102 Chapter 101: The Weight of Victory (1/2)
”The winner is Fei Wu!”
Teacher Cai was quick to make the announcement this time. Kuang Hu's qi had gotten so faint that we could barely notice it. A master would have immediately realized that the poor guy had lost consciousness.
Even so, I didn't leave the arena. I remained where I was, even as the teachers and medical staff rushed into the coliseum to dig through the rubble. Only when they dug out Kuang Hu's unconscious body and began rendering emergency first aid to him did I breathe a sigh of relief. Adjusting my glasses, I relaxed and turned to leave.
”Student Fei Wu!” Teacher Cai called out to me. I glanced at him, gulping when I saw his stern gaze. He appraised me for a moment and then nodded. ”Make sure you get your own injuries treated in the infirmary. Don't try to be a hero and ignore them.”
”Yes, Teacher Cai.”
I bowed slightly, and then made haste to depart. So as not to get into trouble, I planned to at least show my face in the infirmary, perhaps get some medicine, then return to the dormitory to rest and recuperate.
”Student Fei Wu.”
This time it was Teacher Jiao. I stopped and turned toward him curiously, and was relieved to see that he was smiling. He showed me a thumb's up.
”I see you've completely mastered the footwork techniques I taught you. Excellent job.”
I couldn't help but smile back. ”You were right. Now no one in my generation can touch me.”
”Ha ha ha ha ha!” Teacher Jiao burst out laughing. ”That is true. Make sure you keep this up for the rest of the tournament!”
”The rest of the tournament, huh…?”
I watched as Teacher Jiao returned to check on Kuang Hu's condition. The guy was battered, but would live. The worst damage he suffered was probably the nasty bruise to his ego. I doubted he would hold a grudge against me – this wasn't some stupid wuxia or xianxia story where random side characters hated the protagonist for no reason or because they were jealous of his achievements. From what I knew, most people in real life weren't that petty.
Even so, it was undeniable that I had progressed to the quarterfinals at his expense. If I didn't put on a good show, he would feel that his defeat was unjustified. Nonetheless, the both of us had fought with everything we had, without holding anything back. Neither he nor I would have any regrets, regardless of the outcome.
Bending over, I picked up the weights I had taken off during the match. Even though I had discarded them while fighting, they were still official training gear that belonged to Wu Ling Academy. I couldn't just throw them away like this. Moreover, I would prefer to avoid paying compensation for lost equipment if I could help it.
”Wu!”
”You did it!”
”Congratulations!”
”Great job!”
My friends greeted me when I left the changing room. Even Zhu Jiao had shown up, probably a little late because of his perpetual habit of oversleeping. It seemed like he had watched most of the match, though, so I didn't complain.
”Yeah.” I sighed and shook my head. ”It was a very close match. I was this close to losing.” Raising two fingers, I spaced them a micrometer apart.
”Ha ha ha, you certainly were cutting it close!” Tong Xue chuckled.
”Man, I was worried for a moment.” Ban Zhang shook his head. ”I warned you that Kuang Hu would be ruthless and merciless.”
Tong Xue nudged him, smiling cheekily. ”You thought that Wu would lose, didn't you? You owe him an apology!”
”Sorry…”
”No need to apologize,” I cut him off. ”It was thanks to your warning that I didn't underestimate him.”
”Still, it's good that you're all right,” Lian Rou remarked as she studied me.
Tang Qi Hong folded her arms and nodded proudly. ”You did well! I knew you would win! You bring great honor to the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect!”
Right. I almost forgot that I was from the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. I had joined it on a whim, when Elder Zhao invited me, but to everyone, it seemed that my identity was irrevocably tied to that of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. I wondered what would happen when I revealed that my parent sect was the Heaven and Earth Sect.
”Now you had better keep your promise and defeat Bai Ning Xue!”
”I'll do my best,” I assured her. Zhu Jiao tried not to snort.
”Hey, Ning Xue is my opponent. I'll be the one who defeats her.”
I shrugged. ”We'll leave that up to fate then.”
”Hey!” Tang Qi Hong complained. ”You promised!”
The rest of the group laughed at her mocked outrage, and then Lian Rou suddenly raised her pale hand.
”We should get Fei Wu to the infirmary.”
Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. Teacher Cai had just ordered me to get my injuries treated. While I was still walking around like normal and felt fine, it was true that my injuries were severe. I had sustained some internal damage from the fight, and there were plenty of cuts on my bodies. Fortunately, I had frozen my wounds to stop the bleeding, so there wasn't much to worry about other than the internal injury.
”It'll only take a second,” I told the rest when I reached the infirmary. The shallow injuries could heal on their own, to be honest. It was the wounds I couldn't see that worried me – and the teachers the most. Best not to take them for granted. ”But you guys should return to the dorm without me. There might be other patients and I'll have to wait in line.”
”Are you sure?” Tang Qi Hong looked at me worriedly. I waved her concerns away dismissively and smiled.
”Why wouldn't I be sure? What's the worst that could happen? This is Teacher Yi we're talking about here. It's not as if she'll abuse me or anything, right?”
”Wu has a point,” Tong Xue conceded. ”We don't know how long it'll take, and he's fine. And we'll just be in the way, standing outside the infirmary like this.”
The others in the group nodded, seeing the sense in his argument.
”We'll head back first, Wu,” Zhu Jiao told me. the five of them then departed from the corridor.
”Yeah.” I waved goodbye and watched as they left. Then I took a deep breath and turned toward the door to the infirmary.
”That was a good match,” Teacher Yi told me when I entered the room. She was still tending to another student from one of the group matches for school ranking. Giving me the look-over, she then gestured for me to take a seat. ”Your injuries don't look so serious, so sit there and wait a bit.” She smiled. ”At least they aren't as serious as Kuang Hu's.”
”How is Kuang Hu?” I asked, remembering that they brought him in before me. The staff had rushed him to the infirmary after the match while I was still talking with my friends. Glancing around the infirmary, I saw no sign of him.
”His condition has been stabilized. He'll live. I'll be treating him in an hour, after I finish all the minor cases…I'll need to concentrate in order to restore him to full health.” Teacher Yi wiped the perspiration from her forehead. ”That brat actually did something so risky and ended up causing severe damage to himself.”
”Sorry. I didn't hold back.”
”And you shouldn't, so don't apologize.” Teacher Yi risked a glance at me before infusing her current patient with more of her green healing qi. ”You were in a match with him, so you were well within your rights to fight back. Rather, Kuang Hu was the one who subjected his own body to tremendous stress by releasing his limiters.” She snorted in disgust. ”It's only a tournament. There's no need to risk your life for victory. One wrong move and he would have crippled himself…or worse, killed himself from demonic possession.”
”Demonic possession?” I asked, finding the term unfamiliar.
Teacher Yi sighed.
”There is a belief that if you mess up your inner qi training or the execution of your qi – for example, if you forcibly use a technique that you had not fully mastered, the qi within your body will rebel against you, ultimately resulting in…your death.”
I shuddered, suddenly feeling a chill that had nothing to do with my ice techniques. Why hadn't I heard about this before?
”Well…” I scratched my head. ”I don't think my injuries are too serious, so I should be able to recover by myself. You might want to focus on treating Kuang Hu.”
”Are you a doctor?”
”Eh?” I was caught off guard by Teacher Yu's question. She was giving me a sharp look. I shook my head. ”No.”
”Then don't presume to tell me what to do. You should be the one listening to me. Don't go anywhere. You've sustained internal damage, and that's not something you can simply heal by yourself overnight.”
”Yes, Teacher Yi.”
I sighed and nodded. It was true that I possessed little medical knowledge. It wasn't as if I was some guy who could seal the heavens or go against the gods, after all. Or even concoct spirit pills while I battle through the heavens.
”Anyway, just sit there and wait. This shouldn't take much time.”
Teacher Yi returned to treating her other patient. I obediently sat down in one of the plastic chairs provided and closed my eyes.
”Okay, it's your turn.”
I had most likely dozed off, because the next thing I knew, Teacher Yi was shaking me awake. Opening my eyes, I stood up groggily, momentarily forgetting where I was.
”Come on, get to the treatment table. Don't worry, it won't take much time. Once we're done, you can return to the dormitory and rest.”
”Right.” I nodded absent-mindedly and obeyed. Teacher Yi placed her hands on my shoulders and began infusing me with gentle, green qi. Within moments, I felt the pain inside my body abate, and my strength fully restorted.
”That should do it.” Teacher Yi removed her hands, satisfied. I got up and bowed.
”Thanks!”
”No problem.” Teacher Yi sent me a strict look. ”Don't do anything reckless now, got it? Go straight to the dormitory and rest. Your next match will be in a couple of days, after all. So make sure you're fully recovered by then. Come back if you feel there's anything wrong with your body. Don't take any unnecessary risks.”
”Yeah, I understand.”
Gosh, but Teacher Yi could be a nag sometimes. Still, I appreciated her concern, so I maintained a polite response before taking my leave.