Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 221 Martial Arts Tournament
Murnton is dead? How did he die?

He was still very strong and vigorous when he tried to humiliate her three days ago. How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly die?

Fu Feng rushed over to tell her the whole story—

Yesterday was the annual martial arts tournament in Mohe, where the champion was chosen to demonstrate his loyalty and strength to the gods during the sacrificial ceremony, in order to boost the morale of the royal army and bring hope to the people to return to their homes.

Munandon's title of "First Warrior" was not just empty boasting. Since he came of age, he had won the annual tournament and led the war dance at the sacrificial rites. Whether it was intentional or genuine defeat, even the generals in the army were no match for him, let alone those hotheads who were terrified of him.

It can be said that the martial arts tournament was a glory exclusively for Munandon, and everyone felt that his victory once again was well-deserved.

At that moment, the scorching sun baked the sand-built training ground, and the golden cauldron used for the blood sacrifice gleamed with a blinding golden light. Mu Nandun's bare upper body, as tough as iron, was covered with bronze muscles that bulged like rocks, and every step he took made the rammed earth platform tremble slightly.

He swung a challenger in each arm, along with the heavy burdens clinging tightly to his waist, yet seemed unburdened, spinning like a top, kicking up clouds of dust. In the blink of an eye, the three were sent flying like kites with broken strings. One had his breastplate damaged, the blood spurting out tracing an arc in the air. The other two, exhausted, lay groaning outside the fence, unable to get up for a long time.

He defeated three opponents single-handedly and won effortlessly.

Cheers erupted from the sidelines.

Everyone was convinced of the outcome of the duel, and since no new challengers were expected, the competition should have ended there. As the royal family member presiding over the event, Aisha went on stage to congratulate Munandon. Just as she was about to announce his continued reign as "First Warrior," a smug Munandon looked at her and deliberately provoked her, saying, "Brother King, you have only recently returned from Da Xuan. I wonder if your martial arts have improved?"

This is tantamount to openly issuing a challenge.

The power struggle between the two princes has always attracted attention, and the courtiers of Mohe have also been subtly divided into two factions. In recent years, with the passing of the late queen and Princess Alan, support for Aisha's faction has gradually waned, while the faction of the princess and Munandon has shown a strong tendency to sideline the king and seize control of the government. Otherwise, the eldest prince would not have used the marriage alliance to go to Daxuan to temporarily avoid the limelight.

Now that Aisha has returned with the alliance of Da Xuan, the princess and Munandon are wary of him and want to suppress his growing momentum in a contest of strength.

The crowd outside held their breath, waiting for Aisha's response.

Is it war? I've never heard of this eldest prince having any outstanding martial arts skills. How could he possibly be a match for Munandun? Losing would only mean losing face.

Retreat? Wouldn't that play right into the hands of the princess and the young prince? What prestige would a prince retain if he fled without a fight?
Fu Feng was sore from talking that Cai Zhu poured him a cup of water. She said, laughing and crying at the same time, "I just wanted to know what happened. But after you embellished it, it sounds like a scene from a folk song."

After taking a few sips of water, Fufeng patted his chest and assured him, "I didn't embellish anything. It's a pity you didn't see the scene; it was truly dramatic and much more exciting than any ballad!" He then deliberately kept everyone in suspense, asking, "Caizhu, do you think His Highness the First Prince accepted the challenge?"

Cai Zhu'er said confidently, "He will definitely accept the challenge, but he will not win."

Fu Feng said, "Oh? You also think he can't beat Munanton?"

Cai Zhu'er shook her head: "It's not that he can't win, it's that he doesn't know how to win. Martial arts aren't his forte. Knowing his personality, he wouldn't risk a direct confrontation with Mu Nandun in that area; it would be a thankless task and could easily invite retaliation." Fu Feng exclaimed in astonishment: "You guessed it perfectly! Oh no, there's one thing you're wrong about, but that's something no one expected: His Highness the Crown Prince is incredibly skilled. In his martial arts contest with the First Warrior Mu Nandun, he held his own in the first few moves. Mu Nandun probably thought he could defeat him in a few moves, but who would have thought—"

Unexpectedly, Aisha did not confront him head-on to test her strength. Instead, she used her agility and softness to deflect some of his force, and then waited for an opportunity to find his weakness.

His movements were as swift as lightning, as if he could anticipate Munandon's moves. He narrowly avoided heavy blows at the last second. Although his attacks failed to cause much damage to Munandon, his graceful and agile tactics made it feel like hitting soft cotton, which infuriated Munandon.

Of course, in the end, Murnton won.

Aisha dodged sideways, attempting to use the golden cauldron in the center of the arena for leverage, but he lost his footing and was immediately caught off guard by his opponent. Munandon gripped his ankle with his iron-like fingers, then lifted him upside down, spun him several times in the air, and suddenly threw him out of the arena.

Even though Aisha used her arms to protect her head and rolled over to dissipate the force, she still fell heavily to the ground, causing dust to rise everywhere.

Aisha staggered to his feet off the court, coughed up sand, and bowed in surrender.

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Although he lost, his defeat was not humiliating. On the contrary, with no one expecting him to last three moves against Munandon, he demonstrated his strength with quick reflexes and agile movements. He used the opponent's force against them, overcame their strength with softness, and waited for the right opportunity. In this mere duel, he displayed admirable wisdom and courage.

As for Murnton's victory, it was only to be expected.

Many people even thought that if the eldest prince hadn't lost his footing at the last moment, who knows who might have been able to stand until the end.

The contest was absolutely spectacular. The cheers weren't just for Munandon's victory, but also for Aisha's fearless and indomitable spirit. Munandon naturally heard the cheers directed at Aisha, but his joy at winning was completely extinguished, leaving only a burning rage in his heart.

So he went off the field, picked up the unsteady Aisha with one hand, causing an uproar.

Fearing he might cause trouble, the courtiers watching the battle quickly advised, "Your Highness Munandun, the outcome is decided, please..."

Munandun interrupted him and said to Aisha, "Brother Wang went to Da Xuan and has indeed improved a lot. I've heard that Da Xuan also has many warriors with extraordinary martial arts skills. Brother Wang, what do you think of me compared to them?"

Aisha grabbed his wrist, exerted a little force to force him to let go, and then said, “I have never competed with all the warriors of Da Xuan, and I do not know their strengths and weaknesses. But I learned a saying in Da Xuan: ‘There are mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people.’ It means that there are many capable people in this world, and there are always things that you cannot do. You should humbly learn from them and never be arrogant or conceited.”

At this moment, Munandon's competitive spirit was aroused. He felt that the previous duels were not enough to show off his bravery and wanted to further dampen Aisha's spirit and make a name for himself.

He scoffed, "Oh? Is that so? Tell me, what makes them so powerful?"

Aisha thought for a moment and said, "For example, there are warriors in Da Xuan who are strong enough to lift a cauldron. I have personally witnessed a cauldron weighing more than a thousand jin being lifted above the head of a fierce warrior."
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Next chapter: If they can do it, so can I.