Grandpa Wei stood up, powerful and tall-- almost a whole head above anyone else.

“Your courage, Yan Xue... thank you. Thank you on behalf of our Song family.”

He took a breath and shook his head, “But, no, child. For our third match, I plan to send someone I’m willing to risk.”

Shay felt her heart being squeezed. That was... pretty much Grandpa promising he’d take care of her. The last time she heard something like that was from her dad. At the time, though, she wasn’t mature enough to realize that he really cared even if he didn’t say so outright.

No, wait. There was someone else who said he’d keep her safe-- and he wasn’t shy about it, either. Even thinking about it made her tummy tingle.

There was no safer place in Archangel than by his side...

But anyway, Shay was ultimately glad she didn’t actually have to risk dying.

Still... that meant someone else had to go in her place. Even though that’s how the martial world worked, it still felt cruel.

“Pingping!” Grandpa said.

Shay looked over to where Uncle Pingping was sitting. He was staring into space with a far-away look in his eyes.

“I was adopted... that makes so much sense.”

“...Nevermind,” Grandpa frowned.

He went down the list of seniority, asking the remaining martial artists to volunteer.

They turned away. They bowed their heads. No one wanted to defend the way of life they’d been taking advantage of for decades.

But that was fine. Shay had a part two of her plan.

“Grandpa,” she said, “why don’t you fight?”

Wei furrowed his brows. “I do owe Jinyan a match-- to see who’s really stronger between us. But the way the Boundless Arrow sect is fighting...”

That made sense. If the Zhang sect head was as good as Grandpa, then if he took a magic pill, too, he’d be practically unstoppable.

“But Grandpa, you can beat anyone else beside him, even if they cheat, right?”

Grandpa Wei crossed his arms like a kid told to finish his veggies. “Well! --that goes without saying!”

“Then that’s fine,” Shay smiled, “Zhang Jinyan won’t enter the tournament.”

Again, all eyes of the booth snapped to her. However, thanks to her identity as Grandpa’s one and only disciple, they didn’t say anything mean.

...but that only lasted for about two seconds.

--”(What nonsense is coming out of this child?)”

--”(Junior Sister, is your brain broken?)”

There were also a few more insults in Mandarin that basically meant ‘idiot’ or ‘stupid.’

Grandpa Wei raised his hand, stopping the chatter. Then, he crouched over, his eyes level with hers.

“Xiaoxue... why do you think that?”

Shay shrugged off the comments from earlier and puffed out her chest.

“Taking a burst pill has a side effect that permanently damages their chi!”

“And... how do you know that?” Grandpa asked.

--that was a great question.

Shay had no idea. She just... kinda assumed that was the case.

It made sense!

With great power came great debuffs!

Err-- but the source of that knowledge was... wuxia novels and playing video games at Aquila’s house.

It sounded so good, though! She wanted to believe it so bad~

Grandpa stroked his pointy beard... “Did... your Senior Sister tell you that?”

Shay tilted her head.

What Senior Sister? She was the only girl in the Eternal Sun sect, wasn’t she?

Grandpa shook his head, “No. It’s fine, Xiaoxue. I trust you.”

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He patted her head affectionately-- which was nice.

She nodded to herself, watching Grandpa’s strong back as he made his way to the stone arena.

Then... she realized what she’d done.

She held her head, sweating in a panic. She was so focused on being clever that she’d just sent out the only grandfather she knew into a life-or-death battle that was going to decide the state of the Song family without even thinking about the potential consequences!

Idiot Shay!

Stupid egg Shay!

If something happened to Grandpa, all of their family’s shares would tank into oblivion!

Everyone else in the booth was glaring at her.

Oh, no.

If Grandpa got hurt, she was next.

She put her hands together and started to pray-- just like Senior Brother Pingping.

She needed a savior... or an angel! Maybe someone like...

--the silver-haired guy in the crowd?

----------------------------------------

Song Wei, the Storm Mountain made a powerful leap into the arena.

His mind was clear. His body was ready.

He removed his shoes, feeling the cool stone tile underfoot.

When was the last time he risked his body for the sake of his family? When was the last time he had to fight with his fists instead of his wealth and connections?

He heard jeers from the crowd. What kind of sect sends their sect leader into a martial tournament? How far had the Song family fallen? How worthless were his sons and students that he couldn’t trust them with the fate of their sect?

Worthless babble.

He knew well that the Song family was desperate.

He knew well that all of his sons and grandsons were worth less than the hairs of a single girl’s head.

Yet, he was Song Wei.

He’d raised the Song family from dirt and dregs into a tower that reached toward the heavens.

Even without a single backer, he would stand and prove--

“(Grandpa, you have to win!)” Xiaoxue shouted.

...Hm. He had one backer.

With but a single backer, he would stand and prove the worth of his Song family-- even if that could only be proven by the breaking of his iron bones and the spilling of his raging blood.

He tossed off his jacket, silencing the crowd with a body full of old muscle and older scars.

“(This Wei will fight!)” he shouted, “(Come, dogs of the Zhang family. As long as this old body stands, the Song family will NEVER bow to your schemes!)”

Zhang Jinyan stood up from his seat, “(Have you no shame, you old dog?!)”

“(What use is shame when you dare threaten my family, Zhang Jinyan!)”

“(Hmph! I can say the same,)” Zhang Jinyan glared. “(Did you think the Bounded Arrow sect was weak when you poisoned my grandsons?! Even if you kneel and beg for mercy, I won’t let you leave with an intact corpse!)”

Wei blinked his eyes. He... didn’t have anyone that used poison in his sect.

“(Shameless! So shameless!)” Jinyan screamed, “(Admit it, you coward! You sent your demon sorcerers to attack my strongest warriors! In their homes! In front of their wives and children! My second son will lie in BED for the rest of his life with a broken dantian, afraid of shadows on the wall! And my third and fourth sons see giants in their nightmares!!!)”

Wei hadn’t done any of that.

“(Fellow daoist, what about... your first son?)”

Zhang Jinyan literally spit a mouthful of blood. The fate of his first son must have been... very bad.

Wei gazed up to the heavens. Were they smiling upon his Song family? Or... were the sins of the Zhang family so heinous that they no longer had their protection?

The Bounded Arrow sect sent out their fighter. Just as Xiaoxue had predicted, Zhang Jinyan remained sitting on his chair, seething with rage.

Wei was ready... or so he thought.

His opponent held out a pill. He tossed it into his mouth, swallowed it, and grinned. Then, their body began to swell like the neck of a toad. Their neck muscles grew thicker than a car tire. Their body beneath their red uniform rippled with power.

Song Wei had always prided himself in his body, owing his size and frame to his father and his father before him. But it was the first time in his life he was fighting against someone larger than him...

--and if he was like the others, the change to his body would not negatively affect his speed.

Wei clenched his fists. He widened his stance.

He took a deep breath filled with chi, sharpening his senses. He felt the vibrations in the air, the sound of the trickling garden fountain, the individuals fibers of--

--a young man’s Western suit?

An unfamiliar Westerner stood on the Zhang family’s side, just outside the arena. He wore a black, modern suit with green inner layers... and a sheathed jian on his waist.

“Ni hao!” he said in a loud voice, “ni shì shuī?”

Wei winced almost in pain at the young man’s arrogance. There was a life-or-death battle going on! And that person dared to ask someone their name in one of the rudest ways possible?!

The Zhang family warrior stared at the man in equal or greater disbelief.

But the young man merely cleared his throat... and he repeated himself-- slower.

“Ni. shu. shway?”

Wei cringed when he heard it. His pronunciation wasn’t the problem! Why was that boy so eager to court death?!

But then he sensed footsteps behind him. And out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a black and crimson blur circling the arena.