At this moment, the number of red cloths increased, shooting toward the stage from all directions, almost enveloping the entire platform.
At the same time, bright red cloths crisscrossed in midair, converging, filling the entire venue with vivid colors, giving a surreal feeling.
Outside the platform, Zhou Qi looked at the changes before him with furrowed brows, ready to shout orders. But before he could speak, a beautiful woman suddenly approached Zhou Qi and whispered a few words in his ear.
Whatever she said, Elder Zhou’s face instantly changed, bearing a complex expression.
After the woman left, Zhou Qi shouted toward the noisy stands, "Everyone, please calm down. Take your seats and don’t panic. Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion will handle this." After finishing his words, Zhou Qi turned to look for Han Yu and Ling Chen on the stage. However, the stage was surrounded by red cloths, and no one could be seen.
"Ling Chen, Han Yu, respond if you can hear me."
"I’m here."
"I am here too." Ling Chen’s weak voice followed.
"Both of you stay put. The martial arts competition is suspended. Without my permission, no one is to act rashly. Han Yu, did you hear me?"
Han Yu replied indifferently, "Elder Zhou, don’t worry, I’m not in a hurry. Let’s let him live a little longer."
In the center of the platform, surrounded by red cloths, Ling Chen sat down on the ground gasping for air. Since no one could see him, he didn’t need to care so much.
These mysteriously appearing red cloths baffled Ling Chen, with no clue as to what was happening.
Just as he was pondering, the red cloth above Ling Chen suddenly split open. Before Ling Chen could react, a delicate jade hand reached through the split and grabbed his shoulder, lifting him off the ground.
"Who..." Ling Chen’s expression changed, about to rebuke, but a hand covered his mouth.
Smelling the faint fragrance at the tip of his nose and feeling the smooth hand, Ling Chen instantly determined that it was a woman.
"Stay quiet."
The familiar voice sounded, and Ling Chen turned his head only to see an exquisitely flawless face before his eyes.
"Porridge girl?"
Recognizing the person, Ling Chen was momentarily stunned, asking with a look of surprise, "Did you do all this?"
Porridge girl nodded gently, her beautiful eyes examining the injuries on Ling Chen’s body. Her brows slightly furrowed, and her pale, pretty face showed clear concern.
"Porridge girl, what are you doing?" Ling Chen curiously asked.
"Stop asking, I’ll treat your wounds first." Saying this, Porridge girl took out a porcelain bottle from her pocket. She opened the lid, tilted the bottle toward Ling Chen’s wound, and gently shook her wrist.
As the white powder from the bottle sprinkled on the wound, Ling Chen felt a cool relief. It not only stopped the blood but also eased much of the pain.
"What medicine is this? It’s quite effective."
"Golden Cicada Powder, an ancient Chinese medicine formula."
After speaking, Porridge girl put away the bottle and looked at Ling Chen seriously, "You’re no match for Han Yu."
"I know." Ling Chen shrugged his shoulders. At this stage, he had no other options and could only brace himself. To live is luck; to die is fate.
In his view, the latter was more likely, given the huge gap between him and Han Yu.
Sensing the concern in Porridge girl’s eyes, Ling Chen laughed wryly, "It doesn’t matter. If it comes to it, I’ll just die."
"No!" The Porridge girl shook her head, speaking firmly, "You can’t die, at least not now."
Ling Chen grimaced and said, "Do you want me to admit defeat? You’ve also seen Han Yu’s attitude; he would never accept my surrender. By proposing a fight to the death, he intends to kill me. I thought I had the strength to fight him, but little did I know he had hidden his power so deeply."
"I’m not asking you to admit defeat."
Hearing this, Ling Chen looked at the Porridge girl in confusion and asked, "Then what do you..."
"I know that unless one of you dies, this battle will not stop. Therefore, you must defeat him."
"How can I win?" Ling Chen sighed, feeling helpless as he spoke, "Mere belief won’t change anything."
The Porridge girl was silent, gazing at Ling Chen with luminous eyes glittering mysteriously. Suddenly, she changed the subject and asked, "I heard that the Inner Strength mental method you practice is the Prajnaparamita Sutra?"
Ling Chen nodded, his look toward the Porridge girl bearing a trace of surprise.
"How did you know? I don’t recall mentioning it to you."
"I have my ways of finding out things. That...Prajnaparamita Sutra..." As she spoke, a faint blush crept across the Porridge girl’s pretty face, and her bright eyes filled with shyness, she hesitated, unsure of how to continue.
Seeing her silence, Ling Chen couldn’t help but press on, "What about the Prajnaparamita Sutra?"
Forget it!
Hearing Ling Chen’s voice, the Porridge girl bit her thin lips and sighed inwardly. He was going to find out sooner or later.
With this in mind, the Porridge girl glanced at Ling Chen, who lay on the red cloth, and took out a pill from her pocket, presenting it to him while speaking indifferently, "Eat this."
"This medicine...ugh..."
Before Ling Chen could finish, the Porridge girl had already forcibly stuffed the pill into his mouth.
As soon as the pill entered his mouth, it was immediately swallowed with his saliva. Ling Chen stared at the Porridge girl, dumbfounded, and asked, "What medicine did you give me?"
No sooner had he spoken than Ling Chen felt his hands and feet go numb, as if he had lost all sensation, becoming incredibly stiff, even unable to move his fingers. Noticing the change in his body, Ling Chen was instantly alarmed.
"Porridge girl, you..."
"Don’t talk."
The Porridge girl gestured for silence and then took out her handkerchief, gently covering Ling Chen’s face and masking his eyes.
At this moment, Ling Chen had a myriad of questions racing through his mind, clueless as to what the Porridge girl was up to. Between drugging him and covering his face, her actions were shrouded in mystery, utterly baffling. Though he hadn’t known the Porridge girl for a long time, Ling Chen believed that she would never harm him.
As he pondered, the Porridge girl quietly unfastened the buttons of her clothes, slipping off her garment amidst the vivid red cloth.
As her tops fell away, a snow-white body was suddenly revealed in full glory; her graceful figure, willowy waist, and a pair of slender and fair legs radiated an alluring charm.
Through the veiled fabric, Ling Chen could vaguely make out the Porridge girl’s movements, and that flawless, delicate body.
For a moment, Ling Chen’s mind went blank, and he was completely entranced.
What...what is she doing?
Could it be...
Lost in wild thoughts, the Porridge girl’s jade arms were already reaching towards Ling Chen. Tenderly and with a hint of intoxicating shyness, she began gently to unfasten Ling Chen’s clothes.