Chapter 69: One-on-One Duel

When Xiao Jingyang heard Jiang Qing’s words, his eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but then quickly smoothed out. He continued to speak with a smile, “Qing, you’re a grown-up now, why are you still acting so stubborn? Marriage is a serious matter, and you should naturally listen to your parents. Changhe did play around a bit too much a couple of years ago, but he has long since changed…”

Beside him, Xiao Changhe gazed at Jiang Qing with deep affection and said, “Qing’er, I know I loved to have too much fun in the past few years, but I’ve changed now. Now, you’re the only one in my eyes—you are the one I love the most.”

“Bullshit,” Jiang Qing said, her face dark as she looked at Xiao Changhe. “Who I marry is my own business. I’d sooner marry a chicken, a dog, or a pig than marry you!”

This statement was a blatant slap in the face. Not only did Xiao Changhe’s expression turn icy upon hearing it, but even the usually composed Xiao Jingyang frowned with displeasure.

As Jiang Qing shouted twice, the students from the courtyard outside rushed over. A Fei was the first to push open the wooden door, calling out to Jiang Qing and Jiang Tianzheng, “Senior Sister, Master? What’s going on?”

The students behind him also squeezed forward, crowding the doorway: “Senior Sister! Are they bullying you?”

“Dammit! Xiao Changhe, you bastard, still dreaming of a toad wanting to eat swan meat?”

“Let’s fight those from Chaoyang Martial Hall!”

As the people from Haoran Martial Hall started shouting, the students who had come with Chaoyang Martial Hall naturally wouldn’t back down either. Both sides were martial artists, with tempers bigger than ordinary people’s, and they quickly split into two camps, hurling insults at each other.

“Shut up!” With a loud yell, Xiao Jingyang slammed the teapot in front of him onto the ground, and the entire scene immediately fell silent. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiang Tianzheng, who had been sitting calmly all along, saying, “Master Jiang, the young ones don’t know any better. Aren’t you going to say something?”

“Hehe, young people—I think it’s better to let them choose their own paths. We old folks shouldn’t interfere.”

Xiao Jingyang stared deeply at Jiang Tianzheng. These words were no different from turning hostile. But he couldn’t understand why the other would do this. From any perspective, both families stood to benefit from cooperation. On the other hand, if they turned against each other, Chaoyang Martial Hall, with its wealth and influence, would suffer far less than the thinly-staffed Haoran Martial Hall.

‘Has this guy heard some news?’ Being cautious and suspicious was part of Xiao Jingyang’s nature. Thinking this, the Jiang Tianzheng before him suddenly seemed unfathomable.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qing let out a cold laugh toward Xiao Changhe and said, “Xiao Changhe, stop dreaming. I would never marry you.” With that, she paid no further attention to Xiao Jingyang in the hall and turned to leave.

A flash of anger crossed Xiao Changhe’s eyes. Seeing Qing about to leave, without a second thought, he reached out to grab her: “Qing’er, you’ve misunderstood me too much.”

This claw strike was fast and fierce; Xiao Changhe had unknowingly used his sect’s Eagle Claw Technique. It counted as a sneak attack—close range and swift. Jiang Qing, for a moment, failed to react in time.

But just as his claw was about to land on Jiang Qing’s shoulder, another hand suddenly appeared like a ghost, clamping firmly onto his wrist.

Xiao Changhe struggled but found he couldn’t break free. He looked up and saw Zuo Zhicheng staring at him impassively. The next moment, Zuo Zhicheng suddenly shouted, “Xiao Changhe! What are you trying to do?”

At that, everyone looked over, and of course, Jiang Qing had already reacted. Even if Xiao Changhe had unintentionally used martial arts, he wouldn’t have actually attacked Jiang Qing at such a moment. But with Zuo Zhicheng pulling and shouting like that, the situation appeared completely different.

The people from Haoran Martial Hall immediately started shouting curses. Those from Chaoyang Martial Hall naturally weren’t about to show weakness, and the two sides began pushing and shoving.

“Xiao Changhe! You want to cause trouble here?”

“Haoran Martial Hall scum! Say that again!”

“Kid! You dare trick me?” Xiao Changhe pointed at Zuo Zhicheng and said, “Do you dare to face me one-on-one?”

He had long been annoyed with Zuo Zhicheng. In this setting, a group fight was clearly inappropriate, but if he could duel this poor kid, he could teach him a harsh lesson and also dampen Haoran Martial Hall’s morale.

“One-on-one it is!”

“Who’s scared of who!”

“Brother Cheng! Beat him to death!”

Before Zuo Zhicheng could speak, the surrounding students were already clamoring. Zuo Zhicheng frowned. The Xiao Changhe before him was slightly stronger than Jiang Qing, with pink innate energy covering more than half of his back, mixed with about 9% Purple Innate Qi.

But according to Zuo Zhicheng’s original plan, he just wanted them to leave and then arrange an “accident” later. However, a one-on-one fight wasn’t out of the question; it just had to be done perfectly, without revealing any flaws.

“Well, kid?” Xiao Changhe waved his hand, and the people from Chaoyang Martial Hall behind him stopped. “If you’re a man, duel me one-on-one. Don’t just hide and play dirty tricks.”

Zuo Zhicheng smiled. “What if I win?”

“You win?” Xiao Changhe and the disciples behind him all burst into laughter.

“Don’t be rash!” Jiang Qing, who was nearby, pulled Zuo Zhicheng back. She knew the other’s strength. “Xiao Changhe, have you no shame? How many years have you trained in martial arts? How long has A Zuo trained? And you challenge him to a duel?”

“Didn’t he agree?” Xiao Changhe lifted his chin high, looking down at Zuo Zhicheng. “I think Junior Brother Zuo’s martial arts are quite impressive. Sparring with him will help us both improve.”

Jiang Qing’s sharp eyebrows shot up as she cursed, “Bastard, you want to fight? Then fight me.”

“I don’t fight women.” He pointed at Zuo Zhicheng. “Coward, will you just hide behind a woman?”

Zuo Zhicheng shrugged. “If you insist on fighting, then let’s fight.”

Xiao Changhe laughed. “You’ve got guts. But since we’re all men, let’s add a little wager to this one-on-one. Whoever loses will kneel on the ground and shout, ‘I’m trash.'”

Seeing Zuo Zhicheng show a somewhat hesitant expression and Jiang Qing beside him urging him not to agree, Xiao Changhe quickly pressed, “Well, do you dare or not? Whoever loses kneels…”

Bang! A cracking sound came from the floor.

At the same moment Xiao Changhe finished speaking, a gust of fierce wind swept past, and two figures suddenly appeared amidst the crowd. They were Xiao Jingyang and Jiang Tianzheng.

Jiang Tianzheng’s palm was less than half a meter from Xiao Changhe’s face, looking as if he intended to slap him. But Xiao Jingyang had a firm grip on his wrist, preventing it from moving any closer.

Xiao Jingyang said ominously, “Master Jiang, no need for such anger. Young people are full of energy—let them have a contest.”

“A contest is fine, but some bets are just going too far, aren’t they?” Master Jiang gave a light laugh, but his words carried a hint of menace. “In that case, why don’t I spar with Changhe instead?”