“It’s likely them,” Yun Huizhou said.
Once they had a target for their suspicions, Lian Li found himself a bit puzzled. If it was indeed the other party, why would they do such a thing?
However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. With so many people coming and himself being the protagonist this time, if he won, he wouldn’t just secure his eleventh-place position on the Beauty List—he would also gain a significant amount of fame.
Although he and Yun Huizhou were already together, he still remembered Yun Huizhou’s previous comment about wanting to marry the World’s Number One Beauty.
Since he was already ranked eleventh, even though he didn’t plan to deliberately push for the top ten, he didn’t want to let an opportunity like this slip away when it was practically delivered to his doorstep.
“Let’s put on our bamboo hats and leave through the window.” Yun Huizhou took their two bamboo hats from the clothes rack and handed one to Lian Li.
Lian Li took it and put it on, then remembered something else. “Take our valuables with us as well. Too many people know we’re heading out right now; there might be some petty thieves lurking about.”
Yun Huizhou shook a bundle in front of him and said, “Don’t worry, I have them right here.”
The two of them prepared themselves once more. Yun Huizhou opened the window, looked outside, and said, “Let’s go. There aren’t many people on this side.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he flew out first, with Lian Li following closely behind.
Not long after they took flight, even Lian Li could sense people following them.
Lian Li: “…They really do love a good spectacle, don’t they?”
Yun Huizhou replied with a smile, “Don’t you?”
Lian Li: “I do.”
The people following them were somewhat disciplined and didn’t trail too closely.
The two arrived smoothly at the agreed-upon location. However, there were even more people here. Lian Li looked out from a distance and gave a rough estimate; there were probably about two hundred people.
“Wow… so many people…” Lian Li was absolutely stunned to see such a crowd.
This was far more people than when Zhao Honglan and Xin Ci had their duel last time.
Aside from the sheer number of people, there were several tables and chairs set up nearby, with people sitting all around.
Lian Li couldn’t help but marvel. Bringing your own tables and chairs just to watch a spectacle—wasn’t that a bit too dedicated?
Yun Huizhou’s gaze swept across the area, then landed on the center of the grounds where five men and women stood wearing identical clothing. He remarked, “Ah—so many people—”
Compared to Lian Li’s simple exclamation at the size of the crowd, Yun Huizhou’s words sounded far more snide and sarcastic.
The people opposite them weren’t deaf; they naturally heard his remark.
A woman who appeared to be the most authoritative among them instantly looked over. Her gaze was sharp, making her look like someone not to be trifled with.
Yun Huizhou curled his lip, patted Lian Li on the shoulder, and pointed directly at the group. “See that? Your opponent is among that group of people dressed exactly alike. As for which one specifically, I don’t know either.”
Lian Li hurriedly looked over. “Wow… their sect even has uniforms. We don’t have any.”
“If you want them, tell Uncle Xi when we get back. We’ll have Uncle Xi custom-make a set for the two of us,” Yun Huizhou said.
“Uh… that’s not really necessary.” Lian Li leaned closer to Yun Huizhou and whispered, “I think the new clothes Uncle Xi made for us this time are quite nice.”
Seeing the two of them merely glance at them before starting to whisper to each other as if no one else were there, the people from Maple Leaf Valley felt ignored and were naturally displeased.
The leading woman raised her hand to stop a junior brother who wanted to impulsively speak out, then spoke herself. “Yun Huizhou, since you’ve arrived, let’s not dawdle. Let us begin.”
As soon as the woman spoke, Lian Li saw the people sitting at the tables immediately take out brushes and paper, looking as if they were ready to take notes.
Seeing this, Lian Li raised an eyebrow. Even Zhao Honglan’s match last time didn’t have this much fanfare. What was going on?
Furthermore, he seemed to spot a familiar figure among those recording the event.
Jin Manjue.
Sensing someone looking at him, Jin Manjue looked up and met Lian Li’s gaze.
Sensing the confusion in Lian Li’s eyes, Jin Manjue first gave a polite smile and a nod, then shrugged his shoulders and subtly pointed toward the group from Maple Leaf Valley.
Seeing this gesture, Lian Li understood instantly. This was requested by the people of Maple Leaf Valley; they wanted this duel recorded.
Lian Li lowered the veil of his bamboo hat, completely hiding his face once more. His eyes flickered. With Maple Leaf Valley making such arrangements, it seemed they were absolutely certain of their victory in this duel.
The moment they won, the manuscripts in the hands of these recorders would likely be sent to various bookstores for printing and then distributed far and wide.
The winner of this duel would undoubtedly become famous.
And for the people of Maple Leaf Valley to do this, they must believe their chances of winning were extremely high.
Thinking of this, Lian Li knew that the opponent would definitely be the Maple Leaf Valley Master’s youngest disciple, Zhou Yu, appearing in person rather than having someone else take his place.
Because if they had swapped him for anyone else, Yun Huizhou would definitely be the one stepping onto the field.
He had heard from his Senior Uncle before that only the Eldest Senior Sister of Maple Leaf Valley had martial arts comparable to Yun Huizhou’s.
“Comparable” didn’t mean a guaranteed win.
But if it was Lian Li fighting, their chances of winning were much higher.
After all, in their eyes, he had only been practicing martial arts for a year. A little investigation into his background would reveal how poor his health had been a year ago.
With a bit more deduction, they would conclude that he certainly hadn’t learned the kind of internal energy cultivation focused on combat.
While Zhou Yu hadn’t been a disciple for long—only three years—it depended on who he was being compared to.
Compared to Lian Li, Zhou Yu’s time in the sect was quite long. If Zhou Yu had been healthy since childhood, he would also have the advantage in internal energy.
Looking at it this way, wasn’t it practically a guaranteed win for them?
While Lian Li was pondering these matters, Yun Huizhou acted as if he hadn’t heard the woman speak at all, continuing to talk in Lian Li’s ear without replying to her.
Seeing the other side’s expression turn slightly ugly, Lian Li gave Yun Huizhou a look from an angle others couldn’t see.
Lian Li could feel that Yun Huizhou quite disliked this woman. To say “disliked” wasn’t entirely accurate; it was more like he found her loathsome.
Lian Li was quite curious. Although Yun Huizhou often acted like a typical “straight man,” he was actually a few degrees more tolerant toward women than men.
For example, he would tease or prank Zhao Honglan, but he would never treat Qu Tingquan that way.
And during the previous bandit suppression, if the woman who had kidnapped the little bully to plot against them had been a man, Yun Huizhou probably wouldn’t have let them off so easily.
However, now was not the time for gossip. Lian Li made a mental note of it.
Having received no answer from Yun Huizhou, the faces of everyone except the leading woman flared with anger.
Even the woman herself frowned slightly. Just as she was about to speak again, Yun Huizhou spoke up.
“Zhang Ning, are you the one going up this time?”
He took off his bamboo hat and hung it casually on a nearby tree, holding his blade and looking at the group opposite him with a cold gaze.
