Chapter 1482: We Have No Grudge Against Each Other Again

“Oh, a draw is also a possibility!”They had been so focused on just winning or losing that they completely overlooked it.

He Lingchuan paid no attention to what others thought. He simply looked around, his spirits high: “Is there anyone else who wants to challenge us?”As he spoke, his gaze swept over He Yang, studying him up and down. When He Yang stared back intently, He Lingchuan suddenly held up his pinky finger towards him!

He Yang’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw tensed.A provocation?He hadn’t even sought out trouble with the man named He, yet the other party was provoking him first?

Under He Yang’s cold, fierce gaze, He Lingchuan wiggled his pinky finger and casually picked his ear.Why so hostile? Couldn’t a man even pick his ear in public anymore?He Yang could no longer stand to see He Lingchuan’s relaxed expression. He whispered, “Palace Master, I’ll go place a bet!”Qingyang frowned. “He won’t bet with you.”He Yang persisted, “May I try?”Qingyang remained silent. In her opinion, it was a complete waste of time.

He Yang waited a moment, and seeing that the betting deadline was approaching, he strode away.The Palace Master hadn’t explicitly agreed, but she hadn’t objected either.Suddenly, Qingyang reached out and stopped him.He Yang thought he had displeased her, but Qingyang merely whispered a few instructions in his ear before saying, “Go.”“Yes!”

He Yang walked to He Lingchuan’s table and looked down at him:“Let’s open another round, just you and me.”He Lingchuan sat leisurely. “Alright, how much?”He Yang took a hooked claw from his sleeve. It was about two feet long and looked like an animal bone, with sharp barbs at the tip, clearly a tool for disemboweling.The claw was golden, but its tip was somewhat blackened.“This is made from the palm bone of the Variegated Great Immortal from the Middle Ages. It can cut through metal and shatter stone, granting its owner the strength of three tigers, among many other uses. Its market value is at least 150,000 taels.”

As soon as He Lingchuan heard this, he knew that the “Variegated Great Immortal” must have been a highly accomplished tiger immortal.“Fine, I’ll match 150,000.” He Yang was always by Qingyang’s side, and certainly didn’t look poor, so why wasn’t he using silver notes?“No! If you lose, you’ll be out of Tianshui City by tomorrow morning and out of Yao State within seven days, or I will personally ensure your departure.”

Not far away, the Yao King showed an expression of keen interest.He Lingchuan let out a soft hiss and pointed at the tiger claw. “Just this one item, 150,000 taels? The stakes aren’t equal. Does Lord He know the value of what I’m doing here? Sorry, I won’t take this bet.”The officials nearby exchanged glances, daring not to laugh aloud. But He Yang caught their eyes:They thought 150,000 taels was enough to drive someone out of Tianshui City? How many more 150,000 taels could He Xiao earn after this?

He Yang placed both hands on the table, staring at He Lingchuan, enunciating each word: “The Palace Master is kind-hearted and is giving you one last chance. A smart person would seize it.”This was an ultimatum.Qingyang was warning him that if He Lingchuan stopped opposing her and left Tianshui City immediately, she would let bygones be bygones and allow him to live.Even the Yao King rested his chin in his hand, awaiting He Lingchuan’s reply.He Lingchuan looked up at He Yang, smiling politely. “Or else what?”He Yang gazed steadily at him, tilted his head, and lowered his voice. “Actually, I rather hope you stay.”He Lingchuan nodded. “I will leave when it’s time, Lord He. No need for you to worry.”He hadn’t come all this way for nothing.

Just then, a chime rang on the stage, signaling the start of the battle.With the fight beginning on stage, betting both inside and outside the arena closed.He Yang looked down at He Lingchuan, smiling meaningfully. “You’re welcome.”He turned and walked back to his seat.

In the performance arena, Qu Ruhai looked General Chongwu up and down. “So you’re replacing Xue Zongwu? Has Yao State run out of usable people, to the point where even a Bixia native can guard the frontier?”General Chongwu remained silent, knowing Qu Ruhai intended to provoke him.He raised his hand and fired a sleeve arrow. As Qu Ruhai dodged, Chongwu lunged forward, bringing his square shield down towards the other man’s neck.The Mirror commented as it watched, “Oh, that opening move looks like yours.”

In a flash, General Chongwu and Qu Ruhai were locked in close combat.The moment they engaged, their aura, movements, and speed were completely different from the previous groups of fighters. They almost instantly entered an inextricable stalemate.The Soul-Sucking Mirror couldn’t help but ask He Lingchuan, “Hey, do you really think Qu Ruhai will win?”He Lingchuan shook his head slightly. “It doesn’t matter.”He didn’t care who won or lost between them.What did it have to do with him?However, he wanted to carefully observe the fighting skill and style of these two great generals.He had seen Chongwu fight before, so he focused his attention on Qu Ruhai.This man’s appearance and demeanor were rough and unrefined, and his swordplay was wild and unrestrained, each strike clean and decisive.Chongwu’s meticulousness contrasted sharply with Qu Ruhai’s ferocity, effectively a defensive and an offensive style.

The Yao King had stated that this time the matches were to stop before serious harm, so the life-and-death fighting styles used in battle could not be employed.As a result, the two clashed for a while, their weapons sparking, creating a visually impressive fight. The officials watching applauded continuously, shouting praises.In addition to his offense and defense, General Chongwu would seize opportunities to cast spells. According to official regulations, primal energy could not be used in the arena, meaning the two relied solely on their inherent strength to clash, making spells particularly useful.Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qu Ruhai likely didn’t want to display his full capabilities before the Yao people. Therefore, he didn’t use the battle saber he usually carried, opting instead for a pair of brass hand-sheathed swords.

He Lingchuan had seen many strange weapons on battlefields, but this was his first time encountering hand-sheathed swords. The hilt was somehow fixed to the back of Qu Ruhai’s hand, and the blade was triangular, not straight, but curved inwards.He Lingchuan kept feeling that its shape was familiar, that he had seen it somewhere before. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly realized:Damn it, wasn’t this the shape of a flat-bottomed boat’s bow?Just by looking at the hand-sheathed swords’ design, He Lingchuan knew they were best suited for stabbing and sweeping. Sure enough, Qu Ruhai’s attacks predominantly used these two methods, with slight variations forming over a dozen combo attacks. One such combo, “Linked Stabs,” involved over thirty rapid thrusts within two breaths, a frequency that reminded He Lingchuan of Mother Zhu’s claw attacks, though the Spider Queen had eight claws, and Qu Ruhai only had two.After this combo, Chongwu finally failed to dodge and was stabbed in the leg, bleeding profusely.However, Qu Ruhai’s focus on offense meant his defense was inherently weak, and he was also wounded twice by Chongwu during this time.The two fought like wounded beasts, covered in blood, and the atmosphere outside the arena grew increasingly intense.In the end, General Chongwu’s shoulder took another heavy blow, but Qu Ruhai was also struck by two of Chongwu’s ice arrows and knocked out of the arena, landing with a splash in the cold spring.The spring water immediately turned red.

Seeing this, the Yao King finally clapped softly and said:“Alright, that’s enough. I’ll declare this a draw. What do my lords think?”The officials unanimously agreed.They neither wanted Chongwu to lose nor dared to imagine Qu Ruhai being killed, so a draw was an excellent solution.Only the Yao King felt a slight disappointment. He had originally hoped Chongwu could defeat Qu Ruhai and earn him some prestige, but this match wasn’t a true fight to the death, and he knew it would be difficult for Chongwu to truly overwhelm Qu Ruhai.Alas, if only Xue Zongwu were still alive.

Qu Ruhai leapt out of the water, the frost on his hair growing thicker. He quickly channeled his true energy to repel the cold.He and General Chongwu both returned to their seats, and their subordinates began tending to their wounds.The palace attendants began settling the bets.He Lingchuan, smiling, received his share.Although the odds for a draw weren’t high, a small win was still a win.He held a wad of silver notes, lightly fanning himself with them, a few times before putting them into his pouch.Gu Xuan and Yuwen Yong watched from the side, a mix of emotions on their faces.

The palace guards quickly tidied the arena, and the usher loudly announced, “Next up—”The next match had been predetermined.However, before the announcement was finished, He Yang, standing behind Qingyang, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “It’s our turn.”The arena suddenly fell silent.The leader of the Azure Guards was going to make a move?Everyone wondered who they were going to openly target this time.

Qu Ruhai was about to swallow a pill, but he paused, surprised by the announcement, and accidentally bit through the medicinal coating.Damn, that’s bitter.He quickly grabbed a wine cup and gulped down several mouthfuls to wash the powdered medicine into his stomach.The gurgling sound was particularly jarring in the quiet arena.He Yang gave him a cold glance before continuing, “I hear Island Master He once defeated the Deputy Commander of the Conjoined Guards in Chiyan State, showing remarkable cultivation and skill. Someone here wishes to seek guidance from Island Master He.”He tilted his head back, and a man stepped out from among the Azure Guards. He was in his forties, with a long beard and a pale face, looking more like a scholar than a martial artist.While standing among the Azure Guards, he had been unassuming, but the moment he stepped forward, He Lingchuan immediately felt that this man was extraordinary.“This is Master Ding Qingshan, Island Master He…”Before He Yang could issue the challenge, He Lingchuan interjected, “You want Master Ding to challenge me? I don’t think that’s appropriate. We have no personal grievances.”Everyone found this amusing. Ninety percent of those who fought on this stage had no personal vendettas.Weren’t they all acting at their masters’ behest?He Yang smiled without humor. “Island Master He, you don’t want to fight, you don’t want to leave, and you’re even trying to undermine the King?”

Hearing this, He Lingchuan looked at the Yao King. The latter sat calmly under a tree, appearing as if the matter didn’t concern him.However, this was his birthday celebration. Theoretically, He Lingchuan should adhere to the rules of the imperial martial arts display: if challenged, he must respond. Even Qu Ruhai, a Luodian, had complied, so how could He Lingchuan be an exception? Moreover, the Yao King had just mentioned that if only Yao people fought, it would be boring for foreign envoys attending the ceremony.This was originally the rhetoric used to challenge Qu Ruhai, but He Yang had now applied it here.If He Lingchuan didn’t step up, he would have to find someone to go in his stead.Wanqiu Feng had been standing silently behind He Lingchuan. At this moment, he stepped forward and whispered, “My Lord, I will go.”He Lingchuan ignored him and only asked He Yang:“Is this match to stop before serious harm, or a fight to the death?”Not far away, Qu Ruhai rubbed his nose, realizing this fellow had copied his words.He Yang didn’t even blink. “To present a magnificent imperial performance, it must, of course, be a fight to the death.”The audience below fell silent. Even the dullest person now understood what was happening.