Chapter 270: The Second Wheel

The sky had already turned dark, and around the Zeying Tai, blazing torches were lit...

Some of the onlookers, unable to hold out any longer, had dispersed. But many still remained, surrounding the area on empty stomachs; among them was the City God Temple's Temple Keeper, Xu Dongyang, who had by now moved from the outer perimeter to the front row, the flames of the torches reflecting on his focused face...

Amidst the sea of firelight, as a figure tumbled from the Plum Blossom Stakes, the twelfth bout finally reached its conclusion.

A tall youth still standing on the Plum Blossom Stakes wiped the heavy sweat from his forehead, grinned, and jumped down.

The voice of Clerk Qin rang out almost simultaneously.

"First round, twelfth bout, Yue Feng wins!"

After announcing this, Clerk Qin walked briskly to the desk not far from the Zeying Tai where the clerk was recording the bout scores. He took the documents that had been recorded, glanced at them, and then carried them to the front of the viewing stand.

Holding the documents in his hands, Clerk Qin bowed and said, "Reporting to the County Magistrate! Reporting to all Inspectors! The first round of the three-round chaotic points battle has concluded. The points statistics are as follows; please have a look, my lords!"

Shen Yanliu turned his head and glanced at Li Xianjiang.

Li Xianjiang was not a Martial Artist. Having sat there all day without eating anything at noon, he was already exhausted and sleepy, his face full of fatigue, looking as if he could no longer hold on.

Shen Yanliu said, "No need to look. Let's stop here for today; let everyone disperse."

Clerk Qin then walked to the front of the Zeying Tai and announced that the first day of the Zeying Assembly had ended!

The crowd of onlookers dispersed into the hazy night...

As for the seeded players in front of the Zeying Tai, apart from a few who looked indifferent, most wore solemn expressions.

Bouts at the Zeying Assembly had no draws; no matter how long it took, a winner and loser had to be decided. Therefore, the bouts included several boring contests that made people want to doze off. Otherwise, the twelve bouts would not have dragged on until dark before finally finishing.

Twenty-four people, twelve bouts. Half won, half lost.

Those who lost were naturally heavy-hearted.

Even those who won could not feel happy when thinking of tomorrow's duels.

Today's bouts were randomized among the twenty-four people. Tomorrow would not be. Tomorrow they would be divided into two groups, a winning group and a losing group, to duel within their respective groups.

Winners against winners, losers against losers; this meant that today's victors would encounter stronger opponents tomorrow.

Thinking of this, those in the winning group with slightly weaker strength could not help but become anxious!

On the viewing stand, Shen Yanliu looked at Li Xianjiang and Fan Yuanhai and said, "Magistrate Li, honored Imperial Envoys! Everyone has been tired for a day; my wife has already prepared wine and food in the back courtyard of the County Office. Let us head over now."

Li Xianjiang laughed and said, "Magistrate Shen, you are truly blessed! To have married such a virtuous wife who can manage the household and cook!"

Li Xianjiang had long been so hungry his stomach was sticking to his back, and the two chatted and laughed as they stepped down from the viewing stand.

But Fan Yuanhai and the others remained standing on the viewing stand, unmoving.

Shen Yanliu and Li Xianjiang walked two steps, then turned back to look at the few who had remained still.

Seeing Shen Yanliu turn back, Fan Yuanhai smiled and said, "Magistrate Shen, we cannot hold our liquor well, so we will not intrude."

Shen Yanliu's gaze swept over Zhu Qunxiang beside Fan Yuanhai and said, "Then please do as you wish, everyone!"

After saying this, Shen Yanliu left with Li Xianjiang.

Fan Yuanhai rubbed his nose and was just about to speak; he had wanted to invite these fellow sect members to eat at the Babao Building.

But before he could open his mouth, Lv Qingzhu and A Mo had already descended from the viewing stand and left on their own.

Fan Yuanhai felt a bit awkward, but he still suggested to Zhu Qunxiang and the others that they go to the Babao Building for wine, and the group naturally nodded in agreement.

On Duan Rong's side, he walked along West Street toward the Yuanshun Escort Agency with Xiao Zongting, Xiao Yu, and Zhu Xiaoqi.

On West Street, the lanterns had just been lit, and in the hazy night, the lights shone like starlight.

Zhu Xiaoqi looked at the lanterns filling the street and laughed, "Master, today both the simpleton and Miss Yu won; why don't we go to a restaurant to celebrate?"

Zhu Xiaoqi's bright eyes were filled with the lantern light, and her gaze frequently swept over Duan Rong's profile.

Xiao Zongting said coldly, "You want to celebrate after only the first day? The next two days will be fierce battles! Everyone go back and get some good rest!"

Seeing Xiao Zongting say this, Zhu Xiaoqi stuck out her tongue.

Xiao Yu turned her head to look at Zhu Xiaoqi and laughed, "Xiao Qi, were you standing there all day? Are you tired from standing and don't want to cook..."

Zhu Xiaoqi said, "How could that be... isn't cooking simple? Everything is ready-made, it's not much trouble..."

The group chatted as they walked.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu exchanged impressions of some of the opponents they had encountered after the first round.

Duan Rong had already reached the Great Success Realm; the only ones who could be his opponents were Ximen Kankan and Tao Rong.

Although Xiao Yu had not yet achieved the Great Success Realm, her strength was not to be underestimated; among the contestants this time, those who could compare to her in strength could be counted on one hand.

This was because, although Xiao Yu had not yet achieved the Great Success Realm, she was only a thin layer of window paper away, and there was a possibility of a breakthrough at any time.

The group chatted until they reached the entrance of the Yuanshun Escort Agency. Xiao Zongting asked Duan Rong to go to his place to eat together, and Duan Rong naturally went along happily.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu exchanged some more views, and Xiao Zongting also offered some of his own opinions. Before long, Zhu Xiaoqi had efficiently finished preparing dinner.

After the group finished dinner, Duan Rong took his leave.

Duan Rong left Xiao Zongting's courtyard and originally intended to return to Liu Lu, but seeing that the hour was too early and he would have nothing to do upon returning, he turned his steps and came out to the street.

For the two months after the New Year, he had been in seclusion and hard training, and he hadn't strolled on the streets for a long time.

Duan Rong walked slowly, looking at the streets where the lanterns had just been lit, when suddenly a familiar, enticing scent drifted into his nostrils.

Duan Rong looked over with a smile and saw that amidst the swirling steam, the beef soup stall he used to frequent was already occupied by quite a few people.

Although Duan Rong had already eaten dinner, his cravings were stirred up again. He walked to the beef stall, ordered a bowl of beef soup, and picked a corner seat to sit down.

As Duan Rong drank the beef soup, he suddenly released his Divine Sense.

Having nothing better to do, he wanted to hear the public opinion on the streets after the first round of the Zeying Assembly.

He had originally thought people would be discussing Tao Rong, Ximen Kankan, or even more so, discussing himself; after all, he came from a poor background and was not a scion of a noble family like Tao Rong and Ximen Kankan.

But after listening for a while, Duan Rong was very astonished.

Although there was discussion about him, what people on the street were discussing most were topics regarding Xia Shuangshuang, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizhi, and specifically about their appearances.

Many people were discussing the ranking of the three beauties. Shen Mizhi seemed to be indisputably ranked third, but as for who ranked first between Xia Shuangshuang and Xiao Yu, everyone had their own opinions.

In particular, an old pedant in the restaurant across the street stroked his goatee, shook his head, and said, "Xia Shuangshuang is thin without showing bone, Xiao Yu is plump without showing flesh; both are excellent!"

The mouthful of beef soup in Duan Rong's mouth nearly sprayed out.

Just at this moment, Duan Rong suddenly frowned and lowered his head deeply.

Because, as his Divine Sense swept past, Lv Qingzhu and A Mo were walking toward the beef soup stall from across the street.

Duan Rong did not want to have any dealings with this Sect Emissary; he had already displayed the strength of the Great Success Realm, and as long as he competed normally, being selected as a Registered Disciple should not be a problem, so there was no need to cause extra trouble at this time.

A Mo looked at the beef soup stall, which was almost full of people, and said with bright eyes, "Miss, it must be delicious here."

"Mm, it should be quite good," Lv Qingzhu also nodded and said.

The two ordered two large bowls of beef soup and five sesame flatbreads.

In truth, Lv Qingzhu could not even finish one flatbread, but for A Mo, five flatbreads were only just enough to lay a foundation.

The two found an empty spot and sat down.

The owner brought the beef soup and flatbreads over.

A Mo looked at the steaming beef soup and immediately felt the fragrant aroma hitting her nose.

Just at this moment, a thin, weak boy of twelve or thirteen years old suddenly walked up to A Mo and the others' table, reached out, and grabbed the small jar of chili oil on the table.

"Wait!"

A Mo also loved eating chili very much; seeing that the boy was about to take the chili oil away, she reached out and grabbed the boy's wrist.

Although A Mo was born with divine strength, after many years of practicing Shisancan Jinganggong, her control over her strength was equally exquisite and delicate.

She grabbed the boy's wrist with very light force; she just wanted to tell the boy that she hadn't put chili oil in her bowl yet.

But the moment she grabbed the boy's wrist, the thin boy suddenly had a seizure, the small jar of chili oil he was holding fell, and A Mo naturally had quick eyes and fast hands, grabbing the small jar in one go.

But the thin boy had already fallen to the ground, his eyes rolling back, foaming at the mouth, his limbs and body twitching uncontrollably...

"This..."

Lv Qingzhu and A Mo had never seen such a scene and were instantly stunned there...

At this time, a middle-aged woman with graying hair rushed over, threw herself beside the boy, and cried out, "Xiao Kang, what has happened to you?"

Seeing the child twitching violently, the woman could not care about anything else and stuffed her own fingers into the child's mouth.

As the child's teeth clenched during the seizure, the woman's fingers bled instantly; the fresh blood mixed with the white foam, looking just like the twitching child was spitting out bloody foam...

Seeing this scene, a trace of fear appeared in Lv Qingzhu's clear eyes...

The woman, with a sobbing tone, turned her head and glared at A Mo, cursing, "My Xiao Kang just came to you to get a little chili oil! If you didn't want to give it, then don't, why did you harm him like this? If anything happens to Xiao Kang, I will fight you to the death!"

Lv Qingzhu and A Mo had grown up in Changliu Mountain since they were young and had almost never experienced the trials of the world, so they were suddenly a bit panicked.

But A Mo was very certain that she had not used force to grab the child.

"I... I didn't..." A Mo wanted to defend herself, but for a moment she didn't know where to start, and she became so anxious her face turned bright red.

Just at this moment, a figure darted over.

Duan Rong crouched beside the child, Internal Breath flickering delicately at his fingertips; he used his fingers to quickly tap multiple acupoints on the child's body, his hand movements flashing.

Before the woman could react, Duan Rong had already finished tapping!

The woman had just wanted to curse, but suddenly felt the child's tightly clenched teeth loosen, the twitching of his body stopped, and his breathing gradually became smooth.

Duan Rong took out a Medicine Pill, gave it to the woman, and said, "Feed this medicine to the child."

Seeing Duan Rong tap on the child for a while and the child seemed to have returned from the gates of hell, how could she not believe Duan Rong? She immediately stuffed the Medicine Pill into the child's mouth.

The boy swallowed the Medicine Pill, and after a few breaths, he recovered his strength.

The woman helped the boy stand up and thanked Duan Rong repeatedly.

Duan Rong looked at the boy and asked, "When was the last time this child's acute illness flared up?"

The woman's face suddenly turned red, and she said, "It hasn't flared up for two years."

The woman had just wanted to blame the child's illness on A Mo and Lv Qingzhu, but now that Duan Rong had spoken, he had pointed out that this symptom was not the first time it had occurred.

Although Duan Rong looked young, he was clearly skilled in medicine; not only did he make Xiao Kang recover his strength just by tapping him a few times, but he also pointed out in one sentence that Xiao Kang's condition was a recurring chronic illness.

How could the woman dare to hide anything now?

"Sir, please save Xiao Kang. Doctors have all said this illness cannot be cured."

Duan Rong said, "I cannot cure this illness either."

Seeing Duan Rong's cold and hard expression, the woman wiped her tears and sighed.

Duan Rong flipped his hand, stuffed five Medicine Pills into the woman's hand, and said, "Give him one when it flares up. How long he can live depends on his own fate."

The woman looked at the Medicine Pills in her hand as if she had found a treasure. She pulled the boy and knelt down together, saying, "Xiao Kang, hurry! Kowtow to your benefactor."

Duan Rong accepted the boy's bow, but he supported the woman with his hands, lifting her up, and said, "There is no need for this!"

From the woman's messy hair and the wrinkles all over her face, Duan Rong saw the toil and hardship of this mother.

Duan Rong sighed; the reason he could not help but intervene was because this child suffered from the same illness as Xiao Baijiao.

In this world, this illness did not yet have a name.

In his past life, it was generally called Epilepsy. Even in his past life, against the backdrop of highly developed medicine, this illness could not be cured.

Because the pathogenesis of this illness is related to the brain nerves.

Duan Rong stood by the street, watching the backs of the mother and son as they left, and the image of Xiao Baijiao flashed through his mind again...

"Duan Rong! Thank you!"

Lv Qingzhu's voice sounded behind Duan Rong.

Just a moment ago, she had indeed been a bit panicked. She was not afraid of the snake path or the rat path, but she had truly never experienced this kind of thing.

If something had happened to that child, she really wouldn't have known how to handle the aftermath. Fortunately, Duan Rong had resolved the situation for her.

Duan Rong turned around, and gratitude was revealed in Lv Qingzhu's clear eyes.

Lv Qingzhu had a pure heart; since Duan Rong had helped her, she naturally should thank him.

Unexpectedly, Duan Rong turned around, cupped his fists, bowed, and said, "This commoner pays respects to the Imperial Envoy!"

Lv Qingzhu was stunned for a moment; she had not expected Duan Rong to react this way.

A Mo smiled, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Touch it. I'll treat you to beef soup!"

As A Mo spoke, he pointed to a beef soup stall not far behind him.

Duan Rong said, "This commoner has already eaten. Imperial Envoy, this commoner still has matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave here!"

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he turned and walked away quickly.

A Mo watched Duan Rong disappear in a hurry at the end of the street and muttered, "Miss, is this person avoiding us?"

Lv Qingzhu's eyes sparkled. "He isn't avoiding us. He is avoiding trouble!"

The two returned from the street to the beef soup stall, finished the beef soup and flatbread, and then went back to Chunfeng Inn to rest.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, quite a few people had already gathered in front of the Zeying Tai at the entrance of the County Office.

The seeded contestants participating in the selection matches were already standing below the platform, and a few of them were yawning with weary faces, evidently having suffered from insomnia the night before.

The viewing gallery was also already filled with people.

Today was the second round of the three-round chaotic points battle; after Clerk Qin sought instructions from Shen Yanliu, he prepared to begin.

The second round was divided into winner and loser groups, and the first to proceed was the random match-up of the 12 people in the winner group!

Clerk Qin spun the Wheel.

"Second round, first match, Jiang Qingyu!"

(End of chapter)