My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 119 The Final Martial Arts Battle

It rained for three whole days.

We finally managed to stop today, but a thin layer of mist still shrouded the river.

The fog drifted with the wind, occasionally blurring distant objects.

However, fog is ultimately lighter than rain, so it doesn't obstruct people's vision too much.

So the crowd that had been waiting around the arena since early morning could vaguely see two figures walking hand in hand onto the arena.

After they got closer, everyone took a closer look.

The two were none other than the Dongfang father and daughter, who had not appeared in public for a long time.

A breeze swept through the arena, causing Dongfang Su's skirt to sway gently. She was still wearing a pink dress, and her appearance remained as radiant and captivating as ever.

But Dongfang Shuo, who was being supported by her, had completely changed his appearance.

A few days ago, the old leader, who was still upright, was now hunched over and walked with a slightly unsteady gait.

His usually resolute face was swollen and pale due to his illness, completely lacking any of its former radiance.

His face was full of fatigue, and even his eyes had become cloudy.

Dongfang Shuo had previously revealed his pain in front of others. But at that time, he still had the strength to stand up straight.

But right now, he couldn't even stand up straight, and he looked like he was at his last gasp.

His appearance naturally drew sighs of dismay from the martial arts world.

"Alas, it seems that the Eastern Alliance Leader's illness is really serious, otherwise how could he not even be able to stand up?"

"Yes, looking at him like this, I don't know how much longer he can hold on. Will he collapse in just a few days..."

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about? I think that although Alliance Leader Dongfang's illness is serious, he can still be seen to have some vitality. Perhaps he can hold on for quite a few more days?"

Although the murmurs of the crowd were quiet, every word was still heard on the dueling platform.

The news also reached Dongfang Yuan's ears.

He was leaning against the window of the small riverside pavilion, staring intently at Dongfang Shuo with malice.

When he saw his former cousin again, there was no warmth in his eyes, only utter indifference and disdain.

As he listened to the murmurs of the crowd, his eyes gradually deepened, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Yes, how much longer can it hold out?"

"Perhaps it will happen today."

After speaking, he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and poured the wine in his hand towards Dongfang Shuo.

At this moment, as Dongfang Shuo stood still, everyone below the stage fell silent.

Dongfang Shuo did not sit in the chair specially prepared for him in the center of the stage. Instead, he straightened his back and stood upright under the gaze of the crowd.

He coughed twice before saying in a deep voice, "Today is the last day of the competition. You have all gathered here to witness who the final winner of this competition will be!"

He clearly lacked strength to speak that short sentence; his voice weakened noticeably towards the end, and his lips trembled involuntarily.

Then Dongfang Shuo composed himself and glanced at Dongfang Su, who had been standing quietly beside him.

He raised his voice again and said, "I promised before that whoever wins the next leader of the alliance can marry my daughter."

"But I know that I am nearing the end of my life and that my days are numbered. I wish to keep my daughter by my side for a few more years. Therefore, I am shamelessly canceling this marriage today."

"As compensation, I am willing to give the victor my treasured martial arts manual. I also hope that this person can live up to the position of leader and properly guide the righteous path of our martial arts world."

After he finished speaking, he coughed violently again.

Then, before the audience could react, with a wave of his sleeve, the gongs and drums announced the start of the final martial arts competition.

A moment later, two figures stepped onto the dueling platform.

The man on the left, dressed in blue and with a tall, upright figure, is Xiang Qingsheng, who is holding a steel knife.

After he stepped onto the stage, he bowed to the person opposite him.

The other person, holding a long sword, had a cold expression and simply nodded slightly as a response.

The two looked at each other, neither speaking nor making a move.

"Eh? I know Young Hero Xiang. Who is this other young hero? Why do I feel like I've never seen him before?"

"You brat, you obviously didn't come to watch the competition! This guy's name is Nameless, he's a dark horse in this tournament!"

"Oh! So it's him. I've heard of him before. I heard he's highly skilled in martial arts and has even defeated several long-established masters."

“Indeed. However, I think that although Wuming is strong, it will not be so easy for him to defeat Young Hero Xiang! After all, Young Hero Xiang was personally taught by the old alliance leader.”

"..."

The murmurs of the crowd reached Dongfang Yuan's ears again. This time, he looked down and frowned deeply.

Then, ignoring Xiang Qingsheng's figure on the dueling platform, he began to examine the young man named Wuming.

"Haven't they found out this person's background yet?"

"Replying to the host, this person is very mysterious. We have searched the entire martial arts world but have not found a single rumor about him."

"All we know is that he was here on the first day of the conference, but no one knows where he came from or how he got here."

"It was as if he appeared out of thin air."

"Appeared out of thin air..."

Dongfang Yuan muttered something with a gloomy face, then suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his sharp gaze instantly shot towards a small building some distance away from where he was.

He looked through the open window and was immediately struck by a familiar figure.

The figure was leaning against the window, barely recognizable as human, breaking off pieces of pastry from its hand and hanging them on an absurdly long fishing rod, then raising it to fish in the river.

Dongfang Yuan: "..."

He suddenly closed his eyes, then opened them again, rubbing them in disbelief.

Then a remark from one of his subordinates interrupted his speculation.

"It shouldn't be Xie Yan. Because on several occasions when this person was competing on stage, our people personally saw Xie Yan in other places."

Even so, Dongfang Yuan still observed suspiciously for a while, until the person seemed to notice his gaze and slowly withdrew his eyes.

Then he turned his gaze back to Wuming, who was confronting Xiang Qingsheng.

"So where did this person come from?"

Why did he feel an inexplicable sense of unease that he couldn't control?

Oh well, these people will all be corpses soon anyway, so what trouble can they cause?

Thinking of this, Dongfang Yuan gave a cold smile, licked his dry lips, and said, "How are the preparations I asked you to make?"

The subordinate replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Lord, everything is ready and awaits your command."

Dongfang Yuan nodded in satisfaction and then slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Meanwhile, Xie Yan, who was fishing by the river, unknowingly broke off another piece of pastry.

Then, quite inelegantly, he stuffed it into his mouth.