These past few days, business at the Royal Fight Soul Arena has been quite dismal.
The root cause?
A foreigner who swept through the entire Soul Arena.
While the audience was bloodthirsty and loved the close-quarters combat,
as Heaven Dou City residents, a sense of local pride still lingered in their hearts.
How could anyone be happy when their grand Royal City was being beaten down by an outsider?
Until this day... in the Soul Arena, the murky air was steeped in the smell of blood.
A figure walked in, dressed in a simple white shirt, his posture tall and straight.
As if an invisible switch had been flipped,
centered around the figure in white, the noisy and bustling Soul Arena gradually fell into a strange silence.
When that iconic white shirt and the faceless mask came into view,
the audience's eyes suddenly widened.
Immediately after, another, even more fervent wave of cheers erupted.
"Jian... Jian Jiu?! It's Jian Jiu! He's finally here!"
"Excellent! Is Jian Jiu going to accept that fat turkey's challenge?!"
"Where are those idiots who said Jian Jiu was afraid to fight and ran away? Get out here!"
"One sword! Just one sword! Jian Jiu, like before, take him down with one sword!"
Fervent shouts surged like a tide.
Beneath the faceless mask, Li Dixian's eyes were as cold as a sword.
Indeed.
Jian Jiu was an aloof swordsman.
Solitude accentuated the style of a master swordsman.
Ye Lingling followed closely behind Li Dixian.
Her ears were filled with roars like mountains collapsing and tsunamis crashing.
Her blue eyes flickered slightly.
This scene truly astonished her.
The Royal Fight Team also had quite a reputation in the Soul Arena, but compared to the Jian Jiu before her, they were truly dim and insignificant.
Looking at the tall and aloof figure of the young man in front, Ye Lingling blinked.
Perhaps... this aloof Jian Jiu at this moment...
was the real Li Dixian?
She felt as though she understood him a little better.
The two walked into the VIP box, one after the other.
The heavy door closed, cutting off the outside noise.
Li Dixian casually took off his mask, twirled it between his fingers, then lazily leaned into the sofa, picking up plums from the table and popping them into his mouth.
"Tsk, pretending to be a master is more tiring than fighting."
"Hmm, the plums here at the Soul Arena are really sweet."
Ye Lingling: "..."
Alright, she admitted she still had a long way to go.
Li Dixian's personality was simply too capricious.
With Jian Jiu's reputation, there were naturally dedicated people to arrange the Soul Arena matches.
The time was set for 8 PM tomorrow night.
Leaving the Soul Arena, it was still early.
Li Dixian then felt like taking a leisurely stroll.
He turned to look at Ye Lingling, who was following closely behind him, and said helplessly:
"Hey, I'm going to eat, are you still going to follow me?"
Ye Lingling gently shook the sachet at her waist with her slender fingers, the gold coins inside clinking.
"I have money, I'll treat you."
"I know the Ye family is rich."
Li Dixian sighed, shaking his head.
"Forget it, if you want to follow, then follow."
He wasn't worried about being exposed.
Jian Jiu had a great reputation in the Royal City, but no one had seen his true face beneath the mask.
As for Ye Lingling, she wore a black veil, and although her blue hair was a bit striking, strange hair colors were not uncommon here on the Douluo Continent... They strolled along, taking in the sights.
Li Dixian, who had been cooped up at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for some time, was in high spirits, wandering from afternoon until dusk.
Finally,
they stopped at a street noodle stall.
"A bowl of noodle soup, a small side dish, and, oh, two cloves of garlic."
Ye Lingling:
"The same as him."
"Alright, please wait a moment, both of you."
Soon, the noodles, side dish, and garlic were on the table.
Li Dixian rolled up his sleeves, slurping down the steaming hot noodles, then picking up a chopstick full of the side dish, biting into half a clove of garlic, exclaiming how satisfying it was.
Ye Lingling, across from him, tried to imitate him but was choked by the pungent garlic, her eyes welling up with tears.
Li Dixian watched, shaking his head and chuckling.
Dusk settled, and the streets were bustling with people.
On both sides of the alley, vendors successively lit their oil lamps.
The uncle next door fanned his grill, the smoke carrying the aroma of lamb skewers spreading; diagonally opposite, sugar-fried chestnuts rattled in an iron pot, the vendor's shouts loud and clear; and a little girl with a ponytail guarded a bamboo basket piled high with orange-red persimmon cakes.
The sounds and smells of the entire alley fermented into a thick, human-like atmosphere of life in the dim twilight.
And at this moment,
in the wine shed opposite the noodle stall,
the green-robed Storyteller slammed his gavel, drawing the attention of many.
Li Dixian found it amusing, turned with his noodle bowl, and looked over.
Ye Lingling also followed suit.
—
"Ladies and gentlemen, listen to this grand show at the Royal Fight Soul Arena —"
"We saw the Evil Fire Phoenix with his red hair standing on end, his boot crushing Yu Feng's chest, a 'crunch' of bone-cracking that made one's teeth ache! The arena's floor tiles exploded with spiderweb cracks in response!"
"That fellow laughed wildly at the sky: Is this it? Is this it? Is the Royal City all there is?! "
"The audience was utterly silent, even the bookmakers' hands clutching gold notes were frozen in mid-air!"
"But that madman wasn't satisfied! With a flick of his boot, he kicked Yu Feng off the stage, a blood mist splattering three zhang high! He pointed to the sky and roared: Tell that strongest Jian Jiu to get out here! I'm going to break his sword and spill his wine!"
Having said that,
the Storyteller seemed to have anticipated it.
He suddenly opened his folding fan to shield his face.
The entire shed of spectators was furious, throwing whatever they had at hand, their curses shaking the heavens:
"You bastard, are you even from Heaven Dou City?!"
"What the hell are you talking about?! I've hated you for a long time, take a shoe from me!"
"What Evil Fire Phoenix! That's a fat turkey!"
"Just watch if Jian Jiu doesn't take him down tomorrow!"
Li Dixian turned to ask Ye Lingling:
"Is what this Storyteller said true?"
Ye Lingling thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"Yes."
She hadn't been to the Soul Arena that day and didn't know the exact situation.
But seeing how vividly the Storyteller described it, she thought it should... be true.
"Alright, got it."
Li Dixian's gaze returned to the wine shed.
—
The Storyteller lowered his folding fan.
Revealing a clean face with a hint of smugness.
Hey! Look!
That's what you call professional!
He knew perfectly well when the spectators would curse him!
He cupped his hands to the audience below, picked up the gavel stained with rotten egg liquid, and slammed it down again with a "thwack."
"My story isn't over yet!"
"Although that Evil Fire Phoenix has some skills, he's far from being able to challenge our Royal City's Jian Jiu!"
"The banner with the words 'Jian Jiu' is still unfurled with sparks, hanging high above our Royal City's Soul Arena!"
"Jian Jiu has not lost, who dares say our Royal City is not capable?!"
"And witness tomorrow's grand show —"
Thwack!
The gavel slammed down!
"A three-foot green blade to decapitate the scruffy turkey!"
The throats of the entire shed of spectators bobbed, and for several breaths, there was complete silence.
Then, someone first roared "Good!", and immediately, thunderous applause erupted from below the stage, cheers shaking the heavens.
Copper coins rained down on the Storyteller.
This time,
the Storyteller didn't block with his fan.
Instead, he smiled and held up a bowl to catch them.
"Well said."
Li Dixian picked up a gold coin between his fingers.
He flicked his finger lightly.
A flash of gold.
The gold coin landed steadily on the Storyteller's table, shining brightly among a pile of copper coins.
The Storyteller excitedly looked up and around, but couldn't find the person who gave the reward.
Only at the table in the noodle stall opposite —
One bowl of noodles was empty, the other still more than half full, still steaming.
The people, however, had vanished without a trace.
Three chapters today, next chapter to be written.