Dou Akou sincerely said to her, "Senior Sister Yin Yan, you are really beautiful."
Yin Yan snorted coldly, and without saying a word, a silk ribbon suddenly floated out from her sleeve, heading straight for Dou Akou's face. This time, the ribbon was infused with internal energy; it wasn't a light, floating rainbow, but a fierce snake with bared fangs.
Dou Akou cried out "Hey!" and barely dodged it. The ribbon seemed to have a life of its own, turning a corner and heading straight for the back of Dou Akou's head.
Dou Akou bent over and drew her knife in the process. She wrapped the knife around the silk ribbon a few times and used the final move of the Twelve Peak-Slaying Techniques to slash downwards. The knife ripped through the air and split the earth. There was a sound of silk tearing and Yin Yan's silk ribbons were completely torn apart.
Her victory was a foregone conclusion; her clean and decisive moves shattered Yin Yan's hopes. She happily glanced down at the audience and saw Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen giving her a thumbs up. Although the gentleman's expression remained calm, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes as he looked at her.
Next up were Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen. Their matches with their opponents ended within ten moves, which was expected.
The final match was against Fu Jiuxin. Dou Akou watched as he easily leaped onto the stage, where he faced... Li San.
Tang Xunzhen exclaimed, "Li San? How could it be him?"
The Li family of Jiangnan is skilled in Eagle Claw techniques; a single swipe can tear a bloody hole out of a living person, and their moves are vicious and difficult to defend against. Although the trial stipulates that the use of their own family's martial arts is forbidden, Li San is a despicable person, and no one knows what unexpected changes might occur.
Gu Huaibi's eyes flickered: "Xunzhen, I'm more worried about Li San."
Dou Akou was completely unaware of the undercurrents between Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen. She looked at Fu Jiuxin nervously, her heart pounding wildly.
She stared intently at Fu Jiuxin, but when Fu Jiuxin drew his sword, she still couldn't see it clearly. She only felt a flash of silver light before her eyes, and the sword was already out of its sheath.
"Hmph!" Li San snorted lightly, dodging to the side. He practiced with a long spear in Qingyong City, and the tip of the spear first flashed with a faint green light.
This competition was not a simple disciple trial from the very beginning. Both sides used their true skills, and the sword shadows and flashing blades on the arena made the audience hold their breath.
Although Li San's spear technique was pure, his internal energy was not as profound as Fu Jiuxin's. After a hundred moves, he felt his energy gradually waning, and when he landed with a "Wolf Leap and Tiger Leap" move, his lower body became somewhat unstable. Fu Jiuxin, on the other hand, showed no signs of fatigue, and his swordplay became faster and faster.
Li San was forced to retreat steadily, his mind filled with astonishment at Fu Jiuxin's swordsmanship. Such speed, according to the rankings of the martial arts world, was at least faster than that of the fourth-ranked Quick-Blade Qilin King.
He sneered inwardly, calculated for a moment, and instead of retreating, advanced to meet Fu Jiuxin's sword. His spear was longer than Fu Jiuxin's sword, and if Fu Jiuxin wanted to hurt him, he would have to close the distance, which his spear could then deliver.
Fu Jiuxin's sword grazed Li San's spear, producing a clanging sound. At this distance, they were both within each other's attack range.
Just as the sword tip was about to point directly at his throat, Li San chuckled sinisterly and thrust his spear forward like a dragon. Fu Jiuxin had anticipated this move, bending low to the waist. The spearhead barely grazed his chest, but Li San flicked his wrist, pressing down on a protrusion on the spear shaft. The spear, which had already stopped advancing, suddenly grew a little longer, propelling the spearhead forward!
His gun has a mechanism!
Dou Akou looked closely and shouted, "A Xin! Watch out!"
Then she froze. It was a sword technique she had never seen before. Fu Jiuxin's sword was withdrawn diagonally in a strange and chaotic manner, the blade just barely blocking the spearhead before breaking in two.
Fu Jiuxin threw down the broken sword, his hands moving like lightning to seize Li San's two palms. With a forceful pull, Li San screamed in agony as both of his arms were dislocated. Not content with that, Fu Jiuxin kicked him in the knees with his toes—"Jiuxin! That's the third young master of the Li family!"
Gu Huaibi could no longer sit still. He leaped onto the stage, grabbed Fu Jiuxin's shoulder, and whispered, "Jiuxin, I know you hate Li San and want to avenge Akou, but he is, after all, a member of the Li family. I'm afraid you won't be able to explain yourself in the end."
Fu Jiuxin's eyes were heavy with emotion. He threw off Li San's wrist and let him fall onto the stage.
Li San stared in disbelief at the spearhead he had deflected and fallen to the ground. He had never miscalculated with this move before. At such close range and with such speed, Fu Jiuxin couldn't possibly have had time to draw his sword and parry. He recalled Fu Jiuxin's unpredictable swordplay and techniques just now, and shouted angrily, "Fu Jiuxin! You're not using our sect's techniques! The Wine and Meat Hermit didn't teach you! What kind of swordplay is this? What kind of swordplay is this!"
The spectators below were all skilled martial artists, and they could tell that Fu Jiuxin's swordsmanship was not taught in Qingyong City, nor was it a routine from any school in the Central Plains martial arts world. They couldn't help but harbor suspicions and whispered among themselves in the shadows.
"This is what I taught him! You're too blind to see it, fine, but what, you're starting to doubt me?"
Suddenly, the carefree man appeared, his voice booming like a bell, shattering all the rumors and gossip.
"Master!" Dou Akou ran over happily. It was rare for the Wine and Meat Hermit to appear, and this time the timing was just right.
“Disciple, go and rest for now. I have something to discuss with your master.” The wine-and-meat hermit was unusually serious. “Jiuxin, one should be forgiving when possible. This time, you’ve gone a bit too far.”
Fu Jiuxin lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Gu Huaibi looked at Fu Jiuxin, shook his head, and as he stepped off the stage, he whispered in Dou Akou's ear, "Junior Sister, what if your teacher isn't your teacher?"
If the gentleman is no longer the gentleman, then...
Eat tofu
Dou Akou hid at the door of Fu Jiuxin's room, looking at the warm yellow candlelight on the window paper.
The gentleman and the wine-and-meat hermit had been talking inside for half an hour. Both of them were more skilled in martial arts than Dou Akou, and even though they deliberately lowered their voices, Dou Akou couldn't hear them no matter how hard she tried.
With a creak, the old man emerged from inside. Dou Akou hid behind a tree and watched as the old man stroked his beard, shook his head, and sighed as he walked away.
She hesitated whether to go find the master, but then she saw him standing by the door, saying calmly, "Miss, come out."
“Oh my! Sir!” she jumped out. “You’ve seen me!”
Fu Jiuxin hadn't actually seen Dou Akou; he had sensed her presence. However, he didn't want to speak. After his conversation with Jiurou Sanren, he had no interest in talking to anyone else.
"Miss, if you wish to inquire about my background, I regret to inform you that I have no choice but to decline." He was somewhat weary.
“Sir, no. What I meant was, no matter what, you are still my husband, still my… Ah Xin.”
For some reason, Dou Akou felt her face burning and her heart pounding as she spoke. She was puzzled; she had only wanted to tell her master that she didn't care about his background, so why was her heart beating so fast? She even started to stammer.
Fu Jiuxin was taken aback, his eyes darkening. He had just taken a step when he saw Dou Akou, like a panicked rabbit, flee into the bamboo forest and disappear.
Dou Akou fled in panic, covering her face with her hands as she ran. Oh, just now, the gentleman was so tall and elegant, his sleeves filled with the soft candlelight. To speak those words to such a gentleman, I had a strange feeling of my heart being shaken.
Just as she was wondering what she was feeling, she was suddenly pulled into the woods: "Dou Yacai."
"Ah!" Dou Akou exclaimed in surprise, turning around to see Xu Liren's furrowed brows.
"What are you doing?" Xu Liren was displeased by her neglect of him.
Dou Akou looked closely and saw that Xu Liren had placed an ancient zither in the bamboo forest. The clear moonlight shone on the seven strings, making Xu Liren look like a banished immortal who had been demoted to the mortal world to perform music.
By the moonlight, Xu Liren saw two faint blushes on Dou Akou's face, and anger rose in his heart. He stared at Dou Akou with a sinister look: "Where did you go just now? Who did you see?"
Dou Akou was already used to Xu Liren's unpredictable and capricious temper, and didn't care about his arrogant tone. She honestly replied, "I'm going to find the teacher."
Fu Jiuxin? Xu Liren was even more furious. This stupid girl, she thought she had it in the bag, but she got entangled and ambiguous with Fu Jiuxin time and time again. Humph, there's nothing he hasn't gotten since he was a child!
He moved closer to Dou Akou: "Dou Yacai, don't you like me? Why are you being all entangled with Mr. again?"
Dou Akou was bewildered: "Xu Li, what are you talking about?"
Xu Liren smiled captivatingly: "Don't understand? Don't get it? Then I'll make you understand!"
With the last word still in his mouth, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Dou Akou's waist, and lowered his face.
Dou Akou shuddered, her eyes widening in shock as she stared blankly at Xu Liren's magnified face. He...he kissed her on the lips!
Her nose was filled with his rich, alluring fragrance, and her lips felt cool to the touch. Dou Akou was stunned for a moment, feeling Xu Liren exerting more and more force, trying to pry open her teeth and force his way in. She instinctively closed her mouth tightly and shook her head, trying to avoid him.
Xu Liren took it as a feigned reluctance and pressed Dou Akou against the tree with even greater force. He hadn't been with a woman in a long time, and now, with her warm, soft body in his arms, though not his preferred type, it still satisfied his desire… His hands slowly moved up Dou Akou's waist to her breasts…
"Hiss!" He gasped, taking several steps back, staring at Dou Akou in astonishment. "Dou Yacai, are you crazy?"
Dou Akou held her sword in her hand. Although she was facing away from him with the back of the blade, the blow still caused him considerable pain.
"I...I...I..." Dou Akou couldn't speak. She wiped her mouth to remove the smell from Xu Liren. She wanted to say a lot, but she couldn't say it out loud.
“You…” Xu Li took a step toward her in disbelief.
Dou Akou immediately jumped back a step, hesitated for a moment, glanced at him, and ran away.
She didn't like Xu Liren's smell, she didn't like Xu Liren's lips, she didn't like Xu Liren pressing down on her...
She disliked many things, but didn't know how to tell Xu Li. She also felt a little guilty; Xu Li had said that if she liked him, she should listen to him, and that letting the person she liked kiss and hug her didn't seem like a big deal...
Behind her came Xu Liren's groans; judging from the sound, he had fallen ill again. Dou Akou stopped in her tracks, paused for a long while, circled a bamboo grove several times, finally stomped her foot, and ran away without looking back.
Dou Akou didn't sleep well that night. She used to sleep soundly as soon as her head hit the pillow, but this time she finally experienced insomnia. She curled up in the quilt, tossing and turning with her eyes open until dawn. One moment she thought of Xu Liren's frivolous behavior, and the next she thought of Xu Liren still having an attack in the bamboo forest. It felt like she was being tormented by a ball of fire. When she woke up in the morning, she opened her eyes wide and round.
She got a sty yesterday and didn't sleep well all night. The boil not only didn't go away, but it got bigger, so her eye is swollen now.
When Tang Xunzhen saw her, he was shocked: "You went to steal a man last night?"
"No, I..."
"Alright, alright," Tang Xunzhen interrupted her, "Hurry up and wash up. Today is the second day of the trial, so you better fight well. We're going to the martial arts tournament on March 25th together. If you fall behind, see how I deal with you."
She had planned it all out. The martial arts tournament would be held at Xilie Fort, and Gu Huaibi happened to be the young master of Xilie Fort, which would make things easier for them.
Dou Akou said "Oh" and rushed to the Dance Elephant Stage, but she didn't see Xu Liren. Fu Jiuxin was already waiting there.
“Sir.” Dou Akou moved closer. She felt a little blush and her heart was pounding when she thought about last night, but she also felt heavy when she thought of Xu Liren.
"What happened to your eyes?" Fu Jiuxin noticed Dou Akou's swollen eyes at a glance.
"Oh. This is how I am when I wake up this morning." Dou Akou said, and tried to rub her eyes again, but Fu Jiuxin slapped her hand away: "Don't rub them. Go to Mingkong Sanren to draw lots."
This is the last day of the trial. After one more competition, the city lord will rank the participants and select the people to represent Qingyong City in the martial arts tournament.
Dou Akou drew a lot, but before she could even look at it, Fu Jiuxin intercepted her halfway through. The teacher looked at it for a long time, then silently returned the lot to Dou Akou.
"Thunderbolt?!" Dou Akou exclaimed in surprise.
Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen remained silent along with Fu Jiuxin, looking at Dou Akou with sympathetic eyes.
Pi Xiaoli, that kid, her family is skilled in flint, but the trial rules prohibit the use of her family's martial arts, so she can only use those taught in Qingyong City. As for what she learned in Qingyong City... if you count things like the Nine Yin Breast-Grabbing Hand and the Monkey Stealing Peach Technique, she is indeed very proficient in them.
Dou Akou was sent onto the ring by her master with a sense of sullen dismay. Opposite her, Pi Xiaoli, with her flowing, dry, yellow hair, laughed excitedly. If she couldn't take down her master, taking down this soft-spoken girl wouldn't be bad at all!
As soon as the trial began, Pi Xiaoli's moves were indeed insidious and vulgar. Dou Akou dodged several times, but because she had to be careful not to be taken advantage of, she couldn't use her hands and feet freely.
After several times, Dou Akou got angry.
She thought to herself that it was fortunate that she was the one standing here today; if it were her husband, she didn't know how much he would have taken advantage of. She also thought about how Pi Xiaoli had tried to peep at her husband's body a few days ago, which made her even angrier.
She didn't hold back either, drawing her sword with a clang, and Pi Xiaoli's attack immediately slowed down, the two locked in a stalemate.
Dou Akou was focused on dealing with Pi Xiaoli when her eyes suddenly started to ache and itch. She dared not rub her eyes, so she could only blink a few times. Her eyes were already swollen to the point of being barely open, and the gaps between opening and closing them made it even harder to see what was in front of her.
When she opened her eyes again, Pili had already taken advantage of that brief moment, curling her fingers into claws and attacking. Dou Akou dodged repeatedly, but it was too late. She twisted her body forcefully, and Pili's claws grazed her face, grabbing her pom-pom earring. Due to the extremely fast speed and force, the earring was ripped off.
Dou Akou's ear was ripped open, and the pain almost made her cry out. She suppressed her screams and, taking advantage of Pi Xiaoli's momentary daze as she stared at the earring, launched a fierce attack. The blade stopped at the side of her neck; she had won the contest.
"Akou!" Fu Jiuxin couldn't help but leap up when Pi Xiaoli succeeded, but Gu Huaibi held him down. Now that the match was over, he immediately jumped onto the stage and turned Dou Akou's head to look at her ears.
Dou Akou covered her ears and spun around in place, crying out, "Ouch, that hurts!"
"Don't move." Fu Jiuxin said with a stern face, looking at her ear, which was already covered in blood. The wound wouldn't have been this big originally, but because she hadn't controlled her strength during the competition, half of Dou Akou's ear had been torn apart.
Pi Xiaoli felt a little guilty: "Akou, I thought you could avoid it."
Dou Akou gasped and waved her hand, saying, "It's nothing serious. It's not a major injury."
Fu Jiuxin lowered his eyes, said nothing, picked up Dou Akou horizontally, and disappeared from the arena in a few leaps.
Dou Akou was lifted into the air in her master's arms, so surprised that she forgot her pain. She looked around and felt a bit like she was back in her childhood, when Fu Jiuxin would carry her on his shoulders. Back then, she used to call him Axin. Ever since she started calling him master, she hadn't received that treatment.