Guo Jing frowned but couldn’t bring himself to deny the possibility of a consecutive battle. It wasn’t just because of his honest nature; more importantly, in front of the assembled heroes, he was the host of the martial arts assembly. If he lied now, the consequences would be dire once the truth came to light. And if Ouyang Feng and his group participated in the assembly to compete for the deputy leader position, consecutive battles were inevitable.
“Young Sorcerer, what does it have to do with you whether Ouyang Feng and the others join the assembly? Are they already your subordinates? Can you make all decisions on their behalf?” At that moment, Huang Rong stepped forward to Guo Jing’s side, speaking with a smile. Her stunning beauty effortlessly drew everyone’s attention.
“I’ve long heard of the renowned Huang Rong, the chivalrous lady. Meeting you today, I see the reputation is well-deserved—truly a beauty to topple kingdoms. The title of the greatest beauty of the former Song dynasty is no exaggeration,” Fang Yeyu said, his eyes lighting up in admiration.
Huang Rong’s heart chilled. The Young Sorcerer Fang Yeyu was indeed no easy opponent. With ease, he deflected her verbal attack and shifted some focus onto her. Over the years, she had come to understand the psychology of most men all too well.
“Young Sorcerer flatters me. Your calm demeanor suggests that Ouyang Feng and the others are indeed your subordinates, taking your lead in everything,” Huang Rong replied with a laugh.
“Lady Huang jokes. Mr. Ouyang and the others are my friends. They are all eminent figures of our time, disinclined to argue, so they’ve asked me, as a friend, to speak on their behalf,” Fang Yeyu said, glancing at Ouyang Feng and the others with a friendly smile. Before Huang Rong could respond, he continued, “It seems that Great Hero Guo acknowledges that if Mr. Ouyang and the others compete for the deputy leader position, they will inevitably face consecutive battles. That’s understandable, given that having me as a friend might lead to misunderstandings about them. However, understanding is one thing. The martial arts assembly, where the deputy leader is decided through combat, must be fair. So, I’ve come up with a solution for Mr. Ouyang and the others.”
“There are three deputy leader positions. Coincidentally, among Mr. Ouyang and his group, three also wish to compete for these spots. Great Hero Guo, how about we hold three matches, with the winner of each becoming a deputy leader?” Fang Yeyu’s gaze fixed on Guo Jing, ignoring Huang Rong entirely.
Huang Rong’s heart sank. He was clearly trying to shut her out. But in this matter, her husband Jing-gege might struggle to handle it well. And with so many people present, if she kept interrupting, it would undermine his authority. Even a whisper transmission was risky—if exposed, it would be even more embarrassing. She regretted not working harder on her cultivation; if she were a grandmaster, she could speak freely. Suppressing her thoughts, she glanced at Hong Qigong.
Hong Qigong caught her meaning and chuckled disdainfully. “How ridiculous. Setting aside your nonsense, which wouldn’t fool a child, Ouyang Feng and the others can join the assembly and compete for the deputy leader position—fine. But they must compete fairly with everyone else. What’s this about three matches against them? Nonsense. Do we have to pick three people first to fight them? And saying the winner of each match becomes a deputy leader is the most absurd. What gives them the right to skip straight to the final round and become a deputy leader with just one win? Are you taking us all for fools, young man?”
Even those who hadn’t understood before now got it. Yes, even if Ouyang Feng and the others joined, they’d have to compete with everyone. What gave them the right to skip to the end? Immediately, angry voices rose. Was Fang Yeyu treating them like idiots?
Fang Yeyu remained calm. When the anger subsided a bit, he spoke unhurriedly, “Hong Qigong makes a valid point. I didn’t think it through earlier. How about this: Great Hero Guo, you select three people, and we’ll have three matches, best of three. If you win, Mr. Ouyang and the others won’t compete for the deputy leader position in this assembly. If they win, they’ll take one deputy leader spot. How does that sound?” He added with a smile, “Just one deputy leader spot—that’s not too much to ask, is it? Of course, if Great Hero Guo and the others, due to my involvement, misunderstand Mr. Ouyang and the others and dare not compete, that’s fine. Just admit you don’t dare, and we’ll be done. Great Hero Guo, Hong Qigong, and all our friends here, you can discuss it. We’ll wait for your answer.”
With that, he adopted a waiting posture, as if watching a show with a hint of disdain. The scene grew quiet, but a tense, indignant atmosphere spread. Many martial artists turned to Guo Jing and Hong Qigong, seemingly waiting for their answer.
In a distant grove, Li Daoqiang narrowed his eyes, a slight smile curling his lips as he murmured to himself, “Quite arrogant, isn’t he?”
“Chief, this Fang Yeyu is always arrogant, relying on the Mongol Yuan and his master. If it comes to a fight, I’m confident I can kill him,” Ding Chunqiu immediately chimed in, feigning disdain for Fang Yeyu’s arrogance, as if the earlier slap had never happened.
Li Daoqiang smiled, his gaze lingering on Ouyang Feng and the others, lost in thought. These were all talents.
On the platform, Guo Jing and the others, though reluctant to follow Fang Yeyu’s lead, realized they had no other choice. Fang Yeyu’s method was simple: provocation. Provoke them into a fight. If they refused, morale would suffer, and the assembly’s impact would be greatly diminished. It was a straightforward scheme, impossible to avoid. Even the matter of one deputy leader spot was trivial. If they lost the best-of-three matches, morale would plummet, and unity would crumble. The Mongol Yuan’s goal of flaunting their strength and sabotaging the assembly would be achieved. In short, they had already lost the verbal battle. As the hosts, they had to face the challenge—there was no escape. Just look at the martial artists below; they were already eager for the fight. That was the way of the martial world. Forget the schemes and strategies—decide it through combat first. That was the martial way. So, they had no choice but to agree.
Over twenty grandmasters gathered, sealing off their voices. “At this point, we have to agree. Best of three—beat them. Use this victory to boost the morale of the anti-Yuan alliance,” Hong Qigong said, setting the tone. No one objected; they all nodded. Then came the task of selecting three fighters for the matches.
“Rong’er, you’ve always been resourceful. Tell us first—how do you think they’ll approach this?” Hong Qigong turned to Huang Rong. Only he could say this without damaging Guo Jing’s reputation by having her speak. Given the presence of so many strong fighters, Huang Rong, though married, wasn’t a grandmaster. Their prestige hadn’t yet reached a level where that could be ignored. Hong Qigong’s question drew everyone’s attention to Huang Rong, and given her reputation for cleverness, no one objected. It was just a preliminary discussion.
“Seventh Elder, you flatter me. I’ll just offer a simple thought,” Huang Rong said modestly, using her femininity to ease the tension of speaking first. Nodding to the group with a smile, she said seriously, “Since we’ve clearly refused Mongol Yuan participation, Fang Yeyu’s fighters can’t be Mongol Yuan. We need to identify which of those strong fighters aren’t strictly Mongol Yuan. Pick the three strongest among them, then choose our three to counter them.”
Everyone nodded. Quickly, they identified the strongest among the dozen who could be considered non-Mongol Yuan. After more discussion, Hong Qigong said gravely, “So, Ouyang Feng, the Fireworker Monk—who calls himself the Vajra Patriarch—Nian Lian Dan, and Zhao Deyan. These four are the strongest who aren’t Mongol Yuan. Let’s use them as opponents and pick our three. Agreed?”
More nods followed. After a brief deliberation, Guo Jing stepped forward and said solemnly, “Fine, we agree to this match. Best of three.”
“Excellent.” Fang Yeyu nodded with a smile, looking confident. He then glanced at the people beside him.
“I’ll go first,” said a man in fine robes, with an impressive bearing and handsome face, speaking with self-assurance.
“Then I’ll trouble Master Nian,” Fang Yeyu said with a slight nod, polite.
The man stepped forward into the air, his scholarly cap atop his head, and said calmly with a smile, “I am Nian Lian Dan, a native of the Oirat tribe, not a Mongol Yuan. Come on, first match—who’s stepping up?”
Guo Jing and the others sighed inwardly. Arguing over whether Nian Lian Dan was Mongol Yuan was pointless. “Please wait a moment. Someone will be here shortly,” Guo Jing said seriously.
Nian Lian Dan frowned slightly, as did Fang Yeyu and the others. It seemed the Song people were well-prepared. Before they could ponder further, a figure swiftly approached.
“Wow, wow, wow—finally my turn! My senior brother is so annoying, making me watch from afar. Now I can come out!” A playful, childlike voice rang out before the figure arrived.
Hong Qigong, Guo Jing, Ma Yu, and the others all smiled. Fang Yeyu and his group recognized the newcomer immediately. Old Imp, Zhou Botong! Wang Chongyang’s junior brother! Why was he fighting the first match? A flicker of doubt arose. From what they knew, this Old Imp, though a top-tier fighter, was slightly weaker than the other Four Absolutes of the Five Absolutes from back then. Something odd meant trouble. Fang Yeyu looked at Ouyang Feng. When it came to understanding the Five Absolutes and Old Imp, perhaps the former Western Venom was the most knowledgeable among them.
(Chapter 2, thanks for the support.) ······