Chapter 14

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Mei Wanjian's eyes flashed, but he did not draw his sword. Instead, he extended his index and middle fingers as if they were a sword, pointing directly at Bai Cangdong's axe-like palm.

A sharp, metallic sound erupted from the point of contact between his fingers and Bai Cangdong's palm. Bai Cangdong was startled and retreated. His skull-splitting axe, capable of cleaving through a baron's armor, had only matched Mei Wanjian's strength, neither of them able to overpower the other.

Without a word, Mei Wanjian struck again with his finger sword, his movement faster and more ruthless than before.

Bai Cangdong was not to be outdone. He swung his skull-splitting axe once more, clashing with Mei Wanjian's finger sword.

Seeing Mei Wanjian engaged in combat, all the barons on the arena breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, even Mei Wanjian's own teammates felt a sense of relief deep down.

The complex battles between the three teams seemed to have nothing to do with Mei Wanjian and Bai Cangdong. The two were locked in a fierce struggle, neither willing to back down. Each clash was a direct confrontation between finger and palm, neither willing to yield.

"Who is that man, capable of matching Mei Wanjian in a direct clash? It's quite rare," the Silver Knight said, his gaze fixed on Bai Cangdong.

"He seems to be a newly promoted baron, having acquired a powerful martial technique from somewhere. That's why he can match Mei Wanjian. However, unlike Mei Wanjian, he only knows this one technique. If Mei Wanjian loses interest, he can easily dispose of that young man in a few moves," the Finger Noble said, sitting to the left of the Silver Knight.

"I don't think so," the Red Lotus Lady's voice suddenly interjected.

"What profound insight does Lady have? Please share it with us," the Finger Noble's eyes turned to the Red Lotus Lady, lingering on her magnificent figure accentuated by her court attire.

"As a woman, I don't have profound insights, but my intuition tells me that the newly promoted baron can defeat Mei Wanjian," the Red Lotus Lady said softly.

"Lady, you jest. How can intuition be relied upon? One must rely on one's own strength. As I know, Mei Wanjian possesses two Golden Martial Techniques. One is the Iron Sword Finger we see now, and the other is even more terrifying, never shown to anyone. I only know its name, the Thousand Changes Sword," the Finger Noble's gaze swept over the Red Lotus Lady, and he couldn't help but swallow hard before continuing, "Moreover, Mei Wanjian is proficient in no less than ten Silver Martial Techniques. Although he disdains using armor, the red-hearted sword on his back is a Golden Baron-level armor."

"So, does the Finger Noble think Mei Wanjian is certain to win?" the Red Lotus Lady's face was expressionless, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

"Of course," the Finger Noble answered with confidence.

"Since that's the case, I wonder if the Finger Noble is willing to bet with me?"

"How do you propose we bet?"

"You think Mei Wanjian will win, and I think the newly promoted baron will win. Let's each place a bet to see whose prediction is more accurate," the Red Lotus Lady said calmly.

"Lady, you are bound to lose. What do you want to bet?" the Finger Noble laughed loudly.

"We'll know who wins after the bet. I have a newly acquired Viscount-level Golden Armor, the Iron Gate Armor. I'll use it as the stake. What will you put up as your stake?" the Red Lotus Lady said indifferently.

"Lady, you have the Iron Gate Armor. The Earl must truly care for you. Many viscounts have died trying to obtain the Iron Gate Armor from the Iron Heart Demon, and even if they kill it, the chance of getting the Iron Gate Armor is less than one percent. This is a top-tier armor that many viscounts dream of. Are you really willing to put it up for a bet you are certain to lose?" the Finger Noble looked at the Red Lotus Lady greedily.

"What's to be gained or lost? It's just an armor. What about you, what can you put up as a stake?" the Red Lotus Lady said nonchalantly.

"I don't have a top-tier armor like the Iron Gate Armor, but if Lady really uses the Iron Gate Armor as the stake, I am willing to bet with the Heart Inquiry Finger technique," the Finger Noble said, then turned to the Silver Knight, "If we really bet, can the Silver Knight be the arbitrator?"

"Agreed," the Silver Knight said only one word and then fell silent.

The Red Lotus Lady saw through the Finger Noble's thoughts; he was afraid she wouldn't hand over the Iron Gate Armor if she lost, so he sought the Silver Knight as the arbitrator.

"Here is the Iron Gate Armor," the Red Lotus Lady took out an armor and handed it to the Silver Knight without hesitation.

"Indeed, it is the Iron Gate Armor," the Silver Knight took the armor, glanced at it, and nodded.

The Finger Noble was overjoyed, taking out a martial technique manual and handing it to the Silver Knight.

"Indeed, this is the genuine Heart Inquiry Finger technique," the Silver Knight flipped through it briefly and confirmed it was a real martial technique manual, not a fake.

"I thank Lady for your generosity. How about joining me for a drink at the Heavenly Pavilion tomorrow?" the Finger Noble was in high spirits, his gaze falling on the Red Lotus Lady's stunning figure.

"Why go to the Heavenly Pavilion for a drink? The wine in my Red Lotus Pavilion is no less than that in the Heavenly Pavilion. If you want to drink, I will welcome you at the Red Lotus Pavilion," the Red Lotus Lady smiled, her chest heaving more dramatically.

The Finger Noble swallowed hard, but in the end, he didn't dare to accept, saying repeatedly, "Thank you for your kind offer, Lady. There will be an opportunity... there will be an opportunity..."

The Finger Noble knew very well that many viscounts who had visited the Red Lotus Pavilion and were rumored to have affairs with the Red Lotus Lady had not met good ends. Although he was lustful, he cherished his life more and dared not go to the Red Lotus Pavilion.

The number of people on the arena was decreasing. Chen Xifeng and his two companions were early to be knocked off the arena. All the members of Mei Wanjian's team were also knocked off. In fact, apart from Mei Wanjian, the other barons in his team were not particularly strong. Their team's third-place ranking was entirely due to Mei Wanjian's efforts.

Another team had two barons left. After knocking everyone else off the arena, they hesitated to attack Bai Cangdong and Mei Wanjian, who were engaged in a fierce battle.

"Let's deal with them first, then we can fight to our heart's content," Mei Wanjian suddenly stepped back from the battle, pointing at the two spectators.

"Agreed," Bai Cangdong nodded.

"One each," Mei Wanjian said and then rushed towards one of them.

Bai Cangdong didn't say much and quickly charged at the other.

The two originally hoped to take advantage of Bai Cangdong and Mei Wanjian's weakened state, but they were caught off guard and quickly overwhelmed by Bai Cangdong's palm and Mei Wanjian's finger. In just a few moves, they were knocked off the arena.

"Now, we can truly determine who is stronger. Draw your weapon," Mei Wanjian drew a blood-red long sword from his back. Although armor can be stored in the life disk, he preferred to carry it on his back.

Bai Cangdong summoned a pure white two-handed knight's sword, holding it with one hand, dragging it on the ground.

Mei Wanjian was not arrogant and did not wait for Bai Cangdong to make the first move. He immediately swung his sword horizontally, the sword tip flickering unpredictably, making it hard to predict.

Clang!

Only when the sword tip was about to reach him did Bai Cangdong counter with his sword, deflecting Mei Wanjian's sword.

Mei Wanjian's figure did not stop. He circled around Bai Cangdong, his sword movements unpredictable. With each step, he thrust his sword, each thrust faster than the last, almost impossible to see how he drew and retracted his sword. The sword shadows formed a continuous curtain, enveloping Bai Cangdong.

Bai Cangdong stood firm like a mountain, always managing to block Mei Wanjian's sword in time. When he moved, it was only a half-step to the side or diagonally, remaining calm amidst the storm of sword strikes.

Clang!

The figures and sword shadows suddenly stopped. Mei Wanjian stepped back, clutching his wrist, his sword falling to the ground.

"I lost," Mei Wanjian turned and left without a backward glance.

"Your sword," Bai Cangdong called out from behind.

"A loser's sword, what use is it?" Mei Wanjian did not turn back, disappearing from the square in a few leaps.

"The martial arts competition is over. The techniques will be delivered to you. All teams except the first place can leave," the Silver Knight announced.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Bai Cangdong and his three companions, who were brought to the Silver Knight and the viscounts.

"Why are there only four of you? Where is the fifth?" the Silver Knight frowned at the four.

"The fifth had some matters and couldn't participate, so only the four of us came," Bai Cangdong answered.

"This is a bit troublesome. The Earl needs five people, and one less is not acceptable. Send someone to find Mei Wanjian and have him fill the last spot," the Silver Knight instructed, then waved to Bai Cangdong and his companions, "Follow me. Miss Xiangfei's coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin, and we cannot be late."

Bai Cangdong and his companions followed the Silver Knight to the Earl's residence. The other viscounts went their separate ways. The Red Lotus Lady, with a grim-faced Finger Noble, retrieved the Iron Gate Armor and the Heart Inquiry Finger technique, and with her female knight, caught up with the Silver Knight's group.

"We meet again," the Red Lotus Lady said with a smile.

Bai Cangdong was startled. For some reason, being looked at by the Red Lotus Lady made him feel uneasy, as if something ominous was about to happen.

The last time he had this feeling was in his childhood. The night before, he had this feeling, and the next morning, he woke up to find his bed wet.

[PS: Thank you to "Just Love Doupo Cangqiong" for the first tip. I was busy with settings and only saw it today.]

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