TDSDE 5

5. Fighting in a brawl Is Actually Turn-Based?!

As soon as Bai Yuanxiu heard the voice, he shivered and quickly grabbed the mask from his waist and put it on his face. “Not bad.”

Wei Heng and the scholar-like man both knelt and saluted, calling out “Sect Leader.” Meanwhile, Bai Yuanxiu, still chewing the meat pie in his mouth, stood in stark contrast to the others who were kneeling on the ground.

The leader of the Demonic Sect was a man whose age was hard to tell, partly because of his foreign bloodline.

He was tall and strong, with deep-set eyes and a more angular facial structure than the Han Chinese. His luxurious golden-threaded cloak looked anything but gaudy on him; instead, it exuded a sense of mystery.

The Sect Leader looked at Bai Yuanxiu and succinctly said, “Put your clothes on, we need to head up the mountain.”

Bai Yuanxiu nodded, understanding. When going to challenge someone, one must maintain a strong, imposing presence.

He quickly finished the meat pie in two or three bites, put on the black-gold mask, and with his black, tight-fitting outfit, he looked quite intimidating.

— Provided one ignored the oil stains still on his fingers.

Bai Yuanxiu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his hands. He wasn’t particular, but with oil on his fingers, he might end up losing his sword during the fight, and the Sect Leader would definitely punish him afterward.

While wiping his hands, a cold chill passed by his side. He instinctively looked up and saw a person in all white, looking similar to him.

Bai Yuanxiu had always had a poor relationship with the Left Protector and couldn’t even be bothered to greet him. He simply stood next to the Sect Leader.

Thus, a foreign beauty led the way, with two tall figures in black and white behind, and then four experts in red, blue, green, and yellow robes. The group made their way up Yunhua Mountain in a grand, open fashion.

Yunhua Mountain was the foremost sect of the righteous path, known for its swordsmanship. The current leader was a woman, and it was said that when she danced with a sword, the heavens would be moved, and a rainbow would descend.

On their way up, they didn’t see any rainbows, nor did they engage in any battles. The mountain guards only saw the formation of the Demon Sect and turned around to run, shouting as they fled, “The Black and White Impermanence* are here!!”

TN: In some Chinese ghost stories and tales of the afterlife, these figures are known to capture the souls of the recently deceased and guide them toward their judgment, ensuring they are punished or rewarded according to their deeds in life.

Bai Yuanxiu: …

Couldn’t they come up with a more appealing nickname?

And don’t think I didn’t hear the Azure Dragon Hall’s Master laughing just now!

Bai Yuanxiu couldn’t help but glance at the Left Protector on his left, noticing how the other’s back was straight, walking calmly and unhurriedly. Bai Yuanxiu scoffed inwardly: pretending to be serious.

“Stop, stop!” Suddenly, a voice came from above, and even the Sect Leader couldn’t help but laugh at the words used.

The two Protectors and four Hall Masters were following the Sect Leader, so when she stopped, they naturally had to stop as well.

Bai Yuanxiu looked up and saw a nervous-looking young girl standing on the steps ahead, holding a short sword with purple tassels, signaling her identity as a disciple of the Sect Leader.

None of the Demonic Sect people wanted to fight with such a young child. Wei Heng, the White Tiger Hall Master, said directly, “Kid, move aside, we’re only here for your master.”

The girl, hearing this, became anxious and shouted “No!” before drawing her sword and charging at the Sect Leader at the front. Bai Yuanxiu flicked his left wrist, sending the jade pendant from his waist flying to strike the girl’s sword away.

The girl, unwilling to back down, drew the soft sword from her waist and continued to fight Bai Yuanxiu. As they fought, her eyes widened. “How do you also know Yunhua’s swordsmanship?”

Bai Yuanxiu hadn’t even unsheathed his sword yet, but he smiled and replied, “Of course, I learned it from your Sect Leader.”

This was actually true. Bai Yuanxiu had a strange talent that baffled the entire martial world: when facing someone using sword techniques, after just one encounter, he could memorize the techniques entirely. Once he remembered them, with a few more repetitions and practice, he would master them completely.

Therefore, anyone who wielded a sword didn’t want to fight Bai Yuanxiu, because, while sparring, they would notice that the techniques being used became more and more similar to their own, making the experience uncomfortable, whether they won or lost.

Bai Yuanxiu deliberately used an ambiguous phrase, causing the young girl to redden around the eyes and cry out, “Impossible! My master said he would only teach me!”

Bai Yuanxiu didn’t bother to explain. He simply toyed with her like a cat with a mouse, forcing her back step by step until she was in a sorry state, but he didn’t finish her off.

He pressed his sword to the girl’s throat and smugly asked, “Do you submit?”

The girl, who had never been humiliated like this, sat down on the ground and cried loudly, leaving Bai Yuanxiu utterly bewildered.

The Azure Dragon Hall’s leader shook his fan, continuing his usual remarks: “You’re bullying a child, tsk tsk tsk.”

Before Bai Yuanxiu could respond, he suddenly felt a chill from his left. In the blink of an eye, a figure in white appeared beside him.

“Go and call your master.”

The Left Protector’s martial arts were cold, and his voice, muffled by the mask, sounded like a ghostly growl, sending an eerie chill through the air. The young girl was too frightened to make a sound, even letting out a nervous hiccup.

“Go quickly,” the Left Protector urged.

Hearing this, the girl immediately sprang up and ran off like a rabbit fleeing for its life.

The Left Protector, dressed in white and wearing a silver-white mask, faced Bai Yuanxiu and coldly remarked, “Flowery and flashy.”

Bai Yuanxiu instantly flew into a rage. Just then, everyone suddenly smelled a faint fragrance in the air. They all looked up at the steps, and a splash of purple entered their vision.

The Sect Leader of Yunhua stood like ice, her purple robe fluttering due to her inner energy, and she asked coldly, “Who bullied my dear disciple?”

Bai Yuanxiu waved his sword and said, “I did.”

The Yunhua Sect Leader, her brows rising, asked, “You dare come here again?”

Bai Yuanxiu had visited once a year ago, when he single-handedly challenged nearly two hundred Yunhua disciples and made his way into the Sect Leader’s main hall.

— And then he got beaten by this very Sect Leader.

The Sect Leader, Zi Yuan, glanced at the current situation and suddenly recalled what Bai Yuanxiu had said last time.

“So it’s true. The Demonic Sect really did send a letter asking us to vacate the place.”

Zi Yuan didn’t waste words. She nodded to the Sect Leader and raised her chin: “Old rules?”

The Sect Leader nodded, “That works.”

And so began a turn-based group battle, testing either numbers or individual combat strength.

The basic mode was that one side would send out a person, and if they won, they could keep coming back until they lost. The side that had the last person standing would win.

Some of the Demonic Sect members whispered, “Isn’t this a bit too childish?”

This is nothing like what they’d heard! Weren’t they promised bloodshed and head-spilling?

One of the Demon Sect members next to him rolled his eyes, “What era is this? We’re all just trying to make a living, no need for all that.”

The disciple thought about it and realized it was true—he had joined the Demonic Sect just to survive.

The Demonic Sect’s style is always about overwhelming the enemy at the start, while the Yunhua Sect has a large number of disciples, clearly planning to engage in a war of attrition.

At first, everything seemed normal. The Demonic Sect’s left and right protectors went up, taking down an opponent with one strike each, rotating in and out. But as the fight went on, people began to notice something was off.

Weren’t the left and right protectors moving faster and faster?

Bai Yuanxiu swept a Yunhua disciple off the ring, and as he passed the white-clad left protector, he whispered something. When the next opponent appeared, the Yunhua disciples didn’t even catch a glimpse of the technique the protectors used before their own comrade was sent flying out of the ring.

The Yunhua disciples began to suspect that the two protectors had been planning some trick, and just then, they heard the Left Protector sneer: “Heh, faster than me?”

So, the next Yunhua disciple was sent off the ring even faster.

The Yunhua disciples: …

They were about to say something when Vermillion Bird Hall Master, dressed in red and with a charming appearance, clapped his hands and cheered: “Good job! Now the left and right protectors are 19 to 18!”

Standing next to him, the Azure Dragon Hall Master pounded his chest: “Right Protector, what’s wrong with you? If you lose, I won’t get my monthly pay!”

White Tiger Hall Master was brewing tea and chatting with the sect leader, pouring another cup of tea and handing him some food like a diligent caretaker.

On the other side, the Black Tortoise Hall Master, whose face was covered by a black veil, was leaning against the wall, nodding off as if about to fall asleep.

The Yunhua disciples: … Is this really okay?

As it turned out, it was fine.

The left and right protectors were like they had a cheat code, fighting non-stop and not giving the four hall masters a chance to even step up.

The final match saw the two protectors face off against two of Yunhua Sect’s elders—one who cultivated Qi and the other who practiced swordsmanship—both tough opponents.

The two protectors fought while also mocking their opponents for their mistakes, continuously using sword strikes and palm techniques, with back-and-forth action against the Yunhua elders.

One of the elders, a well-known stickler in the martial world, was already unhappy at having to face someone half his age. Seeing the protectors bickering during the fight only added fuel to the fire in his heart.

In a bad mood, his movements became more erratic. When the Left Protector dodged one of his sword strikes by bending backward, the elder twisted his elbow, and with a strange angle, stabbed the sword downward.

The angle was sharp and direct, aiming for the Left Protector’s eye!

Those who noticed immediately tensed up—this elder had gone too far!

The sword moved like a silver flash, too fast to dodge. The Left Protector didn’t have time to avoid it, only slightly tilting his head, letting the sword’s tip graze the edge of his mask.

Just as the sword was about to pierce the Left Protector’s face, a pitch-black sword flew from afar with a clang, knocking the elder’s strike off course.

Yunhua’s sword techniques are known for their destructive power. If it had been aimed at a person’s head, even the largest boulder in Yunhua Mountain would have shattered.

This sudden turn of events turned the ring into a four-way brawl. The Right Protector and the sword-cultivating elder clashed fiercely.

But even then, the Left Protector didn’t forget to bicker with him.

The disciples of both sects below the stage: … Well, they are quite dedicated.

In the end, all four were injured, with a draw as the result, but when calculating the battle record… since the Demonic Sect had fewer people, they were considered the victors.

According to the rules, both sect leaders were supposed to duel, but everyone knew that there was no one who could single-handedly defeat the Demonic Sect’s leader.

Yunhua Sect lost, but since the Demonic Sect didn’t achieve a total victory, they settled for taking half of Cloud Hua Mountain’s territory.

This battle for territory lasted a month and a half, mostly because each match had to last for at least an hour or two in the later stages, making it very time-consuming.

Meanwhile, the Demonic Sect only sent two people to fight. After many rounds, the two protectors’ stamina was almost depleted.

Bai Yuanxiu felt like he couldn’t lift his arms anymore. While drinking some medicinal soup, he muttered, “That old rascal, even at a time like this, he still can’t stop competing with me.”

If it weren’t for the Left Protector speeding up, Bai Yuanxiu thought he wouldn’t have gotten so worked up and would not have ended up with a hole in his stomach from the Yunhua sword elder’s strike.

“Enough already,” the Azure Dragon Hall Master said while grinding some herbs.

The Azure Dragon Hall Master picked up a brush and swept the powdered medicine into a small bowl, glancing at Bai Yuanxiu. “You two are really strange. You’ve probably never even seen what the other looks like, so where does all this enmity come from?”

Bai Yuanxiu, lying in bed, flipped over and groaned from his sore body. “I just can’t stand him. He looks so clean, but when he strikes, he’s more ruthless than anyone.”

The Azure Dragon Hall Master shook his head. “Listen to you, it sounds like you’ve encountered a heartless man.”

Bai Yuanxiu grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, hurting his arm in the process, and yelled out in pain.

Amid the Azure Dragon Hall Master’s laughter, Bai Yuanxiu helplessly rubbed his shoulder, thinking, “When will these wounds heal? I miss Ah Qing. I just want to go back to that little courtyard and nap with him.”

Half a month later, Bai Yuanxiu would want nothing more than to strangle the version of himself that had said that while lying on the sickbed.