Chapter 75: She Set Up a Table on the Arena
“What’s going on? Why did Steward Cai agree to her request? Didn’t they have a feud?” the cultivators below murmured, looking around. No one could explain it. The disciples of HongHua Sect were also puzzled, all looking at Qi Huang with surprise.
“How did you know Steward Cai would agree?” Cheng Hong Ling asked with unconcealed curiosity.
“Did you forget? This Steward Cai has in-law relations with HuXiao Sect. Without knowing our background, how could he let his relatives take the lead?” Qi Huang explained patiently.
“So that’s how it is!” Cheng Hong Ling suddenly understood. Although she was smart, she was too young and lacked Qi Huang’s extensive social experience, so she couldn’t consider things as comprehensively.
“Alright, Jinliu Sect is yours. After eliminating them, I’ll handle all the subsequent opponents,” Qi Huang said, rubbing her hands together.
“Including that Sixth Princess?” Cheng Hong Ling confirmed.
“I’m the one who was appointed as the Imperial Concubine, so I naturally have to handle the trouble I caused,” Qi Huang stated with sound reasoning.
“Are you sure you can handle it? Don’t go easy on them just because they’re pretty,” Cheng Hong Ling reminded her vigilantly.
“Go easy? Don’t you know my strength? I don’t even need to use my hands to deal with her,” Qi Huang said confidently, though her eyes flickered a bit, clearly showing her guilt.
“Heh heh…” Cheng Hong Ling gave a noncommittal smile, her gaze turning a bit unfriendly.
Meanwhile, Steward Cai on the stage was trying to save face. As a steward of the Immortal Alliance, he had taken the lead in breaking the rules. If he didn’t find a reasonable excuse, how could he command respect in the future?
“Everyone, the rules of the Evergreen Convention represent the majesty of the Immortal Alliance, and no one shall violate them. However, this round, HongHua Sect not only has to face two opponents but also fight them consecutively. This is an unprecedented situation. As this steward understands their difficulties, I’ve made an exception by allowing them to choose the order of their opponents. This also reflects the humane side of the Immortal Alliance’s management. However, this is a one-time exception and will not be repeated.” Steward Cai spoke fluently, his face not blushing and his breathing steady.
The cultivators below exchanged whispers and nodded. However, the astute ones disdained this, thinking that it was his word against theirs anyway, and who dared to object?
“Alright, please have the fellow Daoists from HuXiao Sect rest on the side, and please have the fellow Daoists from Jinliu Sect come up to compete,” Steward Cai announced on behalf of the disciples.
Although the disciples of HuXiao Sect didn’t understand what was happening, they knew that Steward Cai was on their side, so they obediently stepped off the stage. The Jinliu Sect below, on the other hand, knew that Steward Cai was using them as tools, even if they were dull. They were all furious, but due to the disparity in power, no one dared to say no.
…
“Those Jinliu Sect fellows are unlucky. Being eliminated twice in a row, even in the long history of the Evergreen Convention, would be quite earth-shattering.”
“Do we even need ‘if’? Weren’t they no match for them last time? In just two or three days, can they turn things around?”
“But you have to admit, that kid Jin Hu was close to death that day, and now he’s bouncing around as if fully revived!”
“What Jin Hu? Jin Shu, a rat, of course, rats have tenacious vitality.”
“I’d forgotten if you hadn’t reminded me. He’s called Jin Shu now. His father, Cheng Hong Ling’s father asked him to change his name.”
…
The surrounding cultivators didn’t miss any opportunity to mock. Many of them had already been eliminated and were staying to watch the spectacle.
“Don’t panic. Since you know that Cheng Hong Ling is all bark and no bite, you don’t need to be afraid. Today, you’ll get back double the humiliation you suffered a few days ago. I don’t want to hear anyone call you Jin Shu again, nor do I want to hear Jinliu Sect called a rat’s nest.” Elder Jin suppressed his anger as he spoke to his son and disciples. Due to their previous failure, many cultivators below were now calling Jinliu Sect a rat’s nest, which was a great humiliation.
“Don’t worry, Dad! The reason we lost last time was because we didn’t understand her well enough. This time it’s different. Not only will I rightfully change my name back, but I will also let her know that there is only one rat’s nest in this world, and that is Huang Tian Prefecture.” Jin Hu… no, Jin Shu, vowed with great conviction. Thanks to that pill from Elder Zuo, he had no other lingering effects besides a slight decrease in his spiritual sense; he had simply forgotten the pain after healing.
“Go! Don’t disappoint me!” Elder Jin encouraged him.
“Elder Jin, what about us?” several Immortal Seeds nearby inquired.
“You don’t need to go up. You’re useless except as tools for that little slut to show off her might,” Bao Gang, who was standing nearby, said disdainfully.
“No, no, no, you must go up, and then introduce yourselves like the other disciples of HongHua Sect before coming down,” Jin Shu suggested.
“Why?” Bao Gang asked, confused.
“Just like that little slut said, I not only want the cultivators at this Evergreen Convention to remember my name, but I also want them to remember the names of all my fellow disciples,” Jin Shu said ambitiously.
“Okay, since your senior disciple has this confidence, then follow his wishes and go up to introduce yourselves before coming down.” Elder Jin looked at his persistent son with admiration.
Thus, the Immortal Seeds of Jinliu Sect walked onto the stage with their heads held high, not a single one missing.
“These guys actually have the nerve to come up,” Ruan Lingyu said in surprise.
“Yes, looking at them, their morale doesn’t seem to be affected at all,” Yun Fei also expressed her astonishment.
“It doesn’t matter. This makes it more interesting. If they came up crying and dejected, how could we stoop to kicking them when they’re down?” Qi Huang appeared very relaxed and at ease.
“Could they have thought of a way to deal with Junior Sister?” Yun Fei quickly reacted.
“Second Senior Sister, you worry too much. If we could win just by thinking, what would be the point of cultivation? We might as well just gather around and devise strategies,” Shen Yuan retorted immediately.
Just then, the disciples of the Immortal Alliance announced the start of the match.
“Wait!” Jin Shu waved his hand and then said to his eight fellow disciples, “You guys go introduce yourselves and then come down.”
The fellow disciples received the order and lined up, then walked to the edge of the stage one by one to introduce themselves.
…
“Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am Zhang San of Jinliu Sect. I am twenty-six years old, my cultivation level is at the third layer of the Guiyi Realm, I am handsome, have upright character, no bad habits, and am still unmarried. If any Immortal Fairy is interested, you can find me to chat privately later.”
“Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am Li Si of Jinliu Sect. I am twenty-nine years old, my cultivation level is at the second layer of the Guiyi Realm. Although I am extremely filial, I still don’t have a godfather. If any senior who has no offspring needs someone to care for them in their old age and see them off at their death, you can find me to chat later. However, the requirement is that your cultivation level must be above the Shentong Realm.”
“Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am Wang Wu of Jinliu Sect. I am twenty-seven years old, my cultivation level is at the fifth layer of the Guiyi Realm. Not only am I exceptionally talented, but I also have a family. The only regret is that my son is not very filial. If anyone wants to find a godfather, you can discuss it with me privately. The prerequisite is that your gender must be female, and you must be fair-skinned, beautiful, and have long legs.”
…
The disciples of Jinliu Sect spoke eloquently, directly turning the Evergreen Convention into a matchmaking event.
“What are they doing?” Ruan Lingyu asked, dumbfounded.
“Don’t you find this scene familiar? They are doing what we did,” Qi Huang said, unable to contain her laughter.
“Why are they imitating us?” Miao Xiang asked timidly.
“Who knows? Perhaps they also want to be remembered in history,” Qi Huang speculated.
“What are you doing? Why are you imitating us?” Shen Yuan couldn’t help but loudly question.
“We’re just imitating, what can you do? Just as Qi Huang said, this time I not only want everyone present to remember myself, but I also want them to remember my fellow disciples!” Jin Shu said, like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water.
“Actually, there’s no need to introduce yourselves. Being eliminated twice in one Evergreen Convention makes it hard not to remember you,” Qi Huang mocked.
“You…” Jin Shu almost spat blood from anger. He took a deep breath and said, “Stop the nonsense. Tell your fellow disciples to get off the stage. I can’t wait to get revenge.”
“Strange, why should they get off the stage?” Qi Huang asked back in confusion.
“Let them stay on the stage? Aren’t you afraid of being dragged down?” Jin Shu, however, was a bit bewildered.
“I asked them to get off earlier because I felt I didn’t need so many people to deal with you all, not because I was afraid of being dragged down. Since you’ve said so, they won’t get off this time,” Qi Huang explained casually.
“Really?” Ruan Lingyu was overjoyed. She knew that following Junior Sister meant enjoying the thrill of defeating weak opponents, no matter who the opponent was.
“Of course, it’s real!” Qi Huang replied while taking out tables and chairs from her storage ring and placing them at the edge of the stage. Then, she put some fruits and pastries on them.
“What are you doing?” Jin Hu asked, dumbfounded.
“Eating melon seeds. It’s boring for one person to eat them, so I asked them to eat with me. Don’t worry, my words still count. As long as you can make any one of us leave this seat, then HongHua Sect will be considered defeated.” Qi Huang responded while signaling her fellow disciples to sit down, turning herself into a spectator on the stage. After all, watching the show from below the stage was too tiring, as it required looking up.
