A Card In Hand

Chapter 23: My Conscience Won’t Allow It!

The whole arena.

If there was still someone who was completely unaware that Li Ao was mercilessly beating up Prince Jinxi, it was none other than the true boss—Fuxi.

Because his entire attention was engrossed in a conversation with the Goddess Huo Mei.

Her every smile and frown.

Completely captivated him.

Dancing with joy.

As for the cousin competing in the arena?

By now, he had completely forgotten him, his mind lost in the clouds…

“Goddess Huo Mei, what else would you like to know? I’ll withhold nothing,” Fuxi was even ready to share that he had finally stopped wetting the bed after turning eight.

“Can you tell me how your supposedly simple-minded little brother, Li Ao, who is said to have a combat power of only 100, managed to knock down Prince Jinxi with a combat power of 1276?”

Huo Mei’s eyes, ablaze with an undying fire, were fixed unblinkingly on Li Ao who was thrashing Prince Jinxi on the platform, her curiosity growing.

“What?”

Fuxi was confused.

“Look for yourself?”

Huo Mei snapped her fingers, and a thorny vine of fire turned Fuxi around to face Platform No.1.

“Ah, this can’t be right, am I dreaming?”

Initially, Fuxi had no interest in the match, but a quick glance revealed something amiss.

The person being thrashed on the platform was not his little cousin but his opponent, Prince Jinxi?

What was happening?

How did their roles get reversed?

Fuxi slapped himself hard, then looked again at the platform where his cousin Li Ao continued to pummel his opponent…

He suddenly realized.

Turning back to Huo Mei, he said, “I understand now!”

Huo Mei, breaking her usual demeanor, rewarded him with a smile, “Can you tell me the truth?”

Fuxi nodded solemnly, “I finally understand why this is happening. I must be dreaming! Otherwise, it’s impossible for Li Ao to be thrashing Prince Jinxi, and Goddess Huo Mei, you wouldn’t be chatting happily with me and smiling at me. All these can only happen in dreams!”

Huo Mei facepalmed.

Please!

Can’t you tell dreams from reality?

Is your talent really that messed up?

Suddenly, Fuxi bent down, intending to kiss Huo Mei’s toes.

“What are you doing?”

Huo Mei was startled by his indecent action.

Are you sick?

“Goddess Huo Mei, I wouldn’t dare in reality, but since this is a dream, it doesn’t matter! No matter what, I must seize the time before I wake up to devoutly honor your toes!”

Before Fuxi could finish, an enraged Huo Mei kicked him away: “Get lost, you lump of lard!”

The fiery thorns extended infinitely, catching up to him in mid-air.

Grabbing Fuxi by the shins.

And slamming him down onto a platform.

Thud!

Fuxi’s scream had not even escaped his throat.

When the fiery thorns flung him from the platform, tossing him far away and slamming him into another platform… This cycle of brutal punishment continued until Fuxi turned into a shapeless pile of trash.

Across a separate competition area.

Under Platform No. 5.

Watching Li Ao thrash Prince Jinxi, Tie Zheng and Cang Yue were completely dumbfounded.

Stunned.

After a long while.

Cang Yue snapped back to reality and pointed at Li Ao, urgently asking Tie Zheng, “Is this guy really from a collateral branch of your family?”

Tie Zheng was equally shocked, his jaw nearly dropped, and it took him several attempts to form words, “It seems like…”

“How could he possibly beat Prince Jinxi like a dog?”

“I don’t know!”

“You’re lying!”

“I really don’t know what’s happening!”

“Tie Zheng, I’ve lost interest in you now. I want to fight him! I want to fight him!”

“Not just you, I’m itching for a fight with him too! Who would have thought, our Iron Clan Family had such a person!”

Beneath the shattered No. 1 platform.

Ling Long suddenly burst into laughter, “This little trickster is quite interesting, huh, Yue Sha?”

Yue Sha thought for a moment and nodded seriously, “He’s terrifying!”

Dou Guang and Supervisor Chang Chi finally reacted.

They hurriedly stepped forward.

Separating Li Ao and Prince Jinxi.

Li Ao calmly stepped back, his hands naturally hanging by his side, looking like the well-behaved child he was, as if the person who had just kneed Prince Jinxi viciously was not him.

Prince Jinxi had been dazed by Li Ao’s series of knee strikes just now.

If not for the protective Cotton Smoke Combat Suit, his face would have burst into pieces.

It took a while for him to recover after being separated by Supervisor Chang Chi.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he was beaten up.

And it was a savage beating.

Rage.

Again, it surged from the depths of his heart.

Prince Jinxi’s eyes gradually reddened, and countless light energy forces gathered on his arms… Kill! Kill this despicable wretch!

“Calm down! This isn’t you. Snap out of it!” Supervisor Chang Chi shouted as he gripped Prince Jinxi’s shoulders, his voice thundering like an explosion, jolting Prince Jinxi back to clarity. Chang Chi stared deeply into Prince Jinxi’s eyes, their gazes locked, his mouth moving slightly to emit a secret sound wave that transmitted directly into Prince Jinxi’s eardrums, inaudible to anyone else.

Receiving the secret transmission from Supervisor Chang Chi, the light energy source within Prince Jinxi rapidly dissipated.

His face revealed an indescribable sense of guilt.

From an observer’s perspective.

It was a sight of profound distress.

Tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the arena.

Prince Jinxi leapt down from the arena, grabbing the hands of the assistant referee he had injured, and apologized with profound regret, “Teacher Jutao, I am so sorry! Whatever reprimand you have for me, I will accept it wholeheartedly, 100% accept your punishment! I shouldn’t have lost control. I failed to control myself and crazily hurt you who came to dissuade me. I am truly too remorseful. Give me a slap, how could I have punched you? I don’t know how else to express my apology. I will kneel to you…”

Saying this.

He made a gesture to kneel.

Attempting to kneel to ask for forgiveness from the assistant referee Jutao whom he had accidentally struck.

The injured assistant referee Jutao, enduring his pain, quickly helped Prince Jinxi up.

Jutao coughed and shook his head at the remorseful Prince Jinxi, “Don’t do this…cough cough, I know, this isn’t you, not your true intention! You were under a curse, unable to control your emotions… I understand, cough cough… get up, get up quickly… I will not punish you for this, you are a new student under my adjudication, protecting you is my…cough cough, protecting you is my duty! Cough cough cough…”

Since Assistant Referee Jutao of Arena 1 clearly stated he would not hold him accountable.

Prince Jinxi’s biggest concern was resolved.

After consultation.

Finally, Supervisor Chang Chi announced that Prince Jinxi’s points for this match would be deducted.

Moreover, this match was invalidated due to Prince Jinxi being under a curse and losing control of his emotions, accidentally striking Assistant Referee Jutao.

“Do you have any objections to this ruling?”

Chang Chi then turned to Li Ao.

“No,” Li Ao spread his hands, indicating acceptance.

“Do you want to request a rematch?” Chang Chi asked again.

“No need,” Li Ao shook his head. “I am a pacifist, I thought it was a normal match just now and had to act in self-defense. I only lightly punched and kicked His Highness the Prince a few times, and I already feel very guilty. If you ask me to beat him up again… my conscience wouldn’t allow me to do that!”

“Pfft!”

Ling Long couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

A pacifist?

You have a conscience?

Really?

You beat Prince Jinxi up like a dog, and you still have the nerve to say such things. How thick is your skin!