Kaishan Martial Hall's disciples were so furious their eyes had gone bloodshot.
"Arrogant!"
"You've gone too far!"
"You bastard!"
At the edge of the arena, the senior referee frowned as well and looked at the Master of Iron Fist Hall.
"Master Shi, the rules say each bout requires a new fighter. Your disciple's winning streak is certainly impressive, but fighting one match after another—"
"Senior." The Master of Iron Fist Hall cut him off. "The rules say the first to win three out of five takes the match. They never said one person couldn't fight repeatedly. If Kaishan Martial Hall knows it can't win, it can concede right now. The Iron Fist Sect won't press the matter."
The words left even the senior referee at a loss for a moment.
The rules indeed had no clear ban on fighting consecutive bouts.
But openly sneering at one's opponent like this, boasting that one man would sweep the entire field, and even using the other side as a bargaining chip to "get a wife"—
It was simply too arrogant!
The spectators below loved a spectacle and hoped things would get even more exciting.
"Good heavens! Is this big fellow going to plow right through Kaishan Martial Hall by himself?"
"Get a wife? Ha ha, what a reason!"
"Kaishan Martial Hall's in trouble now. They can't win, but they can't afford to concede either..."
On the elevated platform, the masters of several local martial halls gathered around Old Master Du, their faces indignant.
"We shouldn't have let those outsiders open halls here in the first place! Look how cocky they've gotten!"
"Old Du, let's kick the bastards out! Why keep fighting? This is fucking infuriating!"
Du Liefeng held down his anger. "You were all there when we discussed it, and every one of you agreed. How can we just call it off halfway through?"
One man said urgently, "We agreed back then, but who knew they'd be so overbearing? If this keeps up, Wen'an's martial arts guild will have its face ground into the dirt! Old Du, you have to see that justice is done!"
"Fine, I know."
Du Liefeng nodded, his face dark. "When this match is over, I'll go have a word with them myself! If we're holding a martial contest, then let's compete properly. They think they can ride on the necks of Wen'an's martial arts guild and shit on us? Not a chance!"
"Old Du, well said!"
"Right! We'll go together!"
"We can't let them bully us like this!"
The other masters immediately perked up and chimed in. For a moment, they were united in outrage, as if they finally had someone to lead them.
On the eastern side of the arena,
the Kaishan Hall master glanced at the disciples behind him. Every one of them cowered, and not a single one dared to step forward.
His heart had gone cold. Niu Mang was the best fighter in the hall, having formed his first Seal just last year. Yet in front of Shi Jingang, he'd been like a paper doll—one punch had nearly killed him.
After a long silence, the Kaishan Hall master said dejectedly,
"Kaishan Martial Hall... concedes."
The senior referee announced loudly, "Third match: Iron Fist Martial Hall wins! Kaishan Martial Hall is eliminated!"
Shi Jingang, however, rolled his shoulders, still unsatisfied, and grumbled in his deep voice, "That was no fun. Is that all Wen'an's martial halls have got?"
He turned toward the edge of the arena and asked earnestly, "Senior, can I fight in the next match too? I haven't even loosened up yet."
On the eastern side of the arena, the people from Liuyun Martial Hall, who were about to compete, immediately turned pale with fright.
Shi Jingang was plainly a human-shaped ferocious beast.
How were they supposed to fight him? Whoever went up would be marching to their death.
The senior referee said solemnly, "The arena has its rules. This isn't child's play. Nephew Shi has already done his part. Please return to your seat and watch."
Shi Jingang heard this and pouted in disappointment. "What am I supposed to do now...? My master said I had to win a few more bouts before he'd find me a wife. What if I end up without one?"
He sounded so earnest, with the simple, honest worry of a farmhand fretting over finding a wife.
The nearby spectators burst into laughter. Several bold, sharp-tongued women, charmed by his naive, sturdy looks and impressive martial skills, even pushed their way forward through the crowd, laughing as they called out, only half-joking,
"Big dummy, what's so hard about finding a wife? Come home with big sis!"
As soon as Shi Jingang heard the women's teasing, his honest face fell.
"You won't do! You're all old and wrinkly, and ugly too. You're not what I'm looking for. My master said I'm strong and good at fighting, so I deserve the prettiest, freshest young maiden there is. She's gotta be like the fairy in a play!"
The crowd burst into laughter at his words.
Some of the women he'd called "old and ugly" jumped up, furious, and started cursing at him.
Others, there only to watch the spectacle, laughed so hard they slapped their thighs.
"Good heavens! That big dummy sure has high standards!"
The commotion hadn't yet died down.
On the elevated platform, Du Liefeng watched the swaggering outsiders from the other counties and abruptly rose to his feet. "Come on! Let's go have a proper talk with those outsiders right now! Do they really think Wen'an County is some unclaimed wasteland where they can run wild?"
The several masters had long been seething with anger. The group stormed toward the martial halls from the other counties on the western side, drawing the eyes of many in the arena.
Master's Wife didn't go with them. She had never liked direct confrontations.
Mei Dai and Mei Ying saw that the fights onstage had paused for the moment, so they quietly asked Master's Wife if they could take a walk in the woods by the lake.
Master's Wife nodded and agreed, telling Lu Chen to keep an eye on them.
The four left the viewing stands and entered the winter woods by Yunmiao Lake. Bare branches stretched overhead, and the snow had yet to melt, leaving the woods quiet and still.
Mei Dai and Wen Liangyu walked side by side, chatting and laughing. They were so affectionate that anyone who saw them would have thought they were a couple whose love was as sweet as honey.
Mei Ying followed behind. Seeing her sister acting so lovey-dovey, she curled her lip and sidled up to Lu Chen, muttering under her breath,
"Senior Brother Lu, look at them. It's enough to make your teeth ache."
Lu Chen said nothing, though he did find it a little strange.
Just a few days ago, after they'd returned from the academy, Wen Liangyu had been circling around Mei Ying and barely paying Mei Dai any attention. How had he changed so completely in the blink of an eye?
When Mei Ying saw Lu Chen ignoring her, an inexplicable irritation flared up inside her. She lifted her foot and kicked him in the calf.
"Thump!"
A dull sound rang out. It felt as though she'd kicked an iron pillar. A piercing pain shot through her toes, and she stumbled backward.
Lu Chen quickly caught her by the arm, his expression calm. "Careful."
"Are your legs made of iron?" Mei Ying gasped in pain, hopping on one foot, both embarrassed and annoyed.
"Are you all right?" Lu Chen asked evenly.
"How could I be? It hurts like crazy. I think I broke my toe." Mei Ying's voice was close to tears, and her eyes grew glassy.
Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Bones don't break that easily. Take off your shoe so I can have a look."
"Here?" Mei Ying blushed and glanced at her sister, who was walking farther away.
"How else will we know if you've hurt a bone?" Lu Chen replied in his usual tone, pointing to a nearby rock. "Go sit over there."
Mei Ying bit her lip, but in the end, she limped over and sat down.
Lu Chen crouched in front of her and held out his hand. "Foot."
Mei Ying hesitated bashfully for a moment, then carefully extended her left foot.
Lu Chen moved deftly, slipping off her emerald-green embroidered shoe and plain white silk sock with a light hook of his fingers.
A tender, fair foot came into view. The top was smooth and white as snow, and her toes were plump, like the tips of tender bamboo shoots. The joint of her big toe was red and swollen. Her whole foot was small and delicate, with a slender ankle and soft sole. It trembled slightly in the cold wind, and when Lu Chen's warm, rough hand closed around it, her sensitive toes curled.
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