Listening to the name, which was more familiar than ever, Lin Zimo looked expectantly. He saw the usually easily fooled Constable Yan striding towards him.
Then, his feet left the ground again.
Unlike being lifted last time, this time he was carefully held in Constable Yan’s arms and placed onto the… stage?
“I forfeit!”
Yan Tinghao declared, and then thoughtfully carried the young master off the stage.
Lin Zimo, who had completely given up resisting: …
Next to compete was General Lian, whose opponent was a lone swordsman famous for his swift blade throughout the martial world.
But it had to be admitted that General Lian still had some skills. After a fierce exchange, he knocked the lone swordsman off the stage.
Leng Ningyue also advanced as expected.
In the end, the three who made it into the semifinals were Lin Zimo, Lian Chengyi, and Leng Ningyue.
The next round of matches would again be decided by drawing lots. Since the number of participants was odd, one person would receive a bye.
Lin Zimo, whose luck was overflowing, with the help of the officiant, drew the sole bye position again.
“Tsk, with such luck, one could say he’s the chosen one~”
“Brother Hua, you exaggerate. Children’s luck is generally better.”
“Brother Lin, your words are amiss. It is said that luck is also a part of strength. However, I believe your son’s greatest fortune is the meticulous guidance from you and Madam Lin~”
Although she knew it was flattery, Lin Qingge’s lips couldn’t help but curve upwards. But when she saw Leng Ningyue standing on the stage again, her smile vanished.
“Madam, please be careful. Winning or losing is secondary; the key is not to get hurt!”
After reminding her, Lin Qingge issued a warning to Lian Chengyi on the other side:
“I’m warning you, opponent, if my wife loses even a single hair, I will make you pay a thousand times over!”
The match officially began at the command of Master Hui Chong.
Watching the true martial arts on stage, something only seen in martial arts novels in her past life, Lin Qingge’s eyes flashed with envy.
Alas…
Even though she had the heart to learn martial arts, her body had long passed the prime age for it. In fact, her physical condition was worse than that of an ordinary person.
Therefore, she could manage some basic movements, but to learn true martial arts, even with decades of hard training, she wouldn’t achieve much.
These were Ling Han’s exact words.
Feeling a bit dejected, Lin Qingge watched Leng Ningyue move around the stage as stealthily as a phantom and decided to ask her sister Ningyue for guidance later.
Although Lian Chengyi carried himself with an air of grandeur, he was truly no match for Leng Ningyue.
After about fifteen minutes of fighting on the stage, Leng Ningyue seized an opening from Lian Chengyi.
Before Lian Chengyi could react, a dagger was already at his throat.
Lian Chengyi was also a tough opponent. Even with a dagger at his neck, he disregarded the risk of his throat being cut by the blade and swung his sword.
Leng Ningyue’s eyes sharpened. As she dodged to the side, she no longer held back and unleashed her killing moves.
In the blink of an eye, Lian Chengyi sustained over a dozen wounds, both large and small.
“Si Yun, Madam Lin is so cool, so powerful!”
Yongning, who had come to join the excitement, exclaimed while her eyes sparkled with admiration.
Gazing at the captivating woman on stage, whose robes fluttered with every turn, Lin Qingge’s mind uncharacteristically conjured a thought:
Since Sister Ningyue is so powerful, how was she disfigured and severely injured in the first place?
And what about everything before…
Deciding not to think too much, and unwilling to think further, Lin Qingge forced herself to look back at the stage. She saw Leng Ningyue unhesitatingly twist Lian Chengyi’s left arm at an exaggerated angle, then deliver a heavy kick to the back of his knee, directly sending the unbalanced Lian Chengyi tumbling off the stage.
“This…”
Master Hui Chong, receiving frequent glances of suggestion from Long Xiaotian, the manor lord of Wolong Villa, hesitated and then closed his eyes, saying:
“Amitabha, the cold faction wins this round!”
“Madam is so cool, Madam forever!”
“Madam Lin is so cool, Madam Lin forever!”
“Mother is so cool, Mother forever!”
Compared to the cheers from Lin Qingge’s side, everyone else present was as quiet as a chicken.
It wasn’t that a man was defeated by a woman, but rather, when did such a skilled, and arguably invincible, martial artist emerge in the martial world?
Seizing the momentum, Master Hui Chong directly announced the final match. The winner of the previous match then led the little child, who had reached the finals by opponents forfeiting or receiving byes, onto the stage. The child was still exclaiming:
“Mother is so amazing, Mother, that move you just did was so cool! Mo’er also wants to be as powerful as Mother!”
…
Master Hui Chong, knowing that another forfeit was likely, was already unfazed.
However, to his surprise, it was the woman named ‘Cold Faction’ who announced her forfeit!
Did you open the martial arts大会 yourself?
As the wrinkles on Master Hui Chong’s face twitched violently, Lin Zimo tilted his small head and asked curiously, “Mother, why did you also forfeit?”
Leng Ningyue thought for a moment and said softly:
“Your father mentioned your fifth birthday is coming soon. Consider this an early birthday gift from your mother.”
Good heavens!
Giving away the martial arts champion as a birthday gift to a five-year-old?
Is this f***ing humane?
Absolutely not!
At least their parents never gave them such a special birthday gift when they were five!
However, these people only thought about it; no one dared to say it out loud.
But not everyone was afraid. Long Xiaotian, the martial arts alliance leader, on the high platform, frowned and said sternly:
“Unacceptable!
To have a five-year-old child be the martial arts champion, are you truly treating us, Wolong Villa, and the entire martial world, like monkeys to be played with?”
“In my opinion, it should be Manor Lord Long who cannot afford to lose, or perhaps Manor Lord Long already has a suitable champion in mind!”
As soon as Lin Qingge spoke, all eyes were drawn to them.
Hua Jinrong stepped forward, blocking Lin Qingge behind him, and fanned himself as he explained:
“Everyone, please calm down. Brother Lin merely meant to say, how can Manor Lord Long be accused of playing with monkeys? That would be an insult to the monkeys themselves~”
Hua Jinrong, having successfully drawn all the attention, fanned himself nonchalantly, with a look of utter composure.
“Bold!”
Having not suffered such humiliation since being beaten up over a decade ago, Martial Arts Alliance Leader Long Xiaotian immediately let out a roar and leaped down from the stands.
Seeing this, Ling Han, Yan Tinghao, and others stepped forward, ready for battle.
Just as the battle was about to erupt,
Master Hui Chong walked over slowly, “Amitabha, this humble monk believes that the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.
While there is no rule stating that a five-year-old child cannot be the champion, this does indeed tarnish the reputation of the martial arts大会.
And all decisions of the martial arts大会 are guided by the six major factions.
How about we have the representatives of the six major factions vote on whether Lin Zimo can become the champion? What do you all think?”