Chapter 260: Top 16
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Sudden waves of ice washed over the ground. Xing Jingjing felt like she had descended in a land of snow and ice. The bitter coldness penetrated deep into her bones, making her unable to help s.h.i.+vering. She was so cold that she was forced to ‘forget’ how to use her supernatural ability.
Her figure faded quickly under Lou Cheng’s gaze, before appearing at an angle deviating from her original location. In other words, even though she once again aimed her Forward Punch at his left rib, she was no longer leaning left behind focusing on his middle. If Lou Cheng had counter attacked based on his earlier judgment, that little difference would have made him lose by a thousand miles.
Seeing this scene, Lou Cheng closed his eyes and stopped considering about the present situation. Based on their previous positions and the possibility of Xing Jingjing dodging, he stepped aside and lowered his center of gravity. His abdominal muscles and lateral fascia bulged, brus.h.i.+ng against the air to make an abnormal sound.
With a rumble, an avalanche broke down in Lou Cheng’s mind. He thrust his right arm and penetrated the air with his fist, synchronizing with the sound earlier. It was as if he was unleas.h.i.+ng a ferocious tiger that roared as it ran back into the woods, making the audience shaking with fear.
Bang!
His punch met human flesh, but he firmly restrained himself.
Lou Cheng was calm and did nothing. He knew the force from this punch was beyond Xing Jingjing at the moment. In this ring, there was only one person who was capable of taking his. .h.i.t!
He opened his eyes and saw the referee intercepting his fist, as he had expected. Xing Jingjing’s face was pale from the cold. The hair at her temples was in disarray due to the ‘storm’ rising from the force of his punch.
If no one stopped him, she would have been hit in the temple!
The referee glanced at Lou Cheng’s arm and withdrew his own. He then raised it again to make his announcement.
“Lou Cheng wins!”
Following the referee’s line of sight, Lou Cheng noticed his arm was bleeding and soaking his torn martial suit. What a scene it was, to be dyed red with blood.
His strength had gradually returned to most parts of his body, but due to his nature and routine practices, his under-rib was not as strong as his limbs. After countering Xing Jingjing’s attacks with all his might, he was nevertheless bleeding from the wounds caused by her fingers.
But thanks to him offsetting her strength earlier, only some minor injuries remained. His wounds were b.l.o.o.d.y, but they did not hurt badly.
Lou Cheng subtly controlled his wounded muscles and fascia. In a split second, the bleeding stopped, leaving behind only marks of scabbed wounds.
This was one of the abilities of the Dan stage!
“We won, we won, we won! That scared the life out of me!” Yan Xiaoling, or user Eternal Nightfall, exhaled a long breath and wrote a quick post on the forum.
Earlier, she thought she would be the first person ever to suffocate herself to death if Lou Cheng was still not winning.
“It really wasn’t easy. That girl’s supernatural ability seems strong. If she’s not fighting Lou Cheng, she’d definitely be a dark horse, a horse that can defeat most seeds,” said Unparalleled Dragon King admiringly.
Brahman sent a hopping emoji. “My idol’s the best at curing all defiance!”
Okamoto’s Fan showed up. “I, Hu Hansan, am back. On this Spring Festival Day, no, no, on this great day of Lou Cheng’s victory, I’m going to talk dirty to celebrate!”
“I remember you. You’re the fake driver!” Yan Xiaoling pointed out with an emoji of indignation.
Brahman also shouted, “I remember you, too. Fight me after school ends!”
Unparalleled Dragon King said nothing, posting only a picture to show her distaste for the old driver. The picture showed an impa.s.sive character and eight characters that read:
‘s.e.x welcomes disasters, cut it off for eternity!’
…
Cao Lele and others unclenched fists when they were not aware of clenching upon hearing the referee’s announcement. The match that they thought would be simple turned out to be such a difficult one. It was short, but perilous.
Earlier, the camera covered the match from Lou Cheng’s viewpoint, showing the effects of Xing Jingjing’s supernatural ability. It was different from the audience’s perspective and they came to understand why Lou Cheng kept making misjudgments and was driven into a corner.
Her supernatural ability was honestly terrifying!
Worse, her ability was still the initial stage. If it kept evolving, would it be possible for her to rival the Mighty Ones of Physical Invulnerability in the Dark Sect and the Death Sect?
The cameras were then switched and the focus turned on Lou Cheng’s injuries, showing the audience his b.l.o.o.d.y wounds.
Yan Zheke covered her mouth in shock, and anxiously grabbed her phone.
She knew Sister Jingjing would not hold back once in the ring. This was a show of respect to both Lou Cheng and martial arts. But she could not help grumbling.
How dare she hurt Cheng?
What was there to test!?
Without realizing it, she showed her bias for Lou Cheng.
Qi Fang was also stunned. When she saw Lou Cheng stepping down from the ring and retrieving his phone from the supervisor, she gave him a call.
Lou Cheng was about to text Yan Zheke to tell her not to worry, but before he could even unlock his phone, he saw his mom’s call.
“How are your injuries?” Qi Fang went straight to the point, attracting the attention of Lou Zhisheng and Qi Yunfei, who looked on with concern.
Lou Cheng chuckled. “No big deal. Just some minor injuries. It won’t affect my performance in the coming matches.”
Qi Fang felt relieved, but she then frowned. “Are all combats so dangerous? It seems that it’s easy to get hurt!”
“Mom, this is normal. It’s just like cooking. You wouldn’t stop cooking just because you get little cuts here and there, right?” Lou Cheng gave an example in an attempt to rea.s.sure his mom.
Of course, he was trying to downplay the severity of the situation. But since he had chosen this road, he did not want worry his family unnecessarily.
“Okay.” Qi Fang nodded, both relieved and confused.
With his phone in hand, Lou Cheng looked around him. Before Wuwei could approach him for an interview, he spoke loudly on purpose.
“Mom, we’ll talk later. I’m going to clean my wounds and put adhesive bandages on them in the clinic.”
He did not dare to mention that the clinic he was talking about was actually the emergency ward. He did not want to frighten his mom.
With great strides, he slipped into the ward before Wuwei could come close.
The doctor on s.h.i.+ft had also watched the broadcast so he was long prepared to see Lou Cheng. The doctor smiled when he saw him.
“Take off your clothes.”
Lou Cheng obediently took off his clothes, leaving him naked from the waist up and revealing his scabbed wounds.
He noticed two young nurses whispering among themselves while preparing the medicine.
“His physique is pretty good!”
“Right? I really want have a touch… ”
“You perverted girl!”
“I’m just saying. I have professional ethics!”
Lou Cheng burst out laughing, but he found it too embarra.s.sing to continue eavesdropping. He took out his phone and began chatting with Yan Zheke. After the doctor cleaned his wounds, he took a selfie and sent to his girlfriend.
“Look. It’s no big deal. It doesn’t even affect how I use my strength.”
Besides, Dan stage focused on the subtleties. His self-recovering and body refining were no longer on the same level in the past.
Yan Zheke first looked at the picture, making sure Lou Cheng was not making up a white lie to rea.s.sure her. Her face then turned red and texted back, shy and a little mad.
“Pervert! Hooligan!”
He actually sent her a nude photo!
Even though it was just his upper body!
But Cheng’s physique was pretty nice…
She had once shared a bed with Lou Cheng and even touched his abs, but she was too thin-skinned to actually take a closer look.
…
When Gu Shuang met Xing Jingjing, she said a little uneasily, “Sister Jingjing, you injured Ke’s man.”
It was supposed to be just a test. She could have stopped at the critical moment!
“It’s about respect.” Xing Jingjing’s response was brief.
“Fine, fine. Let it be. I can’t figure out the thoughts of you martial arts maniacs.” Gu Shuang fiddled with the hairs behind her ears and signed helplessly. “Never mind about what happened in the ring. You should at least visit him after the match. You’ll become closer in the future after all.”
She may not know anything about fighting, but she knew courtesy!
“Okay.” Xing Jingjing did not refuse her suggestion.
With her friend trailing behind her, Gu Shuang went into the emergency ward where she saw that Lou Cheng had already put on his martial arts suit again. She noticed he looked much better and was capable of free movement, as if his injuries were very light.
She tugged at Xing Jingjing, indicating her to speak first.
“Are you alright?” Xing Jingjing asked, her low voice tensing as she inched closer to her close friend.
“I’m fine. Just some minor injuries. I can fight another round,” Lou Cheng replied humorously.
“Sister Jingjing said you’re indeed a skilled martial artist and that you’ve pa.s.sed her test,” Gu Shuang added with a smile.
Xing Jingjing turned to her at once, silently questioning when she ever said those words.
Gu Shuang secretly stuck out her tongue and winked at her.
Since Xing Jingjing had lost, did it not mean he had pa.s.sed her test? Gu Shuang was just interpreting what she was thinking.
She chuckled. “I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Gu Shuang, Ke’s childhood friend.”
“Ke mentions you often,” Lou Cheng replied politely.
“She must be talking bad things about me behind my back!” Gu Shuang grumbled, but her eyes were smiling.
That was true… But Lou Cheng politely lied. “No, no. She often praises you.”
This girl here was said to have the unique ability of attracting sc.u.mbags. She had since transformed into a player, but most guys she met were still sc.u.mbags. Ke often teased her about it.
“Liar!” Gu Shuang looked like she was bursting with pride. “That’s because I don’t have anything worth praising over!”
What a way to self-deprecate… Lou Cheng had no idea how to respond to that, so he merely forced a smile.
Gu Shuang glanced at Xing Jingjing who was visibly uneasy and waved. “Since you’re fine, we’ll leave now. Let’s meet when Ke reaches Gao Fen. Hehe, this place is my homeland.”
She studied in a second-rate university in Gao Fen. Her father had also s.h.i.+fted the operations of his business to the capital city.