“How is this possible?” Song Qingshu looked in disbelief.
Ah Qing obviously didn’t understand the martial world and lived aloof from the muddy waters of the society. So why would she come to participate in such a worldly matter?
“That’s the fact.” Xia Qingqing also had a depressed expression, “In this Golden Serpent King election, the criteria of whether you can obtain the nomination qualification from being approved by more than half of the faction leaders is to test that person’s prestige and influence in the martial world. It doesn’t matter how naive the candidate looks on the surface, all the faction leaders would be interested as long as he or she is strong enough to help them. In the end, she passed that hurdle. As for the next election process, it was unanimously agreed that the world follows strength, and we should use martial arts to decide the final winner…”
Song Qingshu listened carefully to her explanation, understanding that the rules of the Golden Serpent King election were simple and crude. The candidates would directly compete against each other, and the winner would advance to the next level. And, the one who comes out on top would be the new Golden Serpent King.
‘Isn’t this similar to those football and basketball games from my previous life? First, the top 16 compete to determine the top eight, then the top four are selected from the top eight, and the top four compete to determine the two finalists…’ Song Qingshu quickly understood the rules.
“I can only try my best to let you meet Ah Qing as late as possible. I hope she will be eliminated in the middle.” With so many variables suddenly happening in this Golden Serpent Conference, Xia Qingqing was having a headache.
“How is it even possible for her to be eliminated?” Song Qingshu looked depressed. “If someone can really eliminate Ah Qing, his martial arts skills would have to be beyond incredible, and I wouldn’t be able to beat him.”
Situ Bolei asked, “What is the origin of that girl? Isn’t Young Master Song’s martial arts high enough to match her?”
Song Qingshu smiled bitterly and said, “You can think of her as a sword immortal descended from the heavens. How can a mortal like me defeat her?”
“How can there be an immortal in this world?” Ah Jiu suddenly interrupted, “Brother Song, I know your martial arts the best. There are few in this world who can be your opponent. No matter how high that little girl’s martial arts is, she can only have an equal chance to beat you. Why are you acting so timid before even fighting?”
Song Qingshu’s expression changed.
‘My evaluation of Ah Qing is built upon the information in the novel from my previous life, and I subconsciously regarded her as an invincible sword immortal. But my own circumstances are also just as incredible. I have learned many of the top martial arts in the martial world. What’s more, the Joyful Meditation method of Tantric Buddh1sm is close to a method of cultivation than mere martial art. Therefore, in a way, I am not an ordinary mortal at all!’
Thinking of that, Song Qingshu suddenly felt energetic and laughed loudly, “Ah Jiu, thank you for giving me such a valuable advice. If she is a sword immortal, then I am a sword demon. I don’t believe a demon can’t defeat an immortal!”
Seeing that he had regained his fighting spirit, Ah Jiu pursed her lips and smiled, thinking to herself, ‘As expected of the man I have chosen.’ (G: As I said, the MC would be nothing without his women.)
“By the way, who are the remaining nominees?” Song Qingshu asked worriedly.
Ah Qing had already appeared, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Dugu Qiubai showed up as well!
“Because this time we are selecting a new leader for the Golden Serpent Camp, we all decided unanimously that the candidates cannot be heads of other sects, so the candidates are either independent martial artists or ordinary disciples of other sects, but there is one exception.” Qingqing didn’t answer directly, but explained first.
“What exception?” Song Qingshu asked curiously.
“Chen Jinnan, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society. Leader Chen has an immense amount of prestige and fame in the martial world, so when Zheng Qiyun, the leader of the Seventy-two Islands, nominated him, all the faction leaders made an exception and agreed.” Xia Qingqing’s face immediately showed a strange look, “It stands to reason that the Zheng family is a distant relative of the Zheng family in Taiwan. Why didn’t he nominate a member of the Zheng family in Taiwan?”
“I think I know the reason.” Song Qingshu quickly responded, and told everyone about his conflict with Zheng Keshuang and his entourage, including that matter of kil1ing Feng Xifan and causing Zheng Keshuang to return to Taiwan in disgrace.
Ah Jiu nodded slightly, “No wonder Zheng Qiyun recommended Chen Jinnan. Although the Heaven and Earth Society has developed rapidly in recent years, it has gradually become out of balance. Those in Taiwan often put more constraints on the Heaven and Earth Society, and there has been a fissure between the two sides. But the Heaven and Earth Society has a deep connection with the Zheng family, and Chen Jinnan has the trust of Prince Yanping. So it makes sense for Zheng Qiyun to recommend Chen Jinnan out of desperation.”
“Ah Jiu, the Zheng family in Taiwan is one of the few remaining forces of the Ming Dynasty. Did you not contact them?” Song Qingshu asked curiously.
“I’ve been to Taiwan once before.” A trace of displeasure flashed across Ah Jiu’s face. “Those people in the Zheng family has intentions to become the ruler themselves and they are trying to compete in the battle for hegemony in the Central Plains. It is clear that they are not serious when they claim that they wish to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty. I had visited them in the past, but had to return in disappointment.”
Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Ah Jiu, I don’t know whether to say something or not.”
Ah Jiu was startled, “What do with to say?”
Song Qingshu replied, “At the beginning, the Qing Dynasty wasn’t so immensely powerful, so even if you knew that the Zheng family had different intentions, your faction still should have negotiated more and united all the forces that could be united. Only then would you have had a chance of success. But your faction didn’t focus on dealing with the invaders, and started competing against each other instead, proving their intentions to profit.”
Ah Jiu smiled and shook her head, “Brother Song, sometimes when I listen to you talk, I feel like you are not someone who grew up in this world. The concept of honor and status is rooted deep into the bones of everyone in this world, and everyone just wants to accumulate more honor and status.”
“What honor and status?” Song Qingshu sneered. “Aren’t they just people who want to be ministers under the Dragon Throne and are worried about being in a lower position in the end. If they go through life and death for the person they support, and have a less prominent position in return, wouldn’t their hard work only results in nothing. All they want is to profit.”
Ah Jiu was startled, “What you said indeed makes some sense.”
Xia Qingqing smiled, “Now we are discussing the election of the Golden Serpent King. Why are you talking about such matters? Besides, our Golden Serpent Camp is both anti-Qing and anti-Ming. How should I feel about it if you say such things in front of me?”
Ah Jiu came back to her senses and explained, “I’m not like those stubborn people. Qingqing, you may have been considered as rebels in the past, but I can still make friends with you because we all have different positions. The Zheng family in Taiwan, however, is different. They were officials of the Ming Dynasty, but they have a treacherous heart. It’s so annoying.”
“Alright, the Ninth Princess needs to calm down.” Xia Qingqing came to her side and gently rubbed her shoulder. After the night they healed Song Qingshu together, the two of them had obviously become much closer, and Xia Qingqing did these kinds of intimate acts very naturally. (G: in fact, she rubbed her che*st, but I had to fix it. I think the author forgot that Situ Bolei is also present in this conversation.)
Ah Jiu angrily pushed her naughty hand away, “Let’s talk about Brother Song’s opponents.”
She then unfolded a scroll and pointed to the names on it one by one to explain to Song Qingshu.
“You were nominated by Qingqing and General Situ. Shui Jian, the former General of the Ming Dynasty nominated Xiao Banhe, the Golden Sun Hero. Xiao Banhe is a man who is good at charity and very righteous, and is very famous in Jinyang area. He is also very skilled in martial arts. You have fought against each other before, so you should have an idea of his skills.”
Song Qingshu nodded. When he rescued Shui Sheng, he was mistaken as the culprit by Xiao Banhe, which led to them fighting against each other for several moves. So he knew that Xiao Banhe’s marital art was unique.
“Sha Tongtian, the leader of Hugou Village, must have been bribed by the Sun Moon Holy Cult. The person he nominated was Linghu Chong, the rumored lover of their Holy Maiden. Linghu Chong is a young martial artist who has become famous in the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sect in recent years. His swordsmanship is extremely exquisite. There are rumors that he has learned the Dugu Nine Swords of the Sword Master Feng Qingyang. I rescued Ren Woxing from Meizhuang prison in the past, and heard that he had learned the strange Cosmic Absorbing technique. When I was staying in Heimuya as a saintess of the Ming Cult, I found out that he was seriously injured and has been bedridden. I don’t know why he suddenly recovered so fast.”
Song Qingshu thought in his mind, ‘That Linghu Chong was probably healed by Ming Zun. No wonder Zhao Min resolutely gave up the idea of choosing Yang Miaozhen as an ally. She must have learned about the alliance between the Red Coat Army and the Sun Moon Holy Cult. That’s how she must have found out that the Ming Cult was standing behind the Sun Moon Holy Cult.’
“Cheng Qingzhu, the leader of the Qingzhu Gang nominated a young man named You Tanzhi. It is said that he is a disciple of the old immortal Xingxiu. He seems to have a close relationship with Quan Guanqing, the elder of the Beggar Gang in Hebei. This person’s martial arts is unknown, but he comes from the Xingxiu sect and uses poison. His ability must be guarded against.”
“You Tanzhi.” Song Qingshu remembered that in the original novel, You Tanzhi’s Frost Qi had caused Xiao Feng to suffer quite a lot, and wondered if he would be affected by his Frost Qi as well.
“The Golden Dragon Gang Jiao Wan’er and her husband nominated Murong Fu from Gusu. The Golden Dragon Gang used to be based in Jinling City. It is normal for them to nominate Murong Fu who is also from Gusu. Although the Murong family is famous for their martial art in the world, from my point of view, he should not be your opponent.”
‘Of course he is not my opponent, otherwise why would he try to prevent me from participating.’ Song Qingshu sneered in his heart.
“Rong Cai, the leader of Longyou Gang nominated a disciple named He Shiwo from the Jiangnan Beggar Gang. This person is unknown among the Beggar Gang, and his martial arts skills are also unknown. Oh, by the way, Brother Song, Gang Leader Rong also helped in matter of your nomination.”
Ah Jiu continued, “Master Shi Li, the former abbot of Qingliang Temple, nominated a disciple of the Xu generation in the Shaolin Temple. The Xuan generation and the Kong generation in Shaolin Temple have the most masters. The Xu generation are all just beginning disciples. No matter how high their martial arts skills are, they may have their limitations. “
“Is the person called Xu Zhu?” Song Qingshu asked with a strange expression on his face.
“Do you know him?” Ah Jiu asked curiously.
“It’s nothing, go on…” Song Qingshu smiled bitterly as he thought, ‘Xu Zhu, that ordinary-looking young monk, might surprise everyone this time. However, it seems that the Zhenlong chess game incident has not happened in this world yet. So, where did Xu Zhu get his martial arts?’
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