Chapter 78
Xu Lianzhi ordered someone to bring hemp rope and used it to make a circle on the platform large enough for four people to stand in.
The rope circle wasn't large, but it gave the four of them a relatively good range to move around. A moment later, several more disciples brought over a flagpole and fixed it in the center of the rope circle.
The pillar was studded with wooden wedges for people to step on and climb, and a dark red flag with gold trim was tied to the top of the pillar. Whoever could pull out the flag first would be the champion of this competition.
Correspondingly, whoever is knocked out of the circle first, even if it's just a tiny bit off by the tip of their shoe, is considered to have lost. Furthermore, the flagpole cannot fall during the competition; if it does, it means that none of the four have won, and the competition must start all over again.
Therefore, they not only had to concentrate on the competition, but also had to work together to protect the banner. This tested not only their individual combat abilities, but also their ability to cooperate with each other.
Even though Yin Qiu performed exceptionally well in the matches after being injured, winning back the impressions of many of the older disciples, Xie Yijun still had a cold face and her anger had not subsided.
After Man Jiangxue returned to the stands, he did not speak to her. The two seemed to be sulking, neither willing to speak first.
The two inexplicably started a cold war, and the subtle atmosphere left the elders nearby completely bewildered. For a moment, the top disciples from each peak on the stands dared not cheer anymore, each behaving with dignity and composure, for fear of incurring the wrath of these two.
After setting up the dueling platform, the disciples leisurely withdrew. Xu Lianzhi explained as usual: "The four of you will fight simultaneously within the rope circle. The one who gets the flag wins, and the one who goes out of bounds is automatically considered the loser. Again, do not use killing moves, do not intentionally hurt anyone, and remember to stop when you've made a point. You can enter the circle now!"
After he finished speaking, four girls of similar age moved and landed in the arena, each standing on one side.
Knowing that Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang were on good terms and that the two of them would definitely join forces to attack, the other two female disciples had already discussed their strategy and decided to temporarily team up to deal with the two.
In their eyes, Yin Qiu was already injured and had fought so many battles. No matter how powerful she was, she was probably at her limit by now. As long as they eliminated Yin Qiu first, they could take on Fu Xiang in a two-on-one fight. Their chances of winning would be much higher. Even if Fu Xiang could defeat them in a two-on-one fight, they could still secure a place in the top three without suffering any loss.
So as soon as the drums sounded, the two female disciples went straight for Yin Qiu, without engaging Fu Xiang at all. Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang had already guessed that they would do this, so they were not flustered. One of them defended steadily, while the other disrupted the situation from the side. In this way, they could restrain each other.
After a brief struggle, Yin Qiu's bandages were soaked through again, her sleeves were drenched in blood, and her body was covered in blood droplets that spread like red plum blossoms on her skirt. Even so, she gripped the sword hilt tightly, not loosening her grip even slightly because of the pain.
These two female disciples usually didn't perform well in martial arts class. They only made it to the final stage because they performed well on the spot today and had some good luck. Yin Qiu knew their strength and weaknesses very well, so she wasn't anxious when she saw the two of them relentlessly pursuing her. She just tried to keep herself calm and left the task of taking the initiative to Fu Xiang.
Four longswords, gleaming in the blinding sunlight, danced across the stage, their clanging sounds echoing continuously, indicating a fierce battle was taking place.
Two sword blades flashed past her. Yin Qiu was momentarily blinded by the reflected light. She quickly stepped on the wooden wedge on the flagpole, used the momentum to flip and land a short distance away. As soon as she stood still, the two female disciples joined forces and chased after her again.
Seeing this, Yin Qiu thought to himself that these two really lacked practical experience, so carelessly exposing their backs to Fu Xiang.
Sure enough, before the two female disciples could even get close to Yin Qiu, Fu Xiang struck them both with a palm strike from behind, causing them to stagger.
However, these two seemed to have strong mental fortitude. They were not annoyed by the small setback, but they did not change their tactics either. They continued to relentlessly pursue Yin Qiu, determined to knock her out of the circle.
Fu Xiang could tell that they thought Yin Qiu was easy to bully, and she couldn't help but say angrily, "You really only pick on the weak. If you're so capable, come and fight me!"
Unexpectedly, the two men completely ignored her, focusing all their moves on Yin Qiu, determined not to confront Fu Xiang directly.
Fu Xiang thought to herself, if she wasn't afraid of others recognizing her martial arts style, how could she have allowed these two bullies to cause trouble in front of her for so long?
Fu Xiang snorted coldly and immediately stepped in front of Yin Qiu. No matter how the two tried to deal with Yin Qiu, she protected her tightly, not giving them any chance to cause trouble. This gave Yin Qiu a good opportunity to flank. Finding that the two female disciples had been forced to the edge of the rope circle by Fu Xiang, Yin Qiu quickly flew around to the side and rear, raised her hand and flipped the sword of one of the female disciples over, and at the same time flicked the tip of the sword at her.
The female disciple reacted quickly, hurriedly turning sideways and lunging towards the ground, then rolling several times in a smooth motion to reach the flagpole, successfully pulling herself back from the danger.
This was exactly what Yin Qiu had been waiting for.
As she turned to leave, the remaining female disciple was left alone. Before Yin Qiu could make a move, Fu Xiang decisively snatched the female disciple's sword and kicked her in the waist. At the same time, Yin Qiu seized the opportunity and followed up with a kick. Before the female disciple could call for her companions to help, her upper body fell backward.
In an instant, dust billowed up, and several exclamations came from outside the arena. The female disciple slapped the ground with a look of resentment, gritted her teeth, and stood up.
Xu Lianzhi immediately struck the drum, ordering the female disciple to leave the stage at once.
Seeing that the tactics were not working and her companions had been driven off the stage, the female disciple who had been lucky enough to survive quickly used her lightness skill to step onto the wooden wedge and impatiently climbed up to seize the banner.
Seeing this, Fu Xiang whispered "Oh no!" and quickly chased after her. But as soon as she moved, a slender, bamboo-like figure flashed past in the wind.
—Yin Qiu actually climbed up the flagpole before her and pulled the female disciple down.
·
Fu Xiang was taken aback.
When did this guy become so good at light-footed skills?! Even she didn't know!
Fu Xiang realized that she had underestimated Yin Qiu. At that moment, she recalled the finger technique that Yin Qiu had shown her a few months ago, and in a flash, she finally realized that something was wrong.
If Man Jiangxue is willing to teach her so much kung fu, then what's there to hesitate about? He should just take her as his disciple!
This only proves that Yin Qiu was taught martial arts by someone else.
In other words, this guy was indeed deliberately testing her that day. How clever! He clearly has someone secretly teaching him martial arts, yet he still comes to probe her background. That's incredibly disloyal!
Fu Xiang, furious, flew over and slapped the annoying female disciple far away, saying in an unfriendly tone, "You little Qiu! We all learned lightness skills at the same time. You showed me how to fly a few times yesterday, but none of them were half as good as what you just did. Tell me! Was someone secretly teaching you?"
Yin Qiu hadn't expected her to discover her little secret at this moment, but she calmly replied, "If you have someone to teach you, why can't I?"
Fu Xiang glared at her: "You dared to show it to people just now? Aren't you afraid that people will become suspicious!"
"What's there to doubt?" Yin Qiu readily agreed. "Can't I be talented in light-body skills? My rapid progress is my own ability, who would doubt me?"
"I doubt you!" Fu Xiang chased after her angrily, "Judging from that finger technique you used back then, you definitely lied to me. It definitely wasn't Master Man who taught you! At most, she would give you some pointers on the skills you learn in martial arts class. If she were really willing to teach you so much, would she have repeatedly refused to accept you as her disciple? I'll beat you to death today, you pretending to be innocent!"
The two women were exchanging blows and confronting each other while simultaneously and seamlessly blocking the female disciple. The scene amazed everyone watching, who couldn't understand why the two had suddenly started fighting.
Xu Lianzhi said in annoyance, "What are these two little brats up to? Are they playing house here?"
Lu Huaiwei peeked out and said, "Oh dear, it sounds like they're arguing."
Xu Lianzhi couldn't help but shout, "You two, fight it out properly! Come down here and argue!"
Among the new disciples this year, Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang are the most favored by her. Xu Lianzhi naturally hopes that the two of them can win. Seeing them bickering and joking in such a formal occasion, she can't help but get angry.
That's so rude!
Once again, Yin Qiu knocked over the female disciple who was sneaking to pull down the flag, and laughed, "Did you hear that? Our instructor sister doesn't allow us to quarrel, so stop messing around."
Fu Xiang shouted, "I don't care, you have to tell the truth today!"
Yin Qiu said, "Go ahead and tell me, I'll tell you."
"Dream on!" Fu Xiang said. "You go first!"
Yin Qiu refused to back down: "You go first."
Fu Xiang was furious: "You little liar! I'll beat you up!"
In reality, Yin Qiu was already exhausted. She had only been holding on for the rest of the fight, not wanting the other two to see her true condition. Fortunately, one of them had already left, leaving the remaining one with no chance to make a futile effort. Yin Qiu said, "If you really want to fight me, then kick her out. I need to rest for a while, otherwise I really can't hold on any longer."
Fu Xiang grumbled and cursed, but she also knew how to care for people. After hearing this, she temporarily spared Yin Qiu and then went to vent her anger on the female disciple.
When the female disciple and her companions targeted Yin Qiu earlier, she had some aggressive edge. But now, in a one-on-one fight with Fu Xiang, how could she possibly be a match for her? After only a few exchanges, she was knocked out of the circle by Fu Xiang and couldn't even stand up straight.
However, she seemed much more composed than the first female disciple who lost. After all, she was already the undisputed third-place winner in the martial arts competition, ranking above all the new disciples, so naturally she had nothing to be resentful about.
·
Seeing this, Xie Yijun, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but break the silence and said, "What's there to see? Fu Xiang is definitely going to win!"
The snow-covered river seems to wander beyond the heavens, feigning deafness and muteness.
Xie Yijun was unhappy that she was being ignored, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Her junior sister has always been like this. On the surface, she seems easygoing and indifferent, not bothered by trivial matters, and never competes or fights for anything. As long as her principles are not violated, everything is negotiable.
Xie Yijun knew her all too well. Man Jiangxue was actually the most stubborn among her fellow disciples. Once she made up her mind, nothing could sway her. Xie Yijun wasn't stupid, and of course she could see that Man Jiangxue wanted to protect Yin Qiu and didn't want to put the child in a difficult position. So this time, she was determined to protect her and go against her, refusing to give her a friendly look even at this point.
Xie Yijun could only sigh and complain, "You're an adult, but you're not as good as those two little kids. They can have a good argument when they have a conflict. I'll never get used to your tendency to give the silent treatment, even when I'm seventy or eighty!"
Man Jiangxue finally laughed and coaxed her, "Senior sister, don't be angry, take care of your health."
Xie Yijun rolled her eyes at her.
Below the stands, Xu Lianzhi had already told the female disciple to come down from the stage. Fu Xiang turned her head and saw Yin Qiu's face contorted in pain, her complexion as white as a sheet. She felt extremely frustrated and said irritably, "Are you going to talk or not!"
Yin Qiu steadied herself by bracing her sword against the ground, and gave her a pleased smile upon hearing this: "You say it, and I'll tell you."
Fu Xiang was really annoyed. She grabbed her sword and charged over: "Fine, don't talk then, let's fight!"
Yin Qiu chuckled and flew towards the flagpole, climbing upwards nimbly. Fu Xiang noticed that she was starting to run out of energy and her speed had slowed down considerably, so she didn't use her full strength to follow. The two then began to spar on the wooden wedges, and their fight looked quite impressive.
After playing around like this for a while, Fu Xiang gradually lost patience and urged, "Are you sure you can do it? If not, I'm going to get serious."
Yin Qiu slipped and quickly grabbed the flagpole to steady herself, saying, "Fu Xiang."
Fu Xiang glanced at her: "What?"
Yin Qiu's eyes shimmered with a gentle light as she softly said, "Go and pull down the flag."
Fu Xiang was taken aback: "Are you going to let me have my way?"
Yin Qiu smiled and shook her head: "It's not that I want to let you win, it's just that I can't beat you anyway."
It was past noon, and the sunlight was gentler than before. Both of them were soaked with sweat, their hair was disheveled, and they looked exhausted.
Fu Xiang seemed a little dazed for some reason. Yin Qiu didn't want to make it too obvious, so she persisted in fighting with her to prevent Xie Yijun from getting even angrier at her perfunctory attitude. While performing her sword moves, Yin Qiu calmly said, "Victory is just around the corner. Don't think about anything else. Listen carefully to what I'm saying. You must knock me down in a moment, and then without the slightest hesitation, go and pull down the banner. After the sect leader accepts you as his disciple, you must write a letter to your father today, telling him about your achievements and asking him to bring you back to Mingyue Tower as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiang asked, slightly bewildered, "Why?"
Yin Qiu said, "There's no reason why. I'm just telling you to do it, so just do as I say."
Fu Xiang paused, unable to stop herself. Her expression suddenly changed, and she stared at Yin Qiu for a long time, looking lost and dejected, before finally saying, "Did you plan this all along?" She stared intently at Yin Qiu's hand. "You deliberately got injured, deliberately persisted until now, just because you were afraid that I wouldn't perform well and might lose to someone else. As long as you and I are the ones left in the end, you can let me win with peace of mind?"
Yin Qiu said, "You want to go home, don't you?"
Fu Xiang said, "So what if it is?"
Yin Qiu said, "Then this is all I can do to help you."
“Wait a minute,” Fu Xiang frowned and said in a deep voice, “You wouldn’t help me for no reason. Tell me, is it because someone doesn’t want me to go home… is it because someone wants to get back at me?”
“Nobody’s targeting you,” Yin Qiu said. “I’m the one who wants to help you.”
“No, don’t try to fool me,” Fu Xiang said, gripping her sword tightly with a serious expression. “If someone really wants to get rid of me, they must suspect me of something. Instead of keeping me in the dark, you should tell me the truth clearly. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease accepting first place.”
Yin Qiu had already anticipated her reaction, so she didn't comment or deny it, only replying, "You deserved to win first place, but you also have to admit that you were able to win so smoothly because of my help. So I want you to grant me a request."
Fu Xiang looked at her with a complicated expression: "What are your requirements?"
“Regardless of whether you can succeed as the young master of Mingyue Tower after you return, and regardless of how far you go in the future,” Yin Qiu looked back at her seriously, “you are not allowed to deal with Yunhua Palace, nor are you allowed to do anything detrimental to Yunhua Palace. If you cannot agree, or if you go back on your word after agreeing, then in this life, you will no longer be my friend, but my enemy.”
Fu Xiang was greatly surprised by her words and retorted, "How could I possibly deal with Yunhua Palace? What are you talking about?"
“I’ve made myself very clear,” Yin Qiu said calmly. “Yunhua Palace is not only my home, but also my uncle’s home, and the home of so many senior brothers and sisters. As a member of Yunhua Palace, I have an obligation to protect our sect. I’ve already made a mistake by helping you today, so you must agree to my request. Can you do that?”
Fu Xiang was shocked.
She entered the palace from the beginning to complete the tasks assigned by Meng Wugui: first, to find a certain item, and second, to look after Yin Qiu. She never had any bad intentions. However, the fact that Yin Qiu could say these words now could only mean that she had been suspected. Without knowing her intentions, anyone who noticed her suspicious behavior would immediately think the worst. She could almost identify who suspected her and could also guess how that person wanted to deal with her. But under these circumstances, she still couldn't tell Yin Qiu the truth.
Yet Yin Qiu was willing to go to such lengths without knowing her true intentions.
This is the epitome of good intentions.
Fu Xiang remained silent for a moment, her eyes gradually welling up with tears as she looked at Yin Qiu. She had thought a lot in that short time, and finally nodded solemnly: "Okay, I promise you."
Yin Qiu smiled, gripped his sword again, and went to meet her.
"Then defeat me now."
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