Chapter 87

"Turns out it's just a matter of face. That's nothing. I'll serve, I'll serve, what's the big deal?" Bu Zheng said indifferently, "By the way, is there a wage for this?"

"Of course there's a wage, and there are also subsidies. If you do well, there are even rewards," Xu Fu said, nodding.

"Then there's nothing to worry about. I really don't understand why you're making such a fuss." Bu Zheng's face lit up when he heard about the wage, subsidies, and rewards.

"Ah, you don't know yet. How many of the miscellaneous disciples who go to the Seven Stars Martial Arts Competition come back, and how many come back intact?" Xu Fu sighed.

"How many?"

"Out of ten people, seven don't come back, and two are crippled!"

"What about the last one?" Bu Zheng asked.

"The last one lies in bed recuperating for at least three months..."

"..."

"Are you serious? What kind of situation is this? Do they make the miscellaneous disciples fight?" Bu Zheng exclaimed. This meant that the best outcome was severe injury, the next was disability, and the worst was death.

Is this a survival game for miscellaneous disciples?

"Now you understand why I said it's a big deal. You've been chosen, so I can only wish you good luck!" Xu Fu shook his head and sighed. Ah Fu is a rare good disciple, and this is how it ends.

"Why is this happening?" Xiu Ying asked nervously.

"There are very complicated reasons behind this..." Xu Fu said seriously.

"Then just give me the simple version," Bu Zheng said.

"To put it simply, the people from different sects aren't that harmonious. Add to that the wins and losses in the competition, and the miscellaneous disciples become the first choice for venting frustrations," Xu Fu explained.

The elite disciples might not be able to fight or might not be able to win, so they bully the weaker miscellaneous disciples. If you injure one of my miscellaneous disciples, I'll cripple one of yours. If you cripple one of mine, I'll kill one of yours.

What might start as a small conflict ends up as a cycle of killing. This is the world of martial artists!!

"..., Why was I chosen?" Bu Zheng frowned and asked seriously.

"You can only say you're unlucky. We use a lottery system. Out of all the miscellaneous disciples, twenty are chosen, and you happened to be one of them!" Xu Fu said.

"Why didn't you help Bu Zheng get out of it when you were there?" Xiu Ying asked anxiously.

"I can't do that, and neither can anyone else. Otherwise, how would we choose next time?" Xu Fu shook his head and sighed.

"Xiu Ying, there's only one way now. I'll run!" Bu Zheng said straightforwardly.

"That won't work. Once chosen, the sect will monitor you and won't let you escape. Moreover, if you run, it might endanger your family."

"That won't do. My uncles and aunts are all very good to me." Bu Zheng shook his head.

"..." Xiu Ying thought, are you saying the opposite? You're planning to run, right? When you do, it would be best to frame your uncles and aunts, but your uncles and aunts are not people the Qingyun Sword Sect can easily provoke now.

"So, you should stay. I'll prepare some medicine for you. Just follow the person you're serving, don't go out randomly, and be careful, and you'll be fine." Xu Fu patted Bu Zheng's shoulder, feeling a bit sad.

"..."

"You should spend some time together. You might not have the chance again..." Xu Fu shook his head and left.

"Bu Zheng, what do you plan to do?" Xiu Ying asked.

"Let's see. If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster. If it's a disaster, I'll avoid it. If the situation is bad, I'll run. I'll practice my lightness skills these few days..." Bu Zheng said thoughtfully.

"Um..." Xiu Ying could only nod. There were no other options, and her abilities couldn't help at all.

On the first day of the month, the new moon hung like a hook in the sky. A very cute little boy and an even cuter little girl lay on a bamboo bed in the courtyard, cooling off and counting the stars in the sky.

"Look, a shooting star..." the little boy called out.

"Make a wish quickly!" The little girl immediately closed her eyes and made a wish.

"..." The little boy just stared, "That doesn't seem like a shooting star. It looks like a flying ship..."

"A flying ship? My mother said it's a sky ship. I want to ride one someday!" The little girl opened her eyes and saw that the shooting star was actually a sky ship.

"Do you want to ride one? When I grow up, I'll earn money to buy you the biggest one!" The little boy looked at the sky and said, not knowing how difficult it would be, but he wanted to buy the best for the little girl.

"Really?" The little girl's eyes sparkled.

"Um-hum!" The little boy nodded.

"Then when I grow up, I'll marry you!" The little girl whispered.

"What does marrying me mean? Giving yourself to me?" The little boy asked, confused.

"I don't know. My mother said that only by marrying you can we be together forever..." The little girl said, not quite understanding.

"Then I'll marry you, and we'll be together forever..."

"..."

The innocent conversation continued under the starry sky. How many such childhood sweethearts are there in the world? But who knows if they will still be together when they grow up. Of course, being together doesn't just mean getting married; it means maintaining that pure friendship from their youth.

On the sky ship, someone was also thinking about their childhood sweetheart, but his thoughts were not as simple as those of the two children below. This person was Bu Zheng.

Bu Zheng was now sitting on the deck of the sky ship, thinking about Xiu Ying. Of course, he wasn't missing her. He had just said goodbye to her, and even if he hadn't seen her for years, he might not have missed her.

Childhood sweethearts can be a type of friend, and there are many types. Some always think about each other, some never think about each other, some don't appear in daily life but show up when there's trouble, and some just do things silently without ever appearing.

Bu Zheng didn't know which type he was, but he could give up the idea of running away and risk his life to participate in the Seven Stars Martial Arts Competition for Xiu Ying.

Before this, Bu Zheng had thought about running away to solve everything, but he learned from Xu Fu that if he left, it would affect Xiu Ying. So, he decided to sacrifice the small self to achieve the greater good.

Recalling that time, when he said goodbye to Xiu Ying...

"Xiu Ying, look how good I am to you. I'm taking such a risk for you, so you must remember to repay me," Bu Zheng patted Xiu Ying's shoulder.

At this moment, Xiu Ying should have been moved, but she wasn't. Instead, she scolded, "Nonsense!! Is it for me? You just heard that you'd get a thousand taels of silver for completing the task, and your eyes turned red. You'd go even if it meant facing a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, and no one could stop you!"

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