"Why did Xing suddenly run up there to compete? And she's using my identity!"
March 7th's face was filled with shock as she pointed at Xing on the tournament stage, desperately seeking an answer from Dan Heng.
Dan Heng sighed, his face written with helplessness.
"After you guys left, the match was about to start. Xing saw that you hadn't returned and assumed you got distracted by the date and forgot the time, so she thought she'd go up and help."
"Is that so..."
Although Xing's intentions were good, March 7th still felt a bit weird seeing someone else participating in the competition wearing her identity.
On the arena stage, after the opponent entered, the referee immediately announced the start of the match. Just as the opponent was about to make a move, Xing calmly clasped her hands and bowed in a traditional greeting. The opponent, taken aback, hastily returned the gesture, bowing at the waist with cupped fists.
However, the moment the opponent bent over, Xing suddenly lifted her baseball bat and swung it directly at them. One strike sent the opponent flying out of the ring.
The audience, which had been buzzing with excitement, instantly fell silent. Many were still frozen in the posture of waving their arms to cheer for the contestants.
You could hear a pin drop in the stands. In this silence, a single voice of applause stood out abruptly.
Scott sat in the audience stands on the other side, clapping excitedly.
"Good! Good! As expected of that Demon's sister! This despicable behavior runs in the family! I, Scott, approve of you!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, March 7th couldn't help but scream.
"Xing!!! You are ruining my reputation! Waaah! I wanted to become a great hero... now it's all over."
Fu Zhu and Dan Heng, somewhat caught between laughter and tears, raised their hands to pat March 7th's shoulders.
"It's fine. Just swap back for the next match." x2
Although Xing's methods were a bit despicable, she hadn't violated any competition rules from start to finish. The opponent merely grumbled a bit before leaving the stage in a huff, while Xing walked down happily, waiting for the next match.
Seeing Xing walk off the stage, March 7th immediately stood up, grabbed Fu Zhu's hand, and marched toward the contestant's lounge.
"Fu Zhu, you have to control your sister! She is ruining your girlfriend's reputation!"
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."
The two arrived at the lounge just in time to see Xing accepting interviews from a group of reporters, chattering away continuously under the guise of March 7th's identity.
"Xing!"
March 7th's voice went up an octave upon seeing this scene.
Hearing March 7th's voice, Xing turned her head in confusion. Before she could greet Fu Zhu, she was dragged away by March 7th.
Xing was pulled into a corner. Before she could even speak, March 7th poked her cheek with a finger and twisted it hard.
"You actually dared to impersonate me! Give me back my image of a great hero!"
Xing looked at the complaining March 7th with an innocent expression.
"If I didn't go up, you, the Great Hero, would have been eliminated for being absent. Is this how you talk to your benefactor?"
March 7th froze instantly. She couldn't voice the complaints she had prepared, so she could only pout aggrievedly.
Fu Zhu stood to the side and shook his head helplessly. Although Xing's actions didn't look good in the process, her intentions were good. Caught in the middle, neither side was really wrong, so he could only change the subject.
"Alright, March, just switch identities back with Xing. That was only the first match."
March 7th nodded. That was the only solution now.
"Fine, let's switch back!"
"Okay."
Xing handed the contestant pass to March 7th, then followed Fu Zhu back to the audience stands.
Dan Heng, seeing Xing and Fu Zhu return together, knew that Xing and March 7th had swapped identities. He nodded at them.
After Fu Zhu sat down, Dan Heng finally couldn't hold back and asked Fu Zhu quietly.
"Fu Zhu, how did that matter go?"
Hearing this, Fu Zhu remembered that Dan Heng didn't know the result of the Changye Yue situation yet. He smiled and made an 'OK' hand sign.
"Perfectly resolved. I'll explain it to you later. Himeko and the others already know."
Dan Heng breathed a long sigh of relief upon hearing this result.
"That's good."
Sitting between them, Xing looked left and right with a head full of fog, not knowing what riddles these two were speaking in. She wanted to ask, but seeing that March 7th's next match had begun, she swallowed her doubts.
On the stage, March 7th had changed into her outfit and walked up with her dual swords. This made Owlbert pause for a moment. He walked over quickly, looked March 7th up and down with admiration, and then whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Contestant Xing, as expected of you! To dress yourself up exactly like Contestant March 7th in such a short break—this makes my job so much easier! Thank you!"
March 7th covered half her face, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Um, actually, I am March 7th..."
"I get it, I get it! To prevent people from spotting the flaw, you have to firmly believe in your heart that you are Contestant March 7th. You are truly too dedicated! However, it's best if you don't use the despicable methods from the last match, otherwise it will damage Contestant March 7th's reputation."
"I really am March 7th!"
March 7th felt like she was having a breakdown. Why couldn't she prove her own identity even when she was herself?
Owlbert didn't communicate much more with March 7th. After briefly introducing the other contestant, the referee announced the start of the match.
While Fu Zhu was watching the match seriously from the stands, a voice of pleasant surprise came from beside him.
"Is this Big Boss Fu Zhu? To meet you here, I truly am too lucky!"
Fu Zhu frowned, turned his head, and saw Sampo with a flattering smile on his face. He was somewhat surprised.
"Sampo? Did you come to the Luofu with Bronya and the others too?"
Sampo nodded with a grin. "Yes, yes. The Supreme Guardian and the others came for talks, and I was put in charge of bringing the little friends to the Luofu to play... Ahem, look."
Sampo turned around and pointed to Hook and the others sitting not far away.
Fu Zhu looked at Hook and the group, then looked Sampo up and down with a complicated expression.
"Natasha actually let you take care of the kids... Is that reliable?"
"Big Boss Fu Zhu, your words are hurtful!"
Sampo clutched his chest, looking heartbroken.
"I, Old Sampo, love taking care of kids the most! Look, I even went out of my way to find a big treasure to sell just to take them to play elsewhere!"
Sampo took out his phone, opened the photo album, and handed a picture to Fu Zhu.
"Hmm?"
Fu Zhu leaned over to take a look. The photo showed a golden cup engraved with complex patterns.
"Holy shit? The Holy Grail?"