Runaway Flounderers

6. I Atacc He Protecc and It's a Fight, Neck to Neck

Wen Kexing wasn't clear if he was surprised or disappointed. Won't people usually cherish such mementos and keep it in a safe place? Does Zhou Zishu not care about it that he is just carrying it out like a trinket? Oh what a waste, he thought.

On the stage, Shen Shen and Zhou Zishu had already started wrestling. Though Zhou Zishu looked like he had an iron rod for back bone, his flexibility was astonishing. Minutes flew by and they kept exchanging moves. Zhou Zishu hardly managed to escape Shenshen's fists and was panting for breath. Wen Kexing narrowed his eyes on seeing such a partial behaviour of ShenShen. The sand timer finally finished and a servant immadiately hit the bell, putting an end to the spar. Everybody around the stage relaxed, Zhou Zishu bowed and went back to his seat.

Wen Kexing hardly had any patience to wait for the next four candidates to contest. Finally the first round came to an end. Wen Kexing turned back to look at his father and the emperor met his gaze with a meaningful look. "Ofcourse he had known about this" thought Wen Kexing and mentally noted to reprimand his father for being so careless.

Before Shen Shen announced the second round, Wen Kexing stood up and spoke "General Shen, with the permission of Imperial father, I'd like to conduct the second round." Everybody were confused for a moment but turned their heads to the emperor, who simply just nodded in approval. Wen Kexing descended to the stage and ShenShen stepped aside to call out the candidates in order, "Second round, first candidate, Han Ying".

Wen Kexing took out his fan and was slowly fanning himself when the first candidate came up. Wen Kexing's fan looked plain, it was white in colour with a metal rim on the sides. At first impression, no one would think of it as a weapon but on closer inspection, one would see the mild red stains at the top corners. Han Ying had an iron whip hung by his waist. Its hilt was carved with a tiger.

Usually, everyone found the second round the most interesting one because it allows the candidate to use a weapon of their choice. Now that even the prince had come to fight, the audiences' eyes glinted with curiosity. The bell rang and both Wen Kexing and Han Ying bowed at the same time facing each other a few feet apart, one with a fan and the other with the whip, none had any idea on how the fight would turn out.

Wen Kexing was light on his feet, at any moment, he would be on one side and his fan would be on another doing his work. Han Ying did manage to dodge the attacks and time and again his whip would circle around Wen Kexing in a tight grip like a serpent, but Wen Kexing whirled away out of it like a tornado within seconds. In the end, when the bell rang, Wen Kexing stood still while slowly fanning with no trace of having been fighting while Han Ying was huffing and slightly panting for breath. He cupped his hands while bowing and said "Pardon my rudeness, Your Highness". Wen Kexing bowed as well and said "Don't bother, it was a fair fight".

The first fight clearly had entertained him, so Wen Keing continued with a good mood. But if he spotted any weakness in a candidate he didn't hesitate at all to eliminate them thoroughly. The ones who had made their way up there by coaxing the ministers clearly didn't stand a chance against him. When the fifth candidate came, Wen Kexing had already gotten impatient and since he also remembered that this one was favoured by Shenshen, he knocked out the sabre from his hands in just four moves. To drop one's weapon in a fight thoroughly shows defeat and thus the guy went back with his head down.

Finally, it was time for the sixth candidate, Zhou Zishu. Wen Kexing didn't even realize that he had been looking forward to this without his conscience. Zhou Zishu looked straight at him, as if he was trying to figure out his face. Ofcourse, any normal person would be curious about his real face. Zhou Zishu held a thin sword in his hand. It looked as clean as a mirror and its hilt was carved with letters that said "White Cloth". Wen Kexing felt like he had heard this name somewhere but he was distracted by the feather pendant hung by his waist. It still looked the same with the subtle lustre and rich colours as it did when he first gave it to him.

Wen Kexing started wondering just what kind of relationship did he and that cock shared but the bell rang and interrupted his thoughts. They both bowed and Wen Kexing sent forth his fan in a whoosh, Zhou Zishu dodged it as smoothly as if he didn't pay attention to it at all and charged at Wen Kexing with his sword. Within seconds, they had exhanged plenty of moves.

With the way Zhou Zishu moved, Wen Kexing predicted that he was about to do the 'Swift Moving Steps'. This was one among the moves he had known for as long as he had been practicing martial arts and hardly had any memories of learning it. He had no time to ponder how Zhou Zishu knows it too because the only way to counter Swift Moving Steps was by doing same and so, Wen Kexing Immediately followed in with the same moves and to everyones's surprise, their moves were synchronized. Whoever was gossiping stopped it midline and whoever was watching already leaned forward with excitement. Seeing their clothes flashing in the air here and there and their bodies swirling flexibly, even some men in the drill ground turned their heads with curiosity.

Both of them landed at the same time a few feet apart and immediately twirled around towards each other. The people watching them felt their eyes go blur and blinked in confusion. From a distance, it looked like a blue-black tornado and a reddish black tornado clashing into one.

When they stopped moving, everyone saw that Zhou Zishu's blade was bent into an arc behind their backs and its tip was held tight between Wen Kexing's index and middle fingers. On the other hand, Wen kexing's fan was held the same way by Zhou Zishu on their front. Both of them were in a dead lock.

Wen Kexing breathed out with an expression that was between a smirk and a smile and said "Zhou Zishu, don't you seem a bit distracted?". Wen Kexing had noticed that Zhou Zishu was slightly conscious about the feather pendant while fighting.

"Pardon my arrogance, your highness, but if I can't even keep this small artifact safe, how would I have the face to protect the kingdom?" Zhou Zishu had understood what Wen Kexing had intended by noticing him eyeing the pendant.

"Oh? Well, let's see then", said Wen Kexing and immediately started attacking. Before, he was indirectly aiming the pendant but now since they had talked it out, his attacks were directly at it. They had switched from distant attacks to close combat.

Wen Kexing kept trying to slash at his waist and Zhou Zishy kept trying to pierce his fan with his sword. One moment they jumped apart and the other they jumped in in a swirl. Wen Kexing sent his fan flying towards Zishu.

Zhou Zishu noticed the fan being inches away from his waist and in a hurry he turned to his side, but before his sword could bend its way to block, the fan had already torn his sleeve and slashed across his arm above his left elbow.

None of them paid any attention to such a small scratch and continued with the attacks. The audience were on the edge of their seat and leaned forward with curiosity. The sounds of the fan swishing and the sword cutting through air, along with the silver and black wrist bands clashing were extremely energetic that it kept everyone focused on them.

But the sand clock came to an end and the servant hit the bell half heartedly.
"My apologies, I had been careless" said Wen Kexing with an expression that was between a smile and a smirk.

"No, your highness, it's me who had been rash" replied Zhou Zishu and hastily pressed two points on his arm to prevent blood loss.

Everybody were confused on the result. Naturally since Zhou Zishu got wounded, it should've meant he lost but since the fight had changed to defending the pendant and as it still hung intact by his waist, it looked like the round had ended up in a tie. Also because this was an assessment and not an actual competition, no one bothered to come to a conclusion.

Wen kexing, "If you can still fight then you may continue with the third round but do not forget to get it disinfected at the royal infirmary before tonight." Even if Zhou Zishu had good immunity, Wen Kexing didn't trust his fan's hygiene.

Zhou Zishu gave him one last look, being unable to see through anything and spotting no sign of a crooked nose or a scar, he bowed and went back to his seat.

Having had an entertaining fight, Wen Kexing's mood was fixed and he went on to devour the rest of the candidates.