When Huahai drew the lot, the match between Guangnan and Jiuqu was set. During the broadcast, viewers posted their comments:
"I think Shanbei is lucky!"
"Right. The winner of Capital VS Songcheng will be exhausted. Even if no one is injured, their fatigue alone would not be recovered in two or three days."
"Not likely. The only hard enemy Capital or Songcheng have to fight is each other, and the rest of their rivals are mediocre. But Shanbei is about to fight against Huahai and Guangnan consecutively. Who has a better arrangement is hard to tell."
"I'm looking forward to the match between Shanbei and Huahai. I don't think Peng Leyun took the game seriously in his previous matches, and now we can finally find out his true strength."
"I'd like to skip all of the quarterfinals and see how Ren Li fights against Lou Cheng."
Despite all of the discussion, the odds of winning predicted by the lottery companies had changed. The odds for Shanbei to win dropped lower because more were expecting them to win, while the odds for Capital and Songcheng became higher but their order remained. And they both ranked lower than Guangnan. The odds for Huahai were way up since they were not considered the team to take the crown.
The expectations and speculations reflected the audience's opinions and mood.
At 10:20 PM, after watching several match videos of Jinfeng University and reading the latest comments and analysis in Yan Zheke's room, Lou Cheng had been kicked out by Yan and he went back to his own room.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Lou Cheng lay on his bed, where he tossed and turned restlessly. He just couldn't fall asleep.
Since their relationship had lifted to another level, Lou Cheng tried his best to restrain himself and not to affect Yan Zheke's fighting state. He could not afford to expose their intimacy as it may turn into a subject of widespread gossip. Nevertheless, when night fell, Lou Cheng couldn't help but stay over in Yan's room or sneak off to her room to make out with Yan. He was satisfied.
Lou Cheng could stop on a dime, but when it came to Yan, he doubted his self-discipline. He always held the horse at the last minute. He was the fighter who could get up at 5:30 AM every morning and never touched tobacco or alcohol. He set a good example for the other fighters, but he couldn't control himself when it came to seeing his fairy girlfriend.
"Maybe Yan is just too attractive, or perhaps I love her too much..." Lou Cheng went off on flights of fancy and a faint smile appeared on his face.
He thought about the fact that except for the things he had read in books or seen in movies, all of his romantic experience came from Yan, including his first and most exciting experience. His heart and his bones were shaped by Yan Zheke's love...
Everyone told him that his first would be the most unforgettable, and Lou had many first experiences with Zheke...
Lou Cheng's mind was in a tumult and he suddenly picked up his phone to send Yan Zheke a message.
"I was just thinking that you're my first love and that it is so great."
Yan Zheke did not have to wake up at 5:30 AM, and when she received the message, she was just playing with her phone. Her astonishment mingled with amusement, plus a sense of pride.
She immediately replied to Lou Cheng.
"It's late. Go to sleep."
Huh, don't think I'll be disoriented by your tender words.
"I can't sleep without my fairy hugging me... " Lou Cheng pretended to be pitiful.
Yan Zheke was annoyed and amused at the same time.
"Conceal your Spirit and Qi and meditate. Then you will sleep like a log!"
Lou Cheng was amused. As he was typing "Yes, Coach Yan", he received a second message from Yan.
"Fine. Come over. But all you can do is sleep!"
Lou Cheng was surprised at first, then he became wild with joy and he quickly jumped out of his bed.
Yan Zheke turned sideways and rested her blushing face on a pillow as she sent a third message.
She also sent an emoji of a serious and honest-looking creature.
"You are a naughty boy!"
"And you are my love." Lou Cheng replied shamelessly. He grabbed his martial arts suit, opened his door, and looked around. He then snuck off to Yan's room. and instead of knocking. he sent her a message — "I am here".
On this night, Lou Cheng controlled himself as usual and he just held Yan and talked into her ear before falling asleep. Yan Zheke, however, was quite clear-headed and enjoyed this intimate moment.
In the early morning, Lou Cheng woke up on time only to find himself in the place of Yan's body pillow. Yan was holding him tight with one of her legs draped across his body.
It took Lou Cheng a whole three minutes to make up his mind to get out of bed. Yan's skin and sweet smell were incredibly tempting. Gently, he removed her leg and carefully escaped the lovely trap. Moving quietly, he tried to not wake her up.
Nevertheless, Yan Zheke still woke up due to the loss of her warm pillow. She blinked slowly at Lou Cheng, wearing an expression of slight disappointment.
As the sunlight fell on Yan's body through the curtain, she looked like a beauty from a vintage or classic photograph.
Lou Cheng memorized this moment as he bowed his head to kiss Yan Zheke on her lips.
As a sweet scent greeted Lou Cheng, Yan Zheke's tender tongue slipped into his mouth and he knew she wanted him badly.
They kissed for a while and then Yan pulled back. She looked up at Lou Cheng with her dreamy eyes as she said,
"Work harder to be a better fighter and make more money to support our family!"
"Huh..." Lou Cheng laughed and kissed her forehead as he said, "Ok".
He changed his clothes and left. While walking through the empty corridor, he recalled everything that had just happened and could not keep from laughing.
"Make more money to support our family... " he muttered to himself with a broad smile on his face. He quickened his steps as if he were about to step from the darkness and embrace his bright future.
Two days had passed, and on the third day at 7 PM, the martial arts arena of Capital city was once again overcrowded with people. The quarter finals were about to begin, and first two matches in the upper section were to be held today.
Lou Cheng and his teammates had arrived by bus and they ran into the fighters of Capital College, including Ren Li and Chen Diguo.
They remained silent, greeting each other from a distance.
"Every time I see Ren Li, I find her to be incredible for she is too cute to be a fighter..." Yan Zheke sighed.
Ren Li was a girl with big eyes and straight hair, her features were delicate and soft.
"You can't judge people by their appearance. The more beautiful, the more dangerous. I recall some kind of beautiful jellyfish that is extremely venomous," Lou Cheng blurted out without thinking
After he had hardly finished speaking, he sensed a trace of derision in Little Ming's eye, so he whispered in Yan Zheke's ear, saying, "My fairy is the exception!"
However, Yan Zheke didn't buy it, and he had to give an excuse. "Anyway, I am a fighter with Sixth Pin, but you are the one who makes decisions for us. Therefore, you are way better than me."
He emphasized the phrase "for us".
Yan Zheke gave a snort, but a slow smile crept between her brows. She stopped quibbling over such issues and said, "The substitutes for the Capital team are good, even better than Shanbei's."
"That's right. If it were not for Peng Leyun, the Capital would have taken the championship at least once in the last two years."
Ren Li and Peng Leyun were called the Heavenly Sons in the Martial Arts Club of Capital College. The senior student, Chen Diguo, was a fighter with Seventh Pin. A sophomore, Jiang Kongchan, was about to enter the Dan stage next year, while a junior, Shen You, was expected to carry on Chen Diguo's lead and be the second leading player, but he had a terrible accident that caused his brain and left eye to be damaged. So far he had not fully recovered and had not made any progress within his level. Nonetheless, he remained as a top fighter with certificates though. Hence they had no choice but to put the rest of their hopes on the club manager, Ren Li, who was always busy with club matters and unreliable at the same time.
Besides, another senior student, Jiang Jinfeng, was a fighter with Eighth Pin who entered the Dan stage.
While talking to each other, the team members of Song Cheng entered the locker room and began to get ready for the coming match.
According to the draw, the first match was Songcheng VS Jinfeng!
Jinfeng made into the national competition as the first in their division but was at a disadvantage to Hudong. Jinfeng's leading fighter, Wei Rong, was a fighter that had barely reached Seventh Pin, and another fighter, a junior student, Gao Shengli, was an Eighth Pin fighter and he practiced Iron Cloth, so he was indeed a good fighter. Liu Chunlai was another leading fighter with a top certificate. Unfortunately, the fighters of Jinfeng were no match for Yu Zhi or Han Peipei.
Geezer Shi looked around and said,
"Lin Que, take a rest this round."
"Huh?" Lou Cheng and his teammates had no clue what the coach was talking about.
Although Jinfeng was not a strong competitor, there was no need to take such a risk. What if, as the saying goes, they shot themselves in the foot?
Before Lin Que could voice his objection, Geezer Shi added,
"We will have some tougher matches to fight later. You take a good rest this round and get ready to meet the Capital. As for Jinfeng, Lou beat three fighters from Hudong, so there will be nothing to worry about. If Lou loses, you can square the whole account with him."
"Well, there were tougher matches to fight and fatigue will be accumulated, but the thing is, I have been practicing the Swordsman formula, and it's the formula that can ease and restore my brother-in-law, Lin Que, in no time!" Lou Cheng pondered.
Of course, his master must've known that.
Therefore, was he throwing out a smoke screen by saying that?
If Lin Que took a rest this round and fought the Capital next, Shanbei could estimate that he would not be at his best in the final. But that may not be true.
Currently, they were not even in the game with the Capital, and their master had already masterminded a scheme for the final.
As Lou Cheng vaguely comprehended his master's intention, he shot a glance at Yan Zheke. She seemed lost in thought, while Lin Que remained silent the whole time.
Geezer Shi seemed pleased and said,
"Jinfeng has never thought to beat us, so they'll put their leading fighters in the field, as many as possible, and so will we. Lou will be the last, Cai Zongming the first, and Li Mao the second."
"Me?" Little Ming pointed to himself, astonished and amused.