Second Night of the Tournament
As you slowly back away from Nie Mudan, her confidence grows. Seeing weakness, she eagerly springs at you. You duck under her attack and retaliate with a strike of your palm. She dodges to one side, her sash trailing…
Your fingers close around the silken fabric.
Then, you tug at it.
It comes undone easily enough. As Nie Mudan raises her sword to slash at you, her robes fall open, no longer held together by the scarlet sash that is now in your hand. Her eyes widen as you are afforded a glimpse of her undergarments. With a shrill, girlish shriek, she drops her sword to pull her robes together, hiding her pale, soft skin from your view. Nie Mudan crouches down, her face flush with embarrassment and anger.
You hold the sash up, looking at it and back at her, before giving her a mock bow of apology. Much of the crowd is laughing and whistling, but there are also shouts of outrage and indignation from the Huashan disciples. Standing a safe distance away from Nie Mudan, you relax into a casual stance. “I can’t fight like this, you scoundrel!” she mutters, her eyes brimming with tears as she clutches her clothes even more tightly. She knows your intentions. “Fine, I surrender! I give up!” shouts Nie Mudan indignantly.
The gong is sounded – it looks like the judges have decided to award you with the win despite your rather unorthodox way of claiming victory. You walk over to Nie Mudan, preparing to hand her the sash.
Suddenly, a hand snatches it from your grasp.
Bai Jiutian plucks the sash from you with ease as he glides towards his upset junior, having leapt towards the stage with his qinggong. The very picture of elegance and gentility, he gives her the sash before draping his outer robes over her to cover her shame. The crowd breaks out into loud cheers for him as he does so. There are screams of delight from many of the female audience members. His name is being chanted repeatedly, and there are occasional shouts for him to kick your ass. In an instant, he’s gained their adulation, reminding them that he is their former champion.
He does look the part of a dashing hero far more than you ever will, you must admit.
As the Huashan disciple turns towards you, you see that he appears to be upset.
“Perverted Man Tiger Pig,” he calls out. “The committee has deemed your method to be permissible, but in my personal standing as a senior disciple of Huashan and former champion of the tournament, I must register my disapproval with your tactics. I would have you apologize to my junior for your rudeness, but this tournament is greater than any personal grudge. I merely hope that in the future, if you still have any enmity towards Huashan, you do not take it out on my innocent juniors in such perverted ways.” With that, he scoops up the blushing Nie Mudan in his arms and exits the stage to the cheers of the crowd.
***
“So, remind me again… what is this all about?” you sigh. You had spent some time wandering about the city after the match to seek news of the people-in-black. Though you had not been able to meet them again, you have heard that they were continuing to attack people under the name of Zhang Jue’s disciple. When you returned to your room you had found a small banquet going on without you.
“I’m renting it out to you. I can do whatever I want,” grins Qilin. She had invited Cao’er, Yifang, Murong Yandi, Guo Fu and his wife to come over under her real identity, claiming to be a friend of Guan Shide’s. The tricky Miao girl has continued to keep her disguise as Xiaoxiang secret while progressing in the competition – you have heard that her Wudang opponent bowed out due to a touch of mild sickness that seems to have started spreading amongst some of the pugilists.
“Impure… you are impure…” mutters Yifang as she begins praying upon seeing your face. Cao’er, on the other hand, is looking at you like a snake would a rat. Her fingers float up to her waist sash, toying with the knot.
“Young Master Guan, we do not mean to intrude,” says Murong Yandi, “but my master came to me after the competition and had harsh words for me. He suggested that if I had made more friends, I would not have looked like such a fool out there. Coincidentally, Miss Chi came along afterwards, though when she made her invitation I was under the impression that it was your idea.”
You glare at Qilin, who sticks out her tongue at you. Giving in, you sigh loudly and take your seat. Guo Fu greets you heartily, happy to see you. His wife, Pu’er, bows politely, as she hands you a bowl of rice. You look at the rice suspiciously, wondering if Qilin had added anything to it.
Interestingly, Guo Fu had beat Murong Yandi. The swordsman had broken his sword against Guo Fu’s body, and in the end had tired himself out in a long match in which he could not find a way to knock out the big man. Guo Fu was not shy about revealing his technique – it was the famous Jinzhongzhao (金钟罩, Golden Bell Vest), a Shaolin neigong that could grant its user near invulnerability. He had learnt it from a mysterious wandering monk who had helped him save Pu’er from the clutches of a corrupt official collaborating with bandits.
Thus, instead of fighting Murong Yandi tomorrow, as you had expected, you would be facing Guo Fu.
For his part, Murong Yandi did not seem too upset about his loss, only that his teacher had berated him for his one-man performance against Taishan.
Qilin suddenly gets up. Walking behind you, she places her fingers gently under your chin. “What are you doing?” you growl.
“Were you hit by something poisonous?” she asks, frowning. “There’s something off about your complexion.”
“Well…” You had been hit by the Yuhua Duqing Palm, but you are not sure if you should tell her. You had originally planned to head out again at night to track down the people-in-black, but this could be difficult with a bunch of acquaintances in the way. You would have to wait until they were gone, or…
***
A. You share your knowledge with them and attempt to discuss the current situation with them to see if they have any insight.
B. You do not say anything. You will head out alone to seek out more information about the people-in-black after they have left the room.
C. You do not say anything. After they have left, you take the time to recuperate and instead prepare for tomorrow’s battles.
D. You do not say anything for now. You will approach Qilin later and consult her about this situation you find yourself in.