Qian Ye let out a low growl, not only failing to retract his punch but instead accelerating it, striking Xie Yumiao’s ample chest with the force of wind and thunder!
This blow was completely beyond the girl’s expectations. She never imagined that the handsome youth would actually strike so ruthlessly. There was no time for her to dodge, and as she tried to block with her hand, she was hit squarely in the chest by Qian Ye’s punch. His origin power surged like a wild tide, dispersing her defenses and flooding into her body.
Xie Yumiao was sent flying backward, crashing outside the fighting arena. She spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, unable to rise. Two thin, cicada-wing-like blades fell from her sleeves, clattering to the ground.
Qian Ye had won this match with surprising ease. Xie Yumiao’s unique weapon suggested she had a secret combat technique, and she had clearly made it through her first match unscathed, indicating she was not weak. Yet, she had been defeated without even having a chance to use her skills, making this victory almost a gift.
Though Qian Ye had won, he received some unusual looks; not everyone could have struck such a ruthless blow.
The third round began, and in this round, Qian Ye faced a plain-looking young man. He was a sixth-level warrior from a scholar family, requesting to use a weapon—a standard short sword issued by the Imperial Army.
Qian Ye nodded in agreement and drew an identical short sword.
The fight commenced, and both fighters charged at each other, then crossed paths!
Qian Ye was slightly taken aback, glancing down to see a long gash on his left arm. Just a moment of crossing paths, and he was already injured! However, the blade of his own short sword dripped with blood, and the young man’s shirt had a half-foot-long tear, revealing a wound across his chest and abdomen.
Qian Ye furrowed his brows. Though the cut on his arm wasn’t deep, it felt numb, with barely any pain. This abnormality put him on high alert, and he immediately pushed his origin power around the wound, discovering a faint foreign origin power lingering there, slowing the healing process and proving difficult to dispel.
It was a special origin power, similar to Ye Mublue’s “Deep Frost” and Chief Butler Wen’s “Shadow Needle”!
This was a formidable opponent!
Both fighters rushed forward, clashing once more. This time, their fists were accompanied by the sharp gleam of blades, and the battle became intensely fierce. After a brief exchange, they suddenly separated, eyeing each other warily, both recognizing the danger in the other.
Qian Ye had multiple new wounds, and though he used various techniques to minimize the damage, the youth’s special origin power prevented any of the wounds from closing, regardless of their size. But the young man fared no better, with just one less wound than Qian Ye.
By the end of this round, Qian Ye had realized that the young man had extensive combat experience, and his fighting style was similar to Qian Ye’s, who was trained in the Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion: simple and effective, with no unnecessary movements. This was classic assassination, paired with an origin power that impaired wound healing, making him an extremely dangerous opponent!
They circled each other several times, then clashed again! This time, they were pitting speed against speed, slashing at each other repeatedly from the start.
The subsequent battle was a display of their combat skills, with the clash of swords sometimes producing a continuous metallic sound, and other times, no sound of weapons clashing for dozens of exchanges.
The young scholar had sharp combat instincts and a few tricks that only veteran soldiers knew. Qian Ye tried to lure him into traps, but all his feints were seen through. The young man, in turn, found it impossible to deceive Qian Ye.
In the next round, both simultaneously adopted the same tactic: trading blows for blows.
Their actions became more straightforward and vicious, each strike adding a new wound to the other. This was a war of attrition, to see who would last longer.
However, after several exchanges, the young scholar was horrified to see that despite the numerous wounds on Qian Ye, his bleeding was slow. In contrast, when the young man overexerted his origin power, blood would spurt from all his wounds.
This shouldn’t be happening! The young scholar’s origin power was supposed to hinder wound healing, giving him the confidence to fight a war of attrition. But Qian Ye’s unique constitution seemed to negate its effects.
With this disparity, the gap between them became insurmountable. After another round, the young scholar staggered and finally collapsed, unconscious.
Qian Ye panted heavily, his entire body now covered in wounds, both numbed and painful, with the young scholar’s origin power still wreaking havoc.
During the fight, Qian Ye had seized every opportunity to neutralize the foreign origin power, but eventually, there was no time, and he had to endure. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he suppressed his bloodline, preventing it from consuming his heart. Fortunately, he managed to hold out until the end of the battle.
After catching his breath, Qian Ye slowly walked to the side, where a hand reached out to support him. He looked up to see Song Zining’s warm, spring-like smile. Zhao Junhong stood a few steps away, watching him.
Song Zining’s hand hesitated halfway, seeing the interwoven and overlapping wounds on Qian Ye’s body, almost at a loss on where to start.
Carefully avoiding the longest gash on Qian Ye’s outer arm, Song Zining supported Qian Ye’s elbow and said, “Thankfully, this is the last fight of the day.” His gaze sharpened, noticing the residual tangled origin power on Qian Ye’s wounds. He shook his head and waved his hand, dispelling the stubborn origin power in fragments.
Qian Ye immediately felt much lighter, smiling wryly, “There aren’t many as strong as him. I was just unlucky to meet him.”
Song Zining smiled lightly, “He was the unlucky one! If not for you, he could have advanced to the sixth round.” The fourth round saw the participation of more aristocratic youths, mostly at the sixth or seventh level, but the young scholar’s unique origin power and combat skills should have allowed him to advance a few rounds.
Qian Ye nodded in agreement. The Spring Hunt truly had hidden talents, with a seemingly unremarkable young man from the early hunts displaying such prowess. With his talent and strength, he could easily enter one of the top ten elite regiments of the Empire, yet he remained a free warrior.
Suddenly, someone called out to Qian Ye. Qi Qi pushed through the crowd, followed by a skilled battlefield medic from the Yin family.
Qi Qi was surprised to see Song Zining supporting Qian Ye. It wasn’t odd for Song Zining to be there—she had heard about him climbing walls to attend a banquet last night, and later, he sent a box of apologies to Qian Ye, which she had returned.
However, it was late, and although Qi Qi wasn’t participating in the tournament today, Qian Ye was, so she restrained herself from rushing to his room. Who knew she would see this scene today.
Qi Qi knew Qian Ye’s character well; he didn’t care about Song Zining’s status, so it was strange for him to accept help unless he was too injured to move. Qi Qi rushed to Qian Ye, examining him. The wounds were less severe than she feared, but their number and appearance were alarming.
Qi Qi huffed, “You’re always showing off! Do you want to fight tomorrow?” The Yin family medic set down his bag and quickly started treating Qian Ye’s wounds.
Song Zining, pushed aside by Qi Qi, remained calm, observing from the side. He said softly, “It’s nothing serious, mostly external injuries. I have a muscle recovery solution. Soak for an hour, and you’ll be fine.”
Qi Qi looked at Song Zining skeptically, then at Qian Ye, “Who knows what you’re planning? Just bring it over!”
Qian Ye, seeing Qi Qi’s expression, realized his mistake. His relationship with the Song family was supposed to be very bad, especially after the feud with Ye Mublue. But Qian Ye was not good at pretending, and now, all he could do was stare at the ground, pretending to be dead.
Song Zining smiled, “Do you have a container?”
Qi Qi was taken aback. The muscle recovery solution needed a special container to prevent the medicinal components from evaporating. Such equipment was complex, and the Song family’s must have been set up as soon as they arrived at the villa.
No one would carry such a cumbersome item, except the wealthy and powerful Song family, who didn’t mind the effort. Moreover, aristocratic youths could borrow from the Duke Wei’s residence, but Qian Ye couldn’t enjoy such treatment.
Qi Qi looked at Qian Ye again, then at Song Zining, full of suspicion, “Are you serious?”
Song Zining smiled, noticing Qian Ye’s darkened face. Even if he wanted to tease Qi Qi, now wasn’t the time. Overdoing it would reveal his true nature. Qi Qi, though a mess in matters of the heart, was quite shrewd, having risen to her current position in the Yin family succession test.
A horn sounded, signaling the end of the third round. Most participants were injured, and only sixty-four remained for the next round. The winners would receive 200 Imperial gold coins, with the prize increasing for each subsequent round. For many, this was a significant sum.
The Song family’s villa was larger than the Yin family’s, with a two-story main house and a crescent-shaped lake behind it, creating a charming, winding space.
Although Qian Ye went to the Song family’s villa, he didn’t use the muscle recovery solution. His body’s natural healing was strong enough, and cleaning the wounds and using good medicine would allow him to recover quickly. He was more concerned about hiding his rapid recovery, making the solution a good cover.
Qian Ye sat on a water-facing balcony on the second floor, watching Song Zining brew tea with practiced hands. This was his first time seeing such a leisurely, intricate noble pastime. Qi Qi, except for writing, didn’t fit the traditional noble hobbies.
After serving the tea, Song Zining raised his cup, “Let’s drink tea instead of wine!”
Qian Ye laughed, recalling the only drinking contest he had in the Yellow Springs training camp. Since then, Song Zining refused to drink with him, and years later, they were together again, drinking tea?
Song Zining also recalled something, sighing, “Qian Ye, did you lose a drinking contest to Qi Qi? Finally, I get to see you in a skirt!”
Qian Ye was furious, retorting, “No way! At least I’m not naked like a pig!”
Both were taken aback, then burst into laughter, the years of distance and estrangement vanishing as if they never existed.
The days of their youth, even with shared experiences, held unique, unrepeatable memories for each of them.
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