I'll Win

The venue for the East Sea Martial Arts School Competition was a roar of voices.

All fifty martial arts schools had entered the venue, and all one hundred contestants were ready.

In the stands, Xiao Yan sat in the Chu Martial Arts School's section, with Xiao Lan beside her.

Xiao Yan had often accompanied Chu Ge to the Chu Martial Arts School before, so the two had met long ago.

The first time Xiao Lan met Xiao Yan, her eyes had been full of admiration. She thought the young lady was like a princess who had stepped out of a painting, so noble and beautiful that no one dared approach her.

Only after they became familiar did she discover that Xiao Yan didn't put on any airs at all and was just as easy to get along with as the young master.

The competition hadn't started yet, but Xiao Lan was already sitting ramrod straight with nerves.

"Sister Xiao Yan, do you think the young master can win?"

"He'll win."

Xiao Yan said unhurriedly, "That guy might be unreliable most of the time, but when it comes to strength, he really hasn't lost to anyone."

"You should believe in him."

"Mm-hmm, I understand." Xiao Lan nodded vigorously. "The young master will definitely win."

Xiao Yan glanced at her and noticed that the tips of the girl's ears were a little red.

Oh? Has she fallen for my stupid otouto?

That was only natural.

Chu Ge was handsome, had a good personality, came from a good family, and was highly talented. He was born to be popular with girls.

People stopped him on the street to ask for his contact information, and at school, the heart-decorated envelopes and breakfasts in his desk drawer never stopped coming.

Of course, her drawer had them too.

When it came to such things, the two of them handled them with remarkable tacit understanding.

The envelopes went straight into the trash.

As for the breakfasts?

Not wasting food was a traditional virtue, so the two would swap breakfasts and eat every last bit.

"Want some snacks?"

Xiao Yan picked up the huge bag of snacks by her feet and put it between their seats.

Xiao Lan blinked. "Can I?"

The things in the bag looked expensive, costing several hundred at the very least. Could she really eat them?

"Go ahead." Xiao Yan opened a bag of chips and said as she chewed, "Your young master has a kind heart. He heard we were both coming to cheer him on, so he bought them especially for us."

He bought them... especially for us?

Xiao Lan hesitated for quite a while before reaching into the bag and picking out a packet that looked like the least expensive. She whispered, "Thank you."

Contestants' lounge.

Chu Ge wore a white martial arts uniform today, with the four large Chinese characters for "Chu Martial Arts School" printed on the back.

Honestly, it was a little ugly.

He had never worn this thing when he came to the school before, always wearing his own clothes instead.

Today was an official competition, and the school required them all to dress alike, so he had no choice but to go along with it.

Yang Wei sat beside him, head down as he tapped at his phone.

Chu Ge glanced at his screen.

Honor of Kings?

He's beyond saving.

"Old Chu, want to play a round?" Yang Wei held his phone out in front of him.

"No." Chu Ge pushed the phone back. "You took the minions from all three lanes for yourself and still ended up zero and nine. You're really something."

"Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him."

"That's called being a jerk."

Yang Wei clutched his chest as though he'd suffered a grievous wound, then lowered his head and went back to tapping at his phone.

After a couple of taps, he looked up again.

"Old Chu, what do you think my chances of winning the championship are this time?"

"Practice for at least another two and a half years. What, do you want that Silver Weapon?"

"Of course I do. I even dream about it. That thing's worth millions."

Yang Wei sighed:

"But all I can do is dream. With the number I drew, I'm up against someone from the Ye Family in the first round."

"What, are you scared?" Chu Ge was curious. Yang Wei's tone made it clear he'd lost his nerve.

After all, who built up someone else's spirit while dampening their own before the fight had even started?

"I lost to that guy once before," Yang Wei said. "His trait is nasty, even nastier than my Poison Gas trait."

"So he beat you before."

"Can't you say one comforting thing to me?"

"No."

Chu Ge looked away and began sizing up the contestants from the other camps.

Of the four great families, only the Chu and Ye families ran martial arts schools.

The Chu Family ranked first in East Sea, and the Ye Family ranked second. The two were roughly equal in strength.

In Chu Ge's eyes, the other forty-eight martial arts schools were all small businesses.

So his toughest opponent today would most likely come from the Ye Martial Arts School.

Of course, he couldn't underestimate the other schools either.

Every one of the hundred people who could stand in this room today was at the hundredth level of the Qi and Blood Realm.

Just then, a commotion arose at the door.

"Look, a beauty's here!"

"Where? Let me see!"

The people walking in were indeed beauties, and there were two of them.

Chu Ge froze for a moment.

Lin Luyin? Ye Weiyu?

Why are they here too? Did they take leave to watch the competition, like Silly Roe Deer?

On second thought, that made sense.

The two representing the Ye Martial Arts School today were both members of the Ye Family. Though they were from a branch family, Ye Weiyu still had to call them elder brother and elder sister by seniority. It was no surprise she had come to support her own family.

A group of maids followed Ye Weiyu, carrying case after case of water and handing bottles out to everyone they saw, without exception.

Such was the plain and unadorned grandeur of the rich.

Chu Ge happened to be thirsty. He was just about to get up and fetch a bottle when one was held out in front of him.

"Brother Chu... drink."

The voice was as light as a feather. He didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Thanks." Chu Ge took the water, unscrewed the cap, and drank a mouthful.

"N-no problem." As soon as Ye Weiyu finished speaking, she ran off to catch up with her elder brother and sister.

Chu Ge thought the world would be peaceful again.

To his surprise, a cold laugh sounded beside his ear:

"Well, if it isn't Haji Ge. How did you fall so low? A dignified young master like you, coming to fight in a martial arts school competition? Don't tell me you're here for the champion's Silver Weapon."

From that arrogant tone, Chu Ge could have figured out who it was with his third-to-last pubic hair.

He raised his head, met the girl's eyes, and smiled:

"Well, if it isn't Haji Deer. It's been so long since the class placement exam. How come you still suck so much?"

"Eighteen years old and only at the eighty-fifth level of Qi and Blood? Not planning to break through to the Black Iron Realm anymore?"

Lin Luyin: "..."

How had she never noticed before that Chu Ge had such a vicious tongue? Every word stabbed her right in the heart.

She had just put together a retort in her head when his next line came.

"Young lady, does your butt still hurt?"

Lin Luyin: "..."

I'm done.

I'm leaving.

She took a deep breath, turned, and walked over to Ye Weiyu. Grabbing her hand, she pulled her toward the door.

"Little Deer, where are you going..." Ye Weiyu was completely bewildered, but was dragged away all the same.

"Home to enter seclusion," Lin Luyin said, holding her breath. "I'm not coming out until I break through to the Black Iron Realm."

Watching the two of them leave, Chu Ge shook his head helplessly.

She's taking it that seriously?

Tsunderes really were terrifying. That stubborn streak hadn't changed one bit since she was little.

But it didn't matter.

The four great families had stood firm in East Sea for so many years, and they had relied on far more than the businesses visible on the surface.

The four families cooperated for mutual benefit and had intermarried with one another. When one prospered, all prospered; when one suffered, all suffered.

A male cousin of his had married a girl from the Lin Family last year. At the wedding, he and Lin Luyin had been a groomsman and a bridesmaid, and had drunk at the same table.

Come to think of it, their relationship really did run hot and cold.

Thinking of the bridesmaid stamping her feet in anger just now, Chu Ge couldn't help laughing out loud.

No matter how fiercely he and Lin Luyin quarreled, he still had to call her father "uncle" when he saw him.

While he was still amused, an announcement rang out:

"East Sea Martial Arts School Competition, first match, officially begins."

"Contestants number one and number two, please come to the stage for your match."

Chu Ge glanced at the number one tag in his hand, stood up, and patted Yang Wei on the shoulder.

"I'm up first. Let's freaking go."

"More like Oreo." Yang Wei didn't even look up, his eyes fixed solely on his teammates' minions. "Good luck."

"I know." Chu Ge walked toward the door. "With those four characters printed so big on my back, it'd be pretty embarrassing to lose."

He pushed open the lounge door and headed for the contestants' passage.

The arena was at the end of the passage, light shining in from it as the shouts rose in wave after wave.

In the direction of the stands, there was a section holding up illuminated signs that read "Chu Martial Arts School."

Chu Ge glanced over and spotted two familiar heads.

Silly Roe Deer was clutching a bag of chips and waving her arm at him.

Beside her, Xiao Lan held up a handwritten support sign with just three Chinese characters on it:

Go, young master.

Chu Ge looked away, loosened his wrists, and stepped into the light.

I'll win.