Those things that happened in those years

Chapter 37 First Victory

He Yunlong didn't send out any capable generals for the first match, wanting to test the opponent's strength first, so he sent out his fifteenth brother, whose strength was above average, to take the stage first.

Sun Changlin looked at Hong Liguo, his eyes full of inquiry—who should be sent to perform? Hong Liguo had previously instructed that he must decide on the personnel for each performance.

Hong Liguo turned around and called out behind him, "Zhang Qiaoyun!"

Zhang Qiaoyun paused for a moment, pointed to her nose, and asked timidly in a low voice, "Are you calling me? You want me to go in the first match? Can I... can I do it?" Her words were full of uncertainty, because she knew that although this fifteenth brother was ranked low, his martial arts skills were not the worst. Zhang Qiaoyun was really a little scared to spar with him.

Sun Changlin clearly disagreed with letting Zhang Qiaoyun play, and hurriedly said to Hong Liguo, "Xiaoguo, this fifteenth brother is no pushover. How can you let Qiaoyun play? Besides, this is the first match. Don't you know how important the first match is? If you win the first match, all the matches will go smoothly; if you lose the first match, morale will plummet! Our chances of winning were already low. If we lose the first match, the rest of the team will have even less confidence!"

Hong Liguo smiled and said confidently, "How do you know that Sister Qiaoyun will definitely lose? I think she will win this match. Don't worry, I have my own plans."

Sun Changlin and Zhang Qiaoyun both looked at him with puzzled expressions, unable to figure out what he was up to.

Hong Liguo leaned close to Zhang Qiaoyun's ear and whispered a few words, finally emphasizing, "You must do as I say, and don't try to fight back. I guarantee you'll make a name for yourself."

Zhang Qiaoyun still lacked confidence and looked at him hesitantly: "W-will this really work?"

Hong Liguo patted her on the shoulder and comforted her with a smile: "Don't be afraid, just do as I say and there won't be any problems. If it really doesn't work, don't force yourself, it's not shameful to just admit defeat."

Zhang Qiaoyun then cautiously walked into the center of the courtyard.

When Longhu's fifteenth brother saw that his opponent was Zhang Qiaoyun, his face instantly darkened—their opponent clearly only had this one female warrior, yet they sent her to spar with him; this was blatant disrespect! Beating a woman would only make me look bad! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he immediately protested loudly, "I demand a change! I don't want to spar with a girl. Send Zhang Qiaoyun back and bring a man up!"

The senior student immediately frowned and said seriously, "Do you want to break the gentleman's agreement? Don't forget, breaking the agreement is the same as admitting defeat."

The fifteenth brother hurriedly explained, "I'm not breaking the agreement, I just don't want to spar with girls!"

At this moment, Zhang Qiaoyun stepped forward and said loudly, "What are you yelling about? What's wrong with women? Can't women go to the battlefield and fight? Haven't you heard of Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying, and Qin Liangyu? They were all female generals, and they still made great contributions on the battlefield! Don't look down on women! Your mother was a woman too. Without your mother, would you be where you are today?"

The fifteenth brother had nothing to say, so he could only adopt a sparring stance, his tone somewhat reluctant: "Alright then. You're a girl, so I'll give you three moves. If you can't defeat me within three moves, then I won't be so polite after that."

But Zhang Qiaoyun didn't put on any airs. Instead, she swayed over to him, deliberately thrusting her ample breasts forward, her voice softening: "I know you're strong, and I know I can't beat you. Even if you let me have three moves, or even thirty, I still wouldn't be your match. But we both need to send fifteen people. If we had an extra boy in diapers, I wouldn't have come to make up the numbers. I'm forced into this—I wanted to just admit defeat, but if I did, my boss would definitely punish me; but if we really fought, I couldn't beat you. How about this? I won't make a move, you just punch me, anywhere, and I'll fall to the ground and admit defeat. How about that? Is that okay?"

Zhang Qiaoyun's voice was sweet and delicate, enough to make one's bones melt. At the same time, her waist swayed and her breasts trembled. Faced with such a woman, any man would feel his heart flutter and become restless.

Fifteenth Brother was completely taken aback by Zhang Qiaoyun's words—if she didn't throw a single punch, and he went up to attack her, wouldn't that be considered bullying? That was too unfair, practically humiliating him in public! But if she didn't throw a punch, he felt embarrassed to do so either; he couldn't very well be the one to attack a girl! Besides, she was so alluring and seductive, especially her breasts… they made him dizzy and weak-kneed; how could he possibly fight like that?

Just as he was hesitating, Zhang Qiaoyun raised her voice again: "I can't beat you anyway, so just make a gesture at me, pretend to push me, and then I'll fall down. That way you'll win, much easier."

Upon hearing this, the students watching from the sidelines immediately joined in the commotion, shouting, "What kind of hero is that! Even if you win, people will laugh you to death! Especially since she's a girl, you'd be embarrassing even if you just yawned and blew her over. Hahaha..."

As Zhang Qiaoyun spoke, she deliberately swayed her body, slowly moving closer to her fifteenth brother. The two were so close that the fifteenth brother could not only clearly see her ample bosom... but also smell the faint fragrance of her perfume. His body instantly went limp, and he lost all interest in sparring.

Zhang Qiaoyun pressed closer, her voice urging in a sweet, seductive tone, "Come on! Push me! If you push me even once, I'll fall down, and you'll win. Push me now! Hurry up! Push me once and you'll win!"

Sun Changlin, watching from the sidelines, blushed deeply and couldn't bear to watch any longer. He cursed inwardly, "Zhang Qiaoyun, you've really embarrassed me! If you can't win, just admit defeat! What kind of nonsense is this?!"

Fifteenth Brother was forced to retreat repeatedly by Zhang Qiaoyun, his face flushed red. He was at a loss, unsure whether to fight or not.

Just then, Longhu's men shouted from behind, "What are you dawdling for! Give her a punch, knock her down and make her get lost! Look at her slutty face, it's disgusting!"

"Fifteenth brother, hurry up and punch her to get her back! I can't take it anymore. If she keeps teasing me like this, I... I'm going to die."

"Fifteenth brother, push her, push her quickly, push her softest spot, that spot is so soft, a punch there won't hurt anyone and it'll be absolutely satisfying."

"Hahaha..." The Dragon Tiger group burst into laughter, and some of them got excited, waving their arms and legs. Others whistled and snapped their fingers.

The fifteenth brother took a deep breath and gritted his teeth—the two armies were fighting for their own side, and if they didn't attack, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves when they returned.

The fifteenth brother steeled his resolve, thinking, "So what if I lose face? I'll win first! Otherwise, He Yunlong will definitely not forgive me when I get back."

Just as he was about to raise his hand to strike, Zhang Qiaoyun, observing Hong Liguo's expression and knowing he had been instructed to shout loudly the moment the other party made a move, quickly yelled, "Push me! Push me! Just a gentle push from you will knock me down, and if you knock me down, you'll be a great hero! A truly great hero, with so many people watching, they'll all applaud you! They'll cheer for you! Push me! Push me!"

The students watching joined in the cheering, shouting in unison, "Go for it! Go for it! You can knock her down in one move! If you knock her down, you'll be a great hero! A truly great hero! We'll applaud and celebrate for you!"

All of this was within Hong Liguo's expectations and completely under his control.

Upon hearing these words, the fifteenth brother's face flushed red, all the way to the roots of his neck. The hand he had just raised slowly lowered again—he simply couldn't bear the humiliation. If he really pushed Zhang Qiaoyun to the ground and was then applauded and cheered by so many people, how could he ever face anyone again?

Fifteenth Brother was forced to retreat to the edge of the courtyard, with nowhere left to go. He could only turn back to look at He Yunlong, his eyes full of pleading, hoping that his elder brother could give him some advice.

He Yunlong was also furious—he knew Zhang Qiaoyun was no match for him, but he hadn't expected her to use such a tactic. Since Zhang Qiaoyun wasn't making a move, he felt awkward about doing so himself.

"Oh well, she's a girl after all. It's not a big deal to concede this round." He thought to himself, "Anyway, our skill level is what it is, losing one round won't have much of an impact. If it goes to a draw after twenty minutes, that would be even more humiliating. It's better to concede and at least save face. The remaining opponents are all men, so we can just give them a good beating later."

After thinking it through, He Yunlong shouted to his fifteenth brother, "Fifteenth brother, if you can't bring yourself to do it, just admit defeat. Don't waste time here!"

Upon receiving He Yunlong's signal, the fifteenth brother, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, immediately ran out of the arena and shouted, "I surrender! I surrender!"

The senior student immediately announced, "Zhang Qiaoyun wins the first match!"

Zhang Qiaoyun excitedly raised her hand towards Hong Liguo and the others, shouted "Yay!", and ran back with a triumphant smile on her face.

Sun Changlin, however, looked disdainful and muttered under his breath, "Winning isn't honorable; it's too shameful."

Hong Liguo smiled faintly, his tone calm yet firm: "On the battlefield, only success or failure matters, not the means."