Regarding the lottery results, he actually did not take them very seriously by now.
At the beginning, before the first round of matches commenced, he had still felt somewhat nervous about facing others in decisive combat. After all, he did not dare to underestimate the heroes of the world.
Once the first round in the Ding Yin District concluded, after he had watched every participant’s match from start to finish, his suspended heart had settled.
At least there were not many people in the Ding Yin District who warranted his attention. The matter of self-preservation should pose little problem. Therefore, it did not matter whom he drew in the match.
He actually wanted to draw Xiao Changdao. Unfortunately, this was his first attempt at this kind of cheating method, and his experience was insufficient. He had basically missed this round. He could only wait until this occasion to confirm whether the cheating method worked. Now he had gained experience too, so he was not afraid of failing to run into Xiao Changdao on the competition ground.
Of course, the premise was that Xiao Changdao would not easily lose and withdraw from the matches.
However, logically speaking, since Xiao Changdao and Wu Ronggui dared to make those moves, they should possess some confidence in their own strength. When he watched the matches, he paid careful attention. They indeed possessed some strength to advance. As long as they did not run into those with greater strength, advancing to the next round should pose little problem.
What he worried about now was instead Mu Aotie, who was still continuing to participate in the matches.
Mu Aotie was right behind him, following him to throw the dart. After striking a wooden plate, he too stepped out of the circle and walked to his side.
Chan Shaoyun in the spectator stands cared nothing for Mu Aotie or anyone else. She only had eyes for Yu Qing. The moment she saw Yu Qing throw the dart, she immediately hummed to her mother beside her, “I most hate seeing villains live long. I hope Brother draws that little beard this round, so he will have nowhere to regret even in death.”
Yong Zexue also wished to teach Yu Qing a lesson quickly, but unlike her daughter, she could remain calm and possessed sophistication. She glanced at her daughter but said nothing.
“Whether he can face Shaoting is unknown, but this kind of person definitely will not meet a good end.”
“Arrogant and domineering, looking down upon everyone. Even if Shaoting does not deal with him, he will sooner or later suffer retribution.”
Several people among the other Guijian Villa staff slightly echoed Chan Shaoyun’s words.
Throwing darts, forty-five people walking around in a circle, the matter quickly concluded.
The host Wu Tian on the stage again followed the order of the hanging wooden plates, calling people up in sequence to reveal their plates. One by one, they went on stage, collected their number plates, and went down.
When few plates remained on the stage, few people remained too. Only then did everyone gradually realise something. That lone lucky number plate had still not appeared.
“Tsk, only the last row of plates remains. That is to say, among these last nine people, one must receive that empty number plate.”
“Eh, look, that Zhang Zhichen who got the empty number plate last round is also among the nine. Could it be him again?”
“Once was already luck. How could there be such good fortune twice? It would be strange if something were not fishy.”
Some people in the spectator stands had already begun whispering and discussing with those around them.
The longer the lucky number plate failed to appear, the more easily it attracted attention.
At first, the people in the spectator stands were not actually this invested. They only cared about who would face whom.
Those who had watched the first round had formed some assessment of the participants’ strength. Who would face whom was a highlight of the lottery, also a hot topic of discussion, and an increasingly exciting aspect of the Chaoyang Assembly.
Now, because of the lucky number’s failure to appear, everyone’s attention had been diverted. Gradually they all began to anticipate, wanting to know who that lucky person was.
As the number of people who had not yet revealed their plates decreased, even Nan Zhu, who had come despite his injuries, seeing that even Mu Aotie had collected his number plate while Old Fifteen still waited at the side to be called on stage, could not help but perk up and stare with wide eyes.
“Only six people left,” Nan Zhu muttered. He could not help saying to Baili Xin beside him, “Could it be Old Fifteen who draws the empty number plate again?”
Baili Xin casually replied, “You are overthinking. How could there be such good luck?”
Yet in the time it took to exchange these two sentences, they watched with their own eyes as another number plate on the background wall disappeared. The empty number plate still had not appeared. Only five hanging plates remained, and only five participants waited for the reveal. Even she, Baili Xin, could not help but wonder inwardly, could it really be him?
Not to mention them, even the other remaining participants were somewhat unsettled by this. At first their attention had focused on worrying whether they would run into a strong opponent. Now they all anticipated that slim chance.
The key was that it was no longer slim now. That lucky opportunity had greatly reduced in difficulty. It was entirely possible it would land upon their own heads.
Another person went on stage. After revealing the plate, the empty number plate still had not appeared.
Someone in the spectator stands shouted, “Only four plates left.”
Almost all eyes focused upon it with high attention. Unless there was a problem with the number plates, that empty number plate definitely lay among them.
For the remaining four people, that was already a one in four chance. The probability of it landing upon their heads was too great.
Among the four, three began to feel their hearts pound. It was difficult not to anticipate.
Only Yu Qing remained the most calm. He had now almost confirmed that since the empty number plate had not appeared until now, his prediction using the Character Observation Technique should not be wrong. The dart he threw was stuck in the third number plate.
When he shot the dart at that position, he knew he would be the third from last to be revealed. Therefore he was mentally prepared for all outcomes. He would neither feel nervous nor anticipate. In short, it was nothing surprising.
The fourth from last person went on stage. Under the watchful eyes of all, even Wu Tian, who was revealing the plates, felt somewhat curious and excited.
When Wu Tian took down the fourth from last plate and turned it to show everyone, when the crowd saw the number on the plate, they could not say whether they felt disappointed, but they all sighed and shook their heads.
The result was obvious. The lucky number plate still had not appeared.
“Only three plates left. Could it be that Zhang Zhichen again?”
Someone in the spectator stands began chattering about this possibility again.
After handing over the fourth from last plate, Wu Tian again looked at the names on the darts upon the background stage, and announced in a loud voice, “Zhang Zhichen, come on stage to reveal your match number.”
At these words, Nan Zhu in the spectator stands could not help but reach out and grab Baili Xin’s soft hand.
Baili Xin was already somewhat inexplicably nervous at this moment. Suddenly having her hand grabbed by the man sitting beside her, she almost jumped in fright. Looking back, she subconsciously wanted to pull her hand away, but found it held tightly.
She also noticed that Nan Zhu seemed completely unaware of his own action, and focused with high attention upon the situation at the lottery stage.
Regarding this, she could understand. Presumably this fatty was momentarily nervous.
But she still felt unaccustomed to it. She forcefully pulled her own hand out, then stared intently at the situation on the lottery stage.
At this time, Nan Zhu secretly glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The fingers that had just held the soft hand rubbed together, looking as though he savoured the memory, and he itched to hold hands again. Unfortunately, his thieving courage did not dare to be too presumptuous.
Yu Qing, who flew onto the stage, walked to the background wall and politely cupped his hands toward Wu Tian.
After Wu Tian returned the courtesy, he walked up the ladder and took down the third from last wooden plate. Then under the watchful eyes of all, he turned it over. The small movement of turning it over was perfectly clear, without any ambiguous areas. He showed the result to everyone in public.
Actually, the crowd’s eyes had already seen the mark on the background wall, yet they still found it hard to believe.
Until they saw the blank plate, and confirmed there was no number upon the plate, the scene erupted like a nest.
“Wow!”
“Bloody hell!”
“How is it him again?”
Nan Zhu was stunned, and could not help but spring to his feet, saying in disbelief, “It is Old Fifteen again. Old Fifteen is directly advancing again?”
Baili Xin also slowly stood up, her face full of disbelief. This luck truly left her speechless.
Below the stage, Mu Aotie, Chan Shaoting, Ke Ran, Xiao Changdao, Wu Ronggui, who had already drawn their lots, and several dozen other people, all stared blankly at this result. They all found it somewhat hard to believe.
Some people looked at the number plates in their own hands, not knowing whether they had found the feeling of comparing people to death.
Anyway, some people began whispering to those left and right.
Wu Tian on the stage also wore a face full of shock, but he still had to follow the rules. He announced in a loud voice, “Zhang Zhichen draws the empty number plate and automatically advances to the next round of matches!”
Someone in the spectator stands immediately shouted in response, “How is it him again? Did he know the order of the number plates in advance? Did he cheat?”
Someone followed with a loud shout, “Exactly, how could it be such a coincidence.”
Even if the participants below the stage harboured this thought, it was not convenient to voice it. On the contrary, those watching the excitement feared nothing. Anyway, it was none of their business. For Jianghu folk, having this habit of making a fuss was normal.
Chan Shaoyun in the spectator stands found that the situation and atmosphere on the scene had suddenly changed, suddenly grown lively. She felt somewhat confused, looking left and right, asking, “What is going on? What heaven angering and people resenting thing has this little beard done again?”
The Guijian Villa people beside her all looked at her with surprised gazes, only then realising that this woman had watched until now without understanding the lottery rules. What was she doing here?
Even her mother Yong Zexue wore a speechless expression.
But it was understandable. An inexperienced young woman, watching superficial excitement was fine. As for the rules of matters that did not concern her, not wishing to use her brain was normal.
A fellow disciple immediately gave a simple explanation, “The number of match participants has an odd one out. The person who draws the odd number plate, because they have no opponent, automatically advances by luck. Last round there were eighty nine people. The little beard drew the odd number and automatically advanced. This round there are forty five people. The little beard drew it again, so he automatically advanced again.”
Chan Shaoyun, who finally understood what was going on, suddenly saw the light. At the same time, she wore an expression of amazement, staring at the main stage and saying in surprise,
“This little beard actually possesses such good luck?”
Yong Zexue, sitting properly at the side, also slightly nodded and said, “In this matter, Kunling Mountain will not tolerate the possibility of cheating. I fear it is indeed good luck. It is just unknown whether anyone in previous assemblies has drawn the empty number plate for automatic advancement twice.”
Yu Qing, standing on the main stage, looked around at the commotion inside the venue, also somewhat surprised.
His feeling differed from others, because he himself knew very clearly that he absolutely did not cheat in the first round. He completely relied upon luck to draw the empty number plate.
He could only say he was taking things for granted from his own standpoint. Seeing such commotion now, and thinking about it from other people’s standpoint, he realised that drawing the empty number plate for automatic advancement twice in succession would probably inevitably cause some associations.
But he did not care. Was there evidence proving he cheated? He merely possessed slightly better luck. So what?
This commotion also exceeded the host Wu Tian’s expectations. He immediately looked toward Sun Lianxing, who was responsible for supervision.
Sun Lianxing announced in public in a loud voice, “The rules remain the same. The process had no problems. Continue to complete the lottery according to the rules first. Whoever thinks there is a problem may appeal and file charges afterwards. If anyone harbours ill intentions and deliberately makes trouble now, the consequences are their own responsibility!”
At these words, the entire field was intimidated. Those people who feared nothing while watching the excitement, when they found they really had to bear responsibility, immediately ducked their heads and shut their mouths.