Hua Hua You Long

Chapter 6- Small Window and Warm Screen

After a few consecutive days of overcast, Tong'an finally bestowed clear skies. The beautiful sunlight splayed down on every nook and cranny of this ancient city filled with exorbitant and grandiose edifices strewn at random, even further underscoring the city's magnanimity and grace, and at the same time dressing up the small courtyard near Yue Long Bridge in which Lu Cang temporarily resided to be even more elegant and refined.

"Big Brother Lu, are you finished?"Xi Zhen sat upright in the parlour as he called smilingly to Lu Cang, who was changing in the inside chambers.

"Yeah, let's get going now," Lu Cang answered, briskly walking out of the bedroom as he tightened the knots of his outer robe.

Today was the day of the sixth round of the Assembly of Heroes. In other words, as long as he could defeat today's opponent, he could forever escape from the grasp of that freakishly mutated Jing and return to his free life as the king of the mountain bandits in Hangzhou.

Unexpectedly, the pretty youth Xi Zhen he had met only yesterday came early in the morning and said he wanted to go to the Assembly of Heroes together with him, making a few sprouts of pleasantness rise in Lu Cang's chest. On the eve of the match that would determine his fate for next ten years of life, he was immensely nervous. Having someone to accompany him eased his nerves a bit.

"Big Brother Lu..." Flashing Lu Cang an attractive smile, Xi Zhen appeared indescribably innocent and cute.

Way lovelier than a certain freak. Grumbling in his mind, Lu Cang and Xi Zhen left the house together, heading towards the contest grounds in eastern Tong'an in quick strides.

"Big Brother Lu, I'm going first. Good luck to you today!" At the arena doors, Xi Zhen waved to Lu Cang. He smiled like a flower, then walked towards the platform for his division.

Lu Cang also gave a slight smile, waved back, and then took wide strides in the opposite direction towards his own division's platform on the other end. Before he could get to the platform, he heard deafening gongs, drums, applause, and cheers emanating over in waves. This platform seemed much livelier than any other.

He squeezed his way to the front of the crowd and looked up onto the stage. On the platform was a middle-aged man perched majestically and imposingly in the centre while a youth with blood trickling down the corner of his mouth lay by the man's foot, obviously injured from receiving defeat in the last round.

"This round's winner is Tian Nan Sect's[2] Luo Dong Xia[3]." The presiding officer's voice was monotonous yet clear. On the corner of that man's mouth hung a wisp of a pompous smirk; he was clearly very pleased with his victory. His eyes searched the surrounding audience below, unexpectedly pausing for a few seconds as his they fell coldly on Lu Cang's face. Before Lu Cang could react, the man had already withdrawn his gaze, leaping off the stage as if nothing had happened and stalked towards the designated area for rest.

The competitions proceeded. Before long, it was Lu Cang's turn—his first opponent caused a bit of a difficulty, but was evidently a notch below him in skill. After he won an expected victory, he stepped off the stage.

He wiped away the sweat on his forehead as he thought to himself, if I win just one more round I'll be able to squeeze into the top one hundred rankings, and then escape that freak's entanglement. His worn body seemed to regain the spirit of battle at the very thought. He clenched his fists, telling himself that no matter what, he had to win this fight.

".......The next round: Tian Nan Sect Luo Dong Xia, Cang Ying Sect Lu Cang......" hearing his own name, Lu Cang stood up straight away, but saw the middle-aged man jump onto the stage one step ahead of him.