Chapter 34: Chen Qingshan Kills the Devil on the Arena Stage

Chen Daya had just handed over a roasted bun, and He Yuzhu reached out to take it, but no sooner had his fingertips touched it than he cried "Ouch!" and pulled his hand back—the bun fell to the ground with a "plop."

"Are you trying to burn me to death!" He Yuzhu shouted while shaking his hand.

Chen Daya bent down to pick up the bun, blew off the dust, and took a big bite without a care, muttering, "So delicate, I'm not afraid of the heat."

He Yuzhu curled his lip and retorted, "Your hands are covered in calluses, of course you're not!"

As he spoke, Chen Daya handed him another one.

This time He Yuzhu learned his lesson; he lifted his shirt hem to pad his hand before taking it, and even tossed it back and forth in his palm to let the heat dissipate.

He brought it to his lips and blew on it, and once the outer skin had cooled slightly, he took a big bite; the piping hot, meaty aroma mixed with the scent of flour immediately spread in his mouth: "Hey, it really is tastier roasted!"

Chen Qingshan also took a roasted bun, wrapped it in a piece of braised meat, and ate it in one bite, savoring it with satisfaction.

He Yuzhu handed over a bottle of Japanese sake, "Make do with this, the alcohol content is a bit low!"

Chen Qingshan took it, drank a large mouthful, and shook his head, saying, "It's like plain water."

He Yuzhu took out another bottle, opened the cap, and followed Chen Qingshan's lead by taking a large gulp, but he choked himself badly; he had been too arrogant, forgetting he was only nine years old and thinking he was still in his thirties!

Chen Qingshan finished his few roasted buns quickly and asked in a low voice, "Zhuzi, for the match this afternoon, should I go up first?"

"Didn't we already agree on that? Are you trying to back out?" He Yuzhu's hand, which was holding the meat, paused, his eyes full of confusion.

"That's not it," Chen Qingshan added a piece of firewood to the fire, the flickering light reflecting off his solemn face, "I've been thinking, that Yano Koji might not be the most dangerous one; he likely has a tougher opponent hidden behind him. After exchanging a few moves with you this morning, I have a better sense of things—leave Yano Koji to me."

He Yuzhu chewed his meat and pondered for a moment before finally nodding: "Fine."

After a short rest following the meal, the three of them hurried to the martial arts arena. The afternoon sun was scorching, and the arena was filled with a deafening roar of voices.

At exactly two o'clock, as the sound of the gong for the match died away, Yano Koji leaped onto the stage.

He was dressed in a black martial arts uniform and shouted in stiff Chinese: "I advise you all, if your Kung Fu isn't up to par, don't come up here to throw your lives away!"

These words were like sparks falling into a powder keg; the crowd below the stage immediately erupted.

Someone pointed at the stage and cursed: "What are you acting so crazy for! Someone will deal with you soon enough!"

"That little devil is too arrogant, kill him!"

Curses rose and fell from the crowd.

Just then, a figure leaped up, stepped on someone's shoulder, and vaulted onto the ring.

Yano Koji glanced at him and shook his head in disdain: the opponent's cuffs were frayed and the cotton batting was exposed; he looked truly pathetic.

Chen Qingshan stood his ground and said only two words in a deep voice: "Zhang Qing."

This alias was, of course, He Yuzhu's idea; he was constantly guarding against future retaliation from the little devils.

Before the words had even faded, Chen Qingshan had already drawn the broadsword from his back with a "shing," the cold blade gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.

The two stood in a standoff like fighting cocks, sword tips probing, neither moving an inch.

A full five minutes passed; despite the bone-chilling wind, beads of sweat rolled down both their foreheads and hit the stage floor, yet neither side made the first move.

A commotion began to rise from the crowd: "Why aren't they fighting yet?"

"What kind of martial arts match is this!"

Amidst the complaints, a Taoist priest carrying a sword suddenly called out: "These are true masters! Although the two haven't moved their weapons, they have already clashed several times in their minds—they are both looking for the other's opening!"

Yano Koji began to feel flustered: the opponent's killing intent felt like needles pricking his back; he was clearly no amateur.

Taking advantage of the moment Chen Qingshan squinted against the sunlight, he suddenly swung his blade down with a sharp whistling sound!

But Chen Qingshan was prepared; as he dodged to the side, his blade swept out toward the opponent's waist.

Yano Koji scrambled to retreat, but the move was a feint—Chen Qingshan snapped his wrist, and the back of his blade struck toward Yano's face like a club!

Yano tilted his head to narrowly avoid it, and before he could regain his footing, the Mad Demon Blade Technique descended like a violent storm.

Blade light flashed, and a diagonal slash landed squarely on his abdomen; with a "rip" of fabric, blood instantly stained half of his martial arts uniform red.

Having succeeded, Chen Qingshan did not linger; he leaped off the stage, pulled his hat low, and squeezed into the crowd, disappearing like a drop of water into a stream.

The area below the stage fell into chaos as several people in white coats carrying medical kits rushed up to provide emergency aid.

In the devil's rest area, Watanabe Kuma examined the wound and shook his head: "Yano-kun is beyond saving."

Nakamoto Satoshi hurriedly asked the military police to make arrests, but Watanabe waved his hand viciously: "No rush. Use the Big Ocean as bait; we won't have trouble catching the fish!"

A moment later, the interpreter raised a megaphone on stage: "The winner is 'Zhang Qing,' reward of fifty silver Big Ocean! Zhang Qing himself may come to the prize collection area to claim it!"

Another commotion broke out in the crowd.

The host hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Next, please enjoy a magic show!"

Half an hour later, the matches resumed.

The new arrival, Sawai Kenji, was about forty years old; he cupped his hands and said: "I specialize in Judo and Kendo. Today I wish to spar using Judo, which is what your country calls 'wrestling.' Please enlighten me."

He Yuzhu was cracking melon seeds below the stage, showing little interest.

Chen Daya leaned in and asked: "Aren't you going up?"

"Not worth it," he spat out a seed shell, "This old devil doesn't look like he's going for the kill; it's just for show."

Several people went up one after another and were defeated, until finally, the Beijing wrestler Wang Daming leaped up—He Yuzhu recognized him as the cousin of his Siqiang, Wang Daqing. He had met him while learning his craft from his Siqiang; this man was considered a famous master in the Beijing circle.

The two wrestled, and after a few rounds of grappling, Sawai was thrown so many times he had to bow repeatedly to concede.

Just as He Yuzhu was watching, Chen Daya ran out from the crowd, looking somewhat panicked: "Little Yuzhu! You were right! Dozens of people who took the free food are complaining that they feel unwell, as if they've been poisoned!"

He Yuzhu's heart tightened: "What are the symptoms?"

"A martial artist said his head feels light and floaty, like bugs are crawling in it, though he can still walk."

"This is bad!" He Yuzhu stood up abruptly, "The devils are trying to frame us! My father is in the kitchen; he's sure to be pushed out to take the fall!"

He pulled Chen Daya to a secluded spot and said urgently: "Take your father and hide in the stables later! Once the arena turns chaotic, head for the East Gate—there are fewer guards there!"

"What about you?" Daya asked.

"Don't worry about me, I have these." He Yuzhu revealed two brand-new Box Cannons.

"Where did you get those?" Daya's eyes widened.

"Didn't you call me 'Flea of the Valley'? I just swiped them!" He grinned, "Do you know how to use them?"

"Don't look down on me!" Chen Daya curled her lip, "Our village Lianfang Team practiced long ago! My dad is even a sharpshooter!"

"Fine, then I'll give you two!" He took out two more box cannon pistols and two hundred rounds of ammunition, "Remember: don't open fire unless absolutely necessary, wait until things get chaotic before you act!"

After settling Chen Daya in, he headed straight for the kitchen at the west corner of the camp.

Seeing four devils patrolling with guns in the distance, He Yuzhu slipped behind a tree and entered his space to change into a Japanese military second lieutenant's uniform.

The two sentries patrolled for a while, were frozen half to death, and then ran to the side to eat roasted sweet potatoes.

He Yuzhu finished changing his clothes and walked toward the two devil soldiers by the fire.

When the two saw that the person approaching was actually a second lieutenant, they immediately stood up, walked over, and saluted.

He Yuzhu nodded as he approached, then suddenly struck when they were off guard, and the two were instantly taken into his space.

Afterwards, he followed the same method and took care of two more groups of sentries.

Just then, someone pushed open the kitchen door and walked toward He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu took a look, and it was actually He Daqing!