Alright, Alright, I Insist on Taking On Five at Once (Gift King, Bonus Chapter 2/5)

Only when Zheng Zhihua had walked far away did Xia Yiwei quietly slip back to Lin Yu's side from the crowd.

She looked visibly shaken, as if terrified of Zheng Zhihua.

And rightly so.

After all, Zheng Zhihua was also her "eldest uncle"!

He had probably disciplined her on behalf of her mother more than once.

Lin Yu: "Weiwei, where’s that bold attitude of yours? Did Old Zheng hit you before?"

Xia Yiwei: "Not just me! He even hit my mom!"

Lin Yu: "…"

Xia Yiwei paused, then clarified: "Don’t overthink it—he’s my mom’s older brother, my real uncle!"

Lin Yu: "I wasn’t overthinking it…"

If not for his sharp hearing catching the conversation between Old Zheng and Xia Xiashan,

Lin Yu might have jumped to conclusions based solely on Xia Yiwei’s words.

Meanwhile,

from behind the crowd of trainees, the flamboyant Maomao peeked out, glancing toward Lin Yu and Xia Yiwei.

In such a large gathering, Maomao still felt uneasy, unable to act as freely as she did in private.

She had barely looked over when—

Lin Yu instantly locked onto her position, waving with an "eagerly expectant" smile.

Maomao quickly straightened up, nodding politely in return.

Maomao’s heart raced: "…"

At yesterday’s dinner,

she had gotten a little carried away.

Now, after calming down,

the thought of moving into a shared apartment—something she, a homebody, had never done—just for a guy, terrified her.

If Aunt Ruxue found out, she’d probably never let Maomao leave the house alone again.

She had even confidently promised Xia Xiashan that she’d handle explaining things to Aunt Ruxue.

But up to now,

Maomao hadn’t dared to bring it up.

Her emotions were tangled.

Part of her hoped Lin Yu would lose, while another part wanted him to win.

The outcome would soon be decided.

…

At Old Zheng’s resting area,

a few martial arts instructors and Xia Xiashan gathered around him,

listening to his pre-"friendly sparring" pep talk.

Though his voice was low,

Lin Yu caught every word, his expression darkening.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to drag Old Zheng over and give him a good beating first.

So, you’re a grandmaster, huh?

Telling your disciples and employees to go all out, huh?

Minor injuries don’t count, huh?

Losing face means disgracing Xingyiquan, huh?

Fine. If that’s how you want to play, then he’d play along…

Before the stubborn old man showed up, Lin Yu had been chatting amiably with everyone.

He’d even planned to go easy, just securing a win.

After all, these people had been friendly, and they relied on this for their livelihood.

No need to ruin their careers.

But now…

Blame your "honorary curator" for this!

Today, he was going all out—no one, not even the Jade Emperor, could stop him.

After Old Zheng finished his speech,

Xia Xiashan and the others looked slightly awkward as they approached Lin Yu.

As the head of the martial arts hall, Xia Xiashan spoke up:

"Lin Yu, since this is a challenge match, following tradition,

the first two rounds allow you to pick any of us as your opponent.

If you somehow win, the third round will be our choice.

Winning all three means you’ve succeeded in the challenge.

Your name will be added to our hall’s honor wall.

Additionally, there’s…"

Lin Yu couldn’t bear to listen any longer.

The fire inside him was about to explode.

So he interrupted and said:

"Director Xia, things like the Wall of Fame or whatever rewards... they don’t matter."

"I get to pick first, right?"

"Then I’ll choose all five of you."

"All five at once—saves time."

Xia Xiashan: "???"

The four martial arts instructors: "???"

Identical expressions of shock appeared on all five faces.

Lin Yu thought to himself:

Good, the script’s lining up—this is the vibe.

But.

Something still feels missing...

Xia Yiwei was even more fired up than Lin Yu. She quickly jumped in and shouted:

"What are you all standing around for? Waiting for quitting time?"

"Did your ears get sat on by someone’s butt or what?"

"Didn’t you hear what my master said?"

"He’s picking all five of you... one against five!"

Lin Yu thought to himself:

Ah, now it’s got that authentic flavor.

"Uncle" Zheng Zhihua chimed in with a supporting line:

"Well said, my dear niece."

"What are you all waiting for? Clear the arena and begin!"

Zheng Zhihua narrowed his eyes, locking gazes with Xia Yiwei for a second.

Xia Yiwei suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

She quickly tugged at Lin Yu’s sleeve and whispered:

"Little Master, it’s all up to you now!"

"Please, please, you’ve gotta go all out."

"Otherwise, I might never be able to go back to the Xia family."

Lin Yu cracked his knuckles and flashed an OK sign:

"Relax and stuff that worry in your stockings—I’m feeling ridiculously pumped right now!"

Pumped wasn’t even the word...

He was even itching to throw out some trash talk:

TY’s son~ Scorpion King’s lapdog~

...

The so-called "arena clearing."

Sounded all professional and official.

In reality.

It just meant marking out an oval space in the large venue.

Big enough for the fighters to move around.

For a one-on-one, the temporary ring wouldn’t need to be too big.

But with one against five, they had to ensure enough room for all six to fight at once.

While the area was being prepped,

Xia Yiwei sneakily pulled Maomao over to her side.

The two found a good spot to watch—far, far away from her uncle.

"Wei, ZerO could’ve just challenged them one by one."

"Why did he choose this way?"

"He’s not... planning to throw the match, is he?"

Maomao frowned, clearly confused.

Xia Yiwei slung an arm around Maomao’s shoulder and teased:

"Kinda sounds like you’re mad about it?"

"This is a martial arts challenge, not a marriage competition."

"You’re here as a guest, not a bride!"

Maomao: "..."

Maomao: "Wei, don’t joke like that. It’s not funny."

Xia Yiwei: "Alright, alright. So do you want Lin Yu to win or lose?"

Maomao: "A bit... of both, I guess."

If Lin Yu won, it’d complicate things for Maomao.

But if he obviously threw the match, wouldn’t that mean he disliked her being around?

That... would hurt even more!

...

Inside the ring.

With a ceremonial strike of the gong, the room fell silent.

Lin Yu mimicked the others, clasping his hands in a bow toward the "corpses" as an apology.

The match began!

Right away, Lin Yu noticed something...

The four martial arts instructors and the director seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement before the fight.

Even though it was supposed to be one against five, only Xiao Shuai stepped forward first to test the waters.

Still planning to take turns?

Not on his watch!

Xiao Shuai slowly closed the distance, then suddenly raised his arm.

With a sharp, downward motion, he delivered a swift chop.

Lin Yu watched the movement closely...

Too slow!

The speed of my cheap apprentice's racing was on a completely different level.