Comprehensive Martial Arts: Relying on Pili Martial Arts to Achieve Dimensionality Reduction Attack

Chapter 77: The Nobleman Becomes the Poorman

[Activate the side quest: Observe Hua Wuque's day]

"Oh, you're so sensible! Isn't this the entertainment for the day?"

After that, Hua Wuque's actions seemed very arrogant.

He didn't know where he should go or where he could go, so he could only pretend that nothing had happened. He maintained his usual demeanor, strolled lightly through the streets and alleys, mingling among the crowds, admiring the prosperity and bustle of the capital.

But this doesn't fill your stomach.

Until noon, he still had not received a penny.

"Is this kid going to starve to death? That would be really funny."

While eating the fragrant sesame cakes he bought on the street, Lu Ping muttered incoherently, "If the disciple of the master of Yihua Palace, the only male disciple of the sect, starved to death in the capital within a month after leaving the sect..."

"If this news gets out, I can't even imagine what will happen to Yihua Palace's reputation in the future."

Perhaps it was God's blessing. Just when Hua Wuque was about to be unable to walk, a burst of cheers came from the front, which immediately attracted the attention of Hua Wuque and Lu Ping who was following behind him.

Lu Ping went forward and saw that there were at least a hundred people watching.

In the center of the crowd was a platform built of bamboo and wood. Next to the platform was a bamboo pole more than two meters long. On the top of the pole and on the roof of the inn on one side of the street, a long cloth strip was hung high up, with the five words "Mantou Grabbing Contest" written on it.

We learned from the onlookers that it was this store that hosted the competition.

It seems that because many people from the martial arts world gathered in the capital these days, they held this event in order to attract customers, promote stores and improve their reputation.

Lu Ping saw Hua Wuque standing at the wooden board at the entrance of the inn. He took a closer look and found that there was a notice posted there.

The first line of the notice stated the rules of the "Mantou Grabbing Contest":

Five people come on the stage each time and grab thirty steamed buns. The one who grabs the most steamed buns within one stick of incense wins and can get a "Five taels of silver coupon (valid for consumption of twenty taels of silver or more)" from the nearby inn.

Lu Ping was dumbfounded: "This... this is actually the most advanced 'voucher' marketing strategy?"

The second line of the notice says a few things you must keep in mind during the competition:

This event has been approved by the prefect of the capital. Participants must remember that "competition comes first, competition comes second". They must not injure or cause injury to others, otherwise they will be considered eliminated. If they are really injured after going on stage, they will be responsible for everything themselves.
During the competition, the steamed buns must be kept clean. Steamed buns that fall to the ground will no longer be counted in the final score.
Participants are not allowed to leave the competition venue, otherwise they will be considered eliminated;
The bamboo drawer cannot be moved or damaged, otherwise it will be considered eliminated.

"The owner of this inn is definitely a talent!"

Lu Ping found this 'steamed bun grabbing competition' very interesting.

He turned around and squeezed through the crowd to come to the stage.

In the middle of the table was a small square wooden table, on which were placed five pairs of chopsticks and a large bamboo tray, with the thirty steamed buns piled inside the tray; at the edge of the table were five other wooden tables, on which were also placed bamboo trays; a stick of incense was lit under the table, apparently for timekeeping.

Just by looking at this formation, most people can understand the rules of the game.

Contestants must use chopsticks to pick up the steamed buns and put them into their own bamboo trays. When the time is up, the contestant with the most steamed buns in his or her bamboo tray wins.

It is worth noting that the central wooden table and the edge wooden table are about five steps apart. The back and forth movement gives both the opponent and yourself opportunities to take advantage, so it is a great test of the contestants' hand speed and lightness skills.

Because the rules of the game obviously require the contestants to grab and defend at the same time.

To grab, you need to grab the buns from the central bamboo drawer, the opponent's hands, and the opponent's bamboo drawer; to defend, on the contrary, you need to make sure that the buns you have are not snatched away by the opponent, and you also need to prevent others from attacking your bamboo drawer.

Of course, there is another way to play this game, which is to knock down all opponents within one stick of incense.

After all, since everyone else has been eliminated, I am of course the winner.

"Grabbing the steamed buns... It reminds me of Shifu and Po from Kung Fu Panda..."

Under normal circumstances, even if this kind of event was held, it probably wouldn't attract much attention. But now it's different. Those who come to participate are likely to be martial arts masters.

After all, people in the martial arts world care about fame and fortune. If they see someone who is not as good as them showing off, how can they resist going up to slap him in the face? "Brother, how do I sign up for this competition?" Lu Ping asked, pulling the sleeve of a passerby.

The man glanced at Lu Ping, pointed at the accountant-looking man sitting in the audience, and said, "Over there! If you want to go up, you must first pay a registration fee of three taels of silver, then queue up, and you can only go on stage when it's your turn."

Three taels of silver...

Isn't that equivalent to spending 300 yuan in registration fees for a chance to get a 2 yuan discount on spending 5 yuan?

So this is the level of entertainment consumption in the capital?
Really opened my eyes!
Lu Ping suddenly wanted to take back what he said just now, "This boss is a genius." This level of game is not something that ordinary people can afford to play...

Thinking of this, Lu Ping couldn't help but search for Hua Wuque again - at least it was not something he could afford at the moment.

Sure enough, after passing through the crowded crowd, Lu Ping saw a white figure that looked even more lonely, desolate and sad than before.

“Puchi——cough cough cough…”

Why do I suddenly feel that this kid is so miserable?

If you think about it carefully, Hua Wuque is just a 14-year-old kid who is traveling far away for the first time (to a place like the capital), and the reason why he is penniless now is because he used the money to help the poor.

Although this does not rule out the suspicion that people are fooled...

Or, just for Xiao Yuer's sake, can you go up and help him yourself?
Hua Wuque is still a kind-hearted person. At least even when he fell to this point, he never thought of using his martial arts to steal, rob or cheat.

If he were in his shoes, Lu Ping would ask himself if he were in his situation now, he might not be able to maintain his original mind, let alone when he had the mental state of a 14-year-old.

"Forget it. After all, I am a gentleman. Isn't the reason why we travel the world to be a hero?"

Snapped!
Hua Wuque only felt a weight on his shoulders, and there was another person beside him.

"Xiaohua, I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that we could meet here? What difficulties have you encountered? Tell me, big brother!"

Xiao Yuer calls himself the boss, so Hua Wuque is naturally his younger brother.

Hua Wu Que turned around and didn't seem surprised at all by Lu Ping's appearance. Instead, he said calmly, "I thought you were going to wait until the sun sets before coming out."

Ah this?

Lu Ping laughed: "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

"I am at least the direct disciple of the Palace Master of Yihua Palace. I am not an ordinary person who is blind, deaf, and cannot practice martial arts. How can I not feel that someone is following me?"

Hua Wu Que sighed softly: "I noticed you an hour ago, but you never came up, so I just pretended not to notice."

Lu Ping was silent for a long while: "...Then do you know that I have been following you for two hours?"

“That’s not what I found.”

Hua Wu Que was calm and composed, without a trace of embarrassment on his face. "And I'm not afraid to tell you, although I knew there was someone behind me, I didn't know that person was you. So if you hadn't taken the initiative to come forward, even if I had waited another two hours, it would have been difficult for me to guess that the person following behind me was you, Qi Lu Ren..."

Hearing this, Lu Ping felt a little better: "So it seems that you, the direct disciple of the Palace Master of Yihua Palace, are just like this."

Hua Wu Que smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "If you want to vent your anger on Xiao Yu'er's behalf, you should have seen enough of these two hours of jokes. Why bother saying such hurtful words?"

"I think that even in this situation, it is not a disgrace to Yihua Palace."

This kid has a really good attitude...

"Isn't Xiaoyuer with you?"

Lu Ping said unhappily, "I'm asking for trouble by letting that guy take his girlfriend with me to the underworld."

(End of this chapter)