Fang Tao spun around and was startled to see that the speaker was Chen Ye.
He knew Chen Ye was talented, but this skill depended on hard practice accumulated day after day. Chen Ye had only been in the trade for six months; how accomplished could he be?
"Chen Ye, this is no joke!"
"Don't worry, Shaojun. I know what I'm doing." Chen Ye gave him a reassuring look, then stepped into the ring and cupped his fists in every direction.
His appearance immediately set off a wave of discussion.
"Who's this kid? Never seen him before!"
"Heh, has Fang Tao run out of men? He's actually sending a greenhorn out there to die?"
The girls from the Cai Character Gate, meanwhile, gazed at him with shining eyes.
Chen Ye now stood tall, with delicate features and a composed bearing, a stark contrast to the rough, burly jianghu men around him.
Chen Ye turned a deaf ear to the comments. He simply looked at the arrogant man opposite him and spoke.
"As long as I can fish the coins out of this pot of oil like you did, does that count as our win?"
"That's right!" The man held his head high, his face full of disdain.
"Good."
Chen Ye nodded, then did something that left everyone staring in astonishment.
He took a handful of copper coins from inside his robes and, with a clatter, threw every one of them into the furiously boiling oil!
More than a dozen copper coins sank to the bottom in an instant.
"Holy shit, is this kid crazy?"
"What's he trying to do?"
The whole crowd erupted, and even Fang Tao's heart leaped into his throat.
Chen Ye's expression, however, remained unchanged. Under the astonished gazes of the man and everyone else, his eyes sharpened. Pressing his index and middle fingers together, he plunged them into the boiling oil like a bolt of lightning.
Immediately afterward, Chen Ye pulled his hand back, a copper coin coated in boiling oil pinched between his fingers.
With a ding, Chen Ye tossed the copper coin into a tray beside him, producing a crisp ring.
Before the crowd could recover from their shock, Chen Ye's fingers plunged in again without pausing for even a moment!
Ding, ding, ding...
The crisp sounds rang out in rapid succession, so fast they dazzled the eye.
In the blink of an eye, he had fished every last coin from the bottom of the pot.
As for Chen Ye's fingers, they were pale and slender. Never mind burns-they weren't even red.
Everyone was dumbstruck, including the man who had been so arrogant just moments ago. He stood there with his mouth open, staring blankly at the pile of steaming copper coins in the tray, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
"Thank you for yielding!" Chen Ye cupped his fists, his expression as calm as still water.
"Excellent!"
Fang Tao was the first to rise, clapping and cheering, his face alight with excitement.
He knew Chen Ye was highly talented, but he had never imagined his talent could reach such a level.
In just six months, he had learned to fish copper coins from boiling oil without suffering the slightest injury. That feat alone put him ahead of many veterans who had been in the trade for years.
Once he started, the others joined in with applause and cheers.
The girls from the Cai Character Gate, in particular, even began to whistle.
"Little brother, big sister has high hopes for you!"
"Little brother, do you have a wife? If not, how about me? Big sister really knows how to dote on a man."
These girls who traveled the jianghu performing for a living were all exceptionally forthright, so they spoke without restraint. They were just short of going up and flirting with him outright.
Only Yang Ze's face was dark as he stared fixedly at Chen Ye, his thoughts unknown.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye had also received an unexpected bonus.
Just now, a system notification had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Skill: Deft Hands lv7 → lv9]
Chen Ye was somewhat surprised. He had only intended to help Fang Tao out of a tight spot and take the edge off their opponent's arrogance. He hadn't expected that showing off before the crowd would raise the Deft Hands skill by two levels at once.
That really was nice.
Chen Ye kept his expression neutral, cupped his fists to the crowd once more, and prepared to leave the stage.
Just then, a chilling voice came from behind him.
"Wait!"
Chen Ye turned and saw Yang Ze watching him with a dark expression. He couldn't help growing a little wary.
What does this guy want?
At the same time, Fang Tao sprang to his feet and stared hard at Yang Ze. "Yang Ze, what do you want?" he said coldly. "Can't accept defeat? Are you trying to go back on your word?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several men behind Fang Tao sprang to their feet, silently staring at Yang Ze's side.
Yang Ze's men refused to back down. They too stood, confronting Fang Tao's people.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense, and the air filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Just then, the Rong Character Gate elder who had remained silent all this time suddenly coughed, then said calmly, "Don't make a spectacle of yourselves in front of outsiders."
At those words, both Fang Tao and Yang Ze stepped half a pace back and nodded respectfully to their gate's elder.
After both sides sat down, Yang Ze chuckled. "Shaojun Fang, there's no need to be anxious. Though I, Yang Ze, am no hero, I'm not the sort of petty man who goes back on his word. A loss is a loss. Of course I accept it."
"I just think this young brother is exceptionally skilled, and I'm truly delighted. So I'd like to have another friendly contest with him."
"Don't worry, it's purely a contest of skill. We won't wager territory or damage our friendship. Well, Shaojun Fang, does that put your mind at ease?"
Fang Tao frowned deeply. He didn't believe a single word of Yang Ze's nonsense.
This man had always been narrow-minded, repaying the slightest offense. After losing so much face today, how could he possibly let the matter rest? This so-called friendly contest was plainly an attempt to win back his face.
But people of the jianghu prized face above all else. Yang Ze had put it so nicely that if Fang Tao forcibly stopped him, it would make his own side look afraid and damage the reputation Chen Ye had just established.
For a moment, Fang Tao found himself riding a tiger and unable to get off. He could only look at Chen Ye questioningly.
Chen Ye gave him a slight nod, signaling that he knew what he was doing. Then he looked at Yang Ze and said, neither humble nor arrogant, "May I ask what Shaojun Yang intends to compete in?"
A sharp glint flashed in Yang Ze's eyes. "Knives!" he said gravely. "I'd like to match knife skills with you."
At those words, another stir ran through the crowd. The members of the Rong Character Gate, in particular, looked at one another.
Who didn't know that Yang Ze's nickname was Fast Knife Yang? His skill with a knife had reached an almost divine level, ranking among the best in the entire Rong Character Gate.
How was this a friendly contest? He was plainly using the skill he was best at to bully a newcomer!
Fang Tao's expression changed. Frantic, he was about to find a way to have Chen Ye replaced when, to his surprise, Chen Ye accepted without hesitation.
"Fine. Then I'll match fast knives with you."
His voice was clear and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Everyone froze, Fang Tao included.
He looked at Chen Ye in disbelief, unable to understand why he had agreed so readily.
A flash of barely concealed delight crossed Yang Ze's eyes.
In his view, Chen Ye was young and reckless. Daring to accept his fast-knife challenge was simply inviting humiliation!
Knife work was a skill honed through years of painstaking practice, with no room for trickery. Yang Ze had immersed himself in it for more than a decade; there was no way he could lose to a newcomer who had only recently entered the trade.
But little did he know that Chen Ye's heart was blooming with joy.
Just what I was hoping for!
Fishing coins from boiling oil just raised Deft Hands by two levels, and now Yang Ze has come along with a fast-knife challenge. If this isn't someone bringing me a pillow when I'm sleepy, what is?
"Good! You've got guts!" Yang Ze exclaimed in praise. Then, as though afraid Chen Ye might change his mind, he immediately ordered his men to clear the area.
The second contest officially began.
Yang Ze made no apologies and took the initiative, demonstrating his skills first.
With a flick of his wrist, a three-inch knife landed in his palm. It whirled and danced around his fingertips, flashing cold light in a display that dazzled the eye.
"Excellent!"
That opening move alone drew a wave of cheers.
A smug smile curled Yang Ze's lips. Then he called out, "Men, bring up what I prepared!"
Two of his men immediately carried in a wooden stand bearing a fully inflated pig's bladder. It was clear and translucent, thin as a cicada's wing, and looked ready to burst at a touch.
Then someone else carefully picked up a wafer-thin slice of raw pork with chopsticks and gently placed it on the very top of the bladder.
Every eye in the crowd was drawn to it.
Yang Ze took a deep breath. His gaze suddenly became razor-sharp, and he flicked his wrist.
Swish!
A streak of silver flashed past, so fast its path was almost impossible to see.
The pig's bladder still stood there, completely intact. But the thin slice of meat on top had been neatly divided in two.
"Excellent knife work!"
"As expected of Fast Knife Yang. Truly impressive!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. Even the elders of the other gates couldn't help nodding in praise.
His control of force in that cut had indeed reached the height of perfection. Otherwise, the slightest mistake would surely have burst the bladder.
Fang Tao's expression grew extremely grave. He silently regretted not stopping Chen Ye sooner. Now the reputation Chen Ye had just established would be smashed in the blink of an eye.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, not only was there no trace of nervousness on Chen Ye's face, but a faint smile rested on his lips.
He didn't look at the pig's bladder or pay any attention to Yang Ze's self-satisfied expression. Instead, he turned toward the Cai Character Gate and asked with a smile:
"Might I ask if one of the ladies would be willing to come onstage and do me a small favor?"