Chapter 54: Dagger

~~~

Cai Chin is taken away on a stretcher.

Liu Jin makes his way out of the ring, his every step accompanied by cheers. His dominating performance has been well-received. It is not often that one sees someone in the Seventh Level of the Inner Realm defeat someone in the Nascent Realm. The crowd will undoubtedly be looking forward to Liu Jin’s next matches.

It is safe to say Liu Jin has more than made up for his underwhelming performance during the group stage. Indeed, even though Liu Jin can’t see him, he can almost feel Xiao Fang’s approving nod.

“Congratulations on a most wonderful match.”

Liu Jin stops as Wu Yan comes up to him. He supposes he should smile and pretend everything is fine, act as if he doesn’t suspect a thing.

He doesn’t.

“I was just lucky my opponent underestimated me.”

Liu Jin is neither lying nor being overly modest. Had Cai Chin taken him seriously, the fight would have been a lot harder. He would have won regardless but not without taking some damage.

Wu Yan laughs. “How modest. Your strikes were most wonderful. It is true what they say. The fists of those belonging to the Xiao Sect are like flaming arrows.”

“Is that so?”

Flaming arrows? No, Liu Jin wouldn’t say fire is his element.

Although Liu Jin has been trained in the Xiao Sect’s standard style, his body cannot help but make modifications to it every time he fights. Nine-Headed Snake God’s venom has left its mark on him, whether he likes it or not. Its influence goes beyond Nine-Headed Snake God’s Veins or the poison-attuned Qi he can now summon.

Sometimes, it feels like Nine-Headed Snake God imprinted an entire style on his being.

Liu Jin decides to put that matter aside for now. Rather than going to the wounded Cai Chin, Wu Yan still stands expectantly in front of him.

“Should you not go to him?” Liu Jin asks, his head nodding in the direction in which Cai Shin was taken.

Predictably, Wu Yan shakes his head.

“There is no need for it. He will be treated in the infirmary. My presence there would be redundant. You, however, have not been seen to yet.”

“How kind of you,” Liu Jin says tonelessly. “Your dedication to your duty is something that must be commended. To be so willing to check my health even though I did not take a single hit. Perhaps you are worried that some dirt got in my eyes?”

Wu Yan’s smile becomes somewhat stiff at his words.

“Please, surely you must understand this is a standard procedure. It would not do if we let you walk away with an injury that could have been easily treated. The world of cultivation is vast. One can never be sure of anything. Surely, you have seen how the others were treated. Even the ones who won without taking a hit like you were examined.”

Wu Yan is not lying. It is only natural to do a quick check of the health of the fighters after each match. It would not do if someone walked away the victor only to die of poison hours later. That is why the medical official is so important.

As the tournament advances, Wu Yan will not only examine the health of the participants after each match but before them as well. That way, people can be certain that no one has interfered with the health of the participants ahead of time.

Liu Jin is not being treated any differently from the other participants.

At least, that is how it looks like on the surface.

Liu Jin is certain he could delay this for at least ten minutes if he wanted to. He could probably make Wu Yan lose his temper by the fifth minute.

He decides against it.

“Very well,” Liu Jin says, holding his hands apart, allowing Wu Yan to get close to him.

Wu Yan goes through the standard procedure, his hands glowing with Qi as he examines him. Liu Jin is not worried about letting Wu Yan get this close to him. The days when Wu Yan was the stronger one of the two are long gone. He is not superior to him in cultivation, and he most certainly is not superior to him in medical skill. If Wu Yan tries anything, Liu Jin will know and put a stop to it.

However, he doesn’t. Wu Yan never once tries anything. Much like with everyone else he examined so far, Wu Yan behaves exactly as one can expect from a medical official.

“You seem to be in good health,” Wu Yan says, taking a step back. “You are free to go now.”

“How reassuring that is to hear. It is good we can all depend on your skills.”

“I am but a humble servant.”

~~~

“Boss!”

Su An greets him with a bright smile and waving arms as he enters the Xiao Sect’s private room. If she weren’t so mindful of their respective positions and the presence of the other disciples, Liu Jin is pretty sure she would have hugged him.

He’s glad she doesn’t. He’s not sure how to deal with hugs.

“That was an amazing fight, Boss!”

Liu Jin had expected her to say that. What he didn’t expect was for the other Inner Disciples to join in.

“Brother Liu’s movements were very precise. Perhaps we could exchange pointers sometime?”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“That Cai Chin got what he deserved. How stupid can one person be?”

“That’s the Yun Sect for you! Our Liu Jin put him in his place, didn’t he?”

A round of laughter follows. Even Big Nose Li joins in, and to Liu Jin’s surprise, it does not feel fake.

Ever since he became Xiao Zheng’s son-in-law, people have been trying to gain his favor. People have praised him so often and for such mundane things that Liu Jin has long grown tired of it.

However, the words of his fellow Inner Disciples don’t feel like mindless praise.

They feel genuine.

“It was a good fight,” Xiao Fang says, nodding at him. “You have done well, brother-in-law. It is safe to say no one will underestimate our Xiao Sect from now on.”

“I am pleased my efforts have not brought shame to our Sect,” Liu Jin says. His and Xiao Fang’s eyes meet as another nod is exchanged, an understanding passing between them. The moment lasts but a few seconds. Once it is over, the two go back to watching the matches.

It is probably the best they can do for now. Liu Jin is still not sure how to talk to Xiao Fang.

Luckily, the other disciples are more than willing to fill the void.

“The left! The left! Go for the left side! No! What are you doing?”

“I can’t bear to watch this. I feel as though my skills will dull just from watching them.”