Chapter 56

Duan Mingyu said with tears streaming down his face, "Two hours ago, I went to the outhouse. When I returned, Zhaoniang rushed into my study, strongly demanding to do my homework for me. She even said that if I didn't let her write it, it would mean I wasn't giving her any face. After I righteously refused her, she actually threatened to end her own life, declaring that if I didn't let her write it, she would smash her head and die right in front of me. I pondered over it deeply and concluded that life is precious and we only get one. With no other choice left to me, I agreed to her request. Who could have imagined..."

Duan Mingyu lowered his head, biting his lip in silence. His expression was one of sorrow mingled with a trace of self-restraint—bordering on anger yet holding it back. His eye rims turned red, and after blinking a few times, the tears in his heroic eyes finally lived up to expectations and dripped down. Then... crystal-clear teardrops: one, two, three, four drops... Coupled with his utterly sorrowful expression, this performance even evoked deep sympathy from Wan Yanyan. The only exception was Yang Zhaoniang, whose tender, peach-blossom face turned greener and greener. "Go on, keep acting!"

Wan Yanyan sighed. "Young Master, you needn't be like this. This is all Zhaoniang being mischievous; you're not to blame. Oh, Zhaoniang, you pest, can't you just behave yourself for once? I'm begging you as your elder sister."

Yang Zhaoniang felt an unbearable wave of grievance in her heart. She sniffed, then burst into loud tears. "You're all bullying me! Dead Mingyu, stinky Mingyu, I'm going to fight you to the death!" With that, she lunged at Duan Mingyu, biting down hard on his arm.

"Ahem, oh, so good, harder! Put some muscle into it! Hmph, oh, yamete!"

"..."

Wan Yanyan coughed. "Alright, stop messing around. Both of you are at fault for this. Drag them away! Tomorrow at noon, behead them!"

"What?"

"Yanyan!" Duan Mingyu and Yang Zhaoniang stared at Wan Yanyan in utter terror.

"Oh, my apologies, I misspoke. Tomorrow at noon, give each of them fifty heavy board strikes!" Wan Yanyan said playfully.

"Ahem, could we perhaps choose another method? This is really far too violent. Yanyan, look, we are all civilized people. Shouldn't we adopt a somewhat more refined approach?" Duan Mingyu asked weakly. Yang Zhaoniang chimed in, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

Wan Yanyan flashed a bright smile. "Mm, of course we can." Her expression instantly went completely blank and placid. "From now on, both of you will copy the *Classic of Three Characters* for me right here. I won't even ask for too much—fifty copies for each of you should suffice!"

"What? What did you say? Fifty copies?!"

"What, are you unhappy about it? Guards, drag them away—"

"Wait! Who says I'm unhappy? I just think this decision is simply too brilliant! Fifty copies is far too few; it's an absolute breeze for a top scholar like me!" Duan Mingyu hurriedly cut off Wan Yanyan's impending order, speaking with righteous fervor.

"Well, it's rare for the Young Master to show such grand spirit, so let's add another twenty copies!" Wan Yanyan remarked casually.

Duan Mingyu touched his chest, feeling a chilling emptiness within. He desperately wanted to slap himself across the face a couple of times. Why on earth is this mouth of mine so eager to run wild?!

Watching Duan Mingyu swallow his bitter defeat, Wan Yanyan smiled charmingly. "Alright, you two may begin writing now. Tonight, I shall stand guard right here over both of you to see how you manage to get someone else to ghostwrite for you!"

Duan Mingyu and Yang Zhaoniang looked at each other in dismay, both seeing the exact same two words in the other's eyes: "Doomed!"

Duan Mingyu tightly grasped Yang Zhaoniang's hand. "Zhaoniang, we are fellow sufferers tossed to the corners of the world; why must we have known each other before meeting here?"

"Mm, Brother Mingyu, have a safe journey!"

*Ahem, how can you talk like that, you little brat? Not only am I being punished so miserably, but I'm also getting roasted by this brat. Life, oh life, you could definitely afford to be even more tragic!*

Duan Mingyu inched toward the desk at the speed of a snail. "Yanyan, can we write this tomorrow instead?"

"No!"

Consequently, Duan Mingyu's speed became even slower than a snail's, resembling a slow-motion video playback. It truly proved the old saying: there is no slowest, only slower!

Just as Duan Mingyu was making his final struggle, a sound like heavenly music rang in his ear. "Young Master, Fan Fu asks you to visit the camp. He says the crossbow has been successfully built and wants you to come test out the new contraption." Xu Zuyere ran in in a panic, gasping for breath as he spoke.

Duan Mingyu leaped to his feet. "What? You mean the repeating crossbow is already built? Quick, quick, quick, let's go take a look together!"

With that, he asked smugly, "Minister Wang, where the hell have you been hiding? Quickly clear the way for Our return to the camp."

Minister Wang dropped down like a flash of lightning from the eaves above Duan Mingyu's head, letting out a whistle. From the bushes and the trees, camp members emerged one after another in a steady stream.

Duan Mingyu awkwardly said, "Minister Wang, were you just outside on the eaves the whole time?"

"Yes, Young Master!"

"Then did you see everything that happened in here just now?"

"Saw every bit of it."

Duan Mingyu chuckled dryly. "Then you saw me tricking Little Sister Zhaoniang just now?"

Minister Wang replied honestly, "Yes, your subordinate saw the whole thing. The Young Master's skill at turning black into white is... well... superb, truly superb!"

"Well, obviously. Then how do you think this top scholar's tear-jerking performance was?" Duan Mingyu asked.

"Young Master... if you had shed four or five more tears, the effect would have been even better."

"...Minister Wang's loyal advice has enlightened this top scholar immensely. Next time, I will certainly double down on the theatrics and strive for perfection." Duan Mingyu said with a wretched grin.

"What are you two whispering about so sneakily?" Wan Yanyan and Yang Zhaoniang walked out of the room, staring at the two men with puzzled expressions.

Duan Mingyu said, "Nothing much, just chatting casually. Oh, why did you two come out?"

"We were afraid you'd slip away, so we decided to supervise you all the way," Yang Zhaoniang said, puffing out her small chest.

"Fine, let's go, go, go, together then. I really give up on you two," Duan Mingyu muttered to himself. *As long as you don't make this top scholar do homework, you can do whatever you want.*

"Haha, Young Master, you've finally arrived. Old Fan has been waiting so long the flowers have withered," Fan Fu greeted Duan Mingyu from afar outside the camp, walking up to him with a full face of smiles.

Duan Mingyu cupped his fists. "Master Fan, no need for such formalities. Let's get straight to business."

"Alright, brothers, carry the gear up for the Young Master!"

Fan Fu shouted toward the camp, and rustling sounds immediately issued from within.

A short while later, amidst the astonished gazes of Duan Mingyu and everyone else, a massive crossbow cart was carried out by four strong men.

"Whoa!"

Let alone Duan Mingyu, Wan Yanyan, and Yang Zhaoniang, even an old Jianghu veteran like Xu Zuyere wore a look of pleasant surprise.

The bowstring of the crossbow cart was made of spring steel and required a windlass to draw tight. There was a magazine mechanism on the crossbow bed capable of holding seven or eight bolts, allowing for automatic reloading—akin to a machine gun among cold weapons. The crossbow cart primarily utilized giant crossbow strings to launch massive bolts or large stones to attack enemy formations and fortified castles, unleashing devastating power. Its lethality was astonishing; the only drawback was that it was overly bulky and inconvenient to carry.

Duan Mingyu stroked the crossbow cart with fond affection. With such a crossbow in hand, the entire world is truly mine! Hahahaha!

My apologies, brothers, I've had matters at home these past couple of days, so I only managed to update one chapter. Well, starting tomorrow, I will resume the schedule of three updates on Mondays, and two updates on all other days. Also, I'll leave the reader group number here once again: 323533270. Friends who love *The Top Scholar* are welcome to join! Well, everyone, tomorrow is Monday—a crucially important Monday. At the same time, it will also feature on the homepage text recommendation. Everyone, save up your recommendation votes and floral tributes for me! Tomorrow, three chapters coming up, let's make a sprint! Today I'm only asking for flowers, everyone cast them!