"What happened?"Qin Feng felt the weight of Li Changhai"s puzzled stare as if it was a huge stone, and almost winced. But he managed to keep a straight face. Even when the Second Ducal Prince asked in a very strange tone of voice:
"You didn"t see? Brother Liushui lured him into using his Eagle s.n.a.t.c.hes The Carp move, and slipped past his attack to break his leg. Weren"t you watching the match?"
"I got distracted. See? The Snow Swallow Palace people have arrived," he replied, with a laugh, thankfully without blushing, as he pointed at the opposite stands.
However, he realized his mistake as soon as he did that. Wu Batian was glaring at him as though he wanted to devour Qin Feng alive, because of that guffaw he gave out. Or to tear him apart, limb from limb. Whichever would cause him more pain.
No doubt, the old leader of the Black Eagle Mountain contingent was thinking that he was commenting about his loss. And how his own son had been so badly beaten up. After all, Qin Feng did have a weak smile on his face, and someone like Wu Batian would never believe that a youngster like Qin Feng would miss a chance to mock him.
And how could Qin Feng explain, that he was looking at the pretty woman sitting down three seats away from his location? While some of the younger men would certainly allow that it was true, which of them would dare to risk Wu Batian"s wrath, by saying that?
Lin Liushui, in the meantime, had already made it back to the stands, and was collapsing into the seat on the other side of Li Changhai. The Second Ducal Prince looked on with worry, as he half-fell into his chair, prompting the strategist to grin.
"That was a harder fight than I had expected. But I wore out his patience, and so got that opportunity. I believe that he was distracted by Xu Yanzhi as well, when she arrived. So maybe I should thank her later, for arousing his l.u.s.t, and so distracting him."
"Xu Yanzhi? That"s the young girl in green?"
Lin Liushui looked up at Qin Feng"s question with obvious amus.e.m.e.nt. "Ah? Young Brother Qin Feng is showing interest in a woman? That is a surprise. I had not thought that highly of little Yanzhi"s charms. But not to worry, she is distantly related to me, like a cousin. Several times removed. If you are interested, I will introduce you to her later, Brother Qin."
Qin Feng managed to plaster a smile on his lips. It was still fake, although he didn"t need too much effort to make it work this time. "Not necessary. I have met her before. I think that she remembers me too. Or rather, she remembers my face. She won"t know my name. Since I did not give it. The last time we met."
It was embarra.s.sing. How come his words had come out like that? As though he had difficulty expressing himself? It was likely because this was the first time that he had tried to bandy words with Lin Liushui, he told himself.
But looking at the expressions on everyone"s faces - everybody around him, that is! Well, it was clear that they all got the wrong impression, didn"t they?
Was that why they were all staring at him in silence?
Then Du Yan broke the spell, and laughed weakly as he coughed into his left fist. "Well, that aside, I think it is my turn to make a move. Say, that fellow that called me out earlier: would he make a good target?"
He had turned to ask Lin Liushui, who gave his fan a quick shake before he answered:
"An excellent target! That"s Bei Mohuang, the second son of the leader of the Golden Shield School. A rather good martial pract.i.tioner but his Golden Shield has not reached the peak state yet. So you should be able to take him, if you get him with a fully strengthened blow.
"Getting one in, however, will be your problem!"
Qin Feng"s smile then, was a more genuine one. The stage had been cleared, and the injured Wu Zhenyang carried away. But there were marks on the flagstones, and it was clear that he had attacked Lin Liushui with some vigor. If he concentrated, he could still get a gist of the trace of Lin Liushui"s final blow. That was something that he could use!
Du Yan"s fighting style, on the other hand, was closer to the way that he used his Four Seasons Sword, which depended on speed, rather than mere power. That was the mistake that everyone had made with Du Yan, once they saw his great bulk. So he was more determined to pay closer attention to this match!
"Where is the rascal who dared to challenge me earlier? Get your sorry a*se up here!" shouted Du Yan as he landed up on the stage. The crowd at the other side of the Arena had only just begun discuss who to send up next, so he had effectively shut them up, and s.n.a.t.c.hed the initiative away from them.
Well, that and his use of that mild vulgarity. But considering the fact that they were picking on him and his betrothed, and his reputation for having a quick temper, no one really bothered to raise a fuss about that.
The young fellow who had stood in the middle of the stage earlier, and shouted at him was quick to respond as well, before anyone of the older generation could advise him. Clearly, he was determined to make his name, with Du Yan as his stepping stone.
Too bad no one had told Du Yan that!
The man in brown and yellow started an attack the moment that he got up, thinking to s.n.a.t.c.h the advantage from Du Yan immediately. But the burly fellow had his maces out already, and was able to fend of his opponent"s sword with ease.
But it was when Du Yan counter-attacked that the one from the Golden Shield School showed why he had been so confident in his own skills:
The maces that Du Yan had been so proud off had simply glanced off his forearms with a sharp metallic sound, as though the man was wearing vambraces, or some other sort of armor! And every one of Du Yan"s four consecutive strikes was blocked without exception!
"Did you think that our Golden Shield School"s Golden Shield got its name for nothing? What an idiot? Here! Come at me! I will show you just how useless your Du Family martial arts are!" shouted the man in yellow and brown.
Du Yan cursed loudly as the one from the Golden Shield School threw up his arms again, and blocked his fiery mace a.s.sault a fifth time. But despite his furrowed brow, Qin Feng had the impression that the tall, brawny fellow was undeterred by the man in the yellow shirt. And it did not require any imagination at all, to figure out why:
The Golden Shield Martial School"s primary claim to fame was its infamous Golden Shield, a martial technique that augmented one"s body with one"s zhenqi. By circulating the same through one"s meridians in a particular way, the Golden Shield allowed its pract.i.tioners to stand up to an a.s.sault by someone up to three levels higher! And in a one-on-one fight, that should be enough to allow him to gain a distinct advantage!
Yet, for some strange reason, Du Yan was still pushing forward, and continuing to hit the smiling fellow in yellow. And his twin maces were pounding away with an almost boring, rhythmic pattern. It looked frustrating, the way the latter was smirking as he blocked, or rather, absorbed all of Du Yan"s blows. But the big muscular man did not look as though he was going to give up hitting the older man.
Obviously, Du Yan had the confidence that he would be able to overcome, or at the least, to neutralize, his opponent"s widely-known defensive technique.
Something that the Golden Shield School"s representatives around the Drill Circle were clearly dismissive of. After all, they did not get their reputation as one of the hardest defensive Martial Arts Schools in jianghu for nothing.
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Qin Feng, on the other hand, was a little more confident in his friend. Not to mention the fact that he had just spotted a slight smile, a confident smile, on the lips of Lin Liushui, who was seated right next to him. The Second Ducal Prince, who had his chair on the other side of the handsome man, still looked worried though.
So he nudged the gorgeous man in the ribs, and nodded at Li Changhai when Lin Liushui turned to look at him in askance. The handsome fellow gave out a soft chuckle, then nodded his thanks at Qin Feng"s reminder, before leaning over to the Second Ducal Prince, and whispering in his ear.
Whatever he told Li Changhai certainly did the trick. The Ducal Prince no longer looked as anxious as he had moments before. And he even glanced at Qin Feng, and offered the latter a quick smile before turning back to stare at the duelists.
* * *