Chapter 298: People Coming and Going

He Lingchuan accepted his good intentions with a smile. Meng Shan's final strike landed on his left arm, not only breaking it instantly but also causing a considerable jolt to his internal organs. Until the very last moment, Meng Shan's strength remained undiminished. This guy was truly a formidable opponent.

Ah Luo knew immediately with a touch: "Your arm is broken!" She handed him a pill, saying, "Swallow this; it will help calm your internal injuries." Then Ah Luo quickly reset his bone, applied medicine, and splinted it. Her movements were skilled but not gentle. He Lingchuan hissed several times, unable to help but recall Sun Fuling's gentle touch when she changed his dressing.

He looked down at the audience and met her eyes. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and her smile was as radiant as a flower; she must have won a good sum.

"Alright, alright, for the next seven days, don't run, jump, or put any pressure on the injured area." Ah Luo quickly and deftly finished treating him, while Meng Shan was carried away. Ah Luo and the other military doctors went to examine Meng Shan, while He Lingchuan slowly descended the stage. Along the way, patrol guards and soldiers gave him thumbs up, vied to pat his shoulder, and continuously praised his prowess.

Meng Shan had been arrogant in both the North and South Courts, irking countless people. He Lingchuan had now exacted their revenge. Outside the railing of Ring No. 7, the crowds cheered, and the young women, in particular, looked at him with sparkling eyes. This was the victorious moment, and the air was filled with a sense of triumph. He Lingchuan took a deep breath. Although his mouth and nose still carried the scent of rust, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

Hu Min rushed over, taking two steps at a time, dangling several large ingots of gold and silver in front of him. "We're rich! We're rich!" he exclaimed. "Dinner at Yixiang Restaurant is on me tonight; don't try to snatch the bill from me!"

He Lingchuan stared, dumbfounded: "How did you convert it to gold so quickly?" Hu Min pointed at the Thin Man, who was also grinning from ear to ear. He Lingchuan wondered which of his younger brothers' bride price he had managed to gather this time.

Sun Fuling walked over: "You're seriously injured; you can't drink alcohol for now."

"Nonsense, last time my leg was broken, I still drank, drank..." Sun Fuling narrowed her eyes, and Hu Min shivered, quickly correcting himself. "I'm a bachelor, what do I know? But good food and meat are still fine, right? I heard Yixiang Restaurant has a new dish called 'Two Dragons Seizing the Pearl'..."

He Lingchuan ignored him, just grinning at Sun Fuling: "I won! A promise is a promise." She understood his unspoken meaning. Pulling out a mirror from somewhere, she held it up to him. "Look," she said. He Lingchuan looked into the mirror and was startled. Earlier, he had been thrown back, his face scraping the ground. Now, half his face was swollen and engorged with blood, bruised purple and blue, looking utterly disheveled and covered in mud and sand.

"Are you still sure now?" Sun Fuling stifled a laugh: "Can you still feel your face?"

It was indeed numb, so he'd have to put it off for now. He Lingchuan sighed, changing his question to her: "How much did you win?"

"Not much," she said, pointing at Hu Min, "just about ten times what he won."

"Ten..."

Sun Fuling patted his arm—the uninjured one, of course: "You really didn't disappoint me! A huge win; we earned everything back."

The Thin Man came over and slipped a note into He Lingchuan's hand. He Lingchuan looked at it; it read: "Owes 900 taels of silver."

"What does this mean?"

"I don't have change, so I'll owe it to you for now and give it to you later!" The Thin Man was sweating profusely from busyness, his face aching from smiling so much. In the earlier battle, He Lingchuan's odds were terrifyingly high, and now the winnings were equally astonishing. He proactively handed several gold ingots to Xiao Maoliang, fawningly saying, "Chief Xiao, your winnings!"

He Lingchuan was speechless. So Xiao Maoliang had also placed a bet? He had a family to support and never refused unexpected wealth.

However, Xiao Maoliang was more serious than the others; he remembered to ask He Lingchuan, "Did you only use the Swallow Return and Wave Cut techniques just now?"

"Yes, Swallow Cut," he replied. "These two techniques, used together, can produce miraculous results. And Swallow Cut can be further transformed into Falcon Strike, making the attack even more formidable." But that was for later.

"How did you dodge his roar attack?" he asked. Meng Shan's Mountain-Shaking Roar had knocked out civilians by the ring. He Lingchuan, who was only two feet away, had taken the full force of the attack, so how could he be unharmed? He Lingchuan chuckled, opening his right hand to reveal two wads of cotton in his palm. He knew Meng Shan's routine well. Before going on stage, he had plugged his ears; this kind of physical defense proved most effective. Of course, intentionally blocking his hearing was a risky move, and he might not dare to use it against others. Alas, he still needed a divine ability to defend against such intangible attacks.

Xiao Maoliang was startled, then patted his shoulder: "Not bad."

He Lingchuan had been defeated seven times by Meng Shan, and died seven times. Today, he finally turned defeat into victory, and the feeling of vindication, exhilaration, and profound relief was truly inexpressible. His mind felt clear. Such emotions should not be underestimated. Many cultivators become trapped by a single devastating defeat, their state of mind never again clear, preventing them from bravely advancing. For him, defeating Meng Shan was a landmark victory. After kicking away the shadow of this human-shaped brute, he truly felt the vastness of the world, and that from now on, infinite possibilities awaited him.

"Not bad, it seems you have also comprehended your own path," Xiao Maoliang said. A good blade technique can be infinitely extended; it only depends on how the user comprehends it. In time, Dragoncoil City might gain another great general. Xiao Maoliang was very pleased.

At that moment, the Martial Arts Hall also sent someone to congratulate him. Pointing at the board next to Ring No. 7, they asked He Lingchuan, "Do you want to become the ring master? You can fight again in forty days." These forty days were for recovery, which was quite humane. That board was the Ring Master List. He Lingchuan saw that there wasn't just one ring master; there were four names on it. Seeing his confusion, Hu Min explained, "Ring masters also get injured and need time to recover. They remain on the list until they are defeated. These four are the ones who successfully defended their rings and haven't been beaten yet."

The Thin Man finally finished settling the money with others. His face glowing, he squeezed over. "Unless the injury is too severe, if someone challenges, the ring master must accept within forty days, otherwise, it counts as a failed defense, and they will be automatically removed from the list. Also, the number of people on the Ring Master List cannot exceed ten; otherwise, the Martial Arts Hall will arrange matches between the ring masters themselves."

He Lingchuan looked up. So, there were only five ring masters now—was that the result of their internal duels? The Thin Man paused, then added: "Broken Blade, fighting in Ring No. 7 is better than at the Martial Arts Hall's South Court."

"Why?" he asked, not understanding.

"Everyone knows you're the ring master, so those without real skill wouldn't dare to challenge you," the Thin Man explained. "If you sought sparring partners in the Martial Arts Hall's South Court, you might not know each other's true abilities." In plain terms, it was an efficiency issue. Being Ring Master No. 7 could effectively screen for stronger opponents. Both spoke plainly. He Lingchuan thought for a moment and agreed to the Martial Arts Hall's offer to become the glorious Ring Master No. 7. He lacked practical combat experience, and dueling with masters was the fastest way.

Afterwards, the Martial Arts Hall erased Meng Shan's name from the board, writing "He Lingchuan" in large red characters and noting his identity as a "Patrol Guard." On the bustling street, this was truly... very conspicuous. Probably before breakfast tomorrow, half of Dragoncoil City would know that a new master of Ring No. 7 had been born. He Lingchuan rubbed his chin. He liked it.

After all, he was still injured, so after receiving his ring master reward, he should go home to rest. Crowds thronged in front of the Martial Arts Hall's main entrance. Sun Fuling took one look and said, "Let's use the back door."

"There's a back door here?" He had been to the Martial Arts Hall to play eight times and never knew.

"Of course there is." So the group took the small path beside the Martial Arts Hall's North Court, quietly exiting through the small gate to the northwest. The further north they went, the quieter the Martial Arts Hall became. Most people there had also gone to watch the matches. He Lingchuan looked at the arena within the fence, wondering if Zhong Shengguang and others would also come there to train. Outside the small northwest gate, it was indeed much quieter.

However, as soon as He Lingchuan stepped out, some forty to fifty people still surrounded him, smiling. Some wanted to hire him as a consultant for their merchant associations, offering excellent benefits, while others praised his youthful achievements and wanted to recruit him as a son-in-law. There were also seven or eight giggling girls who came over to express their admiration. Two of them, enthusiastic and bold, directly slipped notes into the splint on He Lingchuan's hand, hoping to "seek guidance" from him. He Lingchuan glanced down. What was written on it seemed to be an address. They were young girls of sixteen or seventeen, at the age of blooming flowers, with rosy apple cheeks and eyes full of youthful vibrancy.

He Lingchuan's throat felt a bit dry, and he coughed twice, about to say something, when suddenly, someone released their aura, forming an invisible wall of energy that instantly pushed everyone back three or four feet. The girl closest to him nearly fell on her backside. The Thin Man quickly caught her, trying to smooth things over: "He's injured; you can talk to him later, alright? Don't push, don't rush; he'll still be defending his ring here later!" He Lingchuan turned his head, wanting to see who had pushed the girl, but everyone else was just watching the commotion. Sun Fuling, meanwhile, was intently staring at the chattering magpies on the rooftop.

At that moment, the carriage arrived, and the group quickly boarded. Hu Min patted the coachman's shoulder: "To Yixiang Restaurant." He Lingchuan was startled: "Now?"

"It'll be dark in another hour; it's not too early to go grab seats," Hu Min said with a smile. "I told Chief Xiao, he'll be there soon. You performed so well today, I think you might join the Great Wind Army ahead of schedule."

"Really?" This was unexpected good news, and He Lingchuan felt completely invigorated. "I don't have to wait until I become a squad leader?"

"There are exceptions to everything, aren't there? Exceptional promotions aren't rare here. You risked your life to save General Nanke's team, and then defeated Meng Shan. In terms of strength, you're already qualified." The carriage bounced, and Hu Min swayed his head. "Of course, what I say doesn't count; it depends on what the higher-ups consider."

The carriage turned the corner, and Sun Fuling suddenly knocked on the carriage wall: "Stop, I'll get off here."

"Huh?" He Lingchuan asked her: "Not going to Yixiang Restaurant?"

"No, I have something else to do." The carriage stopped. Sun Fuling put on her face covering and decisively got off, but she winked at He Lingchuan. "Don't worry, I won't go back on my word. See you at home."

Although he couldn't see her expression, He Lingchuan felt she was smiling.