Mingchao: The Survival Journey of a Comedian

Chapter 56 I don’t blame you

After his mind went blank for a while, he finally came to his senses. Seeing that the other person wasn't joking, he wanted to say something, but someone else spoke first.

"General Geshu, this soldier of mine recently went to the front lines and suffered quite a few injuries."

"It's probably not convenient for us to compete against each other."

After realizing what was happening, Yan Yan quickly spoke up to stop the other party: You must know that this general's personality is practically that of a madman—a pure advocate of stopping war with force, a true martial arts enthusiast.

If a real fight were to break out, he feared that if his opponent lost control, he would witness a life being lost right before his eyes.

"Coach Yan Yan, are you questioning my decision?"

"So, if the soldiers on the front lines are wounded, they can just retreat to the rear and stop fighting?"

Silence fell once again. No one dared to provoke this high-ranking general, who appeared to be in a bad mood, at this critical juncture.

Meanwhile, Mo Wunian was weighing the pros and cons in his mind whether he should accept the challenge, and at the same time, he was considering whether he had the right to refuse.

"General Geshu..."

"..."

He suddenly turned around and slapped Ji Yan on the head to tell him not to interrupt. Letting the other party face that person now would surely result in defeat!

Unfortunately, it was too late for him to act. Ge Shulin had already turned his gaze back to the person behind him, but his eyes were calm, so calm that he didn't even take the other person seriously.

"...Avoid flames"

"Your mother is a very good doctor."

But you are not.

"At least... you don't currently have the ability to earn my respect."

His brief words silenced him, and as his gaze shifted slightly, he noticed Ji Yan's body stiffen, and finally, he slowly tightened his grip on Ji Yan's clothes.

"Mo Wunian"

"Have you made your decision?"

"If you win, I'll take responsibility for this."

"No one will be implicated."

The other person knew how to manipulate him; just a few words were enough to win him over.

The statement that no one would be implicated because of him was enough to make him agree to the other party's conditions.

Although that's what he thought, he could already feel the sword in his hand trembling:

Winning against his opponent... he was indeed uncertain, knowing that even at his peak, he couldn't guarantee he could defeat them.

Not to mention his current injured body, which is only 16 years old.

"Have you decided yet?"

"In my opinion... the strong always have some special rights."

"Then I'll ask you."

"General Geshu"

He was taking a gamble, betting only that the other party wouldn't kill him; the rest was uncertain.

"Teacher!" "Mo Wunian!"

Looking at Ji Yan, who was still holding onto him, and Bei Wang, who also wanted to come over,

He felt only a deep sense of powerlessness and helplessness.

Please, please stop talking! If you say another word, I'm afraid that kid will chop off both of your teeth!

Just as his opponent had predicted, Ge Shulin was extremely irritated by being repeatedly disturbed, and wished he could drag out everyone who was interrupting his match.

With his brows furrowed, a long-dormant killing intent quietly emanated from him, creating an invisible sense of oppression in the air.

"Coach Yan Yan, arrange the training ground."

"Don't let anyone disturb us."

Yan Yan felt helpless, but the other party's rank was much higher than his own, and the fearless soldier had already agreed willingly. In the end, he could only nod to those around him, indicating that he would make the arrangements.

Don't let me down.

Ge Shulin didn't say anything more, slung his black sword over his shoulder, turned and walked towards the training ground, only glancing at him briefly at the end.

After the suffocating oppressive feeling dissipated, the others glanced at him with pity before leaving to go about their own business.

Only Ji Yan and Bei Wang remained, their eyes fixed on him with tension and anxiety.

That look seemed to say that if he were to fight the other person, he was destined not to return unscathed.

"Teacher...you don't need to do that."

"I can share the responsibility with you; there's absolutely no need to spar with General Geshu."

"Yes, yes, you know how strong the general is!"

"I'm genuinely afraid you'll get chopped down the moment you go up there!"

Ji Yan was on the verge of tears, her eyes red as she looked at him, which made him feel a pang of heartache.

Then, looking back at Beiwang who was howling wildly over there, my heart suddenly felt a little less moved.

Finally, he gave Huo Huo a comforting hug, gently stroking his hair to show that everything was alright.

Without hesitation, he pushed him to Bei Wang, then steadily slung the longsword over his shoulder and strode towards the training ground.

"I did this all by myself; there's absolutely no need for either of you to share the responsibility with me."

"...What if I succeed?"

He chuckled softly and strode towards the training ground—he was certain the difficulty would increase significantly if he kept that person waiting.

------------

The training ground was quiet, with neither a large nor a small number of people present. No one dared to disturb the person on the platform who was squinting and waiting for the other person to arrive.

"Does Mo Wunian really want to spar with the general...?"

"Otherwise what... I just saw them agree on the spot..."

"Moreover, he recently violated military regulations, and only by defeating General Geshu can he escape punishment..."

"If you ask me, he might as well just go and be punished... General Geshu doesn't care whether people live or die when he starts fighting..."

After a while, some quiet discussion finally started to emerge below, but the opinions were overwhelmingly negative.

After all... if a new recruit were to spar with a battle-hardened general, anyone could tell who would win.

Ge Shulin paid little attention to the murmurs below, leaning against his black sword, already sensing someone approaching him.

"coming"

He opened his eyes, pulled the black knife from the ground, gripped it in his hand, and looked at the person who had made the crowd part, his eyes showing little emotion.

"Yes, General Geshu, you've been waiting long."

The sword he was holding had long since been replaced with his own special weapon; after all, the person he was fighting this time was not as easy to deal with as that little punk from before.

This is a qualitative leap; if you're not careful, you could end up spending several more months in the hospital.

Nobody told him that after defeating one small monster, he should immediately fight the boss!

Somewhat nervously, he stepped onto the training field. He was certain that if his opponent used their resonance ability, he wouldn't last three moves.

He had experienced the effects of that purple flame once before, when his opponent was only six years old, and he almost fell into a ditch.

"...I will not use my resonance ability."

"At least for now, you can't make me use your resources."

The other person's words made him breathe a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes—he knew he was terrible right now, he didn't need you to remind him repeatedly!

"Well, thank you for showing mercy, General Geshu."

Taking a deep breath, he slowly assumed an attack stance. He dared not be distracted for a moment, his eyes fixed on Geshulin, who was also in a fighting stance, his hands already trembling slightly.

He will swerve to the side; watch your left.

The words that suddenly flashed into his mind made him pause for a moment, and when he looked up again, he saw the black blade flying towards him from the right, already close in on him.

His first instinct was to lower his body and press back from the right, but the thoughts in his mind became even clearer at that moment.

[Left side!!!]

This indelible obsession had deeply affected him, causing his body to reflexively dodge to the left. In that instant, he clearly saw the knife in his opponent's hand twist mysteriously in mid-air, slashing straight at him.

He barely managed to withstand the blow, but was still knocked back several steps. A numbness spread through his entire arm, as if even the blood in it had stopped flowing.

Looking up, I saw a barely perceptible hint of surprise flash across Geshulin's eyes.

"..."

The situation didn't allow him to be distracted. Seeing the scrutinizing gaze on his opponent, he knew in his heart that if he waited for the other to attack first, he would only be utterly humiliated.

He drew his sword and forcefully met his opponent's attack. Instead of using his usual swordsmanship, he unusually employed the standard swordsmanship of the Night Return Army.

After all, deep down... the image of that person still lingered in his bones: he hadn't truly resolved to fight to the death, his mindset remained unchanged, so this duel was more like a friendly exchange for him.

Of course, my restrained demeanor was interpreted differently by someone else.

"Bang-"

When that intense killing intent swept over him, his body instantly froze in shock and fear: at this moment, time and space once again stood still, but not as confined to a certain area as during the previous battle.

Everything around them, even the slightest energy fluctuations, froze completely; even the very frequency of existence was frozen in that suffocating moment.

[With a do-or-die mentality, we await the inevitable]

This is your right!

Two familiar and identical voices rang in his mind, and at that moment, he could feel that the few seconds had become exceptionally long.

Did the other party really intend to kill me, thus triggering the key's protection mechanism? And what does "my own powers" mean?

Many fragmented thoughts flashed through his mind, but he couldn't grasp them at all.

It seems... it's not the frequency at which the key triggers.

Time resumed its flow. Struggling to take a step back, his gaze was fixed on the black blade, which effortlessly severed a strand of hair at his temple. His heart pounded like a drum, his eardrums throbbing with pain—

If time hadn't briefly frozen, or if he hadn't reacted in time, there would undoubtedly be a shocking scar on his neck by now.

"do you understand?"

"Treat this sparring match with the goal of killing me!"

"idiot!"

Another heavy slash followed, the sword clashing with a deafening clang. Fortunately, the sword in his hand was of excellent quality; had it been used for training, it would likely have snapped in two under the force of the blow.

He forced back the surging blood in his chest; the pungent, metallic taste of blood filled his throat, and he almost couldn't control the impending cough.

"..."

Seeing the other person's expression, which had been extremely cold due to his restraint, he finally realized how foolish his previous thoughts had been:

That person wasn't his Xiaobai!

"I see"

You were the one who tried to kill me first, so you can't blame me for what you do next!

At this moment, everyone below the stage stared blankly at the duel between the two on the training field, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"They've exchanged a few blows... probably seven or eight already..."

"Yes, yes... The reaction to the first wave of attacks was amazing... I never thought anyone could go toe-to-toe with General Geshu..."

"Although he didn't use his resonance ability... Mo Wunian isn't a resonance user! And he's only sixteen this year..."

Unfortunately, before they could exchange more than a few words, their killing intent erupting simultaneously from the two men suppressed their words. Someone stiffly looked up and saw that red had already appeared on the training ground.

Ji Yan stared in terror at the black-haired man, who was dodging attacks while searching for an opportunity to counterattack, but even so, wounds were gradually appearing on his body.

My hands clenched involuntarily, and faint traces of blood seeped from between my fingers. A sense of powerlessness gradually welled up inside me.

"teacher……"

Give up, jump off the training field.

It's all because of him! If he hadn't insisted on joining the medical department, none of this would have happened!

It was his fault!

He had considered rushing forward, but Bei Wang stayed by his side, never letting go of his hand, so it remained just a thought.

He closed his eyes and opened them again, meeting the gaze of that person.

I don't blame you

In a flash, a black knife once again blocked his view, and another crisp sound rang out before he could no longer see the figure on the stage.

"Are you still holding back?"

He casually wiped the blood from his face, his mind now calm. He dodged the opponent's attacks based on his memory, while simultaneously searching for an opportunity.

A gambling opportunity

Unable to engage in a prolonged battle, he would inevitably be the first to exhaust himself. Therefore, he had to find the perfect opportunity to bring both sides to the same position—to strike decisively.

"General Geshu...aren't you the same way..."

"What you've unleashed... was actually just an attempt to test the limits of my strength, wasn't it!"

Although the other person wasn't someone he was familiar with, it's fair to say that their long-term interactions had given him a certain understanding of the other person's true nature.

For example, what he's saying right now... is enough to make the other person temporarily lose their ability to think.

"..."

He trembled slightly as he looked into those golden pupils, followed by a chilling sensation. The black blade flashed to the side, aimed at the bare left side of his face, a result of his swordsmanship.

But coincidentally, his opponent also revealed his only weakness.

"Be careful!!!"

Ji Yan struggled to push Bei Wang away, but the next moment he crouched down, staring blankly at the performance on stage—

At the crucial moment, Ge Shulin's black blade was forcibly swerved to the other side, so that the original target, which should have been the chest, was moved to the shoulder. But even so, the person could not escape the fate of being injured.

A deep, long gash was slashed across his left shoulder, and bright red blood flowed like a stream down his skin, quickly soaking through his once-neat uniform.

While paying such a price, the 16-year-old boy simply smiled, his sword poised firmly against the other's neck.

To enter the game with one's life and fight with one's life

This game ended in a draw.

Everyone fell silent, involuntarily gasping, their eyes fixed on the two people on the stage, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Mo Wunian slowly raised his eyes, gazing into the calm, deep depths of the other's eyes. They were only centimeters apart, so close he could even see the slight trembling of the other's eyelashes.

"how?"

"...General Geshu"

Ge Shulin looked at the arrogantly laughing youth before him, then at the wound on the other's shoulder, and finally fixed his gaze on the sword resting against his own neck—

The other person was aiming at the back of the sword at his neck...

Instead of the blade

"Why not use a blade?"

"...I didn't intend to fight General Geshu to the death."

"And didn't General Geshu eventually give up?"

"Otherwise, my plan won't work..."

His voice trailed off, the words barely escaping his lips as he gritted his teeth. The sword he gripped tightly began to tremble slightly. After all, blood was still flowing.

"...You won the bet."

"I was just asking you why you didn't use the blade."

"That matter from before..."

I'll take the blame for you.

At the moment his goal was achieved, he finally lowered the sword in his hand, his body swaying precariously from exhaustion. Had the other party not reached out to support him in time, he probably would not have been able to stand up.

With his hand being held, their voices were already low, and he simply didn't have the strength to answer in a way that would make him audible at that distance.

He subtly moved closer once more, noticing the other person stiffen slightly but not flinch. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, he gently approached and whispered these words in their ear—

"My sword will never be drawn against those around me."

Although it's already somewhat against the rules, at least my blade... won't be pointed at you.

No matter when