Chapter 60: The Final Match

~~~

Liu Jin wakes up before the sun rises.

He wakes up but makes no effort to leave his bed. His eyes do not move from the ceiling even for an instant, not even to blink. Xiao Nan’s request. The group stage. Cui Tian. Song Daiyu. The talk with Xiao Fang. The fight with Yun Han. Though his body is unmoving, his mind is hard at work, reviewing all the events that have led up to this point. To Liu Jin’s surprise, he finds he doesn’t dislike remembering most of it.

Other than Cui Tian’s unfortunate fate, the tournament has been… okay. Almost enjoyable, even.

However, there is no time for enjoyment today.

His eyes narrow.

Today is the day. Xiao Fang and Yun Han will fight to decide the winner of the Eastern Port City Tournament. Both the Yun Sect and the Xiao Sect are completely sure of their victory in the way only high-ranking Sects can be. The people of Eastern Port City are far more evenly split in their predictions, with people betting exorbitant amounts of money on both fighters.

As for Liu Jin, there is not a single doubt in his mind as to what the outcome of the match will be.

It is what will happen afterward that he is less sure about.

He feels the weight of the coming events pressing down on his back. However, it does not overwhelm him. It falls over him like a heavy blanket during summertime. It is not comfortable, but it doesn’t yet suffocate him.

Still, he’d feel safer if Xiao Nan were here.

Liu Jin sighs and tries to brush that thought aside.

Today is going to be a long day.

~~~

“I believe I will open the clinic today,” his father tells him over breakfast.

“Truly?” Liu Jin asks, not quite able to hide his surprise.

His father smiles.

“The only reason I went to the tournament was to watch you compete, and I am proud of how far you’ve come. Now that you’re no longer competing, there is no reason for me to be there. Of course, I do not expect you to stay here with me. No doubt, you’ll want to cheer your fellow disciples.”

Just like that, his father takes care of his biggest worry.

Under other circumstances, his father’s praise would have left him dazed, yet all he can feel right now is relief.

“I understand, father.”

It is not what Liu Jin really wants to say. At that moment, the words Liu Jin wants to say are “Thank you, father.”

Liu Jin’s father is someone who cannot use Qi. As such, he is weaker than regular people, a fact Liu Jin does not like but which the situation will not let him ignore. Today, the patriarchs of the Xiao and Yun Sects will be present to watch their sons fight. Should anything unexpected happen, the possibility of the two men clashing exists. The possibility is not high, but ignoring it would be foolish.

That is why Liu Jin is glad his father will not be at the stadium today.

Should anything happen, all the people in the stadium could become potential collateral damage. Liu Jin would worry about his father even if he were a normal person. That he cannot use Qi makes it an absolute necessity for him to remain at the clinic today. Indeed, Liu Jin had been wondering how to best broach the issue since yesterday. He never expected for his father to take care of the issue without him doing anything.

As Liu Jin meets his father’s red eyes, he realizes it is not a coincidence.

He knows. Liu Jin doesn’t know how he knows or how much he knows, but his father clearly knows enough to remove himself from the situation.

“I trust you will do your best to be cautious.”

“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”

“Then I have no reason to worry. My expectations are something you have repeatedly surpassed.”

This time, not even the pressure of the situation is enough to stop the rush of pride Liu Jin feels at his father’s words.

Today is the day, and he is ready for it.

~~~

The walk to the Xiao Sect is as uneventful as it is unneeded.

It would be much simpler, Liu Jin thinks, if he could just go to the stadium as he has done the previous days. The walk from his home to the stadium is much shorter than the one from his home to the Xiao Sect’s compound. As it is, he’ll have to go all the way to the Xiao Sect only to then go to the stadium with the others.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Once more, it is all about image. Liu Jin can’t say he cares much about it, but the same cannot be said for just about everyone else.

It is the last day of the tournament. The Xiao and Yun Sects are the only factions remaining. Everyone else has already been weeded out. Today, there will only be two fights. Big Nose Li will fight a disciple of the Yun Sect to determine the third and fourth place. The finals will take place after that. Compared to the two previous days, this one will be woefully short. Liu Jin is sure the fight between Xiao Fang and Yun Han will not last more than thirty minutes.

Yet, it is for those thirty minutes that the Xiao Sect is putting its best foot forward.

All ten members of the Xiao Sect’s delegation will be taken to the stadium in a procession of palanquins with a suitable quantity of servants. Of course, it won’t be just them going. The Patriarch of the Xiao Sect, Xiao Zheng, will be there too. Then there are—