Chapter Forty-Six: The First to Taste the Crab

High atop the platform, Gao Ba sat with a grim expression, his face darkening as he watched his precious only son being beaten mercilessly by a young upstart. He rose abruptly, his snake-like eyes glinting with malice, casting a murderous stare at Luo Changning in the ring, as if he would devour him whole. The atmosphere around him grew heavy and ominous.

Gao Ba had always been ruthless, his ambition far outstripping his actual power. Years spent as a big fish in the small pond of Annan Province had only inflated his arrogance, leaving him to disregard everyone else. Now, witnessing his pampered son, Gao Haitian, being so thoroughly humiliated by Luo Changning, he felt both heartache and fury, his authority challenged.

Yet, he restrained himself from intervening. For all his cruelty, Gao Ba prided himself on maintaining a dignified façade, preferring to strike from the shadows and letting his disciples or guards do his dirty work. Moreover, Luo Changning was merely a twelve-year-old boy; as the head of the Gao family, Gao Ba could hardly cause trouble for a child in public, lest he be accused of bullying the weak.

So, smothering his rage, Gao Ba did not move from his seat, making no attempt to stop the fight. He turned with a forced smile to Xiang Ao, seated beside him, speaking in a mocking tone, “Ha ha, as expected, the disciples you train are all remarkable. Their skills are impressive. I suppose I must blame myself for neglecting my son’s martial training, leaving him behind his peers. After the tournament, I’ll see to it that he practices diligently with his brothers.”

“Indeed, Master Gao,” another dojo leader, eager to ingratiate himself, chimed in. “The young master simply hasn’t been practicing enough, allowing others to seize the advantage. He’s destined for great things; such strenuous contests are best left to his brothers. After all, your disciples are all exceptional—few can match them!”

Gao Ba gave no reply, his expression unreadable, and the sycophant, sensing his displeasure, fell silent.

The other dojo leaders kept their thoughts to themselves, but inwardly scoffed in unison. Xiang Ao merely furrowed his brow slightly and said, “My nephew was indeed in the wrong. I’ll discipline him properly so he learns not to be so aggressive and remembers to show restraint, lest he damage the camaraderie among the disciples.”

Despite his words, Xiang Ao made no move to stop Luo Changning, clearly unconcerned about any retaliation from Gao Ba. Though he didn’t fully approve of Luo Changning’s actions, the memory of Gao Haitian’s past behavior made him feel the boy deserved a lesson.

Nearby, the judge, seeing Gao Ba’s growing fury, called out anxiously, “Stop! You must stop! The rules require restraint—no excessive violence! How can you injure others so recklessly?”

Li Kaigui, master of the Double Fist Dojo, scoffed inwardly and rolled his eyes: Now you remember to insist on restraint. Where was your intervention when the disciples from the Sacred Hand Dojo were beating their opponents senseless earlier?

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Leaving aside the hundreds of disciples below who were inwardly cheering, Luo Changning, atop the ring, originally intended to further thrash Gao Haitian and force him to kneel. But considering the precarious situation of the Luoyang Dojo, he decided against it.

Enough—just a clown, not worth the trouble. If he brought trouble upon Uncle Xiang and the other disciples of Luoyang Dojo, it would hardly be worthwhile.

Luo Changning turned to face the high platform, speaking coldly, “Isn’t it time for the judge to declare my victory?”

Sweating nervously, the judge glanced at Gao Ba, then at Xiang Ao, before grudgingly announcing, “This round goes to Luo Changning of Luoyang Dojo.”

At the announcement, Luo Changning nodded and leapt off the ring.

Moments later, two disciples from the Sacred Hand Dojo arrived to carry off Gao Haitian, who was too injured to move. Luo Changning had struck with full force, and Gao Haitian, pampered all his life and rarely challenged, suffered greatly—likely even sustaining internal injuries.

“Well done, Brother Changning! That ugly brute deserved a lesson!” Ma Xue’e laughed, her almond eyes squinting happily, like a satisfied kitten.

Luo Changning lightly tapped her nose with his finger, grinning, “Honestly, I wish I’d hit him more, but his skills were so poor he was knocked out too quickly. If he’d lasted longer, I could’ve taken the chance for a few more hits!”

Nearby, Xiang Yinglong and Chen Xiangru chuckled, “Ha! The folks at Sacred Hand Dojo must be furious! In all the years of the ranking tournament, never has a disciple been disabled in less than two moves. Gao Haitian has set a precedent—he’s the first to ‘eat crab,’ as they say!”

Ma Xue’e was so amused she nearly bent double, her smiling eyes making her look utterly adorable.

All the disciples of Luoyang Dojo felt elated, except for Liang Zhenyun, who frowned in worry.

He feared Luo Changning would face retaliation from the Sacred Hand Dojo. Even if Gao Ba, wary of Xiang Ao, wouldn’t act directly, there were more matches ahead. If Luo Changning faced another Sacred Hand disciple, he’d likely be targeted for a beating.

If it were anyone else, it might not matter, but Liang Zhenyun especially feared Luo Changning would face Ling Yancheng. If he lost, he’d suffer badly. It wasn’t that Liang Zhenyun doubted Luo Changning, but Ling Yancheng was the strongest of Sacred Hand’s younger disciples.

Liang Zhenyun hadn’t interacted much with Luo Changning, only hearing that he’d begun training in the last two years, so he worried Luo Changning might not be a match for Ling Yancheng. A beating might be minor, but loss of face was serious. Luo Changning, as the young master of the Su Family Medical Hall, was still very young; if his character was unstable, he might be shaken by such a setback.

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Luo Changning noticed Liang Zhenyun’s concern, but he said nothing. He would meet trouble as it came.

Soon it was Ma Qingyun’s turn to compete. Interestingly, his opponent was another disciple from the Sacred Hand Dojo—not Ling Yancheng, but a tall, well-trained youth.

Ma Qingyun defeated him with a single move, easily claiming victory. He didn’t use his innate true energy, merely the first level of internal force, which was more than enough for such a minor opponent.

The reactions of the dojo masters and disciples watching the match were a sight to behold.

They all thought: Luoyang Dojo is bound to suffer Gao Ba’s wrath. First, his son Gao Haitian was beaten, then his prized disciple was defeated in a single move, leaving him utterly humiliated. With someone as petty as Gao Ba, how could he spare Luo Changning and Ma Qingyun? To not drag Luoyang Dojo into it would be magnanimous indeed.

They were not wrong.

Onstage, Gao Ba watched as Ma Qingyun, with one effortless palm strike, sent his disciple flying off the ring without even touching his sleeve. Gao Ba’s face grew darker than ever.

Yet he managed to keep his composure, refusing to lose his temper. If he did, he would only invite more ridicule; he had already lost enough face that day. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t seek revenge on Ma Qingyun and Luo Changning.

Xiang Ao, sitting beside Gao Ba, observed the malice in his snake-like eyes.

He sighed inwardly: fortunately, he knew of the past conflict between Luo Changning and Gao Haitian and had sent letters inviting several friendly senior brothers to Blackwater City ahead of time. By tomorrow at the earliest, they would arrive.

With those senior brothers present, Gao Ba would have no choice but to restrain himself, even if he didn’t care for Xiang Ao’s authority. Those senior brothers were all innate martial artists—more than enough to handle Gao Ba.

In truth, if Xiang Ao himself hadn’t been so stubborn, he might well have become an innate martial artist by now, and wouldn’t need his senior brothers to back him up.

Such a pity!

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