Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

The noise outside the gate did not affect Gao Jin. He was watching the actions of the guards in the training ground with a lot of boredom. They were marking out several circles as the arena for the martial arts competition.

The preliminary round is over, and we're now preparing for the second round. The "Battlefield Melee" is a free-for-all where eight people fight it out, and the last three advance to the final round.

Because of the large number of participants, several venues were set up for the event to be held simultaneously.

Just then, the people of Tokyo outside the gate suddenly became noisy, and then a golden bell rang out!

Twelve pairs of elite palace guards surged into the arena like a tide. The first to clear the way were not the "Silence" sign, but four eunuchs in purple robes!

The only person in the Song Dynasty who could have a purple-robed eunuch clear the way must have been Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji!

"Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome your arrival!"

The entire audience collapsed to their knees, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Gao Jin glanced over and saw a bright yellow palanquin carried by sixteen men enter the arena and head towards the reviewing stand. Eunuchs were constantly sprinkling water in front of it to cover up the dust.

On the palanquin, Emperor Huizong was not wearing a dragon robe, but a sky-blue Taoist robe, and he was holding a hand warmer in his arms.

The Emperor alighted from his palanquin and, accompanied by Cai Jing and others, came to the platform. Looking at the kneeling Imperial Guard officers, he said, "Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Gao Qiu led the way in expressing his gratitude and then stood up.

The Emperor took his seat in the main seat of the reviewing stand, looking up at the edge of the parade ground where the black banners fluttered in the wind. "What a refreshing autumn breeze," he remarked. "It reminds me of Wang Wei's line, 'The wind is strong, the horn bows sing, the general hunts at Weicheng.'"

As he spoke, Zhao Ji glanced at the soldiers in the training ground, "Gao Qing, are there enough horn bows prepared for today's 'hunt'?"

Gao Qiu bowed deeply, "The Emperor's might is absolute. The Imperial Guards, from top to bottom, are the Emperor's strongest and most formidable force!"

Emperor Huizong pointed at Gao Jin, a burly man standing in the training ground. "How about this 'Horn Bow'?"

Gao Qiu knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, I am terrified that my unruly son has attracted your attention."

Zhao Ji looked surprised, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Minister Gao, please rise. Is this your beloved son? It's been a few years, and he has grown so robust."

Just as Gao Qiu was about to reply, he heard Cai Jing say, "His Majesty was originally going to Jinming Pond to contemplate the mysteries of the universe today. When he passed by the drill ground, he heard the deafening shouts of 'Young Master Gao' and thus came to investigate."

Zhao Ji nodded, "I also thought that since Minister Gao is going to hold a grand competition here at the Palace Commander's Mansion today, I came here to take a look and see how Minister Gao selects talents for the country."

"Your Majesty, I am terrified. There are many rough men in the army. I am afraid that this may startle Your Majesty."

Emperor Huizong waved his hand, "It's alright. I've been preoccupied with the whereabouts of Cai Xiu these past few days, and my mind has been elsewhere. Seeing the morale of the army now will surely lift my spirits."

He turned to Cai Jing, "What does Cai Qing think?"

Cai Jing bowed, "Your Majesty is wise. However..." He paused deliberately.

"This old minister has heard that Grand Commandant Gao has always been considerate of the soldiers, and that his training sessions are always limited to the bare minimum. Since today is a 'hunt,' if we are still bound by etiquette, it may spoil Your Majesty's enjoyment."

Cai Jing's words were a bit harsh. What was Gao Qiu trying to achieve by showing compassion for the soldiers?

Gao Qiu's eyebrows twitched, and he quickly kowtowed to Zhao Ji.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards' training has always been for real combat; there has never been a practice of stopping short of a duel. It seems that Minister Cai has misunderstood."

"It's alright, Minister Gao, please rise. When will this competition begin?" Zhao Ji's expression remained unchanged.

Gao Qiu stood up and looked at the supervising officer. Seeing the man nod at him, Gao Qiu immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, everything is ready!"

Zhao Ji waved his hand, "Then let them begin!"

The supervising officer, having received the imperial order, rushed to the field and frantically pounded the gong, the sound carrying a long, drawn-out echo in the wind.

"Eight people in a free-for-all, with no rules or regulations! Three people advance to the next round after each round. The drumbeat begins, and the gong sounds to end!"

After he finished speaking, several large cowhide drums on both sides of the training ground were struck by bare-chested strongmen, and the sound waves made the gongs hum and ring!

On stage, Cai Jing inexplicably leaned close to Gao Qiu and asked, "Grand Commandant Gao, where is that scoundrel Lin Chong?"

Gao Qiu turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "What nonsense is Grand Tutor Cai spouting? Wasn't that traitor Lin Chong already beheaded by me?"

Cai Jing lowered his voice, "That was your adopted son's sworn brother! You just killed him like that?"

"I, Gao Qiu, have always been loyal to the Emperor. How could I tolerate my officers offending His Majesty? I had no choice but to execute Lin Chong with tears in my eyes..." Gao Qiu quoted a line with a touch of self-satisfaction.

"...My son is participating in the Imperial Guard Competition to fulfill his brother's last wish."

After a long pause, Cai Jing finally spoke in a sinister tone.

"The Grand Commandant has a prodigy! Such loyalty and martial arts skills are truly precious. He should not end up like my Xiu, who disappeared without a trace."

"What does Prime Minister Cai mean?" Gao Qiu frowned.

"I don't mean anything by it. I'm getting old and have just suffered the pain of losing my son. I can't bear to see young talents die unnatural deaths, so I've come to ask the Grand Commandant for a few words." After Cai Jing finished speaking, he returned to his original position and stood there blankly.

Gao Qiu looked at Cai Jing with suspicion, his expression truly resembling that of an elderly man who had lost his son. He then turned back to the drill ground; this was his territory, after all, and surely nothing could go wrong here?

After the drums sounded, Gao Jin was the last member of his group to step into the battle circle.

Having just exercised, Gao Jin felt a bit hot, so he changed into a sleeveless shirt. His bare arms were bulging with muscles like old tree roots, and he carried a red-tasseled spear in his hand. The spear was covered with wrought iron, and when the sunlight shone on it, he looked like a burly man with a silver spear.

The seven people in the circle had already taken their positions.

Facing Gao Jin was a burly man carrying two iron whips, flanked by a man wielding a chain hammer and a man wielding a large axe. The remaining four men all wielded broadswords.

Gao Jin glanced at them and saw that they all looked like elite soldiers, so he clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, esteemed heroes. I am..."

The man wielding the chain hammer chuckled, interrupting Gao Jin, "Young master, are you here to make friends, or to have a duel?"

The remaining people remained silent, sizing up Gao Jin.

Having been rebuffed, Gao Jin lost interest in pleasantries and simply said to them, "Let's begin!"

Before the words were even finished, the seven of them simultaneously lunged at Gao Jin.

The double-stranded iron whip's move, "Mount Tai Pressing Down," aimed straight at Gao Jin's head, while the chain hammer's move, "Viper Spitting Its Tongue," coiled around Gao Jin's lower body, and the great axe swept across his waist.

The three men used three different killing moves to seal Gao Jin's upper, middle, and lower body, while the remaining four broadswords were used to stab him in the throat, heart, back of the neck, and spine!

Gao Jin neither dodged nor evaded, but thrust his red-tasseled spear into the ground, using the recoil to propel himself into the air, soaring like a hawk!

The seven weapons clashed together, sparks flying everywhere.

Gao Jin twisted his waist in mid-air, and swung his red-tasseled spear in a wide arc with a "whoosh," sweeping towards the seven men with a move called "Sweeping Across a Thousand Armies."

Five loud clangs rang out! The broadsword and chain hammer flew out of their hands, and the three men's hands were ripped open and blood flowed.

The two men still held onto their double whips and giant axe tightly, but the force of the spears sent them staggering back seven steps, each step leaving a crater more than an inch deep in the ground!