Chapter 3
"Do you dare to accept the challenge?" Cui Youyi looked at Zhou Kaiyun provocatively.
Last night, she searched the system for all the information about Ningguta ice sculptures and unexpectedly learned that there was a rule of ice fighting here. She was originally worried about how to settle the feud with the Zhou family, but when she saw this rule, she was instantly overjoyed - it's like someone giving you a pillow when you doze off!
She just needed to find a way to provoke the person in charge of the Zhou family to compete with her. If they won, at least they couldn't cause trouble for the Cui family openly.
Moreover, as long as the ice fighting agreement is formed, the county magistrate Wang Jun will definitely be the guest of honor, so the chances of conquering him and getting the recommendation for the ice sculpture conference will greatly increase!
"Just you?" Zhou Kaiyun looked Cui Youyi up and down with his greasy eyes. "Young lady, can you lift an ice pick?"
"Ha ha ha ha."
"Master, she..."
The Zhou family’s housekeeper wanted to make some suggestions, but Wang Jun slammed the gavel again.
"Don't make any noise in the courtroom."
Cui Youyi felt she couldn't be too presumptuous and had to give the county magistrate some respect. So she bowed according to her memory and said respectfully, "Sir, I've heard that Ningguta will be snowing heavily in August. If the stalemate continues, I'm afraid even if we clear our name, we'll still be buried in the snow."
"Having arrived in the North today, I intend to follow its rules to find a way out for myself and my family. I've heard that ice fighting is a great way for Ningguta craftsmen to resolve conflicts. I'd like to ask for mercy and use the rules of ice to resolve this conflict regarding ice sculptures."
Cui Youyi's waist ached from bowing. Listening to the sound of flipping pages in the upper courtroom, she was so angry she was speechless. Was this the time to read? She would definitely report it to the system, and next time, they wouldn't bind the nerd as a quest target. The thought of having to conquer this nerd made Cui Youyi feel even more miserable.
Wang Jun pondered for a moment, looking at Cui Youyi, who was lying on the ground, and then at Zhou Kaiyun on the other side, with an expression of anticipation: "Regarding the invitation to the ice fight initiated by Cui's daughter, is the Zhou family willing to accept the challenge?"
The Zhou family has been doing evil in Ningguta for many years by relying on their power. In the past two years, their reach has become increasingly extensive. If someone could dampen their arrogance, perhaps their plan could be brought forward.
"My Lord, it's not that I don't dare to accept the challenge, but it's just that from ancient times to the present, it's not customary for women to engage in ice carving. If she were to initiate an ice fight, wouldn't that be breaking the rules?"
Zhou Kaiyun just felt unlucky. Wouldn’t it be enough for this little girl to just follow him back to the Zhou family? Instead of being so cold to him, she wasn’t afraid of passing the bad luck to him!
"You sound so high-sounding, but you're just afraid to accept the challenge, aren't you?" Cui Youyi sneered at him. "You were born by a woman, so why don't you say that you broke the rules by being born?"
"You're shameless, but my Zhou family still has some dignity. Who are we insulting when we compete with you?" Zhou Kaiyun wasn't fooled. They clearly had the upper hand. "If you want to go somewhere else and spar with me, I'd be happy to do it. It's best for a woman to stay where she belongs!"
"You keep saying women can't be ice sculptors, but you're really afraid they'll steal your jobs, right? You fame-seekers can only bully others by relying on your gender advantage," Cui Youyi said disdainfully. "That's right. A man of seven feet...er...five or six feet tall loses to a woman like me. It's truly shameful to tell anyone."
Among all the tall people in Ningguta, the particularly short Zhou Kaiyun was stabbed in the lungs: "Bitch, let's compete. If you lose, kowtow to me and admit your mistake. Then go to my Zhou family and be my slave."
Cui Youyi struck while the iron was hot and continued, "If you lose, you must clear our name and ensure that your Zhou family does not cause any trouble for our Cui family!"
"Since both parties have reached an agreement, I will serve as a witness." Wang Jun expertly slammed the gavel as the gazes heatedly clung to the court. "Master, go get a few more witnesses. This ice fighting event is a grand occasion we haven't seen in ages, so we need to invite enough spectators."
*
The next day, the usually deserted ice fighting arena was tightly surrounded by spectators. It was extremely lively, with everyone discussing this rare competition.
The delicate young lady exiled from the capital wants to compete with the Zhou family's playboy!
How novel! Ningguta hasn't seen a female ice sculptor in over a hundred years.
In full view of the public, Cui Youyi and Zhou Kaiyun both came.
On one side is a delicate beauty with a pink nose, cherry lips and tears in the corners of her eyes, and on the other side is a dandy young man with a fat brain and a fat stomach. The spectators who knew about the bet could not help but feel sorry for the beauty who was about to be destroyed.
"Miss Cui Wu is really courageous." When Wang Jun followed other guests to take their seats, he quietly came to Cui Youyi's side.
Cui Youyi was puzzled and simply bowed respectfully, "Your Excellency, I am so grateful for your kind words."
Wang Jun leaned closer and handed the cloth bag to Cui Youyi. "Miss Cui, you're new to Ningguta and probably don't fully understand the rules of ice fighting. While we'll provide basic ice carving tools, participants will need to bring their own more sophisticated ones. If you haven't found the right tools yet, I hope these tools can help Miss Cui Wu."
Upon hearing this, Cui Youyi's eyes lit up: "Thank you so much, sir. I was just worried about this!"
Cui Youyi glanced around and whispered like a thief, "Don't worry, sir, I will live up to your trust." Having watched many TV dramas about county magistrates fighting against aristocratic families, she imagined a bloody battle for power. Isn't it obvious who she can cling to?
Wang Jun gave him an ambiguous look, returned to his seat and started drinking tea and reading.
Cui Youyi thought to herself, this guy is really a bit pretentious...
With the arrival of all the guests, Wang Jun gave the order and the ice fighting competition really began. The theme of this ice fighting competition has also been confirmed recently - Bai Niao Hefu.
Hearing this topic, Cui Youyi snorted inwardly and glanced at Zhou Kaiyun, who was full of confidence. Cui Youyi knew that they had done something wrong.
The white bird, as an ice-type mythical beast, is well-known in the north. However, Cui Youyi, a girl exiled from the capital, theoretically would not know the existence of the white bird!
But for Cui Youyi, who lives in the 21st century, white bird ice sculptures are something she's been practicing since she was a child! The moment she saw the theme, Cui Youyi sketched several sketches in her mind.
Cui Youyi walked to her position, carefully observed the raw ice block she was about to carve, and calculated the corresponding size and what tools to use in her mind.
Zhou Kaiyun, who was standing by, picked up the tools and teased, "Miss Cui, do you want me to teach you how to chisel ice?"
"As long as you call me good brother, I will help you carve it!"
Cui Youyi only had her own work in her eyes and didn't care to pay attention to Zhou Kaiyun who was jumping around.
Zhou Kaiyun, who was ignored, returned to his seat angrily.
Time passed minute by minute, and Zhou Kaiyun's work had begun to take shape, but Cui Youyi still did not move.
"Tsk, this woman shouldn't have gotten involved in ice sculptures. Did she call us here to make a fool of herself?" An elderly guest, Wu Sheng, began to scowl.
"Brother Wu, now that you are here, why are you so impatient? It will only take a day." Another old man, Zhao Ming, stroked his beard and advised with a smile.
"Brother Zhao had a quick temper when he was young, how come you have so much leisure time now that you are old?" Wu Sheng's temper was easily flared up, and he couldn't help but sarcastically retort.
"Brother Zhao, you're wrong. You and I have been involved in ice sculpture for many years, so we naturally know that everyone has their own unique skills. No one knows what the finished product will look like until the very last moment. Instead of guessing, why not have a cup of tea and wait and see what this little girl has to say to us old guys?"
The two older ice sculpture masters were making sarcastic remarks, and the others on the stage did not dare to speak easily. Wang Jun held the book without moving, as if he had not heard anything. However, if someone paid attention, they would have noticed that the speed at which he turned the pages of the book had obviously slowed down.
There was a debate on the stage, and the audience started to make noise, with the doubts about Cui Youyi growing louder and louder.
Amid the noise, Cui Youyi finally picked up her tools and began carving.
Cui Youyi calculated the parts to be removed and cut off the unnecessary parts with a bold and drastic move, her movements were astonishingly large.
Seeing her move, everyone was even more excited - ice is the most difficult to control, and if you are not careful, it will crack or cut off the parts that should not be cut off. Everyone carefully cut off the excess parts bit by bit, and then carved the main body.
In their eyes, Cui Youyi's behavior was even worse than that of an amateur.
But Cui Youyi didn't care about their thoughts. She changed tools one after another, and the ice chips on the ground piled up more and more and gradually turned into water.
Gradually, the doubts died down because the white bird under Cui Youyi's hands took shape, but at this time Zhou Kaiyun had already started carving bats. People who knew the business calculated the time and felt that Cui Youyi would not be able to complete her work.
Zhou Kaiyun was content and would occasionally check on Cui Youyi's progress.
Cui Youyi caught a glimpse of his clownish behavior and couldn't help but set a trap for him - she faced Zhou Kaiyun with the part she was going to repair last, and blocked Zhou Kaiyun's sight from time to time, creating the illusion that she had not carved anything successfully.
As expected, Zhou Kaiyun fell into the trap and even started carving casually.
"There is still a quarter of an hour left before the end of the competition. Please pay attention to the time." The servant's time announcement sounded like a death warrant. Zhou Kaiyun couldn't help but speed up and was quite flustered, while Cui Youyi was still carving slowly.
Comparing the two, if we don't consider their works, Cui Youyi is slightly better.
When the time signaled the end of the game, Cui Youyi immediately put down the tools in her hand, while Zhou Kaiyun was still mending the stitches beside her.
"Master Zhou, what are you doing?" Cui Youyi refused to let him take advantage of her. "The competition is over, and you're still reluctant to put down your tools!"
"If I hadn't been waiting for you, I would have finished it long ago." Zhou Kaiyun put down his tools and looked at his work with satisfaction.
Cui Youyi rolled her eyes, stepped back to the side of the work, bowed slowly to Zhibin, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please comment."
In the art of ice sculpture, the work is king. Guests will carefully observe the works and then vote. Only if they give convincing reasons will their vote count.
"Good! Good! Good! The white bird carved by the young lady has spread wings, which is in perfect harmony with the blessing pattern. The two are well connected, very good. I will vote for the young lady!" Zhao Ming stroked his beard and cast his first vote for Cui Youyi.
"What does this old bastard know about ice sculptures?" Wu Sheng had been arguing with Zhao Ming all his life, and decisively voted for Zhou Kaiyun. He gave a speech based on the artistic conception, and many spectators at the scene bet on Zhou Kaiyun to win, which created a tie in the vote. The deciding vote depended on who Wang Jun voted for.
Cui Youyi did not expect this trend. Seeing Wang Jun walk to Zhou Kaiyun's ice sculpture, Cui Youyi's heart was in her throat.
Damn, this is shady!
"System, help! Your host has fallen into the hands of the Zhou family. You might as well die now!"
Wang Jun turned around and around, muttering, "Should I vote for Mr. Zhou? Or should I vote for... Miss Cui?"
Cui Youyi was almost driven crazy.
[Target's favorability towards the host +35%, recognition of the host's work +65%, the host gains 15 days to survive, please continue to work hard]
"Let's vote for Miss Cui!"
Wang Jun's voice and the system broadcast sounded at the same time. Cui Youyi was shocked to find herself breaking out in a cold sweat and couldn't help but complain about Wang Jun in her heart.
What kind of person is this! It's simply insane! He's like a sick person!
"I don't accept it!" Zhou Kaiyun immediately jumped up.
Cui Youyi was not used to him: "If you don't accept it, keep fighting!"
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