stonecrandall Chapter 53 The Drunkard and the Old Man
Chapter 53 The Drunkard and the Old Man
Chapter 53 The Drunkard and the Old Man
"Are you mocking me for not being able to handle Zhu Zhuqing? For betraying me because of Zhu Zhuqing? Hmph, you've misjudged me, and Zhu Zhuqing has misjudged me too. But so what? I, Dai Mubai, a true man, will prove myself."
Dai Mubai burst into hearty laughter, his laughter ringing out like a barbell.
Then, his laughter gradually subsided, replaced by an awkward silence. He realized that Davis and Zhu Zhuyun were both looking at him with an expression as if he were an idiot.
Even his own teammates seemed to have realized what was going on, looking at him with a strange expression.
Did I say something wrong?
"Um, Mu Bai, have you forgotten which team you're in right now?"
Davis looked at Dai Mubai strangely and said suggestively.
"Hey, Heaven Dou Royal Team Three. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Dai Mubai said, somewhat bewildered.
"You joined the Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy's team, and now you want to defeat our Star Luo Royal team, bring glory to the Heaven Dou Royal Family, and thus obtain the position of Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
Davis forced himself to suppress a laugh and said...
In an instant, Dai Mubai involuntarily took two steps back, as if he had been enlightened and suddenly realized something; at this moment, he felt dizzy and his vision went black.
Indeed, as a prince of the Star Luo Empire, is it possible that the moment he donned the purple-gold uniform of the Heaven Dou Royal Team and stepped onto the stage of the All-Continent Soul Master Tournament, his political career was already doomed?
Of course, for a prince of the Star Luo Empire, a death sentence in his political career essentially meant a death sentence in a biological sense.
No wonder. When he was recruited by that damned Fifth Prince Xue Li at Blue Tyrant Academy, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he didn't think about it in detail at the time.
Indeed, as long as he is on this stage that is watched by the entire continent, no matter which academy he represents, even if it is Shrek Academy wearing Shrek green school uniforms, as long as he can defeat Davis, he can gain the recognition of the Star Luo Empire and become the future crown prince.
However, this excludes all the academies except for the Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy! What kind of behavior is this? To put it bluntly, it's treason! Moreover, it's happening on such an important stage, against the Star Luo Royal Team!
If he loses, he might be able to explain it away by saying he was deep behind enemy lines, enduring hardship and biding his time; but if he wins...
The consequences would be far worse than losing! Everyone in the entire Star Luo Empire would want nothing more than to get rid of him!
He had been preoccupied with how to defeat Davis and gain the approval of his father and the nobles. But he had completely forgotten the most important and fatal thing!
At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to roar, tear his purple-gold battle suit to shreds, and jump off the fighting platform! Would I really want to do this? I'm desperate too!
After the exchange concluded, the match officially began with the referee's whistle. A distraught Dai Mubai, facing the unstoppable momentum of Davis, barely managed to withstand three moves before Davis unleashed a powerful "Sweeping Strike," sweeping him off the stage and knocking him unconscious.
In the distance, looking at Dai Mubai unconscious beneath the competition stage, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes also revealed a complex expression. That expression wasn't one of sorrow for Dai Mubai, nor of sympathy, but rather an indescribable sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or wistfulness).
How could her fiancé, the man she was destined to live and die with, end up in such an absurd situation?
It's lamentable, it's tragic, but it doesn't seem pitiful.
Zhu Zhuqing also donned the purple-gold battle uniform of the Heaven Dou Royal Team. However, the moment she donned this uniform and stepped onto the stage of the All-Continent Soul Master Tournament, she had already made up her mind to completely sever ties with the Star Luo Empire. Perhaps this severance wouldn't be so easy; the people of the Star Luo Empire might continue to pester her.
However, she also has the courage to face whatever comes next.
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"Sigh. Should I address you as Your Highness the Fifth Prince, or... Morax?"
In a quiet corner in the distance, inside a pergola where people could sit and rest, a young man with blue hair lay lazily on a soft chair, poured himself a sip of wine, and said in a drunken daze.
"Let's stick to the old ways. You drunken poet."
Zhongli crossed his arms and looked at his old friend, whose appearance was no different from before, and said calmly.
"Alright, old man. Judging from your appearance, are you still planning to rebuild Liyue in this world? Sigh, this bard is going to have endless material to sing about again. Sigh, old man, you're still so good to me."
The boy blinked his beautiful emerald eyes and said.
"It's not that I want to rebuild Liyue; it's that the world is full of suffering, and I can only do my best to protect a corner of this floating world."
Zhong Li shook his head and said with some emotion.
"Sigh, you're just never able to stay still. Back then, you seemed to have left the throne and was wandering the world... hiccup. But only I know that your eyes were still fixed on Moonsea Pavilion, on Liyue Harbor!"
The young man hiccuped, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, and spoke. Zhong Li fell silent as well.
"Why don't you go and meet with the High Inquisitor? He's quite talented. It's just that he hasn't come to see you yet because of some unresolved issues, and he's been keeping a low profile. In your Liyue's ancient times, didn't you have that story of 'Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage'? You had to visit Zhuge Liang three times to persuade him; if you want to persuade this Water Dragon King, you should also visit him three times. That's the spirit of the ancients!"
The young man put down the wine pot, looked at Zhongli with a faint smile, and then said.
"He finally managed to see that person again after a long time. He should wait a while before bothering them again."
Zhong Li sighed softly and said. At the same time, a complex emotion flashed in his amber eyes.
"Well then, I wish the old man good luck. I'm just a slacker, so don't worry about me. But don't let your students bully me during the Shenfeng Academy match later."
A look of fear appeared on the boy's face as he spoke.
Zhong Li: "."
Keep pretending.
After their conversation, the two parted ways and returned to their respective academy teams. Meanwhile, the competition on the Soul Arena had essentially come to an end.
The Heavenly Dou Royal Team 3 ultimately emerged victorious in this Soul Battle competition. However, this battle was far more difficult than any of the previous ones, with only the three main players—Jiang Zhu, Ai Lin, and Dugu Yan—persevering to the very end. The only two substitute players, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, were the first to be eliminated, highlighting the significant skill gap between the main players and the substitutes.
In the end, only six teams remained out of the thirty-three teams in the final round, advancing to the semifinals. These were the Spirit Hall team, the Heaven Dou Royal Team 3, the Divine Wind Academy, the Heavenly Water Academy, the Thunder Academy, and the Heaven Dou Royal Team 1.
Among them, besides the Spirit Hall team of the Golden Generation, the performances of the Heaven Dou Royal Team 3 and Tianshui Academy were the most outstanding. The Heaven Dou Royal Team 3 needs no introduction; before their match against the Star Luo Royal Team, few people were optimistic about their chances, even though the team had already demonstrated considerable strength. However, unexpectedly, it was the Heaven Dou Team 3 that ultimately emerged victorious, advancing to the semi-finals alongside Team 1.
In fact, many people now believe that Team Three is actually slightly stronger than Team One. If Team One were to face Team Star Luo Royal, they would likely be in serious trouble.
And then there's Tianshui Academy, which usually keeps a low profile, but this time they suddenly had three mysterious team members—one man and two women—whose performance was extremely unusual. Especially the handsome man with a tuft of white hair on his forehead; he was unbelievably powerful. In the previous match against Elephant Armor Academy, his teammates didn't even have to lift a finger; he just spun around a few times, and the entire opposing team was down.
Even in victory, the man's face never showed any expression.
(End of this chapter)