Freed, the enraged woman got up from the ground, her eyes red with anger. She grabbed the knife from the table and swung it at Shen Yao Xing, who easily dodged by tilting her body. Shen Yao Xing bent her knee and struck the woman's stomach again, this time using her internal energy. The woman doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach with one hand. She glared hatefully at the person who had humiliated her, grabbed a plate and threw it, while her other hand twisted, swinging the large knife horizontally.
The cold glint of the blade approached, carrying killing intent. It was clear she wanted Shen Yao Xing dead. Shen Yao Xing's eyes narrowed slightly. She fell backwards, avoiding the horizontal slash, then side-stepped and kicked the woman's elbow with her knee. With a clang, the knife fell to the ground. Her bent knee straightened, kicking the woman directly in the face. The movements were smooth and continuous. The woman staggered back several steps and fell to the ground, blood flowing from her nose, looking somewhat dazed.
At this moment, the inn was very quiet. They were astonished by the young girl's speed. Those who had expected to see a good show hadn't anticipated it would end so quickly, and so easily at that.
Shen Yao Xing slowly picked up the knife from the ground and glanced at the person on the floor. Seeing her fearful expression, she found it a bit amusing and very kindly placed the knife in front of her: "Here, I'll return this to you."
The sound of the knife hitting the ground startled the woman, who trembled. Her appearance, like a frightened bird, was somewhat laughable compared to her earlier arrogance.
After speaking, Shen Yao Xing paid her no more attention. She turned her head to look at Meng Xin Yi, who was still eating: "When you're done, go upstairs and rest. I'm going to eat outside." Outside would be quieter than in here.
Meng Xin Yi glanced at the person on the ground, whose face was half-red with blood from her nose, and nodded slightly.
It wasn't until the young girl left the inn that people began to whisper among themselves.
"Did you see how fast she moved? I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!"
"Who is that young lady? Her skills are truly remarkable."
"I don't know, I thought she was just some family's daughter out for fun. She looks so young..."
Meng Xin Yi lowered her eyes and took a sip of hot tea. Her gaze fell on the steamed bun on the table that had been crushed into a ball. Although their relationship was good, she knew nothing about her friend's background. She couldn't help but feel curious.
After leaving the inn, Shen Yao Xing looked around for food. The sky was already bright, and the street stalls had gradually set up. She sat down at a small stall and ordered a bowl of wonton, eating while observing the people on the street.
Taizhou City was different from the capital. The people gathered here were mostly jianghu wanderers. Regardless of gender, their attire was more practical, which was much more pleasant to look at, unlike the men in the capital with their complicated clothing who all wore veils when going out.
Suddenly, the image of that man with his face painted stark white flashed in her mind. The wonton she had just swallowed threatened to climb back up her throat. Shen Yao Xing shuddered and quickly shook away that eye-searing image.
"Boss, give me a bowl of clear noodle soup."
The clear, pleasant voice of a young man caught Shen Yao Xing's attention. She saw a young man in an apricot-colored robe sitting at the table next to her, facing her direction. Shen Yao Xing stared at his face, feeling it looked somewhat familiar.
Perhaps her gaze was too direct, as the young man looked up quizzically. However, what he saw was a black head of hair. He blinked, wondering if this person was so hungry that their face was almost buried in the bowl.
Shen Yao Xing wolfed down several large mouthfuls, slammed some silver on the table, hastily wiped her mouth, and was about to leave.
"Wait," the young man called out behind her.
Shen Yao Xing didn't stop. Feeling the person behind her following, she quickly turned into a small alley. When the young man caught up, the alley was empty, with no trace of the girl.
As the competition drew near, Taizhou City became increasingly crowded. Shen Yao Xing found it bothersome. Every day, apart from eating, she would only enter the city after sunset, spending the rest of her time in trees outside the city.
On the day of the competition, the venue was already packed with people. Participants and spectators were divided into two sides, surrounding a large arena in the center, much bigger than Shen Yao Xing had imagined.
But she wasn't concerned about that. What she was concerned about now was the strong body odor of the woman standing next to her!
There was also a faint, indescribable smell mixed in.
The woman was exceptionally tall, a full head taller than Shen Yao Xing. Her nose was right at the level of the woman's bare armpit. The stench was overwhelming.
The key was that this woman seemed unaware of her own destructive power, laughing cheerfully: "There are so many people!" Apparently finding the sun too bright, she raised her hand to shield her eyes for a better view.
Beside her, Shen Yao Xing's face had turned green.
"What's wrong?" Meng Xin Yi beside her was quite relaxed. Seeing the young girl's unpleasant expression, she felt somewhat concerned.
Shen Yao Xing didn't speak, nor did she dare to. She feared that if she opened her mouth, she would vomit.
At that moment, she clearly felt the originally noisy environment suddenly fall eerily silent for an instant.
"Hey," Meng Xin Yi nudged her with an elbow. Shen Yao Xing glanced at her with a gloomy face, following her gaze upward. At a high pavilion next to the arena, three people were seated. The most eye-catching among them was Jiang Ming Yue in his white robes. At this moment, he wasn't wearing a veil, and almost everyone's gaze was fixed on him.
The overwhelming smell meant she had no interest in noticing the people above.
Shen Yao Xing secretly shifted her gaze to the woman beside her. Good heavens, her mouth was open so wide she was almost drooling.