“You’ve finally returned, young lady. Young Hero Lu has been looking for you all afternoon, worried that you might have been taken by the Demon Sect.”
“The Demon Sect is truly despicable. How on earth did those two manage to infiltrate?”
Only after returning did Hua Yan learn that the two Demon Sect spies who attempted to kidnap her in the morning had been captured.
Before she could even feel nervous or worried, she heard that the two spies had poisoned themselves immediately after being captured. Naturally, Xie Yingxian, who was already imprisoned, continued to bear the blame. The entire Lishan City had heightened its vigilance.
Hua Yan felt even more uneasy.
Lu Chengsha returned in silence, without saying anything to her.
Hua Yan, trying to find something to say, asked, “Um, was the performance of ‘Qiqin Tianxia’ beautiful during the day?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “I don’t know.”
Hua Yan was surprised, “You didn’t watch it?”
Lu Chengsha calmly said, “I didn’t pay attention.”
Hua Yan: “…”
If Qin Muyan knew, would she be furious?
“Um…” Hua Yan nudged him again, “Did you really look for me for a long time?”
Lu Chengsha thought for a moment and asked, “How long is considered long?”
Hua Yan pondered, “Until you start feeling impatient and don’t want to continue…”
Lu Chengsha: “Then it wasn’t long.”
Hua Yan sighed for the thousandth time; Great Hero Lu really has a good temper!
She tugged on Lu Chengsha’s sleeve and softly said, “Alright, next time if I go out alone, I’ll definitely let you know first!” As she spoke, Hua Yan took out a packet of crispy sugar and handed it to Lu Chengsha. “Thank you for worrying about me!”
Lu Chengsha accepted the sugar and seemed to hesitate for a moment. After a brief pause, he took out a small wine pouch and handed it to Hua Yan.
This time, it was Hua Yan’s turn to hesitate.
She didn’t drink alcohol, and she hadn’t seen Lu Chengsha drink during their journey. It couldn’t possibly be for Xie Yingxian.
Hua Yan forced a laugh in her heart and decided to open the wine pouch, bringing it to her nose for a sniff.
There was no smell of alcohol.
She went ahead and poured a little into her mouth. The taste was refreshing and sweet.
“It’s red bean soup.”
Hua Yan exclaimed, “Huh…”
She turned to look at Lu Chengsha.
“Did you specifically go and get this for me?” Hua Yan found it hard to imagine. The disciples delivering the soup were visibly scared just by seeing Lu Chengsha from a distance. If Lu Chengsha personally went to get the soup, she couldn’t fathom their reaction.
Lu Chengsha remained silent again.
After an entire afternoon, the red bean soup was no longer cold but lukewarm, carrying Lu Chengsha’s body warmth.
Hua Yan took another sip.
The sweet soup slipped down her throat, making her feel a bit strange, as if her heart was being warmed by the red bean soup. Quickly adjusting herself, she continued to tug on Lu Chengsha’s sleeve, saying, “Great Hero Lu, I spotted a nice restaurant earlier today. Let’s go have a meal!”
***
The fourth day of the Sword-seeking Tournament marked its official opening, with the much-anticipated disciples’ battle beginning.
The disciples’ battle lasted for three days. Unlike the martial arts competition, there was only one ring, and the fights were not just for show.
A fight must have a winner and a loser.
After a screening process, forty-eight disciples from various sects were selected to compete. They drew lots to pair up, resulting in twenty-four matches. The winners continued to face off until the final winner was determined. This was how Lu Chengsha had won the previous two competitions.
If there were any objections to the selected candidates, one could challenge an already selected disciple to take their spot.
The final list was confirmed on the day of the disciples’ battle.
The first day of the disciples’ battle was the liveliest, with twenty-four matches scheduled. Members from various sects gathered in full force.
As the host sect leader, Ling Tianxiao stepped up to give a speech. With deep inner strength, his voice resonated like a bell.
“You are the elite of the younger generation in the martial world, the future and hope of our martial world. I hope you all can showcase your skills in this disciples’ battle…”
From a distance, Hua Yan watched Ling Tianxiao’s face. Remembering what she had seen in the dungeon of Dangshan, she squinted. This supposedly righteous leader with bushy eyebrows and big eyes was capable of using private punishment to extract confessions!
“…Although we have captured the Demon Sect’s leader, their remnants are still rampant. A centipede dies hard… In the future, all disciples must be vigilant, punish the wicked, and eradicate the evil cult to uphold justice.”
Hua Yan snorted inwardly.
After the speech, it was time for the drawing of lots.
Four blue tassel disciples and five yellow tassel disciples from Tingjian Manor were all selected, securing nine spots.
The five major sects, except for the Fanyin Temple, had similar numbers. Many disciples from Fanyin Temple came, but only three signed up and were selected. The rest were either preaching in the city or giving alms. Although many were skilled in martial arts, few enjoyed fighting. They truly lived up to their Buddhist nature.
Disciples from other sects, both in number and quality, could not compare to the five major sects. Getting one or two selected was considered impressive.
During the drawing of lots, sects took turns stepping forward. The lots were numbered from one to twenty-four. Drawing the same number meant being opponents in the first round.
As the host sect, Dangshan was the first to draw lots. However, everyone was shocked to find that Chu Jun was missing!
“Did Young Hero Chu take the blow too hard?”
“Year after year, he ends up in second place. Who can stand that? This year, seeing that he still can’t beat Lu Chengsha, maybe he just decided not to participate.”
“Then there’s nothing exciting to watch this year!”
“I’m regretting it. I missed the martial arts competition the other day, missed out on it!”
“Let’s see if he participates in the sect battle. With the Demon Sect leader involved, the sect battle should be extremely intense this year.”
Leading the group was Zuo Jingshuang. After a night of treatment by the doctors of Cixin Valley, she appeared unharmed but still looked pale, giving Hua Yan the impression that she was pushing herself too hard!
Hua Yan immediately turned to look at the Qingcheng Sect.
Mu Xuelang was leading his disciples to prepare for the draw. Seeing Zuo Jingshuang, he frowned slightly and seemed to say something softly.
Zuo Jingshuang looked up at him and replied.
But it was too far away! Hua Yan couldn’t hear a thing!
Not knowing how to read lips, Hua Yan was dying to rush over and listen to the gossip.
After Qingcheng Sect drew their lots, it was Tingjian Manor’s turn. Dongfeng Buye Tower had someone specifically recording the drawn lots on a board for everyone to check at any time.
As disciples from various sects came forward one by one, a variety of expressions could be seen.
Those who drew opponents from Tingjian Manor’s yellow tassel disciples had complex expressions. Those who avoided Dangshan and Tingjian Manor grinned broadly. Those who drew highly ranked young heroes looked despondent. As for the one who drew Lu Chengsha…
“Can… can I forfeit now?”
Receiving a negative answer, everyone looked at this young hero with sympathetic eyes.
A major indicator of the young heroes’ rankings was each year’s Sword-seeking Tournament. Mu Xuelang was lenient, usually going easy in the first round and defeating his opponent after a few dozen moves. But Lu Chengsha always ended the fight instantly.
Being eliminated in the first round meant having no chance to showcase one’s martial skills and being beaten one-sidedly. This trip would be in vain.
***
Regardless of joy or sorrow, the first round of the disciples’ battle began, and discussions started among the spectators.
“Good luck with the draw this year. No popular clashes in the first round.”
“Three years ago, Bai Yijiang had it really rough. Based on his skill, he could’ve made the top twelve, but he faced Lu Chengsha in the first round.”
“I wasn’t here last time. No wonder Bai Yijiang harbors such animosity towards Lu Chengsha.”
“Ah, his animosity towards Lu Chengsha isn’t just because of that. It’s a long story…”
“I wonder what rank Zuo Jingshuang will achieve this year.”
As soon as the battle began, Hua Yan could sense the difference from the martial arts competition. The atmosphere was tense, with both sides ready for a fierce fight. The standard for victory in the disciples’ battle was for the opponent to lose the ability to resist, so both sides were extremely careful, cautious, and fought desperately.
Even the doctors from Cixin Valley, who had been stationed outside for the past few days, moved inside, ready to rush in and save people at any moment.
It was said that they were also responsible for checking if the disciples had taken any prohibited drugs, like invincibility pills, before the matches, making them very busy.
Hua Yan took out some melon seeds from her sleeve and watched the arena with wide eyes, not blinking.
After watching the match between Lu Chengsha and Chu Jun, other matches seemed like flowery but ineffective moves. They felt like they were in slow motion and not thrilling enough.
Lu Chengsha had already drawn his lot and returned. His lot was number eighteen, quite late, so his match wouldn’t be until the afternoon. Thus, he sat next to Hua Yan to watch together.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Who do you think will win this match? The one from Qingcheng Sect or the one from Baiya Peak?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “Qingcheng Sect.”
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, the disciple from Baiya Peak was defeated, just as Lu Chengsha had predicted.
After that, Lu Chengsha correctly guessed the winners of the next three matches in a row.
Hua Yan was amazed, “How do you guess so accurately?”
Lu Chengsha said, “I can see it.”
Hua Yan was puzzled, “See it?”
Lu Chengsha concisely replied, “Strength and weakness.”
Hua Yan couldn’t help but cough and said, “Am I considered quite weak in your eyes?”
Lu Chengsha fell silent.
Hua Yan sighed, “It’s fine, I understand!”
To be honest, Hua Yan never really enjoyed practicing martial arts. Initially, she did it to appease her mother. Now, without her inner strength, it was indeed a bit frustrating.
The antidote for Yu Ye’s poison required time and effort to prepare. She was already busy just watching the Sword-seeking Tournament every day and couldn’t spare any energy.
Impulsively, Hua Yan whispered, “Why don’t you teach me?”
Right after she said it, she regretted it. Lu Chengsha was a disciple of Tingjian Manor; how could he just casually teach her…
Lu Chengsha immediately responded, “Okay.”
Hua Yan was stunned, “Huh?”
It was as if he had been waiting for her to ask.
Hua Yan was bewildered.
Lu Chengsha turned to look at her. “Didn’t you want to learn?”
Hua Yan nodded, still in a daze.
Lu Chengsha stood up and said, “Follow me.”
Hua Yan followed him, even more bewildered. “Oh… huh???! You really want to teach me?”
Lu Chengsha’s clear black-and-white eyes looked at her, practically spelling out: “What else?”
She quickly realized that it was probably because she had almost been captured by the Demon Sect, making Lu Chengsha worry that she would drag him down. That’s why he agreed so readily.
After all, Lu Chengsha wasn’t the type to say something like, “Because you’re too weak, you need to learn some martial arts to protect yourself.”
Hua Yan felt very complicated but followed Lu Chengsha outside, head spinning. Because everyone was focused on the ongoing matches, not many noticed their departure.
They arrived at a deserted open space, and Lu Chengsha drew the long sword he carried on his back, handing it to Hua Yan.
Hua Yan took it, and her arm immediately sank—it was so heavy!
No way! He carries such a heavy sword every day and fights with such speed?
Lu Chengsha seemed to realize the problem as well. He silently took back the sword and told Hua Yan to “wait for me.” In almost the blink of an eye, he returned with a lighter, thinner sword for her.
This sword felt much more manageable. Hua Yan casually swung it around, feeling quite good about it.
At the same time, Lu Chengsha broke off a tree branch and held it in his hand. He said to Hua Yan, “Come.”
Hua Yan, holding the sword, was confused. “Huh?”
Lu Chengsha said, “Spar with me.”
Hua Yan: “……??????”
Is this how you teach?