AST 1595 - No Favorable Turn, Two Days, Niu Clan’s Arena (2/2)

“That’s simple, I can battle you,” Qing Shui answered with a grin.

“No no, that’s fine. I want one who’s well-matched in strength.” Lan Lingfeng thought of the pathetic state he had been in when Qing Shui trained with him previously and a chill ran down his spine. Still, his improvement was obvious indeed, but the recollection was enough for him to retreat.

“How are you going to be a powerhouse this way? Where’s your courage?” Qing Shui laughed.

“Alright, alright. Come on, I’ll be your punching bag,” Lan Lingfeng spoke through gritted teeth.

“To be honest, you aren’t enough to be a punching bag either.”

“Brother, would it kill you to leave me some dignity?”

……

Lan Lingfeng was sore from head to toe after being beaten up, complete with a bloody nose and swollen face. The bones in his body seemed to have shattered and he lay gasping for air on the ground. Ziche Sha glared at Qing Shui when she came in to this sight, before heading for Lan Lingfeng.

Qing Shui gently rubbed his nose but didn’t say a word.

Even though Lan Lingfeng was sore all over, too tired to even speak, he felt pleased inside. The beating this time round had opened up all his basic acupoints, making it immensely beneficial for him.

“Is my wife’s heart aching for me? Don’t blame him, he’s only helping me.” Lan Lingfeng was delighted. Witnessing the expression in Ziche Sha’s eyes, he was exceptionally happy; the beating was worth it.

……

The next day was calm as usual, and Qing Shui was patient. There was no need to get anxious when the limit was three days. If Niu Clan could endure it this time round, then Qing Shui would have to properly assess their strength.

Qing Shui had already sent the word out. In three days, Niu Clan’s patriarch would have to bring his direct descendants to repair Imperial Cuisine Hall. If Niu Clan did that, it’d be the end of them.

If they didn’t, then Qing Shui and Imperial Cuisine Hall’s prestige would suffer. If Niu Clan’s Niu Fen still decided to come by after the message, that meant that they didn’t find Qing Shui to be of any importance.

He wondered if they still didn’t care much about them at this point.

When yet another day came around, the news reached Imperial Cuisine Hall. Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say that the news had broken out through Linhai City. Niu Clan had set up an arena in the largest street of Linhai City, challenging Imperial Cuisine Hall, and the news spread like wildfire.

“Brother, what do we do? Niu Clan has bullied us to our door,” Lan Lingfeng said in rage, his expression exaggerated.

“Go fight them then.” Qing Shui grinned.

“I’m unsure about it if you don’t go, I need you there to hold the line.” Lan Lingfeng snickered.

“Go inform your clan and Ziche Clan. Tell them that there’s no need for them to get mixed up in this but have them be there before us to show off their strength. We’ll head over in a bit.” Qing Shui said after some thought.

Lan Lingfeng nodded. He trusted Qing Shui. It was the type of faith that was beyond words, like the issue with Niu Clan. The thought of Imperial Cuisine failing had never crossed Lan Lingfeng’s mind.

Niu Clan was also diverting attention with this tactic. Qing Shui had released the deadline of three days ago but they didn’t make an obvious choice. Now there was still a day left, so technically their time was still not up but they had set up an arena for the challenge.

Imperial Cuisine Hall could choose to refuse this duel and even to ignore it altogether. Of course, they could also choose to accept, but if they didn’t, people would start talking. One of the obvious speculations would be whether Imperial Cuisine Hall was scared.

It was already late in the morning and the sun was three poles high. Niu Clan had said that they would wait until afternoon. If Imperial Cuisine Hall didn’t accept the battle, it would mean that they had abstained. The meaning couldn’t be more obvious; Imperial Cuisine Hall was afraid. If they didn’t have the power to meet them head-on, they shouldn’t be so arrogant. If they didn’t have the might, then were they bluffing just to scare…?

Qing Shui looked around him. Now Ling Fei, Xue Nuo and Ziche Sha were all here but only a few of them would fight. Still, this type of battle wasn’t about two victories out of three, or three out of five. Victory went to the last man standing.

When Qing Shui and the others arrived at the arena, there was already a huge crowd. At their appearance, a thunderous applause sounded. Qing Shui could tell that most of these people came in support of him but many came for the show, and so the applause from them was in celebration of the action they were about to witness.

“Brave, Miraculous Physician Qing, we support you, go defeat Niu Clan!”

“They don’t know the complexity of things. What background does Niu Clan have? It’s said that they’re descendants of an ancient battle clan, their bodies flow with warrior’s blood.”

“I heard that Niu Clan’s ancestor is a Demon King, and there’s a highly-skilled warrior concealed among them. It’s going to be tough for Imperial Cuisine Hall this time.”

“That’s hard to say. Miraculous Physician Qing should have an extraordinary power. Niu Clan might not be able to get an edge.”

Previous ChapterNext Chapte