5 Three slaps. (2/2)
”That's two. And truly, still as enjoyable as the first time, I might even make a habit out of it.”
The light feeling in Ping Shisui's body vanished as Li Yang spoke, her body falling to the ground. She quickly stretched out her arm and caught herself, pushing off of the ground to roll away from Li Yang before springing up into a standing position again, her spear left behind as she was forced to drop it to roll away properly. Her breathing had grown even heavier now, her face dyed with blood as her waist and abdomen ached.
The first time could be considered a fluke born from her own carelessness, but there was no excuse for it now that it had happened again. He had easily dodged her attack and mounted a counter-offensive, moving so fast that she didn't have the chance to properly react. And the lightweight feeling that assaulted her with his attacks only made it worse, it threw her off and made it harder to properly control her body. Once she was hit she was practically at his mercy unless she could instantly adjust to the lightweight feeling.
Li Yang once again brought his hand up to his face and gave it a few clenches, his insufferable smile and actions causing the booing from the crowd to reach a new height. Ping Shisui didn't let Li Yang's silent taunts get to her this time, studying him with the same vigilance and wariness that she would a highly dangerous beast. Li Yang lowered his hand and gave it a few shakes, his knees bending slightly as he alerted Ping Shisui.
”Aw, you don't want to play with me anymore, Fairy Sister? Well, then I hope you won't mind if I come to play with you, be careful now.”
Li Yang kicked off the stone stage the moment his words finished, rushing forward like a shooting star and causing Ping Shisui's pupils to narrow sharply. He reached her front nearly instantly and sent a straight kick right at her face with his left leg, his attack occurring so fast that the only response available to her was to cross both arms in front of her face to block.
But the moment her defence was raised, Li Yang's body shift subtly so that his foot slid past her crossed arms. He bent his leg so that his foot didn't slide past her face, hooking his foot behind her crossed arms and lowering it. Her defence was pulled down as he lowered his leg, her body ending up wide open by the time his foot touched the ground again. And it was at this moment that his right leg shot up in a diagonal manner, his foot smashing into her cheek while his left leg slid along the ground and knocked her legs out from underneath her again.
Both of them spun in the air, one from being attacked and the other due to the strange and unique movements of his attack. But Ping Shisui was once again assaulted by the lightweight feeling, her spinning speed actually slowing down so that it was Li Yang that ended up correcting his position first.
And since he was the one to finish standing up properly, there was nothing stopping his arm from slapping out once more, a crisp slap landing on Ping Shisui's buttocks. This slap was quite a bit harder than the first two, actually knocking Ping Shisui back to the ground as his voice sounded out.
”And that's three. I kinda want to keep going since I rarely get a chance like this, but you've already lost so there's not really any point to it. Also wouldn't want the future wifey to get any wrong thoughts, have to be friendly with her, you know?”
Ping Shisui was lying on the ground as Li Yang spoke, a burning sense of shame and embarrassment sweltering within her chest. She had been beaten and lost fights before, but it had never been like this where she was so summarily crushed without even knowing quite how the enemy did it. As such, she felt more than a little displeased and unsatisfied.
”Don't you...Gh!”
She raised her head and was about to spring up to continue, but an immense pressure suddenly bore down on her as she raised her head, forcing her flat on the ground. She was just barely able to glance up at Li Yang, who was looking down at her with a gaze she could only liken to an emperor looking down at his subjects.
”A defeated foe should just stay down. Come back when you've improved your skills and can elevate yourself above being someone defeated. Of course, if Fairy Sister Shisui wants to taste a few more spankings in the future then I will be more than willing to help you, we can keep it as a nice little secret.”
The intensity of the pressure increased as the intensity of Li Yang's gaze increased, Ping Shisui feeling as if her lungs were about to explode within her chest. But the pressure luckily vanished before her lungs collapsed, Li Yang's intense gaze vanishing and being replaced by the teasing one he had worn earlier. She grit her teeth in indignation but wasn't so foolish and agitated that she couldn't see the truth. She had been crushed, she didn't even possess the capital to raise a proper defence, she wasn't even qualified to figure out exactly what Li Yang had done.
She stood up and shot one last look at Li Yang, the teasing look in his eyes and the faint curve of his mouth embedding itself in her mind. She picked up her spear and left the stage, Li Yang placing his hands behind his head as he started to saunter towards the edge of the stage. He had fought his battle, so now it was Mei Kongxu's time to show her skills. But before he managed to leave the stage, Mei Kongxu's voice sounded out from behind him.
”Wait, you don't need to bother leaving.”
Li Yang halted his steps and turned his head to look at Mei Kongxu, who had already entered the stage without him noticing it despite supposedly heading in the direction where she was sitting. She tore at the sleeves and hem of her silver dress, tearing them off so that it would be easier for her to move in the long and flowing dress. Li Yang's eyes drift down to the long and slender legs that she had just enticingly revealed, his smile remaining the same as he fully turned around.
”I want to call this playing unfair, but we never really agreed to not challenge each other. It's shameless but within the rules, I like it, that's a nice and quick-witted thought.”
The bet between them was only to go on stage to see who could win the most duels, they really hadn't said that they weren't allowed to challenge each other. Mei Kongxu didn't bother commenting on his comment, the eyes she was using to look at Li Yang flashing with interest for the second time since they met.
”Gravity and speed, those were the laws no? You also excel at hand-to-hand combat, your strong laws and martial skills allowing you to crush even someone with higher cultivation. With that level of strength, why would you bother hiding it? Especially when you seem like the kind of person who enjoys standing out.”
Li Yang was slightly surprised that Mei Kongxu was actually able to accurately pinpoint the two laws he had used just from seeing what effects they produced, he thought he would be able to keep it hidden for at least a little bit longer. But if they were found out then they were found out, there was no point in caring too much about it. The corners of his lips turned up slightly as he responded to her question, opening his arms wide as he gestured towards the sea of spectators around them.
”Why hide it? For fun, what else? Look at them, over 90% of the people here thought so little of me that they disregarded me while others disdained me for my attitude or my actions, the number of people that actually thought anything of me can probably be counted on one or two hands. But look at them all now, they're so dumbfounded and shocked that they can't even keep their mouths close. Just what do you think is going through their heads, how many of them regret not getting closer to me earlier? Isn't that just hilarious?”
His words left not just Mei Kingxu but also the audience somewhat dumbfounded. That was the reason he had hidden his strength all along? Just so he could reveal it and leave them all dumbfounded and shocked, just to see who would be filled with regret? Just so he could have fun at their expense? It was a reason so silly and idiotic that even the cold and disinterested Mei Kongxu let out short laughter, the shadow of a smile appearing on her face for the first time as she spoke.
”Really, I wasn't wrong in thinking that you were an idiot. But we should get our duel underway, I want to see just why those unique moves of yours felt so familiar.”