The underlying meaning was that she was still fit to fight, and it seemed she wanted to fight right now.
Yet Yu Qing said, “Whether this injury counts for anything or not, let’s heal up first. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
He was speaking generously, but he did not know that the moment he opened his mouth, his words were extremely provoking to Zhong Ruochen. What did he mean by “I don’t want to take advantage of you”?
Instantly, Zhong Ruochen’s gaze towards him changed, filled with a gnashing of teeth.
To make matters worse, Long Xingyun stared at Yu Qing and gloated, “Brother Zhang, you wouldn’t be scared, would you?”
He desperately hoped Zhong Ruochen would beat Yu Qing to a pulp. It would be even better if he were beaten to death or crippled, so his own participation in the Chaoyang Assembly could end easily.
“Scared?” Yu Qing glanced at him coldly. “Weren’t you going to challenge me? Why are you hiding on the sidelines? Why don’t you dare to challenge me? Come over and try, and see if I’m scared.”
One should pick the softest persimmon to pinch. After observing the whole scene, this Young Master Long was definitely easier to deal with than this woman.
Snap! Long Xingyun closed his fan and pointed at Zhong Ruochen. “If I step up, wouldn’t I have to face her first? Wouldn’t that just help you wear down your opponent? Do you think I’m that stupid brute Xiang Zhen? If you want to fight me, you’d better get past her first.”
This reasoning actually left Yu Qing speechless.
Seeing him dawdling, Kui Kui could not stand it either and started shouting, “I say, little moustache, you were more eager than anyone to jump out and fight for first place. Now you’re telling us you want to show mercy to a woman? Don’t be so ridiculous! What kind of place is this? Is this a place for showing mercy to women? Even the lady herself said she doesn’t need your mercy. What are you dawdling for? If you can’t fight, just admit defeat. Don’t drag things out here and waste everyone’s time.”
“If you can fight, then fight. If not, forget it.”
“Yes, if you really have such a kind heart, you can just drag it out until the third day. Don’t say things like not wanting to take advantage. Who are you looking down on? Her strength is right there for everyone to see, after all.”
The others among the twenty-five contestants also began to criticise him one after another, all expressing their dissatisfaction with Yu Qing.
The problem was that they all had the same feeling right now. They felt that “Zhang Zhichen” might be scared. After all, the ability “Shang Yue” had just displayed was obvious. Which contestant present would not feel their heart pounding if they had to face her?
Judging others by oneself, it was not hard to understand if “Zhang Zhichen” was feeling timid.
Yu Qing snorted coldly, stepped forward, got closer to Zhong Ruochen, and said to her, “Do you see that? These people seem to be speaking up for you, but they actually have ill intentions. Why don’t they go up and hang their tokens themselves? They are all hoping you and I will fight until we are both severely injured, so they can wait for the opportunity to pick up a bargain.”
What he said made some sense too. The others had been slow to hang their tokens, waiting for the right moment to act. However, they might not all be trying to take advantage of him. Taking advantage of the first place was not that easy.
Kui Kui immediately said, “Little moustache, how are you speaking? Who has ill intentions?”
Yu Qing retorted at once, “You talk too much. This is a place for fighting with hands, not with mouths. My token is hanging right there. If you are not convinced, you can go up and hang your token to challenge.”
“…” Kui Kui opened his mouth. With his personality, it was rare that he was left speechless.
He did want to fly into a rage, go up, hang his token, and challenge. But he looked at Zhong Ruochen before him, thought about Xiang Zhen’s fate, and swallowed the tough words that were on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he adopted a tone like Long Xingyun’s, waved his hand dismissively, and said, “I’m not falling for your trick.”
On the platform, Qin Fujun inwardly hoped that Zhong Ruochen would give Yu Qing a good beating. It would be even better if she killed him. Otherwise, every time she saw this fellow strutting freely around Kunling Mountain, she would remember the palm print on her own chest. The more she thought about it, the more she felt this person was arrogant, bullying Kunling Mountain as if it had no one.
However, she still had to abide by the rules of the Chaoyang Assembly. So she smiled and said, “Zhang Zhichen, you may accept the challenge now, or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. In any case, according to the rules, you must accept Shang Yue’s challenge within three days. As for which specific day, you decide.”
Yu Qing chuckled, “There’s plenty of time, then.”
In his heart, however, he was hesitating and pondering.
Zhong Ruochen, however, pressed aggressively, “Will you fight or not?”
She could only press him like this. According to the assembly rules, he really did not have to accept her challenge today.
Yu Qing looked at her and sighed. “You were just injured. Are you sure you want to fight me right now?”
Zhong Ruochen said firmly, “I’m sure. Right now!”
No one could understand her feelings. Standing in front of him and speaking to him at this moment, her heart was trembling inside.
That trembling was not fear, nor was it nervousness. It was a hysterical emotion she could not even explain herself. In short, she did not want to wait another moment.
If it were not for the competition rules, she would not have spoken to him at all. She did not even want to look him in the eye.
She had imagined countless ways they might meet again, but she had never imagined that the first time she would speak to him face to face would be on such an occasion.
And her emotions at this moment were just this complicated and extreme.
Yu Qing sighed. “Since you insist, then I will keep you company!”
He sounded very reluctant, but in truth this was a decision he had made after careful deliberation.
Having watched her earlier fight, he really did feel a bit timid. Her fighting style was simply too lofty and overwhelming. Compared to her, he felt like a mere crawling insect.
But the problem was, refusing a challenge meant admitting defeat. Could he admit defeat?
Even if he admitted defeat, he could still go and settle his conflict with Long Xingyun. If first place did not work, he could hang the token for second place and fight Long Xingyun.
But he felt awkward in his heart. There was a hurdle in his heart he could not get over, and that hurdle was sitting in the spectator stands. He knew someone was watching him.
Since he refused to admit defeat, and since he still had to fight, was there any difference between fighting today and fighting in a couple of days?
There was. The opponent was injured. Fighting today meant a greater chance of winning!
Moreover, say what you will, they were both at the Chuxuan realm of cultivation. Why insist on flying into the sky to fight? Apart from Xiang Zhen’s straightforward and blunt fighting style, flying into the sky was almost meaningless for a match.
As long as he did not run into someone like Xiang Zhen, he did not believe that standing on the ground while his opponent bounced around in the sky would mean anything.
If they really fought on the ground, then as he had said before, they were both at the Chuxuan realm. He was not necessarily much worse than anyone else. He should not let the previous aerial battle scare him.
After weighing all this, he relented and resolved to fight!
Seeing him accept the challenge, the crowd became excited again, full of anticipation.
Some people indeed hoped Yu Qing and Zhong Ruochen would fight until they were both severely injured, preferably heavily injured, so that perhaps they themselves would have a chance to seize first place.
Qin Fujun on the platform immediately asked, “Have you two decided?”
Yu Qing tilted his head towards Zhong Ruochen. “It’s up to her. If she wants to fight, then we fight.”
Zhong Ruochen said just two words, “I’m sure.”
Qin Fujun smiled and immediately cast a spell, announcing loudly, “Shang Yue has issued a challenge to Zhang Zhichen. Zhang Zhichen has accepted. Please, both of you, enter the arena!”
She made a hand gesture, and the rumbling drum sounds began once more.
Yu Qing turned and walked towards the competition arena.
Inside the arena, the Kunling Mountain disciples who had been using push boards to quickly tidy up the competition ground swiftly flashed away, vacating the space.
Wen Ruowei’s hands were tightly clasped together. Her expression beneath her veil was also deeply conflicted. Yet she knew she could not stop her elder sister. Her sister’s obsession with the incident in the capital back then ran too deep.
When the incident first occurred, her sister had not actually resented her brother-in-law too much. Whether he served as an official or not was something her sister would not have cared about. She could also understand that her brother-in-law had been forced to flee because he was caught up in a political struggle. Someone wanted him dead, and even the entire Zhong household was in grave danger. What else could her brother-in-law do but run?
What truly made her sister resentful came afterwards.
When they learned that her brother-in-law was being besieged by forces from the capital, there was actually no need for her sister to go and rescue him personally. It could have been resolved with just a word from the Sinan Prefecture.
Her sister had sent her personally to “sever ties completely” with that relationship. She naturally understood her sister’s thoughts, because her sister knew she would definitely try her best to salvage the situation.
And she had indeed tried her best to salvage it. She had also assured her brother-in-law that as long as he went back, her sister would definitely forgive him. But her brother-in-law had been so ruthless at that time. He had resolutely abandoned her sister and fled far away alone.
The moment her sister heard the news, she had been truly heartbroken. Wen Ruowei could feel it from her sister’s expression. Her sister’s resentment towards her brother-in-law had also begun to accumulate from that moment.
There was also dust drifting in the air, and a faint grey haze.
Wen Xin covered her mouth with a handkerchief, staring fixedly at the two entering the arena.
Xiao Hong’s nervousness was written all over her face. The previous fight had truly affected everyone too much. Yu Qing was about to face such a person, and those who cared about him could hardly avoid worrying.
Nan Zhu could already barely contain himself. He asked Zuo You, “What on earth is Old Fifteen up to? Is he really going to fight?”
Zuo You’s companions, Mu Aotie and Baili Xin, could not answer this question. Baili Xin muttered, “It’s a pity we can’t bring bows and arrows.”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie both turned to look at her sharply. What was this woman thinking?
Perhaps unwilling to walk behind Yu Qing, Zhong Ruochen suddenly flashed forward, leapt over Yu Qing’s head, and landed directly in the arena. Then she turned around and waited quietly for her opponent’s arrival.
Yu Qing was not in the least bit hurried. Seeing the other party so eager, he deliberately slowed his pace instead, wanting to wear down her mindset.
Who knew the drums would not cooperate. They sounded for a while and then stopped, which meant the match had officially begun.
Yu Qing continued walking at an unhurried pace, thinking in his heart. If he could not beat her, she surely would not go for the kill, right?
What if she really did go for the kill? Should he shout out his surrender loudly, so that the Kunling Mountain people could step in quickly to save his life?
Being beaten badly and forced to admit defeat… He subconsciously glanced towards a certain spot in the spectator stands.
Lost in random thoughts, he had already walked up to Zhong Ruochen. He stopped a zhang away, facing his opponent and standing in confrontation.
Zhong Ruochen slipped both hands into her sleeves again. When she pulled them out, her hands were once again wearing that pair of gloves that gave off a dark metallic sheen.
Putting on the gloves and revealing her weapon the moment she entered the arena showed, to some extent, her recognition of her opponent. She knew her opponent’s sword was fast. Being able to defend against a thousand swords like rain from a stationary position was no child’s play.
Moreover, he had dared to be the first to jump out and hang the token for the number one擂主.
Most importantly, for her at this moment, she could lose to anyone, but she absolutely could not lose to the heartless man before her!
She would not allow herself the slightest negligence.
The two stood like that, facing each other. After a while of standoff, neither made a move.
In the end, Zhong Ruochen spoke first. “Draw your sword!”
Yu Qing shook his head slightly. “Your arm is injured. I said I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
Zhong Ruochen immediately felt humiliated. She gritted her teeth and said, “You want to fight me empty-handed?”
Yu Qing said, “Let’s try first. If you can make me draw my sword, I will naturally draw it.”
It was not that he was being arrogant. He had paid close attention to the opponent’s weapon. It was absolutely the most flexible type of weapon. Swords and sabres might not gain any advantage against those gloves. They could easily be locked. He could imagine why the sword in Xiang Zhen’s hand had ended up in her possession.
Since the opponent was only wearing a pair of gloves, he also wanted to try his own “Dragon Seizing Hand.”