Huji was a well-known fighter, though not an excellent one he could be considered as an above-average fighter in the Slayer grounds. Witnessing a kid who had yet to develop a beard knock him down with ease was something the spectators never dared to imagine.
The crowd below who fell silent for a while broke into hushed whispers breaking the eerie calm that has descended on the entire arena. Huji who was bewildered earlier was now frozen stiff as the demeaning whispers fell on his ears.
He had underestimated Xia Lian and now he was paying for it. The sneers in his mind have been successfully silenced by her stealth skills. He had no choice but to acknowledge her and treat her as a formidable opponent. He had learnt his lesson and he was now regretting his hasty attitude in assessing others.
He was guarded against her but he had to admit that there was this large part of his heart that was looking forward to crossing swords with the tiny yet formidable kid.
" Are you done reminiscing your sweet past?" Xia Lian's peevish voice successfully snapped Huji out of his train of thoughts. Panicking a little bit more than he intended to, he jerked up a bit straightening his spine. But he immediately stopped his movements as he felt a cold and sharp-pointed object pressed against the back of his neck.
" Still want to fight, hmm…" there was mirth in her voice as she continued " Interesting, now from where should I start to cut you?"
Suppressing the inner trepidation in his thumping heart, Huji let out a long breath which he had been suppressing for a while. With his shaky voice mirroring the exact turmoil in his heart, he framed his sentences with great difficulty " I-I s- surrender!... I surrender!"
" You win!"
" Tsk… I expected more of a real fight." Xia Lian snorted as she wrinkled her nose " It seems that you are nothing but empty talk."
" Now you have no claim on that woman."
Truth be told he had no interest in that woman from the start. He had no perverted desires or any fatal attraction towards that damn woman. It was a personal squabble and since she hurt his pride as a man on that day, he was itching for harmless revenge. That was all and now he was interested in the little guy before him. All that he wanted was another fight.
Taking his silence for agreement, Xia Lian spoke as she slipped her dagger from the back of his neck to his throat " Good… Remember this, If you ever try to lay a hand on her your head will roll on the ground."
She pressed the dagger against his neck making a noticeable cut on his pale skin, his blood trailing a byzantine path on her dagger. She then stepped forward and flashed the dagger before his wide eyes. He stared at her unblinking as she spat the words " This was the 'toy' that managed to draw blood from you. The next time you belittle my dagger will be the last time you get to keep that pretty head of your intact."
Xia Lian felt satisfied as she took in his blank face, she then turned around and headed to the exit the damn stage. Huji was frozen stiff, his heart brimming with both fear and excitement. After taking a few steps forward, Xia Lian stopped in her tracks with a dumbfounded expression on her face as she heard a declaration which sadly did not make any sense to her.
" Hey, kid!" Huji screamed " How about we go for another match? This time I promise I will put up a strong fight."
" Are you so desperate about her?" Xia Lian had a flabbergasted expression on her face as she pointed her fingers between the woman and him. Even the woman dressed in black robes snorted derisively at Huji making him annoyed at once.
" Damn Woman!" his fingers were shaking as he pointed at the woman dressed in black robes " If you had not insulted me in the bar, then I would not have gone to such lengths today to exact my revenge against you."
The woman was neither flustered nor frightened and she replied coolly " You deserved it. If you had not commented about women coming to bars, then I would have never emptied that wine flask on your head. If only you have managed your business and left me alone, then this would not have never happened. Blame that mud brain of yours, if you want to vent your anger."
" Y-you…" Huji was rendered speechless by her words. She was right, it was himself that started this petty fight. He did want to rebuke her but noticing Xia Lian walk away from the corner of his eyes, he immediately ran towards her while stumbling a few times on the way before successfully grabbing her slender hand.
" Kid, let's have another match…"
' Another match?' Xia Lian's lips twitched as she felt an overwhelming desire to strangle this annoying pest who was now clinging on to her like a leech. She turned around with the intention of rebuking him, but his large puppy dog eyes convinced her otherwise.
Just a single match… What harm could it possibly do?
With that thought in her mind, Xia Lian flashed a sweet smile at him and before he recovered from that blinding smile of hers she locked his wrists and flipped him over.