~~~

“I surrender.”

Liu Jin’s words come as an anti-climax. For a moment, the people are left blinking, wondering what just happened. By the time Liu Jin’s words sink in, the announcer’s hand has already come up.

“Liu Jin of the Xiao Sect has surrendered. Yun Han of the Yun Sect wins!”

The words echo across the arena, making many frowns appear on the crowd. Mutters, murmurs, and grumbles are aplenty, for no one had wanted the fight to end just yet. Even though everyone was sure Liu Jin had no chance against Yun Han, they had allowed themselves to become invested in the fight. Every second kept surpassing their expectations. During the last clash, people stood and cheered for both sides, blanketing the arena with deafening noise.

All that is over now.

Yun Han has won. It is the conclusion everyone expected, yet the way in which it happened leaves a sour taste in their mouths.

However, their feelings cannot possibly be compared to Yun Han’s.

His victory has been declared, yet the corona of Qi around Yun Han does not fade away. It keeps on burning with violent intent.

“Surrender?” Yun Han echoes, his voice stilted by rage. “You surrender?”

The rubble around Yun Han crumbles under the weight of his Qi.

His face is pale and sweaty. Green-ish marks have appeared on his skin, and his breathing is heavier than usual. It is clear that his body is feeling the effects of the poison.

However, Yun Han still has more than enough power to kill Liu Jin.

“Do you think I’ll allow such a thing!”

“The rules of the tournament are not something we have control over, Yun Han,” Liu Jin replies, getting ready to defend himself should it be needed. “We fought, yet it is clear I was not your match.”

Yun Han’s glare is fulminating in its intensity.

“I have pushed myself too far during this fight and can no longer continue. Thus, I surrendered. Surely, you cannot find fault with this? The rules allow us to surrender at any moment. Is that not so?”

The announcer gulps as Liu Jin aims the question at him. Suddenly, he is the target of Yun Han’s ire. His glare demands the announcer to deny Liu Jin and allow the fight to continue. Right now, there is nothing Yun Han wants more than that.

Yun Han may have won the match, but Liu Jin has wounded him too deeply for Yun Han to ever forgive him.

It is not because of the poison. Liu Jin is certain that Yun Han’s body will be able to fight it off eventually. No, what Liu Jin damaged is not Yun Han’s body.

It is his pride.

Yun Han fought against someone he surpassed in almost every way, and in the end, he was hurt by that person. He planned to harm Liu Jin, yet Liu Jin is completely unharmed while Yun Han is the one whose body is wounded.

In fact, Yun Han did not score a single hit on Liu Jin throughout the entire fight.

No matter how Yun Han looks at it, the entire fight is a deliberate insult to his person, one he cannot stand. It is only natural for Yun Han to be as angry as he is. However, Liu Jin’s surrender has taken away his opportunity for immediate retaliation, leaving him without an outlet for his wrath.

No matter how much he wants to, Yun Han cannot attack Liu Jin right now. The only thing he can do is to stand by and let Liu Jin walk away.

It is, without a doubt, the sort of situation that makes one cough blood.

All that frustration is now aimed at the lone announcer.

“I...I… P-Participant Liu Jin is co-correct,” the announcer manages to stutter out, impressing Liu Jin. Then again, if he sided with Yun Han, the wrath of the Xiao Sect would come down on him. When caught between the two, siding with the Xiao Sect is only natural.

A guttural sound leaves Yun Han’s throat.

“How sad it must be to blame others for your inadequacy.”

Xiao Fang makes his entrance with all the confidence in the world. Everyone had been so caught up by Liu Jin and Yun Han that they completely failed to take notice of his arrival.

“This is no business of yours, Xiao Fang!”

Xiao Fang laughs at that.

“No business of mine? You threaten my brother-in-law, and I am expected not to interfere? Were my brother-in-law’s blows so strong that you have taken leave of your senses?”

Just like that, Xiao Fang reminds Yun Han of his poor performance against Liu Jin, further hammering his humiliation while also making it clear Yun Han will not get his way today.

Xiao Fang, Liu Jin muses, is very good at insulting people.

“We are in the middle of a tournament match.”

Yun Han’s reply is weak. Perhaps, if he were thinking calmly, he’d be able to better argue his case.

“You were in the middle of a tournament match,” Xiao Fang corrects him, moving with confident steps until he is beside Liu Jin. “My brother-in-law surrendered. You were declared the winner. I trust these events have not escaped your notice?”

A smarter person would have stopped arguing there.

“Does he look like he can no longer fight?” Yun Han yells, raising his arm to point at Liu Jin.

“Irrelevant. My brother-in-law knows his limits, something which clearly cannot be said of you.” Xiao Fang’s smile turns smug. “If we are to judge who can continue to fight purely based on appearance, I am afraid it would be you who would be deemed unfit. Of course, if that is what you desire, our Xiao Sect has no problems with such an outcome.”

Some people in the audience laugh at that, causing Yun Han’s anger to soar.

The people are laughing at him, and there is nothing he can do about it.

“Young Master Yun Han,” Wu Yan’s voice is as meek as Liu Jin has ever heard it. Dr. Wu’s son has made its way into the ruined ring and now stands a few yards behind Yun Han. He does not dare to step closer. “They are right… the fight… it is over. You won.”

Wu Yan may tell him he has won, but Liu Jin can tell Yun Han’s mind is stuck on the sentence before that one.

It is over.

Yun Han’s angry Qi vanishes an instant later. His angry expression fades away, and if it weren’t for the hate shining in his eyes, Liu Jin would almost believe he has calmed down.

“Very well. Take your brother-in-law out of my sight, Xiao Fang. We will continue this discussion during the finals.”

Xiao Fang’s smile widens at that.

“I will eagerly wait for that moment,” he says as he and Liu Jin start walking away.

“W-Wait!” Wu Yan, who is already in the process of treating Yun Han, calls out to them. “Both participants need to stay for treatment.”

“I will be sure to take my brother-in-law to the infirmary,” Xiao Fang says. “It should be okay. After all, he sustained heavy damage during the fight, as you can all clearly see.”

Xiao Fang’s words are without shame. After all, Liu Jin is without injury. Just by looking at him, one would never be able to guess he is the one who lost the match. Still, Liu Jin nods.

“I can barely stand,” Liu Jin adds tonelessly.

This, of course, does nothing but make Yun Han angrier. Yet again, he is being forced to face the fact that he is the one who needs medical attention after fighting Liu Jin.

“Let them leave.”

To Wu Yan’s credit, Yun Han only has to say it once. Challenging an angry Yun Han would not be a smart move. Wu Yan abandons the task of getting Liu Jin and Xiao Fang to stay and turns his attention to Yun Han, his hands glowing with Qi as he examines him.

Liu Jin and Xiao Fang walk out of the arena slowly. Too slowly. They are barely about to leave the audience’s sight when they hear it.

“Wait!”

Wu Yan once again calls out to them with a clearly uncomfortable look on his face.

“Do you not see I am taking my brother-in-law to be treated?”

“My apologies, Young Master Xiao Fang,” Wu Yan says as he walks towards them. In a quieter tone, he continues. “However, this cannot wait. I must ask your brother-in-law a question as a fellow doctor.”

“Is that so? Out with it then!”

Unlike Wu Yan, Xiao Fang makes no effort to lower his voice.

“I am afraid I must ask about the poisonous Qi you used in your fight against Young Master Yun Han. It is important for his treatment,” Wu Yan says in a voice Liu Jin barely hears.

“What is there to say? It is merely Poison-attuned Qi.” Liu Jin shrugs his shoulders. “Surely, someone of your caliber can easily treat Yun Han’s condition. After all, you are Doctor Wu’s son, who is the greatest doctor in Eastern Port City. Were you not eager to show off your medical skills? How could someone trained by a doctor who cannot use Qi say something that might help you?”

Wu Yan says nothing. Liu Jin lets the silence drag on.

“Unless,” he says at last. “You are saying you do not know how to treat Yun Han. In that case, I can assure you that Yun Han is in no danger. His body will naturally overcome the poison in time. Though I am not sure if that will happen before the tournament ends. I imagine the Yun Sect won’t like that.”

Wu Yan pales, something which doesn’t escape Xiao Fang’s notice.

“Is that how it is then? Are you saying your skills are so poor, you must now ask the one who wounded Yun Han to heal him?”

Xiao Fang’s words are not the least bit quiet. They make their way to even the furthest seat in the arena.

Everyone heard.

Everyone knows.

The fight against Yun Han is a complete success.

~~~

“That went even better than expected.”

”Wu Yan panicked,” Liu Jin says. “The prospect of not being able to heal Yun Han scared him. He’d have never thought to ask for help so publically otherwise.”

The two are making their way back to the Xiao Sect’s private room.

“To think he’d so thoroughly shame himself and Yun Han.” The smile on Xiao Fang’s face is the truest one Liu Jin has ever seen from him. “Congratulations, you performed your part flawlessly.”

By asking help from Liu Jin, Wu Yan had admitted his own skills were not good enough to counter Liu Jin’s poison. Furthermore, he placed Yun Han in a position in which he needed Liu Jin’s help

Liu Jin had, of course, given it, and thus had twice shamed Yun Han in one day.

To be honest, Liu Jin is surprised Yun Han had retained enough self-control not to attack him while he was treating him.

“I suppose I did.”

Xiao Fang glances at him out of the corner of his eyes. “You do not look happy. You fought Yun Han and got as close to victory as someone like you can. I expected you to be prouder of yourself.”

“I am not sure if I have anything to be proud of,” Liu Jin replies honestly.

He’d deliberately baited Yun Han, stoked his anger, and humiliated him.

Is that something to be happy about?

Xiao Fang sighs. “Yet again, I cannot understand you at all. Fine! I’ll make sure to bask enough for the both of us.”

This time it is Liu Jin who looks at Xiao Fang out of the corner of his eye.

“Will you be okay?”

After all, Liu Jin is already out of the competition, but Xiao Fang is still in it. Yun Han and Wu Yan have both been humiliated today. They cannot take revenge on Liu Jin through the tournament, but Xiao Fang is still a valid target.

“It is still much too early for someone like you to worry about me. You played your part well enough. Allow me to take care of the rest.”

~~~