Chapter 8: Holy Shit! This is a Book?

He looked as if he were ready to fight at any moment if the other party so much as twitched.

Standing among the disciples of the Qinghong Sword Sect, Lian Li watched the scene unfold, thinking: Is it really about to go down? Is the Jianghu really like this, where people start brawling over a single disagreement?

Before he could finish the thought, the middle-aged man moved. He didn’t draw his sword; instead, he circulated his qi and charged straight at Yun Huizhou. Yun Huizhou raised his hand and met him with a palm strike.

The middle-aged man stumbled back a dozen steps in quick succession, while Yun Huizhou remained rooted to the spot, motionless.

The man’s face flushed a deep red—it was impossible to tell if it was from the impact, rage, or sheer embarrassment.

After being repelled by Yun Huizhou, he let out another huff as if to vent his frustration before leading his disciples away.

Having driven off the nuisance, Yun Huizhou lost interest in staying. After bidding farewell to the disciples of the Qinghong Sword Sect, he took Lian Li back to the inn.

Along the way, Lian Li felt a bit uneasy.

It wasn’t until they entered their room that he finally asked Yun Huizhou, “Is that petty middle-aged man going to be a problem?”

“What?” Yun Huizhou flicked his eyelids up and replied, “He’s no trouble. Even if they all attacked at once, they couldn’t beat me.”

Lian Li walked over and sat down in front of him. “But I don’t know any martial arts. If you’re looking after me, will they find an opening to exploit?”

Yun Huizhou replied, “I was including you in that scenario.”

Yun Huizhou suddenly pulled Lian Li over, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He continued, “Even if I’m holding you with one arm like this, I can still handle all of them with the other. As long as you don’t wiggle around, it’s fine.”

Lian Li: “Are you really that badass?”

“Badass?” Yun Huizhou said. “I’m not bragging.”

“No, no, no.” Lian Li shook his head. “I mean ‘badass’ as in you’re incredibly impressive.”

Hearing Lian Li’s explanation, Yun Huizhou nodded. “Is that what it means? Then I guess I am pretty badass.”

He leaned closer to Lian Li, acting a bit smug. “My master gave me a mission for this trip: take the top prize at the Martial Arts Assembly. Right now, the only thing left to do to get that prize is to kick Zhao Honglan off the stage.”

Lian Li looked at him, somewhat speechless. In public, he called him “Brother Zhao” this and “Brother Zhao” that, but in private, all he could think about was how to boot the guy off the platform.

As if reading Lian Li’s expression, Yun Huizhou added, “Don’t be fooled by Zhao Honglan calling me ‘Brother Yun’ so affectionately. He’s probably gone back to do extra training right now, preparing to kick me off the stage instead.”

Lian Li found it funny, thinking Zhao Honglan probably wasn’t that childish.

However, thinking about the possibility of a final showdown between Yun Huizhou and Zhao Honglan gave him a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity.

***

The next day, when the two arrived at the tournament grounds, the crowd was noticeably more enthusiastic.

Previously, only the Qinghong Sword Sect was familiar with them. While disciples from other major sects had made small talk, they clearly weren’t as close as those from Qinghong.

Now, everyone was coming forward to strike up a conversation.

Lian Li understood—Yun Huizhou was famous now.

After yesterday’s screening, twenty-five people had made it to the final stage. However, three were unable to participate today due to significant injuries sustained the day before.

Thus, only twenty-two remained on the field.

It was another melee. At this stage, there was essentially no one left who had just coasted through on luck.

However, watching these people fight was, for Lian Li, like watching gods at war.

He saw these people literally leaping into the air and trading blows while suspended in the sky. It had completely exceeded his understanding of martial arts.

Damn it, whose ‘Lightness Skill’ actually lets them fly in the sky without ever touching the ground? Do you guys not need to kick off anything for leverage?

This is supposed to be a Wuxia world! What kind of Wuxia world has people who can fly like this?

Do you guys dare to come down and fight on the ground? Huh? Do you?

Lian Li was utterly stunned. Why are you guys even practicing martial arts? Why don’t you just go straight to cultivating immortality?

While Lian Li was reeling from the shock, he kept an eye on the situation on the field.

As Yun Huizhou and Zhao Honglan kicked people out of the arena one by one, that weird sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger.

By the time only Yun Huizhou and Zhao Honglan were left on the field, Lian Li’s expression had completely fractured.

Seeing him look as if he were about to faint, Senior Sister Qu hurried over to support him. “Lian Li, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

As she spoke, she began to channel some internal energy into him.

Hearing Senior Sister Qu’s voice, Lian Li barely managed to snap out of it. After forcing his expression back to normal, he looked at her, thanked her, and then spoke slowly.

“If I may ask… what is Senior Sister Qu’s full name?”

Senior Sister Qu paused, suddenly remembering that when Yun Huizhou introduced her to Lian Li, he had just teased her by calling her “Senior Sister Qu” without mentioning her full name.

She continued to transfer internal energy into him. Seeing Lian Li’s complexion gradually regain its color, she smiled and replied, “Qu Tingquan.”

She looked Lian Li up and down and added, “But given your age, calling me by my full name won’t do. Why don’t you just call me ‘Sister’?”

Qu Tingquan actually liked Lian Li quite a bit because he was truly good-looking.

He had the kind of features that were somewhat alluring, yet his eyes always held a sense of innocence.

Qu Tingquan felt that if Lian Li were a girl, his suitors would probably stretch from here all the way to the capital.

However, while Lian Li’s mouth responded to her words with a soft “Sister,” his brain had completely stalled.

At that moment, Zhao Honglan was forced off the stage by Yun Huizhou. Now, only Yun Huizhou remained in the arena.

He casually picked up the banner placed at the edge of the field, shook it open, and planted it into the pedestal in the center of the stage.

The champion was decided.

The crowd erupted in congratulations and cheers.

But only one sentence was echoing in Lian Li’s mind: Holy shit! I’ve been transmigrated for so long, and I only just realized I’m in a book!

Damn it!

No wonder Zhao Honglan’s name sounded so familiar—it was because Zhao Honglan was the male lead! And Qu Tingquan was the female lead.

He looked tremulously at Yun Huizhou, who was walking toward him after planting the banner.

In the novel, this character was younger than the male lead but possessed higher martial arts skills.

The man who kicked the male lead off the stage and seized the title of champion among the young swordsmen at the Martial Arts Assembly—he was a supporting male character.

But how could a novel have a supporting character who was more badass than the male lead?

Naturally, it couldn’t.

Therefore, later on, this supporting character was ambushed during some event.

After his injuries healed, his martial arts regressed, and he could never make further progress. This supporting character, whose talent was even more terrifying than the novel’s leads, never had another chance to join the ranks of the top-tier masters.

Lian Li didn’t know the specifics of the event; he only knew they were fighting over something.

Lian Li was on the verge of a breakdown.

If he hadn’t known, he could have handled things with a calm mind. Or, if he knew the entire plot, he could at least avoid many dangers.