Seeing Han Rushuang’s good mood and the slight curve of her lips, Meng Xiaoyu was instantly captivated.
Han Rushuang rarely smiled, usually keeping a cold expression, only softening her demeanor when facing Meng Xiaoyu and her own sister.
Even then, her smiles were few and far between.
Now, she stood proudly on the high platform, her lips slightly upturned, exuding grace and charm, her white clothes fluttering in the wind.
Such a beautiful scene surely captivated many hearts present, and Meng Xiaoyu, who naturally adored handsome men and beautiful women, was no exception.
She stared at Han Rushuang in a daze, her eyes filled with admiration, unconsciously murmuring, “So beautiful, so handsome!”
Standing nearby, Han Rubing saw Meng Xiaoyu’s dazed expression and felt both amused and a bit jealous.
It was funny how the little one looked so entranced, almost drooling, staring at her sister on the martial arts stage.
But she was also jealous because the little one had never looked at her that way.
Was she not beautiful or handsome enough?
Although Han Rubing didn’t know what Meng Xiaoyu meant by “handsome,” she could guess it was a compliment from the little one’s expression.
Yet, the little one had never said such things about her.
Was there something about her that was inferior to her sister?
Did the little one prefer her sister’s cold demeanor?
If that were the case, should she learn to be a bit colder like her sister?
That way, the little one might not only show that infatuated expression to her sister.
Thinking of this, Han Rubing couldn’t help but laugh at herself, thinking, “When did I become like this? Jealous of my own sister? Little one, little one! It seems you’ve completely taken residence in my heart. How can I let you go now? No, I won’t let you go, never.”
With this thought, Han Rubing found herself amused again, thinking, “How could the little one leave? I must be really tired lately, or why would I have such nonsensical thoughts? After this hero conference, I should take a good rest and relax.”
“Hey, you guys are too much! Sister Rushuang has already fought two matches, and you won’t even let her rest. No matter how good her martial arts are, she can’t withstand this kind of continuous fighting!”
Meng Xiaoyu, having snapped out of her earlier daze, was now angrily addressing a middle-aged man who had jumped onto the martial arts stage, holding a long sword and wearing a blue robe with a small mustache.
“Hey, little girl, what nonsense are you spouting? This is how martial arts competitions work. What do you mean by continuous fighting? That’s just nonsense,” the middle-aged man with the mustache on the stage retorted angrily, pointing at Meng Xiaoyu.
“Isn’t it? Since the competition started, Sister Rushuang has fought two matches in a row. That monk just admitted defeat and stepped down, and you jumped up immediately. Aren’t you trying to take advantage of Sister Rushuang’s fatigue to defeat her? Isn’t that excessive?”
Meng Xiaoyu replied angrily.
“Hahaha, little girl, what do you suggest then?”
asked an elderly man with a white beard sitting not far above Meng Xiaoyu.
“Of course, let Sister Rushuang come down and rest first, and let the others compete first,” Meng Xiaoyu said, still angry.
But she didn’t expect her words to be met with a burst of laughter from the crowd.
“Hahaha, little girl, you really don’t know what you’re talking about! If everyone did as you said, resting when tired and continuing when rested, when would this hero conference end? When would the martial arts leader be chosen? Besides, no one forced your Sister Rushuang to be the first to go on stage. Since she chose to go first, she can’t blame others for not giving her time to rest,” said a middle-aged man in a black robe sitting not far from Meng Xiaoyu, speaking with disdain.
“Oh…!!! I was wondering why no one went on stage for so long when the competition started! Turns out they were waiting to take advantage when others were exhausted! You all really live up to being sect leaders, calculating so well! But to be able to calculate so precisely, you must have practiced this toothless skill for quite some time! Otherwise, how could you have such thick skin?”
Meng Xiaoyu retorted sarcastically, also thinking to herself, “These people are so shameless, completely ruining my long-held admiration for Jianghu.”
In Meng Xiaoyu’s heart, although Jianghu was dangerous, there were still many heroes with chivalrous hearts and righteous spirits, like those in Grandpa Jin’s stories.
But the current scene inevitably shattered Meng Xiaoyu’s little fantasy.
“You… you little brat, what do you know? This hero conference isn’t for a wet-behind-the-ears girl like you to comment on,” shouted a middle-aged man in a crimson robe, his face turning blue with anger at Meng Xiaoyu’s sarcastic remarks, standing up and pointing at her.
“What? You have the guts to do such shameless things, but not the guts to let me speak about it?”
Meng Xiaoyu said disdainfully, picking her ear.
“You… you… you’re asking for it!”
The crimson-robed man, thoroughly enraged by Meng Xiaoyu’s disdainful expression and tone, raised his hand to strike her.
“Hah! Can’t win with words, so you want to fight?”
Meng Xiaoyu sidestepped the man’s attack, channeling energy into her right arm and sending a force towards the man’s face.
The energy grazed the left side of his face, leaving a wound.
Blood slowly trickled down, making his face look eerie and frightening.
