Chapter Fifty-Four: Tian Boguang Heads to the Latrine

  Tian Boguang had been having a streak of bad luck since he was last pranked by Linghu Chong with the fat girl. He had been neglecting his work and even lost his appetite lately. Just when he finally caught up with that stunningly beautiful nun from the Hengshan Sect who made his heart skip a beat, some flies came to disturb them, playing hero-rescues-maiden games, only to be beaten up by him and thrown out.

  But flies can never be driven away completely, after getting rid of the small ones, the big ones come, and the most absurd thing is that Linghu Chong, who has repeatedly ruined his good deeds, appears in front of him again, and is even forced by him to participate in a heavy gambling fight with the "激将法" (a kind of martial art), if he wins, he can take away the little nun, plus a young apprentice from a famous school, but if he loses, he has to worship the little nun as his master and never dare to offend her for the rest of his life.

  Linghu Cong, this foolish kid, thinks that I, Tian Boguang, with my elegant and refined demeanor, wouldn't see through his crude and unrefined swordsmanship? Little does he know, the mantis stalks the cicada, while the oriole waits behind. Back in the day, I, Tian Boguang, had a leg injury that forced me to sit on a bench for three whole years, practicing my swift knife techniques! And this foolish kid dares to engage in a battle of wits with me?

  Linghu Chong's proposal for a wagered duel was exactly what Tian Boguang had been hoping for. Tian Boguang was full of confidence, because three days ago his martial arts skills had finally broken through the bottleneck and reached the late stage of the ultimate realm. In his opinion, dealing with a senior disciple of the Huashan School would be as easy as catching a bird in the hand.

  It's just that Linghu Cong, this little guy is full of tricks, he wants to use stillness to control movement, letting Linghu Cong make the first move, and then after finding an opening, counterattack and defeat that White-Robed Divine Sword.

  With just one move, the chess piece was placed incorrectly, and the entire board was lost. Linghu Cong's Xuan Tie heavy sword, combined with the power of the Ten Dragons and Ten Elephants of the Longwang Ruo Gong, would have made Tian Boguang's head split open if he had used his full strength.

  Linghu Cong leaped into the air, his powerful slash descending from above like a stormy tempest. Tian Boguang was unfazed, drawing out his Whirlwind Swift Knife and channeling all his energy to meet Linghu's attack with ferocity. Inwardly, he sneered at Linghu's hollow iron sword, which resembled a giant scallion. He had done something similar ten years ago, commissioning a blacksmith to forge an enormous knife with a hollow interior. Although it looked intimidating and awe-inspiring when wielded, its practicality and lethality were far inferior to his current trusty Whirlwind Swift Knife.

  "Clang!"

  Whirlwind Swift Blade and Mysterious Iron Heavy Sword collided heavily, emitting a low-pitched clanging sound. In that instant, Tian Boguang's originally triumphant smile froze, his breath almost caught in his throat, his mouth feeling as if he had eaten feces, his entire face turning red with a purplish tint.

  Feeling the counter-shock force transmitted from Tian Boguang's Wind-and-Fire Wheels, Linghu Chong was taken aback. Tian Boguang's internal energy had increased by a great deal more than he had imagined, far surpassing that of an average top-notch mid-term master. It seemed that he had made a breakthrough recently, no wonder he looked so confident.

  Linghu Chong's mouth twitched, revealing a sly smile. As he turned around, he bumped into Tian Boguang, who suddenly increased his strength with one hand and instantly suppressed the Whirlwind Knife. Linghu Chong quickly withdrew his force, but suddenly bent his body, heavily stepping on Tian Boguang's chest with both feet, then did a backflip, landing steadily.

  Tian Boguang was shocked by Xuan Tian's heavy sword, his body numb, his hands powerless, and he couldn't even muster the strength to resist. He watched helplessly as Linghu Chong kicked him flying with two feet, sending him tumbling from the second floor all the way down to the first, where he landed heavily on a large table, his body covered in wine, food, and dirty dishes.

  "Brother Tian! Ah, Brother Tian, are you alright? I'm really sorry about that. I got a bit too excited with my kick just now and didn't pull back in time. Please forgive me." Linghu Chong said with a smile as he walked down from the second floor with Yilin, standing before Tian Boguang's furious face.

  Tian Boguang looked down and saw the two huge shoe prints on his chest, almost fainting from holding his breath. He was seen panting heavily, his eyes filled with unresigned gaze, and tears slowly flowed out.

  "Hey, Tian brother, losing a bet is nothing to cry about. Look at you, covered in snot and tears." Linghu Chong exclaimed loudly, as if he had discovered some extraordinary tale.

  "Cry your sister! You're the one crying, which bastard ate chili peppers and splattered them all over my face? I'm going to die from spiciness!" Tian Boguang was so angry that his gums were bleeding.

  "Brother Linghu, it seems to be true that it's the chili pepper." The little nun Yilin pointed at a pile of bright red chilies on the ground and said in a low voice.

  Linghu Chong looked and indeed, the bright red chili seeds were all over Tian Boguang's handsome face. The spiciness made him roll his eyes back, his face was as red as a monkey's buttocks. Who the hell did this? Was it some master who knew Tian Boguang was going to fall down and specially prepared this for him?

  "Brother Tian, you've suffered injustice. Don't worry, I have some medical knowledge. This won't leave a scar. Just apply the ointment for ten days to half a month and it'll be fine." Linghu Chong said with an extremely strange tone, speaking words of concern, making Tian Boguang wish he could faint on the spot.

  Perhaps it was a good cry that relieved the pain in his heart, or perhaps he was severely stimulated by Linghu Cong's words. Tian Boguang suddenly jumped up from the ground like he had taken a powerful stimulant, and pointed at Linghu Cong, cursing loudly: "Linghu Cong, you are so despicable! I treated you as a close friend, letting you make the first move, but you used a heavy sword to fight me in earnest, secretly plotting against me."

  "Brother Tian, that's not right. Everyone agreed to a fair fight, one move per person. You're the one who's too afraid to make a move, which is why you asked me to go first. The people at Huiyan Building saw it all with their own eyes. Besides, did I ever say this sword was hollow? This is a heavy sword made of Tianwai Xuan iron, weighing 99 pounds and 81 ounces."

  Linghu Chong gazed at Tian Boguang with a suspicious look, his tone strange as he said: "Now that the outcome is decided, according to the wager, since Brother Tian has lost, then he must bow to Shifu Yilin and for the rest of his life not show her any disrespect. Could it be that Brother Tian wants to go back on his word in broad daylight, in front of everyone?"

  "Who, who has denied it? Don't spout nonsense! I, Tian Boguang, am a man of my word, and once I've said something, it's set in stone. You're now doubting my character!" Tian Boguang exclaimed, his eyes flashing with agitation.

  "Alright, since that's the case, then let's kneel down and pay respects to our master in front of all these fellow martial artists." Linghu Chong pulled the little nun Yilun forward and said to Tian Boguang.

  "Kneel down! Kneel down!"

  "Kowtowing to the master, kowtowing to the master!"

  The upstairs and downstairs are surrounded by a crowd of Jianghu gossipers who loudly cheer and jeer.

  Tian Boguang's originally slightly red face suddenly turned green, and he violently spat out a large mouthful of bright red blood. He clutched his stomach with one hand, furrowed his brow in pain, and exclaimed: "Ahh, Leng Hu brother, my stomach hurts, I've vomited blood! I need to go to the outhouse, let's put off this matter of becoming sworn brothers for now!"

  After finishing speaking, Tian Boguang was like he had taken a catty of top-grade tonic, his whole body full of energy, and with a "brush" sound, he slipped away directly.

  This speed gave Linghu Chong a kind of illusion that even Lingbo Weibu couldn't catch up.

  The entire Returning Goose Tower suddenly fell silent, with Leng Qiuhe and a group of Jianghu Bagua staring at Dang's stunned expression, their faces pale, directly shocked to the point of being externally scorched and internally tender.

  What the hell are you going to the outhouse for, is there something in the outhouse that can stop your bleeding? This Tian Boguang is too shameless, coming up with such a lame excuse.

  (PS: Thanks to book friend aguji for the reward, and sorry to say that the promised update of "Little Fatty" by aguji and Brother Red Dragon cannot be fulfilled, 12,000 words, what a sweat! Also, I'd like to clarify that the female lead of this book is Dongfang Qianlian, and Lin Wanru will be an important catalyst for the war in the future imperial dynasty.)