Unparalleled Duo
Chapter 77 - 77 52 A Defeated Woman

77: Chapter 52: A Defeated Woman 77: Chapter 52: A Defeated Woman Mighty winds arose, clouds swirling in the sky, as Yixie stood defeated, tears marking dual lines.

Of course, that’s just a metaphor…

Even if Brother Sun had lost, he wouldn’t actually cry; if anything, his tears would be on the inside.

On the surface, he’d just say something like, “I just feel a bit ashamed to lose to a woman, nothing else” and pretend to be unfazed.

But truth be told, he was really not resigned to his defeat.

Not resigned, but the disparity in strength was evident…

Song Zhixiu was considered the competitor closest to Lin Yuancheng in strength at the competition, and with so many bouts already past, the number of unorthodox strategies and new tricks Yixie could use to catch his opponents off guard had dwindled; nobody underestimated him anymore.

Given these circumstances, it didn’t take long for Brother Sun to end up with a blade pointed at his throat.

Indeed, Sun Yixie lost, he lost quickly and decisively.

Maybe some might wonder—Did he really stand no chance at all?

It’s not that he had no options left, but his methods were all rather unorthodox…

For instance, he had lime powder and wasn’t too embarrassed to use it, but he had specifically asked Shen Youran beforehand if it was permissible.

Youran was so startled by the question that he responded, “Brother, are you serious?”

Sun Yixie interpreted that as basically saying, “You might get booed off stage and mobbed if you use it”, so he had to give up the idea.

And as for Huang Donglai’s mesmerizing…

uh…

fast-acting sleeping pills, it was patently clear that those were off-limits as well; even if they were allowed, Huang Donglai had no intention of lending them to Sun Yixie, knowing very well that…

if Brother Sun were to face criticism after using his pills, he’d definitely sell him out at the earliest opportunity, and might even shout, “It was Huang Donglai who forced me to use it, I was deceived by his lies!” Then he’d wash his hands clean of the matter.

In any case, Sun Yixie was truly defeated, his loss both inevitable and reasonable.

In a way, it seemed somewhat unreasonable for him, with his martial arts skills, to have made it all the way to the semi-finals—it could even be called a “miracle.”

And so, Sun Yixie conceded defeat swiftly and descended from the stage dejectedly.

He looked back only to see Miss Song standing on the platform, exalted; her appearance was truly awe-inspiring, beautifully elegant, her aura transcendental and beyond reach.

It seemed as though she glanced over at him once more.

Or as if she never glanced that extra time at all.

He felt like he wanted to say something to her, but in the end, he said nothing at all.

It wasn’t until many years later, when both of them had become accomplished and lived separate lives, that the match Sun Yixie lost today would be dug up by the busybodies of the martial arts community…

Some said he lost intentionally, pitying and cherishing the fairer sex; others argued that he preferred to lose the match in order to win something greater in life.

Some even turned it into a ballad, singing—

Couldn’t help but smile, wistfully recalling my defeat to you.

Wish to return to that day.

To continue what was started.

As winds blew recollections of the past.

…Such sentimental lyrics, making a murky tale seem vivid, leaving it unclear whether it’s a beautiful story or just a joke.

Of course, at least for today, the way Sun Yixie looked in defeat wasn’t too bad since Miss Song had stuck firmly to the “stop when a point is scored” rule.

Moreover, her martial arts were much better than Yixie’s, so after a few exchanges, she simply placed her blade on his neck, and that was that.

Thus, Sun Yixie was completely uninjured.

He took his trident, his expression a bit stiff, and walked back to his “spectator area” where he sat down next to Huang Donglai and Lei Buji.

“Brother Sun,” Huang Donglai immediately came over with a smirk, trying to console his friend through jest.

“Shut up,” cut Sun Yixie swiftly, “I don’t want to hear it!”

“I haven’t even said anything yet,” replied Huang Donglai.

“Damn, I’m so annoyed!” exclaimed Yixie, “You never say anything good; what’s the point?”

“Hey, just let it be, what’s there to be angry about?

You were meant to lose,” Huang Donglai said, “A competitor like you…

strong against the weak and cursing your luck against the strong…

you were due for a loss.

Making it to the top four was already beyond expected.” He paused for a half-second before sincerely adding, “Honestly, I couldn’t have made it this far.”

“Oh…” pondered Sun Yixie, “Now that you mention it, you’re kinda right.

Anyway, I made it to the semi-finals, maybe I can still fight for third place in the later match.”

“Huh?” Huang Donglai was startled, “What are you talking about, Brother Sun?

You’re already in fourth place.”

“Huh?

Why is that?” Sun Yixie also looked stunned.

“Didn’t you see the rules listed next to the advancement chart?” Huang Donglai replied matter-of-factly, “The ranking for competitors eliminated in the same round is determined by their score in the written test.

Otherwise, how long would this competition drag on?”

He was right; the Youth Hero Conference organized every year had very detailed rankings, not just for the top four but all the way to the last place.

This was another purpose of the “written test.” For instance, among the four who were knocked out in the quarterfinals, to decide on ranks fifth through eighth, there was no need to have them duel or go through a round-robin; they would just be ranked according to their scores on the written test.

Therefore, according to the rules, between Sun Yixie and Chunkong, who were both eliminated in the semi-finals, the one with the higher score in the written test would automatically take third place.

Sun Yixie…

was clearly the fourth-placer, as he couldn’t even understand the rules.

“Oh jeez, there’s such a rule?” Sighed Sun Yixie upon hearing Huang Donglai’s explanation, his slightly improved mood turning sour again.

Lucky for him, he was quite adept at adjusting his feelings, and almost in a spirit of Ah Q, he soon convinced himself: “Sigh…

fine, being fourth out of nearly a hundred isn’t too bad; I’m content.”

But at this point, Huang Donglai once again exercised his talent for bringing up the worst possible thing, “That’s the spirit, besides, with your family wealth, Brother Sun, you wouldn’t care about the little prizes anyway.”

“What?” asked Sun Yixie, having just leaned back in his chair.

At the mention of a prize, he perked up instantly, “There are prizes for this competition?

How come I didn’t know?”

He was so loud that many turned their heads to look at him.

Huang Donglai, realizing something, continued: “Oh, Brother Sun, I can’t blame you for being illiterate, let me explain…

There are prizes for this competition, they’re listed in the rules.

This year’s first place will receive a martial arts manual donated by the Justice Sect, second place gets to choose a treasure weapon from the sect’s armory, third place will receive a hundred taels of gold, while for fourth place…

there’s absolutely nothing.”

Having heard Huang Donglai finish his sentence amid the watchful eyes of the crowd, Sun Yixie’s lips twitched twice, then he lay back down with an expression of utter dejection, covering his face with one hand and lamenting, “Ah…

I really feel like dying…”