A Draw? (Young Master, Please Keep Reading)

A Draw? (Young Master, Please Keep Reading~)

Dust and mist billowed through the air as City Lord Liu and Qi Daodong both rose to stare.

Their reactions were a moment slower than Gu Yao's. By the time they thought to rush into the arena and save someone, it was already too late. All they could do was hope Gu Yao could stop You Su's sword. Everyone, including the two of them, had assumed Wu Cheng would suffer severe injuries in this battle. It was hard not to wonder whether this had strayed from the competition's original purpose.

Once the dust and mist dispersed, the three figures in the arena emerged. Gu Yao was supporting one young man with each arm.

Wu Cheng actually did not need support. Apart from the wounds around his waist and some torn clothing, his face was practically clean. You Su, on the other hand, not only needed to be supported but was also using his sword planted on the ground to hold himself up. His face twisted with pain, and both of his robe trousers had been shredded below the knees, revealing several charred wounds beneath.

Everyone was caught off guard. They wondered why You Su's astonishing sword strike had not injured Wu Cheng at all, and instead looked as if it had struck You Su himself. Yet quite a few people saw the hidden intricacies of what had happened, and Qi Daodong's expression was the most complicated of them all.

He exchanged a glance with City Lord Liu. Understanding immediately, City Lord Liu smiled reassuringly at him, his wrinkles bunching together.

In the arena, Gu Yao secretly and slowly fed gentle Mystic Qi from his palms into the two boys' bodies while announcing in a clear voice:

"The victor has been decided. You Su of the Mandarin Sword Sect wins!"

Some people at the edge of the arena were incredulous, some fell silent, and some were furious. More people burst into enthusiastic applause, cheering for this astonishing, tumultuous battle and thanking the contest for the shock it had given them.

Gu Yao took out two more spirit pills, their medicinal radiance flowing, and handed one to each of them. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said:

"Top-grade Spirit Creation Pills. They can stop the bleeding and help your wounds heal quickly. Take them at once. Don't force yourselves to endure your injuries."

"Thank you, Immortal Master Gu." Wu Cheng remained as polite as ever.

You Su reached out and accepted the pill. He did not have the strength to offer thanks, merely giving a slight nod. Gu Yao did not mind and watched You Su with a satisfied look.

At that moment, City Lord Liu also began applauding enthusiastically, clapping loudly as he said with a beaming smile:

"Good! As expected of the young men of our Chuyun City! Truly, the student has surpassed the master! You have far exceeded what this old man possessed in his youth. To have such strength at your age—even in the Divine Mountain, you would be worthy of being crowned with the title of 'heaven's favored genius'! Your futures are boundless, truly boundless!"

Stirred by his words, the crowd's cheers rose even higher. Cultivators and commoners alike felt honored by association, their admiration and respect for the two young men in the arena deepening.

"Senior Brother Gu, as the City Lord of Chuyun City, I was truly moved by the battle between these two today. For that reason, I have an unreasonable request! I hope Senior Brother will grant it!" City Lord Liu said with an air of righteousness.

Gu Yao sensed that something was wrong. His expression darkened slightly, and he had no idea what City Lord Liu was trying to do at a time like this. He had even deliberately invoked his identity as Chuyun City's City Lord.

"City Lord Liu, please, say what you wish."

At this, City Lord Liu clasped his hands behind his back and declared passionately, "Our Chuyun City is merely a remote little city more than four thousand li from the Divine Mountain. In the Divine Mountain, there may be countless people who have never even heard of it. But the emergence of Wu Cheng and You Su today has shown me hope for changing Chuyun City's circumstances! It has also shown me our city's bright future! They have proven to us that those born around the Divine Mountain and bathed in its radiance from childhood are not inherently nobler than us! Our Chuyun City can also raise heaven's favored geniuses whom they cannot even hope to catch!"

His stirring speech roused the crowd to fury. Yes—why should those people be allowed to entrench themselves around the Divine Mountain for a thousand years, while they could only be called country bumpkins? And why should people from remote cities like theirs have to satisfy all those harsh conditions just to move to a city closer to the Divine Mountain? The people of Chuyun City could become dragons too!

"City Lord Liu is right!" Some burly men could not contain their surging emotions and shouted their agreement.

City Lord Liu smiled and pressed down his hand to signal for quiet before continuing in an unhurried tone: "I can also say that I watched Wu Cheng and You Su grow up. They have different masters and different family backgrounds, but their resolute hearts devoted to the Dao are the same! Their contest today was dazzling. What a fight! It displayed the spirit of our Chuyun youths—their blood, their wit, and their courage! In my eyes, this contest has no victor. Both of them are victors!"

"So I implore Senior Brother Gu to declare this contest a draw! In today's battle, neither of them should be called the loser!"

"Well said!" Qi Daodong was the first to voice his support, and several seated sect leaders followed one after another.

Gu Yao's brows were half-furrowed. He had more or less figured out what City Lord Liu intended. He sighed inwardly at this crafty junior brother's smooth chain of moves: first elevate the matter, then bind him with morality.

His purpose was nothing more than to protect the dignity of Qi Daodong and Wu Cheng, and perhaps that of every prominent cultivator in Chuyun City. You Su was clearly isolated and powerless in this city, merely a blind boy with no status or standing. Yet he had defeated Wu Cheng, who was treated like the darling of the crowd. They certainly could not accept that, so they were borrowing the crowd's momentum to force him to change the result to a draw.

You Su had naturally heard what City Lord Liu said. He gripped his sword hilt tightly, feeling both aggrieved and furious.

City Lord Liu's pretty words could not deceive him. If this seemingly reasonable "unreasonable request" became reality, it would fulfill their happy ending, while sacrificing the hard-won victory that belonged to You Su alone.

In You Su's eyes, those hypocritical cultivators applauding and praising the result were like a pack of slick, fat-bellied merchants. They actually wanted to snatch away half the fruit of his victory, then slap their own labels on it.

Just as City Lord Liu implied, Chuyun City's "enemy"—the reason it could only remain a remote little city—was never any single person from near the Divine Mountain. It was the enormous entity formed by all those who relied on the Divine Mountain while excluding outsiders. And You Su's enemy today was not merely Wu Cheng, but all the people of extraordinary standing in Chuyun City whom Wu Cheng represented.

Besides, Gu Yao had stated from the beginning that victory or defeat was not the sole criterion for deciding who would receive the lecture-attendance slot, and that they should not fixate on the outcome. With City Lord Liu's appeal added to the situation, declaring a draw was Gu Yao's best choice now. It would uphold the original purpose behind his Ascension Gathering, show that he understood the greater righteousness City Lord Liu spoke of, and win him even greater respect from the people of the entire city.

Powerless and helpless, You Su loosened his grip on the sword somewhat in despair. He only hoped this would not affect his chance at the lecture-attendance slot. As for this victory, if they wanted it, then he would give it to them...

"City Lord Liu is mistaken!"

Gu Yao patted You Su on the shoulder and spoke out in a clear, resonant voice. The entire crowd fell silent. No one had expected him to reject this proposal that seemed certain to satisfy everyone.