Chapter 34: Hello and Goodbye

Xu Xiaoshou was washing his hands. If he hadn't used his hand to block that fatal lunge at the crucial moment, his first kiss in this life might have been stolen.

"Received a curse, Passive Points +2.""Received a curse, Passive Points +2."

Behind him, two staff members writhed on the ground, clutching their stomachs. Xu Xiaoshou's kick hadn't felt good. Of course, these two, who had the idea of using a ladder to save someone, had very limited cultivation. Xu Xiaoshou knew how to control his strength.

*Boom!*

Just then, an explosion echoed from the main arena. A towering Spirit Tree shot up, piercing through the barrier and knocking a burly figure off the stage.

"Combat concluded, Muzi Xi wins!"

The audience erupted in an uproar. The Spirit Tree, which had suddenly grown wildly on the stage, truly astonished everyone.

"Oh, my goodness! This is incredible, Innate... Innate Realm?""Junior Sister Mu is also in the Innate Realm? She's only been in the Spirit Palace for a year, hasn't she? Is this the power she wields in her first 'Wind-Cloud Hegemony' competition?""A genius... no, a prodigy!""Poor Ren Chong, with his Ten-Stage cultivation and Minor Body Refinement, stopped at the top eight.""Wow, that's high! He was thrown dozens of meters, wasn't he? My god, look! Ren Chong is falling, and someone's at the landing spot... Is that Xu Xiaoshou?""Watch out!"

Xu Xiaoshou was meticulously scrubbing the back of his hands, washing away the grime, when suddenly a dark object entered his mind, seemingly from above. What the heck was that? It even broke the small barrier in the waiting area!

"Received a sneak attack, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou scoffed. Things were different now; he was no longer the Xu Xiaoshou he used to be. With a backhand grab, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he'd caught a large watermelon, though it was a bit prickly. He took a closer look... *Holy cow!* It was a human head!

Startled, Xu Xiaoshou immediately let go. As a reflex, he delivered a knee strike.

*Thud!*

With a muffled thud, Ren Chong was sent flying high into the air again. This time, Xu Xiaoshou had forgotten to hold back his strength; in fact, being startled, he had even used extra force.

The audience watched, wide-eyed, as Ren Chong fell from heaven to hell, then from hell back to the mortal realm, crashing violently onto the floor, spitting blood, his entire body seemingly dislocated.

"Haha, I can't take it! How unlucky that he ended up with Xu Xiaoshou! What great sin did he commit? Xu Xiaoshou has an Innate Physique; that knee strike probably broke his ribs, didn't it?""Poor guy, one match, two critical hits.""Xu Xiaoshou's reaction is something else! It seems he's honed his counter-attack skills since Old Man Wen's last sneak attack—heart jabs and head grabs, tsk tsk!"

The audience chattered incessantly. With the barrier broken, Xu Xiaoshou actually received some Passive Points.

"Received admiration, Passive Points +32.""Received praise, Passive Points +17."

Medical personnel swiftly rushed past Xu Xiaoshou, not forgetting to glare at him as they left, as if Xu Xiaoshou was the sole culprit responsible for the person's unconsciousness.

"Received contempt, Passive Points +4."

Xu Xiaoshou felt deeply wronged. He was just washing his hands, and trouble came out of nowhere. Who knew it was a person! It was already good that he didn't twist off the "large watermelon" with his backhand.

"Received resentment, Passive Points +1.""Received resentment, Passive Points +1.""Received resentment, Passive Points +1.""..."

The info panel suddenly refreshed several times in quick succession. Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily confused. Such small, single-point passive values, but at such a rapid refresh rate... He abruptly looked in the direction where Ren Chong had fallen. Sure enough, the guy had been revived by the medical staff and was staring at him with a face full of resentment.

Oh, really! You got knocked off the stage yourself, then sneak attacked me, and now you're blaming me?

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. Shaking the water from his hands, he strode over.

"Received suspicion, Passive Points +1.""Received suspicion, Passive Points +1."

Ren Chong's gaze flickered. Xu Xiaoshou was coming over... What did he want to do? The two staff members behind, sensing trouble, rushed forward and grabbed him. They knew Xu Xiaoshou too well.

"What are you doing? Don't be impulsive!""This is an injured person, a patient!"

Xu Xiaoshou bared his teeth and said, "I feel like he resents me."

Ren Chong panicked. *How the hell can you sense that so clearly?* He quickly grabbed a medical staff member's hand: "Don't save me yet! Xu Xiaoshou... he's coming!"

All four medical staff members looked over in unison, another wave of "death glares." Xu Xiaoshou forced a wide grin and chuckled, "Hehe, it's fine. I'm just showing some concern, seeing if this guy is crippled."

"No need to worry, I'm perfectly fine!" Ren Chong's body trembled. He clutched the medical staff member's hand desperately, pleading, "I request to be treated somewhere else!"

"Hehe..." Xu Xiaoshou's laugh was very warm.

"Xu Xiaoshou!""Chao Qingteng!"

Xiao Qixiu's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the little interlude in the waiting area. Clearly, the draw was complete. As soon as his voice fell, the entire venue fell silent, then erupted into a tsunami of cheers. Clearly, everyone was full of anticipation for this match.

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned. Chao Qingteng? Second on the Wind-Cloud Rankings? An Innate Realm expert?

"So it's finally here?" He sighed softly, knowing that at the round of eight-to-four, the probability of encountering an Innate Realm expert was very high.

"Received mockery, Passive Points +1.""Received mockery, Passive Points +1."

The info panel refreshed repeatedly again. Xu Xiaoshou instinctively looked at Ren Chong, and sure enough, the guy had a look of schadenfreude on his face. Who could tolerate this? First resentment, then mockery—is there no end to it?! So what if it's Chao Qingteng? It's not like he's guaranteed to win against me. Why are you mocking me?

Xu Xiaoshou instantly shook off the staff members' hands and rushed forward.

"Holy crap, Xu Xiaoshou, what are you doing?!" Ren Chong panicked."Xu Xiaoshou, stop!" The medical staff quickly dodged, afraid of being hit by his Innate Physique. "This is an injured person! What are you doing?"

Ren Chong watched in shock as the four 'white-clad angels' ran away? "Take me with you!"

Xu Xiaoshou picked up the immobile Ren Chong, his face filled with self-reproach and regret. "Oh, you... I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have hit you. But it's okay, I can set bones, and I have plenty of Crimson Gold Pills. You'll definitely be fine!" Xu Xiaoshou's voice had a hint of a sob. As he spoke, he touched Ren Chong's ribs.

"Holy crap, don't touch me!""Help! Where are the medics? Don't just run off on your own, take me with you!"*Hiss~**Aah—*

The medical staff and the waiting area personnel huddled together, shivering as they watched Xu Xiaoshou simultaneously setting Ren Chong's bones and pulling out pills. He must be a demon!

***

A young girl in light green silk descended from the main arena. Her features were delicate, like carved jade, and she was exceptionally cute. She had long twin ponytails and her small head swiveled around. Seeming to find her target, she bounced over to Xu Xiaoshou and patted his head.

"Xu Xiaoshou, Elder Xiao is calling you.""Hold on, I'm setting bones!" Xu Xiaoshou replied without turning his head.

The girl tilted her head, clearly very curious. She watched Xu Xiaoshou vigorously press on Ren Chong's injuries, occasionally letting him sniff a pill. She was instantly shocked by this action, pointing at Ren Chong and saying, "He's dying!"

"It's fine. The Crimson Gold Pills will keep him alive; he won't die.""You're letting him sniff the pills but not making him eat them. What's the use?"

Xu Xiaoshou's movements paused at her words. *Oh, right, this guy doesn't seem to have "nasal absorption"...* Ren Chong was spitting foamy blood, his eyes rolled back, already halfway to the underworld. Xu Xiaoshou quickly fed him the pill. The bone-setting, of course, was successful; Xu Xiaoshou's technique was reliable. But as for the pain, that was left to fate.

"Xu Xiaoshou! Get up here!" Xiao Qixiu's furious roar echoed.

Xu Xiaoshou shivered. Turning around, he saw the graceful, delicate appearance of the green-clad girl. It must have been her who called him earlier.

"You are...""Muzi Xi."

The green-clad girl tilted her head and smiled warmly, "Hello there, Xu Xiaoshou."

"Oh, oh." Xu Xiaoshou had no time to dally. He quickly ran towards the stage, "Hello! Goodbye!"

Muzi Xi: "..."

"Received a curse, Passive Points +1."