Martial Arts Showdown: My Wife Asked Me to Be the Champion

Chapter 15 The Long Night, Sleepless

The chaos in the capital had nothing to do with Xu Qingya.

Xu Qingya returned home, washed her face, lay wearily on the bed, and hugged Doubao in her arms. It was cold in early spring, and Doubao needed to be kept warm with its furry coat.

Tangdun'er is not afraid of heat but afraid of cold. She can frolic and roll around in the flames, but she dares not tumble in the snow. Xu Qingya specially made a "bird's nest" for Tangdun'er.

If the "bird's nest" is placed next to the pillow, and Xu Qingya turns over too much while sleeping, she may easily turn Tangdun into a pillow and then be woken up by Tangdun.

In this respect, Lao Jiu has the biggest advantage. Xu Qingya can use Doubao'er as a pillow and Tangdun'er as a hand warmer, but he dares not let Lao Jiu run wild.

Not only did they not dare to let Lao Jiu run wild, but they also personally bathed, brushed, and removed insects from Lao Jiu, and rode it for hundreds of miles every few days to let it vent its anger.

Just as Xu Qingya was petting the dog, a heavy footstep sounded outside. The way the footsteps landed indicated that it wasn't an enemy. Xu Qingya frowned and got up.

Doubao did not issue a warning.

The sugar cube didn't fly out and catch anyone's eyes.

Looking through the window, a slender figure stood on the wall, wearing a straw hat, so her face was not visible, but judging from her figure, she was clearly a woman.

Who is this woman who can make Doubao'er and Tangdun'er lower their guard at the same time, with a calm demeanor, elegant temperament, and ethereal like clouds and mist?

That's really hard to guess!

Xu Qingya picked up a large gourd of wine and took out an oil paper package, saying with a smile, "I have fine wine and beef here, would you like to have a couple of drinks?"

Fine wine is a gift from Zhui Ming.

I bought the beef on the side when I bought beef bones for Doubao'er. I was planning to have Chef Lei make a big bowl of beef noodles for me tomorrow morning, but it looks like I won't have the chance now!

"You travel the world without a shred of caution? Aren't you being a bit careless? Do you know the saying that a victorious army is bound to be arrogant, and an arrogant army is bound to be defeated?"

Yang Yan pinched her throat, her tone extremely strange.

Xu Qingya joked, "My lady, I not only know that victorious armies are bound to be arrogant, and arrogant armies are bound to be defeated, but I also know the principle that defeated armies are bound to be dejected, and dejected armies are bound to be victorious!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Yang Yan was stunned!

Are you speaking human language?

A victorious army is bound to be arrogant; an arrogant army is bound to be defeated; a defeated army is bound to be dejected; a dejected army is bound to be victorious; a victorious army is bound to be arrogant...

Whose nonsensical military strategy is this?

What's this talk about defeated soldiers always being pitiful, and pitiful soldiers always being victorious? When a soldier is defeated, they should be completely routed! Those who can rally their defeated troops after a major defeat are all renowned generals of their time.

Xu Qingya laughed and said, "Miss Pan, if you have some free time, we can have a drink and some spiced beef, and discuss our insights on swordsmanship!"

How did you know my surname is Pan?

"First of all, the fact that you made the noise shows that you are not my enemy, or at least you have no hostility."

Secondly, the fact that you unconsciously spoke in a tone of admonition and instruction indicates that you are my fellow student.

"I don't have any senior sisters in the Magpie Blade Sect, which means you're a senior sister in the Guantao Pavilion. Coincidentally, isn't the most famous female disciple in the Guantao Pavilion surnamed Pan?"

The above analysis is pure nonsense.

The real reason is...

Xu Qingya pointed to the steamed bun.

Yang Yan blushed, her fair face turning as red as an apple in an instant. She forgot that Xu Qingya had a spirit dog that was best at recognizing people.

The exquisite disguise technique could fool Tangdun'er's eyes, but it couldn't fool Doubao'er's nose. With Doubao'er around, the disguise technique was practically the same as looking in a mirror.

—There's a clown in the mirror!

Yang Yan is an exceptionally intelligent person, but recently there have been too many changes and too drastic shifts. When it comes to matters involving Xu Qingya, she always thinks through emotional reasoning.

Where is the rationality?

Reason was completely overwhelmed by Xu Qingya's good looks!

Yang Yan waved her hand and took off her straw hat, displaying a mature charm reminiscent of the red spider lily under the moonlight. Every gesture she made exuded the elegance of a stunning fairy.

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Qingya and Yang Yan set up a clay pot in the room, warmed wine with a small red clay stove, and served it with spiced beef. The side dish to cut through the greasiness was pickled cabbage.

Where can you find fresh vegetables at the beginning of spring?

Fortunately, Granny Cai made some sauerkraut last winter, and Xu Qingya was raised by a chef from Northeast China since childhood, so his skill in making sauerkraut was absolutely top-notch.

In less than fifteen minutes, the casserole was steaming hot with pickled cabbage and pork, and on the table was stir-fried pickled cabbage and vermicelli. In front of Yang Yan was a bowl of pickled cabbage and shredded pork noodles.

The noodles were bought from Master Lei's house.

Xu Qingya picked up a slice of meat, rolled some pickled cabbage inside, and placed it on a small plate: "Try it! Authentic pickled cabbage and pork belly, my senior master's specialty!"

Yang Yan asked curiously, "You can cook?"

Xu Qingya shrugged: "My master spends at least seven months a year out there doing chivalrous deeds. I was raised by my eldest uncle, who is a cook."

"Aren't you worried that learning to cook will take up too much of your time?"

"First of all, I just want to learn how to cook, not become a royal chef. It won't take too long. I'll just treat cooking as a way to relax after I'm tired from training."

Secondly, knife practice is related to cooking. When practicing chopping, you can train your control and finely control your strength, so that you can use the knife at will.

Third, when traveling, eating dry food and having hot soup noodles are completely different concepts. Eating in the open and sleeping outdoors is too damaging to the spleen and stomach, and stomach diseases are the most difficult to treat.

Finally, martial arts training emphasizes balance. Damage to the spleen and stomach can lead to an imbalance of the "earth" element in the body, which in turn affects other organs and slows down the training speed.

You might not know this, but even bandit dens like the Blood Blade Sect practice knife skills like cooking. The basic skill is slicing tofu into thin slices.

"Didn't you learn these things, senior sister?"

Xu Qingya's words were not nonsense.

The Blood Blade Sect is a branch of the Black Sect of Esoteric Buddhism, and is one of the orthodox sects of Esoteric Buddhism. They practice authentic yoga, and their moves are unorthodox, but they require a very high level of foundation.

In the original storyline, the Blood Saber Ancestor showed off his swordsmanship to Di Yun, had Shui Sheng lie flat on the ground, placed a strand of hair on the tip of her nose, and then rode off on horseback.

As their figures intersected, the Blood Saber Ancestor swung his blade across Shui Sheng's nose, his hair catching on the blade without damaging her nose in the slightest, demonstrating the profound depth of his foundation.

Yang Yan said, "The swordsmanship of Guantao Pavilion needs to be practiced in water, emphasizing calming the sea and subduing the waves. Qingya, do you still have the strength? Let's exchange a few moves later."

Xu Qingya knew that Yang Yan couldn't have come just to spar in the middle of the night, but since Yang Yan didn't speak, Xu Qingya didn't want to say anything more and just casually responded with two words.

As the biggest intelligence broker in the capital, Yang Yan has keen eyesight and a photographic memory, and knows the history of the martial arts world over the past century like the back of her hand.

After three drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

Yang Yan is now "Pan Youdi," with the boldness of a female knight-errant, pouring out all the frustrations of the past few days and fully revealing her inner feelings.

Xu Qingya is very good at "listening". Apart from Ding Dian, who is a chatterbox, he can skillfully play the straight man when anyone opens their mouth, ensuring that the atmosphere will not become awkward.

After all, Xu Qingya grew up in Northeast China.

The two hit it off as they chatted, much like chatting about everyday life over a hot pot on a heated brick bed in Northeast China, with the bubbling casserole steaming and making their faces flush red.

Doubao wagged its tail boredly, exchanged a glance with Tangdun, and quickly went to the stable, where it lay down on the feed prepared for Laojiu and tried to take a nap.

With the two "third wheels" gone, Xu Qingya and Yang Yan chatted more and more enthusiastically. After finishing their last drink, the two went out of the room and set up their fighting stance in the open space.

"Qingya, don't underestimate me! If I wound you later, I'll laugh at you for the rest of my life!"

"Senior sister, please feel free to make your move!"

Xu Qingya slightly opened his feet, adopting an awkward posture, his Heavenly Pool Divine Palm poised to strike.

Yang Yan lightly leaped forward three feet, lightly touching a protruding blue stone with her toes. This leap and touch made her body as steady as Mount Tai.

Like waves, a continuous aura emanated from Yang Yan in all directions. Yang Yan's martial arts skills were not high; that was in comparison to powerful figures like Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun.

In the martial arts world, both the Fairy Jinghong and the heroine Pan Youdi are top-notch figures. With a flick of her wrist, she reached for her waist, and a shimmering light appeared.

Upon closer inspection, Yang Yan held a soft knife with a blade as thin as paper and only three inches wide. The knife was crystal clear and bright, with a translucent blade, resembling jade.

As Yang Yan made her move, the soft knife made a crisp, crackling sound. The blade reflected the moonlight, sparking tiny starlight points. The interplay of stars and moon was quite a sight.

After a series of flashes and tremors, the soft knife, like a snake coiled around a tree, tightly wrapped around Yang Yan's wrist. Yang Yan extended her right hand, and the blade sprang up.

"Your sword is named Jade Feather, watch out!"

Yang Yan swung her knife at Xu Qingya's shoulder.

As the right arm swung the sword, the elasticity of the blade, the speed of its flight, and the force of its downward strike were all perfectly unleashed the moment it reached Xu Qingya's shoulder.

Xu Qingya slightly shifted his feet and raised his palm to form a knife.

Xu Qingya is only proficient in three martial arts techniques, and her moves are extremely fierce, making them unsuitable for sparring. If she were to use the Heavenly Pool Divine Palm to defend herself, it would seem disrespectful to the beauty.

That being the case...

Xu Qingya used a "half-finished product"!

This is a sword technique created by Xu Qingya.

Since it's self-created, the sword technique is naturally named...

—Creation Knife!

The knife creates freely, the mind creates freely, the mind creates freely, creation is the knife, and the knife is creation!