Chapter 3787 — Near Ink, One Turns Black
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Both sides had long since declared openly that they could not stand the sight of each other. Before the bout even began, it was already foreordained that once these two met, it would be a duel of dragon and tiger reeking of gunpowder, with bloodshed foreseeable.
Of course, pitting Meng Zhou's early Foundation Establishment against the mere Heaven-rank great perfection of Qiao Hongcai, calling it a duel of dragon and tiger rather flattered the latter too much. But one thing was beyond question: in this match, Meng Zhou was certain to use Qiao Hongcai to draw blood and sharpen his blade.
The only suspense was whether Qiao Hongcai had the luck and the strength to crawl out from under Meng Zhou's feet with his little life intact.
The third round of the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers' challenge tournament officially began. The other newcomers, taking the hint, all kept their silence, showing not the slightest intention of stealing the show, and quietly awaited the two protagonists' ascent to the stage.
Meng Zhou smiled smugly, thoroughly pleased by the newcomers' respectful, breath-bated deference. He at once strode onto the platform, pointed from afar at Qiao Hongcai, and in his eyes gleamed a sharp killing intent: today is the day you die!
"What's the matter, Trash Qiao? Do I have to invite you up myself? Don't tell me you mean to do like that fellow Xiao and turn turtle at the last moment?"
Meng Zhou stood on the platform looking down on all below, mocking without the slightest restraint: "That would disappoint me far too much. I'd thought that even if you were a bit useless, you were at least still a man, and now I find you're a woman? That's how it is with Xiao, and that's how it is with you, Trash Qiao. No wonder some say Wei Zhao is a starving ghost in a house of flesh. Don't tell me that's the flavor he fancies? My god, now that's what I call a heavy taste!"
The newcomers below the stage burst into laughter. Meng Zhou's mockery, good heavens, what a filthy sense of humor.
Little did they know, this was a speech Meng Jue Ming had specially instructed him to make beforehand, precisely to enrage Qiao Hongcai and rob him of his reason. Otherwise, if the fellow should also turn turtle the way Xiao Che had, the whole affair would be meaningless.
For all Qiao Hongcai's blunt, hot-blooded nature, his earlier move of challenging Zha Wu had in fact been a cunning, disguised evasion of a collision with Meng Zhou in the second round; this time, they had to be on guard.
The opportunity was rare. Watching Wei Zhao's lot grow more arrogant by the day, this time they must kill the chicken to warn the monkey, and leave them a lesson written in blood.
Mocked like this in front of everyone, the Qiao Hongcai of old would have said not a word more and charged up to thrash him. Yet today, his expression was strangely calm and ordinary.
My god! This truly was near ink turning one black: after keeping company so long with a poseur like Wei Zhao, even a specimen like Trash Qiao had learned to put on airs!
Meng Zhou and the rest of the newcomers were secretly astonished, and then they saw Qiao Hongcai exchange a greeting with Wei Zhao and the others, turn, and walk up onto the platform with perfect composure.
In a daze, Meng Zhou suddenly felt that this Trash Qiao before him seemed somewhat different from the man of a few days ago. He was the same man, certainly, yet the impression he gave was as though he had been reborn, the whole man transformed, though just where the difference lay, Meng Zhou could not say.
Damn it, what was there to mind about a mere Trash Qiao!
Meng Zhou hastily flung that bizarre notion to the back of his mind. What he had to do next was beat Trash Qiao into Dead Qiao, and then see whether Wei Zhao and his pack could keep on putting on airs!