Bab 14: Little Fat Dragon
Everybody stayed silent as to not draw any attention towards themselves. The guests present looked at Chu Fan and then back at the emperor. They waited for a reaction from the emperor.
Inside, the emperor was furious he finally noticed that this little fat commoner before him had known Yao Lingyan's secret the whole time. He had been made a fool of, in front of his loyal subjects. And then to have this child also declare his most treasured baby princess as his own, it only served to add fuel to the flames.
Not wanting to make a scene, the emperor got up as calmly as he could and looked down upon the lowly child commoner spewing nonsense.
"Hahaha, this child here sure loves to jest. What great friends my son has made in the sect?"
Chu Fan shook his head.
"You don't get it royal father-in-law. I've known that Yao Lingyan was a girl from the very first moment I saw her. She stuck out like a sore thumb. She didn't have a clue about what guys dressed and acted like. She must have been badly informed."
Chu Fan turned to Yi Gui and gave a sly smile, directing his last words towards him.
"What does that have to do with you calling me royal father-in-law then?"
Chu Fan looked him in the eyes and laughed.
"That has everything to do with it. I knew her secret and helped her keep it. I know her secrets while she knows mine. We are both each others confidant and developed feelings for each other over the years. Our love for one another is undying."
"How audacious! That doesn't mean that she is willing to marry you. What makes you think you are worthy of my treasured daughter?"
Yao Tianshi's could not contain his anger anymore, but he would humor this child before having him dragged off to the palace dungeon.
"I've saved Yao Lingyan's life before. It was a noble sacrifice, I had to strip myself bare and lend my yang qi to suppress her over-flowing yin qi. I vowed to take responsibility as I had seen her body and she had seen mine. Thus you are my royal father-in-law."
Everyone turned to Yao Lingyan to get an answer. But all they got was silence, followed by her turning cherry red and looking at the floor as she twirled her fingers together.
"Hmph! He claims to have seen her naked body. I think this fatty here is just a toad lusting after the swan's flesh." said Yi Gui as he pouted.
Many people refused to believe Chu Fan's words. And even after having Yao Lingyan confirm it with her blushing; the people present refused to believe that their most precious princess' bare body had been gazed upon by such a scrub of a person.
"Mm! I even know of her secret birthmark that only her mothers and lady friends would know about. It's near her forbidden zone, on her left leg."
All the people shifted their eyes towards the three royal consorts.
"It this true royal mothers?" asked Yao Gang.
All three of them nodded silently.
The crowd went silent again but this time, a split-second after, the killing intent in the air rose so much that even the fearless looking Chu Fan was almost out of breath.
Chu Fan stared up at the three tigers before him as they were prepared to attack at any moment.
"But royal father-in-law, aren't you curious as to why Yao Lingyan chose to go to our Skyward Sword Sect? I mean she could have come under the tutelage of old master Ma Kuo like her royal brothers."
Yao Gang leapt down from his platform and landed beside Chu Fan pointing his spear towards him.
"Save us your cheap talk. Your just stalling for time. Just take your beating like any respectable person would."
Yao Gang's spear was pushed aside by Yao Cong.
"Let this commoner speak. If anyone is going to do the beating, royal father will do it."
Chu Fan continued with his explanation.
"Now as I have re-iterated. Between us two there are no secrets. Even those that Yao Lingyan thinks I don't know, I do. We've built our relationship from trust. And from a thing like trust, your relationship with your daughter is slowly crumbling apart.
He pointed at the emperor.
"What are you getting at? When have I lied to my daughter?"
Yao Tianshi appeared before Chu Fan in the blink of an eye and stared him in the eyes.
"Then have you told her that you're not her biological father and of her biological father's identity?"
The emperor was shocked to hear the little nonsensical speaker mention these words and took a couple steps back. He was not prepared to hear those words, but Chu Fan continued talking before he could speak.
"I've had many suspicions from the start, but slowly, I've garnered enough evidence now to speak my mind without fear and regret of my head rolling. For the sake of my beloved I will teach you, the emperor of the northern nation, a valuable lesson today."
The crowd began to gasp in awe of such daring words.
"You only reinforced the idea that what I said had some truth; as you stepped back upon hearing my words."
Chu Fan dusted himself off.
"Now, allow me to explain. The palace maids have always been gossipy, right?"
Everybody nodded in agreement.
"Now, it's no surprise that second noble consort Lee Ting was once a commoner right? Of course that being the case, the maids would surely gossip about such matters. Being a princess, Yao Lingyan grew up around many gossiping maids and eunuchs; it's no surprise that she's heard of how different she is from the two royal prince's here."
Chu Fan pointed at the two princes.
"These two princes carry a common trait despite their vast differences in manner and looks. They have inherited his royal highness', domineering and noble, emerald-green eyes. She herself has a set of pure and enchanting violet eyes."
The guests began to look and compare the eyes of the three siblings.
"Now hearing the gossip of such maids would put questions and thoughts into any child's head. And so I can safely assume that Yao Lingyan would often question her royal mother and father about such a topic only to be brushed off or had the topic shifted."
The emperor and Lee Ting both coughed as Chu Fan's words rang true again.
"Now, having her questions be brushed off no matter how many times she asked, only served to cast a shroud of doubt in her mind as she asked herself 'are those maids really speaking the truth?' This is what brought her to the Skyward Sword Sect."
Everyone looked at Yao Lingyan for an answer.
She was teary-eyed. She didn't expect Chu Fan to know her biggest fear and secret.
She had gone to the sect with the excuse of studying yang-natured cultivation techniques to counter her cold sickness. But in reality, she did it to get away from her family and mature enough to forget the matter.
"Chu Fan, stop spewing your nonsense. Whatever royal father and royal mother choose to keep from me, must be for my own good."
Chu Fan shook his head.
"No, for my sweetness, I'm willing to brave the fiercest of storms. I only do this to resolve the heart demon within you."
She was thoroughly shocked and covered her mouth as she gasped.
"How could he have noticed?" she thought to herself.
"Yao Lingyan is a genius with potential, matching even the child prodigy of Skyward Sword Sect. For her to be stuck at the fifth level of Qi Condensation despite six months having passed can only mean one thing. Her own emotions have created a bottleneck and heart demon within her."
It was true, in the past year she had not had a single night of good sleep except for one forbidden night that cannot be mentioned.
She was tormented with visions of her royal father and mother casting her aside after telling her the truth. Some nights, she would dream of her brothers hunting her for not being of royal descent. And other nights, she would dream of her friends leaving her after finding out she was not truly a princess. And most often of these dreams was of a figure walking away from her, she did not know how she felt as she was drawn to the figure but could only watch as his back disappeared into the horizon.
"Emperor, I had a reason for singing the song I did earlier and that was the last and final piece to my case. The meaning of the song is that love shall endure even the harshest of times and will be forever. The second noble consort made a pained face as I sang this song, meaning she too understood it's meaning."
Noble consort Lee Ting's eyes shown with tears right now.
"Second noble consort Lee Ting must be perplexed as she still holds feelings for the man that is Yao Lingyan's biological father; while she also has come to love you, Emperor Yao Tianshi. Thus, she feels guilty to both sides for being unable to love one person wholeheartedly. Am I right?"
The emperor turned to look at Lee Ting. And the latter only closed her eyes as tears fell upon her cheeks.
"This lowly consort is sorry, your highness. It is as this child speaks. I have and always will love the man that is Yao Lingyan's father. But I have come to love you as the magnanimous and doting father that raised Yao Lingyan. All that you've done for us mother and daughter, we can never repay in this lifetime."
The noble consorts began to descend the steps together and walk onstage.
The emperor was near tears as he heard Lee Ting's words. He knew from the moment he chose to take her in as a consort that she still loved the other man, but he chose to silently wait for her to naturally come to his side. He was scared that it would hurt him so much like right now.
Yao Tianshi turned to face Lee Ting.
"Let's tell her, my dear."
They both turned to Yao Lingyan. and Lee Ting spoke first.
"It is as your little friend, Chu Fan, spoke. You are the child of a man other than the emperor."
Yao Lingyan got up and ran onstage. She hugged her mom and buried her crying face in her mother's robes.
She was so afraid of hearing such words for many years now. And hearing them was like peeling the plaster from an old wound: it hurt for a brief moment, but it also felt relieving.
Lee Ting went on to tell Yao Lingyan of her backstory.
In her youth, Lee Ting was a genius in the Desert Rose Sect, a mystical sect from the Western Nation.
The Desert Rose Sect was a sect that trained primarily female-disciples in the Soul Tempering and Qi Formation systems. Lee Ting had been sold off to the sect by her low-income goat herder parents.
She was a prized disciple of the sect and was flaunted by her master and sect chief.
She was sent on a mission one day to dispatch a group of mercenaries that had been terrorizing the nobility of a town nearby. And she obediently went about her mission.
She had massacred many of the bandits before being drugged and captured. She was brought to the head of the bandits, Song Jiang.
He was a young chap the same age as her, with a child-like personality and a pair of deep and mystifying purple eyes.
He teased her a lot and kept her prisoner for a long time, though he never mistreated her. Their daily conversations started from threats and sticking out tongues at each other to conversating about ideals and personal topics. And they began to develop feelings for one another as time passed.
She later got to know Song Jiang's men better and found out that they were all victims of circumstance and were actually heroes of justice. They were a ragtag of exiles that robbed the rich and corrupt to feed the poor and helpless.
They called themselves the Lunar Fox Gang. They were lead by Song Jiang and his two sworn brothers: Guo Tian and Yang Zuo.
"The Lunar Fox Gang!?" shouted Chu Fan. The anger within him leaked out but he kept quiet to continue listening.
It turns out that the Lunar Fox Gang first started out as an outlaw group with noble intentions. They were only enemies to the rich and evil.
In the process of falling in love and losing her innocence to Song Jiang; Lee Ting herself had become an exile who joined the Lunar Fox Gang. She would have to give up her life's cultivation for this choice.
Song Jiang was the last of his race, the Lunar Fox. He had been an orphan for many years with only his cultivation techniques to keep him living. He envied and yearned for brotherhood and a family of his own.
The couple had been happy together for many years. They had tried to have a child many times, but were unlucky. Though this did not separate the pair for they seemed to love each other unconditionally.
Eventually, Lee Ting had heard news of a pair of sisters that had also been exiled from the Desert Rose Sect. They had too, given up their cultivation to stay alive.
These two had been exiled for losing a treasured object that they were ordered to watch and protect. Though they most likely stole the object for themselves.
She felt it was her responsibility to take these two in as they were her juniors and happily recruited them into the Lunar Fox Gang. These two sisters were named, Zhou Nu and Zhou Ren.
After some time, Song Jiang started to exhibit strange habits and distanced himself from Lee Ting. He became more lenient upon the new recruits that broke the rules and morals of the sect; making some people lose faith in him.
Eventually, Lee Ting caught Song Jiang in bed with Zhou Nu one evening and left without a word. She was devastated by the sudden betrayal and didn't know how to cope.
She could not believe that after all they went through, Song Jiang would abandon her for another at the drop of a hat. She eventually returned to talk about the matter; but by the time she had arrived at the gates, she was given notice of her being exiled from the Lunar Fox Gang.
After that, she drifted aimlessly, like a lost soul for two months until she discovered that she was pregnant. This only proved to make her even more saddened as she finally was able to become a mother, but this child would not have a father figure in its life.
She was eventually found by Zhou Ren who updated her on many things before she went into hiding herself. This was all she could do to repay Lee Ting for her kindness all that time.
All original members of the Lunar Fox Gang had left after the group started allowing senseless violence, pillaging, and plundering. The only one to stand by Song Jiang's side was Yang Zuo.
Apparently, shortly after Lee Ting was exiled, Zhou Nu had started making the calls with Song Jiang backing her every word. She was a cruel woman who ordered the Lunar Fox Gang to find and assassinate Lee Ting.
This was the start of the Lunar Fox Gang's evil deeds and rise to fame as an evil organization.
"This Zhou Nu has built up some karmic debt. I'l be sure to make her pay it forward with y own two hands." Chu Fan said as his hands trembled in anger.
Not only did this demoness take away his family, she had caused this world a lot of pain and suffering.
But he could only patiently wait and cultivate as he was still powerless before such a formidable foe.
Lee Ting fled to the Northern Nation, a trip that would take her a couple of months.
She would begin to live in the forest by herself.
Eventually rumors amongst the hunters would spread of the ghostly cries of a woman abandoned by her husband.
The Emperor had eventually heard of such rumors, and in an attempt to dispel the fears of his people, chose to personally investigate the ghostly cries.
He eventually found a hut where a pregnant lady lived. The cries that the hunters heard were of her weeping from sadness.
When he confronted her, she fainted as the built up stress of living in the forest had induced her labor by a month's time. Bad enough as it was, the day Yao Lingyan was born was the coldest day, hour, and year. Thus, is the reason why she has a cold sickness.
A blizzard was coming so Yao Tianshi had Lee Ting rushed to the palace where she gave birth at midnight to a tiny and fragile daughter.
Seeing this pitiable pair of mother and daughter, the emperor allowed them to live in the palace. And in time, he fell in love with Lee Ting and her daughter, making them an official consort and princess.
They had both chosen to hide this secret so as to spare Yao Lingyan of any tears and/or resentment towards a father figure she may never come to know. But they knew it was her right to have such knowledge; they had hoped to tell her at a later stage in life.
Chu Fan had a good understanding of how Yao Lingyan and his own fate were intertwined now. But now was not a good time to be discussing such topics as they would come naturally in time.
For a long while, the royal family and their guests cried at such a tragic story of this mother and daughter.
Chu Fan stood quietly at the side while Yao Lingyan finished shedding her years of built-up tears and sadness.
In a short moments time, her heart demon was swiftly dealt with and the pressure weighing down her weary heart was lifted.
She turned to Chu Fan and hugged him.
"You really do know me better than anyone else. Next time you plan on doing this kind of thing, you need to involve me. I don't like being left out." she pouted.
Chu Fan patted her on the head.
"Of course! It's a promise, I'll never leave my sweetness behind." he said as he pinched her glowing red nose.
He was happy for her, especially since this meant that she would be her true self around others now.
Yao Lingyan blushed and the everybody except Yi Gui laughed at her embarrassment.
"Chu Fan! I challenge you to a duel. I'm not convinced you are strong enough to stand by the princess' side."
Chu Fan turned in the direction of the person muttering such words of a challenge. To his shock, it was Yi Gui.
"Oh, impressive. A test of my strengths? I hope I don't let you down; for I am merely but a cook from the Skyward Sword Sect."
He struck a cool pose that made him look heroic and somber, but being the fatty that he was, nobody could take him seriously; and they all began to laugh at him.
"Hahaha! A mere cook? What a thing to brag about."
Yi Gui laughed so hard, he began to roll on the ground.
"How about this? If you Yi Gui can beat me, I'll slap myself forty-four times while calling you 'Grandfather'. And if I win, you'll bring me a crate full of fresh Frost Plums. With the emperor here as witness, I vow to keep my words. Do you dare accept these conditions Yi Gui?"
Yi Gui was convinced he could beat this fourth level Qi Condensation cook, because he himself was nearing the sixth level of Qi Condensation.
"Hmph! A deal it is. No cheap tricks though, I mean it."
They shook on it and all the people onstage cleared off as a duel was beginning. The emperor returned to his platform where everybody was still sniffling from earlier.
Chu Fan and Yi Gui bowed to the emperor who was acting as the referee before facing each other.
"You know, the princess and I used to play 'House' together, and I would always be her husband."
Yi Gui tried to anger Chu Fan and make him flustered.
"Well, if you played 'House' like that, then I've played 'Frugal Winter' with her. It's where we are a poor couple who cannot afford firewood so we sleep under one blanket."
Chu Fan blew a kiss at Yi Gui after saying such words.
"You-!"
Before Yi Gui could retort, the emperor interrupted with a cough.
"You may begin!"
The two of them took their stances and Yi Gui was first to initiate.
Yi Gui was using a technique called Coiling Dragons. He would move in an erratic behavior that made his limbs seem like coiling dragons.
He poured qi into his legs as he first made a low sweep with his left leg. And using his momentum from his low sweep, he quickly followed with a reverse side-kick.
Chu Fan dodged by taking a step back and received the second kick, blocking it with both hands.
He had intentionally allowed himself to be hit. He wanted to test his defenses after having just begun his Body Refinement cultivation.
To his surprise, the kick did not hurt much. His body shook for a while his blood felt like it moved restlessly before coming to a still. His defenses had become better, like he expected.
He laughed at this fact. This would only lead the audience and Yi Gui to misinterpret this as a mere mockery of Yi Gui's battle prowess.
Yi Gui surged with killing intent and rushed at Chu Fan, where he swung his right hand like a whip at Chu Fan.
"Hraaaah!"
Chu Fan calmly took a deep breath. Using the Heaven Guiding Palm Technique, he enveloped his hands in qi light and redirected Yi Gui's attack towards the ground, shattering the stone stage they stood on.
Such a fearsome move could have broken many bones in Chu Fan's bones.
"Impossible!"
"What finesse?! For a mere level four Qi Condensation cultivator to be able to display such ability while facing off against a person of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. How exhilarating?"
Everyone was stunned, even Ma Kuo, as he kept an even closer eye on Chu Fan.
Yi Gui, infuriated, unleashed his qi and started formed hand seals. Soon a phantom image of a gorilla appeared behind him.
He was using another technique from his arsenal called the Fury of the Mountain God; it utilized one's anger to amplify the strength of a person by threefold. Though this technique caused one to lose their mind temporarily as they went berserk, it was meant to be used as a last resort tactic.
People who used this technique would need to rest for a week at the least after using such a technique as it allowed the user to surpass the body's thresholds on pain and power exertion.
"What!? How desperate is he that he'll use such a move like that in a mere duel?"
"Son! What are you doing? You are going too far! Somebody's going to get hurt! Stop this instant!"
Words fell upon deaf ears at this moment as Yi Gui was out for blood. He could not allow his pride to be sullied by a mere commoner and cook.
"Roar!" the gorilla sounded out as it pounded it's chest.
It charged at Chu Fan.
He had started forming hand seals too as the silhouette of an Azure Dragon began to surface behind him.
In the past six months that had passed, not one day did Chu Fan not practice the other techniques that he had. He even practiced the Deity-Alluring Fist, as he thought it could serve to be useful one day.
Even though he hadn't gone up a level in Qi Condensation, he would not allow himself to be lazy and not master and/or refine the techniques he had on hand. He had chosen to remain a level four Qi Condensation practitioner as to not draw too much attention to himself; he made it look like it was by his lick in finding some hidden elixirs that he was able to accomplish such a feat.
He had progressed his mastery of the Heaven-Guiding Palm Technique to the fourth level. At this stage he could start forming small tornadoes with his palms, powerful enough to uproot and destroy even the most resilient of bamboo trees.
The Azure Dragon danced about behind Chu Fan as he finished his hand seals and swayed his hands into position waiting to receive and counter the other party's attack. He held his hands together as it compressed the wind and qi into a ball at the right side of his waist.
The gorilla charged and qi gushed forth as it slammed it's arms on Chu Fan.
Chu Fan released both his hands, blowing all the compressed qi forth as to transformed into a dragon. This time it let out a deafening roar as it shook the whole grand hall and the people in it.
And the dragon silhouette passed through the gorilla phantom effortlessly as it dissipated into nothingness.
The dragon continued to soar across the stage, full of qi light as it reached Yi Gui at a visibly frightening speed. It headed towards the, now, deranged and berserk Yi Gui who ran towards the attack without fear.
The dragon seemed to carry Yi Gui in it's jaw as he resisted. It sent him crashing into a pillar with a loud boom. Chu Fan had embedded Yi Gui into the pillar before he fell two meters to the floor, filling the ground and air with bits of dust and debris.
Yi Gui was merely knocked unconscious by being blasted, he had a magic jade protection charm on him, which cushioned his impact. He was lucky that Chu Fan had not unleashed the full potential of his attack and held back.
There a moment of silence as the spectators of this duel were still processing what had just occurred before them.
Yi Gui's father shook his head and ran to his son's aid, and his daughters quickly followed suit. They breathed a sigh of relief to find that he was still breathing.
Yi Gui's father glared at Chu Fan for what he had done to his precious son. Yi Gui's sisters on the other hands feel that Chu Fan was justified, seeing as Yi Gui was first to initiate a potentially deadly attack.
"I declare that the victor of this match is Chu Fan. As wagered, he will receive a crate of Frost Plums from the loser, Yi Gui." said the emperor.
The spectators began to speak amongst themselves.
"For a mere chef of Skyward Sword Sect to be so ferocious.... No! It couldn't be him.....Right?"
"C-could he be the rumored Head Chef of Skyward Swords Sect. I thought he was just the help?"
"You mean the one who fought off two members of the Lunar Fox Gang to save the sect chief's daughter?"
Yao Lingyan was bothered by the incessant chatter and cleared her throat.
"Yes, Chu Fan here is the head chef of our sect. It would do you well to not underestimate his abilities. In the world, there are many crouching tigers and hidden dragons; he happens to be the 'little fat dragon'."
Everybody laughed and Chu Fan's cheeks reddened; he didn't expect to be nicknamed "Little Fat Dragon" by Yao Lingyan. It was the first time she had openly teased him in front of a crowd.
The emperor cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention.
"Yi Qianbi, have your son sent to be treated by the imperial physician. I'll ensure his safety and life are intact. Don't fret, this is just a friendly duel."
With the emperor's words, Yi Qianbi could not settle any grievances with Chu Fan and could only grit his teeth and forget the matter.
"Thank you, your majesty. I cannot express my gratitude for the care you give to your loyal subject."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction.
Off to the side Ma Kuo was discussing with his two disciples; and they nodded after hearing his words.
The two royal princes walked onstage and bowed to their father.
"Royal Father, we have a request of you at this moment and seek your permission?" spoke Yao Cong.
The emperor was confused.
"What is it? What matter is it that you need my permission?"
The two brothers bowed again.
"Your royal son, Yao Gang, wishes to test this commoner Chu Fan also. I would also like to see if he is worthy of our precious princess."
"And I, Yao Cong would like to settle the grievance with a duel. This concerns him having lain his unworthy eyes on our precious princess' sacred body."
Ma Kuo nodded at the side. He had his students make up an excuse to fuel with Chu Fan; he wanted an excuse to further observe this little fat dragon, Chu Fan.
"Very well. Chu Fan, you shall duel my two sons as well. To prove your ability to protect my daughter and resolve some other matters."
Chu Fan bowed as he accepted.
"Yes, your highness. This loyal subject humbly accepts the challenge."
Chu Fan turned to face the brothers.
"Now, which of the princes is first?" he asked.
Before Yao Gang could say anything, Yao Cong stepped forward and bowed.
"This prince, Yao Cong, shall go first. Let us exchange pointers, junior."
Chu Fan bowed and greeted him with a fist-hand salute.
"Please go easy on me, senior."
Yao Gang descended the stage and waited for his turn impatiently. He looked like an untrained puppy learning the "Wait" command.
The match had started and Chu Fan stood patiently waiting for the other opponent.
Yao Cong took a deep breath before taking his stance.
He practiced a technique called the Scholar's Moonlight Fist. A cultivator would train under moonlight as they absorbed qi from the surrounding nighttime air as they consumed qi-infused alcohol to balance out the negative effects of the cold air.
As one reached a certain level of mastery, they could summon shadow figures of themselves to aid in battle. These shadow figures were composed completely of qi and it's only weakness was that it was useless a prolonged fight; it consumed a large amount of qi to create and control so many shadow figures at one time.
He ran towards Chu Fan and seemed to split into two figures as a shadow clone of his appeared beside him. They created space between themselves and approached Chu Fan in a pincer-formation attack.
Chu Fan took a deep breath before he started preparing to counter.
Before anyone knew it, Chu Fan started to dance and prance around. He looked like a drunken female deity, if she were fat.
The crowd went silent, never did they expect this little fat dragon to start dancing in a feminine fashion during a duel. So they all laughed while the battle continued.
Onstage Chu Fan was beet red as he was really embarrassed.
He was using the Deity-Alluring Fist. To cultivate and master this technique, a person had to have experience in dancing. At the higher levels of mastery, the user of such a technique could entrance and deceive foes. Chu Fan had practiced this the least and had barely mastered the second level before they came to the northern nation.
It was a technique that required utmost confidence, especially for a guy
Men were not unable to practice this technique. In fact, learning such a technique was actually beneficial for a male cultivator, as it's yin nature complimented man's yang natured qi. It taught the cultivator how to sense and move with the flow of qi in the body, turning their cultivation into an art-form.
Yao Cong took this as a distraction thought up by Chu Fan. The only one seeing how serious Chu Fan was in his execution of moves was Yao Lingyan.
Yao Cong continued with his attack and struck at Chu Fan from both sides.
Chu Fan swayed his hands and dodged the attack. He used the momentum from dodging to counter at the same time, kicking the shadow clone with his left foot and slapping Yao Cong with his extended right palm.
Yao Cong fell back quickly; he had not expected to be slapped in a feminine manner. It didn't hurt him physically, but it hurt his pride as a prince, to be slapped by a fat sissy.
He turned to face Chu Fan with an angered face. He quickly summoned two shadow clones this time and they surrounded Chu Fan, ready to attack.
Chu Fan continued dancing, he was not afraid because he had seen that he was right in choosing to use the Deity-Alluring Fist here.
The three figures began to berate Chu Fan with precise attacks. But Chu Fan kept dodging as he danced carelessly away.
Chu Fan's moves seemed to be unpredictable because they were. The core teachings of the technique focused on deception and use of qi only when countering.
The Deity-Alluring Fist did not have a limited move set, it introductory dance lesson in the cultivation slip. The mnemonics were what really mattered here. A cultivator would learn more moves and create and infinite amount of move combinations, never allowing the enemy to anticipate a certain dancing pattern.
Soon the match had gone for an incense stick's worth of time and the two duelist were beginning to look tired.
Chu Fan had slowed down a considerable amount and was covered in sweat. His life as a servant had allowed him to last until this point as he had a high amount of stamina from working long hours.
Yao Cong, being the scholarly type, did not have much stamina. He was almost out of breathe as his shadow clones dispersed and his qi was nearly depleted.
Chu Fan finally came across the idea of imitating a certain drunken female immortal from an action film in his past life; he finally began his tirade of attacks.
He motions became gyrational as he attacked Yao Cong, confusing the other side as he attempted to defend and look for a weakness. He had never seen an attack like this before.
Chu Fan would lead with a feint to the face where he struck Yao Cong's abdomen, shortening his breath. And then he would lead with a qi infused high kick to Yao Cong's chin, knocking him out.
Even though Yao Cong used his qi to protect his body, the layer of qi was thin as his supply was nearly depleted. He had reserved some for a later attempt at one-shot knockout blow on Chu Fan.
The crowd gasped as Chu Fan came out as the victor.
"This battle is yours, Chu Fan. We shall take a short break before commencing with the next duel."
The emperor was thoroughly impressed by Chu Fan. He had bested Yao Cong who was a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Condensation.
"Teacher, please forgive this student. This student has disgraced you."
Ma Kuo had finally come from out of the shadows and checked on his student.
"Haha, you should learn from this, second prince. You must learn to go all out and attack with no hesitation sometimes, don't overthink all situations."
"Yes teacher." Yao Cong said as he bowed.
Ma Kuo made his way to Chu Fan to finally meet him.
"Greetings junior Chu Fan. This old man's name is Ma Kuo. You've shown some impressive skills tonight."
Chu Fan got up from his seat and gave a fist-hand salute before sitting back down in exhaustion. Yao Lingyan was sitting next to him wiping the sweat from his brows.
"Grandpa Ma, how is royal brother Cong doing?"
Ma Kuo smiled at Yao Lingyan.
"Royal princess, your royal brother is doing fine. He only needs some rest. Here is a Mountain Dewdrop Pill, it shall replenish your friend's qi and leave him feeling refreshed."
The Mountain Dewdrop pill was a precious one. It was made with many medicinal herbs that have to be refined using frozen morning dew from a Glass Stemmed Chrysanthemum. It came in many flavors based on personal preference.
Yao Lingyan fed the pill to Chu Fan who was delighted to be hand fed medicine, and he pat her head as thanks. If Yi Gui was present to see this he'd cough a mouthful of blood immediately.
On the side Lee Ting watched as her young daughter reminded herself of old days where she would do the same when she welcomed Song Jiang home from a successful heist. She was content with the fact that Yao Lingyan had found a reliable person to love.
Chu Fan walked onstage as he was ready for the next battle to start; and the viewers went back to their respective tables as they highly anticipated the next battle.
"Chu Fan, I look forward to this match. Give me all that you've got."
The two bowed and gave fist-hand salutes to one another.
Chu Fan took his stance as he was ready to use the Heaven-Guiding Palm Technique.
"What are you doing? This duel is with weapons. Don't you have a sword with you?"
Yao Gang produced a saber from his storage ring and brandished it.
Chu Fan was speechless and looked lost as he didn't expect to be dueling with weapons tonight. He looked around for a bit and centered his attention on Yao Lingyan.
"Lingyan, would you please toss me those chopsticks?"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone