Nalan Yanran stared at the Purple Gold Card he had pushed back to her and fell silent for a long time.
She bit her lip, then finally put the Purple Gold Card back into her Storage Ring.
"If you won't take the money..."
Nalan Yanran took a deep breath and suddenly raised her head. Her eyes burned as she stared at An Yi. "Then will you fight me?"
"..."
An Yi's hand froze halfway to a chicken leg. He stared at her in disbelief.
"Fight? Hold on, are you all right? You're a Three-Star Dou Practitioner, the future Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, and you want to challenge me—a useless Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple who only knows how to play with mud? That's bullying!"
Nalan Yanran lifted her chin, utterly convinced she was in the right. "Three years ago, on a street in the Holy City of Jia Ma, you pinned me to the ground in a single exchange! You took my sword and held it to my neck! You didn't think that was bullying. Now I just want to win back the face I lost!"
An Yi's eye twitched wildly. "Wait. Xiao Yan made a Three-Year Pact with you, so you turned around and started a three-year grudge with me? Does everyone in the Misty Cloud Sect hold grudges like this?"
Nalan Yanran folded her arms and refused to back down. "Are you fighting me or not?"
"Fine, fine. You think I'm afraid of a little girl?"
An Yi sighed helplessly, tossed aside the chicken bone in his hand, dusted off his palms, and stood up.
A flash of triumph crossed Nalan Yanran's eyes. She turned and headed out.
"Then let's go to the Martial Arena."
An Yi stopped dead. "The Martial Arena? Isn't that a bit much? We can trade a few moves right here in this shabby courtyard. Why make such a fuss?"
"Because I want to!"
Nalan Yanran turned and glared at him. "Are you coming or not? If you don't, I'll sit down right here and cry! Then I'll tell Uncle Ge and Uncle Xiao that you tried to take advantage of me in the courtyard. Uncle Ge will drag you back to the Misty Cloud Sect and keep you under strict watch!"
An Yi's mouth twitched. "Get a grip! I'm a useless Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple, and you're a Three-Star Dou Practitioner. Who would believe I tried to take advantage of you?"
"I don't care! If I cry, people will believe me!" Nalan Yanran had abandoned all reason. "Are you coming or not?"
Faced with a move that combined physical and magical attacks without the slightest regard for fair play, An Yi admitted defeat and raised both hands in surrender.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. You win."
Soon, Nalan Yanran and An Yi arrived one after the other at the Xiao Household's central Martial Arena.
One was the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. The other was the Xiao Household's acknowledged good-for-nothing: a white-haired young master who spent his days loafing around.
The two of them walking together were bound to draw attention. When the Xiao Household disciples saw them heading toward the Martial Arena, every eye turned their way, and the crowd following them grew like a rolling snowball.
As it happened, Xiao Zhan was showing Ge Ye around the Xiao Household's Martial Arena, where disciples were battling fiercely on the platforms.
With an honored guest from the Misty Cloud Sect watching, the disciples fought as though they had been given a shot of chicken blood, throwing themselves into every match.
That was when Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye spotted Nalan Yanran striding toward them, with An Yi trailing behind her, looking as though he had lost the will to live.
Even more outrageous, the two went straight through the crowd and climbed onto the platform at the very center.
Ge Ye frowned in confusion and called out, "Yanran, what are you doing?"
Standing at the center of the platform, Nalan Yanran pointed at An Yi. Her clear voice carried across the entire Martial Arena.
"Three years ago, I lost to him! Today, I formally challenge him here!"
The entire Martial Arena fell deathly silent.
Every eye widened.
An Yi? He had beaten Nalan Yanran three years ago?!
Wait, that wasn't the point! The point was...
A Three-Star Dou Practitioner had publicly challenged a Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple on the platform?!
Was she fucking serious?!
Ge Ye's aged face stiffened. He could almost feel the Misty Cloud Sect's dignity crumbling away, and he hastily shouted, "Yanran! Enough nonsense! Come down!"
Nalan Yanran stood her ground and called back, "Uncle Ge, I'm serious! And he's already accepted!"
Whoosh—
Countless gazes, all looking at An Yi as though he were an idiot, converged on him at once.
Under everyone's stare, An Yi gave an unconcerned shrug and admitted it.
"That's right. I accepted."
Xiao Zhan's eye twitched violently. He could feel his blood pressure soaring, and he roared, "An Yi! What nonsense are you spouting? When did you ever beat Nalan Yanran three years ago?!"
"That time I went to the Holy City of Jia Ma with Sister Ya Fei."
An Yi explained with an innocent look, "She came at me with a sword in the street, so I used a grappling move and pinned her to the ground. I just never expected her to be so petty that she'd hold a grudge for three whole years."
Black lines might as well have covered Ge Ye's face. He quickly waved his hands, trying to put an end to the farce. "Yanran, stop this! You were both children three years ago. A scuffle between children doesn't count. Come down before you make a spectacle of yourself!"
"No matter!"
An Yi suddenly raised a hand, striking a grand pose that begged to be punched, and declared,
"There's no need to worry, Elder Ge. I may be a mighty Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple, while she's merely a little Three-Star Dou Practitioner. But since she has the courage to challenge me, I'll conduct myself like a true expert. Rest assured, everyone. When we fight, I'll hold back. I absolutely won't hurt her!"
"..."
The entire Xiao Household was struck speechless.
Seriously, man!
At a time like this, you still had to act tough?!
She was a Three-Star Dou Practitioner! Not a Three-Stage Dou Qi disciple!
She wouldn't even need her sword. One slap from her could leave you with internal injuries!
Xiao Zhan's face darkened until it was black as the bottom of a pot.
An Yi was his adopted son in name, after all. If Nalan Yanran slapped him into serious injury on the platform today, what would become of the Xiao Household's dignity? What would people say when word got out? That Xiao Zhan couldn't even protect his adopted son and had let someone from the Misty Cloud Sect bully him?
Below the platform, Ge Ye was so anxious he stamped his feet.
Who was Nalan Yanran? The future Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect!
Yet here she was, throwing her weight around and publicly challenging someone who hadn't even advanced beyond Dou Qi!
Winning or losing no longer mattered. The challenge itself was disgrace enough!
What would become of the Misty Cloud Sect's reputation?!
Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan had heard the commotion and hurried over.
They squeezed to the front of the crowd and stared at Nalan Yanran and An Yi facing each other on the platform, both utterly baffled.
What on earth was this now?
Before you continue