Chapter 54 Lin Qingdai really likes this kind of Ji Yu...

The morning air was crisp and clear when Ji and Jing and their group went out.

The destination is the southwest corner of Mingle City, where there is a huge arena.

Although it's called a fighting arena, there are very few actual fights. Most of the time, it's either occupied by opera troupes performing or by vendors spilling out from the market, their shouts echoing from morning till night.

Today is different.

The arena was deserted and spotless.

Although there were many seats in the audience, those who arrived early only dared to choose seats at the back. While wandering around the city, they had already heard that many important figures had come to this martial arts tournament, including General Ji, who almost never appeared at such occasions.

While there weren't many people yet, the first group huddled together chatting. They were clearly restrained, keeping their conversation confined to a small area.

"Have you heard? General Ji has arrived."

"I've not only heard about it, I saw her on the street yesterday. Madam Ji is truly beautiful."

"Absolutely! How could a young lady from the capital not be beautiful?"

"Do you think General Ji will go out and fight later? I've heard that General Ji is a martial arts prodigy who is rare in a century. Coming from a poor family and unable to afford a good martial arts teacher, he has still reached this level. He is amazing."

"What is General Ji going up there for? To compete for the title of leader of the martial arts alliance?"

"It's not impossible, is it? From now on, all the heroes of the world will look to Lingdong."

...

Amidst the commotion, two boys dressed in plain clothes sat.

They were around eighteen or nineteen years old, with handsome features, but their eyes were bright and revealed a spirit that refused to be inferior to others.

"The name Ji Yujing carries real weight now."

The boy who spoke was named Shen Hao, and there was a hint of envy in his voice.

"At his level, he has everything: beauty, power, and everything else."

The boy beside him then looked at him, his gaze calm: "People always look at what others have gained, but never at what they have given up."

"Perhaps once you know what he has sacrificed and what he has to bear, you won't envy him so much anymore."

The boy's name was Chai Yingling.

He and his companion Shen Hao both came from a corner of the Northwest. They were young and ambitious, and both wanted to make a name for themselves in the martial arts tournament.

Upon hearing this, Shen Hao stretched out his arm and put it on his shoulder.

“That makes sense. But we can follow in his footsteps and overcome every obstacle. Even if we don’t reach his level, we can still get ahead.”

Chai Yingling gave a slight smile.

Time swayed gently in the summer breeze, and more and more people took their seats in the stands.

Ji and Jing arrived with Lin Qingdai, followed closely by Mu Qinghuai and the others.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ji Yujing and Lin Qingdai held hands tightly, their intimacy and affection blatantly displayed. Lin Qingdai had actually protested when she got off the carriage.

The man just stared at her without saying a word.

That gave him the illusion that she slept with him but didn't want to take responsibility, which made him feel wronged.

It's so absurd it's unacceptable.

However, she really couldn't bear to see him like this, and since she couldn't break free, she could only let him be.

It's not a big deal anyway.

He casually found a spot to sit down, and the chatter of the onlookers and the general public could no longer be suppressed.

Some of the bolder ones even shouted out, "General Ji, will you be going up there to show your skills today?"

This time, not only Ye Xiao and Mu Qinghuai, who loved watching the fun, burst into laughter, but Ji Yujing himself couldn't help but laugh out loud.

His smile instantly dissipated half of the military general's sharp and oppressive aura, revealing a bright and clear expression.

Lin Qingdai really likes Ji Yujing like this.

I really want to kiss him.

But given the occasion, it was definitely not an option, so I had to suppress this slight flutter of excitement.

Ji Yujing, unaware of the flutter in her heart, turned to look at the source of the laughter: "Let's see if there's a chance?"

As always, he maintained a friendly and approachable demeanor.

"Good heavens, General Ji spoke to me!"

"This trip was worth it."

"Sigh, then can we expect a clash between the major warlords? I heard that the Zhang family's patron is here too."

"The man next to General Ji is the head of the Mu family, a figure who can roam freely in the far north."

"All that's missing is Liu Tong'an."

"That person is unlikely. He lives in seclusion in the Northwest, and very few people have seen his true face."

Amidst the noise, Zhang Qiyuan and Song Yunmian arrived hand in hand.

Then, Prince Jingxian arrived.

As if they had agreed beforehand, they each occupied their own space and did not disturb each other.

Lin Qingdai glanced at the two of them, smiled faintly, and that was all. She didn't intend to do anything more, and she figured the Crown Prince and Prince Jingxian probably didn't want to be the center of attention either.

As the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) arrived, Qin Huai, the vice-leader of the martial arts alliance, stepped forward onto the stage.

He wore a dark blue brocade robe, cinched at the waist. Having practiced martial arts for many years, even in his forties, he was still lean and strong, exuding a profound and dignified air unique to martial artists.

His gaze swept across the crowd, and he naturally spotted Ji Yujing and Zhang Qiyuan.

He nodded slightly and looked away.

"Welcome everyone to participate in this year's martial arts tournament, which is being held in Lingdong for the second time in twenty years."

His deep voice spread out, and almost everyone in the stands focused their attention on him.

"Several important figures unexpectedly came this year, as I'm sure you all already know."

Upon hearing this, a thunderous roar erupted from all sides of the stands.

"knew."

"Vice Alliance Leader, please ask General Ji and Patriarch Mu to fight a battle for us."

"Hahaha, you've got some nerve."

"Or you could have a fight with Young Master Zhang."

The martial arts tournament is held every three years.

Some people who enjoy joining in the fun have attended several editions, but they've never seen an atmosphere as relaxed and fun as this one. Previous editions were always formal and dull, but this one went straight to the point from the very beginning.

Lin Qingdai encountered such a lively scene on her first outing to "see the world," and a smile remained on her lips.

Ji Yujing saw this and moved his handsome face closer to her.

"Madam, is it fun?"

Lin Qingdai: "It's so much fun, I'll definitely write it into my travelogue."

Ji Yujing couldn't help but smile as she thought of her dream.

Beside them, Leng Jialan suddenly tugged at Mu Qinghuai's sleeve.

Mu Qinghuai asked her, "What are you doing?"

Leng Jialan: "Your name has already spread throughout the country?"

Having heard all this along the way, she finally understood: the name Mu Qinghuai truly carried weight; it wasn't just empty boasting.

These words made Mu Qinghuai laugh in anger: "Haven't I told you many times? You just don't believe me."

Every day, she either sends him to the palace to steal beauty secrets or orders him to buy the Three Immortals Flower from Ji Yujing. This peerless prodigy, in the eyes of others, is now being bossed around by her to do petty thievery.

Ye Xiao, always eager for drama, added with a laugh, "It's not Miss Leng's fault, is it? Young Master Mu, you just look pretty ordinary."

“Unlike my brother, who, just by standing there, exudes an oppressive aura, like a sharpened knife that can kill.”

Leng Jialan nodded emphatically after hearing this.

Mu Qinghuai scoffed, "How much money does your brother pay you to praise him like that?"

"I'll give you ten times the amount, and you'll praise me in return."

"Really?"

"Really, name a number."

They're so noisy and boisterous, they really have no inhibitions at all.

Lin Qingdai laughed uncontrollably. After a brief pause, she said to Ji Yujing, "Thank you for your hard work, General Ji."

"Um?"

"Everyone around me is so childish, I'm the only one who's a little better."

Ji Yujing chuckled to himself, but secretly thought to himself: Miss Lin Er isn't that mature either.

On the fighting field, Qin Huai continued speaking: "I can't invite these people. I'll call the alliance leader to try later."

After saying this, he returned to the main topic: "The competition format for this martial arts tournament is different from previous ones."

In previous martial arts tournaments, the first round was always a chaotic free-for-all.

When only eight people remained at the top, they fought in pairs.

The final victor will then face off against the incumbent leader, and only the victor can succeed to the position.

The number one martial arts master must surpass both the new and the old, an absolute powerhouse.

This time, however, is different.

On each of the four sides of the arena, a prodigy stands guard, and anyone confident in their abilities may challenge them. The victor becomes the new champion.

While explaining the rules, Qin Huai waved his arm, and four experts rushed from the shadows onto the arena.

They all have different appearances and body types, but each of them is exceptionally skilled in light-footed martial arts.

Her clothes fluttered in the wind, she looked incredibly dashing.

"Brother, can I go up and give it a try?"

Ye Xiao leaned closer to Ji Yujing and asked in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Ji Yujing and Lin Qingdai both turned to look at him.

Ji Yujing: "Go if you want to."

It's good to let Ye Xiao encounter the unorthodox methods of the martial arts world.

Ye Xiao immediately beamed with joy.

Leng Jialan was extremely envious and immediately looked at Mu Qinghuai. Her large eyes remained unblinking, and she didn't speak. But Mu Qinghuai understood her meaning perfectly: "No."

"Then why don't you go up there and fight a match for me?"

"……no."

Mu Qinghuai wanted to scratch his head again.

Seeing his expression, Ji Yujing silently curled up the corners of his mouth, gloating.

Fortunately, Dai Dai doesn't know martial arts.

After spending some time explaining the rules, Qin Huai coldly emphasized:

"Let's make friends through martial arts, but stop when we've reached the point of no return."

"May new geniuses emerge this time, and may the martial arts world prosper forever."

After speaking, Qin Huai descended from the arena. At the same time, three others flew towards the arena. The two sides passed each other, and the challenge match began.

No one went up to the arena facing Ji Yujing and the others.

"What's going on? No one's going up over there?"

"Who's he? Is he a good fighter?"

"Whether we can fight or not is still unknown, after all, this is our first appearance in the martial arts world, but we have a very powerful background."

Who is it?

"I heard the boy is from the Zhang family, Zhang Qiyuan's cousin."

"..."

The surrounding chatter was quite loud, and some of it reached the ears of Ji Yujing and the others.

Ye Xiao suddenly stood up and pretended to straighten his robes. The movement was exaggerated, but the young man's unrestrained and dashing manner made him impossible to dislike: "So what if Zhang Qiyuan is my cousin? I'm still Ji Yujing's cousin."

"I'll go and meet him."

Hahahahaha.

Mu Qinghuai genuinely liked Ye Xiao, finding the boy incredibly funny and much more interesting than Ji Yujing.

"Young Master Xiao, just charge ahead. If you can't handle it, I'll go up and fight for you."

Leng Jialan: "Don't panic, I'm here for you."

Ye Xiao bowed respectfully: "Thank you, brother and sister-in-law."

Mu Qinghuai laughed even harder: He really is a lovable child.

The commotion attracted a lot of attention.

Ye Xiao calmly flew towards the arena, while Ji Yujing remained composed, sitting as steady as a mountain.

"Ye Xiao".

"Zhang Qitai".

The two boys faced each other and clasped their hands in a gesture of respect.

After the ceremony, without a moment's delay, they launched a ruthless attack.

Within two hundred moves, they went back and forth, evenly matched.

After two hundred moves, Ye Xiao's endurance, honed by the fierce battles fought by several top generals in the army, began to show.

In a one-on-one fight at the same level, no matter how many times he gets hit, he can get back up and fight again, and he can wear down his opponent until he dies.

After five hundred moves, he mustered his strength and unleashed a series of powerful flying kicks. Zhang Qitai was no match for him and staggered backward.

Suddenly, a man in black flew to the arena and stabilized him from behind.

In the next instant, it swept past and the fierce energy slammed into Ye Xiao, who was almost exhausted.

A series of movements, so fast it was astonishing. To the untrained eye, it was just a blur of black shadows moving about.

This is hardly just stopping there.

This is an attempt to take the life of a young man, right in front of Ji and Jing. They're two or three generations apart in age, yet they're shamelessly bullying the younger one.

Mu Qinghuai's gaze turned cold. "I'll go and meet him."

As he spoke, he leaped into the air and rushed toward the arena.

This was also the first time Leng Jialan had witnessed Mu Qinghuai's true speed.

In the far north, who would dare to provoke Mu Qinghuai? Even with all his martial arts skills, he would have no use for them.

The head of the Mu family personally took action, stirring up unrest in the hidden corners of the world.

Ji Yujing's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he were smiling, but what came out was a chilling expression: "Those who break the rules shall die."

"Ji did it himself."

He didn't use any force, yet his voice clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

In Lingdong, no one could defy his will.

It doesn't matter who comes.

Similarly, causing trouble in Lingdong is a slap in his face.

He couldn't tolerate it.