Chapter 101 - 100: Oscar-Winning Actor?
Su Jian was thrown from the stage. And Tang Yi?
He was still standing on the stage, completely unscathed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
ROAR!
At that moment, a massive uproar erupted from the audience. The spectators were stunned.
However, they weren’t shocked by Tang Yi’s strength. They were shocked by the absurdly melodramatic result.
Su Jian failed his attack and just... fell off the stage by himself?
Could anything possibly be more ridiculous?
"So that’s how Tang Yi’s been winning."
"Fuck! I’m only at the Battle Disciple level, but even *I* could’ve won that one. What kind of bullshit match is this?"
"That Su Jian must be an actor. The two of them definitely planned this. One attacks, the other dodges, then the attacker pretends to lose his balance and fall off the stage. And just like that, Tang Yi gets a well-deserved victory. Yep, no questions asked. The performance was so convincing, I almost believed it."
"Damn it, even a blind man could see Su Jian was putting on a show! This is hilarious!"
"Our Saint Martial Continent reveres martial strength. Since when did you need acting chops to get ahead?"
"What a farce! An absolute farce! This kind of behavior should be strongly condemned!"
"I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. So that’s how it is. I’m glad I watched; otherwise, I’d never have known about something so disgusting."
"If Tang Yi gets into the West Mansion using these kinds of techniques, then I’ll have to question the fairness of the West Mansion itself. As the center of power in the Western Domain, if the West Mansion can’t even be fair, then what right does it have to govern the Western Domain?"
"Down with Tang Yi! And tell Su Jian to get lost!"
"The Tang Family should get out of Fengyue City! And the Su Family with them! We in Fengyue City don’t want despicable clans like you, teaming up to stage a farce..."
"..."
Instantly, a storm of curses erupted. Not only were Tang Yi and the Tang Family being vilified, but even the Su Family was implicated because of Su Jian.
"Damn it, what the hell was Su Jian doing? He didn’t even fight and just fell right off the stage?" one of the Su Family Elders fumed, his beard bristling with anger as he heard his clan being cursed.
"Could it be that Su Jian and Tang Yi reached some agreement to stage this whole thing on purpose? I knew it! How could a Big Waste possibly defeat a disciple from the Noble Families? So he’s been winning by using tricks like this. But for a disciple of the Su Family to take part in such a filthy affair... truly shameless," another Su Family Elder said, filled with righteous indignation.
"Clan Leader, just listen to those curses! They’re not just insulting Tang Yi and the Tang Family; our Su Family is being dragged through the mud as well! We must handle this matter cautiously, so our Su Family isn’t needlessly implicated," a Su Family Elder said to the Clan Leader.
Hearing this, the Su Family’s Clan Leader considered for a moment before finally saying, "When Su Jian returns, give him fifty strokes of the cane, then expel him from the Su Family. We, the Su Family, have no need for such an actor."
The crowd of clansmen nodded in assent, completely agreeing with the Clan Leader’s decision.
Not a single member of the Su Family spoke up for Su Jian; they were all too eager to show their disdain.
They thought, ’For Su Jian to dare put on such a show in front of everyone, he’s got some nerve. If only he weren’t part of the Su Family... This is a complete disgrace.’
Meanwhile, Su Jian was still unconscious below the stage. His face had smashed into the floor, and he had no idea how many teeth he’d lost. He was in a truly wretched state, completely unaware that he had just been expelled from the Su Family.
If he found out, he would probably die of rage on the spot.
He had been framed!
He wasn’t an actor! He didn’t know how he’d fallen off the stage either!
But Su Jian was still unconscious. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t explain. He was destined to be the scapegoat.
Meanwhile, the audience’s jeers had not subsided. The scene was one of total chaos. The din of the uproar, curses, arguments, and condemnations all blended together, making the venue as noisy as a street market.
The massive uproar even affected the contestants competing on the adjacent stages. Unable to help themselves, they glanced distractedly toward Tang Yi’s stage, curious about what had happened.
Because one contestant was distracted, his opponent immediately found an opening, launching a decisive blow that sent him off the stage.
Other distracted contestants also had a series of close calls.
In that brief moment, several matches that had been at a stalemate were decided in an instant. It was hard to know whether to laugh or cry.
"No wonder Tang Yi looked so calm and collected, like he had some backing. Turns out he just bribed some contestants to lose to him. I actually thought he had shed his title as a waste and gained some impressive strength. So it was nothing more than this."
Fan Wei, who had been granted a waiver for the preliminary rounds, also voiced his opinion. His contempt for Tang Yi intensified.
"That’s what I was thinking. Tang Yi looked so confident, I was actually worried after making that bet with him. But it looks like I had no reason to be concerned. This Tang Yi is just a waste, putting on a show. His actual strength is nothing special; he can only rely on such despicable techniques to get a qualifying spot," Mu Xianling also said.
After making her bet with Tang Yi, every time Mu Xianling had seen his confident expression, she couldn’t help but feel a sliver of worry.
’After all, if I lose, I have to be Tang Yi’s servant for three years. That’s unacceptable! I’m the great young lady of the Mu Family, beautiful and powerful. How could I possibly become a servant for Tang Yi! How could I have ever agreed to such a bet?!’
Mu Xianling had only agreed to the bet because she felt it was impossible for her to lose to Tang Yi.
But now, it seemed, she had no reason to worry.
’Tang Yi is just as pathetic as I thought. If he truly had strength, he definitely wouldn’t rely on such despicable techniques to win. It seems his strength really isn’t anything to write home about.’
Meanwhile, Su Four Sabers, a Su Family clansman who had also received a waiver, looked as grim as could be. Su Jian was a member of his clan, and for something like this to happen had cost him a great deal of face as well.
He also faintly noticed that the gazes of Yuan Qiong, Fan Wei, and Mu Xianling all held a hint of mockery, which infuriated Su Four Sabers even more...
Trying to attack someone, only to fall off the stage yourself?
If the Saint Martial Continent had an award for Best Actor, Su Jian would undoubtedly be the well-deserved winner.
But what none of them knew was this:
Su Jian hadn’t fallen off the stage on his own. Tang Yi had given him a push from behind.
When Su Jian had charged over, Tang Yi sidestepped and then pushed him from behind. It was precisely that push that sent Su Jian flying off the stage.
Otherwise, since Su Jian hadn’t made some prior arrangement with Tang Yi, why would he have charged off the stage on his own?
It was only because Tang Yi was so powerful, and his movements so incredibly fast, that ordinary people and low-level Martial Artists simply hadn’t seen it clearly.