Xilin Yuqiao said coldly, ignoring the contemptuous gazes and angry roars around her. She turned directly toward Chu Li, suddenly knelt down, and said in a deep voice: “I have heard that three days ago, a female black-clad guard by Your Highness’s side single-handedly confronted the Southern Border barbarians and captured the Wusi Saint with her bare hands. Though I am untalented, I wish to learn a thing or two.”
These words were spoken with ringing intonation and a loud voice that everyone in the entire field could hear clearly. In an instant, the originally noisy martial training ground fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Chu Li on the high platform.
The news of Chu Li’s overnight return three days ago, bringing back Southern Border rebels, had long spread throughout the military camp. Moreover, Qing Xia’s dramatic entrance – punching the Liyuan commander and verbally attacking Madam Zhu Lan – had made her quite famous. Even if Chu Li wanted to hide her, it would be impossible. Helplessly, he had to say she was a black-clad guard who had won first merit by capturing Wusi Mei’er, which finally silenced everyone’s gossip.
Unexpectedly, Xilin Yuqiao had been beating up Liyuan Nanfu’s subordinates one moment, but the next moment turned her spearpoint toward Qing Xia. Chu Li frowned tightly but couldn’t find a reason to refuse for the moment. He looked toward Xilin Yuqiao with furrowed brows, seeing her face cold and her gaze determined, her eyes meeting his directly without the slightest hint of timidity.
“Princess Xilin has just defeated a Liyuan master, which was quite difficult. You should go down and rest first,” Chu Li said with an unchanged expression, his voice carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
Xilin Yuqiao pressed her lips together and said loudly: “I only wish to seek instruction, not fight to the death. If she truly has real talent and learning, why make so many excuses? Your Majesty is sage-like and benevolent. I fear someone might claim others’ achievements and deceive our Great Chu’s military and people!”
Chu Li lowered his head to drink tea. Upon hearing these words, his eyebrows raised as he looked up coldly.
Seeing this, Young Master Xilin immediately jumped onto the platform, grabbed his sister, and quickly said: “My little sister is young and ignorant. She has offended Your Majesty – please forgive her.”
“Young Master Xilin speaks incorrectly!” A charming cry suddenly rang out. Everyone turned to look and saw Madam Zhu Lan smiling broadly as she said: “Miss Yuqiao has extraordinary skills and only wants to find someone to spar with. It’s not such a big matter – why obstruct her? Moreover, this humble woman is also very curious to know what kind of person our Great Chu’s heroine is, one who could capture Wusi Mei’er among the Southern Border rebel forces and achieve such tremendous merit.”
No one expected her to actually speak in support of Xilin Yuqiao. Greatly puzzled, they all looked toward Chu Li, their gazes searching among the black-clad guards behind him, trying to identify this legendary woman.
Sigh. Qing Xia sighed quietly in her heart. She had just been worried about that young woman, fearing something would happen to her, but it turned out this woman had decided from the beginning to make things difficult for her. Her gaze couldn’t help but turn toward Chu Li – all this trouble caused by men. Now that she had overturned Xilin Yuqiao’s jar of vinegar, it seemed she couldn’t avoid coming forward to clean up the mess.
With a light smile, she stepped forward two paces, stood in front of Chu Li, and said with a smile: “Since Miss Xilin wishes to give some guidance, please grant permission, Your Majesty.”
The woman walking toward them wore a snow-white fur coat, with a petite and delicate figure. Her skin was so fine it could be broken by a breath, and her eyes were like grapes – crystal clear, dark, and brilliant as stars. She calmly walked out from behind Chu Li, her lips carrying a trace of smile, relaxed and composed without any trace of nervousness or constraint.
Xilin Yuqiao held her head high, looking down coldly at Qing Xia in her white clothes from her superior position. Her lips were tightly pressed, and the corners of her eyes were almost twitching slightly. The despair in her heart rose like wave after wave, gradually engulfing her entire being. Was it for this woman that Chu Li had almost broken with Madam Zhu Lan? She clenched her fists tightly, snatched the silver long spear handed to her by a subordinate, straightened her back, and thrust it forcefully into the ground with a thunderous thud.
Qing Xia walked to the edge of the arena platform. Without removing the heavy fox fur draped over her, she slowly raised her head to look at the young woman in white warrior’s clothing on the platform.
In the military camp, strength was most important. Since she would be living here for some time anyway, and others had actively given her this opportunity, why not make use of it?
Her slender white hand reached out, grasped the edge of the platform, and with a sudden burst of strength, Qing Xia’s entire body instantly soared into the air. With one leap, she landed steadily on the platform.
“What weapon do you use?” Xilin Yuqiao asked coldly with a stern face.
At the edge of the platform stood a large row of various weapons. Hearing this, Qing Xia glanced at them indifferently, then smiled and said: “I don’t mind. But since you use a spear, I’ll use a spear as well.”
These words were extremely impolite. Everyone had just seen Xilin Yuqiao’s exquisite spear technique, and now seeing Qing Xia being so arrogant, they all shouted loudly in disapproval, with boos filling the air.
Qing Xia paid no attention. With a light smile, she turned her back to the weapon rack and suddenly kicked up, striking the spear shaft standing on the rack. The twelve-foot red spear leaped from the weapon rack with a sharp sound, whistling through several circles in mid-air, soaring high into the sky. Only when it reached its peak did it fall straight down with a whoosh. Qing Xia then turned around, her snow-white long coat howling and flying in the cold wind like a pale great bird, her full head of black hair dancing in the wind. She caught the long spear with a sweeping motion, the spear’s shadow flickering like rolling snow fog. With a sharp sound, the spear point trembled. Qing Xia held the spear with one hand, suddenly stopping her movements. Her actions were clean and decisive, full of dashing heroic bearing.
Thunderous cheers immediately erupted, especially from the black-clad guard soldiers, whose voices were the loudest.
Qing Xia in her snow-white fur coat, holding a silver-shafted red-tasseled long spear, appeared even more striking and eye-catching.
Xilin Yuqiao’s expression changed as she bit her lower lip tightly. Just from seeing Qing Xia’s opening stance, she knew her martial arts were not inferior to her own. Moreover, spear technique was her own specialty, while her opponent had merely picked randomly. She turned to glance in Chu Li’s direction and found that although he seemed unconcerned as he drank tea, his eyes were slanting toward Qing Xia’s movements, bright and focused – he hadn’t even noticed she was looking at him.
A trace of bitterness slowly rose from her heart. Xilin Yuqiao suddenly cried out charmingly, circled her long spear, shook a spear flower, and thrust forward directly.
Though Qing Xia was not skilled with spears, she had practiced with various weapons during her training. In martial arts, mastering one thoroughly leads to understanding all others. Qing Xia was proficient in Muay Thai, Burmese boxing, karate, taekwondo, combined with traditional Chinese martial arts in the most physically effective free fighting style. She was also skilled in fencing, staff techniques, shooting, and archery, and had even studied internal breathing techniques at Shaolin for half a year. Though she had little experience with spear techniques, just a general glance was enough for her to understand the basics.
At once, she spun and advanced, thrusting with one hand, rotating her leg in a pipa-collecting stance. A “Black Dragon Pierces the Sea” move deflected Xilin Yuqiao’s spear point, followed immediately by a “Yellow Dragon Points the Staff,” striking Xilin Yuqiao’s wrist holding the long spear with a bang.
A sharp, burning pain struck. Xilin Yuqiao was greatly alarmed, not expecting to be hit as soon as she made her move. Knowing that if her opponent had been going for the kill just then, this arm might have been crippled, but hearing the grating cheers, she felt even more annoyed. She raised spear flowers and employed “Sweep Ground Pierce Side Rail Spear,” attacking toward Qing Xia’s left side.
Qing Xia’s expression remained unchanged. She suddenly retreated two steps, then suddenly sprang up, kicking against a mast pole at the platform’s edge. Borrowing this force, she leaped high, held the long spear in reverse grip, and used a strange small grappling technique – a “Golden Snake Coiling” move that wound around Xilin Yuqiao’s long spear and grasped it firmly.
Having seen Qing Xia’s petite figure, Xilin Yuqiao had assumed she was weak and easy to bully. Only now, with her weapon firmly grasped in the other’s hand, did she realize the danger. She pulled back forcefully twice but couldn’t move it at all. In an instant, Qing Xia had attacked to her front, the long spear spinning in reverse, striking heavily on her buttocks with a sharp crack of the spear shaft.
Xilin Yuqiao was greatly embarrassed, her face flushing red as she turned around and staggered several steps before regaining her footing. But this young woman shouted angrily and charged forward again.
Qing Xia frowned, flicked her sleeve, and held her long spear at an angle, pointing it toward Xilin Yuqiao from a distance. She said in a deep voice: “Miss Xilin, enough!”
How could Xilin Yuqiao listen to her? She thrust her spear forward. Qing Xia raised her eyebrows and used “Rotating Pierce to Find Snake in Grass.” Everyone heard a series of crackling sounds exploding, but saw Qing Xia standing in place holding her spear with one hand, striking left, right, up, and down from a distance. Though it looked simple, each move perfectly blocked Xilin Yuqiao’s attacks. No matter how Xilin Yuqiao changed her moves and techniques, she could never get close.
Spear techniques had gradually matured in later generations, being nothing more than thrust, stab, strike, slam, wind, circle, block, grasp, pounce, point, deflect, and flower dancing. Qing Xia was somewhat unfamiliar at first, but gradually fought faster and faster, her spear technique dense as rain. Everyone saw the two women chasing each other like flying tumbleweed, rising and falling suddenly, incredibly fast and difficult to distinguish, all greatly alarmed. They hadn’t expected such a spear master to be hidden in this military camp, and both were women at that.
The Xilin family members, who knew Xilin Yuqiao’s abilities well, were all shocked to see that Qing Xia could not only entangle with Xilin Yuqiao for so long but also maintain a steady advantage.
Just then, Qing Xia suddenly raised her spear shaft, supported herself with both hands on the shaft, leaped up, and used a scissor leg move to wrap around her opponent’s spear shaft. With a twist of her waist, there was a crack as she snapped Xilin Yuqiao’s spear shaft in two.
Xilin Yuqiao flew into a rage, grabbing half the spear head and charging forward.
Qing Xia frowned slightly. This woman’s methods were vicious, every move aimed to kill. If not for her own agility, she might have already died on this platform. The little sympathy she had originally felt for her because of Chu Li instantly vanished. Her expression turned cold as she made a rising and falling move to land beside her, extending her right hand strangely to Xilin Yuqiao’s front while her right leg stepped on the ground and hooked back. Suddenly exerting force simultaneously, she sent Xilin Yuqiao crashing to the ground with a bang.
“Enough!” Qing Xia snorted coldly and said in a deep voice: “You and I have no deep hatred. Why must you press so hard?”
“Demon woman!” Xilin Yuqiao said hatefully: “I won’t let you seduce Brother Li while staying by his side!”
Brother Li? Qing Xia frowned, then understood in a flash. It seemed that when Chu Li had been stranded in Hengcheng, he had used the false name Li Chu to protect himself. This young woman had fallen for Chu Li back then, and to this day still stubbornly called him Brother Li.