Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

"Elder Zhang, Uncle Li, please come out and back me up! Today, I'm going to have it out with that Zhou Yonglu!"

As her voice faded.

A moment later, Zhang Dun and Li Kuangyi emerged from the cabin.

"Young Mistress, it is better to resolve a grievance than to start a feud."

Zhang Dun walked closer and stopped. He immediately began to counsel her, but his tone was flat, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

"For matters like this, it's best to negotiate if we can. Don't you agree?"

Before Wu Ziyu could respond.

A deep shout came from the lead fast boat across the water.

"Wu Ziyu! It's time to put an end to this!"

On the bow of the opposing boat, a short, stout young man in a white fur cloak shouted, his face dark.

"As of today, that stretch of water known as Ten-Mile Swamp belongs to my Zhou's Fishing Village. In exchange, the grudge between us will be wiped clean."

"That's enough, Zhou Yonglu!"

Wu Ziyu didn't back down an inch.

"You've been causing trouble for days, and it's still not enough? Give you an inch and you take a mile? Do you really think I'm a pushover?"

"Let's be clear! I, Zhou Yonglu, never bully women!"

Zhou Yonglu said coldly.

"Blame yourself for publicly humiliating me. For disciples of the Eight Great Races like us, personal disgrace brings shame upon the entire race. If I don't reclaim my honor, how can I hold my head up? How can I command respect from others?"

"So there's no room for negotiation?"

Wu Ziyu's expression turned frigid, her pretty face instantly covered in a layer of frost.

"Negotiate? Hah…"

Zhou Yonglu sneered.

"You can either hand over Ten-Mile Swamp, or you can negotiate with the fists of the Martial Artists in my employ!"

"Fine! Then we'll do it by the rules—a duel for the territory!"

Not yielding an inch, Wu Ziyu glanced to the side and said in a grave voice.

"Elder Zhang, I'd like you to fight this battle for me. Win or lose, the payment is five hundred taels of silver. If you're injured, I'll cover all your expenses until you make a full recovery!"

"I…"

Zhang Dun hesitated, a troubled look on his face.

"My old leg wound has been acting up. Young Mistress, you know the one—it's a latent injury from my youth that flares up terribly in the winter. I've barely been able to walk these past few days, let alone fight."

Wu Ziyu's brow furrowed slightly.

'Of course she knew. That man, Zhang Dun, was as shrewd as they come.'

'He never wasted the money he'd earned over the better part of his life. His savings were more than enough for a comfortable retirement.'

'The crucial thing was, the man had no great ambition. All he wanted was a peaceful life.'

'He would never accept a job that involved dueling.'

'Wu Ziyu had only asked to test the waters. She hadn't actually expected him to agree.'

'Forget it…'

She said no more and turned her gaze to the other man.

"Uncle Li, I need you to fight this battle. I'm willing to offer a Treasure Medicine that can unlock your latent potential."

"Really?"

At her words, Li Kuangyi's eyes lit up for a moment.

He was roughly ten years younger than Zhang Dun, and though his Cultivation hadn't progressed an inch in years, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

However faint that hope was, its allure was immense.

"I'm willing to fight, but on one condition: my opponent must be below the level of Seven Pillars of Blood Qi!"

Li Kuangyi stated his final condition.

"Don't worry."

Wu Ziyu reassured him.

"Zhou Yonglu can't afford to hire a Transforming Force master. The person he sends for the duel will be at the level of Six Pillars of Blood Qi at most—the same tier as you."

"Alright then, I'll fight!"

Li Kuangyi steadied himself, then strode to the bow and stood beside Wu Ziyu.

Not wanting to get involved, Chen Cheng took a step back when he saw the man approach, yielding the space at the front of the bow.

"Zhou Yonglu!"

Wu Ziyu called out.

"Send your man over! We'll use this pier as our arena and decide the winner!"

"Alright."

Zhou Yonglu agreed readily. He turned and called out to someone behind him.

Immediately after, a young man wearing Profound-Colored Martial Attire emerged from the cabin and walked to stand beside Zhou Yonglu.

He was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with an average build and plain features. He was smiling pleasantly, looking like a good-natured young man.

"W-wait!"

The moment Li Kuangyi got a clear look at the man's face, he reacted like a mouse that had just seen a cat. His eyes bulged, he flinched, and he stumbled back several steps, his body hunched over.

"Uncle Li, what's wrong?"

'Wu Ziyu's heart sank. She instantly realized this was probably a lost cause.'

"That kid over there…"

Li Kuangyi's lips trembled, and his voice was shaky.

"I've fought him before, in another place. It took only tw—... only about twenty moves for him to defeat me... I can't take this fight."

"You… he…"

Wu Ziyu was rendered speechless. She looked at Li Kuangyi, then back at the youth in the Profound-Colored Martial Attire on the other boat.

"Young Mistress, fighting him would just be a public disgrace for me. Forgive me for breaking my promise… I'm sorry…"

Li Kuangyi continued to back away as he spoke, terrified that Wu Ziyu would try to force him into a fight he couldn't win.

"Wu Ziyu! Where's your champion? Did he get cold feet?"

Zhou Yonglu, seeing this clearly, bellowed his taunt. His short, stout body rocked back and forth on the bow, his white cloak billowing high in the wind, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction.

"If no one from the Wu Family will answer the challenge, then we'll settle this by the rules. From this day forward, Ten-Mile Swamp will belong to the Zhous!"

"…"

Wu Ziyu's brow was furrowed in a tight knot. She clenched her fists, her lips moving, but no words came out.

"Young Mistress."

Just then, Zhang Dun spoke up.

"Why not let Little Brother Chen give it a try? He's a true genius who was granted exceptional admission to the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard, unrivaled by his peers! He should be able to fight someone of a higher tier, right?"

"Absolutely not!"

Wu Ziyu refused without a moment's hesitation, her tone grave.

"Fighting above one's tier is nearly impossible! No one in Zhao City has managed it for years! I will not let Brother Chen take such a risk! If he were to suffer an irreversible latent injury, it would undoubtedly affect his future!"

Wu Ziyu paused, her tone becoming even more firm.

"Compared to Brother Chen's future, Ten-Mile Swamp is nothing! I'll give it up! I believe that with his rate of progress, it won't be long before he will personally reclaim for me all that I have lost!"

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