Chapter 360: The Petty One
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Hurry, hurry! Place your bets!”
“No more bets once you’ve placed them!”
“Direct lineage, Lou Yun Zheng! Collateral lineage, Lou Xu Yan! The grand competition of thirty years! The battle for the family head!”
The outer courtyard of the Lou family was bustling with people, their faces flushed with excitement as they eagerly placed their wagers.
“Sister Tang, who are you betting on?” Five-year-old Lou Yue Ming leaned in, whispering.
“Lou Yun Zheng is her father. Of course, she’s betting on her own family! Are you stupid?” Another youth, Lou Xiao Fan, rolled his eyes.
“Little Sister Tang, you’ll be disappointed this time. The family head position belongs to my father!” Lou Xiao Fan’s eyes shone with pride.
Lou Jin Tang’s little face was full of frustration.
Lu Chao Chao took her money pouch and pushed it forward.
“Bet on the direct lineage.”
The bookmaker was stunned before calling out, “One vote for Lou Yun Zheng of the direct lineage!”
Lu Chao Chao raised her hand, “No, bet on Lou Jin Tang!”
Silence fell over the crowd.
A moment later, the entire courtyard erupted into laughter, with some people laughing so hard that tears streamed down their faces.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Are you trying to kill me with laughter?”
“Who did she bet on? On Lou Jin Tang, who isn’t even seven yet?” People pounded on the tables, laughing until they could barely stand.
“I remember Jin Tang hasn’t even started learning swordsmanship yet, right? She doesn’t even have her own sword!” The bookmaker rubbed his forehead, looking helpless.
“Princess, this is a wager on the family head! It’s not a children’s game…”
Lou Jin Tang’s face turned bright red with embarrassment as she tried to drag Chao Chao away. “Sister Zhao Yang, don’t mess around. Bet… bet on my father instead.”
“I haven’t even learned swordsmanship.”
“Didn’t I teach you?” Lu Chao Chao puffed her cheeks.
The crowd found this even funnier, with one even placing a sword next to Lu Chao Chao. “You’re not even taller than my sword!”
“You understand swordsmanship?”
No one mocked her; they just found it amusing.
Lu Chao Chao placed her hands on her hips. “Do you believe I can teach her for three days, and she’ll defeat all of you?”
Lou Xiao Fan and Lou Yue Ming were utterly shocked.
This little girl was completely out of her mind!
“What a crazy girl.” Lou Xiao Fan muttered under his breath.
“Alright, alright! I’ll bet against you! Forget about her defeating a group; if she wins against even one person, we’ll call you our ancestor!”
The crowd found it hilarious and went along with the joke.
Lou Jin Tang’s face was now the color of a ripe apple. “Chao Chao, I can’t do it.”
“Grandfather only let me participate to gain experience. How could I possibly win?” Lou Jin Tang was nearly in tears. [I just came to learn!]
“Look at Little Sister Jin Tang; she’s about to cry.”
“Hahahaha…”
“Little Princess, if you lose, don’t cry! Otherwise, people will say we bullied you…” The crowd kept teasing, making the atmosphere lively.
Lu Chao Chao snorted, grabbed Lou Jin Tang, and walked away without another word.
When news of this reached the elders of the Lou family, General Lou did not mock her but simply laughed. “A soldier who doesn’t aspire to be a general is not a good soldier. Though Tang’er is young, her determination is commendable.”
No one took this little incident seriously.
“This grand competition is to select the next family head.”
“Everyone here is a child of the Lou family. No deliberate harm is allowed.”
“Harmony above all.”
At these words, the entire Lou family stood up and clasped their fists. “Yes!”
After the meeting, Lou Yun Zheng and Lou Xu Yan remained.
Lou Xu Yan was a few years younger than Lou Yun Zheng, his face filled with youthful ambition.
Lou Yun Zheng, in contrast, carried a calm and righteous aura.
“No matter which of you becomes the family head, never forget that you are always part of the Lou family!”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“I am old now and can no longer lead the Lou family to its peak.”
“The future of the Lou family rests on your shoulders.”
“Whoever wins the competition must support the Lou family with all their strength!”
General Lou’s greatest concern was that this competition might weaken the family’s power.
Fortunately, the Lou family remained united despite minor conflicts.
Once the two left, General Lou let out a long sigh.
Meanwhile, Lou Jin Tang was learning Lu Chao Chao’s second sword move.
“Sister Zhao Yang, how many moves are there in this sword technique?”
“Nine moves in total.” The final move was All Swords Return to One.
Lou Jin Tang took half an hour to memorize the technique.
“Hiss…” Xie Yu Zhou stood in front of her, watching as a branch swung toward him. Suddenly, he felt a stinging pain on the back of his hand.
He looked down…
A thin line of blood had appeared on the back of his hand.
A drop of blood slid down the cut.
“Strange, when did I get hurt?” He seemed to recall a gust of wind, but it felt like an illusion.
He wiped the blood away with a handkerchief, paying it no mind.
Lu Chao Chao glanced at it indifferently, her eyes calm. Sword Qi?
[Probably.]
Xing Hui took three days to master Sword Qi. Jin Tang did it in two. Not bad.
Lu Chao Chao even yawned.
They trained until exhaustion. After a simple wash, Lou Jin Tang took the group out in the evening.
Lou Jin Tang led them through the Southern Capital, feasting along the way. On both sides of the street, fortune tellers lined up with their stalls.
“This is a specialty of the Southern Capital.”
“The people here highly revere the gods, which keeps the fortune tellers and temples thriving.”
“Are their predictions accurate?” Xie Yu Zhou leaned on the window, curious.
“You can try. How could you visit the Southern Capital and not have your fortune told?” Lou Jin Tang covered her mouth, giggling, her arms sore from practice.
They were children, so they went for it.
“Let’s go there.” Lu Chao Chao pointed at a quiet stall in a corner.
“Trust me. That one.”
Most fortune tellers looked wise and mystical, but this one seemed like a scammer.
However, Lu Chao Chao saw the aura above his head and knew he was the real deal.
“Write down your birth characters,” the old man said.
The three of them wrote them down in turn.
The old man picked up Lou Jin Tang’s first. His brows lifted slightly, his gaze surprised. “A fateful encounter with a benefactor. Little girl, you have great fortune ahead. You…” He shook the paper. “You will become the hope of your entire clan.”
Lou Jin Tang’s eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.
Next, he picked up Xie Yu Zhou’s. “Ordinary fate.”
Xie Yu Zhou’s face darkened.
“But you carry luck with you. You will turn calamities into blessings, avert disasters, and rise from misfortune…”
The old man was amazed. He had just set up his stall randomly today but encountered three extraordinary fates.
Finally, he examined Lu Chao Chao’s.
Even stranger.
“Born with a premature death fate. How are you still alive?” He couldn’t discern her destiny.
“I can’t see your fate, but I can read faces. May I study your features?” he asked.
Lu Chao Chao didn’t care. “Go ahead.”
After a long look, he finally spoke, “You are petty.”
Lu Chao Chao immediately jumped up. “Pah! Who’s petty?!” Her almond eyes widened in fury.
“Hmph! Nonsense! Let’s go!” She dragged them away, grumbling, “Don’t believe him. Totally inaccurate!”
At dinner, she suddenly muttered, “Do you think he was crazy? When have I ever been petty?”
Xie Yu Zhou and Lou Jin Tang exchanged glances…
They dared not speak.
That night, as silence blanketed the city, Lu Chao Chao shot up from bed, hands on her hips, yelling,
“Old man! Explain yourself! Who is petty?!”
She was not!
Even the little tuft of hair on her head stood up in indignation!