Chapter 164 The Open and Covert Struggles of Gladiator Matches
The warm sun shines brightly, the snow-covered landscape is covered in silver, the mountains bow their heads, and we ride our horses to the top.
In front of the main hall of Guangyu Hanyao, Shadow, Rat Diviner, Sandstorm, and Ghost led their respective tribesmen in neat rows. On the hillside and the mountain peak, men, women, and children of the wolf clan gathered, all watching the hall gate and quietly waiting to meet the new life.
The palace doors slowly opened, and Sahan, beaming with joy, walked out, carrying Weiming in one arm and holding Madam Sa's hand in the other.
"Everyone! Today is a joyous day for our Snow Mountain Wolf Clan! Your leader, who is also my daughter Sa Hanyi's daughter Sa Ningbao, will be meeting you all with the Snow Mountain Wolf Clan's young lady! From now on, you'll have an extra mischievous little leader!" As soon as Sa Hanyi finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
Mrs. Sa suppressed a laugh and called out, "Come out quickly!"
"Yes, Mother!" Su Yuyao's clear voice echoed through the mountains.
A petite figure with a powerful aura appeared in the main hall! Behind her followed the imposing and roguish Lang Zhi and the calm, composed, and righteous Rui Xue.
Su Yuyao was dressed in a colorful, long-sleeved robe with a wide belt, a flowing skirt, and high boots. She wore a leopard-skin hat adorned with wolf teeth and animal bones, and her long black hair was braided into a single plait that hung down her chest. Her face was fair, with delicate, willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and bright red lips and white teeth. Her silence carried a thunderous power, and her quiet demeanor exuded an imposing aura.
In her arms lay a chubby little baby wrapped in a bearskin and wearing a tiger-skin hat. The baby had a wide, chubby face, furrowed brows, flapped its chubby little nose, and blinked its bright blue eyes, curiously observing the people in front of it. Its ingot-shaped mouth would occasionally suck on something in the air.
Holding Xuanmiao in her arms, Su Yuyao walked lightly to Madam Sa's side in just a few steps.
"Wow! This child looks exactly like Lord Xuanfeng!"
"Absolutely! They're practically identical!"
"I have to say, this child is really good-looking!"
"That's right! Don't you even look at who her parents are!"
"Tsk tsk! Don't look at your parents, just look at Lord Langzhi! You'll know his granddaughter is no joke!"
Su Yuyao looked around, and the rustling sounds gradually disappeared. Everyone looked at Su Yuyao respectfully.
Su Yuyao then spoke loudly, "Brothers! Relatives of the clan! Today is the day I, Sa Ningbao, return to the world! Here, I thank my wolf clan parents for everything they have done for me, and thank you all for your care and support! Now, I have a request for my parents to grant!"
As she spoke, Su Yuyao knelt before Sa Han and his wife, holding Xuanmiao in her arms, and said with her head bowed, "I was saved by my parents, and Xuanmiao was also born under their protection! Therefore, I hope that my parents will give Xuanmiao a name that represents the wolf clan, to signify his wolf bloodline!"
Sahan looked at Su Yuyao in surprise, "Ningbao, Lord Langzhi has already named the child, why are you..."
“Father, the name Xuanmiao is to ensure she doesn’t forget her origins, and since she was born into the wolf clan, she is a wolf. Please, both of you, give her a wolf clan identity as well!”
“This…” Sahan looked at Langzhi with great excitement, “Lady Langzhi, what do you think…”
Although Lang Zhi was unwilling, Su Yuyao had repeatedly told him not to find fault before they came out, so he could only snort and say reluctantly but also unwilling to admit defeat, "My daughter is right! Xuanmiao is a surname from the Heavenly Palace, which means she is a descendant of the Heavenly Emperor! How can it be used in the wolf clan?! Your wolf clan should naturally give her a name!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yuyao realized that it was truly difficult to say something nice! She raised her eyes and glanced at Lang Zhi, "Father!"
"Hey! Daughter!" Langzhi replied with a smile.
“Hey! Ningbao!” Sahan responded with a smile.
Pfft! Pfft!
Everyone couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle. Ever since Sa Han arrived at Chengma Peak after receiving the news of Su Yuyao's delivery, the "open and covert struggle" between the two "fathers" had never stopped!
Madam Sa quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Lord Langzhi is right. The name Xuanmiao is indeed not suitable for the wolf clan. How about... we call her Ling'er?"
"Sa Ling'er?" Sa Han said with a smile, "The name Madam chose is excellent! Let's call her Sa Ling'er!"
Su Yuyao hugged Xuanmiao and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Father and Mother!"
"Ling'er! Ling'er! Ling'er!" the crowd shouted in unison.
"Wah—! Wah—!" The mysterious crying actually drowned out the shouts of the crowd and echoed throughout the entire snow mountain.
...
Xunyin Valley is the largest valley in the Old Deshan Valley Group! Although it is called a valley, there is a natural circular high ground in the valley, which can be used as a fighting arena.
On this arena, contestants from the four main peaks and six branch peaks have gone through rounds of selection, and only ten people remain to compete in a series of elimination matches to determine the final winner!
In the past, the gladiatorial competitions, though major events for the Immortal Mountain, were confined to the mountain itself, attracting little attention from the outside world. However, due to the floods, every move of the Immortal Mountain is now under intense scrutiny, and this final match has even drawn the attention of the Mother of Limitless Goddess Yi Mu and the Daoist Heavenly Lord Ze Yuan. Naturally, this has also attracted other uninvited guests, making the stands exceptionally lively for this final match.
"Sister! Look how brave and resourceful our Qingju is!" Qingjin said proudly, squeezing next to Yimu. "Don't underestimate our Qingju just because we're young! We're incredibly capable! We made it to the final round-robin tournament on our very first gladiator competition! Just based on that alone, we Qingju are stronger than them!"
Isaac remained unmoved and did not respond, but simply smiled and watched the situation unfold.
The short and fat Qingju clumsily dodged Zangmao's attacks, and it looked like it was about to be driven off the stage by Zangmao.
Just then, a sudden gust of qi arose, whipping up dust from the arena and rushing towards Zang Mao's eyes. Zang Mao raised his arm to block, turning slightly to dodge the qi gust. Seeing this, Qing Ju quickly retaliated with a punch, striking Zang Mao in the chest.
Although Qingju was clumsy, it was surprisingly strong, and its punch left Zangmao breathless for a moment.
Taking advantage of Zang Mao's moment of respite, Qingju delivered another punch, causing Zang Mao to stumble and fall off the stage.
"Green Orange—! Victory!" Qi Meng shouted loudly.
"Sister! Look! How amazing our Qingju is!" Qingjin said proudly. "A series of battles is exhausting! Our Qingju defeated so many people along the way! How incredible!"
Yi Mu glanced at Qing Jin and said, "I heard that your Qi Xiang is about to give birth. Instead of taking good care of her, why do you have time to come here and join in the fun?"
"Oh, she's just a concubine, how can she be more important than my grandson!" Qingjin said with a sneer. "Hmph! That little hussy, she thinks she's so high and mighty just because she's pregnant. She doesn't even know who she is! I'll just ignore her!"
Yi's mother smiled slightly and glanced at the people sitting in the stands on the other side.
Qinggan was standing enthusiastically by the stands, cheering for Qingju.
Zeyuan sipped his tea with a disdainful look, scoffing at Qinggan's excited state.
Xuanfeng stared intently at Qingju on the arena, frowning in thought. Something was very wrong! Qingju wasn't particularly talented, her aptitude was mediocre, so where did this Qi Feng come from?
Following Xuanfeng's gaze, Yi's mother looked towards the arena, her eyes gentle and her expression serene.
Zang Mao also became suspicious of Qingju's Qi Wind, but unable to find any evidence, he had no choice but to suffer in silence and leave the arena.
"White Tiger!" Zang Mao whispered, "Be careful when you go up! Qingju's Qi is not normal!"
Baihu nodded solemnly, "Don't worry!"
As soon as he stepped onto the arena, Baihu released yellow paper figures that surrounded Qingju, giving him no room to maneuver.
The white tiger rolled out its black eyes, opened its mouth, and made a rattling sound. The yellow paper figure then began to spin rapidly around the green tangerine.
Qingju's eyes went from confusion to surprise, then from surprise to panic, and then from panic to fear! His steps became unsteady, his expression became flustered, and he kept swinging his fists, but he didn't hit the yellow paper figure once.
Qingjin looked at Qingju, who was in disarray on the field, and said with dissatisfaction, "Hmph! These kids from the Tangxian lineage are full of crooked and evil tricks!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Mu said calmly, "The gladiatorial competition is meant to select capable children from among the young immortals to be trained as future kings of the monument. However, you insisted on including Qingju, which is indeed unfair to these children."
"How is it unfair?! Who knows, maybe our Qingju will also become the King of Monuments!" Qingjin said, raising his eyebrows.
Her mother smiled but did not respond.
The situation on the field was quite clear: Qingju was trapped in Baihu's illusion and could not escape. Baihu had no intention of harming Qingju; he was simply using the yellow paper figures to slowly push Qingju towards the edge of the arena.
Just when everyone thought that Baihu would win, a gust of Qi suddenly emanated from Qingju's body, instantly blowing away Baihu's paper figure!
The white tiger took two steps back to steady itself, and the rattling sound from its mouth grew louder and louder. The scattered paper figures surrounded it again, but they could not suppress the powerful Qi of the green orange.
Bang!
Suddenly, the Qi within Qingju's body exploded, instantly shattering the paper figure of Baihu. Baihu was also struck in the abdomen by the Qi wind and fell off the arena.
"Qingju—! Winner!" Although Qi Meng had already noticed Qingju's unusual behavior, since Xuanfeng hadn't spoken, he could only announce the result according to the established procedure.
Qingju dusted off the scraps of paper on her body and glanced disdainfully at Baihu, who was wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Hahahaha! My son is definitely right!" Qinggan clapped her hands and laughed. "Lord Xuanfeng! It seems that the immortal master of the Immortal Mountain has no successor!"
Xuanfeng clenched his fist, gave a cold laugh, and did not respond.
"Lord Zeyuan!" Qinggan exclaimed excitedly as she bowed to Zeyuan. "Isn't your nephew quite impressive!"
Ze Yuan put on an arrogant smile and said, "Not bad! Not bad! Worthy of a reward! Hey? Qing Gan, Qing Ju isn't young anymore, has he? Have you ever thought about letting him start his own business?"
Qinggan laughed and said, "I do have that idea, but I don't know how to bring it up!"
"What's so hard about asking?!" Zeyuan said insincerely. "Qingju won first place in the gladiatorial contest this time, so she can be considered a champion! Go and ask Mother for a favor. Maybe Mother will be so pleased that she will reward Qingju with a few hills. Who knows!"
Xuanfeng sat to the side, listening to the two of them perform their clumsy act, and understood their plan. It turned out that Zeyuan was helping Qinggan seize the territory of the Immortal Mountain!
Qinggan ignored Xuanfeng and went straight to Yi's mother, bowed respectfully, and said, "Aunt! You watched Qingju grow up. It is because of your favoritism that he has become so successful!"
Mother Yi smiled and said, "Qingju was able to win first place thanks to your hard work! As her aunt... I'm just basking in your glory."
"Sister!" Qingjin didn't care about the dissatisfaction in Yimu's words. Instead, she said with a smile, "Look! Our Qingju has grown up! And he's so capable. I was thinking... why not reward him with something so he can start his own business and gain some experience!"
“Mother is absolutely right! That’s what I was thinking too! You spoke up before I could even say anything!” Qinggan said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Mother Yi let out a long sigh, lowered her eyes, and fiddled with her nails, saying, "Qingju has indeed grown up, but one gladiatorial contest alone is not enough to tell. In my opinion, it would be better to let him learn more and experience more things before considering starting his own business!"
Upon hearing that Yi's mother had politely declined his request, Qinggan could only awkwardly say, "Auntie is right! That's what I think too!"
"Your Majesty!" Hongzhu, who had been sitting in the corner, suddenly stood up, picked up the teapot, and poured hot tea for Yi's mother. She said, "This humble servant has something to say, but I don't know if I should..."
Yi's mother picked up her teacup, took a sip, and looked up at the alluring red pearl. "If you think it's inappropriate to say, then you don't have to!"
“Ah…” Hongzhu lowered her head and smiled, saying, “Your Majesty, Fairy Qingjin and Lord Qinggan have no other intentions. They just want a verbal reward from you! Why take it so seriously? A few words of praise from you would be the greatest honor for Young Master Qingju!”
Yi Mu glanced at Hongzhu and asked with a half-smile, "Hongzhu, it seems you've already figured out how to bring this up for me! Tell me your thoughts, and let me broaden my horizons!"
Hongzhu glanced at Yimu's expression and quickly curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down! How could this servant dare to broaden Your Majesty's horizons! This servant only feels that since Lord Qinggan manages ten mountain peaks, it is only right for Young Master Qingju to take over. But if you were to speak up and go with the flow, wouldn't Young Master Qingju gain an extra honor?"
Mother Yi, rubbing her forehead, looked thoughtfully at Hongzhu, then slowly curled the corners of her lips into a smile. She turned to Qinggan and asked, "Qinggan, is that what you think too?"
Qinggan didn't seem surprised by Hongzhu's "stepping forward." He lowered his head and said, "Qingju has already taken care of matters at Ten-Head Peak. My nephew also intends to train him. This time, he came to participate in the competition, firstly to give him some experience, and secondly to help him gain his aunt's approval!"
“Yes, sister! Qingju will eventually have to take over Qinggan’s affairs, but wouldn’t it be more dignified for him if you rewarded him?” Qingjin said with a grin.
“Qingjin, you’re right! Qingju has indeed grown up and it’s time for her to establish her own household!” Mother Yi said with a smile. “Anyway, you’re getting old, and Qixiang is about to give birth. Why don’t you hand over the Yin Fruit Garden to Qingju to manage? That way, you’ll have more free time to look after your grandson! What do you say?”
"Wh-what?" Qingjin never imagined that Yimu would ask her to hand over the Yin Guoyuan to Qingju.
"No way!" Qingjin said angrily, "Yingguoyuan is mine! Why should I hand it over?!"
"Hmph!" Mother Yi sneered, "Even you know you can't give away your territory, so why should Xuanfeng hand over his mountain to Qingju?"
Qingjin pursed her lips and remained silent.
Xuanfeng glanced at the group of people who were busy calculating. If Qingju took over the ten mountains from Qinggan, then those ten mountains would still belong to the Immortal Mountain. But if Yimu offered to give them the ten mountains, it would be the same as giving them away! This was blatant robbery in a roundabout way!
"Your Majesty!" Xuanfeng stepped forward and bowed. "Normally, the child who wins first place should have a master to learn the Way of the King of Steles! Since you are here, please assign a master to him. It would be a reward for Qingju!"
"How can that be?!" Before Qinggan could object, Qingjin couldn't sit still any longer. Seeing that Xuanfeng had spoken, she no longer hid her ambition. "Sister! We Qingju don't lack masters! There are so many prestigious Hall Immortals and Stele Kings on Ten-Head Peak. We can learn skills from anyone. What we want is..."
"Mother!" Qinggan stopped Qingjin in time.
"Ten-Headed Peak..." Mother Yi asked leisurely, "When did a Ten-Headed Peak appear on the Immortal Mountain?"
“These ten peaks are the very ones that Brother abandoned!” Ze Yuan said slowly as he walked over. “When the southwestern branch suffered from the flood, although Brother personally went to the scene to oversee the situation, he ended up completely blocking the wide road to heaven! The once fertile plains were turned into muddy swamps! It was thanks to Qing Gan’s wisdom that these ten disaster-stricken peaks were able to overcome the difficulties! But you, Brother, took advantage of the situation and seized so many of the branches!”
"So, they can use this as an excuse to seize my mountain and even name it Ten-Headed Peak?" Xuanfeng sneered as he walked towards Zeyuan, getting close to Zeyuan's face, and said fiercely, "Zeyuan... Lord! Do you think this makes sense?!"
Looking into those murderous, deep blue eyes, Ze Yuan coldly and unyieldingly said, "Xuan Feng... Lord! Do you think your actions of deliberately harming the Immortal Mountain are justified?!"
Xuanfeng clenched his fists. He looked at his younger brother, who had once plotted against Su Yuyao, and who was now siding with Qinggan instead. He wanted nothing more than to punch him!
“Xuanfeng,” Mother Yi said softly, “Qingju’s victory is something to celebrate no matter what! Look how happy Qingju is!”
Xuanfeng couldn't bear to take his resentful gaze off Zeyuan's face, so he glanced at the arena out of the corner of his eye.
Qingju, clad in a red battle robe, held aloft a long flagpole with a black banner atop it bearing three bright red characters: "Ten-Headed Peak!"
"Ten Peaks! Stand on your own!" Qingju shouted, waving her flag.
"Ten-Headed Peak! Stand on your own!" Someone below the arena actually echoed in response.
"Ten Peaks! I hope you will be a good man!" Qingju continued to shout.
"Ten Peaks! Hoping for Junliang!" The voices from below the arena gradually grew louder.
"Ten Peaks! Assist the new ruler!" Qingju suddenly turned around and glared at Xuanfeng.
Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Xuanfeng began to re-examine this green orange that he had never paid attention to before.
"Ten-Headed Peak! Aspiring to be King!"
"Ten-Headed Peak! Aspiring to be King!"
Xuanfeng watched as Qingju shouted slogans one after another, listening to the chants echoing below. He slowly frowned. Was this Qingju's method? So... blatant?!
"Sister! Look! This is the will of the people!" Qingjin said, urging others on. "Logically speaking, we Qingju shouldn't be involved in this gladiatorial competition, but the public opinion is so strong that they're pushing us to speak for them! Look, these people all came here spontaneously! They don't want to follow Xuanfeng, this tyrant, anymore!"
"Tyrant?" Xuanfeng was both amused and exasperated by Qingjin's description. He looked at Qingju, who was speaking passionately on the arena, and then at Tang Xian'er, who was cheering below the arena—people he had once helped...
“Xuanfeng… Lord!” Zeyuan stepped closer and said, “If you can’t manage the Immortal Mountain, you might as well hand it over now!”
Xuanfeng sighed helplessly, pondered for a moment, then turned around as if making a decision, looked at his mother, and slowly a cold aura swirled in his azure eyes. He asked directly, "Your Majesty, I have already handed over the Wuji Dao. Do you still want me to hand over the Immortal Mountain?"
Looking at the cold and aloof Xuanfeng, Yi's mother knew that this was her son asking her to make her final choice.
"Xuanfeng, I did not force you to do anything..."
"No?!" Xuanfeng looked at Yi's mother's indifferent face and suddenly felt disgusted. He said angrily, "You dare to say that you have never forced me?!"
Her mother sighed deeply. What was bound to happen had finally happened. She sat up straight and solemnly said, "Never!"
“Never…?” Xuanfeng didn’t believe Yi Mu’s words, because the cleaners who assassinated him were indeed Yi Mu’s people.
The chanting of slogans did not stop, and Qi Men and Qi Meng stepped onto the stage to block Qing Ju's way.
Guan Yue quietly led all the children participating in the competition away from the venue.
Flying Eagle hid in the treetops in the distance, keeping a close eye on the stands, waiting for Xuanfeng's signal.
Lei Ming's team, hidden in the woods at the bottom of the valley, silently and slowly surrounded the arena.
Lu Chang's cavalry force had quietly taken control of all the entrances and exits of Xunyin Valley.
Looking at Xuanfeng, who was already contemplating murder, Yi's mother calmly asked, "Xuanfeng, do you and I, mother and son, have absolutely no trust left?"
“Your Majesty,” Xuanfeng slowly straightened up, his eyes moist as he looked at his cold mother, and asked in a low voice, word by word, “Do you want me to hand over the Immortal Mountain?”
Yi's mother lowered her eyes, swallowing the bitterness in her heart, "Xuanfeng..."
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