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.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
