Jianghu Demolition Squad

Martial Arts Competition Under The Heavens (Part Fourteen)

That evening, Jie Qianchou chose to stay at Ningqing Garden. Hua Lian and Yang Chun squeezed into one room, giving up a separate room for Jie Qianchou.

Late at night, Yu’er and Qing Jiu returned to their room, discussing the martial arts competition. Qing Jiu set down their tea, smiling, and asked, “What do you want?”

Yu’er, folding their freshly washed clothes and placing them in the cabinet, replied, “What?”

Qing Jiu reminded, “The promise I made during the day—if you win, I’ll grant you a request.”

Yu’er, squatting down to close the cabinet door and resting her palm on the cool pearwood, and remained silent for a while. In the heat of the moment, she actually hadn’t thought of what request to make.

Qing Jiu said, “If you haven’t thought of anything, we can decide later…”

Yu’er stood up and walked in front of Qing Jiu, “Can you… hug me?”

Qing Jiu looked puzzled, “Hug you?” After a while, she laughed in disbelief, “Is that really what you thought about this whole time? Are you serious?”

Yu’er nodded. The events of the day had left her emotionally drained; the way people looked at her was more exhausting than any physical fight. She couldn’t stand their intense stares; all she wanted now was a quiet place to rest for a while.

Her place of comfort was naturally where she felt most at ease.

Qing Jiu stood up and gestured with her hands, “Do you want me to hug you when you’re lying down or when you’re standing up?”

Yu’er, biting her inner lip and with a sparkle in her eyes that showed a hint of annoyance, said, “Just the normal way…”

Qing Jiu moved closer and gently enveloped her entirely in an embrace.

Yu’er leaned into her shoulder, allowing herself a moment of indulgence, drawing warmth from her, their hearts so close together.

Qing Jiu ran her fingers through Yu’er’s long hair, gazing out at the beautiful moonlight through the window, wondering if it was the altitude of Huxiao Mountain that made the moon seem closer.

Qing Jiu sighed with emotion, “I always thought it was a stubborn stone, but I never imagined it was a precious jade.”

Yu’er was in a daze. After relaxing her whole body, even her voice became a bit hoarse. She asked, “What?”

Qing Jiu said, “I’m praising you for being a precious jade.”

Yu’er laughed, “It doesn’t quite feel that way.”

Qing Jiu asked, “Why?”

Yu’er was silent for a while and then said, “Qing Jiu never says everything she means.”

Qing Jiu chuckled softly, “I really am praising you.”

The next day, Yu’er woke up a bit late because of the previous day’s martial arts competition. Qing Jiu didn’t wake her, and when asked, it turned out that Hua Lian and the others had also overslept.

Yu’er couldn’t help but find it strange and laughed, “They rarely oversleep like this. Did they go out thieving last night?”

Qing Jiu chuckled, “Who knows?”

By the time the group arrived at the martial arts competition stage, it was already noon. As they entered, due to Jie Qianchou and Yu’er’s presence, everyone’s eyes instinctively turned to look at them.

Yan Beili originally intended to offer Jie Qianchou a seat of honor, but Jie Qianchou waved his hand, politely declining Yan Beili’s kindness, and chose to sit in a corner with Qing Jiu and the others.

Initially, there were only two seats there, but Yan Beili quickly had two more added.

Before Qing Jiu and the others could sit down, a figure flashed and boldly took a seat, grabbing a wine gourd and watching the ongoing matches.

As the group walked over, Hua Lian took a closer look and pointed at him with his folding fan, exclaiming, “Ah! It’s you, the confused drunkard!” This person turned out to be Hao Yun, the Martial Champion who had been tricked by Qin Mu to guard his manor in Jiangnan.

Upon hearing the call, Hao Yun scratched his messy beard and lazily glanced at Hua Lian, remarking, “Oh, what a coincidence.”

Hua Lian was speechless.

The group took their seats. Those who stood the day before continued to stand.

After listening to Jie Qianchou’s explanation, it turned out that the two had met at the foot of the mountain and decided to travel together.

The group thought about it and realized that it made sense. Both of them were fond of good wine, it was natural for them to come together.

Several rounds of duels took place on the stage, but the crowd couldn’t muster much interest and mostly chatted among themselves.

Qing Jiu and Hao Yun sat to one side. Yu’er glanced over and saw them chatting sporadically, mostly initiated by Qing Jiu. Back in Jiangnan, the two were clearly not close. Seeing Qing Jiu so warm with an outsider was unusual for Yu’er, prompting her to give Hao Yun a couple of extra looks, feeling an inexplicable irritation.

As she was lost in thought, the young disciple who had won the duel on stage suddenly walked over to Qing Jiu and the others. He bowed and spoke in a clear voice, “This junior would like to challenge Elder Jie Qianchou’s esteemed disciple to a match. May I have this honor?”

In the World Martial Arts Competition, there was the right to challenge the victor. Yu’er had won a match the day before, so naturally, she was on the list of those who could be challenged.

Yu’er’s performance in yesterday’s fight had been spectacular, and given her connection to both Wuwei Palace and Shaolin Temple through her master Jie Qianchou, she had already caught the attention of many. It was no surprise that someone would choose to challenge her.

Jie Qianchou laughed loudly, “Girl, go ahead. Your master’s bones are old, and I’m too lazy to move. I won’t be participating in this World Martial Arts Competition. You can fight on my behalf and show the world your master’s skills.”

Jie Qianchou was renowned throughout the world for his palm techniques and rarely used swords. His set of palm techniques was intricate and profound, making it extremely difficult to master completely. Yu’er had only scratched the surface of these techniques, so on stage, she still relied on the sword techniques of Wuwei Palace. However, since he had spoken, Yu’er naturally followed his wishes, taking up Qing Jiu’s Liangyi sword to face her challenger.

The challenger was a young disciple whose internal energy was inferior to Yu’er’s. His swordsmanship had the elegance of a great house but ultimately could not withstand Yu’er’s skills, and he was defeated.

Amidst a burst of cheers, just as Yu’er was about to leave the stage, a handsome young man dressed in white and holding a bamboo flute stepped onto the stage.

The young man bowed to Yu’er and said, “Greetings, Miss. I am Zixia, a disciple of the Qixian Palace. I wish to learn from you.”

Qixian Palace had once done a favor for Qing Jiu by treating the owner of Yanyu Pavilion, and therefore had some connection with Qing Jiu. Upon hearing that he was from Qixian Palace, Yu’er couldn’t help but show some courtesy: “I’m hardly worthy of your request.”

Yu’er returned the courtesy, “I am Yu’er, disciple of Jie Qianchou.” Her words implied that she had agreed to fight him.

Zixia, seeing her politeness and the fact that she had introduced herself on stage for the first time, blushed, lowered his head, and said, “Please, Miss Yu’er.”

The crowd below, seeing the young man blush at merely speaking to a lady, began to tease, “Little brother, this won’t do. Blushing just from just talking? What would you do on your wedding night? You’d pass out from the blood rushing to your head!”

Qing Jiu, hearing the teasing, glanced up towards the stage.

Knowing that the Qixian Palace excelled in using musical tones to bewitch the mind, Yu’er needed to gain the initiative. So she took the initiative to retreat a dozen or so steps, yielding the first move.

Zixia acknowledged her with a nod of respect. He placed his fingers on the bamboo flute and lightly pressed his lips to the mouthpiece. Soon, a gentle, flowing melody filled the air, so peaceful that it carried no hint of aggression.

Yu’er frowned slightly and waited for a moment. Seeing nothing strange, she took the initiative to attack, leaping forward to thrust her sword. The distance of more than ten steps was instantly crossed by Yu’er. The tip of her sword pointed at Zixia’s heart, a very ordinary strike meant to test the waters.

However, Zixia stood still without dodging at all. Yu’er was surprised. When the sword was half a meter away from Zixia’s body, the tip of the sword suddenly deflected and swept past his waist.

Yu’er was utterly shocked; she hadn’t intended to miss – her blade had been aimed squarely at Zixia’s chest, yet, mysteriously, her hand had spared him…

In that moment of shock, Zixia spun his flute, using it as a short sword, and aimed a thrust at Yu’er’s shoulder.

Yu’er swiftly dodged, retreating a couple of steps, distancing herself from Zixia, her vigilance awakened, no longer underestimating him..

Zixia brought the bamboo flute to his lips again, this time the melody transformed completely—lively and bold, overflowing with a hero’s spirit, evoking images of galloping horses and a carefree journey through jianghu.

Yu’er felt a surge of passion and, almost in a trance, launched another attack on Zixia.

She knew something was off; her original intent had been to probe cautiously and respond with composure. Yet now, she was recklessly pressing forward, launching another offensive. Her sword techniques had lost their earlier stability, growing noticeably agitated.

As a result, openings began to appear in her defense. Zixia exploited them effortlessly with his flute.

From the sidelines, Qing Jiu rested her chin on her hand, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. “This generation of Qixian Palace does have some talents.”

Hao Yun took a sip of his drink and exhaled slowly, “That doesn’t sound like you’re praising them.”

On the stage, Yu’er’s restlessness was uncontainable, and this sensation of not being in control of her own mind was indeed troubling. She bit her tongue sharply to focus, pondering her next move, when an idea suddenly struck her.

She approached Zixia aggressively once more, startling him. He unconsciously used his lightness skills to retreat while the notes from his flute became sharper and more urgent.

Yu’er felt a powerful gust heading straight for her. The brilliance of Qixian Palace’s technique lay not only in its ability to confuse the mind but also in turning sound into sharp blades.

Yu’er dodged to the side, still getting a slash across her clothes and feeling a sharp pain in her ears and a tightness in her chest. Despite feeling unwell, her movements quickened.

Her agile lightness skill was something Zixia had witnessed before. A sense of trepidation crept into his heart, slowing his reactions and allowing Yu’er to catch up to him.

She lifted her hand from below in an upward motion, not using her sword.

This was a palm technique taught by Jie Qianchou, called “Wind and Moon Come Naturally.” Jie Qianchou, a lover of wine, often gave his martial arts techniques poetic names. This particular move resembled the Buddhist deity Guanyin’s thousand hands technique—it appeared to be just one palm strike, but it had the aftereffect of countless strikes, enveloping the opponent from all sides. One strike led to a thousand more.

In her desperation, Yu’er employed this technique, confident it wouldn’t miss. Indeed, Zixia couldn’t dodge it, and a powerful blow sent his flute flying.

As the flute soared through the air, Yu’er quickly followed with a sword thrust aimed at Zixia’s chest. This time, she didn’t miss, her tip firmly pressing against his chest.

Zixia braced for impact, closing his eyes, expecting pain. Yet, when he felt none and opened his eyes, he realized that Yu’er’s sword was blunt.

Yu’er withdrew her sword and said, “Thank you for yielding.” As she spoke, she reached out her hand and steadily caught the bamboo flute that had been knocked away earlier. She walked up to Zixia and returned it to him.

Zixia accepted it, his handsome face slightly flushed, and smiled, “Thank you, Miss Yu’er. Your skills are truly formidable. I am convinced by my defeat.”

The crowd erupted in unceasing applause, drawn not only by Yu’er’s connection to the legendary Jie Qianchou but also by her exceptional swordsmanship, poise, and restraint. Her graceful conduct endeared her to the spectators.

After this duel, no further challenges were made against Yu’er, allowing her to catch her breath and step down from the stage.

She noticed Qing Jiu staring at her with unblinking, ink-dark eyes that shone with mirth, her smile radiant. Yet, despite the beauty of that smile, Yu’er felt somewhat intimidated by such attention and self-consciously glanced down at herself, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Qing Jiu smiled and said, “My dear Yu’er truly has a great charm.”

Yu’er could only respond with silence, unsure of how to take the compliment.