Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 98
"Young Master Xue."
At this moment, the female servant came up and urged, "Please move the frame to the back of the mountain."
"Okay." Xue Beifan nodded, then turned to Xiaodao and held up one finger. "This is the last time I'm asking you, do you want me to lose or do you want me to win?"
Xiao Dao's lips twitched slightly as he looked directly at Xue Beifan. "Do you think you'll win just because I tell you to? Or lose just because I tell you to lose?"
"Yes." Xue Beifan nodded, answering readily, "I'm fighting this fight for you."
"Alright then." Little Knife tilted his head slightly. "I want you to go all out, show your true skills, and win this battle beautifully. From now on, no one in the martial arts world will dare to call you a coward."
Xue Beifan and Xiao Dao looked at each other for a long time, then Xue Beifan smiled and handed Xiao Dao his hand, saying, "It's settled then."
Xiao Dao glanced at his hand, raised her own hand and patted his palm. Unexpectedly, Xue Beifan tightened his grip and grabbed her hand. Xiao Dao quickly pulled back and glared at him.
Xue Beifan stood up and saw that not far away, several people from the Beihai Sect were looking at him curiously.
Qin Ke had already seen Xue Beifan and Xiao Dao whispering to each other, almost like lovers, so she turned her face away, not wanting to look any longer.
Xue Beifan withdrew his gaze, turned around, and left.
Xiao Dao also stood up, ready to watch the game, but Xiao Yue ran to her side and asked, "Is this a good idea?"
After a long silence, Xiao Dao said with some helplessness, "I saw something burning in his eyes."
"Hmm?" Xiaoyue didn't quite understand, but Chonghua frowned slightly and looked at Xiaodao in surprise.
“He’s been holding back for too long.” Xiao Dao smiled faintly, his tone calm but seemingly tinged with disappointment. “He just wanted an excuse to explode, and I was that excuse.”
Xiaoyue was puzzled. "An excuse?"
"Hmm." Xiao Dao pinched a strand of slightly curly long hair hanging down her chest and muttered listlessly, "It's like, a tiger that's always kept in a cage and fed vegetables, it definitely wants to eat meat. Once someone opens the cage and lets it out, and says to it, 'Go eat meat,' it will definitely run away as fast as it can. But in reality, even if that person didn't say that one more word, it would still go and eat meat if it wanted to."
Chonghua shook his head—this girl is truly remarkable; she actually managed to perceive things to this extent.
"Little Knife?" Xiaoyue only vaguely understood. "What does that mean?"
Xiao Dao chuckled, patted Xiao Yue's shoulder, and glanced at Chong Hua. "Forget it, it doesn't matter. Whether he's a coward or not, he's a bad guy anyway." With that, he nonchalantly walked off to watch the commotion, his hands behind his back and his large, ruffled sleeves swaying.
Hao Jinfeng hadn't quite heard him, so he followed up, "Xiao Dao, want some meat? I'll buy it for you. What kind of meat do you want?"
Xiao Dao chuckled, "We'll have wine and grilled meat later."
"Okay!" Hao Jinfeng eagerly followed Xiao Dao, discussing with her when to visit her parents.
Xiaoyue looked at Zhonghua with confusion, "Xiaodao seems unhappy?"
Chonghua shook his head at her, smiling gently, "Believe it or not, only Yan Xiaodao can control Xue Beifan in this world. So, never underestimate a woman." After saying that, he walked forward, "Let's go see how powerful the real Xue Er really is."
The hillside behind the Ghost City Palace was originally a martial arts arena, with pavilions on both sides for watching the battles, and a large flat area in the middle, where anyone could wield weapons or ride horses, and fight however they wanted.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xue Beifan and Wang Bibo entered the martial arts arena together, one to the west and the other to the east, standing neither too far nor too close. They looked at each other, and Wang Bibo chuckled inwardly… Xue Beifan had completely changed. He'd been hiding for so long; finally, it was time to show everyone that he was a wolf, not a dog. It was time to show his fangs. No matter what, she wanted Yan Xiaodao to see his true colors.
Xue Beifan had already seen through Wang Bibo's thoughts and looked at Xiao Dao, who was leaning against the railing on the viewing platform not far away.
Yan Xiaodao rested her chin on her hands, looking down with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
expect?
Xue Beifan was quite surprised by Xiaodao's expression... Did this girl simply want him to win, or had she already sensed something was wrong? Based on his understanding of Yan Xiaodao, she should be perfectly aware of the situation, so why wasn't she angry or disappointed... instead, she seemed to have some expectation?
"The duel begins." The female entertainer gracefully raised her hand and stepped off the field.
Everyone held their breath, watching the scene unfold in the arena.
Wang Bibo drew his sword, but seeing that Xue Beifan seemed to be lost in thought, he couldn't help but frown. "Hey, where's your weapon?"
Xue Beifan snapped out of his daze, touched his nose, and shrugged. "You can use it, I'm empty-handed."
Wang Bibo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Xue Beifan raised his head and suddenly spoke, "I have no grudge against you."
Wang Bibo laughed, "You want me to go easy on you?"
Xue Beifan smiled, "I just wanted you to think more positively." With that, he swayed.
Wang Bibo was startled. He heard a gust of wind behind his ear and quickly turned around to raise his sword to block. He barely managed to catch Xue Beifan's palm strike, and sweat broke out on his brow—he hadn't seen it clearly!
Wang Bibo had guessed that Xue Beifan's kung fu might be very high, but she didn't expect it to be this high...
Similarly, the onlookers from the martial arts world were also in an uproar. Many people whispered among themselves, wondering how Xue Beifan had gotten past them. Was his martial arts skill really that high?
Hao Jinfeng whistled, "Wow, Xue Beifan has been hiding his true abilities all along."
Xiaoyue frowned. Her kung fu was better than Shen Xinghai's and Chonghua's, and Wang Bibo was no match for her at all.
Xue Beifan's preemptive move surprised many martial arts practitioners, and the three from the Beihai Sect were even more uncertain about their chances.
Fang Tongli asked Xue Xing in surprise, "Wasn't he ostracized since childhood? Where did he learn martial arts? If he's so good at it, why was he a good-for-nothing for so long?!"
Qin Ke was pleased—Xue Beifan was indeed no ordinary person.
Xue Xing frowned. "Perhaps, whether Xue Beihai is dead or not is no longer the most important thing. The real problem... lies with Xue Beifan!"
Wang Bibo was forced into a sorry state by Xue Beifan's series of moves, but soon... Xue Beifan suddenly switched from offense to defense, engaging in a tug-of-war with him, slowly and leisurely as if he was stalling for time.
Wang Bibo was furious and couldn't help but ask him during their exchange, "Xue Beifan, what are you up to?"