Chapter 15 – I’m Really Not a Pervert!

“What kind of nonsense are you pulling again?!” Xiao Jing was furious!

“You—you—you! You called me a pervert, but clearly you’re the pervert! You slept on top of me! And what’s with your black eye? Pfft!” Song Yan burst out laughing, then quickly crossed his arms protectively over his chest.

“Bro, you were sleepwalking last night! You kept insisting I was a ghost and punched me without warning!” Xiao Jing said angrily, still out of breath.

“You might’ve slept soundly, but I barely slept at all! If I hadn’t pinned you down, I swear you would’ve torn the inn apart!” Xiao Jing rubbed his sleepy eyes, clearly annoyed.

Song Yan scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Sorry, I didn’t know I sleepwalk. This one’s on me. Once I make a name for myself, I’ll give you all my monthly silver—consider it compensation!”

Hmph, making empty promises again!

Little did he know, this fool would actually keep his word in the future!

Xiao Jing got dragged by Song Yan to grab breakfast, then they headed to the arena.

Seeing the two of them, people around them began whispering and pointing. “Was the match that intense? Both of them have black eyes and bruises all over. Either sworn enemies or… some kind of couple!”

But the two of them didn’t care about any of that. They were solely focused on the tournament!

There were 29 participants today, numbered 1 to 29, paired off like 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, and so on…

So, unsurprisingly, Xiao Jing had a hunch that Song Jinli would get a bye again! He glanced at Jinli’s number and, sure enough—29! This guy’s luck was insane!

“Luck is a kind of strength too!” Song Yan raised his brows cheekily. “Didi, I’ll be cheering for you from the sidelines! Go fight without worry!”

Xiao Jing felt like he’d used up a lifetime’s worth of exasperation these past few days. Ever since meeting Song Jinli, he was practically in a constant state of emo!

He really wanted to punch him! That was the only thought in Xiao Jing’s mind.

Xiao Jing drew number 23 and was up against number 24, a burly man named Yang Tuo!

When Xiao Jing saw the name, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud!

“Pffft—Hahahahahaha! Alpaca?! There’s actually someone named that? Hahahahahaha!”

Song Yan, not understanding the situation, thought Xiao Jing was scared stiff by the brute. So, he cheered even louder: “My didi’s the strongest! Slicing waves, cutting tides! Unstoppable in battle, shaking all under the heavens!”

Everyone in the audience: absolutely speechless.

As soon as the match began, the two started fighting! Xiao Jing’s style was laid-back, mostly focused on dodging. Yang Tuo was clearly the brute-force type—simple-minded with strong limbs, all offense, no strategy.

It didn’t take long before Yang Tuo grew frustrated that none of his attacks landed. “You coward! All you do is dodge! If you have any guts, face me head-on! Otherwise, you’re a worthless wimp!”

Clearly, trying to provoke him wasn’t going to work on thick-skinned Xiao Jing! He was never the “gutsy” type to begin with—hmph, he was a real girl, thank you very much! Say what you want, but he wasn’t going to fall for it.

Still, Xiao Jing wasn’t going to take that lying down. He immediately fired back, “You big lunk with more brawn than brains! If I beat you, doesn’t that make you even worse than a coward? You’re all fists and no brain—please, I could take out ten of you in five minutes. Next time you leave the house, bring your brain with you! People are laughing at you for being brainless, you know! Oh, and maybe chug a few nuclear bombs while you’re at it—might help with brainpower! Honestly, even the ‘Five-Grain Reincarnation Substance’ I flushed down the toilet would be wasted on you. But hey, maybe stuffing it in your skull will fill in some of those craters!”

The crowd roared with laughter. This kid was sharp-tongued! You had to be able to trash talk if you were going to fight him—winning the match alone wasn’t enough!

---

Chapter 15 – I’m Really Not a Pervert! (Part 2)

Yang Tuo was so enraged he started flailing wildly! Xiao Jing seized his moment—one sweeping leg brought Yang Tuo crashing to the ground. With a practiced motion, he grabbed Yang Tuo’s wrist, twisted it behind his back, and pinned him down with full control!

“OH YEAH! My didi is the most handsome! My didi is the strongest! My didi is so cool!” Song Yan cheered passionately from below.

“Fools have fool’s luck. Idiots don’t even get that,” the system snarked.

Off the platform, Xiao Jing sighed again and whispered to Song Yan, “Let’s hurry back to the inn. Marching around with panda eyes like this—aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Okay~!” Song Yan grinned goofily and followed along.

They timed their return perfectly—right before the official registration ended. Don’t ask why. The answer is: it’s dark now, so no one could see their panda eyes!

There were 14 contestants left. Since the others had already drawn their numbers, the two of them were assigned 13 and 14.

On the way back, Xiao Jing kept eyeing Song Yan like he was a rare creature. Three rounds in and this guy had gotten two byes and a win because his opponent didn’t show. He hadn’t fought a single match!

Song Yan was starting to feel creeped out by that look. “You’re not planning to kill me and silence me, right? Come on, big bro, sweet didi! I just got lucky, okay? I didn’t even get to fight! Don’t hold it against me—I already promised you my monthly silver, remember? I’ll even ask my dad for more. Jewelry, girls, whatever you want, it’s yours!”

He sounded so sincere—tinged with fear, humility, and just a hint of grievance.

Xiao Jing sighed and decided not to argue with the idiot.

Then—again, it was nightfall! Xiao Jing was developing some trauma—sharing a room with a sleepwalking, super-strong guy was just too much! This time he wised up and asked the innkeeper in advance for a separate room!

He was never sharing a room with that dummy again. 55555…

That night was the most peaceful night ever! Sleeping alone in his own room, Xiao Jing praised himself like crazy. What a genius! If he had to share with that fool again, he’d probably suffer a mental breakdown!

When the moon reached its peak, Xiao Jing finally drifted off to sleep…

With only 14 people left, the battles would only get harder from here.

Song Yan woke up early to wash up, only to find that Xiao Jing hadn’t gotten up yet. The door to his room was slightly ajar, so he tiptoed in and gently closed the door behind him.

He walked to the bedside and realized—he had never really looked at Xiao Jing before. The man had refined features, thick sword-like brows, eyes closed in sleep, long lashes casting a fan-shaped shadow under his lids, a tall and broad nose… and—uh, a slightly open mouth drooling just a little.

“If I were a girl, I’d definitely fall for my didi too!” Song Yan quickly shook his head. No! He couldn’t have thoughts like that—he was a man, a real man! Not some… broken sleeve!

As Song Yan was spacing out, Xiao Jing woke up. The first thing he saw was Song Yan’s face hovering above his own. It scared him so badly his soul nearly left his body!

This was terrifying! Who wouldn’t be freaked out?! He thought Song Yan was sleepwalking again!

“What are you doing here?! Don’t tell me you really are a pervert, and into men?!”

“No, no! Didi, listen to my explanation—no, my defense! Your door was open, I just came to wake you up! I didn’t have any weird thoughts! I swear I’m not a pervert!” Song Yan waved his hands frantically.

“Stay away from me from now on, 55555…” Xiao Jing was nearly in tears. What kind of karma was this, to have met such an idiotic 13?!

Once they’d gathered themselves, the two headed for the tournament stage.

The official announced, “The rules for today are different—no more elimination pairs. With 14 contestants left, anyone can go up and defend the stage! The remaining 13 will challenge. If you lose, you’re out. If you win, you stay. There are three platforms—choose whichever you want! The final three winners will get a chance to meet the king and be granted titles and rank! Now, the stage is yours—begin your performance!”

“This is getting interesting,” Xiao Jing thought, but he didn’t rush up. This was clearly a war of attrition—if you couldn’t win, the next would take over. The later you went, the better you could conserve energy and secure victory.

He gave Song Yan a look, signaling him not to act rashly. The two of them sat quietly to observe…