After much deliberation, Yu Qing still shook his head and refused, “I am participating in the Chaoyang Assembly openly and honourably, I will not do anything against the rules.”
He still felt that Mu Aotie’s safety was more important, otherwise, faced with such persuasion, he would have agreed.
Hearing his tone so resolute, Zhan Yunqi and Qin Fujun exchanged a glance, one frowning and the other tightening his lips, knowing they had encountered a difficult problem. If he would not agree even after things were put this way, it would probably be difficult to fulfil the sect’s instructions.
The key was that they could not easily resort to coercive measures to force him.
Since things had come to this, Zhan Yunqi nodded and brought out the reserved backup plan, “The Great Enterprise Department originally meant this as well. Since Brother Zhang insists on this, we cannot force you. My Kunling Mountain will no longer interfere in this matter, and it is better to leave it to Senior Envoy Xiang of the Great Enterprise Department to handle it in person.”
After speaking, he waved to his entourage and turned to leave.
Senior Envoy Xiang? Xiang Lanxuan?
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie felt a sudden shock and looked at each other.
Yu Qing, however, suddenly widened his eyes and quickly shouted at Zhan Yunqi’s retreating back, “It is not that I cannot agree, but I have a request.”
Zhan Yunqi, who had already reached the door, stopped. The corner of his mouth twitched, and a slightly surprised, cunning smile appeared. He did not expect the backup plan to be so effective.
This backup plan was personally instructed by Xiang Lanxuan herself before departure. She said that if this Zhang Zhichen did not agree, they should say this, and if he still refused, she would handle it herself.
He did not expect the effect to be so surprisingly good, surpassing all manner of earnest persuasion.
He also did not know whether there was some hidden story behind this, or if the deterrent power of a prominent figure was just that great.
So he turned around and asked, “What is the request? Let us hear it first.”
Qin Fujun also turned to look. Anyway, the more he looked at this wretched little moustache, the more displeased he became. Whenever he saw him, he could not help but remember the handprint left on his chest. In short, seeing this person always provoked a sense of shame and annoyance.
Yu Qing walked over and gestured towards the outside, “Let us speak in private.”
This action left the people in the hall baffled, especially Nan and Mu, who did not know what Yu Qing had to say that required avoiding them as well.
There was nothing wrong with that, so Zhan Yunqi nodded in agreement and also gestured for him to lead the way.
So the two went out the door and walked together to the edge of the mountain. Looking back, they saw that Qin Fujun had tactlessly followed them.
Yu Qing was puzzled and gestured to Zhan Yunqi regarding the person who followed, asking him to deal with it.
Zhan Yunqi felt somewhat embarrassed. In terms of seniority, he still had to call her Senior Martial Uncle.
Qin Fujun noticed this and spoke first, “If it is a secret I cannot hear, then I think there is no need for you to say it to him either.”
Zhan Yunqi immediately agreed, “Elder Qin was sent by the Law Enforcement Elder to supervise this matter. It is inappropriate to avoid it and turn it into a private affair. You should just state your request.”
Seeing this, Yu Qing curled his lips, endured it, and said, “I can take a step back, but I hope an arrangement can be made for me to compete against Dou Guan in the next round.” He turned his head and gestured towards the small building.
Zhan Yunqi asked, “Is this the so-called request you have?”
Yu Qing, “Yes, as long as you agree to this request, I will agree to yours.”
Unexpectedly, Zhan Yunqi rejected it outright without hesitation, “Absolutely impossible. It is impossible to privately arrange match sessions without going through the lottery. You should take this request to the people of the Great Enterprise Department in person.”
After saying this, he turned and left.
Since he already knew the backup plan was effective, how could he agree to this condition? That would be sheer madness. He treated it as nonsense and would not yield an inch.
The corner of Yu Qing’s mouth twitched, and he immediately replied, “Forget it, I cannot be bothered to argue anymore. Just do as you say.”
Zhan Yunqi stopped and turned back, “That is to say, you agree?”
Yu Qing picked at the little moustache at the corner of his mouth and said, “A weak arm cannot twist a strong thigh. I cannot afford to offend your Kunling Mountain. If I really draw the lot a third time, you would surely ruin me.”
“This is good for everyone, and I hope it will not be made public for now.” Zhan Yunqi formally bowed to him with clasped hands, then turned and beckoned his entourage to leave together.
Nan Zhu and the others then gathered around Yu Qing, asking what was going on. In front of Mu Aotie, Yu Qing shook his head and refused to say.
Afterwards, Ke Ran and Chan Shaoting and the others also came over to ask what was going on. Using the excuse that Kunling Mountain forbade him from speaking, he blocked their inquiries. At the lottery scene the next day, there were some unfamiliar faces in the stands.
Xiang Lanxuan was among them. Although it was not a competition, she still came to watch in person. She was somewhat worried that something might go wrong. After all, changing the lottery method was her idea, and she would be held responsible if anything happened. It was hard not to pay attention.
However, those who did not know her could not recognise her. She wore a hooded cloak and a veil over her face, silently observing everything from the side, her gaze occasionally glancing towards Yu Qing.
When the time came, all twenty-three participants in the lottery had gathered below the stage.
Wu Tian, who ascended the stage, had an exceptionally solemn expression today. Facing the crowd at the front of the stage, he said gravely, “There is a matter on which we need to seek the opinions of the twenty-three participants present. Please listen carefully.”
This opening was a bit abrupt, immediately causing many people to whisper among themselves, including those in the surrounding stands.
Wu Tian pressed his hands down to signal everyone to be quiet, then pointed at Yu Qing and amplified his voice to say loudly, “In the first two lotteries, Zhang Zhichen drew the blank token and advanced without examination both times. Many people have objections, and some have even cried foul play. Our sect attached great importance to this after hearing the report, and has already sent our Law Enforcement Elder here to thoroughly review and strictly investigate the entire lottery process.”
He waved his hand, pointing to Wan Liqiu, who was sitting in the corner of the stage, and bowed with clasped hands in public to show respect.
The surroundings were unusually silent, as everyone wanted to hear clearly what this meant.
After the gesture of respect, Wu Tian continued, “However, our sect feels this is still far from enough. In order to give all parties a satisfactory explanation, we have decided to make a slight adjustment to the lottery. Except for Zhang Zhichen, the lottery method for others remains unchanged. The twenty-three tokens hanging on the background wall will be drawn by the other twenty-two people first. In short, Zhang Zhichen will be placed last. After you have all drawn, whatever remains will belong to him.
What do you think of this adjustment? If the majority of you think it is acceptable, we will adjust it this way. If the majority think there is no need to adjust, we will also respect your decision and make no adjustments. In short, regardless of the outcome, the decision is made by yourselves. Our sect will no longer accept any allegations of foul play, and if anyone uses this to cause trouble again, our sect will not be polite. Good, now it is up to you twenty-two participants to decide. Those who agree to the adjustment, please raise your hands.”
The participants below the stage immediately began whispering again, exploring and exchanging their opinions with each other, while the audience in the stands erupted in an uproar.
Regardless of the volume of their voices, everyone understood the meaning of adjusting the lottery method. The organisers had forcefully responded to the allegations of foul play.
The logic was simple. The other twenty-two participants could not possibly collude to cheat for that Zhang Zhichen. With the twenty-two people drawing lots first, the result was completely uncontrollable.
According to the original lottery method, the probability of each person drawing the blank token was one in twenty-three.
The adjusted lottery method was targeted, turning into a difference between one person and a group of people. The former still had a probability of one in twenty-three,
but the latter had a probability of twenty-two in twenty-three. Even a fool could understand which side was more likely to draw the blank token.
To some extent, due to the adjustment of the sequence and the deliberate placement of Zhang Zhichen at the very end, his probability was not even one in twenty-three.
Ultimately, the organisers did not care which of those twenty-two people drew the blank token. They only cared that Zhang Zhichen did not draw it consecutively.
In the stands, bursts of uncontrollable laughter emerged. It was indeed amusing. No one expected that the Chaoyang Assembly would actually change the rules because of one person’s good luck.
After listening to the explanations of others and understanding the meaning, Chan Shaoyun could not help but laugh out loud, “Sure enough, when a person is arrogant, someone will put them in their place. Even Kunling Mountain has changed the rules to target him. Let us see how unlucky you will be this time. It would be best if you face me!”
In the crowd of participants, Xiao Changdao and Wu Ronggui also found it hard to hold back their laughter, amused by the treatment Yu Qing was receiving, and finally understood what had happened the previous night.
Yu Qing clasped his hands in front of his abdomen, expressionlessly accepting the baptism of gazes from all around, not even bothering to look at the slow movement of hands being raised around him.
One hand after another was raised.
There were also those who did not raise their hands. Chan Shaoting did not raise his hand, and his facial expression looked somewhat disdainful.
Xiang Zhen, who had amazed everyone in the first match, remained calm and did not raise his hand either.
Xiao Changdao and Wu Ronggui looked at the number of raised hands around them, suppressed their eager hands, and did not raise them either.
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie did not raise their hands either.
Finally, after counting the number of raised hands, Wu Tian on the stage announced loudly, “Among the twenty-three participants, fifteen people raised their hands in agreement. The majority agree to adjust the lottery rules. Zhang Zhichen, are you willing to accept this?”
Hearing this, Xiang Lanxuan in the stands looked at Yu Qing with eyes full of amusement. Being able to make the world’s foremost scholar suffer a setback was quite interesting to her.
Yu Qing replied in a lifeless manner, “Agreed!”
“Good, everyone please lower your hands.” After signalling everyone to lower their hands, Wu Tian said to Yu Qing, “Brother Zhang, please step out and rest aside for now.”
Saying “rest aside” was just a polite phrase. In reality, it was just asking him to step out of the line to avoid hindering others from drawing lots.
So Yu Qing slowly walked out. He originally wanted to watch the lottery process, to see where the blank token was, or to see who Mu Aotie would draw,
but unexpectedly, Wu Tian signalled for him to turn his back to the stage.
Yu Qing really wanted to ask, not even allowing me to watch, what is the meaning of this?
However, since it had come to this, he thought it was not good to argue about this in public. So he just went along with their wishes, turned his back, and faced the group of people drawing lots. He felt that his loneliness was quite special.
Seeing his lifeless appearance, the disguised Xiang Lanxuan in the stands laughed very happily. Although she did not laugh out loud, her shoulders shook inside the cloak, clearly enjoying the scene.
The others drew lots as usual. They still formed a circle and walked around, the dense drumbeats still rumbled continuously, and they still used the pole to play the instant result trick.
After the drumbeats sounded for a long time, they suddenly stopped. The first person in front of the pole’s shadow flicked their wrist and threw the first dart onto the stage, then stepped out of the circle, and the second person behind followed up to throw their dart.
The twenty-two people, one after another, quickly finished a round and stood aside.
“Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang.”
Wu Tian’s voice suddenly came from behind.
Yu Qing, who was standing there like a fool, did not immediately realise that “Brother Zhang” referred to him. The voice was too close, so he turned his head and saw Wu Tian standing on the stage behind him, leaning forward to call him. Only then did he react and say, “I have been behaving myself and have done nothing, what is wrong now?”
“Sigh.” Wu Tian was somewhat amused and exasperated, waving his hand and pointing to the background wall to indicate, “You are the last one, it is your turn to draw a lot.”
Yu Qing pointed at himself to indicate, asking with a gesture, can I turn around now?
After getting permission, he turned around and asked, “I am already the last one. Whether I draw or not, the remaining one is mine. Is there any need for this unnecessary move?”
Wu Tian sighed, “We still have to call out the names on the darts for people to claim them. Let us just follow the rules.”
“Rules?” Yu Qing sneered and did not say much more, because there was no point in saying too much. He took out a dart, signalled for Wu Tian to step aside, and glanced at the background wall. He found that the wooden tokens were basically all filled with darts, with only the second to last token remaining empty. He had no more thoughts, casually flicked the dart, and it nailed onto it with a snap.