Challenging Qi Hong? Whenever A Lai saw Qi Hong's mountain-like sturdy body, she couldn't help but flinch. Qi Hong was the bravest warrior in the tribe, second only to the chieftain. He was incredibly fierce, capable of hunting prey alone at sixteen, and several years older than her with a robust build. Just looking at him was enough to make her falter. To ask her to challenge Qi Hong was tantamount to slapping him in the face. If Qi Hong got angry, he would surely beat her to death!
Xiao Man saw A Lai's fear: "If you don't even have the courage to challenge him, then you will never be qualified to stand on this training ground with those boys and receive the same training. You will never become a female warrior." Xiao Man's voice was full of temptation, echoing in the girl's ears, "So, are you still too scared to challenge him?"
"Sister, I dare to, but I'm not his match," A Lai said after a moment of silence, raising her head to look at Xiao Man. "If I go up to challenge him and can't beat him, they still won't let me stand on this training ground, and they'll mock me for overestimating my abilities."
Xiao Man looked at A Lai with admiration. Good, she had ambition and courage, but she was also rational. With careful nurturing, she would surely become a fine young woman in time.
Xiao Man whispered a few words in A Lai's ear: "Go up and challenge Qi Hong, do as I say. If you win, you and the other girls who want to learn combat can stand on the training ground. If you lose, I'll teach you myself."
A Lai's eyes instantly lit up. If there was anyone she most wanted to learn from, it was Xiao Man. Xiao Man could kill the Serpent God, while Qi Hong, facing the Serpent God, had trembled. In her eyes, Xiao Man was the true warrior!
"It's a deal!" A Lai extended her pinky finger. "Pinky promise!"
Xiao Man's smile became even gentler. She hooked her finger with A Lai's: "It's a deal."
A Lai clenched the wooden stick in her hand: "Then I'm going."
"Go."
A Lai rushed onto the training ground, pointing at Qi Hong with great spirit: "Brother Qi, I want to challenge you."
Qi Hong glanced at the girl charging into the arena and impatiently waved his hand: "Go away. Don't cause trouble here. Go home and learn to sew clothes from your mother."
A Lai's face turned red with anger at this remark. She immediately sprinted, nimbly leaping over the people blocking her way and rushing towards Qi Hong. Qi Hong hadn't expected A Lai to charge at him. He didn't take A Lai's attack seriously. Even a full-force blow from a girl couldn't possibly harm him.
As a result, Qi Hong took a solid hit from A Lai's stick, which made him dizzy and almost fall to the ground!
Qi Hong swayed, and before he could fall, he took a step forward, stabilizing himself. He looked at A Lai with hatred.
Qi Hong's fierce gaze made A Lai take a step back, but remembering Xiao Man's instructions, she steadied her mind, gripped the wooden stick, and pointed at Qi Hong: "Looking down on women, and yet I, a weak and incompetent little girl, can hit you. How disgraceful!"
Qi Hong, who was already furious, became even more ferocious after A Lai's words. A Lai's heart pounded wildly. She glanced at Xiao Man, who stood outside the arena with her arms crossed and a smile on her face, and was already weeping internally. It was one thing to have her go onto the field, but why did she have to provoke Brother Qi? Would Brother Qi kill her later?
"A Lai!" Qi Hong gritted out her name, as if he wanted to devour her alive!
A Lai was on the verge of tears, but thinking of the future, she endured it and pointed at Qi Hong: "I challenge you, yet you evade the fight like a coward. Did you pick up your title of warrior from the ground?"
Qi Hong's face contorted, and he desperately wanted to rush forward and tear this ignorant little girl into two. But he restrained himself, snatching a wooden stick from a boy: "You challenge me, do you know the consequences? I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl!"
"Who wants you to go easy? I've come onto the field today to let you know that girls can wield swords and spears just as well as boys. I will defeat you!"
A Lai's resonant declaration drew bursts of laughter from the crowd. Many people teased her: "A Lai, are you going to defeat Qi Hong in childbearing? That's right, Qi Hong can't have children."
"You should just obediently go home, sew clothes, cook, and have children."
A Lai glared angrily at the teasing people, her resolve beginning to waver. She looked at Xiao Man, whose face showed only composure, no mockery, and no sign of playing along. It was as if she firmly believed she could win!
"I will definitely win against you. If I win, from now on, girls in the tribe can also learn martial arts if they wish. Do you dare to agree?"
Qi Hong sneered: "Yes. And if you lose?"
"I will not lose!" A Lai shouted, "I will definitely win against you!"
"Boasting! If you lose, you will become Yin Dong's wife and obediently do the laundry and cooking from now on."
Yin Dong's face turned red upon hearing this: "Qi Hong, what nonsense are you spouting? A Lai, you can do it! Qi Hong, you're not allowed to bully A Lai."
Qi Hong sneered, raised his wooden stick, and pointed at A Lai: "Come on, I'll show you what a true warrior is!"
A Lai gritted her teeth and charged. In terms of strength, she was no match for Qi Hong. Her advantage was her small size and agile movements. As she had said, she didn't need to confront Qi Hong head-on, this brainless brute. She would use her own advantages and only attack Qi Hong's left side!
A Lai firmly remembered every word Xiao Man had spoken and resolutely put them into action. The crowd watched as A Lai, as agile as a monkey, darted around the arena. Even though Qi Hong was formidable, he couldn't catch A Lai. The most skilled catcher is useless if they can't catch their prey!
A Lai's stick accurately struck Qi Hong. It didn't hurt or tickle, and he didn't even feel it. However, Qi Hong became exceptionally enraged. He was a warrior of the Hong Huang tribe; if he couldn't even defeat a little girl, how could he claim to be a warrior in the future? He grew more anxious, and his attacks became more chaotic.
When Shan Da arrived, Qi Hong had already been hit multiple times. A Lai only attacked Qi Hong's left side, hitting the same few spots each time, which were precisely the spots Xiao Man had told her to target. Qi Hong's face was flushed red with frustration. He wished he could grab A Lai and pin her to the ground and rub her relentlessly, but A Lai was too slippery, and he couldn't catch her.
Shan Da looked at Xiao Man standing outside the arena. A Lai was wild, like a boy, but not so wild as to blindly challenge Qi Hong. There must have been a reason for Xiao Man's involvement, but he didn't know what Xiao Man was trying to achieve.