Shuhe immediately hid the bowl behind his back.
"Young master, I'm not craving it."
Ma Liu peeked out from the stage.
"Bringing your own bowl is a good habit, so you don't end up at the back of the line without one."
Shuhe blushed.
Liu Laosan stood in front of the registration table, leaning on a wooden stick.
Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun cupped his hands in greeting.
"Exist."
"First, assume the horse stance and line up."
Ye Qingyun looked at the stage, where a number of people were already standing around.
The boy killing the fish went first.
He spread his legs wide and bent his waist low.
Ma Liu shouted from the side, "Are you setting up stakes, or preparing to cast a net to catch fish?"
Everyone laughed.
The boy killing fish gritted his teeth and held on. After half an incense stick's time, his legs were shaking so badly that even his trouser legs were swaying.
Liu Laosan nodded.
"Pass."
The boy carrying water was the second to go up.
He was much more stable than a few days ago; his shoulders no longer bounced wildly, and his feet felt grounded.
Sun Kui nodded in agreement.
"Good."
The boy carrying water's eyes lit up.
"Instructor, can we have meat in the porridge today?"
Ma Liu: "Don't fall yet."
When it was Ye Qingyun's turn, the crowd quieted down.
He lost at the poetry competition.
But today's martial arts competition means no one can say he's not good enough.
Ye Qingyun stood on the stake, his clothes billowing in the wind, the bamboo tube at his waist close to his side.
He spread his legs, lowered his waist, and dropped his shoulders.
The incense is lit.
Half an incense stick.
A stick of incense.
He didn't move.
The voices of the onlookers grew lower and lower.
Shuhe puffed out his chest proudly.
"My young master is a master stakeholder, unmatched throughout the land..."
Liu Laosan tapped the ground with his wooden stick.
"Don't praise him too much, or you'll lose."
The crowd burst into laughter.
Shuhe dared not speak further.
The two incense sticks burned out.
Liu Laosan said, "It looks good."
Ye Qingyun stopped his stance and stabilized his breathing.
Shuhe couldn't help but ask, "Instructor, is it alright?"
Ma Liu was carrying a blade of grass in his mouth.
"What else can we do but beat drums and gongs?"
Ye Qingyun began, "The second item."
Liu Laosan said, "Let's test our punching bag."
Sun Kui set up the three wooden target stakes.
"According to the rules, each person throws three punches; the one with the most consistent punching style wins."
The first porter went up and drove the wooden stake into the ground, making it shake.
The second boy killing fish missed his target with a punch, and jumped up and down in pain, clutching his arms.
Ma Liu laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.
"You've killed so many fish that you can't tell the difference between wood and fish anymore?"
It was Ye Qingyun's turn.
Shuhe held his breath.
Ye Qingyun stood in front of the wooden stake, pressing his palm against the bamboo tube at his waist.
The heat surged up from the bamboo slips, like a thread, along my waist into my abdomen, and then rushed to my shoulders and arms.
Sun Kui noticed the bulging veins on his neck and frowned.
" Ye Qingyun, don't get so worked up."
Ye Qingyun looked at the wooden stake.
I know what I'm doing.
Gu Moran sat in the back room of the tea stall, with only a crack in the paper window.
Uncle Fu stood behind him.
Boss Zhao squatted on the other side, holding a small notebook in his hand.
He whispered, "Your Highness, Sun Kui reminded her."
Gu Moran looked at Ye Qingyun's neck.
"Reminding him is useless; Ye Qingyun won't listen."
Ye Qingyun threw his first punch.
The wooden target shuddered violently, and dust fell from the top of the stake.
The crowd cheered.
The second punch.
A crack appeared in the wooden stake.
Shuhe jumped up.
"Young master, your fists are excellent!"
Liu Laosan remained silent.
Sun Kui stared at Ye Qingyun's shoulders and neck.
Before his third punch, Ye Qingyun stomped down hard, and the bamboo tube at his waist heated up even more intensely.
He wanted the capital to see that while the women of the royal palace could suppress his poetry, they couldn't suppress his fists.
The third punch landed in the center of the wooden stake.
The wooden stake split in the middle, with one half flying backward and crashing into the ground.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in shouts.
"It's broken!"
"A talented man who also knows martial arts!"
"Wow! That's impressive, he can father eight sons!"
"I have big breasts, let me have his babies!"
Shuhe held the bowl, her eyes red.
"My young master won!"
The stems of the Ma Liu tree have fallen off.
"He is a bit fierce."
Liu Laosan looked at the broken stake, but there was no joy on his face.
Sun Kui walked up to Ye Qingyun.
Does your neck hurt?
Ye Qingyun withdrew his fist.
"It doesn't hurt."
Sun Kui asked, "Is your left hand numb?"
Ye Qingyun tucked his fingers into his sleeve.
Slight tingling.
But he couldn't say it, with so many people watching.
"It's not numb."
Sun Kui looked at him.
"Take it easy. That punch could shatter the stake, but it could also hurt yourself."
Shuhe grew anxious.
"Coach, my young master won, how can you say such a thing?"
Liu Laosan said, "Let's have a little sparring match, and see if I can come back for the next round tomorrow."
Ye Qingyun said, "I can come tomorrow."
The crowd was still shouting.
Standing on the stage, Ye Qingyun heard shouts directed at him for the first time in the capital.
It's not sarcasm.
This is not a question.
It is admiration.
His chest felt hot, and the bamboo slips felt hot too.
In the back room of the tea stall, Gu Moran lowered the window paper.
[System Warning: Ye Qingyun's Martial Arts Fame Node Activated.]
[Luck value recovers.]
[The bamboo slip technique's response has been enhanced.]
[Gas surge detected, increasing the risk of conflict.]
Uncle Fu frowned.
"If he keeps playing like this, he'll most likely be the top seed in the competition."
Gu Moran said, "What he wants is first place."
Boss Zhao said, "Then aren't we just doing all the work for him?"
Gu Moran looked at the crowd outside the window.
"You have to wear the wedding dress to find out if it's too tight."
Uncle Fu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
On the stage of the martial arts school, Liu Laosan made his announcement.
" A White Tiger Group, Ye Qingyun passes."
Ye Qingyun frowned.
"But there are still some devices we haven't tried."
Liu Laosan said, "You cannot try today."
Ye Qingyun looked at him.
Why?
Sun Kui continued.
You're still angry.
Shuhe said, "My young master is clearly still capable of fighting."
Ma Liu didn't laugh, which surprised him.
"Being able to fight and deserving to fight are two different things."
The onlookers started discussing it.
Some say that the coach suppresses the talented student.
Some say the rules are unfair.
Ye Qingyun heard it.
He looked at Liu Laosan.
What if I insist on trying?
Liu Laosan walked onto the stage, leaning on a wooden cane.
"Then I'll cancel your score for today."
Shuhe's face turned pale.
"On what grounds?"
Liu Laosan pointed to the wooden sign at the door.
" Dragon Abyss Rule Number One: When the instructor calls a halt, the apprentices stop."
Ye Qingyun placed his palm on the bamboo tube.
The heat is still at its peak.
He could feel the fist wanting to strike again.
His reputation will grow even greater if he breaks another target.
The results can be cancelled, and today's trip will have been in vain.
He suppressed the metallic taste in his throat.
I'll stop.
Liu Laosan nodded.
"Come back tomorrow."
Ye Qingyun turned and stepped off the stage, and the crowd automatically parted.
Someone whispered, "What a talented man!"
Some people also said, "I'm really looking forward to his performance tomorrow."
Shuhe followed.
"Young master, they are afraid you will win."
Ye Qingyun remained silent.
After walking twenty steps, he leaned against the wall for support.
Shuhe quickly went over.
"Young Master?"
Ye Qingyun put his hand back into his sleeve.
"Fine."
Half a sweat stain remained on the wall.
Gu Moran happened to see it from behind the tea stall.
His gaze lingered on the damp patch.
Zhao Si.
"Your subordinate is here."
"Keep an eye on his left hand tonight, see if it goes numb."
Boss Zhao asked, "What if he gets numb?"
Gu Moran put down the teacup.
"That mini-competition final was even more exciting than I expected."
[Thank you for the capsules, Xianran! You're stealing free energy from other babies! Give them all to me, I'll squeeze every last drop out of you!]
[A reader's birthday is coming up, so even though I'm busy, I'll add an extra chapter. Thank you for your support!]