The Mighty Short Sword

Dejected and with an impulse to want to follow Jai Chou, this man that looked like an idol in ancient time, Wei Li Na was about to leave the ring when she was blocked by another challenger!

"Li Na, what about a friendly match?"

Wei Li Na turned her head towards the voice, it was young general Wang Lei. This entire time he had been quietly watching on the sidelines, now he wanted to join in. Wang Lei had already chosen his weapons, two wooden swords. One short and one long. He was standing straight as a pole in a salute, hands cupped, waiting for the challenge to be accepted.

Wei Li Na hesitated. She had no idea about Wang Lei's martial arts skills. She didn't know if she would be able to trick a win like the other two matches. Furthermore, he was a general. Why make her life hard and win against a general? He'll feel resentment against her then.

"Li Na is incompetent and only depends on luck. This humble one cannot match the respectable general." Wei Li Na saluted and gave a deep bow. Hopefully her words will satisfy his pride and he would let her go.

Unfortunately, Wang Lei's initiative had sparked the interest of his Senior General. Eager to see how they'll match up, Li TengFei quickly added wood to the fire. "Li Na is too modest. Clearly in life and on the battlefield, success has a lot to do with luck. Don't put yourself down Li Na!"

That bastard Li TengFei started chanting "Fight. Fight. Fight," enciting the crowd to chant along with him. The soldiers quickly got the hint. The chanting to "fight!" exploded into a rythmic thunder. Wei Li Na's head was still bowed, showing no signs of accepting the challenge, but she had no choice. The bell sound to start the fight was clearly rung, even without her consent. There was no other path to take.

The crowd roared at the sound of the bell, cheering for a good fight. Wei Li Na straightened her back and got into an attack posture, like it was the most natural thing in the world. She had to act fast because Wang Lei didn't even wait Wei Li Na to recover her posture, he had already launched himself into a merciless attack.

Wang Lei had landed more than ten strikes, one after another, alternating between two swords. Each strike effortlessly blocked or deflected by Wei Li Na in succession. This time her grip on the pole weapon was like steal, unwavering and decisive. Her trembling demeanor long gone, replaced by an expressionless face of a seasoned fighter.

Wang Lei pulled back, a temporary retreat. He felt the change in Li Na, it was like black turning white before his very eyes. So this little fellow had been hiding his skills the entire time! Wang Lei studied Li Na's clear face, adorned with an adorable redness across the cheeks. Li Na's breathing had quickened from exertion, the exercise only adding to Li Na's charm.

So far Wang Lei had not yet seen Li Na attack, she only defended and avoided his strikes. Wang Lei wanted to force her to attack and reveal her true skills. Wang Lei made a few quick calculations, deciding on a plan of attack. He pushed forward, thrusting with both swords aimed at Li Na. He hadn't even put in much force into this attack, when Li Na inexplicably flew into the air. She didn't even make any movements to defend herself.

Every jaw in the crowd dropped as they watched a small, thin body flip into the air like a pancake. The tiny person flew a great height above their heads, floating down as if in slow motion. The small body landed on the ground, jerking a few times like it was in the last throws of death.

"Referee, I got hit! Wuuuuwhwhwhwhu" Wei Li Na was writhing on the ground, holding on to her stomach like she had gastroenteritis.

The referee was reluctant to call a win. He didn't actually see any part of General Wang's sword touch any part of Li Na's body. And yet her body flipped at such a distance towards the sky. The referee just stood there, debating on his integrity as an impartial judge.

"Referee, the blow was so strong it created a wind that knocked me out! General Wang is too powerful, I dare not continue fighting! Wuuuuwhwuu…" Wei Li Na was still on the ground, holding on to her stomach. She made pitiful crying noises, but if one looked closely, there were no real tears.

Wang Lei was staring at Li Na suspiciously. He didn't feel any contact. Furthermore, his attack was horizontal, but Li Na's body flew vertical. That made no sense. Furthermore, he did not aim for her stomach, and yet by her actions it was as if the pain was coming from her stomach.

The referee could not take Wei Li Na's wailing sounds anymore. Besides, if Li Na didn't want to fight, much less get off the ground, there was no more fight. That was just as good as giving up the fight. So the referee called it, and declared Wang Lei the winner.

Satisfied, Wei Li Na slowly got up. Patting off the dirt from her clothes in a smooth motion. Truthfully, she wanted to take a fall in a more realistic way. But Wei Li Na's acting skills was not that good. She was also very reluctant to let herself get hit and feel real pain. That short sword was very frightening. Combined with a regular long sword, Wang Lei was able to strike twice as fast!

Wei Li Na made up for her lack of acting skills by being over dramatic, with big actions that were difficult to believe. Enough to fool the simple minded crowd, but not enough to impress a careful observer.

"This general thought your stomach hurt." Wang Lei's narrowed eyes, guarded against Li Na standing up straight like nothing had happened.

Wei Li Na immediately clutched her stomach and bent her body slightly. "Awooooo…!" She walked out of the ring with a fake limp. Now her leg was also injured! When did that happen?

Wang Lei rolled his eyes. What a shameless scammer.

General Li TengFei was chuckling to himself. He was also curious to see Wei Li Na's true skills with weapons. He's seen her fight hand-to-hand combat, handle guns, and space age weapons from the time they were in school, but never with ancient tools like spears and swords. Surprisingly she handled the pole weapon very well. She must have trained during her spare time, because space age military school doesn't teach ancient weapons.

Li TengFei grabbed her by the elbow before Wei Li Na had the chance to retreat into the crowd. He led her to the Command Tent, with Wang Lei and Tira, the translator, following behind. Wei Li Na gave no resistance, stumbling along to match Li TengFei's much larger steps.