Not long afterward, aboard the tower ship by the riverbank.
Xie Jinhuan sat on the chess couch, gazing through the window at the sea of people filling the gathering grounds ashore. He had changed into a new robe, and the injuries on both his hands had been treated. Delicious dishes covered the small table, and Coal Ball was feasting away.
After finishing the successive bouts earlier, Xie Jinhuan had left the arena to return his weapons, only for Wei Lu to drag him to the nearby medical station and have a renowned Jianghu physician tend to his injuries.
Although his injuries were not serious, he was thoroughly exhausted. His qi sea was completely empty and needed replenishing as soon as possible. Xie Jinhuan had intended to return with Big Ice Lump to receive his reward, only to discover unexpectedly that she had vanished somewhere.
Unable to find her, Xie Jinhuan could only return to his lodgings to recuperate first, using the height of the three-story tower ship to watch the proceedings from afar.
To his surprise, he discovered that Senior Sister Hua truly lived up to being Big Ice Lump's senior sister. She was very strong. Her attacks made little commotion, but her footwork and technique were nothing short of ghostly. When she fought, she looked like a blue butterfly flitting lightly among blades, spears, and staves. Her opponents never touched her once, and whenever she seized an opening, she finished them with a single strike. She was utterly ruthless.
However, this style of fighting, which relied mainly on maneuvering around her opponents, was very slow. After watching for quite some time, he had only seen her fight two bouts. He could not say whether she would catch up with him.
As he watched, a figure appeared on the riverbank,