Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
With the departure of Wu Shitong, the central arena seemed to be a kingdom only belonging to Lou Cheng, allowing him to receive cheers and applause alone. Pieces of blue stones underfoot were illuminated by the sunshine coming through the transparent dome, infected with a layer of golden light.
Lou Cheng was a little-cramped up. He saluted in all four directions, just like physically invulnerable Mighty Ones did in the Top Five Title Matches. In return, he won more enthusiastic applause and cheers.
He took a deep breath and turned to the edge. From the referee, he got back his jacket, cell phone, and other personal belongings. He then went away along the stone steps.
At this time, his vision suddenly came into focus. Near the arena stood: Ye Youting in a pink-and-white martial arts suit, Bai Song, who made huge impacts in former competitions, and other Professional Ninth Pin Mighty Ones that he remembered by watching competitions back in the day. In the further stands, he also found Wang Ye, who was famous for Iron Palm and lived in the same hotel.
They’re all are in different positions, but every one of them had their eyes fixed on him!
All of a sudden, Lou Cheng felt an electric current running through him, as if he’d gone numb. He was filled with a subtle sense of accomplishment and a lingering joy flowed through him. Were the Mighty Ones of Professional Ninth Pin following his matches?
Clap! Clap! Clap! Ye Youting calmly gazed back at Lou Cheng as she applauded, indicating that he’d fought well. Beside her, Bai Song and other Mighty Ones of Professional Ninth Pin also nodded their heads slightly.
This was definitely an endorsement from the Mighty Ones. They recognized that Lou Cheng was getting close to their class!
His sense of accomplishment increased. Nodding respectively towards others, Lou Cheng headed towards the more remote stands to share his victory and recognition with Yan Zheke.
He was walking along the steps and looking around for a seat, when he heard a sudden call.
“Lou Cheng!”
Who was it? Someone he knew? Looking blankly at the person passing by, Lou Cheng was a bit startled. All he saw was an unfamiliar face.
This unfamiliar face belonged to a young man. He gave a thumbs-up, and shouted to Lou Cheng,
“Well done!”
Other spectators backed him up,
“Good job, young man!”
“Nice, yeah, the most exciting competition in the past few days!”
Looking at these unfamiliar faces smiling at him, shouting his name as if they knew him personally, praising his performance, two lines from a poem suddenly came in Lou Cheng’s mind. “Do not fret that you don’t know your self, for is there anyone under the sun that does not know you?”
In a strange city, thousands of miles away from home, he felt the warmth and joy that he felt going back to his hometown. This sensation slowly flowed through him, echoing in his heart. His sense of accomplishment was even greater than it had been a moment ago!
“No wonder Dragon King once said that when you tasted the joy of victory, you would never want to experience failure again...” Lou Cheng nodded as this idea flashed through his mind. With the shyness like that of a newly married empress, he quickly went to hide in the corner of the stands.
He unlocked his phone screen and logged onto QQ. He had wanted to send a dejected face to tease Yan Zheke, but the joy in his heart made him send a laughing emoji that had its arms on its waist. “I didn’t fail to live up to the expectations of the organization!”
Yan Zheke soon replied with a giggling monkey emoji, “Not bad! But there is one question, who is the organization?”
“The organization’s last name is Yan, and first name is Zheke. Fortunately, you’ve lent me some of your wisdom and character. I did nearly lose!” Lou Cheng answered with a grinning emoji.
Yan Zheke sent a fist-pumping emoji. “It’s good that you know that! Was the match very thrilling?”
She was very interested in Lou Cheng’s Martial Arts Competition.
This reminded Lou Cheng of what Cai “Casanova” Zongming had said, “To chat with a girl, it is essential to talk about her interests.” Thank God! He and Yan Zheke’s common interest was martial arts.
“Although Wu Shitong is one year younger than us, he’s a very shrewd person. He seized the opportunity that I didn’t know much about his martial arts. He deliberately adopted Pulsating Quake and Da Kai Bei Shou (Sudden Quake) stances, and he lasted for a long time, even though he’d been trapped by my movements. He slowly made me drop my guard, and when I seized a chance to hit him in the stomach, I found his fundamental martial arts skill was Golden Bell Cover. With the help of this methodical trap, he was able to grab my wrist.” Lou Cheng described the scene that was still fresh in his memory once again.
Yan Zheke replied with a shocked-monkey emoji, “You scared me! If I hadn’t already known that you won, I couldn’t imagine how you’d make a comeback.”
Such awe from a girl helped pump up Lou Cheng’s sense of achievement. “Fortunately, my Meditation stance is good, and I’ve achieved Condensation Stance. After he grabbed my wrist, through that contact, I was able to hear more clearly. So I could discern what his actions would be, and could prevent him from attacking my weak points. Gradually I was able to build up superior power .”
“When has your Listening Skill been that good?” Yan Zheke sent a shocked onion emoji.
Before Lou Cheng could reply, she added, “I just looked through the official website. Your match video is on the top of the page. I’m watching it now, talk later!”
A brilliant match like this in the middle of the arena will receive the attention of the organizers without a doubt.
“Haha, remember to save it after watching. Send it to me when I’m back at the hotel.” Lou Cheng replied with a slight smile. Then he fixed his eyes back to the central arena and watched the next competition. He observed the movements of both competitors and simulated his responses.
After a while, there was the sound of a QQ notification. Yan Zheke sent a cute emoji that was stuffing its face with snacks, “Even though you told me before, I was so worried that I was watching with only one eye open the entire time! Fortunately, your Listening Skill is awesome. Otherwise, you definitely would have lost. Cheng, you’ve grown strong so fast... During the final stage of the Listening Skill hand-to-hand combat, I had a feeling that you were no worse than my cousin.”
“Listening Skill mainly depends on your Meditation level and Condensation Stance. I have this gift, and Coach Shi said you have it too.” Lou Cheng took the opportunity to compliment her.
Yan Zheke sent a nodding emoji, “I’ve heard that once the ultimate level Condensation Stance and Meditation is reached, it belongs to the Ice Sect’s Freeze Enemy Heart. It can effectively act against negative emotions, and can discern every move in the surrounding area, providing an analysis of the enemy’s flaws...”
“Your words sound like they’re from a book... Did you just look that up?” Lou Cheng sent a tittering emoji.
Yan Zheke sent a shocked emoji, “Don’t expose me...”
They joked for a while, and Yan Zheke sent an emoji covering its smile with its hands, “I’ve gotten to go out.”
“Go out for dinner?” Lou Cheng intended to watch the last competition at the Central Arena first, and then he would leave the martial arts venue to fill his stomach. Then he would wait for the fifth/final knockout round in the afternoon.
“No, heading back to my grandparents’ house, to help my grandmother make rice cake. She always felt that homemade ones are better than the ones you can buy in a store. I’m gonna eat something on the way.” Yan Zheke replied with a cute emoji of a monkey shaking its tail.
“Making rice cake...” Lou Cheng replied with a dizzy emoji. He had only seen rice cake in the supermarket and occasionally in restaurants.
“This is a New Year custom in lots of places here. Xiushan doesn’t have it, so I know you don’t know.” Yan Zheke replied with a laughing monkey emoji.
Lou Cheng sent an emoji of a red face, “Xiushan’s New Year custom is to make sticky rice cakes and pork sausage. Right, haven’t you been using some new emojis today?”
“Haha, every time I see lovely and funny emojis I’ll download or collect them. I feel like I’m more adorable when I’m using them.” Yan Zheke replied with a clapping-and-laughing-monkey emoji.
While making conversation, Lou Cheng finished watching the competition. Afterward, he went out to eat a cheap meal nearby, then went back to the martial arts venue. He waited for the timetable for the fifth knockout round at 13:30.
“I have martial arts exercises in the afternoon, so I won’t know the results of your match at the first instant.” Yan Zheke sent a pitiful emoji,
“Don’t worry, there are two matches today. With my endurance, as long as I don’t come across Professional Ninth Pin player, I’m sure to win!” Lou Cheng talked big.
Yan Zheke sent a tittering emoji, “But my intuition tells me that this round you’ll get the bye for this round. By the time the Group Competition comes around, today’s timetable will be arranged, right? I can arrange it beforehand so that my martial arts exercises are either in the morning or afternoon.”
“Then I’ll stop talking so that my poor character won’t influence your prediction.” Lou Cheng gave Yan Zheke a good excuse to not get in touch with him first.
Time flew. At half past one, a number of large screens updated the timetable. It would begin at half past two, and end at five. This time there were three arenas.
Looking carefully, Lou Cheng searched for his name and number. At last, he found them in the last line.
“No.656 Lou Cheng is bye of this round... Bye of this round?” Lou Cheng stood up in surprise, and immediately sent a photo to Yan Zheke, “Fairy Yan, you’re a bonafide Nostradamus! You say it and it happens! Beautiful!”
“Does this mean I’m in the Group Competition?”
Yan Zheke replied with a firecracker emoji, “Speak! How will you repay me! ”
“By devoting my life to you...” Lou Cheng replied silently with a red-faced smiling emoji, “I still owe you a meal from before, so asking you out to eat again doesn’t seem sincere enough.”
“Indeed.” Yan Zheke agreed with a emoji of a small monster nodding.
Thank God for this chance! Lou Cheng immediately pressed the screens keyboard, “How about checking out Song City and finding some local specialties? You’ll be the guest.”
“Uh, will we have time? We have special training next semester...” Yan Zheke sent an emoji of a head with question marks on it.
Lou Cheng felt her hesitation. He deliberately changed the subject, “Let’s settle it now, and when the time comes we’ll have another look, or l display even more kind-hearted and bring you some fine Xiushan food? You won’t come back during the winter holiday, so you’ll probably miss it.”
“Yes! Yes, of course!” I want to eat all over the city on summer vacation! ” Yan Zheke sent an emoji with sparkling eyes, and followed up with a sighing emoji. “But I want to eat the quail eggs next to Xinhua Bookstore, roasted eggplant from Liu’s Barbecue, steamed beef pancakes from the back door of the school, sticky rice cakes from Wang’s Rice Noodles...There’s no way to go to all of these...
Lou Cheng smiled and changed the topic again. At the same time, he recorded all of the food that Yan Zheke had mentioned in his phone’s notes.
When it was nearly two o’clock, Yan Zheke went to her grandparents’ house to do martial arts exercises. Since Lou Cheng had won the bye for this round, he relaxed and crossed his hands as he wandered into the venue. He leisurely watched the competition and from time to time recorded some highlights, intending to share them with Yan Zheke in the evening.
During breaks, he occasionally recalled the things that happened over the past few days. It felt like a dream, much better than anything he had predicted before he came.
“I have entered the Group Competition!”