Chapter 45: A Rotten Salted Fish with a Serene Expression

A sudden uproar swept through the arena!

Qian Qi was actually still alive?

The principal widened his eyes in shock, turning his head to look at the senior veterans seated beside him. He noticed that Old Zheng, who possessed a Grade-A healing skill, was sitting as steadily as Mount Tai, stroking his beard with a contemplative expression.

Given Old Zheng’s sensory perception of human injuries, if Qian Qi had suffered severe wounds just moments ago, he surely would have stepped in immediately to save her.

Yet since he remained completely still, it could only mean that Qian Qi was not injured at all!

Just what kind of background did this Qian Qi have?

Why was she always able to create miracles?

Waves of shock churned within the principal's heart. Meanwhile, all the students present, gazing at this miraculous sight, could not help but burst into deafening cheers, offering their highest tribute to this brave soul!

"Qian Qi! Qian Qi! Qian Qi!!!"

"The boss is insanely awesome! You are literally my fucking god!"

"From now on, anyone who doubts Boss Qian Qi's products is going against me! I fucking believe in Boss Qian Qi forever!"

The students' fervor and fearlessness surged in their chests once more, akin to beholding the hope of the future, stirring up fierce and burning passions. And Qian Qi did not disappoint their expectations; under the Iron-Bear Beast’s consecutive furious attacks, she stood unshaken like a wall of steel, her slightly rugged little face radiating boundless confidence.

Only, her posture was perhaps somewhat unsightly.

One moment, Qian Qi was clutched in the Iron-Bear Beast's grasp, kneaded back and forth like a lump of dough; the next, she was slammed violently onto the ground, trampled under its giant, smelly paws; and shortly after, she was subjected to its earthen spikes, battered down one blow after another onto her tiny body.

Yet no matter how powerful the Iron-Bear Beast's onslaught was, Qian Qi lay sprawled on the ground like a dead, rotting salted fish, her hands crossed over her abdomen, her expression utterly serene and untroubled.

At that moment, Qian Qi had only a single thought in her mind.

Once she stepped off the arena, she was definitely going to make Chen Tong reimburse her for her soiled clothes!

"This is simply, too miraculous!" Unaware of what fate awaited him, Chen Tong was already standing before the railing of the spectator stand. He gazed at Qian Qi, who remained completely unscathed under the attacks of a Grade-D contracted beast, his excited eyes brimming with a possessive ambition and greed.

He had to get his hands on Qian Qi's supply channels, no matter what!

He would replace Qian Qi and become the center of everyone's adoration and flattery!

While Chen Tong harbored delusions of taking her place, Chen Miaomiao behind him stood with a pale face, her fists clenched tightly. Listening to the cheers for Qian Qi echoing from all directions, her eyes overflowed with endless jealousy and resentment.

She could not understand why Qian Qi, a person always despised and spurned by everyone, was able to crawl out of the gutters and become a dazzling, revered existence in the eyes of the crowd?

Clearly, Qian Qi had previously been nothing more than a madwoman who frantically vandalized her classmates' magical plant assignments!

On a certain night, Chen Miaomiao had witnessed with her own eyes what Qian Qi looked like when she was destroying those magical plants.

She had acted like a mentally deranged lunatic, her eyes completely bloodshot. With a ferocious and distorted expression, her eyes splitting with rage, she derived a perverse and twisted pleasure from the destruction, indulging her violent impulses and fury amidst the ruins. When that terrifying, malevolent face cracked into a horrifying smile, she would suddenly burst into weeping, wailing like a ghost. The eerie smiles and sorrowful cries intertwined over the mutilated corpses of the ruined magical plants, chilling the hearts of anyone who heard them.

Yet the very next day, she would act like a normal person, as if she had completely forgotten everything she had done. She would grow angry at the "accusations and wrongful blame" from the victimized classmates, clashing with them over and over again, attempting to use that impulsive and violent demeanor to prove her "innocence and outrage."

By what right did such a person deserve to become a miracle in the eyes of the public?

Chen Miaomiao loathed Qian Qi. She detested people like Qian Qi who accomplished nothing, and she hated her even more for that useless yet intense self-esteem.

In a society where Awakeners and the wealthy reigned supreme, and the poor could only kneel and lick the edge of a blade to survive, Qian Qi was the exact opposite of her. Qian Qi was impulsive, pure, and fearless, ready to throw punches when faced with mockery to fiercely defend her remaining dignity, whereas she herself was hypocritical, scheming, and utterly unscrupulous, bowing and scraping with every fake smile when confronted with injustice.

She was even more jealous of Qian Qi—jealous that even as an empty-handed orphan with a mental illness, Qian Qi still had a director who sent living expenses every month and cared for her tenderly.

She could have stood idly by and watched the schizoid Qian Qi plunge into a plight even more miserable and desolate than her own, and perhaps even profited a little from her death. But Chen Tong had ruined it all.

When he first approached her, he had sworn up and down that he would get rid of Qian Qi, but look at him now—he had practically paved the way for Qian Qi’s success with his own hands!

And all her scheming had come to nothing!

Sharp fingernails dug fiercely into the flesh of her palms. Chen Miaomiao bit her lip hard, her resentful jealousy finally transforming into a proud, cold scoff as she turned around and limped away from the beast-taming plaza.

She would never let this rest.

She was determined to live better and longer than Qian Qi.

Following Chen Miaomiao's departure, the ten-minute countdown reached its final seconds.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven—"

The impassioned students hoarsely counted down the duel, looking forward to the victorious Qian Qi producing a defense fruit to tell them that this was the beginning of hope. To tell them that they would not be like Kong Yiji in classical literature—unable to ever take off their scholar's gowns—but rather young warriors willing to don armor for a peaceful and prosperous era, charging to the front lines, shedding blood and sacrificing their lives to steadfastly guard the future of human continuation.

The youths were immersed in this seemingly infallible duel. Yet, as the final second ticked down, the Iron-Bear Beast—which should have ceased the match under its beast tamer's control—continued to raise its massive fist and slammed it heavily toward Qian Qi's head!

Everyone witnessing this scene gasped sharply, shouting out in cracked voices for her to be careful. Chen Tong violently gripped the railing and blurted out right along with the crowd, ordering the beast tamer he had arranged to eliminate Qian Qi to halt his attack.

Damn it all to hell, he had forgotten to formulate Plan B!

Qian Qi couldn't die right now; he hadn't obtained her optical brain yet!

With her back to the crowd, Qian Qi raised her head to look at the descending giant iron fist, a bizarre curve slowly blooming at the corners of her lips.

She had known all along that Chen Tong would pull dirty tricks during the duel and seize the opportunity to finish her off.

However, how could she possibly come unprepared?

The defense fruit hidden beneath her tongue shifted slightly, though she did not swallow it. Her two small hands, dangling at her sides, clenched into fists, eagerly bracing themselves against the Iron-Bear Beast's giant fist.

Though she didn't want to expose her trump card just yet, to save money, she would test whether Grade D-minus physical strength could withstand this blow!

Besides, she could always lie later and claim she had eaten a second defense fruit!

Yet, in the eyes of the onlookers, this looked like Qian Qi's final struggle before her inevitable death. Raising her frail, slender arm to meet the Iron-Bear Beast's exceptionally thick beastly limb was no different from a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Some students had already closed their eyes in unbearable sympathy.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through the principal's mind in a single second. A Grade-D beast tamer had a boundless future, and injuring a contracted beast to save an ordinary person would undoubtedly offend the Beast-Taming Department academy, but Qian Qi's magical potions and defense fruits were of extraordinary importance; he had to ensure her safety as well.

Yet amidst that single second of hesitation, the silver-haired youth beside him flashed forward. The moment a profound glint flickered in his deep eyes, the Iron-Bear Beast, which had been in the middle of an attack, suddenly behaved as if it had been severely stimulated, clutching its head and howling in agonizing pain.

Seeing this, Qian Qi instantly relaxed her clenched fist into an open palm, slapping it with a crisp *smack* against the beast's plump, round bear butt. Observing the rebounding vibration, she couldn't help but wickedly smile, "Damn, that's pretty bouncy~"

The crowd: "......"

Damn, the boss is so perverted.

The north gate of the plaza was rolled up, and Grandpa Li rang his electric bell to urge the beast tamer to leave the arena. Regaining his composure, the senior student from the Beast-Taming Department hurriedly controlled his contracted beast and retreated from the field.

Regardless of whether the mission succeeded or not, he had helped out with this favor anyway, and he no longer owed Chen Tong anything.

Brushing the dust off her clothes, Qian Qi returned to the spectator stand amidst a wave of cheers and retrieved a small iron box from Su Xingle's arms.

Along the way, she didn't forget to spit out the defense fruit from her mouth, wipe it clean, and stuff it back into her pocket.

Whenever money could be saved, she would save it—a single defense fruit was worth tens of thousands!

Having finished these tasks, she picked up the microphone on the ground, blew off the non-existent dust, cleared her throat, and prepared to speak.

The crowd quieted down instantly.

They focused their full attention, waiting with high expectations to listen to Qian Qi's passionate speech.

She was definitely going to deliver a blood-pumping oration to persuade them to buy defense fruits, right?

Bring it on! They were already prepared!

Qian Qi: A woman protected by the villain.

————

Quan Quanzi: A woman for whom esteemed reader lords are willing to cast monthly votes.