Chapter 50

In the last match, a member of the Ma family was just about to step onto the stage but was pulled back by someone. Many other Ma family members also received orders that no one from the Ma family was to go on stage today.

Today, Ma Kui’s plan was originally a straightforward strategy, aiming to defeat Jiang Yi honorably without leaving any room for criticism. However, this plan underwent some unexpected changes. The Ma family members acted too aggressively, making it obvious from the start. Then, Ma Heiqi was provoked and rushed onto the stage prematurely, which completely ruined the plan.

If Ma Heiqi had won, it would have been understandable, but after he lost and more people from the Ma family were sent to the stage, it would have been seen as dishonorable. The vengeful heart of the one who just fought could be understood, but if more people from the Ma family continued to go on stage, it would leave a bad impression on the three mentors and the Western Garrison officers, possibly leading to a futile effort.

With the Ma family members not going on stage, it became even more difficult for members of other families to step up. The strong ones were unwilling to kick a man when he was down, and the weak ones dared not step up. Jiang Yi’s brutal methods made people shudder just thinking about them.

For a moment, the situation became deadlocked. However, as time passed, Jiang Yi became increasingly weak, which was definitely not a good thing for him.

“Bang!”

Ji Tingyu’s hands moved in the air as if playing a zither, easily knocking another opponent off the stage. Her gaze swept over to Jiang Yi, and her brows furrowed slightly. Seeing him struggling to stand, with blood already staining half of the stage, yet stubbornly refusing to withdraw from the competition, a hint of pity flashed in her beautiful eyes.

She sighed softly, finally biting her lip and giving a subtle nod to a Ji family warrior below. The man immediately understood and leaped onto Jiang Yi’s stage.

“Huh... Third Rank of the Cauldron Formation!”

The entire audience was paying attention. Seeing that it was a Third Rank Cauldron Formation warrior from the Ji family, they immediately looked at Ji Tingyu. Seeing her gaze intently focused on Jiang Yi, it seemed she did not deny that this was her arrangement. Everyone began to speculate: Could it be that this Ji Fairy, who had always looked down on the men of Tianyu City, had finally fallen for Jiang Yi?

Ji Tingyu’s excellence was beyond doubt. She was a woman of both beauty and intelligence, and most importantly, she had extraordinary talent. She was the goddess in the hearts of countless young men in Tianyu City, a high and mighty fairy who never showed any favor to men. Jiang Henshui, Ma Heiqi, and Liu He had pursued her for years, but she had always been cold and indifferent. Today, however, she had even risked being criticized to send a family member to the stage for Jiang Yi?

A flash of hatred crossed Jiang Henshui’s eyes, and his attacks became even more fierce. In just a few moves, he sent a Yang family member off the stage with a severe injury. His gaze swept over to Jiang Yi, and the deep resentment in his eyes could not be hidden.

Jiang Yi was somewhat surprised to see a Third Rank Cauldron Formation warrior step onto the stage, but he was already so weak that he was about to fall. He could not afford to hesitate. His eyes flashed with determination, and he mustered all his strength, even calling upon the last bit of black yuan force, charging at the Third Rank Cauldron Formation warrior like a mad dragon.

“Ah?”

The Third Rank Cauldron Formation Ji family member had only come to go through the motions, planning to circle around and leave. He naturally did not dare to truly engage with Jiang Yi. Seeing Jiang Yi’s fierce gaze and the overwhelming aura, he was so frightened that his body trembled, and he retreated a few steps, falling off the stage...

“Ha ha ha!”

A burst of laughter echoed, and the atmosphere in the arena relaxed. What was supposed to be a competition had turned into a battlefield, making everyone’s hearts as tense as a drawn bow. Today’s battles were expected to be intense, but no one had anticipated such a level of intensity.

“Clang!”

After confirming the tenth victory, Jiang Yi could no longer hold on. His body swayed, and he knelt on one knee, but he stubbornly used one hand to prop himself up, refusing to fall.

“Whoosh!”

A figure swooped down from the Wu Hall’s terrace like an eagle, landing steadily on the stage, picking up Jiang Yi, and heading straight for the Wu Hall. In just a few moments, he disappeared from everyone’s sight.

“Huh?”

Only a few people knew that Jiang Yi was a sparring partner at the Wu Hall. The rest were puzzled as to why the Jiang family did not treat his injuries but instead, the Wu Hall stepped in. Could it be that, as Jiang Yi said, he was considered less valuable than a dog in the eyes of the Jiang family?

Jiang Yi quickly disappeared into the Wu Hall, and the crowd could only turn their attention to the other stages. However, their minds were still racing, replaying Jiang Yi’s battles. The current matches seemed childish in comparison...

...

“Master Jiang Yi! Master Jiang Yi, you must be alright, you must hold on, if you die, I won’t be able to live either!”

Jiang Yi did not know that in a corner, Chun Ya’s frail body was trembling. Today, Chun Ya had come out to buy some things and unexpectedly found Jiang Yi standing on the stage.

Seeing Jiang Yi win match after match, Chun Ya was overjoyed. Seeing him get injured again and again, she was so worried that she could hardly breathe. Finally, when she saw Jiang Yi being taken away by the Wu Hall, she let out a long sigh of relief.

“Hmm, I’m going back. I’ve been out for so long, Xiao Nu must be worried!”

Chun Ya muttered to herself, glancing once more in the direction of the Wu Hall before quickly heading back to the Jiang family compound. On the way, she was thinking whether she should tell Jiang Xiao Nu about Jiang Yi. She knew how much Jiang Xiao Nu worried about Jiang Yi and would have come out to look for him if her leg had fully recovered.

“Hmm, I’ll tell Xiao Nu that I saw Master Jiang Yi at the Wu Hall entrance, but I won’t say he was in the competition!”

By the time she returned to the Jiang family compound, Chun Ya had made up her mind. If she told Jiang Xiao Nu that Jiang Yi was in the competition, she would definitely come to watch despite her injured leg, which would affect Jiang Yi’s performance.

“Xiao Nu, I’m back.”

Walking into her courtyard, Chun Ya pushed open the door and called out loudly, but the courtyard was silent. She scanned the area, and her face changed when she saw that the courtyard was in disarray, as if someone had been there.

“Xiao Nu!”

Her parents were not home during the day, and her family was so poor that they had nothing worth stealing. The only explanation was that something had happened to Jiang Xiao Nu...

“Bang!”

As she hurried toward the room, a shadow suddenly flashed out from inside. Before she could react, a palm strike hit the back of her head, causing her to faint.

“Tie her up, and gag her. Also... have Manager Rong detain her parents. I don’t want any news to leak out before the matter is resolved.”

A cold voice sounded from outside the courtyard. The people inside immediately tied Chun Ya up with ropes and gagged her, then brought out a frail girl who had already been knocked unconscious—Jiang Xiao Nu.

Outside the courtyard stood several people, with a fat, limping man at the front. Clearly, it was Jiang Ruhu. His gaze swept over Jiang Xiao Nu, and he sneered, “Let’s go to West Mountain! Jiang Hong, you go to the Wu Hall and tell Jiang Yi to come to West Mountain immediately. Remember... don’t alert the Wu Hall. Tell him you’re his cousin.”

“Brother Hu is brilliant. Jiang Yi is severely injured now; if he dares to come to West Mountain, he will surely die!”

The short, frail Jiang Bao immediately gave a thumbs up, but he still had some concerns, “With Jiang Yi’s combat strength, can we handle it with just us? Will Brother Long come?”

Jiang Ruhu nodded, “My brother will definitely come. How can he swallow this humiliation without killing Jiang Yi himself? Don’t worry, this time it’s not just us; we have reinforcements. You’ll see when the time comes. Bring all your weapons and head to the mountain!”

Because of the Spirit Beast Mountain recruitment, the Jiang family compound was very quiet. The group put Jiang Xiao Nu in a sack and quietly slipped past the Jiang family servants, quickly exiting the western gate and heading straight for West Mountain.

...

“Hello, I’m looking for Jiang Yi, also known as the Gray Wolf. I’m his cousin!”

Half an hour later, a distant relative of the Jiang family, Jiang Hong, arrived outside the Wu Hall and whispered to a guard. Since Jiang Yi was highly regarded by the Wu Hall’s master, the guards knew not to be negligent and immediately went to relay the message.

However, the guard soon returned and said indifferently, “The Gray Wolf is currently healing and still unconscious. Manager Yang said no one is to see him. Come back later.”

“Oh, I’ll come back later then!”

Jiang Hong left with a bow, feeling frustrated. Two hours later, he came back to inquire again but was told that Jiang Yi was still unconscious. Finally, at dusk, he came to request an audience once more, but Jiang Yi was still not awake, so he had no choice but to head straight to West Mountain to report.

Jiang Yi was indeed healing but was not unconscious. He had woken up two hours ago, but Manager Yang did not want him to be disturbed, so he had the guards stop Jiang Hong.

“High-grade healing medicine is truly amazing!”

As the sky turned completely dark, Jiang Yi opened his eyes. His complexion had regained its color, and after just half a day of treatment, his injuries were almost fully healed.

The Wu Hall had not lied to him. As long as he did not die, they could restore him. Of course, this time the Wu Hall had used five high-grade healing medicines, and Manager Yang had personally used his skills to help Jiang Yi heal for two hours.

“Twenty consecutive victories!”

Jiang Yi took a deep breath. Many Ma family members had been severely injured, and the impact of today’s events was already very negative. Tomorrow, they would surely not dare to continue targeting him so openly. Other families would also not dare to do so. He had survived the most difficult day. Starting tomorrow, the resistance would be much less, and he estimated he could easily achieve ninety consecutive victories. The resistance would only intensify on the last day.

“Cultivate and heal. By tomorrow morning, my injuries should be fully healed!”

Jiang Yi closed his eyes and sat down again, feeling a surge of excitement. If he could achieve a hundred consecutive victories, he could take Jiang Xiao Nu far away to the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy, no longer worrying about anyone threatening their lives.

However—

Ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

On the second day, as soon as Jiang Yi stepped onto the stage, before the old man in the brocade robe could announce the start of the competition, someone directly stepped onto the stage. It was a Second Rank Cauldron Formation warrior, and Jiang Yi recognized him!

Jiang Hong!

To outsiders, the appearance of a Jiang family member seemed like the Jiang family was preparing to give Jiang Yi an easy win, but Jiang Yi did not think so. His face turned dark, and he stared coldly at Jiang Hong, his body radiating a killing aura.

“Whoosh!”

Jiang Hong darted toward Jiang Yi. As he approached, just before he was about to attack, he lowered his voice and said, “I’m not here to fight you. I’m just delivering a message—Brother Hu wants you to know that if you don’t want Jiang Xiao Nu to die, you should immediately go to West Mountain. If you don’t show up in half an hour, Jiang Xiao Nu will be raped and killed!”