Chapter Twenty-One: The Dark Horse

  In this way, everyone reached a consensus, and the gamble went smoothly.

  Han Jiangxue wasn't in a hurry to decide what they would bet on, anyway these were all rich young masters, not afraid of running away with excuses later.

  The second round of the competition has begun, and several people have followed to watch the game. Compared to the first round, the overall level has naturally improved a lot, so there are more spectators now.

  Han Jing easily defeated his opponent in this round, but his expression looked neither arrogant nor impatient. He gave people a feeling of being more calm and composed than before, which led to many onlookers whispering among themselves. Even Zhang Haicheng couldn't help but praise him, saying that it seemed Han Jing's days of secluded study had not been in vain.

  During the trial, unless already eliminated, all trial participants are not allowed to leave or take arbitrary actions. Therefore, after Han Jing got off the stage, he didn't run around wildly, but excitedly waved his hand in the direction where Han Jiangxue was standing, and only after seeing his own sister's happy response waving back did he follow the palace staff leading the way back to the Qīn Wǔ Temple for a short rest.

  "Han Jiangxue, I think it's more likely that your brother will win earlier." Li Xingming said with some regret, muttering to himself.

  Others thought Li Xingming was talking about the previous bet, so no one paid attention. Only Han Jiangxue smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow, with a hint of pride in her eyes.

  The girl's nature was still revealing her true feelings in moments that were hard to conceal, and Mo Li happened to catch a glimpse of that flash of cunning light at the right moment. He suddenly felt that he had never seen a girl as lively and multifaceted as Han Jiangxue before, and his curiosity increased involuntarily by several degrees.

  "Song Qin, you little kid can't lose this chance to show off your skills, Han Jiangxue doesn't know what's wrong with him, he's so anxious to beat you! You mustn't let him win this round!"

  Suddenly, Li Xingming's voice rose again, this time completely devoid of the murmuring tone from before. He was excited, shouting loudly at the young man in green who had just stepped onto the eastern platform, his face finally showing a hint of joy.

  The onlookers couldn't help but burst out laughing, some because of Li Xingming's behavior and others because of what he said. Han Jiangxue thought Song Qin would win.

  The young man in green on the stage was also surprised, and soon looked over. Unexpectedly, his first glance fell on Han Jiangxue's face beside Li Xingming.

  The young man seemed to have never thought that someone would look up to him so much, and upon seeing Han Jiang Xue's gaze, he saw a calm and unapologetic expression, and for a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

  He smiled slightly, and the slightly greenish Korean Jiang Xue nodded to show his gratitude, then withdrew his gaze and turned his head to focus on preparing for this round's opponent.

  Han Jiangxue naturally understood that the young man was Song Qin. Although they were not close and couldn't see very clearly, Song Qin's eyes gave people a deep impression, a pair of eyes that could speak, a rare pair of speaking eyes among men!

  "Han Jiangxue, didn't you say you don't know Song Qin? How did he recognize you at a glance?" That side had already started fighting, while this side's Li Xingming was puzzled and turned to ask Han Jiangxue.

  Zhang Haicheng immediately took over and said to Han Jiangxue, "You just shouted so loudly, and there's only one woman, Jiangxue, beside you. She still has some insight."

  "Li Xingming, what's with the loud shouting? And how dare you say I've gone mad?" Han Jiangxue raised her hand in a threatening gesture: "If I win later, you'll have to pay double, otherwise I'll give you a good slap on the mouth."

  Seeing this, the prince Li Xinghua was somewhat anxious and wanted to mediate, but was pulled back by Zhang Haicheng. Upon seeing that these two were just fooling around, there was no need to intervene.

  As expected, Li Xingming was straightforward and agreed without hesitation, not showing any signs of resistance, so nothing came out of it.

  Today Li Xingming is so obedient, this situation is not the first time, so Li Xinghua didn't worry too much. The crowd quickly shifted their attention back to the arena and found that Song Qin was indeed capable, defeating a not-so-weak opponent in just over ten rounds with ease.

  "It seems that Song Qin really has some skills, this time Jiang Xue gambled on him winning and it's not too far-fetched." Zhang Haicheng said somewhat objectively. Thinking back to before, he hadn't really paid much attention to Song Qin.

  "Of course, how could my elder brother be wrong?" Han Jiangxue smiled and responded with a single word, naturally pushing the credit to Han Jing once again.

  "Hmm, you siblings are indeed not ordinary bodyguards." Zhang Haicheng heard that one sentence "My big brother's words can't be wrong", and for a moment, he couldn't help but laugh again.

  On the side, Li Xingming was extremely in agreement with Zhang Haosheng's words, and although Li Xinghua did not speak up, his expression also completely acknowledged what Zhang Haosheng had said.

  Mo Li, who had been quiet all along, suddenly said, "That's not favoritism, that's trust!"

  For a moment, the several people who were laughing and talking just now all fell silent, no longer speaking or smiling. As if they were thinking about Mo Li's words from earlier, and also as if they were comparing their own surroundings, to see if there was someone who would unconditionally protect them like that.

  Han Jiangxue didn't say anything else and instead smiled at Mo Li again, her expression serene.

  Several arenas were held simultaneously, and the second round also didn't take too long. By the time the final contest of the third round began, the battle was becoming increasingly thrilling and intense.

  The last round no longer uses a lottery system, but instead allows players to challenge opponents on their own initiative. Each participant has at least one chance to challenge an opponent and also has the opportunity to be challenged by someone else. Those who lose both times are eliminated immediately, while the remaining players cycle again, with the two winners competing for the final championship.

  As the competition progressed, more and more people gradually discovered that a young man named Song Qin was like a dark horse, becoming increasingly brave in battle. He defeated two hot favorites from the Imperial City's betting pool one after another, directly charging into the final showdown.

  Han Jing's performance was also very good, unfortunately he lost to the top favorite in this martial arts competition and finally ended up with a third place finish.

  "Heavens, Han Jiang Xue, you wouldn't have actually won the bet, would you?" Looking at Song Qin who was now standing in the center of the largest arena, fiercely battling it out with the number one hot contender, Li Xing Ming's eyes shone like stars, radiating dazzling brilliance.

  This Song Qin is indeed a dark horse, emerging suddenly and astonishing everyone! This is truly the biggest dark horse, unexpectedly killing all the way to the end. If he really wins, then the 1,000 taels of silver he bet earlier will be a huge profit!

  "Even if Song Qin didn't win in the end, being able to make it this far, he's already the biggest dark horse of the year, leaving a deep impression!" Zhang Haicheng sighed and then looked at Han Jiangxue: "Can't help but admit, your brother's eye for talent is indeed not bad."

  "Hmm, indeed worthy of being General Song's son. The saying 'a tiger father has no dog son' is true after all. I remember he didn't participate last year, so his incredible strength was unknown to everyone." Li Xinghua said subconsciously while watching.

  "He's so formidable yet he didn't participate, isn't this being too low-key? If it were me, I would have gone up long ago, what a great opportunity to make a name for myself!" Li Xingming laughed without restraint, bluntly speaking his mind.

  Li Xinghua couldn't help but turn his head to look at his younger brother, slightly embarrassed, and scolded: "Do you think everyone is like you? You're just a nobody, don't have wild ideas about seeking fame, just don't bring shame to the Zhuang family and that's enough."

  "It's a bit too low-key." Han Jiangxue heard it and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Li Xingming was somewhat indignant, but he kept thinking about the 1,000 taels and didn't know if there would be an opportunity to make a comeback, so he didn't have the heart to argue with his own brother.

  "He was ill last year, so he didn't attend." Mo Li said in a not-too-loud-or-soft tone, as if explaining it specifically to Han Jiang Xue.

  "How's your relationship with him?" Han Jiang Xue subconsciously thought of something and took a step closer to Mo Li, asking him intentionally.

  Mo Li smiled slightly and turned to look at the stage, then said: "He's about to win, you've won your bet!"

  Thank you Blue Lotus and Cherry for the peace amulets, thank you Xi for the evaluation votes, thanks to all friends who voted, collected and read books ~~

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