Shi Tou suddenly felt a sense of anticipation. If Lin An knew that he and Han Shiyi were fighting tooth and nail but still refused to accept him, that scene would definitely be...
It's hilarious!
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It's finally the end of the month and the end of the year.
Happy 2013, everyone!
...
☆, Chapter 179: The Favorite of Tomboy and Girl
Han Shiyi's preferred weapon is a sword, but it is quite different from the knight's sword used by other martial arts masters.
First, the blade was slightly shorter, somewhat similar to the bronze short sword that Stone had seen in his previous life. Moreover, the tip of the sword was not extremely sharp; on the contrary, the sides of the blade were relatively sharp, while the tip was rounded.
Although Shi Tou had never seen Han Shiyi in action before, he knew that as a three-star Qi Master, Han Shiyi's swordsmanship wouldn't be bad. Of course, Shi Tou wasn't afraid.
She summoned the spiked clubs Dio had given her from the ring's space and raised them imposingly, one in each hand.
Then……
The entire audience gasped in unison.
Shi Tou calmly looked at Han Shiyi and asked, "Miss Han Shiyi, may I use these spiked clubs bestowed upon me by my master?"
Han Shiyi's face turned slightly green. As a martial arts master who had practiced martial arts since childhood and frequently dealt with weapons, she could naturally tell that the spiked club in Shi Tou's hand was no ordinary weapon. The problem was, the dueling arena had never had any regulations regarding weapons. In fact, even if Shi Tou had pulled out the Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher, Han Shiyi would have had no choice but to concede defeat.
"Okay." Han Shiyi nodded through gritted teeth. Could she really say no? Could she?
Stone wielded a spiked club in each hand, making him appear incredibly formidable. Han Shiyi's short sword skills were also extremely proficient.
Although Shi Tou was strong and agile, Han Shiyi was no pushover either. The biggest difference between a three-star and a one-star Dou Qi master is that a three-star Dou Qi master can already project their Dou Qi outwards.
Stone used all his strength to smash the spiked club in front of Han Shiyi. But Han Shiyi blocked it with her short sword, her surging battle aura imbued with the sword. No matter how strong Stone was, he couldn't get any closer.
To the audience, Shi Tou was all offense and no defense; her two spiked clubs slammed into Han Shiyi relentlessly each time. Even when Han Shiyi retaliated, she could only dodge at most. Under this relentless onslaught, Han Shiyi gradually began to struggle.
However, what the audience didn't know was that this seemingly one-sided duel was actually not easy for Stone either.
Each of the two spiked clubs weighed several dozen kilograms. Shi Tou was indeed very strong, but such a dense barrage of attacks, coupled with having to exert all her strength with each strike, was extremely exhausting for her.
The duel unfolded in a chase between the two. Compared to the dazzling magical skills of mages, duels between qi masters, especially low-level qi masters, were rather dull. One attacked directly, the other blocked directly; one was strong and agile, the other was already able to project qi outwards…
However, there is one very important thing.
Anyone could see that the two girls were really fighting hard in the arena. This wouldn't be a problem if it were just a normal duel, but the key issue was the bet they made before the duel.
The loser has Lin An...
Damn, just how unpopular is Lin An that two girls are practically fighting each other, and neither of them is willing to accept him?
The topic instantly sparked a heated discussion among the audience. The teenagers were naturally curious about matters of love and romance. In an instant, Lin An went from an unknown nobody to the most popular figure at the Imperial Academy that year.
The crucial point is that Lin An, the kid who was forced to become the most talked-about person of the year, was sitting in the audience, watching the two girls dueling in the arena below with a pained expression...
Lin An felt that he was really unlucky.
He was diligently studying in his classroom, preparing for the semi-annual theory exam soon. Suddenly, someone announced that two students from the Qi Cultivation Department were going to duel in the arena.
In fact, even at a prestigious academy like the Imperial Capital Academy, which reveres violence, duels like this are relatively rare. However, duels between martial arts practitioners are usually unrelated to mages; today is an exception.
When Huo Xiaoxiao heard that her younger sister had gone to duel someone, she immediately flew into a rage. Although she knew that Shi Tou wouldn't suffer any losses with his personality, she was always protective of her own, so she still called on her friends to go and support Shi Tou.
When they arrived at the duel arena, Huo Xiaoxiao discovered that her opponent was none other than the young lady from the Han family, Shi Tou's so-called love rival. Huo Xiaoxiao was immediately thrown into a panic. Thankfully, Han Shiyi mentioned their bet, which made Huo Xiaoxiao feel a little better. The mischievous Huo Xiaoxiao then instigated her friends to discuss how disliked Lin An was.
"Huo Yi, don't you want Lin An?!" In the dueling arena, Han Shiyi gritted her teeth and hissed at Shi Tou.
Stone raised his spiked club high with both hands and slammed it down on Han Shiyi: "Nonsense, what's so great about Lin An? I'm not blind!"
Han Shiyi was almost driven mad by Shi Tou's words: "If you don't want it, I don't want it either!"
"Like I said, whoever loses gets Lin An!" Shi Tou felt her arm stiffen, but she still gritted her teeth and kept hitting Han Shiyi hard.
Han Shiyi was furious, but she quickly came up with a plan. After parrying the stone attack again, Han Shiyi suddenly retreated and then quickly pulled something out of her spatial equipment: "Stop!"
Shi Tou was stunned for a moment, staring dumbfounded at what Han Shiyi was holding.
"You've seen this before, right? The Huo family's Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher!" Han Shiyi showed off smugly. "If you admit defeat, I won't hurt you!"
puff!
Stone was furious. "Huo Xiaoxiao, you bastard! Didn't you say you would never tell anyone about what we gave you?!"
"Absolutely not!" Stone threw the spiked club to the ground and quickly pulled out a blasting rocket launcher from his ring space. Of course, the head of that rocket launcher was ten times larger than the one Han Shiyi had: "At worst, we'll both die. Anyway, I will never admit defeat!"
This time, it was Han Shiyi's turn to be speechless with frustration. She realized with profound depression that she had done something incredibly stupid. Yes, the explosive rocket launcher in her hand did indeed originate from Huo Xiaoxiao, but she hadn't obtained it from Huo Xiaoxiao herself; rather, her mother had managed to get it for her to save her life. In fact, she had never intended to actually activate the rocket launcher; she was purely trying to scare Shi Tou.
But Shi Tou was the second young lady of the Huo family. Han Shiyi felt incredibly stupid.
Of course, if Han Shiyi knew that the explosive rocket launcher in her hand was made by Shi Tou, she would definitely bleed profusely.
Fortunately, such a tragedy has not yet occurred, and Stone has not told her.
"stop!"
These words were spoken by the referee of this duel—the Dean of the Fighting Spirit Division.
The Dean stared with a heavy heart at the two explosive rocket launchers that suddenly turned towards him, breaking out in a cold sweat: "I say, you two, although there are no restrictions on weapons in the duel arena, it's best not to use weapons that are clearly beyond your capabilities."
Especially, you must not use it on him!!!
Stone accused angrily, "She used it first!"
"I will never admit defeat!" Han Shiyi roared angrily.
Stone shouted even louder than she did: "I'd rather die than admit defeat!"
"Then let's all die together!" Han Shi was indignant. Lin An was the woman's fiancé, so why didn't he just go to the Lin family to break off the engagement? Why drag her into this? She wasn't a garbage dump!
"You two! Do you even respect me, the Dean?!" The referee—the Dean—was furious. These two brats, no matter how outstanding your family backgrounds, the mere charge of disrespecting the Dean is enough to expel you! "Do you not want to stay in the Qi Cultivation Department anymore?!"
Han Shiyi shrank back. Dropping out of school was something a good girl like her couldn't accept.
Stone's eyes lit up: "If you declare me the winner, I'll give you a dozen explosive rocket launchers!"
"This is blatant bribery!" Han Shiyi was furious, then turned to the Dean with a fawning expression: "Dean, if you rule in my favor, I'll give you my grandfather's treasured peerless weapon!"
What the hell?! We're bribing you, so what?!
Shi Tou immediately bristled and turned to yell at the audience, "Whoever is willing to take Lin An in, I'm willing to give that person a spatial bracelet with 100,000 gold coins inside!"
Upon hearing this, Han Shiyi's eyes immediately lit up: "Me too! I'm willing to give that person the same reward!"
The audience erupted in cheers.
Actually, Lin An isn't ugly at all; he just looks a bit effeminate. Besides, his background is quite good; after all, he's a member of one of the six great families of the East, albeit a collateral branch.
Shi Tou and Han Shiyi's words immediately caused a scream from the audience: "Me!"
Stone thought for a moment, then snatched the magic megaphone from the Dean's hand and shouted, "Boys and girls are both fine!"
The audience fell silent instantly.
Shi Tou added, "From today onwards, whether you're a guy or a girl, you can pursue Lin An. Whoever can hold an engagement ceremony with him will immediately receive the reward that Han Shiyi and I have promised."
Han Shiyi's weak voice rang in Shi Tou's ear: "Actually, all I need is a girl."
"It's alright, maybe Brother Lin An has a unique taste!" Stone explained dismissively, and of course, his words were amplified by the magic megaphone and heard by all the audience members present.
Both men and women are fine...
A taste that stands out from the crowd...
All the spectators felt that today's duel was more exciting than any other before, and it was truly unforgettable!
On this day, Lin An suddenly became famous. He represented the glory of gold coins, and his fame rivaled that of the fourth prince of the royal family. He instantly became the most popular man among girls, and no, boys, in the entire capital...
Chapter 180: The Annulment of the Engagement and the Lin Family's Conspiracy
"Huo Yi! What on earth is going on?!"
In the Huo family's living room, Shi Tou looked at Grandpa Huo with a heartbroken expression: "Grandpa, Lin An dumped me!"
Grandpa Huo, his face ashen, asked through gritted teeth, "Tell me, what exactly happened?!"
Shi Tou blinked, and then large tears streamed down his face: "Grandpa, Lin An went too far! He actually cheated on me!"
Huo Xiaoxiao stared wide-eyed in disbelief as her younger sister portrayed a kind, innocent girl abandoned by a despicable, heartless man. Her body language, her expressions, her tone—it was all so heartbreakingly tragic.
Wow, I really didn't realize that girl had such an amazing skill.
Was Shi Tou's performance actually very convincing? Not really. When she cried, she was thinking of the countless tearful heroines from Qiong Yao's novels that she had read in her past life. Sigh, just thinking about those heroines made Shi Tou feel disgusted from the bottom of her heart, and then the tears just streamed down her face.
"...I asked Han Shiyi, and she said she was forced into it. She didn't want to marry Lin An at all, but..." With the sobbing voice and this tragic backstory, Shi Tou felt that his acting skills were actually quite good.
Grandpa Huo slammed his fist on the table: "This is outrageous! It's not like my daughters can't get married. The Lin family is going too far!"
"Waaah, Grandpa, please don't be angry anymore. He... he said..." Shi Tou was already sobbing uncontrollably, but she still insisted on defending Lin An: "I'm an illegitimate child, I have no status or position. Lin An said I'm marrying above my station..."
"Slap!" Grandpa Huo was truly enraged this time: "You bastard! Now that you're in the family register, you're a descendant of the Huo family! Hmph, Lin family, you just wait!"
Grandpa Huo was truly enraged this time. You see, when Lin An and Shi Tou were engaged, Shi Tou hadn't yet demonstrated her astonishing forging skills and even more astonishing business acumen. At that time, even if Shi Tou wasn't a true child of the Huo family, a second daughter would still be a worthwhile asset in gaining an ally.
But no one expected that things would change so drastically later on.
"Xiao Yi, you wait, Grandpa will avenge you right now!" Grandpa Huo got up angrily and left the Huo family without looking back.
Shi Tou and Huo Xiaoxiao looked at each other in bewilderment. Shi Tou asked timidly, "Xiaoxiao, where is Grandpa going?"