Chapter 2: A martial arts competition to win over…a hand in marriage? Yeah right!
“A martial arts competition to win one’s hand in marriage? Can’t you just throw a flower ball? ( I think that would be a lot simpler!” -Fan Tong
“If Yin Shi smashed a flower ball down, whoever catches it would immediately die, right?” -Ling Shi
(TL Note: A “flower ball” refers to a ball of silk in the shape of a hydrangea that is thrown in traditional Chinese weddings, similar to the throwing of a flower bouquet in Western weddings.)
Fan Tong and Yue Tui understood why Luo Shi had so hurriedly gone to inspect the notes, so they didn’t wait to be escorted out. They had come in the same way, so leaving Shen Wang Dian by themselves wouldn’t be too hard. At least, it was way better than the labyrinth-like Fu Zhou Pavilion; no matter what, they’d be able to get out eventually.
After exiting Hui Shi’s Pavilion, they did not encounter the Empress, whose quarters were next door. Pass.
While walking through the fourth palace, they did not bump into Wei Shi in his quarters. Pass.
While walking through the third palace…Yin Shi was unfortunately playing around right near the entrance, and so they bumped directly into each other. Fail.
Although coming to Hui Shi’s Pavilion had gone very smoothly, leaving was a different story. It looked like they would not be able to actually leave for another while.
“Ah, Xiao Yue, why are you guys walking out from there? When did you get here?”
Since Yin Shi and Ling Shi had left Xuan Dian first, he didn’t know that Luo Shi had come to invite them to Hui Shi’s Pavilion for cleaning.
It really bothered Fan Tong that Yin Shi still did not remember his name, choosing instead to omit it completely just now. However, Fan Tong knew there wasn’t much he could do about it.
“Lord Yin Shi, you are…?”
Yue Tui looked at Yin Shi in evident confusion, then down at the delicate little creature warily standing next to his feet.
“Ah, this is the cat I picked up before. I brought it here to play.”
Yin Shi replied as he reached down to securely pick the kitten up, completely ignoring its mews and struggles of resistance.
I don’t think it likes you as much, Lord Yin Shi.
“There are stray cats around Shen Wang Dian…?”
Yue Tui had an odd expression, seemingly finding the entire situation very strange.
Anyways, this is at least an actual kitten, and not some random abnormality of a beast that he is just calling a kitten.
“Yep. Ling Shi said that to raise a cat, you need to let it out to play rather than keep it locked up all the time. So I brought it out specifically for that reason.”
As he replied, Yin Shi began to play a game of toss where he would throw the kitten high into the air before catching it again. Mews sounded out endlessly.
I feel bad for this cat. It’s probably better if you just lock it up inside, that would probably make it feel happier, actually.
“Ah, it looks super happy and full of energy!”
You’re completely mistaken!
“Are you not just able to ask someone else to do something like taking care of the cat…?” Yue Tui politely pointed out.
Fan Tong felt that the only part lacking there were the words “You’re not at all suited to raise a cat”.
“But…I’m the one that brought it home, so it should it be my responsibility. How could I give it to someone else?”
It’s great for men to have a sense of responsibility, but in my opinion, you’re better off just leaving it outside.
“If there’s nothing you need, we will be returning first.”
Since Fan Tong and Yue Tui felt like they really couldn’t help the cat even if they sympathized with it, it was better if they did not interrupt the time shared between the man and cat. As a result, Yue Tui and Fan Tong prepared to make their leave.
“Ah, wait! There are some really exciting events after the New Year, so remember to attend!”
Yin Shi did not let them leave so easily, and even shouted an unknown advertisement to stop them.
Exciting events…is that referring to the suspicious statement mentioned earlier at Xuan Dian, the martial arts competition to win over a hand in marriage or whatever?
“What kind of event?”
Since it was mentioned, it wouldn’t be good to express absolutely no interest, so Yue Tui chose to ask about it.
“It’s an annual event at Eastern City. When it starts, the Five Lords of Shi will all go up and participate in the competition to win someone over!”
……
What…exactly is that supposed to mean? You compete once a year to win someone over? Doesn’t that mean you have to get married every year? As in, the winner gets a spouse for only a year? Does the Empress take part? Otherwise, it would just be all guys…or are you asking females to compete over you?
And doesn’t that put Luo Shi in a dangerous position? Who knows what kind of random passerby he could get married to. And Lord Wei Shi probably isn’t capable of those emotions. Lord Yin Shi, if you don’t throw the match, you wouldn’t get married at all. And the amount of people wanting to marry Lord Ling Shi could form a line all the way outside the city…but going off of tassel color, only you, Lord Yin Shi, would be able to defeat him and marry him…?
If this martial arts competition really happened, Bi Rou would probably put her life on the line to defeat all the other contestants just to end up with Lord Yin Shi, right?
Or maybe not, she said she didn’t want to marry…
Just the mention of a martial arts competition to win over someone was enough to send a pile of random thoughts racing through Fan Tong’s mind. Did that mean his thoughts were just too quick?
“Lord Yin Shi, this martial arts competition is….?”
Yue Tui also found this description out of place. Or rather, it wasn’t something anyone could really understand.
“We will be in charge of the grand opening ceremony for the martial arts competition, demonstrating fights to win over the audience.”
Hey! That’s completely different from a martial arts competition to win over a hand in marriage, alright? Don’t just randomly throw these kinds of words around please! You got all of us mistaken!
“Xiao Yue! You’ll participate, right? You should sign up now, there isn’t a registration fee.”
Why are you only asking Yue Tui? Is it because I would just end up being cannon fodder if I went?
“I…probably won’t.”
Although Yin Shi seemed to really look forward to Yue Tui’s participation, Yue Tui did not have any interest.
“Ah? Why? The top five people can challenge the Five Lords of Shi. Many people put their full effort in trying to get there so that they can get the chance to openly and honorably beat the living daylights out of Wei Shi.”
Are you mistaken about something? It’s not like the top five can just choose Lord Wei Shi and beat him up as much as they’d like. If they were to challenge him, they’d be the ones beaten to a pulp by Lord Wei Shi’s dark purple tassel strength, right?
Besides, doesn’t this competition have any other attractive rewards to draw people in?
“If you think fighting 1v1 is too boring, you can also participate in group battles!”
Lord Yin Shi, your evaluation of Yue Tui is so high. Although I also feel like Yue Tui is very strong, I don’t think anyone would typically be willing to get themselves involved with trouble like this for no reason and participate with such a burden.
But when Yue Tui heard these words, he actually gave Fan Tong an earnest look.
“Fan Tong…are you interested?”
…What is going on? If I’m interested, do you plan on bringing me up to open my eyes to the world?
“What kind of punishments are there?”
No, I meant to ask what kind of rewards there are!
“Punishments? The competition doesn’t have any strict regulations. Even if someone was killed in the ring, there wouldn’t be any problems.”
Whoa! Wait a minute! Doesn’t that mean participating means there’s the danger of dying?!
“If you die during the competition, does it cost money?”
Perhaps because this was an extremely important matter, Fan Tong was unexpectedly able to speak without any reversed words for once.
“Huh? Of course it does. Ling Shi says that this annual martial arts competition is the Eastern City’s most profitable event, which is why more people participate.”
……
Lord Ling Shi, that kind of direct remark is too evil. And Lord Yin Shi, how could you thoughtlessly say that kind of thing to lower tier people? You’re really too open.
And doesn’t that mean you guys would actually prefer for murder to occur on stage?
Exactly what kind of country is this…
“Are you really not going to attend? The more people, the livelier it will be. Xiao Rou isn’t attending either, so dull…”
If Bi Rou participated and got the slightest bruise, wouldn’t you completely dismember the culprit?
After Yin Shi reluctantly gave up on trying to persuade them, Fan Tong and Yue Tui were finally able to leave Shen Wang Dian. By this point, the poor kitten had already been tossed so much to the point of being dizzy. Fan Tong could only pray that it would be able to find a moment where it could escape Yin Shi’s evil hands.
On the way back to the dorms, they encountered another blindsided person looking to challenge Yue Tui.
Having spent forever walking, being obstructed now did not leave a good mood. Even Fan Tong, who wasn’t directly involved, thought: Why is this happening again? Most importantly, defeating this kind of person wouldn’t really be beneficial at all. If anything, it was just a waste of time and energy, which made the whole situation even more annoying.
It was only the first day of the New Year, and there were already people fretting over trifles like this. What is the point?
“You’ve come to challenge me?” Yue Tui asked in confirmation as he looked at the stranger clearly seeking death.
“That’s right! If you’re scared, then start begging for mercy!”
Where did a treasure of a guy like this pop up from?
“Sigh.”
Yue Tui’s right hand swiftly reached towards the opponent’s tassel as his left hand flashed out, instantly knocking him out with a single chop. Job finished, time to stop for the day.
“Yue Tui, can you search him for any belongings?”
I’m starting to turn crazy being with you. At this point, there isn’t a difference if it’s you or me. A plump lamb just offered itself to us as the first profit of the new year.
“Wouldn’t…we be robbing him then?”
As expected, Yue Tui had a stronger conscience compared to Fan Tong. But Fan Tong firmly believed that it was because he hadn’t experienced the hardships of life that he could continue living as a man of honor.
“Who cares! If we don’t loot him, some random dog passing by would!”
This is the first time I’ve heard that “person” can be reversed to “dog”. While I feel like it being reversed to “beast” would make some sense, why “dog”? For that matter, even reversing it to “ghost” would be easier to accept.
If I really analysed this closely, then the opposite of “dog” should be “god”. After all, “dog” is literally “god” spelled backwards. But that would require the curser to know English.
“But…”
Yue Tui still seemed as if he was about to persuade Fan Tong against doing something so unvirtuous. But just then, another person appeared.
“Oi! I challenge you to a fight! Your hairstyle pisses me off!”
The second person seeking death at the start of the new year has arrived.
Yue Tui furrowed his brows, and without bothering to speak, reached to pull the other’s tassel off. He then quickly knocked the opponent out, like a lightning strike before thunder could be heard.
“Fan Tong, I think I should still…”
Yue Tui’s words were cut off a second time when a third challenger popped up. This time, Yue Tui didn’t even shift his gaze, and without bothering to grab the tassel, directly knocked the challenger unconscious.
“Fan Tong, you can search these guys and take whatever you want.”
Although Yui Tui had a smile on his face, there wasn’t a single trace of warmth in his eyes. It seemed as if he’d finally snapped.
“Oh.”
Hooray! Reaping the benefits without expending any effort is what I love to do the most!
After going through all three peoples’ belongings, Fan Tong happily gathered three wallets. Although there wasn’t much money in each, it was still no small change to someone with as great as a debt as he did.
Yue Tui was now emitting an aura that would prevent anyone with the slightest danger sense from getting close to him. Fan Tong felt that this was actually a shame. If Yue Tui continued to maintain his usual harmless ambience and walked around some more, they would definitely be able to get a lot of money.
“Yue Tui, are you angry?”
This situation where they would be challenged countless times despite being outside for a short period of time was one that would cause even Yue Tui to be clearly upset. Fan Tong was already used to it.
“Yes. I don’t like the feeling of being forced into fights against weak people. Battles should be done more carefully, they aren’t something that people should play as jokes.”
I’m pretty sure that all of those guys was taking it seriously. Not a single one of them was treating it as a joke.
In short, you don’t think any of them are worth being your opponents, right?
“Fan Tong, the person in front of us seems to be someone you know…” Yue Tui suddenly said, causing Fan Tong to follow his line of sight.
“Yo! Fan Tong──”
Whoa, it’s Mi Zhong!
Why do I feel like it’s a horrible thing to be bumping into Mi Zhong on the first day of the new year? Don’t come over and ruin my good mood!
“Fan Tong! I finally found you! Where did you go, you didn’t even stay in the dorms over the holidays!”
Mi Zhong walked over with a professional, extremely bright smile. But since he rarely looked for Fan Tong for anything good, Fan Tong found it hard to look at him favorably.
Aren’t you supposed to go out and explore during the holidays? If you spend your holidays at home all day, that typically means there’s something wrong with you…
“We went to pay our worships at Xuan Dian,” Yue Tui helped Fan Tong reply. When Mi Zhong heard this, he answered, “Oh,” and immediately followed up with another question.
“How was it, did you draw your fortunes? The fortunes there typically hit the nail on the head. Sometimes they’re not the best for the heart.”
I’ve already learned that from experience, thank you very much for your reminder.
“What did you draw?”
Fan Tong couldn’t be bothered to mention that they’d met Ling Shi at Xuan Dian. He definitely didn’t want to have a guy end up clinging onto him and crying in anguish; just the thought of such an experience was horrifying.
But Lord Ling Shi pulling the “good wife and loving mother” fortune might actually be some good intelligence to sell to him?
“I didn’t bother drawing a fortune there since it always ruins my mood.”
…Such strangely good foresight.
“Fan Tong, I came looking for you to tell you something. Did you that after the break ends every year, Eastern City holds an annual martial arts competition?”
Having just heard this from Yin Shi, I wasn’t expecting to hear it from Mi Zhong again. I must be destined to have some kind of relation to the martial arts competition today.
Fan Tong nodded, and Mi Zhong continued, “Ah, if you know about it then it’s all good. I’ve already helped you sign up for it.”
Ah.
AH….wait a minute! What kind of bizarre thing did you just say?!
“Sign up for what now?! What are you talking about?!”
“Hahaha, calm down first. I’m just about to explain.”
Calm down, my ass! You’d better explain properly, or else I’m going to make Yue Tui slice you down!
“Newcomers to Eastern City need to participate in various events as a baptism, and it’s necessary for growth anyways. Besides, how could you not participate in such a grand ceremony?”
Mi Zhong’s words sounded extremely dignified, but Fan Tong didn’t show him any respect.
“Who needs you! Even if you hadn’t signed me up, I would’ve gone!”
I meant to say that even if you had signed me up, I wouldn’t have gone!
“Oh? You seem pretty motivated. What excellent courageousness. If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered doing anything.”
Now that he was stuck in this misunderstanding, Fan Tong felt like there was no way he could relieve the depression he felt.
“In that case, you’d better properly attend the competition. Being absent without good reason will result in punishment.”
After hearing these words, Fan Tong immediately blew up again.
“What?!”
I’m already poor enough, I don’t want to be fined for something like this!
“It’s a rule set so that everyone properly competes. If you’re absent, you’ll be fined two hundred strings, it’s pretty expensive.”
Being absent would result in a fine of two hundred strings.
Dying once would result in a debt of one hundred strings.
Exactly which one is the better deal?
Participating doesn’t necessarily result in death, and dying would just add one hundred strings to my debt. But the issue is that if I am absent the next round, and I get fined two hundred strings, and if I die again, I lose another one hundred strings…
Wait, if I die, there shouldn’t be a next round, right? If I participate, would there only be one round?
“How do you stay in the tournament?”
“You just have to keep winning to stay in. Although it’s unlikely for you.”
I wanted to ask you how to get eliminated from the tournament! Ugh!
“The tournament is pretty considerate to participants. If you lose, there will be a resurrection round for the losers too. Don’t worry about it.”
Considerate? Yeah right, more like ruthless!
“Oh right, if you kill your opponent, you win ten strings.”
……！
So the price of dying is higher? Moreover, what kind of crazy one-sided profit is this business? If a person dies, Eastern City earns one hundred strings, and only gives the killer 10%!
“If you reach the top five, you get the privilege of challenging one of the Lords of Shi, and your tassels can directly jump up a level!”
Jumping up a level meant skipping the three sub-levels and going up a color. For example, if Fan Tong’s tassel was currently grass green, he’d be able to skip dark green and blue-green, and jump directly to a blue tassel. This was indeed a great jump, and would also result in a huge increase in salary. But getting to the top five is way too hard.
“Exactly why did you considerately help me sign up?”
This time, selfishly turned into considerately, but the general meaning of the sentence stayed the same.
“For your sake, to serve you…”
“You lying ghost!”
This time a person was reversed to a ghost, and not a dog. Exactly what kind of logic is this?
“I’m responsible for guiding you. If you win, I’ll benefit from it too.”
Since Mi Zhong could tell he couldn’t bluff anymore, he confessed the truth.
“You little…”
Fan Tong no longer knew what to say to him. If he cursed, it could possibly end up as being praise, which would just make him angrier.
“Did you register yourself?” Yue Tui, who had remained quiet this whole time, finally spoke up.
“Me? There’s no way I have that kind of skill. Moreover, I’m only a dark green tassel; if I participated, wouldn’t I just be seeking death?”
When Mi Zhong casually said these words, Fan Tong really wanted to punch him.
So you also admit that a dark green tassel participating means a surefire death. Would a grass green tassel not be the same then?!
Moreover, my grass green tassel isn’t even earned from strength!
Yue Tui’s dark green tassel could also be said to be unrelated to his strength. However, this was in a completely different meaning from Fan Tong’s tassel level.
“Since you also know how dangerous it is, making such arrangements for others isn’t very good, is it?” Yue Tui flatly replied. It looked like his previous sour mood had not yet dissipated.
“Eh…”
Mi Zhong was momentarily unable to reply, most likely because he wasn’t really good at responding to a question laid out in such a level and proper way.
“In order to show your sincere enthusiasm and support, you should also sign up for the tournament, should you not?”
Although Yue Tui was younger than Mi Zhong, and smaller in stature as well, his emotionless voice had an imposing air that made it difficult for Mi Zhong to retaliate.
“Why don’t you go register?” Yue Tui smiled, while also casually squeezing the wooden club that he had picked up from one of the three challengers into wood dust in his fist.
“…Of course, we all should be undertaking in this communal event! I’ll leave now, I’ll see you around as fate allows, Fan Tong──”
Mi Zhong could feel his forehead break out in a cold sweat as he immediately felt it was best to flee. He hurriedly left the area with rising tension──nothing was more important than protecting one’s own life.
Hmph! Serves you right! Let’s see how you do on stage! Your beloved Lord Ling Shi will be watching too. We’ll see how elegant you are then.
But, Yue Tui, your grip strength is getting more and more frightening. It’s no wonder the rice balls you made last time were as hard as rocks, which I still feel regret towards whenever I think back about it…
“Fan Tong, let’s start some special training tomorrow. I will teach you properly.” Yue Tui sighed, and suggested a way to deal with the impending crisis.
No way? The competition starts as soon as break ends, which only gives a few days. Is that enough time?
“Yue Tui, are you not participating?”
Fan Tong pitifully looked at Yue Tui, and his pleading gaze couldn’t help but cause Yue Tui to waver.
“Ah?”
“In a group competition! Fighting as a team!”
Although this was a pretty low move, Fan Tong’s strong desire to survive had thickened his skin enough to let him express as such.
“In the end, you still don’t plan on putting in the effort to go through rigorous training…”
“Yes! Yue Tui, you have to save me! I don’t want to live!”
I was trying to say I don’t want to die, I’m not trying to threaten you to not help me and let me die…
“Alright. Let’s go ask about it.”
Hooray! Yue Tui, you are indeed a wonderful person! I was already preparing to start weeping bitterly, but it looks like I succeeded in my objective before even doing anything!
Thus, rather than returning to the dorm as they had originally intended, the two of them instead went to go ask about how to sign up for a group tournament at the martial arts competition. It seemed like going back the dorm was impossible, as if they would be stopped from doing so in every possible way.
When Fan Tong heard that registering to be in a group required three people, his expression fell. He had barely managed to get Yue Tui to join, how was he going to find another good samaritan to do such an arduous and thankless task?
“Let’s go ask Bi Rou…”
Although Yin Shi said Bi Rou would not participate, that doesn’t mean it would be impossible to persuade her, right?
“No.” Yue Tui’s response was blunt and cold. Fan Tong had almost forgotten the unexplained enmity Yue Tui had towards Bi Rou.
“Then who else…?”
Three people, three people….hm? When you think about it, don’t we have another person in our dorm?
“No.”
By the time they had returned to the dorm, Zhu Sha had already gotten up. But as soon as he heard Fan Tong’s request, he immediately rejected.
Fan Tong was unable to tearfully run away nor twist his expression. Instead, he stared blankly for a few seconds before turning around to pat Yue Tui’s shoulder.
“Yue Tui, it’s your turn.”
Yue Tui didn’t quite understand where Fan Tong was going with this, but since he had said to go, Yue Tui asked once more.
“Zhu Sha, we need three people for a group competition. Between me and Fan Tong, we’re still missing one person. Are you really not willing to join us?”
When Yue Tui asked, Zhu Sha fell silent.
See? You see that? I knew that your face would come into use! If Luo Shi’s special status didn’t prevent him from joining us, I would’ve asked you to persuade him. It definitely would’ve worked!
Sigh, if it didn’t require three people, we wouldn’t be struggling so much either. You’re pretty much the equivalent of two people’s support. Stupid rules…
“You wanted to attend the martial arts competition, yet you chose to find Fan Tong first before me…”
Zhu Sha suddenly complained, momentarily stunning Yue Tui.
“Um…is there a difference?”
Yue Tui…in some ways, your as thick-brained as Lord Yin Shi.
“Of course there’s a difference! You only thought of me because it requires three people, doesn’t that mean I’m just a placeholder?”
You are indeed a placeholder, because Yue Tui alone would be able to hold up the fight.
“That’s…”
Yue Tui had probably never thought about this, thus feeling awkward upon hearing Zhu Sha’s words.
“To think that you’d want to attend with Fan Tong and not me…”
Zhu Sha’s tone seemed to be carrying a bitterness that made Fan Tong shudder.
Uh, if you’re going to speak in such a manner, could you please transform into a girl first? This really gives others an uncomfortable feeling…
“I didn’t plan on participating originally. It was only because Fan Tong was framed into registering that I…”
In his rush to attempt to explain, Yue Tui’s response was somewhat sloppy.
“I’ll go on one condition.”
Zhu Sha had no interest in watching Yue Tui struggle. In exchange, he probably wanted something more practical.
“What condition?”
“If I agree to attend this time, you will have to unconditionally agree to three of my requests in the future.”
What? What the heck is that? A single request in exchange for three, aren’t you asking for too much? How ruthless can you be?
“Why three…” Yue Tui seemed to have noticed there was something wrong with this number too.
Zhu Sha boldly replied, “Because a single request would be used up instantly!”
Exactly how many things do you want to make Yue Tui do?
At this point, Fan Tong wasn’t sure if Yue Tui would agree or not. If Yue Tui didn’t, they wouldn’t have enough people for a group. But if he did, he would be at too much of a disadvantage…
Moreover, when it came down to it, the whole thing was clearly Fan Tong’s own problem. Yet now it seemed like Yue Tui would be paying most of the price, which just didn’t feel right at all.
“Could you give an example of what kind of request you would make…?”
Since he was up against someone like Zhu Sha, who didn’t follow any moral code, Yue Tui didn’t dare to carelessly agree. Otherwise, he might end up selling himself to Zhu Sha.
Yeah, that’s right! Clarifying the request is necessary. If he uses this advantage to make Yue Tui date him, wouldn’t that spell doom for Yue Tui?
Ah, not that I don’t approve of you two dating, but since we’re still minors, there’s plenty of time to think about it first. Besides, who knows if Yue Tui is willing to accept your strange constitution. He’s gone through an extremely painful past already, isn’t it best to not torment him further?
“I won’t ask you to do anything impossible. Only simple things.”
What kind of joke are you trying to pull? That’s clearly subjective! If you asked him to go die, that would obviously be possible, but that’s not a simple matter at all.
And if you ask him to slaughter me, he would definitely be able to do it; moreover, it would be a simple task for him. But, but…you can’t just do that!
“Alright,” Yue Tui replied simply without questioning any further.
Huh??? Yue Tui, you’re just agreeing like that? Are you not afraid…afraid that he’ll have some crazy and ridiculous demands?
“I believe that you wouldn’t do anything crazy, Zhu Sha, so I don’t think its a problem. I agree to unconditionally fulfilling three of your requests.”
Yue Tui, to think you would so easily believe that someone would be kind enough to not get their revenge…
Zhu Sha froze for a moment, but then bounded over and kissed Yue Tui on the cheek.
“Mm, you are indeed the man I have fallen for.”
“…!!!”
The sudden attack instantly caused Yue Tui’s expression to change. Even Fan Tong, who was watching from the side, couldn’t help but blankly stare with wide eyes.
“You…you…”
Yue Tui seemed to have momentarily lost his ability to speak, and was unable to form a complete sentence.
Are all youngsters this bold now? Yue Tui, hurry up and finish your sentence, I really want to know what you’re trying to say…”
“You…could at least turn into a girl before kissing…”
Yue Tui’s expression stiffened after saying these words, his expression extremely overcast.
Fan Tong really didn’t know if he should try to point out the issue. But it seemed like…there were honestly too many of them.
“Oh? It’s fine as long as I turn into a girl?” Zhu Sha’s eyes lit up. The delicate, curvy version of Zhu Sha appeared. Her originally loose clothing had now become tight in the chest area, making it hard for people to know where to look.
“No! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s not fine!” Yue Tui’s sharp cries rang out as he immediately backpedaled from Zhu Sha’s grasp, and the two of them immediately initiated a game of tag in the dorm room.
Oh Yue Tui, you really have great luck with woman. Who knows, you might end up meeting your end through blood loss from nosebleeds, although you haven’t had any yet.
Although, is this really a good thing? It’s probably even worse than Bi Rou and Lord Yin Shi. They just throw out verbal attacks, but what about you guys? Is this a display of psychological warfare? Making fun of me for being partner-less? Isn’t that going overboard?
If this continues, Yue Tui will probably lose his virginity. It’s bad for a man to force himself onto a woman, but having the means to get a woman to force herself on a man is an envious trait…
But it still isn’t confirmed for sure whether or not Zhu Sha counts as a female…
“Zhu Sha! Stop fooling around!” Yue Tui sounded like he was about to lose his head out of fear. Fan Tong was starting to feel dizzy watching them run around in a chase.
“Please stop!”
Zhu Sha had absolutely no intention of stopping, and continued to chase Yue Tui without giving up.
You guys completely forgot there’s another person in the room, haven’t you?
“Cough! Cough, cough, cough!” Fan Tong couldn’t stand it any further and made some noise in attempt to make his presence known.
“If you’re going to cough, go and do it outside.” Zhu Sha rolled her eyes with evident dislike, but a glare from her with her current appearance only made Fan Tong’s heart race.
What, what is this? I can’t surrender to her charms! Hold yourself together! Zhu Sha is half male!
“Fan Tong, why are you suddenly coughing──ah!” Because Yue Tui had gotten distracted from worry over Fan Tong’s coughing, he didn’t dodge properly, and was captured by Zhu Sha.
“I got you!” Having finally caught Yue Tui after much struggle, Zhu Sha had a triumphant grin on her face. However, just as Fan Tong was wondering if Yue Tui would get pushed down that easily, a knocking sound was suddenly heard.
“Fan Tong, are you guys there?” It was Bi Rou’s voice. Fan Tong went to open the door. Zhu Sha lost interest and changed back into male form, and Yue Tui hurriedly untangled himself from Zhu Sha’s grasp to get some distance between them.
“Oh, cough, Bi Rou, happy new year.” Fan Tong let out a sigh of relief upon the rare occasion of being able to speak properly. Although he and Bi Rou weren’t particularly close, he still decided to say her name directly without adding a “miss” in front to avoid the risk of accidentally calling her “mister” instead.
“Happy new year! Is everyone here? I bought a bunch of seasonal food and have a ton of leftovers, so I brought some over to share with you guys,” Bi Rou greeted as she passed over a basket.
“Oh, you’re welcome, you’re welcome.”
Please, let me be able to at least say thank you properly.
“You really do talk strangely…”
If those two hadn’t been in a fervent battle, I wouldn’t have bothered to come answer the door.
“I went to Xuan Dian to pray today, did you guys go too?”
Praying at Xuan Dian should be the most popular thing to do in Eastern City during the new year, it’s no wonder this topic is constantly brought up today.
“What fortune did you draw?” Fan Tong asked Bi Rou while peeking to check the inside of the room.
Yue Tui, although your expression seems very cold, you still seem to listening closely.
“Oh, I pulled ‘life is full of surprises’, which I don’t think is anything special at all.”
Surprises? As in, suddenly discovering one day that Lord Yin Shi has two lovers?
“Alright, I won’t bother you any further and take my leave now then.” Bi Rou quickly walked away without bothering to ask what fortunes they had drawn. It seemed she had come solely to deliver the food.
She’s actually a good person. Although I won’t easily forget those three thousand strings, hmph.
“So you guys went to Xuan Dian too?” From the tone of his voice, it sounded like Zhu Sha had gone as well.
“Zhu Sha, you went as well?” Having distanced himself from Zhu Sha, Yue Tui was able to speak properly again, which was an achievement worth celebrating.
“Yep, a year’s worth of luck is pretty important. I’m pretty satisfied with my luck in pulling fortunes.”
Among the people they knew, he was the first one to express satisfaction in his fortune. Fan Tong and Yue Tui couldn’t help but grow curious.
“Then…what exactly did you get?”
Zhu Sha pulled out the small slip of paper and flashed the words written.
“It’s ‘ambition is essential’.”
“…”
Fan Tong saw Yue Tui tremble.
Ah, Yue Tui, I wish you luck.
◎ Fan Tong’s Afterword
It’s only the first day of the new year, but why do I feel like it will be a lively one?
But I can say for certain that I’ll have to brace myself. Even though I’ve managed to get Yue Tui to help me, the martial arts competition won’t be easy to pass through.
It’s a shame that it’s not actually a competition for the Five Lords of Shi to fight for a hand in marriage. I feel if that were truly the case, the event would be a lot more interesting, and have a lot bigger audience. Just betting on the winners would be huge fun. Why can’t the Lords just sacrifice themselves a bit to give everyone else a different form of entertainment?
Speaking of which, I wonder what the demonstration match that Lord Yin Shi mentioned will be like?
There are only four of the Five Lords of Shi, and the difference between Luo Shi’s strength and that of the other three is too great. Exactly how will that work?
And, now I’m also wondering…did I make a mistake?
Was it really a good idea to get someone that had drawn a fortune with “blood calamity” packed all over the paper to bring onto a stage where much blood would be shed? Is that really correct?
Sigh, honestly, rather than causing a blood calamity in the tournament, Yue Tui, you’re better off just letting Zhu Sha excite you a bit and get a nosebleed to relieve some stress…but after all this time, I feel like the one getting a nosebleed is always me. Although your entire face flushes red, you don’t show any signs of a nosebleed. Isn’t there something wrong there?
And I feel like Zhu Sha has accepted the situation and finally decided to separate his lovers as a male and as a female, so has been in full attack mode? Or is it that he finally decided to just lock onto only Yue Tui, regardless of being male or female? The more I think about it, the more frightening it gets.
Anyways, the group registration can be said to be done. Naturally, the next step is to try my best to not lose any money from the competition!
I don’t want to die anymore! I don’t want my debt to keep growing! At this rate, even if I get a girlfriend, I won’t have any betrothal money──!
Chapter 2: A martial arts competition to win over…a hand in marriage? Yeah right!
“A martial arts competition to win one’s hand in marriage? Can’t you just throw a flower ball? ( I think that would be a lot simpler!” -Fan Tong
“If Yin Shi smashed a flower ball down, whoever catches it would immediately die, right?” -Ling Shi
(TL Note: A “flower ball” refers to a ball of silk in the shape of a hydrangea that is thrown in traditional Chinese weddings, similar to the throwing of a flower bouquet in Western weddings.)
Fan Tong and Yue Tui understood why Luo Shi had so hurriedly gone to inspect the notes, so they didn’t wait to be escorted out. They had come in the same way, so leaving Shen Wang Dian by themselves wouldn’t be too hard. At least, it was way better than the labyrinth-like Fu Zhou Pavilion; no matter what, they’d be able to get out eventually.
After exiting Hui Shi’s Pavilion, they did not encounter the Empress, whose quarters were next door. Pass.
While walking through the fourth palace, they did not bump into Wei Shi in his quarters. Pass.
While walking through the third palace…Yin Shi was unfortunately playing around right near the entrance, and so they bumped directly into each other. Fail.
Although coming to Hui Shi’s Pavilion had gone very smoothly, leaving was a different story. It looked like they would not be able to actually leave for another while.
“Ah, Xiao Yue, why are you guys walking out from there? When did you get here?”
Since Yin Shi and Ling Shi had left Xuan Dian first, he didn’t know that Luo Shi had come to invite them to Hui Shi’s Pavilion for cleaning.
It really bothered Fan Tong that Yin Shi still did not remember his name, choosing instead to omit it completely just now. However, Fan Tong knew there wasn’t much he could do about it.
“Lord Yin Shi, you are…?”
Yue Tui looked at Yin Shi in evident confusion, then down at the delicate little creature warily standing next to his feet.
“Ah, this is the cat I picked up before. I brought it here to play.”
Yin Shi replied as he reached down to securely pick the kitten up, completely ignoring its mews and struggles of resistance.
I don’t think it likes you as much, Lord Yin Shi.
“There are stray cats around Shen Wang Dian…?”
Yue Tui had an odd expression, seemingly finding the entire situation very strange.
Anyways, this is at least an actual kitten, and not some random abnormality of a beast that he is just calling a kitten.
“Yep. Ling Shi said that to raise a cat, you need to let it out to play rather than keep it locked up all the time. So I brought it out specifically for that reason.”
As he replied, Yin Shi began to play a game of toss where he would throw the kitten high into the air before catching it again. Mews sounded out endlessly.
I feel bad for this cat. It’s probably better if you just lock it up inside, that would probably make it feel happier, actually.
“Ah, it looks super happy and full of energy!”
You’re completely mistaken!
“Are you not just able to ask someone else to do something like taking care of the cat…?” Yue Tui politely pointed out.
Fan Tong felt that the only part lacking there were the words “You’re not at all suited to raise a cat”.
“But…I’m the one that brought it home, so it should it be my responsibility. How could I give it to someone else?”
It’s great for men to have a sense of responsibility, but in my opinion, you’re better off just leaving it outside.
“If there’s nothing you need, we will be returning first.”
Since Fan Tong and Yue Tui felt like they really couldn’t help the cat even if they sympathized with it, it was better if they did not interrupt the time shared between the man and cat. As a result, Yue Tui and Fan Tong prepared to make their leave.
“Ah, wait! There are some really exciting events after the New Year, so remember to attend!”
Yin Shi did not let them leave so easily, and even shouted an unknown advertisement to stop them.
Exciting events…is that referring to the suspicious statement mentioned earlier at Xuan Dian, the martial arts competition to win over a hand in marriage or whatever?
“What kind of event?”
Since it was mentioned, it wouldn’t be good to express absolutely no interest, so Yue Tui chose to ask about it.
“It’s an annual event at Eastern City. When it starts, the Five Lords of Shi will all go up and participate in the competition to win someone over!”
……
What…exactly is that supposed to mean? You compete once a year to win someone over? Doesn’t that mean you have to get married every year? As in, the winner gets a spouse for only a year? Does the Empress take part? Otherwise, it would just be all guys…or are you asking females to compete over you?
And doesn’t that put Luo Shi in a dangerous position? Who knows what kind of random passerby he could get married to. And Lord Wei Shi probably isn’t capable of those emotions. Lord Yin Shi, if you don’t throw the match, you wouldn’t get married at all. And the amount of people wanting to marry Lord Ling Shi could form a line all the way outside the city…but going off of tassel color, only you, Lord Yin Shi, would be able to defeat him and marry him…?
If this martial arts competition really happened, Bi Rou would probably put her life on the line to defeat all the other contestants just to end up with Lord Yin Shi, right?
Or maybe not, she said she didn’t want to marry…
Just the mention of a martial arts competition to win over someone was enough to send a pile of random thoughts racing through Fan Tong’s mind. Did that mean his thoughts were just too quick?
“Lord Yin Shi, this martial arts competition is….?”
Yue Tui also found this description out of place. Or rather, it wasn’t something anyone could really understand.
“We will be in charge of the grand opening ceremony for the martial arts competition, demonstrating fights to win over the audience.”
Hey! That’s completely different from a martial arts competition to win over a hand in marriage, alright? Don’t just randomly throw these kinds of words around please! You got all of us mistaken!
“Xiao Yue! You’ll participate, right? You should sign up now, there isn’t a registration fee.”
Why are you only asking Yue Tui? Is it because I would just end up being cannon fodder if I went?
“I…probably won’t.”
Although Yin Shi seemed to really look forward to Yue Tui’s participation, Yue Tui did not have any interest.
“Ah? Why? The top five people can challenge the Five Lords of Shi. Many people put their full effort in trying to get there so that they can get the chance to openly and honorably beat the living daylights out of Wei Shi.”
Are you mistaken about something? It’s not like the top five can just choose Lord Wei Shi and beat him up as much as they’d like. If they were to challenge him, they’d be the ones beaten to a pulp by Lord Wei Shi’s dark purple tassel strength, right?
Besides, doesn’t this competition have any other attractive rewards to draw people in?
“If you think fighting 1v1 is too boring, you can also participate in group battles!”
Lord Yin Shi, your evaluation of Yue Tui is so high. Although I also feel like Yue Tui is very strong, I don’t think anyone would typically be willing to get themselves involved with trouble like this for no reason and participate with such a burden.
But when Yue Tui heard these words, he actually gave Fan Tong an earnest look.
“Fan Tong…are you interested?”
…What is going on? If I’m interested, do you plan on bringing me up to open my eyes to the world?
“What kind of punishments are there?”
No, I meant to ask what kind of rewards there are!
“Punishments? The competition doesn’t have any strict regulations. Even if someone was killed in the ring, there wouldn’t be any problems.”
Whoa! Wait a minute! Doesn’t that mean participating means there’s the danger of dying?!
“If you die during the competition, does it cost money?”
Perhaps because this was an extremely important matter, Fan Tong was unexpectedly able to speak without any reversed words for once.
“Huh? Of course it does. Ling Shi says that this annual martial arts competition is the Eastern City’s most profitable event, which is why more people participate.”
……
Lord Ling Shi, that kind of direct remark is too evil. And Lord Yin Shi, how could you thoughtlessly say that kind of thing to lower tier people? You’re really too open.
And doesn’t that mean you guys would actually prefer for murder to occur on stage?
Exactly what kind of country is this…
“Are you really not going to attend? The more people, the livelier it will be. Xiao Rou isn’t attending either, so dull…”
If Bi Rou participated and got the slightest bruise, wouldn’t you completely dismember the culprit?
After Yin Shi reluctantly gave up on trying to persuade them, Fan Tong and Yue Tui were finally able to leave Shen Wang Dian. By this point, the poor kitten had already been tossed so much to the point of being dizzy. Fan Tong could only pray that it would be able to find a moment where it could escape Yin Shi’s evil hands.
On the way back to the dorms, they encountered another blindsided person looking to challenge Yue Tui.
Having spent forever walking, being obstructed now did not leave a good mood. Even Fan Tong, who wasn’t directly involved, thought: Why is this happening again? Most importantly, defeating this kind of person wouldn’t really be beneficial at all. If anything, it was just a waste of time and energy, which made the whole situation even more annoying.
It was only the first day of the New Year, and there were already people fretting over trifles like this. What is the point?
“You’ve come to challenge me?” Yue Tui asked in confirmation as he looked at the stranger clearly seeking death.
“That’s right! If you’re scared, then start begging for mercy!”
Where did a treasure of a guy like this pop up from?
“Sigh.”
Yue Tui’s right hand swiftly reached towards the opponent’s tassel as his left hand flashed out, instantly knocking him out with a single chop. Job finished, time to stop for the day.
“Yue Tui, can you search him for any belongings?”
I’m starting to turn crazy being with you. At this point, there isn’t a difference if it’s you or me. A plump lamb just offered itself to us as the first profit of the new year.
“Wouldn’t…we be robbing him then?”
As expected, Yue Tui had a stronger conscience compared to Fan Tong. But Fan Tong firmly believed that it was because he hadn’t experienced the hardships of life that he could continue living as a man of honor.
“Who cares! If we don’t loot him, some random dog passing by would!”
This is the first time I’ve heard that “person” can be reversed to “dog”. While I feel like it being reversed to “beast” would make some sense, why “dog”? For that matter, even reversing it to “ghost” would be easier to accept.
If I really analysed this closely, then the opposite of “dog” should be “god”. After all, “dog” is literally “god” spelled backwards. But that would require the curser to know English.
“But…”
Yue Tui still seemed as if he was about to persuade Fan Tong against doing something so unvirtuous. But just then, another person appeared.
“Oi! I challenge you to a fight! Your hairstyle pisses me off!”
The second person seeking death at the start of the new year has arrived.
Yue Tui furrowed his brows, and without bothering to speak, reached to pull the other’s tassel off. He then quickly knocked the opponent out, like a lightning strike before thunder could be heard.
“Fan Tong, I think I should still…”
Yue Tui’s words were cut off a second time when a third challenger popped up. This time, Yue Tui didn’t even shift his gaze, and without bothering to grab the tassel, directly knocked the challenger unconscious.
“Fan Tong, you can search these guys and take whatever you want.”
Although Yui Tui had a smile on his face, there wasn’t a single trace of warmth in his eyes. It seemed as if he’d finally snapped.
“Oh.”
Hooray! Reaping the benefits without expending any effort is what I love to do the most!
After going through all three peoples’ belongings, Fan Tong happily gathered three wallets. Although there wasn’t much money in each, it was still no small change to someone with as great as a debt as he did.
Yue Tui was now emitting an aura that would prevent anyone with the slightest danger sense from getting close to him. Fan Tong felt that this was actually a shame. If Yue Tui continued to maintain his usual harmless ambience and walked around some more, they would definitely be able to get a lot of money.
“Yue Tui, are you angry?”
This situation where they would be challenged countless times despite being outside for a short period of time was one that would cause even Yue Tui to be clearly upset. Fan Tong was already used to it.
“Yes. I don’t like the feeling of being forced into fights against weak people. Battles should be done more carefully, they aren’t something that people should play as jokes.”
I’m pretty sure that all of those guys was taking it seriously. Not a single one of them was treating it as a joke.
In short, you don’t think any of them are worth being your opponents, right?
“Fan Tong, the person in front of us seems to be someone you know…” Yue Tui suddenly said, causing Fan Tong to follow his line of sight.
“Yo! Fan Tong──”
Whoa, it’s Mi Zhong!
Why do I feel like it’s a horrible thing to be bumping into Mi Zhong on the first day of the new year? Don’t come over and ruin my good mood!
“Fan Tong! I finally found you! Where did you go, you didn’t even stay in the dorms over the holidays!”
Mi Zhong walked over with a professional, extremely bright smile. But since he rarely looked for Fan Tong for anything good, Fan Tong found it hard to look at him favorably.
Aren’t you supposed to go out and explore during the holidays? If you spend your holidays at home all day, that typically means there’s something wrong with you…
“We went to pay our worships at Xuan Dian,” Yue Tui helped Fan Tong reply. When Mi Zhong heard this, he answered, “Oh,” and immediately followed up with another question.
“How was it, did you draw your fortunes? The fortunes there typically hit the nail on the head. Sometimes they’re not the best for the heart.”
I’ve already learned that from experience, thank you very much for your reminder.
“What did you draw?”
Fan Tong couldn’t be bothered to mention that they’d met Ling Shi at Xuan Dian. He definitely didn’t want to have a guy end up clinging onto him and crying in anguish; just the thought of such an experience was horrifying.
But Lord Ling Shi pulling the “good wife and loving mother” fortune might actually be some good intelligence to sell to him?
“I didn’t bother drawing a fortune there since it always ruins my mood.”
…Such strangely good foresight.
“Fan Tong, I came looking for you to tell you something. Did you that after the break ends every year, Eastern City holds an annual martial arts competition?”
Having just heard this from Yin Shi, I wasn’t expecting to hear it from Mi Zhong again. I must be destined to have some kind of relation to the martial arts competition today.
Fan Tong nodded, and Mi Zhong continued, “Ah, if you know about it then it’s all good. I’ve already helped you sign up for it.”
Ah.
AH….wait a minute! What kind of bizarre thing did you just say?!
“Sign up for what now?! What are you talking about?!”
“Hahaha, calm down first. I’m just about to explain.”
Calm down, my ass! You’d better explain properly, or else I’m going to make Yue Tui slice you down!
“Newcomers to Eastern City need to participate in various events as a baptism, and it’s necessary for growth anyways. Besides, how could you not participate in such a grand ceremony?”
Mi Zhong’s words sounded extremely dignified, but Fan Tong didn’t show him any respect.
“Who needs you! Even if you hadn’t signed me up, I would’ve gone!”
I meant to say that even if you had signed me up, I wouldn’t have gone!
“Oh? You seem pretty motivated. What excellent courageousness. If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered doing anything.”
Now that he was stuck in this misunderstanding, Fan Tong felt like there was no way he could relieve the depression he felt.
“In that case, you’d better properly attend the competition. Being absent without good reason will result in punishment.”
After hearing these words, Fan Tong immediately blew up again.
“What?!”
I’m already poor enough, I don’t want to be fined for something like this!
“It’s a rule set so that everyone properly competes. If you’re absent, you’ll be fined two hundred strings, it’s pretty expensive.”
Being absent would result in a fine of two hundred strings.
Dying once would result in a debt of one hundred strings.
Exactly which one is the better deal?
Participating doesn’t necessarily result in death, and dying would just add one hundred strings to my debt. But the issue is that if I am absent the next round, and I get fined two hundred strings, and if I die again, I lose another one hundred strings…
Wait, if I die, there shouldn’t be a next round, right? If I participate, would there only be one round?
“How do you stay in the tournament?”
“You just have to keep winning to stay in. Although it’s unlikely for you.”
I wanted to ask you how to get eliminated from the tournament! Ugh!
“The tournament is pretty considerate to participants. If you lose, there will be a resurrection round for the losers too. Don’t worry about it.”
Considerate? Yeah right, more like ruthless!
“Oh right, if you kill your opponent, you win ten strings.”
……！
So the price of dying is higher? Moreover, what kind of crazy one-sided profit is this business? If a person dies, Eastern City earns one hundred strings, and only gives the killer 10%!
“If you reach the top five, you get the privilege of challenging one of the Lords of Shi, and your tassels can directly jump up a level!”
Jumping up a level meant skipping the three sub-levels and going up a color. For example, if Fan Tong’s tassel was currently grass green, he’d be able to skip dark green and blue-green, and jump directly to a blue tassel. This was indeed a great jump, and would also result in a huge increase in salary. But getting to the top five is way too hard.
“Exactly why did you considerately help me sign up?”
This time, selfishly turned into considerately, but the general meaning of the sentence stayed the same.
“For your sake, to serve you…”
“You lying ghost!”
This time a person was reversed to a ghost, and not a dog. Exactly what kind of logic is this?
“I’m responsible for guiding you. If you win, I’ll benefit from it too.”
Since Mi Zhong could tell he couldn’t bluff anymore, he confessed the truth.
“You little…”
Fan Tong no longer knew what to say to him. If he cursed, it could possibly end up as being praise, which would just make him angrier.
“Did you register yourself?” Yue Tui, who had remained quiet this whole time, finally spoke up.
“Me? There’s no way I have that kind of skill. Moreover, I’m only a dark green tassel; if I participated, wouldn’t I just be seeking death?”
When Mi Zhong casually said these words, Fan Tong really wanted to punch him.
So you also admit that a dark green tassel participating means a surefire death. Would a grass green tassel not be the same then?!
Moreover, my grass green tassel isn’t even earned from strength!
Yue Tui’s dark green tassel could also be said to be unrelated to his strength. However, this was in a completely different meaning from Fan Tong’s tassel level.
“Since you also know how dangerous it is, making such arrangements for others isn’t very good, is it?” Yue Tui flatly replied. It looked like his previous sour mood had not yet dissipated.
“Eh…”
Mi Zhong was momentarily unable to reply, most likely because he wasn’t really good at responding to a question laid out in such a level and proper way.
“In order to show your sincere enthusiasm and support, you should also sign up for the tournament, should you not?”
Although Yue Tui was younger than Mi Zhong, and smaller in stature as well, his emotionless voice had an imposing air that made it difficult for Mi Zhong to retaliate.
“Why don’t you go register?” Yue Tui smiled, while also casually squeezing the wooden club that he had picked up from one of the three challengers into wood dust in his fist.
“…Of course, we all should be undertaking in this communal event! I’ll leave now, I’ll see you around as fate allows, Fan Tong──”
Mi Zhong could feel his forehead break out in a cold sweat as he immediately felt it was best to flee. He hurriedly left the area with rising tension──nothing was more important than protecting one’s own life.
Hmph! Serves you right! Let’s see how you do on stage! Your beloved Lord Ling Shi will be watching too. We’ll see how elegant you are then.
But, Yue Tui, your grip strength is getting more and more frightening. It’s no wonder the rice balls you made last time were as hard as rocks, which I still feel regret towards whenever I think back about it…
“Fan Tong, let’s start some special training tomorrow. I will teach you properly.” Yue Tui sighed, and suggested a way to deal with the impending crisis.
No way? The competition starts as soon as break ends, which only gives a few days. Is that enough time?
“Yue Tui, are you not participating?”
Fan Tong pitifully looked at Yue Tui, and his pleading gaze couldn’t help but cause Yue Tui to waver.
“Ah?”
“In a group competition! Fighting as a team!”
Although this was a pretty low move, Fan Tong’s strong desire to survive had thickened his skin enough to let him express as such.
“In the end, you still don’t plan on putting in the effort to go through rigorous training…”
“Yes! Yue Tui, you have to save me! I don’t want to live!”
I was trying to say I don’t want to die, I’m not trying to threaten you to not help me and let me die…
“Alright. Let’s go ask about it.”
Hooray! Yue Tui, you are indeed a wonderful person! I was already preparing to start weeping bitterly, but it looks like I succeeded in my objective before even doing anything!
Thus, rather than returning to the dorm as they had originally intended, the two of them instead went to go ask about how to sign up for a group tournament at the martial arts competition. It seemed like going back the dorm was impossible, as if they would be stopped from doing so in every possible way.
When Fan Tong heard that registering to be in a group required three people, his expression fell. He had barely managed to get Yue Tui to join, how was he going to find another good samaritan to do such an arduous and thankless task?
“Let’s go ask Bi Rou…”
Although Yin Shi said Bi Rou would not participate, that doesn’t mean it would be impossible to persuade her, right?
“No.” Yue Tui’s response was blunt and cold. Fan Tong had almost forgotten the unexplained enmity Yue Tui had towards Bi Rou.
“Then who else…?”
Three people, three people….hm? When you think about it, don’t we have another person in our dorm?
“No.”
By the time they had returned to the dorm, Zhu Sha had already gotten up. But as soon as he heard Fan Tong’s request, he immediately rejected.
Fan Tong was unable to tearfully run away nor twist his expression. Instead, he stared blankly for a few seconds before turning around to pat Yue Tui’s shoulder.
“Yue Tui, it’s your turn.”
Yue Tui didn’t quite understand where Fan Tong was going with this, but since he had said to go, Yue Tui asked once more.
“Zhu Sha, we need three people for a group competition. Between me and Fan Tong, we’re still missing one person. Are you really not willing to join us?”
When Yue Tui asked, Zhu Sha fell silent.
See? You see that? I knew that your face would come into use! If Luo Shi’s special status didn’t prevent him from joining us, I would’ve asked you to persuade him. It definitely would’ve worked!
Sigh, if it didn’t require three people, we wouldn’t be struggling so much either. You’re pretty much the equivalent of two people’s support. Stupid rules…
“You wanted to attend the martial arts competition, yet you chose to find Fan Tong first before me…”
Zhu Sha suddenly complained, momentarily stunning Yue Tui.
“Um…is there a difference?”
Yue Tui…in some ways, your as thick-brained as Lord Yin Shi.
“Of course there’s a difference! You only thought of me because it requires three people, doesn’t that mean I’m just a placeholder?”
You are indeed a placeholder, because Yue Tui alone would be able to hold up the fight.
“That’s…”
Yue Tui had probably never thought about this, thus feeling awkward upon hearing Zhu Sha’s words.
“To think that you’d want to attend with Fan Tong and not me…”
Zhu Sha’s tone seemed to be carrying a bitterness that made Fan Tong shudder.
Uh, if you’re going to speak in such a manner, could you please transform into a girl first? This really gives others an uncomfortable feeling…
“I didn’t plan on participating originally. It was only because Fan Tong was framed into registering that I…”
In his rush to attempt to explain, Yue Tui’s response was somewhat sloppy.
“I’ll go on one condition.”
Zhu Sha had no interest in watching Yue Tui struggle. In exchange, he probably wanted something more practical.
“What condition?”
“If I agree to attend this time, you will have to unconditionally agree to three of my requests in the future.”
What? What the heck is that? A single request in exchange for three, aren’t you asking for too much? How ruthless can you be?
“Why three…” Yue Tui seemed to have noticed there was something wrong with this number too.
Zhu Sha boldly replied, “Because a single request would be used up instantly!”
Exactly how many things do you want to make Yue Tui do?
At this point, Fan Tong wasn’t sure if Yue Tui would agree or not. If Yue Tui didn’t, they wouldn’t have enough people for a group. But if he did, he would be at too much of a disadvantage…
Moreover, when it came down to it, the whole thing was clearly Fan Tong’s own problem. Yet now it seemed like Yue Tui would be paying most of the price, which just didn’t feel right at all.
“Could you give an example of what kind of request you would make…?”
Since he was up against someone like Zhu Sha, who didn’t follow any moral code, Yue Tui didn’t dare to carelessly agree. Otherwise, he might end up selling himself to Zhu Sha.
Yeah, that’s right! Clarifying the request is necessary. If he uses this advantage to make Yue Tui date him, wouldn’t that spell doom for Yue Tui?
Ah, not that I don’t approve of you two dating, but since we’re still minors, there’s plenty of time to think about it first. Besides, who knows if Yue Tui is willing to accept your strange constitution. He’s gone through an extremely painful past already, isn’t it best to not torment him further?
“I won’t ask you to do anything impossible. Only simple things.”
What kind of joke are you trying to pull? That’s clearly subjective! If you asked him to go die, that would obviously be possible, but that’s not a simple matter at all.
And if you ask him to slaughter me, he would definitely be able to do it; moreover, it would be a simple task for him. But, but…you can’t just do that!
“Alright,” Yue Tui replied simply without questioning any further.
Huh??? Yue Tui, you’re just agreeing like that? Are you not afraid…afraid that he’ll have some crazy and ridiculous demands?
“I believe that you wouldn’t do anything crazy, Zhu Sha, so I don’t think its a problem. I agree to unconditionally fulfilling three of your requests.”
Yue Tui, to think you would so easily believe that someone would be kind enough to not get their revenge…
Zhu Sha froze for a moment, but then bounded over and kissed Yue Tui on the cheek.
“Mm, you are indeed the man I have fallen for.”
“…!!!”
The sudden attack instantly caused Yue Tui’s expression to change. Even Fan Tong, who was watching from the side, couldn’t help but blankly stare with wide eyes.
“You…you…”
Yue Tui seemed to have momentarily lost his ability to speak, and was unable to form a complete sentence.
Are all youngsters this bold now? Yue Tui, hurry up and finish your sentence, I really want to know what you’re trying to say…”
“You…could at least turn into a girl before kissing…”
Yue Tui’s expression stiffened after saying these words, his expression extremely overcast.
Fan Tong really didn’t know if he should try to point out the issue. But it seemed like…there were honestly too many of them.
“Oh? It’s fine as long as I turn into a girl?” Zhu Sha’s eyes lit up. The delicate, curvy version of Zhu Sha appeared. Her originally loose clothing had now become tight in the chest area, making it hard for people to know where to look.
“No! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s not fine!” Yue Tui’s sharp cries rang out as he immediately backpedaled from Zhu Sha’s grasp, and the two of them immediately initiated a game of tag in the dorm room.
Oh Yue Tui, you really have great luck with woman. Who knows, you might end up meeting your end through blood loss from nosebleeds, although you haven’t had any yet.
Although, is this really a good thing? It’s probably even worse than Bi Rou and Lord Yin Shi. They just throw out verbal attacks, but what about you guys? Is this a display of psychological warfare? Making fun of me for being partner-less? Isn’t that going overboard?
If this continues, Yue Tui will probably lose his virginity. It’s bad for a man to force himself onto a woman, but having the means to get a woman to force herself on a man is an envious trait…
But it still isn’t confirmed for sure whether or not Zhu Sha counts as a female…
“Zhu Sha! Stop fooling around!” Yue Tui sounded like he was about to lose his head out of fear. Fan Tong was starting to feel dizzy watching them run around in a chase.
“Please stop!”
Zhu Sha had absolutely no intention of stopping, and continued to chase Yue Tui without giving up.
You guys completely forgot there’s another person in the room, haven’t you?
“Cough! Cough, cough, cough!” Fan Tong couldn’t stand it any further and made some noise in attempt to make his presence known.
“If you’re going to cough, go and do it outside.” Zhu Sha rolled her eyes with evident dislike, but a glare from her with her current appearance only made Fan Tong’s heart race.
What, what is this? I can’t surrender to her charms! Hold yourself together! Zhu Sha is half male!
“Fan Tong, why are you suddenly coughing──ah!” Because Yue Tui had gotten distracted from worry over Fan Tong’s coughing, he didn’t dodge properly, and was captured by Zhu Sha.
“I got you!” Having finally caught Yue Tui after much struggle, Zhu Sha had a triumphant grin on her face. However, just as Fan Tong was wondering if Yue Tui would get pushed down that easily, a knocking sound was suddenly heard.
“Fan Tong, are you guys there?” It was Bi Rou’s voice. Fan Tong went to open the door. Zhu Sha lost interest and changed back into male form, and Yue Tui hurriedly untangled himself from Zhu Sha’s grasp to get some distance between them.
“Oh, cough, Bi Rou, happy new year.” Fan Tong let out a sigh of relief upon the rare occasion of being able to speak properly. Although he and Bi Rou weren’t particularly close, he still decided to say her name directly without adding a “miss” in front to avoid the risk of accidentally calling her “mister” instead.
“Happy new year! Is everyone here? I bought a bunch of seasonal food and have a ton of leftovers, so I brought some over to share with you guys,” Bi Rou greeted as she passed over a basket.
“Oh, you’re welcome, you’re welcome.”
Please, let me be able to at least say thank you properly.
“You really do talk strangely…”
If those two hadn’t been in a fervent battle, I wouldn’t have bothered to come answer the door.
“I went to Xuan Dian to pray today, did you guys go too?”
Praying at Xuan Dian should be the most popular thing to do in Eastern City during the new year, it’s no wonder this topic is constantly brought up today.
“What fortune did you draw?” Fan Tong asked Bi Rou while peeking to check the inside of the room.
Yue Tui, although your expression seems very cold, you still seem to listening closely.
“Oh, I pulled ‘life is full of surprises’, which I don’t think is anything special at all.”
Surprises? As in, suddenly discovering one day that Lord Yin Shi has two lovers?
“Alright, I won’t bother you any further and take my leave now then.” Bi Rou quickly walked away without bothering to ask what fortunes they had drawn. It seemed she had come solely to deliver the food.
She’s actually a good person. Although I won’t easily forget those three thousand strings, hmph.
“So you guys went to Xuan Dian too?” From the tone of his voice, it sounded like Zhu Sha had gone as well.
“Zhu Sha, you went as well?” Having distanced himself from Zhu Sha, Yue Tui was able to speak properly again, which was an achievement worth celebrating.
“Yep, a year’s worth of luck is pretty important. I’m pretty satisfied with my luck in pulling fortunes.”
Among the people they knew, he was the first one to express satisfaction in his fortune. Fan Tong and Yue Tui couldn’t help but grow curious.
“Then…what exactly did you get?”
Zhu Sha pulled out the small slip of paper and flashed the words written.
“It’s ‘ambition is essential’.”
“…”
Fan Tong saw Yue Tui tremble.
Ah, Yue Tui, I wish you luck.
◎ Fan Tong’s Afterword
It’s only the first day of the new year, but why do I feel like it will be a lively one?
But I can say for certain that I’ll have to brace myself. Even though I’ve managed to get Yue Tui to help me, the martial arts competition won’t be easy to pass through.
It’s a shame that it’s not actually a competition for the Five Lords of Shi to fight for a hand in marriage. I feel if that were truly the case, the event would be a lot more interesting, and have a lot bigger audience. Just betting on the winners would be huge fun. Why can’t the Lords just sacrifice themselves a bit to give everyone else a different form of entertainment?
Speaking of which, I wonder what the demonstration match that Lord Yin Shi mentioned will be like?
There are only four of the Five Lords of Shi, and the difference between Luo Shi’s strength and that of the other three is too great. Exactly how will that work?
And, now I’m also wondering…did I make a mistake?
Was it really a good idea to get someone that had drawn a fortune with “blood calamity” packed all over the paper to bring onto a stage where much blood would be shed? Is that really correct?
Sigh, honestly, rather than causing a blood calamity in the tournament, Yue Tui, you’re better off just letting Zhu Sha excite you a bit and get a nosebleed to relieve some stress…but after all this time, I feel like the one getting a nosebleed is always me. Although your entire face flushes red, you don’t show any signs of a nosebleed. Isn’t there something wrong there?
And I feel like Zhu Sha has accepted the situation and finally decided to separate his lovers as a male and as a female, so has been in full attack mode? Or is it that he finally decided to just lock onto only Yue Tui, regardless of being male or female? The more I think about it, the more frightening it gets.
Anyways, the group registration can be said to be done. Naturally, the next step is to try my best to not lose any money from the competition!
I don’t want to die anymore! I don’t want my debt to keep growing! At this rate, even if I get a girlfriend, I won’t have any betrothal money──!
