% of his strength in the test kicks, he knew he’d need at least 70% to break through Lan’s defense. So, he slowed down, looking for another opportunity to attack.

He feinted with a low sweep aimed at Lan’s left leg. Lan instinctively sensed it was a fake move, so he stepped back a little, avoiding the attack.

As soon as Ji Yang’s left leg touched the ground, he used it as a pivot to launch a high sweep aimed at Lan’s neck. Lan had already anticipated this and quickly ducked. Then, with a swift motion, Lan swept Ji Yang’s supporting right foot with a low kick.

Ji Yang had kicked too high and couldn’t avoid it. The kick landed on his right ankle with a sharp crack. Ji Yang’s body was thrown into the air, and he fell to the ground with a loud “thud,” rolling several meters before stopping. After a few moments, he got up, clutching his abdomen, visibly winded.

The first match was won by the Imperial Youth Academy.