A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 232 - 231: This Young Man, Has Had a Hard Life

Xia Ruqing raised her head to look at Zhao Junyao.

Respect filled her eyes.

In her mind, she recalled the days when Xia Tingfeng was at home, hardly ever returning. Whenever he did come home, it was either for silver or he’d come back covered in injuries.

"If Dad knew, would he regret it?"

"If he had supported him back then, encouraged him, and hired a martial arts master for him, maybe he would have made it a long time ago!" Xia Ruqing said slowly.

The two people on the Martial Stage were not her brother; she looked at Zhao Junyao.

Zhao Junyao, however, with a slight smile, shook his head.

"Not so!"

"If it were as you said, your brother might just be a good-for-nothing!"

"Ah?" Xia Ruqing was somewhat puzzled. "Why? He is talented!"

Zhao Junyao spoke indifferently, "It’s true that he is talented, but the thing that gave him the most motivation was your father’s disdain!"

"The achievements he has now are because he has lingered on the edge of life and death too many times!"

"Martial Arts encompasses many profound principles that can never be applied rigidly!"

"Your Majesty, you make sense!"

The two people on the Martial Stage fought fiercely, seemingly with not much difference in strength. It took a full half Shi Chen to barely determine the winner. The losing side was injured and had to be supported as they left, while the victor didn’t fare much better, unable to stand steadily.

Another pair took to the stage.

This time, she finally saw that familiar figure.

"Brother!"

Xia Ruqing no longer felt the excitement from before, instead feeling a bit heartbroken.

Zhao Junyao sat still, his expression unchanged, his gaze remote. Xia Ruqing was different; she felt a tug at her heart.

"The opponent... The opponent is such a big fellow!"

Zhao Junyao gave her a casual glance. "This is just the first round!"

"Out of thirty-six people, eighteen will win, and of those eighteen, nine will win!"

"Nine people?" "One against two?"

Zhao Junyao nodded.

Xia Ruqing frowned. "How cruel!"

Zhao Junyao, however, didn’t see it as a big deal. "Victory and defeat are common for soldiers; those who cannot withstand a loss don’t deserve to win!"

Xia Ruqing did not speak further.

On the Martial Stage, the big fellow made the first move. His steps were steady, his strikes powerful, his fist brought the wind with it.

Her heart was in her throat.

Even though Xia Tingfeng was extremely agile, reacting quickly to each move, he still suffered a few small losses. He barely dodged several punches from the big man.

"Come on!"

Xia Ruqing’s heart was tight with concern.

Zhao Junyao glanced at her and spoke softly, "You don’t need to worry so much, their strengths are all quite similar! In private, they are all brothers who would go through fire and water for each other!"

Thinking like this, Xia Ruqing was slightly relieved.

Zhao Junyao chuckled lightly. "Do you hope he loses?"

Xia Ruqing was stunned for a moment. "Of course, I hope he wins!"

Zhao Junyao did not say more.

On the Martial Stage, the two had reached an intense phase of their battle, a fierce fight like that of dragon and tiger. The big guy was still very steady, moving faster than before, yet his strength was undiminished. He appeared to be fighting effortlessly, but in reality, his strength was profound, and his endurance particularly astonishing. Xia Tingfeng, however, was not conceding at all. Although he was tall, he did not have the size of his opponent and had slightly lesser endurance, so he focused on being nimble and agile.

But the big guy didn’t seem to be in a rush.

Thousands of thoughts spun through Xia Tingfeng’s mind. Suddenly, a sly glint flashed in his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of rounds had passed. As the big guy’s fist came at him again, Xia Tingfeng intentionally met it with his shoulder. He used the hardest part of the shoulder’s exterior to take half a punch. Then, pretending to be defeated, he appeared to be about to fall to the ground.

Seeing Xia Tingfeng’s apparent failure, the big guy hurriedly pursued and struck ferociously, getting ready to punch again. Suddenly, Xia Tingfeng bent his body, with knees slightly bent, rapidly shifting his center of gravity down. When his opponent focused all his strength on his fists, Xia Tingfeng found the opening and ferociously attacked his lower limbs. Gathering all his strength, his kick was like lightning, sweeping across.

Before the big guy could even throw his punch, he was on his knees, letting out a muffled grunt of unbearable pain. At that moment, Xia Tingfeng swiftly dodged, his toes touched the ground, and with a light leap, he landed behind the big guy. A knife-hand strike to his neck and the big guy swayed twice then crashed to the ground, unable to get up again.

"YES!" Xia Ruqing stood up and shouted. Her voice was not even out before it was drowned out in the thunderous drumming. But this did not affect her excitement in the least.

"Your Majesty, my brother won!"

Zhao Junyao gave a faint smile. "I have known all along that he could win!"

Xia Ruqing suddenly felt confused. "Your Majesty, no one taught my brother Martial Arts when he was young. How did he become so formidable?"

Zhao Junyao pulled her over forcefully, made her sit properly, and then said, "Do you think it’s better to be taught by someone, or not to be taught at all!"

Xia Ruqing answered without hesitation, "Of course, it’s better to be taught by someone!"

Zhao Junyao asked again, "Then do you think it’s better to be taught by a master, or taught by life or death encounters!"

"Ah??" Xia Ruqing fell silent.

Late that night, the two of them returned to the palace. On the way back, Xia Ruqing had already fallen asleep. Zhao Junyao had no choice but to hold her with one arm and the reins with the other. By the time they reached Zhaochen Palace, there was already a faint light on the horizon. After a quick wash up, the two rested at Zhaochen Palace.