I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Actually, she didn't want to compromise so quickly, but since the old man had already said so much, and she couldn't just get rid of him directly, she figured it was better to avoid trouble...

"..."

Looking at the childlike Xiao Shi in front of him, Hua did not press him further, but simply shook his head with a mixture of affection and helplessness.

"Huh?! You old fogey, what kind of look is that? You're treating me like a child again!"

"So, Xiaoshi, when do you plan to go find Gretchen and the others?" Ignoring Xiaoshi's protest, Hua skillfully changed the subject.

Clearly, her method was quite effective. Xiao Shi's mind was immediately diverted after hearing her sudden question. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Ah... well, if nothing unexpected happens, it should be around noon. After all, we can't disturb Gretsch while she's shopping."

"Okay, then I'll go with you at noon. Now, Xiao Shi, do you want to go to the arcade? Didn't you say last time that the match wasn't decided?" Hearing this, Hua nodded slightly, then continued to ask in a calm tone.

"Of course I'll go! You're doomed to lose this time, old antique. I'll be the winner!" Xiao Shi was instantly intrigued by Hua's question and completely forgot about the little incident from earlier.

"Let's go then. Should we go to the same place as last time, or find a new one?"

"Let's go with the same place as last time!"

"it is good."

……

While Xiao Shi and Hua were heading to the arcade together, Greta and Chen had also finalized their travel plans and were getting ready to go.

----------------

Time flies when a person is focused on doing something.

Mr. Chen felt that he hadn't been out for long with Gretchen, and it was already noon. Although it was only April or May, the earth seemed to have become slightly hot.

"Gresh, are you tired? If you are, let's go buy some drinks and then see what we should have for lunch." Chen gently shook Gresh's hand and asked, looking at Gresh, who was wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat, beside him.

"Hmm... I'm fine, Sister Huijie, you can decide." Upon hearing this, Gretchen withdrew her gaze from the surrounding streets and slightly lifted the brim of her hat to look at Chen Dao.

To be honest, the little girl realized that the sun hat she was wearing was great in every way—it provided good sun protection and matched her dress perfectly—but it was a bit of a hindrance to her vision… especially when she wanted to look at people taller than her.

"Ha~"

Seeing Gretchen's adorable expression as she lifted her hat and looked at him, Chen couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Then let's go buy some drinks, and then see what to have for lunch... It's getting hot lately, so let's not go out too much at noon."

“Hmm…” Gretchen nodded without objection.

More than the trivial matter of what to eat for lunch, the little girl was concerned about Xiao Shi's earlier notification that he was coming. Although she knew that with Hua and herself accompanying her, Chen would be fine, she still couldn't help but worry.

Just as Hua had worried, what they were concerned about was not that Xiao Shi would use poison, but simply that Chen was too weak...

Okay, I'll remind you later, and then you can be more careful in the future.

Actually, Gretchen and Hua weren't without ways to force an end to this "sparring match," but if they did, Xiao Shi would definitely throw a tantrum, which would cause a lot of trouble...

In addition, this "sparring" was not entirely without benefit for Chen; in fact, it was quite beneficial, depending on how much she could learn from it.

It was precisely because of these two combined reasons that Hua and Gretchen tacitly accepted the existence of this "sparring match".

……

“Since you have no objections, Gretchen, let’s eat here. I remember the food is pretty good.” Chen looked at the restaurant in front of him while holding his drink, then turned to Gretchen and said.

"Hmm, let's go with this one then..." Greta nodded slightly upon hearing this. She really wasn't picky about food; she could accept anything, from all kinds of delicious dishes to roasted potatoes.

"Then let's go in."

"Ah."

After the two found a corner to sit down and ordered their food, Greta seemed to remember something and tugged at Chen's sleeve, saying, "Sister Xiaoshi should be coming soon, so Sister Huijie, please keep an eye on things."

"But don't worry, I'm here... I'll protect you, sister." As she spoke, Gretchen summoned her paintbrush and waved it with a serious expression.

"She's coming...?"

Chen didn't realize there was a problem after listening to the first half, but after listening to Greta...

After giving a serious guarantee, he belatedly realized what was happening, his lips twitching as he said, "Wait, you're going to protect me? That guy isn't going to fight me in the restaurant, is he?!"

The thought of this possibility left Chen speechless. What the hell? If you really took her to a proper place for a sparring match, she could accept it; it would just mean getting beaten up.

But to challenge someone to a duel while they're eating, seriously?

P.S.: It's only a few minutes until 6 o'clock. I've won the gamble. I'll start checking and making changes now. Please wait a moment.

Chapter 135 Sparring (A Slap in the Face) 2-in-1

"Wait, you're going to protect me? That guy's not going to fight me in the restaurant, is he?!"

"Hmm... it shouldn't be that exaggerated. Even if she wanted to do something reckless, Sister Hua would definitely not allow it." Upon hearing this, Greta shook her head gently, rejecting Chen's guess.

"That's good... Sparring is fine, but if it really affects or even harms ordinary people, then even with Gretsch here, I will still lock her up!" Hearing Gretsch's words, Chen breathed a sigh of relief and finally said with a serious expression.

"Uh-huh."

Greta nodded in agreement with Chen's words. Even if the Guard Bureau could capture Xiao Shi, what would that have to do with this poor, weak, and adorable little girl?

The kind of trouble that comes with getting someone out of the police station is probably that of dear Sister Hua!

……

"The food is served, let's eat first."

"it is good."

Throughout lunch, because of Gretsch's earlier reminder, Chen kept a close eye on his surroundings to prevent the Herrscher of Knowledge from actually resorting to sneak attacks.

Finally, after finishing his lunch at a leisurely pace without anything happening, Chen Cai finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

However, just as she put down her chopsticks and looked at Gretchen to ask about the afternoon's outing, the scene before her eyes rapidly distorted and changed, and by the time she realized what was happening, she was already in a completely unfamiliar place.

A crimson mist enveloped every area, and the bewitching crimson sky replaced the blue sky and white clouds outside the restaurant. The clear blue sky was instantly filled with crimson clouds. Countless enormous stone swords, like mountain peaks, stretched out before Chen, each sword seemingly meticulously carved by a master craftsman, and connected by long and thick iron chains.

"So it's here after all..." Chen frowned as he looked at the unfamiliar and eerie place before him, raising his guard to the maximum and muttering to himself.

To be honest, she was really caught off guard by this move. But since she had gained the upper hand verbally before, and her opponent clearly had no intention of letting her off the hook, her only option now was to fight back.

Just as Chen was quickly thinking and wary of his surroundings, the thick crimson mist quietly dissipated.

Then, Chen noticed the culprit of this trip at a glance. He saw that the Lawbringer was leaning on a throne not far away, looking at him with a mocking gaze, like a beast that was sizing up its prey and ready to pounce.

"You've come here and seen me, yet you still haven't drawn your sword. What are you waiting for? Are you planning to admit defeat right now?" As she spoke, Xiao Shi's aura, which she had never shown to Chen before, suddenly erupted, pressing down on her like a storm.

"Of course, although I don't like hitting a punching bag that can't fight back, I wouldn't mind if that punching bag were you, hahaha!"

"Om!!"

The moment Xiao Shi's overwhelming aura pressed down, the Chi Xiao sword, held by Chen, couldn't help but emit a sharp, piercing buzzing sound, reminding its unacknowledged master that the opponent was an extremely terrifying being.

"Hmph, what... you're not planning to make a move yet? Since you're not going to make a move, then I'll go first!" Seeing that Chen was still not making any moves, Xiao Shi snorted coldly, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, and was about to make a move.

However, at that very moment, a crimson sword light suddenly appeared!

Just as Xiao Shi finished speaking and before he could act, Chi Xiao was instantly drawn. The two were only seven meters apart. Chen took a step forward, placed one hand on Chi Xiao, and murmured to himself.

Chixiao: Draws his sword

The magnificent sword energy arced through the sky, cleaving the jade throne and Xiao Shi, who was beaming with excitement, in two...?

However, if the Herrscher of Knowledge could be so easily defeated, then she wouldn't deserve to be called the Herrscher of Knowledge...

In an instant, the battle-hardened Chen sensed something was wrong. What she had cleaved wasn't a person at all, but merely a brown afterimage. Realizing this, she retreated rapidly, her nerves taut as she scanned her surroundings.

She realized that neither the Herrscher of Knowledge nor Gretsch had lied about their strength. Not only were their Originium Arts incredibly exaggerated, but their martial arts were also extremely powerful!

"What are you looking at, you idiot?!"

Just as Chen looked around trying to find Xiao Shi, her voice suddenly rang out, and a fist appeared from three inches below her with a strong wind.

The punch was powerful and heavy; although Xiao Shi had held back, it was still quite forceful. After all, she had already pulled the person into her consciousness space and brought them into her hands. Why not teach them a lesson… no, a proper sparring match? If she didn't give them a good beating, wouldn't she be at a huge loss?

Greetings

Chen, who had just received a punch, instantly felt as if she had been hit by a train loaded with heavy loads. She was sent flying backward, not to mention the punches that followed... two punches... three punches! She flew around the arena like a stone being skipped across water, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Hey, hey, hey, if you're going to fight me with just your eyes, you'll really just be a punching bag!" Seeing that Chen was completely unable to fight back, Xiao Shi temporarily stopped her attack and swung her fist at her, saying:

"Oh dear, I've lowered my standards so much and only used my fists, yet you still have no ability to fight back. Is this all the martial arts taught by the Governor of Lungmen? No way, no way?"

Chen, who had been sent flying and landed heavily, felt pain all over his body and barely managed to stand up, looking at the person not far away who was constantly mocking him.

She wasn't stupid; she could see through the other person's intentions. They were provoking her to unleash even greater power.

"This isn't Lungmen, it's not even really the real world. Here, dying a million times wouldn't matter. The sword's been sitting in its sheath the whole time—does it mean you've forgotten how to use it?!"

"Or is it that your kung fu really only involves three legs?"

At this moment, Xiao Shi's face was full of mockery and ridicule as he looked at the disheveled Chen. "Oh dear, I didn't want to waste so much time talking, but it's really boring to just treat him like a punching bag!"

"Hurry up and fight back, that'll give me the feeling of toying with my prey, hahahahaha!!"

After laughing, Xiao Shi looked at Chen with an extremely imposing gaze again, only to see her suddenly clap her hands lightly.

Then, in an instant, Chen felt all the pain in his body disappear and he returned to normal.

"Now, focus on feeling! Feel the momentum, feel the killing intent... feel my anger!" Xiao Shi shouted, then disappeared from his spot. The distance of less than 10 meters was nothing in the face of his terrifying martial arts skills; it was just a step away.

"!"

Seeing the person suddenly disappear before his eyes, Chen was startled at first, but then he remembered Xiao Shi's words, calmed down, and tried to sense things with his heart...

Behind...!

The flowing air told Chen this, and just this one moment was enough—

Chi Xiao slashed behind him with a soft chant, but it still missed its target, remaining only an afterimage.

Feel it with your heart...

Chen felt a chill run down her spine, so she put all her strength into the scabbard and pulled back sharply, which resulted in her colliding with Xiao Shi's fist.

Although Chen was still forced back more than ten steps by the force of the collision, it was a significant improvement compared to before.

"What? This is pretty good, isn't it?" Xiao Shi couldn't help but reveal a wild smile. "Hahaha, this way I can give you a good beating!"

As the maniacal laughter subsided, his belt transformed into a long spear, piercing towards Chen with a whooshing sound as it cut through the air.

When the long is against the short, fight by closing the distance.

The essential words of the sword techniques surfaced in my mind.

Chen drew her sword to parry, but even with her control over it, Xiao Shi's strength was beyond her ability to withstand.