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墨書 Inktalez
I stared in surprise at Xu Zengjing, just about to speak when she turned and cheerfully said, "They are too arrogant! I bet on you! I have confidence in you!"
After that, she turned back and said, "Hey, you two! I bet that if you encounter me in the competition, you won't be able to beat Brother Wang!" She pointed at me.
"Hmph!" The soldier snorted heavily, and the other person beside him looked displeased as well.
"Don't be unconvinced. How about this: if you meet in the competition and lose, or if your final ranking isn't better than Brother Wang's, you two will have to bow to Brother Wang at the entrance of the Provincial Military District, admitting that you're not as skilled. What do you say? Do you dare?!" Jing's words were filled with provocation. Honestly, I never thought Jing was an easy girl to deal with; this time she finally seized the opportunity to take revenge for the previous offense from these two guys.
The two exchanged glances, and without much thought, the soldier agreed directly, "Alright! If he loses, I won't make him do anything, but you have to treat us both to dinner, drinks, and karaoke! Hahaha!" This guy didn't even look at me while saying this; he was fixated on Jing as if she were already in his grasp.
Jing was startled by his gaze and took a step back, bumping into me. She turned to look at me and then stomped her foot loudly, saying, "Okay! It's a deal! Brother Wang, let's go!"
Following Jing out, Old Bi behind us muttered, "What do you mean by my sister? It's fine if they don't step on me, but you didn't even consider me? So I'm not as impressive as Brother Wang in your eyes? You know what? I taught Brother Wang everything he knows!"
Jing turned back and rolled her eyes. "I don't believe it."
"Old Wang, tell her honestly whether it's true or not!"
I ignored Old Bi. "Hey, Girl, do you really trust me that much? You'd better be ready for some company!"
"You're so disgusting! I don't want to accompany them! I don't care; you must not lose!"
"Well, that's not allowed. Alright then, I'll do my best!" I smiled and took out my phone to contact Old Ma. I planned to find a place to rest for lunch since there were no competitions in the afternoon and wanted to check out those two guys' backgrounds—know yourself and know your enemy. Since the girl believed in me so much and placed her bet on me, I had to give it my all.
In the afternoon there were no competitions. Old Ma took us to a room where we could rest for a while. The Reception House was filled with participating contestants. As a girl, Jing naturally attracted a lot of attention, which made her quite embarrassed. Originally, she wanted to stay overnight since we weren't around to avoid running back and forth from Hexi. However, now she hesitated about staying. Fortunately, when we opened the door on the third floor, another room had a female Second Lieutenant coming out. Though she had short hair, she appeared very capable and spirited; she was also quite beautiful. It was clear that Jing admired the fitted female uniform so much that after entering our room she kept insisting on visiting this sister's room later to make friends.
Everyone found their spots comfortably. Old Ma stood in the room and began sharing information. "Since you don't have any matches this afternoon, remember to go watch the competitions; it can help you gauge everyone's level and serve as a reference for yourselves." At this moment, Old Ma resembled more of a coach or team leader.
"Well, because the contestants' profiles are quite brief—mostly just names, ages, units—I don't have much more information available. However, I did manage to find some details about those two we encountered last time." Old Ma smiled. "The tall guy with a buzz cut is named Zhu Wu; he signed up for both hand-to-hand combat and weaponry competitions. His companion is called Qin Sihu; he registered for the Equipment Group." Old Ma paused here and showed a strange expression. "You all probably wouldn't guess what weapon he uses—it's a jian!"
"A jian? What's that?" Jing asked with a puzzled expression.
Old Bi chimed in: "A jian is from between the Jin and Tang dynasties; it's long without blades and has four edges—about one meter long—classified as a short weapon made of bronze or iron. It resembles a hard whip but has no joints or pointed ends... It's heavy; only someone strong can wield it effectively. Its lethality is considerable; even during the cold weapon era, it could crush someone through armor."
I do know that Qin Qiong uses this, but I can't remember much more. "By the way, does Qin Qiong also use this? Could this child be his descendant?" Old Bi said randomly.
"Wow, Brother Bi, you know a lot! By the way, what does Brother Wang use?" Jing asked curiously.
"Long Staff," I replied with a smile.
"Can it compete with these Twin Whips?"
"Haha, I don't know."
At this moment, Old Ma said, "Hey, hey, don't interrupt. I don't know if Qin Sihu is a descendant of Qin Qiong, but Zhu Wu is reportedly a descendant of Zhu Tong from the Liangshan Heroes. He has inherited family martial arts and even studied at the Martial Arts School under Shaolin Temple. He shouldn't be underestimated!"
"Pah! That's all nonsense! It's just a surname," Old Bi scoffed.
I thought for a moment and said, "Old Ma, can you help us check how many people have signed up for both events?"
"Oh? Are you thinking...?" Old Ma was sharp enough to guess my intention.
"Generally speaking, those who dare to sign up for both are usually quite confident. I think we should pay special attention to these individuals," I explained to Old Bi and Jing.
Everyone nodded in agreement. After Old Ma left, we chatted for a while longer. I have a habit of taking a nap in the afternoon, so I leaned back in my chair and dozed off amidst the chatter between Jing and Old Bi.
When I was called awake again, it was already ten past two in the afternoon. The semi-official matches were about to begin, so I quickly washed my face and headed out with everyone.
On the way, we could occasionally see competitors in their athletic gear for the afternoon matches. As for the Striking Group, no need to mention them; those in the Equipment Group who were particular would wrap their weapons in bags, while those who weren't would just carry them openly. Looking around, it seemed like most were using staffs, swords, or knives—there didn't seem to be any unusual weapons.
The back door of the Reception House opened into the Provincial Military District. We arrived at the activity center in less than ten minutes. The setup was different from this morning; the podium and speaking tables had already been removed. A basketball court had been divided in half with ropes and nets set up on both sides, giving it a bit of a boxing match feel. The South Side was reserved for the Leader's viewing area; to the west were the medical team and support crew recording videos; to the east were the competitors sitting for the afternoon matches; we sat on the northern stands.
From our side watching the stage, besides the competing athletes, I noticed quite a few others present—some were clearly military personnel who weren't competitors, and there were also civilians in casual clothes whose identities were unclear. It seemed that this internal exchange event had attracted quite a few people who had connections to come watch.
The match schedule was set up so that each group would compete: number 1 against number 4, and so on. I should have been matched against number 10; however, since no one drew number 10, I ended up getting a bye for the first round. Old Bi's number was later in line and would compete tomorrow morning. In any case, today afternoon and tomorrow morning would determine one round of winners and losers; tomorrow afternoon would see pairs from each event's loser group compete again to decide who gets eliminated and who rests while waiting for further match arrangements. This schedule seemed quite reasonable as it considered fairness and factors like physical recovery, allowing everyone to perform at their best level; it promised an exciting competition ahead.
At exactly two-thirty, the Leaders of Observation were seated on the South Side watching the Stage as the host loudly announced the names of the Competitors. Two pairs of contestants entered in succession, each standing on their respective halves of the Venue. To everyone's surprise, one of the competitors from the Striking Group was actually the Female Army Officer encountered at noon!
Next came the judges, two coaches invited from the Henan Provincial Martial Arts Team. Since this competition was not an ordinary match, there were no strict rules to adhere to; it was almost a form of Free Fighting. Therefore, to control the pace of the competition, the judges played a significant role. Aside from obvious situations like being knocked down, conceding defeat, or losing grip on their weapons, they could directly determine the outcome based on circumstances.
In the Equipment Group, there was a match between a Single Sabre and a Long Staff. Since I also used a staff, I naturally paid more attention to this Equipment Group match. Moreover, fights involving punches and kicks usually took longer to determine a winner. I planned to watch that match after this one, so as soon as the whistle blew from both Venue judges, my gaze shifted over.
The person using the Single Sabre wielded a blade that was clearly different from typical performance swords; it looked heavier and reminded me of the Thick-Backed Blade used by the Great Sword Squad during the Sino-Japanese War. Of course, it wasn't sharpened for combat, but judging by that person's strength, if it struck someone, it would certainly cause some serious damage.
The competitor with the Long Staff appeared to be dressed like a member of the armed police. His stance was quite impressive, but he clearly lacked strength. I noticed that his staff had good elasticity and was likely made of wood—possibly a White Wax Staff—which is very lightweight. Indeed, I saw him block several strikes from the Great Sword; each time his staff bent under pressure but failed to push back against the heavy blade. It seemed he was struggling and I knew he wouldn't win.
As expected, the competitor with the Great Sword lunged forward, swinging his weapon in a horizontal slash. The Long Staff user raised his staff defensively to block it. There was a dull thud as his staff vibrated in his hands; he nearly lost grip of it.
Before he could adjust himself, the Great Sword competitor withdrew his blade and swung upward with both hands. This strike carried tremendous force. Surprisingly, instead of dodging, the Long Staff competitor boldly brought his staff down to counterattack. Another loud thud echoed as his staff was knocked aside by the Great Sword and flew out of his hands. The Great Sword now rested against the Long Staff competitor's neck! The whistle sounded! The Great Sword competitor won!
Wait a minute—why did both sides' whistles sound simultaneously? Did they also determine a winner over there?!
(To be continued; more excitement awaits tomorrow!)
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