I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

As soon as Jiang Che finished speaking, the sound of gongs and drums rang out around the arena.

Wu Zheng stood on the edge of the wooden platform, holding a specially made large folding fan in his hand.

He cleared his throat and brought the megaphone to his mouth.

"Qingcheng Village Sect Competition, First Stage: Capture the Command Flag on Water Plum Blossom Stakes!"

"Each team sends two people, with red silk tied around their waists."

"Whoever steps over the floating stake in the pond and gets the flag on the other side first wins."

Wu Zheng pointed to the artificial pool behind the arena.

A dozen or so swaying wooden stakes floated on the surface of the pool, spaced far apart.

There's also a water spray mechanism hidden underwater, arranged by the production team.

Chen He peeked out and immediately shrank back.

"Old Wu, this stake is narrower than my face. Won't you fall straight into the water if you step on it?"

Deng Chao patted his belt and turned to look at Lu Han.

"Little Deer, let's go for this round, let's unleash our old-school speed!"

Lu Han tightened her shoelaces and responded with a smile.

"Don't worry, Brother Chao, I'm good at light footwork, I'll try my best not to fall into the water."

At the Hundred Plays Hall, Jin Chen directly stuffed the red silk into Jiang Che's hand.

"Is there even a need to choose?"

"The chef will bring Yuqi up, and we'll be on the shore clapping."

Song Yuqi took the red silk and skillfully wrapped it around Jiang Che's waist.

She reached out and tugged at the end of the rope, looking up at Jiang Che.

"Is it tied tight?"

Jiang Che looked down at her serious expression and couldn't help but smile.

He grabbed Song Yuqi's wrist with his other hand and tied the excess red silk around his own wrist.

"Don't rush to step on the stakes I've already stepped on."

Song Yuqi smiled, her eyes full of trust.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Chen He rolled his eyes and covered his chest with both hands.

"Help! The competition hasn't even started yet, and I'm already stuffed with dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)."

Qin Xiao, fanning himself with a folding fan, stood to the side and responded.

"Brother He, it's become a habit, we're VIPs in the front row now."

With a gong sounded by Wu Zheng, the competition officially began.

Deng Chao and Lu Hanchong were in front.

Lu Han was agile and nimble, leaping over two floating stakes in quick succession.

Deng Chao followed closely behind, but his foot slipped, and he swayed twice on the stake.

The underwater water spray device suddenly started, and two jets of water shot into the sky.

Deng Chao was sprayed directly by the water and yelled loudly.

"Old Wu, you have no sportsmanship! You even brought hidden weapons!"

Jiang Che pulled Song Yuqi and steadily stepped onto the first wooden stake.

His steps were steady, and with each step he tested the buoyancy of the driftwood.

Song Yuqi followed closely behind him, her toes lightly stepping on the edge of the same wooden stake.

Jiang Che extended his left arm slightly backward, just enough to protect her waist.

Another jet of water shot out from the right, heading straight for Song Yuqi's face.

Jiang Che took a half-step forward and raised his sleeve to block the water flow.

Water droplets splashed on his back, but Song Yuqi was clean.

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the onlookers.

"Jiang Che is so handsome!"

"That protective action towards his wife was absolutely amazing!"

Jin Chen jumped up and down on the shore, shouting:

"Great job, chef! Take down the command flag!"

Song Yuqi held onto the back of Jiang Che's clothes, feeling at ease and reassured.

"Jiang Che, there are still three posts ahead. Little Deer is catching up!"

Jiang Che glanced at the red command flag on the opposite bank.

Hold on to me.

Before he finished speaking, he pushed off with his feet and took two steps with Song Yuqi.

The two moved in perfect unison, the red ribbon drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

Lu Han reached out to grab the command flag from the other side, but the wooden stake beneath her feet suddenly sank down.

Deng Chao shouted from behind:

"Stay calm, little deer!"

While Lu Han was adjusting her center of gravity, Jiang Che had already landed steadily on the finish line platform with Song Yuqi.

Song Yuqi reached out and pulled, and the red command flag was pulled out.

"We got it!"

Song Yuqi excitedly raised the command flag, turned around and hugged Jiang Che's neck.

Jiang Che naturally supported her arm and held her firmly in his arms.

Song Yuqi's nose brushed against his cheek, and their breaths mingled.

The crowd cheered, and all the cameras were pointed at them.

Chen He threw the towel in his hand on the ground and protested loudly.

"Director Wu! Doesn't this count as violating regulations by using company funds for dating?"

"They're not here to fight for supremacy; they're here for their honeymoon!"

Deng Chao wiped the water off his face and laughed until he was breathless.

"Chen He, stop being so sour. If you're so capable, find a partner to hug too."

Wu Zheng looked at the screen full of trending data, but he refused to admit defeat.

He slammed the gavel down heavily.

"The Hundred Entertainments Hall wins the first round!"

"Receive twenty Shu Tong Coins and priority in the second stage!"

Song Yuqi stepped out of Jiang Che's embrace, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She handed the command flag to the referee, then turned and gave Jiang Che a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Good job, chef. I'll give you an extra chicken leg tonight."

Jiang Che tidied her disheveled hair and looked at her with a smile.

"Listen to the boss's wife."

The second stage is set in the central courtyard of the ancient town.

In the center of the courtyard stood a huge Bagua disc, covered with bamboo clue plaques.

Wu Zheng held the second mission card in his hand.

"Second stage: Tracking the sect's secret codes."

"Each team needs to send one person into the trap array to find the corresponding sect's secret manual."

"People outside provide directional guidance via walkie-talkie."

"Beware, there are four black-clad guardians inside. Each capture will deduct ten coins."

Chen He rubbed his stomach and walked forward.

"Old Wu, is this black-clad protector played by one of your henchmen again?"

Wu Zheng raised his chin smugly.

"This time, the martial arts instructor was specially invited and is exceptionally skilled."

Qin Xiao pushed up his glasses, looked at the large disc, and sighed.

"It seems the production team is determined to take Tongbao back."

Jin Chen patted Song Yuqi on the shoulder.

"Yuqi, who's going in this time?"

Song Yuqi turned to look at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che picked up the walkie-talkie on the table and handed one to Song Yuqi.

"Look at the panoramic view from outside and tell me the location."

"I'm going in to get the manual."

Song Yuqi took the walkie-talkie, pressed the call button, and tested the sound.

"Understood, Chef Jiang. I guarantee I'll get you out safely."

Deng Chao also rubbed his hands together, eager to get started, and picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Little Deer, you go inside. Old Qin and I will keep watch for you outside!"

The wooden door of the maze opened, and Jiang Che and Lu Han entered the maze at the same time.

The maze's corridors twisted and turned, and bamboo curtains obscured the view.

Two black-clad guardians, each wielding a wooden sword, patrolled the passageway.

Song Yuqi stood in front of the monitoring screen on the high platform, her eyes closely following Jiang Che's route.

"Jiang Che, walk five meters forward, turn left, and avoid the first corner."

Jiang Che pressed the walkie-talkie to his ear and walked slowly around the first wooden frame.

Deng Chao was shouting through a megaphone on the other side.

"Little deer! To the right! No! To the left! There's an assassin!"

Lu Han was so confused by the shouts in the maze that she became disoriented.

"Brother Chao! Where do you want me to run off to?"

Before she could finish speaking, a black-clad protector blocked Lu Han's path.

Lu Han shouted and ran away, causing chaos in the maze.

Chen He stood below the stage, laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight.

"Brother Chao's command is just feeding Little Deer kills."

On the high platform, Song Yuqi looked focused as she swiped her finger across the screen.

"Jiang Che, there is a secret manual in the red box directly in front of you."

"But a guardian is approaching from two meters behind."

Jiang Che looked up at Song Yuqi on the high platform.

"receive."

He swayed and, using the wooden screen as cover, quickly moved forward.

With a click, his fingers touched the wooden box's latch, and the first scroll of the secret manual was in his hands.

Upon hearing the sound, the black-clad protector turned and charged forward, sword in hand.

Jiang Che did not retreat. He used his footing to step onto the edge of the wooden box and flipped over the top of the screen.

His movements were swift and decisive, landing directly behind the Dharma Protector.

Song Yuqi's eyes lit up as she watched the screen, and she slapped the armrest hard with her hand.

"So cool!"

Jin Chen chimed in with a smile.

"Yuqi, tone it down a bit, your lips are practically pointing to the sky."

After obtaining the first volume of the manual, Jiang Che did not leave immediately.

He pressed the walkie-talkie and said in a deep voice.

"The little deer is trapped in the Qian position."

"Yuqi, help me check the positions of the guardians around him."

Song Yuqi immediately pulled up the footage of Lu Han's location.

"He's trapped in a dead end by two protectors, Jiang Che, are you going to rescue him?"

Jiang Che tucked the secret manual into his waistband.

"It's on my way."

Following the route given by Song Yuqi, he quickly weaved through the two corridors.

Lu Han was leaning against the corner of the wall, panting, while two guardians pressed closer and closer.

Jiang Che walked around from behind and casually grabbed a gong from the prop shelf next to him and struck it.

A loud crash echoed through the narrow corridor.

The two guardians were attracted by the sound and turned around at the same time.

Jiang Che waved to Lu Han.

"Walk."

Lu Han seized the opportunity to slip past the protector and escaped successfully.

"Brother Che! I'll never forget your life-saving grace!"

Deng Chao and Chen He, sitting in the audience, applauded in unison.

"The chef is loyal!"

"This is a true martial arts master!"

Wu Zheng, watching this scene from the high platform, rubbed his temples.

"Why have these two teams teamed up again?"

The assistant director whispered a reply.

"Director Wu, Teacher Jiang Che is so popular, you can't stir things up."

A few minutes later, Jiang Che and Lu Han walked out of the maze gate side by side.

Jiang Che held two scrolls of secret manuals in his hand, and Lu Han also held one scroll in her hand.

Song Yuqi ran down from the platform and jogged to Jiang Che.

"Completely unharmed, perfect score!"

Jiang Che handed her the secret manual in his hand.

"The command was excellent, and the route was very precise."

Song Yuqi took the manual, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"That's right, we're the best in the world."

Chen He came over, took the manual from Lu Han, and looked at Wu Zheng with a smile.

"Old Wu, we've got all three volumes of the manual. What do you say now?"

Wu Zheng sighed and took out the Ultimate Inheritance Medal from the table.

"In the battle for supremacy among the Qingcheng Village sects, the Hundred Entertainments Hall and the Food God Hall are tied for first place!"

"The ultimate medal belongs to all of you."

"According to the rules, you have the privilege of deciding on tonight's accommodations."

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Deng Chao, Chen He, Lu Han, Qin Xiao, and Jin Chen all turned their gazes toward Wu Zheng.

Wu Zheng's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

"What...do you want to do?"

Chen He had a big smile on his face.

"Old Wu, you just said the loser has to sleep in the open square, right?"

Wu Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Those are the rules for the participating guests; I'm the director..."

Deng Chao grabbed Wu Zheng's shoulder with a strong grip.

"Hey Lao Wu, we're all men and women of the martial world, we don't distinguish between each other."

"Yuqi, Chef, who do you think should sleep in that extra-large sleeping bag in the square tonight?"

Song Yuqi shook the coin bag in her hand and smiled sweetly.

"I think Director Wu must have had a tough time riding that donkey today, he needs to get some rest and get back to nature."

Jiang Che stood beside her and added in a calm tone.

"The cool night breeze in the square is perfect for Director Wu to plan tomorrow's script."

The whole courtyard burst into laughter.

Chen He and Deng Chao immediately grabbed Wu Zheng's arms and shouted slogans as they lifted him up.

"Time to take Director Wu to the square to rest!"

Wu Zheng dropped the folding fan in his hand and cried out for help.

"Assistant director! Cameraman! Help me!"

Instead of approaching, the surrounding staff pushed the camera even closer.

The courtyard of the ancient town was filled with cheerful noise.

The setting sun cast its golden light on the bluestone slabs.

Song Yuqi turned around and naturally took Jiang Che's arm.

"Chef Jiang, we've earned so many coins today, what are we having for dinner?"

Jiang Che gripped her hand tightly in return, and smiled slightly as the sunset glowed over him.

"Whatever you want to eat, I'll make it for you."