Chapter 781 - 783: Comparing Medical Skills, is there no one to follow?
Xiaosi’s face scrunched up instantly as he stammered, "No, not at all."
As he spoke, he carefully glanced at Bai Ruozhu, clearly afraid that she would drag him back with her.
Seeing his reaction, Bai Ruozhu knew he was living a good life. Not only did he not feel any regret, he was not even willing to go back with her.
Well then, as the sayings go, "what will be, will be." Let him have his way.
"Hidden Peak, why are you still here? A sect from the western regions is challenging us, and Elder Xuan Jizi is calling you to observe the fight!" A young disciple ran over and yelled, before quickly leaving, clearly in a hurry to catch all the excitement.
Excitement was written all over Xiaosi’s face. He was caught between the anticipation for the competition and the reluctance to part from his recently-reunited sister. Bai Ruozhu was amused by his expression and said, "I ran into those Bihai Sect members on the way here. I might as well join you to watch the excitement."
Xiaosi perked up and, holding Bai Ruozhu’s hand, led her to the martial arts field.
Once there, Bai Ruozhu realized just how big the Huashan Sect was. When she watched the TV series "Smiling Proud Wanderer" in her previous life, she had seen Yue Buqun with his flock of disciples and had always assumed Huashan Sect to have no more than twenty or thirty members at most. But looking at it now, there were at least a hundred or so.
Xiaosi took Bai Ruozhu to bow to his master and said, "Master, this is my sister Bai Ruozhu. She’s here to see how my training is going."
This was Bai Ruozhu’s first time meeting Elder Xuan Jizi. He had kind brows and clear eyes, reinforcing her belief in what Jiang Yichun had said about him. Bai Ruozhu bowed to Xuan Jizi, greeting him respectfully.
"Good, good. Now that you’re here, why not stay with Xiaosi for a few days? But for now, let’s watch the competition." Xuan Jizi said with a chuckle.
The competition had already begun. The Bihai Sect had brought their younger generation to challenge. The first competitor was a strikingly large and muscular young man. His protruding forehead and green-grey eyes made him look particularly fierce.
The Huashan Sect also sent out a disciple to compete. After ten or so rounds, the Huashan disciple was defeated by the muscular man.
There was a moment of silence amongst the spectators. The Huashan disciples seemed to have suffered a great blow. Xiaosi, in a low voice, explained to Bai Ruozhu, "Brother Zangzhi, who lost, is one of our master’s disciples. He is considered one of the top fighters amongst the younger disciples. Nobody expected him to lose so quickly."
The Bihai Sect’s elder leader revealed a smug expression, bowed and said, "Thank you for accepting defeat, let us continue."
The next one to take the stage was unexpectedly the little girl, Diao Yao, who Bai Ruozhu had spoken to. Bai Ruozhu was dumbfounded, she had not expected Diao Yao to be so formidable.
Seeing a young girl like her, the disciples of the Huashan Sect felt somewhat awkward about competing with her. The head of the Huashan Sect’s face hardened, and in a low voice, he instructed his junior disciple, Zang Hui, "It’s your turn, don’t underestimate her. We must win this round."
Diao Yao was getting impatient, and from the stage, with her hands on her hips, she said, "You are not looking down on me because I am small and refusing to fight, are you? Don’t underestimate me. Even Brother Tianlang is my competitor."
Her straightforward personality spiced with a childlike tone made her words amusing. The one presumably Brother Tianlang, the previously victorious competitor, grinned at her as if confirming her claim.
The Huashan Sect disciples were in an uproar and Zang Hui, who was ordered to take the stage by the elder, also became very serious - he could not afford to lose.
Zang Hui took the stage and exchanged bows with Diao Yao. As soon as the fight started, it was clear Diao Yao was just as formidable as she claimed. Her movements were swift and agile. Bai Ruozhu almost couldn’t keep track of her. She felt a pang of envy. If she had such agility, at least she wouldn’t have been stabbed by Hao Baishuang.
Diao Yao was incredibly clever in her moves. She dodged more than she attacked, but when she did launch an attack, she always aimed for the opponent’s weak spots. Moreover, Bai Ruozhu quickly noticed something special about her - every time she attacked, Zang Hui was forced to retreat a few steps. Who would have thought such power could come from her small frame?
After dozens of rounds, Zang Hui was also defeated.
There was an awkward silence in the field. Even Xiaosi had clenched his fists in frustration. He wished he could jump on the stage to fight for his sect, but given his current skill level, he would only bring shame upon his sect.
Hearing the elder of Bihai Sect’s blatant gloating, Xiaosi’s brows furrowed tightly. In his heart, he secretly pledged to train hard, vowing never to let his sect be ridiculed.
Bai Ruozhu sighed. She couldn’t help it. Xiaosi had fit in here. He had a sense of belonging and pride. She really couldn’t take him away now.
Then the third pair of contestants took the stage. The face of the Huashan Sect’s leader was looking grim, as they had sent in their most capable younger disciples to compete. Cheers erupted from the crowd when, finally, the Huashan Sect won a match.
The fourth man to take the stage was the tall, thin man who looked more like a Zhongyuan man than a man from the Western Regions. He said coldly, "I want to compete in medical skills."
The entire Huashan Sect was stunned. Had they misheard? What did he mean by competing in medical skills? Weren’t they supposed to be comparing their martial arts?
The elder of the Bihai Sect looked surprised upon seeing the puzzled face of Huashan Sect’s leader. He asked, "Are you telling me that your grand Huashan Sect doesn’t have disciples who specifically study medicine? What do you do if a disciple gets injured, or if you need to use medical treatments to further improve someone’s physique?"
The corner of the Huashan Sect leader’s mouth twitched. He responded, "We have some older doctors. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to participate in the younger disciples’ competition. Besides, competitions in medical skills are not common amongst the Zhongyuan sects."
The elder of the Bihai Sect disagreed strongly, "Medical skills are of utmost importance. Is the Huashan Sect lacking successors in this field? Our Bihai Sect has at least a dozen disciples like Chu Hai who are studying medicine."
The expression on his face was highly irritating. The words created an immediate uproar among the Huashan Sect disciples. Many said that since they had come to Zhongyuan for the competition, they should abide by the norms of Zhongyuan. But the tall, thin man named Chu Hai on stage coldly retorted, "Less talk, if no one can compete, just admit defeat."
Many were infuriated by his words. However, even though their anger was boiling, no one came forward to say "I’ll go". That was because the Huashan Sect truly lacked medical students. Their only doctor just knew a little about medicine, and he was best at treating external wounds and adjusting Qi and Blood.
"There’s a real shortage of successors in the Zhongyuan Sects, always finding excuses. This is really surprising to me," said the Bihai Sect Elder with a smirk, his tone was grating on the nerves.
Xiaosi clenched his fists so tightly that they creaked. Suddenly, he turned to look at Bai Ruozhu, pleading in his eyes, "Sister, won’t you help our Sect? Besides, don’t you hate the idea of people from the Western Regions mocking us of Zhongyuan?"
Bai Ruozhu Shook her shoulders, replying, "I don’t really care. I’m just a farmer’s daughter, not a martial artist. I don’t want to get involved in these matters."
Hearing her words, Xiaosi anxiously began to pace in place. Beside him, Elder Xuan Jizi also turned to Bai Ruozhu and said, "I’ve heard about the medical skills of Miss Bai back in Beiyu City. If Miss Bai would lend us your assistance today, the Huashan Sect would owe you a favor. We will certainly repay you in future, as and when required."