Chapter 34

Ahhh sorry for not updating last week!  I ended up too exhausted from the holiday and work and regretfully couldn’t get anything done.  Anyway, I’m back on schedule do I even have a schedule??, sorry for making everyone wait.  I’m also going to be posting a tentative schedule on the TOC since a few people asked about it.  I’ll definitely try to get out more chapters this week!  Lets see if I can pass 40.

Also, good news!  Ru Furen’s finally started updating the story again!  May she have good health in the future.

 

Chapter 34:  One Hit Kill!

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Sure enough, after a burst of rapid attacks, Qilong’s speed was the first to start slowing down.  The explosive energy from his breakthrough had come to an end as his qi gradually became unstable; even his breathing became short and rapid.

Ling Lan knew that Qilong had likely reached a state of complete exhaustion.  If Qilong collapsed from fatigue, she knew that she couldn’t compete against the highly experienced examiner by herself – let alone the matter of finding an opportunity to pummel him.

Ling Lan’s brows furrowed as she began to think of ideas to solve this predicament.  In her heart, she was extremely depressed.  If she knew that there would be such a strange fight, she should have brought some useful weapons on her body – such as hidden weapons and the like.  Even if they couldn’t hit, interrupting the examiner’s concentration was also good.

Unfortunately, she only had energy supplement drinks that she brought with her for the sake of coping with the examination on her.  And there wasn’t much – only three.  Even if she wanted to use them as hidden weapons, there wouldn’t be much of an effect.  If she had a lot of things to throw, she might be able to confuse the examiner a little; however, just relying on two or three things, there’d absolutely be no way to faze that man.

What should she do?  Maybe she should give Qilong one to eat and help him regain some physical strength?

The moment Ling Lan’s mind began turning, she suddenly had an idea.  As a result, her pace followed Qilong and slowed down, her breath becoming unstable until it became heavy gasping.  Sweat began to flow down her forehead, as if telling everyone that she’d collapse from exhaustion in the next second.

Ling Lan and Qilong’s terrible situation caused the cheering from the little partners to dwindle until they disappeared.  Everyone’s faces carried a sense of disappointment and unwillingness.  It seemed like the desire to beat the examiner couldn’t be achieved.

Han Jijun and Luo Lang glanced at each other and saw the bitter smile on each other’s faces.  Truthfully, this result was what they expected, but even so, there was a reluctance in their hearts.  They had hope that Qilong and Ling Lan could give them a miracle.

Could it be that it really was hopeless?

At this time, Qilong, who had rushed up to attack, faced off with the examiner once again.  This time, because he didn’t have enough stamina, Qilong was repelled several steps by the examiner’s powerful block.

Qilong, who had been forced back several steps, lost confidence.  The originally forcefully supported fighting aura began to fall apart.  He started to falter, as if he was about to fall.  Upon seeing this, Ling Lan quickly flew forward to support him before lightly tapping the ground with her foot, pulling him away from the examiner and opening a distance between them.

“Are you ok?”  Ling Lan, who’s back was towards the examiner, anxiously held Qilong’s hand and asked.

Qilong’s expression became shocked and then energetic – as if, because of Ling Lan’s concern, he once again had confidence and courage to fight.  He didn’t speak and only nodded fiercely to indicate that he was fine.  

Ling Lan turned around and looked at the examiner, cutting off all means of retreat¹ as she spoke: “Then let us properly fight this one last time.”  The two children’s external appearances showed that they could no longer continue fighting.  

Qilong clenched his right fist, his expression firm as he said:  “OK!”  After he finished speaking, he used his right hand to aggressively wipe his face.  He looked like he was wiping away sweat, yet he also appeared to be wiping away his fatigue in order to give himself confidence.  The fighting intent in his eyes began to burn once again and seemed to be stronger than when he first began.  

Even though he knew he would lose, he wouldn’t back down.  Because this was their last chance – they would succeed or die trying.

Qilong and Ling Lan’s performance satisfied the examiner greatly.  To care and cherish one’s companions and in the face of a strong enemy, even if they lost, they would still fight to the end – these were all the qualities that a qualified soldier must have.  These two kids, to his surprise, already managed to gain them.  This was very rare and he was happy that he could find such good seedlings.

Qilong was the first to attack.  Although the consecutive combos of punches had speed and strength, the examiner still easily dodged them.  It couldn’t be helped.  The fighting moves that Qilong knew were only these few strokes.  After being used over and over, even if the examiner didn’t want to remember, his body had already become familiar with Qilong’s means of attack.  Dealing with them had become extremely relaxed and smooth.

The examiner just flashed past Qilong’s attack when on his other side, Ling Lan had already charged over.

However, the examiner’s attention from the beginning to end had always been placed on Ling Lan’s body.  Compared to Qilong, Ling Lan was more difficult to deal with.  Although Ling Lan’s fighting moves weren’t very rich (she had just finished learning a set of basic fighting techniques), she was more clever than Qilong and never followed a routine and would, depending on the circumstances of the fight, adapt her moves.  This made the examiner unable to avoid using some thought.

The examiner saw Ling Lan attack with a punch that, like before, was aimed at a place that was both uncomfortable and difficult for him to deal with.  These places were basically the blind corners of the body’s defenses that were difficult to shield; one could dodge or use an attack to defend, opening one’s self to a counter-attack that would force the oneself to change their attack.

The examiner didn’t even think and immediately threw out a palm towards Ling Lan’s chest.  His arm was long and his hand was large.  Even if she counterattacked, he was certain that he could hit Ling Lan first.  In front, Ling Lan had indeed hoped that he’d change his tactics and gave up on her attack.  After all, it was a knowingly futile attack.  If she stubbornly didn’t give up, in addition to hurting herself, there would be no way she’d hurt her opponent.  Smart people wouldn’t do something so stupid.

At this time, an accident happened.  Ling Lan didn’t dodge and actually stubbornly attacked.  At that moment, a shadow suddenly blocked the path of his and Ling Lan’s attack – it was Qilong!

Not good!  The examiner felt something wasn’t right, but because it came suddenly, he didn’t have the possibility of changing his attack.  Just as he quickly withdrew the energy in his hand, he felt that his palm had already firmly struck Qilong’s chest.

“Ah!”  Qilong let out a miserable yell, his entire body was sent out flying by the force of the hit.  Midair, he spit out a mouthful of blood before falling fiercely onto the ground, no longer moving.  

“Ah…Qilong, he’s hurt!”  The group of little partners who had been watching let out a collective exclamation.  With Han Jijun, he became mute, his face completely pale.  

The examiner abruptly felt shock in his heart.  Could he have withdrawn his power too late?  His momentary attention had been attracted over by Qilong.  He saw him lying outstretched on the ground, blood spurting nonstop from his mouth.  

Why was it like this?  Did he really not withdraw his strength in time and hit Qilong?  Injure his internal organs?  The examiner’s thoughts had become a complete mess and he was no longer able to pay attention to anything else.  His eyes only had the figure who was the laying on the ground and vomiting blood, Qilong.

Peng!

The sound of a powerful punch hitting against flesh suddenly resounded.  The examiner was suddenly sent flying by this huge force, heavily falling onto the ground.

It turned out, Ling Lan hadn’t given up on her own attack.  She utilized the examiner’s chaotic heart; when he wasn’t paying attention to her, she landed a one hit kill.

Ling Lan blew invisible dust from her pummeling weapon – her pink little fist – grinning:  “Task complete, pummel the examiner.  But examiner, you won’t because of this, fly into rage from humiliation and give us a failing score, right?”

—

Translated by somnious, unedited

We finally get to see a tail of what Ling Lan will grow up to be like in the future…

¹破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu):  A Chinese idiom meaning to burn one’s bridge/cutting off all means of retreat and determine to fight to the end.