Severing Time & Space

Wu Jian's Pride

They were soon led up the stairs and toward a private booth, where Wu Jian found several Zhou clansmen standing around, including the branch clan head, Zhou Zu. There was also another person present who Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu were surprised to see. Wu Taohua was speaking with Zhou Zu in a hushed tone.

“Father, is something wrong?” asked Zhou Lihua as she walked over to the pair.

Wu Taohua looked at Wu Jian but didn’t say anything as Zhou Zu gave his daughter a tender smile. “Nothing is wrong, dear. Wu Taohua was just telling me something important.” He paused to look at the injured Wu Jian. “That was a rather magnificent battle. I was impressed by your dedication to win. My daughter is no weakling, so being able to defeat her is an impressive feat.”

“Thank you, sir. Your daughter was an incredibly powerful opponent, the strongest I have ever faced,” Wu Jian said with a bow.

“Father, can we provide Wu Jian with a Healing Pellet?” asked Zhou Lihua.

Zhou Zu slowly shook his head. “I am afraid not. The rules of the tournament state that participants are not allowed to take any pills or see a healer until they lose, or after the tournament is over.”

Zhou Lihua frowned. “Do you really think Ming Shen and the Ming Family are going to follow that rule?”

“Whether they follow that rule or not is irrelevant. We are the ones who set the rules down, so we must set an example by following them. In either event, the Ming Family doesn’t need to cheat like that since it seems they have been rigging this tournament from the beginning,” Zhou Zu said.

Zhou Lihua’s eyes widened. “What?”

Zhou Zu and Wu Toahua turned to fully face the group of youngsters, their expressions quite grave. They looked around for a moment. A few people were looking in their direction, but no one seemed to be within hearing distance.

“Wu Taohua here came and informed me that the head elder of the Wu Clan and Ming Han have been working together for some purpose. I did some digging of my own, and it seems they bribed one of our elders to help them rig this tournament.” He nodded at Wu Jian. “That’s why you’ve been forced to fight against your own clansmen and the many stronger opponents. Meanwhile, Ming Shen has had a very easy time battling weaker opponents.”

“So I’m a weaker opponent…?” Hou Jingshu said with a depressed air about her.

Wu Meiying put a hand on her shoulder. “You get depressed way too easily. If you’re weak now, then you just need to grow stronger.”

“I… I guess. But it’s still not easy to hear,” Hou Jingshu muttered with a sigh.

“So, what are you going to do about this?” asked Wu Jian.

“We’ve gathered enough evidence to confront them, so we’re planning to do so once the tournament ends,” Wu Taohua said. “My Lord Husband and I shall confront Elder Wu Wei, then face Ming Han…”

“And I am going to confront the elder who allowed himself to be bribed,” Zhou Zu said. He gave Wu Jian a look. “The question is: What will you do? There is no need to continue this farce of a tournament. If you want, I will declare you the victor right now and we can wrap everything up.”

“No.” Wu Jian shook his head. His response was immediate. “I can’t do that. Ming Shen also used dirty tricks to win the last tournament, and I’ve been resentful ever since. I need to fight and defeat him now, or I’ll never be able to move on. My pride won’t let me stop our match.”

Zhou Zu nodded while Wu Taohua looked proud. Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu were smiling. While she was wearing her veil again, he could also tell that Zhou Lihua was staring at him in surprise. Her eyes had become wide and round like saucers.

“I understand. If you cannot defeat him now, his very presence will leave a sequelae in your psyche that may prevent you from breaking through to the Hunger Realm. Very well. We shall continue the tournament. And after the tournament, we will confront the people who rigged it and force them to recompense,” Zhou Su said, a determined glint in his eyes.

***

Wu Jian soon found himself standing on the arena platform again. A smirking Ming Shen stood less than two meters away from him. The smug expression the other boy wore like a silk glove fanned the flames of Wu Jian’s rage and caused his mind to sharpen. If for no other reason than because he wanted to wipe that look from this boy’s face, Wu Jian would fight.

It doesn’t matter if he’s cheating. I’ll prove to him that no amount of cheating will be enough to defeat me.

“You don’t look too good, little Jian. Maybe you should quit,” Ming Shen suggested, his voice condescending.

Wu Jian smiled. “Thank you for your concern, but you’re not much of a threat even with these injuries. Please, don’t worry about me and worry more about yourself.”

A vein throbbed on Ming Shen’s forehead as his cheeks and ears burned red. “I see you still dare to be cocky even with those injuries. It looks like I’ll have to be the one to put you in your place.”

“You are welcome to try,” Wu Jian said.

The Zhou Clan elder stepped forward before their banter could continue. “If both fighters are ready, then please bow to me, bow to the audience, and now bow to each other. Let the battle begin… now!”

Wu Jian already knew he was heavily disadvantaged before the battle even began. He had been forced to fight against a lot of the stronger opponents in this tournament, which tired him out and left him injured. Meanwhile, Ming Shen was fresh as a daisy. It was clear the only person he fought who was even remotely strong was Juishi Son… and that boy had likely surrendered after putting up a token fight.

But that didn’t mean he was going to give up.

Wu Jian could not afford to.

Ming Shen raced forward. He was faster than Wu Jian anticipated, but he was still much slower than Wu Meiying or Zhou Lihua. Wu Jian back-pedaled to avoid getting struck in the face. Then he lowered his body and let Ming Shen’s high kick fly over his head.

“Hmph! It seems you can still move like a slippery snake! But let’s see how long you can keep that up!”

“Better a slippery snake than a slimy toad!”

With the clear intent to harm, Ming Shen attacked Wu Jian with everything he had, throwing punches and kicks at a rapid pace. Wu Jian was unable to block them since one of his arms was out of commission and the other damaged. He moved backward and wove side to side, avoiding each fist by the skin of his teeth. He was fortunate that Ming Shen only had a decent grasp of combat. Strength was all this boy possessed. His attacks were telegraphed and therefore easy to avoid.

“Hold still, dammit! Stop buzzing around, you fly!”

“A fly, am I? Then what does that make you? A frog stuck in a well who is unable to catch a simple fly?”

“Shut up!”