Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 157: A Beautiful Mistake

“Challenge me? You… you must be joking! I don’t even know you!” Ouyang Ziyi widened her eyes in disbelief.
“That’s right, it’s you!” Bogulei stared at her intently.
“Why?” Ouyang Ziyi asked as if feigning ignorance. Even Chu Tianyu and Li Rou beside her found it hard to watch. They thought to themselves, “Does it really need asking? You stole someone’s lover—who else would they duel but you?”
“Sofia…” Bogulei endured for a long time before finally speaking solemnly, word by word.
But before Ouyang Ziyi could explain, Bogulei continued with a gloomy expression, “Sofia has always been my beloved, but she says she fell madly in love with you after just a few meetings. I… I have nothing to say. But I heard you’re a master of sacred power. If you’re a man, accept my challenge and prove you’re worthy of Sofia!”
Facing Bogulei’s final provocation, Chu Tianyu and Li Rou both thought, “She really isn’t a man!”
Ouyang Ziyi looked utterly embarrassed and turned her gaze toward Chu Tianyu and the others.
“Rourou, is this some ancient duel ritual among European nobles?” Chu Tianyu teased, winking at Li Rou.
Li Rou tried hard to hold back her laughter. It was such a relaxed morning, yet here came such an odd situation. Judging from Chu Tianyu’s hint, he seemed to want to play a joke, so she replied, “I don’t know. But in books, there are many types of duel rituals—some for honor, some for lovers, and even some for a glass of wine. Usually, they throw gloves or something. I’ve never heard of throwing broken pieces of cloth like this. But it’s all from books; it can’t be taken seriously…”
“Oh, but I guess this might be more humiliating. You see…” Chu Tianyu deliberately ignored Ouyang Ziyi’s murderous gaze and seriously discussed it with Li Rou.
While these two book-loving troublemakers were putting on an act, Sofia actually walked over slowly, arm in arm with her father, Duke Orsini. Yet, with calm expressions, they showed no intention of interfering with Bogulei’s actions. On the contrary, though Sofia had no expression on her face, her eyes shone as she encouragedly looked at Ouyang Ziyi, showing full trust in “his” strength…

Ouyang Ziyi was filled with regret now. It wasn’t the duel itself that scared her; clearly, she had no way to defend herself in this situation! She couldn’t help but curse Chu Tianye in her heart several times more. This guy had found an opportunity to vent his anger, and seeing his smug expression only made her angrier!

With that in mind, Ouyang Ziyi decided to go all in. Anyway, it was only a matter of time before everything was clarified. Judging from Sophia’s appearance, her injuries had mostly healed, so she probably wouldn’t get so angry as to spit blood or suffer any serious consequences!

So, facing Bogulei’s final challenge, she stood up and said, “I can’t accept your challenge because I’m not a man!”

At these words, aside from Chu Tianye and Li Rou, who weren’t surprised at all, everyone else was stunned. Their expressions varied, though.

Bogulei was first shocked, then filled with disdain, followed by shame. He found it unbelievable that Ouyang Ziyi would say such things, and even more shameful that she would challenge such an opponent with a fighting spirit meant for a life-or-death battle.

Duke Orsini was also stunned, then showed deep confusion. He then studied Ouyang Ziyi carefully and soon seemed to understand…

As for Sophia, her emotions and expressions were the most complex and changed the fastest. She hardly dared to think about her own ears. How could her lover, who seemed so majestic like a war god in her eyes, say such cowardly words?

But then, as if she had thought of something, she found an excuse for Ouyang Ziyi: his reserved and profound Eastern temperament. From what she knew, their weapons only needed to be bloodstained when facing a real enemy, unlike Europeans, who were so eager for such pointless challenges!

Thinking of this, and seeing the faint pride in Ouyang Ziyi’s lips despite her words of compromise, it was clear that he disdained this duel. Remembering his heroic and domineering behavior a few days ago, she became even more convinced of her thoughts. Thus, Ouyang Ziyi’s cowardly words became another charm that captivated Sophia even more.

If only Sophia had known that the charming pride in Ouyang Ziyi’s smile was merely her frustration at Chu Tianye’s indifference, who knows what she would have thought…

Seeing Ouyang Ziyi’s expression, Bogulei wasn’t a fool either; he seemed to realize what was happening, his face changing as he flew into a rage. “You—are you mocking me? I challenged you in the most sacred manner. You can refuse or admit defeat, but you absolutely cannot desecrate and insult me like this! In the name of myself, Bogulei Solang, I challenge you once again…” As he spoke, a strong aura of sanctity and fighting spirit emanated from him, making him look like a lion ready to pounce at any moment.

The situation suddenly became tense. Before Sophia could intervene, Chu Tianyu gently pulled Ouyang Ziyi aside and held her in his arms, saying calmly in English, “Mr. Bogulei Solang, although I don’t know what you said, I think out of courtesy, you shouldn’t get angry at my fiancée, a lady!”

It turned out that Chu Tianyu, seeing that a misunderstanding was about to arise, quickly dropped his teasing attitude and intervened to protect Ouyang Ziyi in the most direct way possible.

Ouyang Ziyi gave Chu Tianyu a playful glance, repeated Bogulei’s words, then leaned against him and pinched the softest part of his body…

Faced with such a “beautiful” misunderstanding, Bogulei and Sophia were completely stunned, while Duke Orsini showed a look of confirmation.

“That’s impossible!” Sophia kept repeating in her mind, telling herself it must be an illusion or she must have heard wrong!

“What are you joking about? Disturbing such a formal challenge is also an insult to me!” Bogulei, having regained his composure, refused to let go.

“Mr. Bogulei Solang, you keep emphasizing your so-called sacred challenge, but in our eyes, it’s just your personal act. There’s no need for us to pay any attention to it, so your accusations are utterly ridiculous!” Chu Tianyu said bluntly to Bogulei’s unreasonable behavior.

Hearing this, Bogulei, who was already extremely annoyed, became even more hostile. His face turned red as he replied in English, “Very well. If she’s not a man, then what are you? If so, fight me! Let me see what a ‘ridiculous challenge’ is, and what kind of skills these arrogant Orientals have to speak like this!”

Chu Tianyu released Ouyang Ziyi and stepped forward gently, saying calmly, “Mr. Bogule, if we must fight, let me remind you to stay focused and calm. With your impetuous attitude, even if I win, it wouldn’t be a just victory!” With that, he took another step forward, stood sideways, and waited for Bogule. Chu Tianyu’s mention of staying focused and calm was beyond Bogule’s understanding, but he grasped the meaning. His eyes stared intently at Chu Tianyu like those of a predator, as he slowly regulated his breathing, ready to embarrass his opponent with a single strike…

With a roar, Bogule threw a punch at Chu Tianyu’s calm demeanor and seemingly unguarded stance. The intense wind caused Chu Tianyu’s clothes to flutter violently. This time, Chu Tianyu didn’t release any energy. Instead, as Bogule’s fist approached, he raised his left palm upward and countered with his right palm, forming a circle centered on his body. His upward-left palm intercepted Bogule’s fist, and as the circle rotated, his body spun 180 degrees, causing Bogule’s fist to pass by his side, leaving him stumbling as if struck by an invisible force.

Bogule, being resourceful, used his forward momentum from being pushed aside and bent his left elbow into a hook, channeling all his sacred energy into this strike in response to Chu Tianyu’s strange defense.

But Chu Tianyu seemed to have anticipated this move or been waiting for it. With his body moving in sync with the palms forming a circle behind him, his right shoulder dropped just in time to avoid Bogule’s elbow. As he rotated, he used the momentum to push Bogule forward, suddenly unleashing all his energy in a sidestrike that sent Bogule’s tall, strong body flying away instantly.

To outsiders, it seemed as though Chu Tianyu had simply drawn a circle with his hands and spun, sending Bogule flying with a single punch—utterly incredible!

As for Bogule, who was sent flying, it was even more astonishing. How could he have been thrown away so easily? The shame of failure weighed heavily on him, but the pain spreading through his body was even more unbearable. This pain resulted from two forces exerted simultaneously from Chu Tianyu’s front and side, creating a spiraling, crushing force that felt like needles piercing his heart…

With a thud, Bogule landed and tried to get up relying on his extraordinary willpower, but after several attempts, dizziness overcame him, leaving him completely unable to control himself.
“What, what kind of technique is this?” Bogule shook his head heavily. Though his body was out of control, his mind remained clear as he asked.
“China… Tai Chi…” Chutianyu replied slowly.