Chapter 170

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P.S.: Football has the World Cup, and martial arts has the Martial Arts Competition; isn’t that true?

As the ancients say: Some people are happy, while others are sorrowful.

Although Zhang Xiaohua was not particularly happy on the first day of the Martial Arts Competition, at least he wasn’t troubled.

As for the two unfortunate brothers from the Lotus Escort Agency, that’s a different story.

Standing below one of the stages, Shangguan Yun wore an extremely grim expression as he looked at the group of boys, who were a head shorter than him, chattering away about their insights from the first day’s matches. A bitter taste filled his heart; he finally understood why no one from the Lotus Escort Agency had participated in this Martial Arts Competition for decades. However, the cost he paid for this simple understanding was far too great. Fortunately, it was already dark, and no one paid attention to this young man who had lost three consecutive matches; otherwise, Shangguan Yun would have preferred to be swallowed by a crack in the ground right then and there.

Thinking back, he wondered why he had listened to Yu Deyi’s instigation. Why did he step into this murky water? Was it out of curiosity or admiration for the Piaomiao Sect? As the ancients wisely said: Curiosity killed the cat. Countless examples throughout history have shown that impulse and curiosity can come at a heavy price. His cat may not have been killed, but his self-esteem had been completely crushed.

Thinking back to the three matches he had just gone through, he initially believed that he had some foundation in martial arts. After nearly a year of diligent practice in the Lotus Escort Agency’s martial arts hall, honing his internal cultivation techniques, he thought he would at least have the strength to fight back against these kids. However, the seemingly naive and childish youngsters transformed into completely different persons when they stepped onto the stage; they showed no mercy during the matches, their fist techniques were sophisticated, their movements graceful, and even their internal strength had reached a small level of mastery. In contrast, he had struggled against the last opponent, who was a slightly weaker child, for half a stick of incense, only to be forced into a corner of the stage, ultimately having to raise his hand in surrender. The other two opponents had managed to knock him off the stage within just a few exchanges.

At this point, Shangguan Yun shook his head slightly and thought: “This trip to the Piaomiao Sect was a mistake! What a disgrace. I wonder how Yu Deyi is faring?”

A small shadow passed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If he had suffered such a crushing defeat, how could that young man be doing any better? He must have been beaten black and blue.

On the other side, Yu Deyi was not having an easy time either. As the number 2 participant, he was the first to compete in the initial round. Initially, Yu Deyi held a dismissive attitude; after all, he had his family’s internal cultivation techniques and had trained for a long time. He was well aware of the power of this internal strength. When he disabled Zhang Xiaohua’s hand at the Lotus Escort Agency, wasn’t it because he caused trouble? So, when he stepped onto the stage, he didn’t dare use all his internal energy and only employed fifty percent. However, the Piaomiao youth opposite him was not one to hold back, unleashing all his internal strength from the get-go. Although the young man was younger than Yu Deyi and hadn’t trained as long, his innate talent and the advanced nature of his internal techniques made his internal strength not much inferior to Yu Deyi’s.

Realizing the situation was not in his favor, Yu Deyi immediately focused all his attention, channeling all his internal energy to treat the young man as an equal opponent. This allowed him to barely achieve a balance in their contest. When the young man saw that he couldn’t gain the upper hand, he quickly changed his strategy, employing his Qinggong and using a set of exquisite palm techniques to engage in a lively battle. Yu Deyi’s techniques were not as refined, nor was his Qinggong as nimble. He had no choice but to rely on his substantial internal energy and adopt a defensive stance, successfully holding his ground against his opponent’s attacks for a full incense stick’s time.

When the Group Leader announced a tie, Yu Deyi finally let out a breath of relief; if he had had to fight for even half a stick of incense longer, he would undoubtedly have lost.

Unfortunately, Yu Deyi celebrated too soon. Due to exhausting too much internal energy in the first round, he hadn’t fully recovered by the time he entered the second round. His opponent in this round was even more formidable, a young man whose internal energy was thicker and whose techniques were more refined than Yu Deyi’s previous opponent. Right from the start, the boy didn’t give Yu Deyi a moment to catch his breath, launching relentless attacks. Yu Deyi’s internal energy was insufficient, and his techniques and agility couldn’t match his adversary’s. While he retreated defensively, he inwardly cried in his heart; Little Brother, is it necessary to bully me this way? At least leave me some face!

However, his opponent had no special powers and was unaware of Yu Deyi’s thoughts; he simply continued his aggressive onslaught. Before a quarter of the incense stick had burned down, Yu Deyi was sent flying off the stage with a powerful kick from his opponent.

Falling from the stage, Yu Deyi didn’t feel discouraged. He suppressed his feelings of sorrow from the defeat and quickly began to circulate his internal energy to recover, hoping to secure all three points in the third round.

As the ancients said: “Man proposes, but heaven disposes.” Yu Deyi’s fate had already been determined when he drew lots alongside Zhang Xiaohua and Shangguan Yun.

The third round for Yu Deyi was almost a mirror image of the first; he was continuously pressured and beaten until he finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief after a full stick of incense.

With one point from two ties and one loss, Yu Deyi stood beneath the stage, sharing the same feelings as Shangguan Yun. His self-esteem had taken a significant blow! At the same time, he couldn’t help but think that if he was in such a predicament, what good outcomes could Shangguan Yun and the half-crippled in his right hand Zhang Xiaohua expect?

Yet, there were other thoughts in Yu Deyi’s mind. The Piaomiao Sect truly lived up to its reputation as a prestigious sect. Even the common disciples possessed such formidable skills, and he found himself unable to match them even after years of cultivation. If he could join such a sect for further training, he would surely make substantial progress in his martial arts within a few years. However, he also realized that he was getting older, and his aptitude might not be much better than those much younger than him. The Piaomiao Sect might not make an exception to accept him.

Thinking of this, Yu Deyi immediately recalled the image of Zhang Xiaohu, the bumpkin from the countryside. How did he catch the eye of the Piaomiao Sect and become one of their disciples? Looking at Zhang Xiaohu’s rustic appearance and then at his own stylish outfit, Yu Deyi couldn’t help but look up at the dark sky and shout from the bottom of his heart: “Heavens, I’m this handsome. Why don’t you pay a little more attention to me? Am I too handsome, which is why you treat me this way? The heavens are truly unjust! Why don’t you send down a thunderbolt to strike down those…”

Just as he thought this, he suddenly heard a rumble of thunder in the sky. Yu Deyi’s heart skipped a beat. Did the heavens hear my prayer? He then glanced at the young man next to him. Seeing that everyone else was oblivious to him, he felt relieved.

Suddenly, a mischievous thought crossed Yu Deyi’s mind: if everyone else got food poisoning, wouldn’t that mean…?

Yu Deyi began to pray again!

Zhang Xiaohua, however, wasn’t preoccupied with thoughts and worries like the others; he was feeling quite hungry after a day of matches.

Although the members of the Piaomiao Sect were not living in luxury, they were all privileged individuals. Once they arrived at the Piaomiao Sect, their clothing, food, and lodging were all arranged for them, so they didn’t have to worry about anything. Hearing Zhang Xiaohua ask such a foolish question lowered his status in their eyes a few notches.

As a result, Zhang Xiaohua’s already poor image became even worse, and the other young men kept their distance from him, as if to say, he’s not one of us.

Group Leader Chang, unaware of his background, noticed the strange looks around him and steeled himself to say: “Well, you’ll eat with us shortly. I’m not too sure how things are arranged for you, but if Manager Xu comes to find you later, you can make other plans.”

When Zhang Xiaohua heard this, his eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to Group Leader Chang, asking: “So what are our standards? Is there braised pork? I had a first-class meal at Huanxi Villa. Our Piaomiao Sect shouldn’t be worse than theirs, right?”

Group Leader Chang quickly distanced himself from him, giving off a vibe that he wasn’t familiar with him. He coughed a couple of times and said: “Well, I’m not sure what the difference is between our meals and the first-class meals at Huanxi Villa. As for braised pork, I don’t know if it’s prepared today; we don’t usually eat much.”

Zhang Xiaohua felt a bit disappointed. “They don’t even serve much braised pork? It seems our standards aren’t that high.”

Group Leader Chang was both amused and exasperated. “That stuff is too greasy; it can easily lead to weight gain, which affects our figures, so we don’t eat much of it.”

Zhang Xiaohua finally understood and nodded, saying: “I see. But braised pork is so fragrant; it’s better than anything else!”

However, Group Leader Chang seemed uninterested in continuing that conversation. He called over Group Leader Li and the other disciples to prepare to pack up and leave.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaohua seemed to think of something and quickly walked up to Group Leader Chang, asking: “Group Leader Chang, may I ask you one more thing?”

Group Leader Chang took a step back and hesitantly replied: “Go ahead, and let’s see if I can answer it.”

Zhang Xiaohua spoke in a mysterious tone: “For people like us, who come from outside to participate in the martial arts competition, can we walk freely within the Piaomiao Sect? Or, if I want to go to another place to find familiar people, is that possible?”

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s secretive demeanor and the question he asked, Group Leader Chang nearly spat blood and had to grit his teeth, saying: “Well, I really don’t know about that. Wait a moment; I’ll send someone to ask.”

After saying this, he waved at a child who had just sparred with Zhang Xiaohua. “Mu Mu, quickly go find Manager Xu and ask him about the issue with number 250. See how we should handle it.”

The child agreed and bounced off.

Not long after, he returned, saying: “Manager Xu said you can move freely within the Piaomiao Sect. However, there are some forbidden areas that you cannot enter, and there are places guarded by guards that you are not allowed to enter either, so don’t force your way in. Also, the three participants from outside have already been arranged accommodations; it’s best to stay within the sect tonight, get some rest, and arrive on time for tomorrow’s competition.”

Group Leader Chang nodded and turned back to Zhang Xiaohua, asking: “Two hundred fifty, did you understand?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Got it, Group Leader Chang! I’ll go find someone now.”

Group Leader Chang felt elated and asked: “What? Aren’t you going to finish your meal first? Why not eat before you go?”

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head, saying: “I’d rather go find someone first. By the way, where do the direct disciples of Sect Master Ou live?”

Group Leader Chang was taken aback and thought to himself: “See, I knew something was off. Just as I expected. Luckily, I didn’t offend him too much earlier.”

So, Group Leader Chang spoke in an exceptionally gentle tone and detailed the route for him.

Once Zhang Xiaohua understood, he bowed and took his leave.

Watching Zhang Xiaohua’s departing figure, Group Leader Chang let out a long sigh of relief; the troublemaker had finally left.

By this time, the sky had darkened completely, but the Piaomiao Sect was ablaze with light. Many people were bustling about, chatting excitedly in small groups about the interesting stories and insights from the competition.

Although Group Leader Chang had given detailed directions to Zhang Xiaohua’s lodging, the latter’s poor sense of direction soon led him astray, and before long, he was lost and unsure of which way to go.

However, the Piaomiao Sect was not lacking in warm-hearted people. Upon hearing that Zhang Xiaohua was headed to the residence of the direct disciples, many offered to personally escort him. Zhang Xiaohua, feeling overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and remembering his second brother’s predicament during his last visit, hurriedly declined their countless kind offers, saying he didn’t want to disturb their evening meal and that he could find his way alone if they just pointed him in the right direction.

Thus, with countless resentful glances and the helplessness of being rejected, Zhang Xiaohua took one step at a time and finally arrived near Zhang Xiaohu’s residence.

At that moment, a group of female disciples with oriole voices chatting and laughing, approached. Wasn’t the one leading them none other than the Ming Cui Hall, Great Aunt Qin, Hall Master Qin?

Zhang Xiaohua, with keen eyesight, spotted her and couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy. He raised his hand and called out: “Big Sister Qin, Big Sister Qin!”

Great Aunt Qin, accompanied by a group of young female disciples, was under the scorching gaze of many male disciples and naturally didn’t notice Zhang Xiaohua among the crowd. Hearing someone call out to her, she was puzzled, wondering: “Who is so bold as to call me like that?”

When she finally caught sight of the small figure in the crowd, her surprise turned to delight. “Zhang Xiaohua, what brings you here?”

Zhang Xiaohua stepped forward, greeted her respectfully, and said: “I came to participate in the martial arts competition.”

Great Aunt Qin was taken aback and asked: “ You aren’t a disciple of our Piaomiao Sect, how can you participate in the martial arts competition? Can you also advance?”

Zhang Xiaohua explained the situation in detail, and Great Aunt Qin finally understood. “I really didn’t know about this. However, the martial arts competition has already been going on for a day. How did you perform? Even at the first cloth-robed rank, those young disciples martial arts are extremely strong!”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua shrugged and shook his head slightly.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s expression, Great Aunt Qin naturally understood that his performance hadn’t been great, so she quickly comforted him, saying: “Zhang Xiaohua, it’s okay. Losing is just part of it; consider it a chance to broaden your horizons. By the way, what are you doing now? Where are you headed?”

When she heard that Zhang Xiaohua was going to find Zhang Xiaohu, she smiled and said to one of the female disciples behind her: “Changge, you know Zhang Xiaohua. You can take him over there, so he doesn’t get lost again.”

The female disciple stepped out from the crowd, looking at Zhang Xiaohua with a mysterious look in her eyes.

Zhang Xiaohua felt surprised that someone else recognized him. As Changge approached, his brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, and he smiled, saying, “Oh, I do know you, Sister Changge. Didn’t we go together…”

Great Sister Qin didn’t wait for Zhang Xiaohua to finish and immediately interrupted: “It’s good that you know Changge. Let her take you; it’ll save you from getting lost again.”

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and said with double meaning: “I understand, Big Sister Qin.”

He then bowed and said his goodbyes to Great Aunt Qin, following Changge as she led him toward Zhang Xiaohu’s residence.

Along the way, Changge was very curious about how Zhang Xiaohua had killed the black-clad old man that day. After all, she had personally experienced that man’s strength and had witnessed Zhang Xiaohua kill him with her own eyes. Ever since returning from the south, information regarding the events involving the Ou Yan had been tightly sealed, and even the news of Zhang Xiaohua’s survival reached Changge only later. She had always been curious about what kind of extraordinary skills Zhang Xiaohua possessed that allowed him to face the black-clad old man’s Iron Cloth Shirt and Light Golden Palm without fear.

Today, it was such a coincidence that Changge caught him right at that moment, and she wasn’t going to let Zhang Xiaohua off easily. Like a curious child, she asked him questions one after another.

Although Zhang Xiaohua and Changge had not talked much during their journey south, they had shared hardships together. Therefore, he didn’t feel the need to keep secrets from her, and he told her everything he told Elder Yu that day.

Changge still seemed disbelieving, her round eyes wide as she asked: “Was it really that simple? Just a matter of that person’s negligence?”

Zhang Xiaohua wore an expression that said, “I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” and replied: “It really was like that. If I were that impressive, I wouldn’t have drawn three ties in a row today.”

“Three draws in a row?” When Changge heard this, she burst out laughing, saying: “You really are something! When I was at the first Cloth Rank, I didn’t hear of anyone who had three ties in a row.”

Just then, Changge suddenly said: “Oh, we’ve been talking for a while, and we’re already here. This is where the direct disciples live. Do you know where your second brother lives? If not, we’ll have to ask someone.”

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment and said: “There’s a small tree in front of my brother’s courtyard. Look, that one over there should be it. I came here once during the day, so I have a bit of an impression.”

With that, Zhang Xiaohua led Changge to the entrance of Zhang Xiaohu’s small courtyard, smiling as he pointed to the tree and said: “It’s this tree for sure. I may not recognize the way, but I remember the tree.”

After speaking, Zhang Xiaohua stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The door remained quiet, with no sounds coming from within. Changge whispered: “Could it be that your second brother isn’t home? Today is the day of the martial arts competition at our Piaomiao Sect. He must have gone to see the excitement, or perhaps he has some business with the sect master that took him away.”

Zhang Xiaohua, however, smiled mysteriously and said: “You wouldn’t know this, Sister Changge, so just watch me.”

After that, he stopped knocking and instead put his mouth close to the crack of the door, singing loudly: “Zhang Xiaohu, oh Zhang Xiaohu, your brother Zhang Xiaohua is here to ask you, are you still in the courtyard, still in the courtyard?”

As soon as the song ended, the door opened with a creak, and a cheerful voice came from inside: “Xiaohua, is that you? Why are you here at this time?”

Wasn’t the one stepping out from the door none other than Zhang Xiaohu?

Zhang Xiaohu was pleasantly surprised to see his younger brother and walked over, ruffling his hair as he asked: “Why did you run over here now?”

Zhang Xiaohua, feeling a bit aggrieved, replied: “Stop ruffling my hair; it’s going to affect my growth and development. By the way, I didn’t come alone.”

“Really?” Zhang Xiaohu was taken aback, looking up to see outside and asking_ “Who else? Is it Young Master Li Jinfeng?”

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