NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Violating Ancestral Decisions
Chapter 21: Violating Ancestral Decisions
After a fierce battle on the second stage, it ended with eight losses and two victories.
When Wei Changtian finished his ten rounds on the stage, Li Yang was nowhere to be seen.
“Master Li said he couldn’t bear to see your miserable state anymore, so he went home to call off the engagement,” Wang Er reported truthfully.
Call off the engagement?
Wei Changtian rubbed the bruises on his body, feeling puzzled. He couldn’t understand the connection between these two matters.
But he couldn’t be bothered to think too much about it. After receiving a silver ticket from Wang Er, he waved his hand, “Forget about him, go wait for me at the carriage.”
“Master, should I accompany you?”
Wang Er looked conflicted, “What if that Xu Qingwan intends harm against you…”
“I know what I’m doing.”
Wei Changtian interrupted, “You might as well take this opportunity to buy a chicken.”
Wang Er thought he misheard, “Buy… buy a chicken?”
Wei Changtian nodded and repeated, “Yes, a big hen.”
…
In a secluded “martial room” within the Mirror Division.
Since most of those serving in the Mirror Division were martial artists, there were quite a few facilities for practicing martial arts.
And today was Wei Changtian’s first expensive “private lesson.”
“Miss Xu, here’s the agreed fifty taels.”
Wei Changtian handed the silver ticket to Xu Qingwan with a smile. She didn’t hesitate to check the amount carefully before putting it away.
“Master Wei, shall we begin now?”
“No rush.”
Wei Changtian shook his head and asked with interest, “Miss Xu, may I ask you a question first?”
Xu Qingwan calmly replied, “Are you asking why I betted on you winning yesterday?”
Wei Changtian nodded, “Why?”
“Because I’ve been observing you for the past few days. Although you’ve been losing, you’ve made significant progress every day.”
Xu Qingwan answered truthfully, “And yesterday, considering that two of your opponents were relatively weak, I thought you should be able to win at least one match.”
So that’s it. It seems Xu Qingwan’s observational and analytical skills are indeed quite strong.
Wei Changtian pondered for a moment, then asked, “But what if I hadn’t won yesterday? Wouldn’t your thirty taels have gone to waste?”
“If you hadn’t won, then you hadn’t won. Since it’s a gamble, I have to accept both wins and losses.”
Xu Qingwan untied a red string from her hair and held it in her mouth as she clasped her hands behind her head, coiling her long hair into a bun.
“Do you have any more questions, Master Wei?” she asked.
“Just one more,” Wei Changtian said, smiling at Xu Qingwan’s lips. “You don’t seem to fear me.”
“Why should I be afraid?” Xu Qingwan tied the red string above her bun, revealing her fair neck. “You can’t beat me.”
Wei Changtian chuckled, “But my father is the commander of the Mirror Division.”
“I know, so what?” Xu Qingwan responded.
“You’re not afraid… never mind, forget I asked,” Wei Changtian shook his head, suddenly feeling that teasing a woman like Xu Qingwan was rather uninteresting. “Let’s get started, what do I need to do?”
“Attack me with all your strength,” Xu Qingwan said, taking a half step closer, but not assuming any stance. “I need to understand your weaknesses before I can figure out how to compensate for them.”
“Okay,” Wei Changtian nodded in understanding, taking a deep breath. “Can I use any means?”
“Yes…”
“Swoosh!”
Before Xu Qingwan could finish speaking, Wei Changtian made his move and headed straight for the upper three routes.
More accurately, he aimed straight for Xu Qingwan’s chest.
He didn’t care about martial ethics; since she had given him the green light, he would surely use whatever tactics had the highest chance of success.
Unfortunately, these thuggish tactics were ineffective against Xu Qingwan.
Not because she lacked a chest, but because she was already on guard against such attacks.
She gracefully sidestepped the sneak attack, simultaneously kicking forward with her foot, aimed directly at Wei Changtian’s lower body.
Damn it!
This woman has no sense of martial ethics!
Wei Changtian broke out in cold sweat instantly, immediately trying to retreat.
But the next moment, he despairingly realized… it was too late.
Oh, shit!
Watching the foot, which could potentially end his bloodline, getting closer and closer, he felt immense regret.
If only he had let Wang Er come with him!
What chicken was he even talking about! He was about to lose his own ‘chicken’!
I wonder if there’s any item in the system that can remedy this… Hmm?
The anticipated pain didn’t come; instead, there was nothing out of the ordinary except for a slight chill under his crotch.
Turns out, the foot ultimately stopped at the last moment.
Thank goodness…
Breathing a sigh of relief, Wei Changtian was about to speak when he lifted his head and found a small fist already inches away from him.
Wei Changtian: “…”
Uh… can this one stop too?
“Bang!”
…
After half a stick of incense’s worth of time passed, Wei Changtian finally sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Completely powerless to fight back.
Xu Qingwan was undoubtedly the strongest opponent he had encountered so far.
If she hadn’t deliberately held back, he probably wouldn’t have lasted three moves.
Despite the training he had undergone in the “Dream Path” over the past few days, Wei Changtian could now at least hold his own in a fight, albeit losing more than winning. However, with Xu Qingwan, he could clearly feel the difference; it seemed like she was in a completely different league from anyone else.
Indeed, she’s the strongest female lead in the novel. Despite not having a particularly high cultivation level, her mastery of combat skills can only be described as “peerless.”
“Better than I expected.”
Looking down at Wei Changtian, Xu Qingwan calmly analyzed, “You’re fierce enough, ruthless enough, shameless enough. These are your strengths.”
Why does that sound more like flaws…
Wei Changtian hesitated to speak, but Xu Qingwan didn’t pay him any mind, continuing on her own, “But you clearly haven’t learned any techniques; your moves seem more like those of a street thug than a skilled fighter.”
“It’s fine against ordinary opponents, but against skilled fighters, you’ll definitely suffer.”
“Then, according to you, should I start learning techniques now?”
Wei Changtian got up from the ground, seeking advice humbly, “Where should I start? Punches? Footwork? Weapons?”
“Of course, footwork,” Xu Qingwan answered truthfully.
“Footwork, huh…”
Wei Changtian frowned slightly.
The Wei family had all kinds of top-notch techniques, and footwork was certainly among them.
But just as Xu Qingwan mentioned it, he suddenly remembered something.
It seemed that Xu Qingwan herself mastered a top-notch footwork technique, something called the “Floating Cloud Step” or something like that.
“Ahem, Miss Xu…”
Thinking of this, he immediately had an idea, “Have you learned an ancestral footwork technique?”
“Hmm?” Xu Qingwan’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. “How did you know? Did you send someone to investigate me?”
Wei Changtian remained calm, “Since you’re teaching me martial arts, I certainly would have investigated a bit, in case you were sent by my enemies.”
“That makes sense.”
Xu Qingwan nodded, “But the footwork of my Xu family is probably not something you can learn.”
“Why? Can only women learn it?”
“It’s not that.”
Xu Qingwan glanced at Wei Changtian, “It’s just a family rule that the Floating Cloud Step must never be passed on to outsiders.”
“Outsiders who want to learn it must either marry into the Xu family or marry a woman from the Xu family.”
“This…”
Wei Changtian really wanted to say, “Then maybe I’ll just marry you,” but considering Xu Qingwan’s strength, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
However, at that moment, he heard Xu Qingwan take the initiative to ask, “Um… do you really want to learn?”
“Hmm?” Wei Changtian’s heart leaped with joy, nodding eagerly, “Of course!”
“In that case, I can make an exception and teach you.”
Xu Qingwan paused for a moment, a rare blush appearing on her face, “But…”
“You’ll have to pay extra.”
Huh?
What’s this?
You can buy lessons?
No, what about the family rule?
Wei Changtian thought he misheard, subconsciously asking, “How much money do you want?”
Xu Qingwan extended her hand forward, “Two hundred… no, three hundred taels of silver!”
Three hundred taels of silver for defying ancestral decisions?
Is Xu Qingwan really that money-minded?
“Miss Xu…”
Suddenly, a bold idea popped into Wei Changtian’s mind, cautiously probing, “If I were to ask you to submit to me, how much money do you think would be appropriate?”
Xu Qingwan: “???”
“Bang!”