Chapter Sixty-Two: Master of the Tang Blade

Shen Mei quickly scrambled up from the ground and walked over to Zhao Tiantian.

"This round goes to Qin Sheng."

"Sheng Sheng won?!" Jiang Miaomiao leapt up, her face ablaze with excitement as she looked at both Aji and the approaching Qin Sheng.

Aji nodded helplessly, thinking to herself how strangely excited Jiang Miaomiao was—she’d seen Qin Sheng defeat zombies countless times, and now just because she won a round against Shen Mei, Miaomiao was this thrilled?

"Yes, yes, that’s right, your Sheng Sheng won." Aji still answered her question in all seriousness.

Jiang Miaomiao rushed to Qin Sheng’s side, her smile blooming like a flower. "Sheng Sheng! Congratulations on winning this round!"

"Thank you, Miaomiao," Qin Sheng replied politely with a gentle smile.

In contrast, Shen Mei’s expression was less than cheerful. While Aji and Jiang Miaomiao were celebrating Qin Sheng’s victory, she herself appeared somewhat desolate.

She pressed her lips together, unconsciously recalling Yang Yao’s expression from her own tournament days long ago.

"Mei Mei! You were amazing—you actually won! I knew you could do it!"

In a daze, Shen Mei seemed to see herself and Yang Yao from years before.

Just like Jiang Miaomiao and Qin Sheng today, for a fleeting moment, she too felt a pang of nostalgia and even a bit of regret for her actions.

But it was only a fleeting sense of loss; Yang Yao was no longer the person who would be happier than herself whenever she won a match.

Shen Mei sighed silently and lowered her head, rubbing at the sore spots on her body.

Suddenly, a bottle of pain-relief spray appeared in her line of sight.

Yang Yao immediately looked up, surprised to find that it was Qin Sheng offering her the spray.

"What are you waiting for? Take it and use it—a quick spray and the pain will fade," Qin Sheng arched her brow and swiftly pressed the spray into Yang Yao’s hand.

Yang Yao pursed her lips, an indescribable feeling welling up inside her.

Seeing Yang Yao did not refuse her gift, Qin Sheng smiled and walked back to her own resting spot.

"Thank—" Yang Yao hesitated for a long time before she could utter her thanks, but by then, Qin Sheng had already walked away.

Yang Yao clutched the spray in her hand, moved in a way she couldn’t quite put into words.

"Yang Yao, let me help you with your back. I noticed earlier that you probably can’t reach it yourself," Zhao Tiantian sat beside her, taking the spray from her hand and tending to the swollen, reddened area on her back.

Today the wind seemed particularly strong, Yang Yao thought, stinging her eyes until they watered.

"All done. Be careful in the last round," Zhao Tiantian reminded her, placing the spray back in her hand.

Yang Yao nodded, visibly moved.

Qin Sheng had also been injured on her back, but fortunately it wasn’t severe—after using the pain spray, it was nothing serious.

"I can’t even tell what the point of this match is. Both of you got hurt," Jiang Miaomiao sighed as she carefully treated Qin Sheng’s wounds.

Aji pressed her lips together too. At first, she thought watching two top fighters go at it would be exhilarating. And it was—except now both had ended up with injuries.

"It’s just a minor injury. It’ll heal soon," Qin Sheng smiled as she put on her jacket.

Perhaps it was the pain spray, but this time Yang Yao didn’t immediately get up for the third round. The two waited until they had both recovered before starting again.

There was no need to say much about their final showdown: if Shen Mei won, Qin Sheng would have to take her out of the safe zone tonight; if Qin Sheng won, she could go out alone.

Seeing Shen Mei’s renewed vigor, Qin Sheng knew she wouldn’t let this last round slip by easily—she’d probably fight harder than ever.

Qin Sheng’s eyes darted as she suddenly recalled something. Taking advantage of the moment before Shen Mei made her move, she called out loudly, "So as long as it’s something I’m good at, I can use it in the match, right?"

Shen Mei clenched her fists, just about to start when Qin Sheng stopped her.

"That shouldn’t be a problem. Both of you can use your strengths, right?" Jiang Miaomiao chimed in.

Referee Zhao Tiantian nodded her agreement.

"So, what exactly are you good at?" Shen Mei asked warily.

Qin Sheng’s lips curved mischievously as she replied slowly, "Actually, I’m best with my Tang sword."

Shen Mei: "..."

Jiang Miaomiao: "..."

Indeed, wasn’t Qin Sheng’s best weapon her Tang sword? But if she brought it out now, wouldn’t that be a bit shameless?

"If you’re using your Tang sword, I might as well surrender," Shen Mei rolled her eyes in exasperation. She was a taekwondo champion, not a martial arts master—how could she withstand that sword?

Qin Sheng smirked; she had never intended to use her Tang sword. Fairness aside, if she pulled out such a massive weapon from behind, she’d probably be mistaken for a monster before the match even began.

"I won’t use the Tang sword," Qin Sheng assured her with a smile.

Shen Mei lifted her chin proudly and raised her fists once more, her eyes alert and vigilant.

She had to win this match. Even if she wasn’t allowed out of the safe zone, she needed to prove herself.

Qin Sheng’s eyes sparkled with cunning. The Tang sword wasn’t her only talent.

"Begin!" Zhao Tiantian declared.

Shen Mei shot toward Qin Sheng like lightning.

Qin Sheng parried her side kick with a punch, creating distance between them.

"Again!" Shen Mei shouted, launching a swift and furious attack—faster and fiercer than the first two rounds.

Qin Sheng dodged and searched for an opening. Their fight was tight and spectacular, leaving Aji and Jiang Miaomiao wide-eyed in awe.

"Wow, Shen Mei is incredible!" Aji couldn’t help but praise her flurry of kicks, jumping up to cheer for Shen Mei.

Jiang Miaomiao, a diehard fan of Qin Sheng, felt her competitive spirit flare and shouted encouragement even louder for Qin Sheng.

Qin Sheng hadn’t expected the outside audience to be even more lively than the match itself.

Clenching her fists, she took the initiative to attack Shen Mei. Shen Mei dodged, and the fight reached a fever pitch—neither could gain the upper hand.

"Go, Qin Sheng! Go, Shen Mei!" Aji bounced and cheered for them both, while Jiang Miaomiao shouted even more fiercely.

Shen Mei’s stamina was waning. She couldn’t find any holes in Qin Sheng’s defense—a dangerous situation. Without an opening, she couldn’t eliminate Qin Sheng, and as her own attacks slowed, she would become vulnerable to being knocked out herself.

Gritting her teeth, Shen Mei forced herself to focus, dueling Qin Sheng back and forth, determined to find a weakness.

The match reached a stalemate, and time was running out. If the timer ran out and they were still tied, Shen Mei would lose by default—Qin Sheng would go out alone.

"Take this!" Shen Mei kicked at Qin Sheng, who dodged without hesitation and counterattacked.

Seeing that Shen Mei was about to be eliminated, Jiang Miaomiao and Aji held their breath in suspense.

If she lost, the punishment would be severe—painful, no doubt.

Shen Mei braced herself for defeat. Across three matches, she hadn’t figured out Qin Sheng’s tactics or strength, while she herself had been thoroughly studied.

Qin Sheng’s lips curled slightly as she slipped a hand into her pocket, quickly pulling out some knockout powder she’d taken from her grandfather’s pharmacy.

As Shen Mei closed in, Qin Sheng rubbed a little of the powder on her.

In an instant, Shen Mei collapsed to the side like a kite with its string cut.

"Shen Mei?!"

"What happened?!"

Jiang Miaomiao, Aji, and referee Zhao Tiantian all grew frantic, seeing Shen Mei fall with no warning, fearing something terrible had happened.

Qin Sheng quickly caught her, lowering her gently to the ground.

The three rushed over, anxiously questioning Qin Sheng about what had happened to Shen Mei.

"Sheng Sheng, what’s wrong with Shen Mei? How did she just faint?" Jiang Miaomiao bent over, taking Shen Mei from Qin Sheng so she could rest.

"Could it be some medical issue?" Aji asked worriedly.

Qin Sheng shook her head and answered honestly, "She was knocked out by my sleeping powder."

Aji and Jiang Miaomiao stared at her in disbelief. In this day and age, who still carried around something like knockout powder from old TV dramas?

"My grandfather’s a doctor—he knows all about these things. Don’t worry, it’s harmless; she’ll just have a good sleep," Qin Sheng explained further.

Relieved to hear Shen Mei wasn’t harmed, they were still amazed Qin Sheng had something so magical on hand.

Qin Sheng and Jiang Miaomiao carried the sleeping Shen Mei back to her room.

"Sheng Sheng, be very careful when you go out tonight. We’ll guard things here for you," Jiang Miaomiao told her again.

Qin Sheng nodded, telling her not to worry.

"I’ll sneak you out in the dark tonight," Aji said to Qin Sheng. "After you climb the wall, just keep going forward and you’ll be out—but watch out for the patrols."

"Alright, I understand."

After speaking, Qin Sheng pulled some compressed biscuits from her bag and distributed them. "I still have some compressed biscuits—eat these for now, wait for me to come back."

"Thank you, Qin Sheng," Zhao Tiantian said sincerely as she accepted the food.

"It’s nothing," Qin Sheng replied with a shake of her head.

After their meal, they rested for a while as dusk fell.

"It’s about time. Let’s head out," Qin Sheng announced, having changed into a black outfit for the night, the tight clothes accentuating her graceful figure.

"Qin Sheng, you have quite the figure," Aji teased, leaning against the door and giving her a playful, appraising look.

"Are you really that irresistible, to both men and women?"