### Chapter 1: The Hidden Lines Are Actually a Romance (8)
==============================
“The lady swordsman, Ta Hongchen, is an extraordinary martial artist, especially with her swift sword skills that are fire refined; I, Mu Zhi, truly admire her greatly.”
As Mu Zhi spoke, he cupped his hands in greeting, directing his sword’s tip toward the ground, his expression sincere and his voice firm.
Lin Nan, “…”
Ever since she burned through her last 10 luck points, perhaps having gotten used to being as cold as ice, she hadn’t shown even a hint of panic or hesitation.
Inwardly, however, she was plotting her escape.
If Mu Zhi was determined to fight to the bitter end, with her current skills, she might really be toast.
But what surprised her was that Mu Zhi actually showed goodwill for reconciliation.
It seemed her streak of good luck wasn’t over yet. But as the other party in this duel, if she agreed to reconcile so easily, she felt like it would be missing a bit of flavor.
To avoid causing another outburst from Mu Zhi, Lin Nan decided to test the waters verbally first.
“Mu, young hero, you’re too modest. When it comes to martial skills, you truly are the best among the younger generation of the martial world, a talent we can only look up to. But surely, this gambling match can’t just end without a winner, right?”
Mu Zhi chuckled, “After witnessing the prowess of Lady Ta, I believe her claim of having defeated the Demon Sect’s demoness is not unfounded. I hope this statement satisfies you, Lady Ta.”
When these words left his mouth, gasps erupted among the watching crowd.
[From Villager A: Cold Value +12]
[From Villager B: Cold Value +11]
[From Villager C: Cold Value +13]
…
[From Dali Sect x*x*x: Cold Value +120]
[From River Sand Gang x*x*x: Cold Value +110]
[From Kongtong Sect x*x*x: Cold Value +119]
…
[You have accumulated a total of 33,001 Cold Value points.]
[Would you like to consume 33,000 Cold Value points to restore your memories of practicing the “Dugu Sword Technique” before entering the Heavenly Sword Sect?]
It was only then Lin Nan realized why, after switching into a male character and practicing skills that didn’t rely on techniques at the Heavenly Sword Sect, she had forgotten all about the sword intent and the Dugu Sword Technique in this martial arts world. It turned out to be the system restricting her, causing her to become weak.
Now, through consuming Cold Value, the system had returned that memory to her.
Could it be…
If she had failed the earlier trials or had not amassed over 33,000 Cold Value in a short time, this option wouldn’t even have appeared.
Now that the Dugu Sword Technique had returned to her memory, she felt much more solid.
…
Lehua Town nestled in the mountains frequently interacted with the people from the mountain strongholds, so she unconsciously viewed the Demon Sect’s demoness as formidable, beyond the skills of ordinary martial artists.
But who would have thought this woman in red would claim she had defeated the demoness, and after battling her, Mu Zhi admitted it? This meant that, under Mu Zhi’s scrutiny, the woman in red’s skills were indeed at a level where she could match the demoness.
Initially, most people had not been optimistic about her and even hoped she would be trounced, so they could rake in the betting money.
But now it seemed that with the match ending in a draw, according to the gambling rules, they could only recover half their original stake.
This undoubtedly annoyed the audience, who seemed unwilling to let the duel end so simply.
“What kind of match is this!”
“Right? There’s no victor or loser; what’s the point?”
“Is Qīngchéng Yī Jiàn trying to go easy on Ta Hongchen to win her favor?”
“These two might be in cahoots with the gambling den, trying to scam us out of our silver!”
If it weren’t for their respect for the martial skills of both competitors, the crowd might have rushed into the ring to shout at them.
Chaos erupted in the arena.
Lin Nan hadn’t expected Mu Zhi to be so reasonable. Though she didn’t quite understand his rapid shift in mindset, since he had admitted her claims as true and, to some extent, promoted her in Lehua Town, she wasn’t the type to be unreasonable.
However, the audience, due to the gambling stakes, seemed extremely dissatisfied with the match ending just like that.
Mixed in were many martial artists, all raising their fists and calling out, seemingly determined to see one of them fall before they’d be satisfied.
Lin Nan smirked, “This duel is between Mu Zhi and me; letting you watch for free and confiscating your tickets is already more than enough.
Oh? If you all think this isn’t thrilling enough, why don’t you step up yourselves?
I’ll gladly take you on! Bet a hundred taels of silver—the first person up pays first. Whoever wins takes the other’s silver!”
Mu Zhi didn’t expect Lin Nan to propose such a solution.
Honestly, no matter how much noise the spectators made, if neither side wanted to continue fighting, they could simply walk away.
So, he became even more convinced that “Ta Hongchen” must be a disciple just emerging from some high master’s tutelage, taking such steps to quickly establish a name in the martial world.
However, this method naturally required higher personal martial skills.
If her fame didn’t last, and she were counter-killed by an opponent, it would be such a waste for a bright star to fall before it even rose.
Seeing “Ta Hongchen” draw the majority of the crowds’ attention, Mu Zhi stealthily moved to the edge of the stage, secretly wanting to witness her martial arts. After all, it was hard for him to truly admit she surpassed him—perhaps earlier, blocking his “Qīngchéng Yī Xiào” was already her shining moment.
If she fell in a war of attrition, then the duel between him and “Ta Hongchen” would swiftly be forgotten by the public.
This world is brutal; no one cares about a defeated loser, while sometimes, those who survive emerge as the ultimate victors.
Little Shiyuan watched the floating figure in red through the crowd’s gaps, his eyes gradually lighting up.
It was as if he had discovered something particularly interesting, sparking an impulse to get closer and claim it for himself.
From the tea house, she never seemed to care about others’ threats; every rebuttal she made sent a stirring sensation within him.
“Don’t d*e…”
As soon as “Ta Hongchen” issued her challenge, four burly men wielding weapons pushed through the crowd to stand in front of her.
Little Shiyuan’s heart tightened.
[Ding! Little Shiyuan’s favorability has shifted from negative to positive, current progress is at 5%.]
[You received 20 luck points. Your current luck level is still lv2.]
Caught off guard by these messages while preparing for battle, Lin Nan was momentarily stunned.
WTF? It seemed like she hadn’t even done anything yet, yet Little Shiyuan quietly changed his attitude?
Now, this was getting interesting.
