Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 34 - A Fresh Twist in the Game

Chapter 34 – A Fresh Twist in the Game

Wang Tianhao saw the little kangaroo suddenly appear at the finish line, and there was no refuting what the Kangaroo King had said. With countless eyes watching from the stands, the outcome was already decided. The hope of the Wind Leopard winning the prize money vanished in a blink, along with a large sum of bets lost. To argue further would only diminish his own reputation, making him look petty. Frustrated, Wang Tianhao stormed off.

Zhang Xiong followed behind Wang Tianhao, whispering, “The Kangaroo King and its joey are a pair; they should be counted as one. Logically, averaging the young one in front might make them slower than the Wind Leopard. My lord, we cannot just let this go; the prize money is one thing, but your bets are no small matter.” Wang Tianhao grunted in response, and they both slipped away from the stands.

“Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the bubble of hope can burst at any moment, leaving nothing but brutal reality. The Arrow Snake lost its senses in the final, and the little white cat was overwhelmed by the unexpected. It’s truly unfortunate that the Wind Leopard failed at the last moment. On behalf of the Beast Arena, I extend our sincerest apologies!” the beautiful host announced, as Wang Tianhao, visibly furious yet unable to vent his anger, stood by. The host offered him a few comforting words.

Changing the topic, the beautiful host continued, “With the magic barrier now lifted from the tournament arena, let’s invite our champion, the Kangaroo King, to the center stage to receive its prize… Ah, the Kangaroo King is already on stage. Let’s congratulate the Kangaroo King for winning this competition, securing eighty percent of the prize money, totaling 4,800 gold coins. Kangaroo King, can you carry all those coins?” she joked, prompting laughter from the crowd. The little kangaroo replied, “I’ll put them in my mom’s pouch.” The crowd burst into enthusiastic applause, filling the Beast Arena with thunderous claps.

“Let’s put the champion’s honor ring on the Kangaroo King. Oh, it seems the ring is too large for the Kangaroo King. Normally, this ring is meant to be worn on the finger of the winning contestant, but with magical beasts, sizing can be unpredictable. Since it’s too big, why not try it on your neck? Ah, it looks beautiful!”

“It’s so beautiful, truly beautiful! Congratulations to the little kangaroo.” Wang Tianhao clapped as he walked back, followed by Zhang Xiong. The beautiful host said, “Young Master Wang is right. Is there anything else?”

Wang Tianhao smiled and said, “Actually, in this final, my little leopard clinching the championship was almost a sure thing. However, the Kangaroo King was a step ahead, having already set up a strategic move in advance, which caught my leopard by surprise. Still, I’m a man who honors his bets and I’m not bothered by a loss. Would anyone be interested in another match?”

“What kind of match?” the Lady host had just asked when Yu An interjected, “You make it sound so easy. My little white cat was ahead of the Wind Leopard initially and stood a chance at the championship. That Arrow Snake was definitely problematic. Your Wind Leopard wasn’t affected at all and actually benefited from the situation.”

Wang Tianhao glared at Yu An and said, “So you’re the owner of the little white cat. You should speak with a conscience. The Arrow Snake is my magical beast, true. Are you saying there’s something wrong with it, implying I cheated? How could that be? Come on, let’s have the Beast Arena’s magic appraiser verify what’s going on with my Arrow Snake.”

The appraiser, who had been standing behind Wang Tianhao unnoticed, said, “As a staff member of the Beast Arena, I shouldn’t reveal information about the magical beasts, but since Young Master Wang has already spoken, the Arrow Snake is his beast, and I won’t hide it. Upon thorough examination, I discovered that it suffers from schizophrenia and epilepsy. It unfortunately had an incident during the final, and I bear some responsibility for that. However, given its unique talents, allowing it to compete was not easy, so I let it participate. Fortunately, the Arrow Snake wasn’t injured, which is also commendable.”

Wang Tianhao said, “My poor snake has such a disease? Is it really true?” The appraiser replied, “It is true.”

“That’s a bunch of lies, I don’t believe it,” said Yu An angrily. “You just mentioned another match. If you dare, let’s have a rematch.”

“That’s exactly why I came back. Why not? But let’s make it clear, this time we’ll raise the stakes-5,000 gold coins per magical beast. Everyone will rely on their skills, and whoever reaches the finish line first wins, how about that?”

“Okay, my little white cat is in.”

“The tournament arena is full of sudden changes. If your little white cat slips up, I really can’t take responsibility.”

“Don’t worry. My little white cat has faced magical beasts even stronger than level 4.”

“So it’s a matter of life and death then?”

“Yes, life or death, it’s agreed.” As Yu An and Wang Tianhao talked, tension rose between them. Yu An called out to Fu Qiruo, “Is your little thing Alixin coming or not?”

Fu Qiruo replied, “I trust Alixin, but with such a high stake, I’d rather not gamble.”

“It’s okay, I’ll cover the 5,000 gold coins.”

“Alright.” Fu Qiruo thought to himself, “I should support my brother. Little Alixin needs to show some spirit.”

“Young Master, don’t fall for his tricks, why stoop to his level?” Yu Fei advised Yu An at the side.

Yu An insisted on not listening and said, “Don’t worry about it, uncle. You just go and pay. It’s not a big deal if we lose.”

“Adding my Wind Leopard and Arrow Snake, that makes four. The more, the merrier. This young man, like me, has already bid 10,000 gold coins. Is the Kangaroo King coming or not? Whose magical beast is the Kangaroo King, anyway? Is it still coming?”

“The Kangaroo King said it won’t come anymore. It said it’s quitting while ahead, taking the prize money, and it has already gone home to eat,” announced the beautiful host. “It turns out Young Master Wang was talking about the martial arts competition. The martial arts competition hasn’t been seen in the Beast Arena for months; it’s been rather monotonous. Everyone knows the rules for the literary competition, so I won’t go over those. But I need to explain the rules for the martial arts competition: there are no rules. As long as one signs their life away on the document, that’s enough.”

In front of the magic appraiser, Wang Tianhao cheerfully signed his name and said to Yu An, “Young man, you sign one too.” Yu An curiously replied, “It’s the little white cat competing, not me. I don’t need to sign.”

Alixin stood on the table, small in stature. The magic appraiser, having never seen such a novel character before, took a pair of glasses and put them on, then held a ruler in front of Alixin, measuring up and down. He said, “Name: Alixin, height: twelve centimeters; weight unknown, seems lighter at times and heavier at others, not sure how much this bit of flesh would sell for-possibly worth 5,000 gold coins. Hmm, and as for the magic level, probably level 2, definitely not exceeding level 3. He can enter the level 4 magical beasts competition. However, given Alixin’s small size, which is more pocket-sized, it’s hard to spot him in an 800-meter tournament arena. To avoid any cheating and to ensure the judges can easily spot Alixin’s position so as not to misjudge, I recommend attaching a one-meter-long red ribbon on Alixin. This way, it would be hard for him to get lost, and his owner wouldn’t have to worry. Alright, the inspection is complete; he can enter the arena.”

Alixin dashed off the table, and suddenly, a white figure flashed by. The little white cat stood in front of him. The little white cat sniffed closer to Alixin, who reached out to touch the cat’s whiskers. The little white cat dodged swiftly, circling around Alixin nonstop. Alixin reached out and plucked a tuft of fur from the cat, causing the little white cat to yelp in pain and disappear into the distance.

Fu Qiruo, seeing the bright red ribbon tied around Alixin’s waist, was concerned for his safety and said, “You need to be careful not to let those big fellows eat you.” Standing, Alixin “squeaked” a laugh, then suddenly started spinning in place. The red ribbon around his waist fluttered and hissed, forming a spiral coil. Alixin spun faster and faster until his body slowly lifted off the ground.

Yu An watched delightedly and remarked, “That red ribbon actually looks quite good on him, almost like a pair of wings. If Alixin were on stage, he might even make a great circus star.”

“Contestants, enter the arena!” urged the beautiful host, as the crowd awaited the start. The flat ground of the tournament arena split open to reveal four holes. Emerging from track number one was Alixin, his small frame barely noticeable at the start line to those with poorer eyesight. The ten-meter-wide track seemed far too wide for him; track number two brought out the little white cat, who appeared listless, lost in thought; from track number three, the Arrow Snake slowly slithered out, its bulky body hard to imagine airborne if one hadn’t seen the previous match; and it was a person who appeared on track number four, Wang Tianhao, who smiled as he slowly ascended amidst the vibrating sounds, his mount being the Wind Leopard. The Wind Leopard’s several-ton footsteps echoed throughout the arena with a booming sound.

Yu An wondered aloud, “How did Wang Tianhao get into the arena? Does he want to play kangaroo, letting the Wind Leopard do an airdrop?”

The beautiful host explained, “This combat tournament is different from literary ones. The master may ride on the magical beasts, but the beasts remain the main contestants, not the humans. This arena is truly the domain of the magical beasts. Young Master Wang’s entry is merely for the thrill of it, though he has already signed a waiver; should any harm come to him, the arena holds no liability.”

Yu An turned to Fu Qiruo and remarked, “Neither little white cat nor Alixin seem like they could be his killer… We should go in too.” Fu Qiruo laughed, “I’m not going in just for the sake of excitement. Whether it’s me riding Alixin, or Alixin riding me, that would be confusing, haha!”

“That’s true, let him have his moment of glory.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets now, for this is the last match of the day-a confrontation between level 4 magical beasts. Miss it not, for such a chance won’t come again!” After everyone placed their bets, the beautiful host commanded, “Raise the magic barrier in the arena, and contestants, take your positions! Raise the barrier!”

As the red barrier slowly rose at the track entrance, Wang Tianhao patted the Wind Leopard on the back. The beast stepped back and then charged straight toward the barrier.

The crowd recalled the last finals when the Wind Leopard had sent the red barrier flying, earning a strike from the Beast Arena. If it was about to smash again, was it set to repeat the performance? Looks like the Beast Arena will need a new barrier soon enough. How arrogant Wang Tianhao is!

The crowd was ready for a loud “crack,” but to their surprise, the Wind Leopard suddenly braked hard with its front paws, stopping just half a meter from the barrier. Wang Tianhao looked up to the sky and laughed heartily, saying, “My little leopard, look how you’ve scared everyone. Why are you so impolite?”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Yu An remarked irritably, “That Young Master Wang, strutting around like he owns the place!”

“Contestants… ready… open the barrier!”

The moment the barrier dropped, the little white cat and the Arrow Snake leapt from the starting line and disappeared in a flash. Wang Tianhao, still mounted on the Wind Leopard, did not move, nor did Alixin. The spectators were puzzled-were these two planning to let others take the lead like the Kangaroo King?

Wang Tianhao nudged the Wind Leopard and said, “My little leopard, let’s warm up. Come on, do some push-ups.” The Wind Leopard stretched out its limbs, carrying Wang Tianhao as it really did a few push-ups. Wang Tianhao smiled and said, “Well done, very standard. There’ll be a reward when we get back.”

Alixin fiddled with the red ribbon at his waist, muttering to himself, “Don’t let it loosen; the wind could blow it away when running. Hmm, that’s better!” Alixin tightened the red ribbon, then started spinning at the starting line, shooting up five or six meters into the air, his long red ribbon spiraling in circles, which earned applause from the crowd. Fu Qiruo called out to Alixin, “Keep showing off, and you won’t get any Black Snake Meat.”

Seeing that the crowd’s attention had shifted to cheer for Alixin, Wang Tianhao felt snubbed and told the Wind Leopard, “Let’s start.” The Wind Leopard began to move forward at a steady pace. Someone shouted, “What’s this trick? Has the Wang Family’s young master never driven a carriage, playing around with something new at this time?”

Amid the laughter, the little white cat and the Arrow Snake had completed a lap, with the little white cat overtaking the Arrow Snake by over a hundred meters. Seeing Alixin still at the starting line, the little white cat passed by him with a loud “meow” and leaped into the second lap, turning back to see Alixin’s startled expression but suddenly felt a sting in its tail. Alixin chuckled near its ear, “See how arrogant you are in front of me. I’ll pluck a few hairs as a punishment.” With a “swoosh,” Alixin ran ahead, leaving everyone behind.

Fu Qiruo and Yu An saw a red streak floating above the tournament arena’s track, moving at incredible speed around the circular track. By the time the little white cat entered the fourth lap, the red ribbon had caught up-it was, of course, Alixin. Both Fu Qiruo and Yu An laughed as the little white cat had run two laps in the time it took Alixin to run three.

Looking back at the Arrow Snake, it was now half a lap behind the little white cat, clearly lacking stamina. And the Wind Leopard, with Wang Tianhao on its back, had walked half a lap but then stopped in the middle of the first lap to turn around, making the spectators think, “Has Young Master Wang gone mad? Playing tricks is one thing, but this is another level!”

With everyone puzzled, Fu Qiruo suddenly realized that Wang Tianhao would not just hand over ten thousand gold coins without a scheme. He shouted to Alixin, “Be careful, don’t let anything unexpected happen!”

Yu Fei suddenly said, “Two big creatures against two small ones, they won’t be at a disadvantage, especially with a grown man involved. In the arena, it’s a fight to the death, heh heh!”