Chapter 4: The Final Showdown at the Mountain Stronghold (3)
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“I never thought our first match would be an internal squabble.”
“Well, it’s bound to happen eventually.”
Ao Hongtu and Mu Zhi were like long-lost brothers the moment they got together, their mouths never stopping for a second.
On the other hand, Lin Nan, the only woman among them, maintained an aloof attitude, watching them as if they were a circus act instead of joining in the heated discussion.
Suddenly, right before the match started, she said, “You two just focus on attacking; I’ll hang back and support.”
Ao Hongtu, “……”
Mu Zhi, “……”
“I don’t want to waste time on these losers.”
Mu Zhi replied, “Then shouldn’t we make it quick work of them?”
Ao Hongtu glanced at their opponents from the Kunlun Sect—two elderly men with greying hair, their temples bulging, clearly no pushovers. The other was the Nine-Bag Elder from the beggar gang, leaning on a rickety cane, his face smeared with who-knows-what (snot or tears) making him look like a walking disaster. They could smell him from a distance, an odor so potent it could knock a goat out!
No wonder Miss Red didn’t want to join; even these two stood back, instinctively trying to cover their noses.
How did those Kunlun old-timers endure it?
“The match is about to begin! One, two, three! Go!”
Once the referee shouted the command, he took off faster than a cat with its tail on fire.
Up close and personal with the Nine-Bag Elder, the stench intensified.
Before anyone knew it, no one was watching anymore; everyone was busy covering their mouths and noses, darting away like they were escaping a plague, terrified of getting cursed by that beggar.
“Thank goodness I bet on the Kunlun Beggars team! I could smell the stink from that beggar already—what a treat.”
“Sure, it’s unbearable, but if it makes me money, I’m all in to support you!”
“Hey, didn’t you all say you’d bet on the Woman in Red? Why the sudden switch?”
“Those who read the times are the true heroes! Those three old geezers obviously have the upper hand. Just wait and see!”
Ao Hongtu and Mu Zhi exchanged glances.
As soon as the referee declared the match open, they instantly unsheathed their swords, eager to put pressure on the three opponents as quickly as possible.
After all, since Miss Red didn’t want to fight and two of their foes were martial arts masters, the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for them.
True, they were outnumbered two to three, but with their incredible swordplay and fast-paced attacks, they could compensate for their numerical disadvantage, luring their enemies into making fatal mistakes.
But was it just them, or did the Kunlun duo seem to abandon the Nine-Bag Elder entirely? They kept stepping back, quickly moving out of range of their swift swords.
The Nine-Bag Elder could barely hold himself up with just a bamboo cane, but his unsteady movements soon revealed an opening. Mu Zhi instinctively lunged forward with a sword, aiming to take down one of their foes quickly.
“Thud…”
Wait, what?!
That was definitely not the feel of sword tip piercing flesh.
Mu Zhi realized this too late and rolled back, but it seemed like it was too little too late. A massive swarm of hornets erupted from the beggar’s chest, charging straight at Mu Zhi.
They both panicked, swinging their swords wildly to knock down the crazed hornets.
This was terrifying.
If they got stung by those hornets, they wouldn’t need to bother finishing the match—might as well just declare defeat!
Even if it wasn’t life-threatening, if their heads swelled up like balloons, how could they possibly face the crowd?
If this got out, it’d be a lifelong embarrassment they could never scrub clean.
“Ahhh…”
Mu Zhi couldn’t help but scream in fear.
Just then, a cool voice rang from the distance, “Move aside!”
Mu Zhi and Ao Hongtu instinctively stepped away, only to see a figure in red flash past them.
“Danger! Get back!”
“Miss Red! It’s dangerous!”
The two shouted in unison.
Those hornets weren’t kidding! If they swarmed her, there would be no saving her—even a deity couldn’t help!
In the wilderness, it’s not unheard of for a villager to accidentally disturb a hornet’s nest and end up in dire straits.
After all their efforts to escape, only a few spots had been stung, and that was already painful enough.
But to their shock, at this critical moment, the Woman in Red charged straight into the hornet swarm.
Even if just one sting would make her face swell up, she was still a beautiful woman—did she really not mind looking like a balloon?
That’s just crazy!
“Ahhh, has that Woman in Red lost her mind?!”
“Holy cow, how did that beggar hide so many hornets on him?!”
“And who cares about the beggar? That beautiful lady’s about to become a swollen mess!”
“Hey, even if you’re going to self-destruct, can’t you choose a less ridiculous way to go out?!”
The bystanders had long since fled to a safe distance, terrified that the hornets would scatter and wreak havoc on innocent bystanders.
The old beggar’s expression was blank as he put his hands between his toothy gaps, emitting a high-pitched scream no one could hear from afar.
And somehow, every single hornet seemed to have locked onto a target, not a single one straying from the pack.
At that moment, a streak of red darted toward the hornet swarm.
“Seeking d*ath!”
It looked like that woman would soon be stung into a swollen corpse by the hornets, so the beggar immediately ordered the swarm to take care of that crazy woman before they returned to attack the remaining two.
He was fuming—because those hornets were his trump card, meant for the championship match!
And yet, that little brat from the Qingcheng Sect had the gall to stab through his hidden hornet nest.
How could he enter the next match with the element of surprise now?
The old beggar was so furious he could blow a gasket, wishing he could take them all out to soothe his anger.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan was engulfed in a sea of hornets, her figure wrapped up like a black cloud that had suddenly emerged to swallow her whole.
Desperate, Ao Hongtu and Mu Zhi strained to save her, but the buzzing swarm blocked their path no matter how they pushed.
Just when they thought Lin Nan was completely covered in stings and in serious trouble,
The hornet swarm suddenly lifted, revealing the unscathed red figure.
Everyone was stunned.
Those were supposed to be ferocious hornets that stung anything that came near!
She had been in that swarm for nearly ten seconds and had not a single sting on her from head to toe.
In fact, her skin looked even whiter against the backdrop of her red knee-length dress, radiating a dazzling beauty.
Ao Hongtu, “……”
Mu Zhi, “……”
The old beggar’s expression finally changed dramatically as he shouted, “Wha… How is this possible?!”
