Chapter 177: Are They All Here to Watch the Duel?

For a moment, he couldn’t understand how a single sentence could make Lian Li’s face turn so red in an instant.

Just as Yun Huizhou was about to ask, he felt Lian Li shrink further inward, while simultaneously making small movements to turn around and face him.

Yun Huizhou raised an eyebrow. He recalled how the previous West Island Lord had told him to study that book thoroughly, lest he be rejected for having poor technique when the time came.

His eyes narrowed. Later, he really had gone to look through it carefully, and that book indeed recorded many…

Connecting that to what they had just been discussing, Yun Huizhou instantly realized what Lian Li was thinking about.

For a moment, Yun Huizhou didn’t even know what to say. This boy really was…

He let go of Lian Li, sat up properly, and let out a soft laugh.

Hearing his laughter, Lian Li hurriedly turned his head and feigned ferocity. “What are you laughing at? Stop laughing.”

His expression was spot on; if his face weren’t so red, it might have been more intimidating.

However, Yun Huizhou, knowing exactly what he had been thinking, looked at the redness blooming on his fair face and thought he looked even more beautiful than usual.

Yun Huizhou lay down naturally and said, “You should know in your heart what I’m laughing at.”

“I don’t know,” Lian Li immediately retorted.

“Mm-hmm, if you say you don’t know, then you don’t know,” Yun Huizhou said. “I won’t tease you anymore. Go ahead and practice your cultivation; I’ll keep watch beside you.”

Lian Li looked at him and saw that he was being serious rather than trying to continue teasing him, so he sat cross-legged to prepare for his cultivation.

With Yun Huizhou watching over him, he could be more relaxed and focused during his practice.

Seeing that Lian Li had quickly begun to circulate his energy, Yun Huizhou placed his hands behind his head as a pillow and closed his eyes as well.

Three days passed in a flash, and the appointed time for the duel had arrived.

Lian Li was making final adjustments in the room. One moment he was loosening his waistband, the next he was tightening it; he rolled his sleeves up only to pull them back down again.

Yun Huizhou sat to the side and watched for a while before he couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

Lian Li tugged at his collar and replied, “I just feel like no matter what I do, it’s uncomfortable. Everything is getting in the way.”

Yun Huizhou was puzzled. “How can that be? Before we came, you specifically dug out these clothes, saying they were the most comfortable for moving around. Why do you feel they’re uncomfortable now?”

Lian Li squirmed as if his whole body was itchy. “You don’t understand; it’s psychological. It’s mainly because I’m really too nervous and I value this duel too much, so I’m extra sensitive. Ugh, anyway, I just feel like everything is in the way and uncomfortable.”

Yun Huizhou: “…”

“But these are already as comfortable as undergarments. If you still feel they’re in the way…” Yun Huizhou paused, then said with a smile, “Then your only option is to not wear anything at all.”

Lian Li looked at Yun Huizhou, his eyes holding a hint of expectation. “In your world… is it okay not to wear anything?”

Yun Huizhou was in the middle of drinking water. Hearing this question, he spat it out directly. “I was just speaking casually. Are you really planning to go naked?”

He set the cup down and lunged in front of Lian Li, grabbing his arm.

“I meant not wearing a top, not being completely naked. I don’t have a hobby for streaking.”

Lian Li tried to pull his arm away. Yun Huizhou was holding on tight; it didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t very comfortable either.

Yun Huizhou was momentarily choked up by these self-righteous words, then said in exasperation, “How scandalous!”

“Ha!” Lian Li burst out laughing. “I can’t believe I’m hearing those words from your mouth. Hahahaha!”

He laughed so boisterously that Yun Huizhou pinched both his cheeks, making his mouth pucker. Yun Huizhou then leaned in and took a direct bite of his lips.

It wasn’t heavy, but it stung a little.

“Stop laughing!” Yun Huizhou commanded.

“Heehee,” Lian Li giggled. “Let go quickly. It’s almost time, we need to head over. Otherwise, it’ll be trouble if they think we’ve forfeited because we’re late.”

Yun Huizhou released him. “Do you feel comfortable now?”

“Hmm?” Lian Li squirmed again and said, “Now that my attention has been diverted, I don’t feel uncomfortable anymore.”

Yun Huizhou placed his hand on Lian Li’s neck, stroking it suggestively. “Don’t be nervous. You can definitely win.”

Lian Li lowered his head slightly and rubbed his chin against Yun Huizhou’s hand. “What if I lose?”

“If you really lose, then so be it. At worst, we’ll go back and practice; I’ll accompany you.” Yun Huizhou draped an arm over Lian Li’s shoulder, leading him toward the door. “If you lose, the fault lies mostly with me. After all, I was the one who guided your martial arts practice all of last year.”

Hearing him say this actually made Lian Li feel a bit guilty.

He knew very well what a mess his physical foundation had been last year. Even if Yun Huizhou had wanted to train him the way he had been trained as a child, he wouldn’t have dared.

If he had dared to train him like that, Lian Li would have dared to die right then and there.

While talking, the two reached the door.

Yun Huizhou opened the door. Just as they stepped out onto the corridor before even heading down the stairs, they felt gazes from all directions converging on them.

Yun Huizhou was fine, but Lian Li instinctively took a step back, wanting to retreat into the room. However, Yun Huizhou still had his arm around him, so he failed to make it back inside.

Lian Li turned to look at Yun Huizhou, his eyes frantically signaling toward the room.

Yun Huizhou nodded in understanding. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two took a step back in unison, retreated into the room, and with a “Bang!”, slammed the door shut.

“Why are there so many people!” Lian Li said in a hushed voice.

“They’re probably all here to watch this duel,” Yun Huizhou replied.

“I know that!” Lian Li said. “But why are there so many? What’s so interesting about a duel between Zhou Yu and me, two people who haven’t even officially reached second-rate level! Isn’t our level a dime a dozen in the martial world?”

“Maybe… they’re here for the title of the 11th rank on the Beauty List?” Yun Huizhou attempted to analyze. “After all, before we asked Jin Manjue to change the rankings, we didn’t know that the rankings outside the top ten were handled so casually. So, they probably just want to see what kind of beauties are competing for the 11th spot on the Beauty List.”

“The question is, how did these people find out?” Lian Li said. “After we got the news, we were busy cramming at the last minute. After practicing, we rushed all the way here. We didn’t tell anyone about this. Could it be that Jin Manjue publicized it?”

“Unlikely,” Yun Huizhou said. “Looking at what was written in Jin Manjue’s record book, there are many such duels. If he publicly announced all of them, even if I didn’t pay attention to such things, I should have heard about it once or twice after so many times.”

Lian Li felt that Yun Huizhou’s reasoning made sense. Not many people originally knew about this, but if it wasn’t Jin Manjue, then the culprits were easy to guess. “If it wasn’t Jin Manjue, then… could it be those two from Maple Leaf Valley?”