The morning sun is cold and cold.

The courtyard was so silent that only the sound of the wind blowing through the grass tips could be heard, and the disciples of the Songbai Daoist Hall opened their eyes wide and flashed with disbelief in their breath.

Slowly-

Baicao looked up.

There seemed to be a murmur buzzing in her ears, and she couldn't hear it clearly, but she felt that Ruobai's voice was as cold as a wisp of morning light swirling in the courtyard.

“…… It was decided that Xiuqin would represent the Songbai Gym in the competition. ”

"Great!!"

"Wow!"

"Senior Sister Xiuqin! Sister Xiuqin!! ”

The cheers made the whole courtyard boil in an instant! Xiuqin stood dumbfounded, as if trying to determine if Ruobai's announcement was her auditory hallucination, while the other disciples were already rushing towards her excitedly, screaming loudly and cheering at her!

“…… Why ......"

Xiuda even cried with joy, rushed over tightly and hugged Xiuqin, and then more and more disciples hugged him tightly and cheered, as if he had won a great victory, as if he was celebrating the triumphant return hero!

That's great!

It's Sister Xiuqin!

Finally Sister Xiuqin!

"Why?"

Pushed aside by the excited crowd, the dry and hoarse voice was the only noise in the boiling cheering excitement. Clenching her hands tightly, she couldn't see the cheering crowd, she couldn't hear the cheering shouts, only the anger in her chest swept up, burning all her calmness and sanity!

"Why!"

"Yesterday it was clear that I won! Why don't you let me race! ”

"If it was decided before the competition that the candidates must be selected from the seniors of Chuwei and Xiuqin, why should there be a selection competition in the hall in which everyone participates! Didn't you say that the winner of the selection competition will represent the Songbai Gym? Yesterday it was clear that I won! Isn't it me who you personally declared the winner? ”

Such an angry voice!

The cheering disciples of the Songbai Daoist Hall looked at Baicao with a flushed face in shock, as if they were looking at a monster that should not have appeared here, surprised why this person hadn't disappeared yet, surprised why this person not only didn't disappear but also dared to question Senior Brother Ruobai with confidence!

"What are you shouting!"

Letting go of the arms that hugged his sister, Xiuda saw Baicao staring at Senior Brother Ruobai angrily, and the anger in his heart suddenly came out! He walked out of the crowd and shouted to her:

"What's obviously you! As long as you have eyes, you can see that your strength is more than one cut worse than my sister! If it weren't for you sneaking up on my sister, how could my sister have lost! If it weren't for your sneak attack, the winner would definitely be my sister! Winning by such disgraceful means, you still want to represent the Songbai Gym in the competition?! ”

"I didn't sneak attack." She said stiffly.

"You sneak attacked!"

Xiuda shouted angrily, she had never seen such a shameless person, obviously everyone saw that she was a sneak attack, how could she refuse to admit it!

"I said, I didn't sneak attack!"

Her fingertips pinched her palms to the point of bleeding!

Baicao closed his eyes.

Her chest rose and fell a few times, and when she opened her eyes again, she stared straight at Ruobai who was two meters away, and said stiffly:

"I didn't sneak attack Xiuqin's seniors. At that time, my body was so depleted that my vision was blurry, I couldn't see anything clearly, I didn't know that she was distracted, I just attacked on instinct. ”

Ruobai looked at her lightly, and there was no expression on her face.

"And, at that time, you had already shouted the command to continue playing, and even if I could see her distracted, I would have attacked! A game is a game, and the distraction was her mistake, not mine. If you disqualify me from the Gym Challenge because of this decision, I'm not convinced! Taking a deep breath, the burning astringency in her chest could not be relieved in the slightest!

"You've attacked! You've sneaked up! You're a sneak attack! "You still have such a shameless defense! Xiuda shouted repeatedly, so angry that she couldn't wait to rush over and beat her!

"I said, I didn't!"

The fire burning in her chest was completely enraged by Xiuda's loud shout, she turned her head sharply, glared at Xiuqin, who was standing surrounded by disciples with a blank face, and asked her angrily:

"Why didn't you say a word, do you think I sneaked up on it?"

Xiuqin didn't seem to expect her to question her so directly, opened her mouth, and pursed her lips with a cold snort.

"I don't know what you were like, but they all said you were distracted! Why should you be distracted, when the game is still going on, why should you be distracted? Do you look down on me and think that I must lose, so even if you are distracted, even if you don't look at me, it won't affect your victory, right? The order to continue the game has been issued, so even if you take 10,000 steps back, even if I just sneak attack you, what do you have to say if you lose to me! ”

The disciples of the Songbai Dojo Hall were all dumbfounded when they heard this.

Oh, my God.

Isn't this Baicao usually a particularly silent girl? Every day, I saw her washing clothes, sweeping the floor, wiping the mats, and even squatting on the path to carefully wipe every pebble, and I thought she was a very patient and docile person.

Actually.

It's so terrible to be angry.

"Are you finished?"

Ruobai looked at Baicao calmly, as if her anger had no effect on him at all. After waiting for a few seconds, seeing that her body was stiff and did not continue to speak, he said lightly:

"No matter what Xiuqin lost to you yesterday, your victory is undoubted. However, on behalf of the Songbai Dojo to participate in the Dojo Challenge, Xiuqin is more suitable than you. ”

"Why?" Baicao stared straight at him, she needed a reason, not such a fluttering sentence, "Why do you think she is more suitable than me?" If you just think it's okay, why do you have an in-hall selection tournament where everyone participates! Didn't you say that the winner of the selection competition will represent the Songbai Gym? ”

Ruobai's eyes are indifferent.

"Because after a few games yesterday, your style of play was stiff and single. In the Gym Challenge, brute force alone will only lead to a complete defeat. ”

Baicao froze.

Relying only on brute force, the style of play is stiff and single...... Yes, she also realized that it was her fatal flaw...... But......

After a while, her voice was astringent in her throat, and she said with difficulty:

"However, I just lack some experience in the game, I will improve! Yesterday was just my first official competition, and with two weeks to go, I have room to improve! Although Xiuqin's seniors may be stronger than me now, I will practice hard, and in two weeks' time, I may ...... Maybe ......"

No, she didn't want to give up this rare opportunity, she wanted Master to be able to sit in the audience and see her standing in the official arena in her Taoist uniform!

Ruobai looked at her expressionlessly.

However, he didn't want to put this year's competition at the Songbai Gym on her efforts that were completely uncertain, and Xiuqin was a much more secure choice than her.

Her face grew pale.

The coldness and desperation made her heart fall little by little, and she could read his expression. Maybe he was right, she was too selfish, the Daoist Challenge was a holy war in every disciple's mind, how could it be handed over to an inexperienced person like her?

It was only the last touch of reluctance that made her struggle and said loudly:

"However, even with my style of play, I have defeated Xiuqin's seniors!"

"Well, she looks like a very confident girl." A soft voice came from behind Baicao, and then the man stood beside her, as if he had been listening for a long time, and said to her with a smile, "I like confident people, but you know what, there is a difference between self-confidence and conceit. ”

Baicao looked at her in a daze.

"You don't quite understand why Wakahaku made this decision, do you? It's better for you to fight with me, maybe you can experience Ruobai's hard work. ”

Tingyi's smile is gentle and beautiful.

However, in the early morning sun, the smile had a downward pity.

The practice hall was full of disciples from the Songbai Daoist Hall, Ruobai sat cross-legged in the front row, and Yifeng and Xiuqin sat on either side of him.

Tingyi changed into her uniform.

Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail, and under the background of the snow-white uniform, she was a little more beautiful and handsome, and the Baicao standing opposite her became more and more green and slender like a little girl.

This battle.

Baicao will never forget.

For the then fourteen-year-old, it was a duel that almost completely destroyed her confidence, and it was even the most humiliating battle of her life. So much so that many years later, she would occasionally dream of the battle with Tingyi.

But she never dreamed of the details.

Because of her at that time, she couldn't even see how Tingyi came out of her legs.

"Smack!"

A counter-attacking kick hit her left side like thunder!

"Smack!"

A forward kick knocked her down on the mat!

"Smack!"

A side kick knocks her over!

"Smack!"

A backkick kicks her out of the pad!

"Smack! Syllable! ”

Two double kicks exploded in her abdomen and chest, and when she fell on the mat, the blood in her chest surged her throat, and her body hurt as if she could no longer get up......

"Smack!"

She was kicked and knocked to the ground, the roar in her ears making it impossible for her to hear the disciples around the mat talking to each other.

"Smack!"

Another kick in the face, the bridge of her nose seemed to burst open, the hot viscous liquid flowed down, she struggled to get up, but there was a burst of red and black in front of her, as if the whole world was spinning wildly......

As if someone rushed over and desperately called her, trying to help her up from the mat, Baicao closed her eyes and gasped for a long time before she could barely see clearly that the anxiously worried face in front of her belonged to Xiaoying. As if in a slow-motion movie, her mind went blank and struggled to stand up, Xiaoying held her body, and the other pair also reached out to gently remove the protective gear from her head, and gently wiped the blood stains on her face with a wet towel.

Those hands belong to Tingyi.

Her smile was as gentle as moonlight, and her fingers were white and soft, but they seemed to have a cold touch.

"If you participate in the Gym Challenge, your opponent won't be as merciful as I am. If Bai doesn't let you participate, he is also protecting you. ”

Are you protecting her......

Her body seemed to be numb from the pain, and she stiffened back into the line, her heart seemed to be numb and unconscious. She vaguely heard Ruobai announce that because Chu Wei withdrew from the practice, Yifeng and Xiuqin would practice in the same group in the future, and she and Xiaoying would partner again......

It seems that there is a noise around it......

It seems that there are countless glances of disdain or mockery or pity around him......

******

After the morning exercise, the Songbai Gym was much more lively and relaxed than usual. The selection competition in the hall is over, and the long-awaited Senior Brother Ruobai, Senior Brother Yifeng and Senior Sister Xiuqin are selected to participate in the Gym Challenge, which will officially kick off next month, and the other disciples only need to carry out regular practice in the following days, and focus more on how to better create a better pre-competition environment for the three senior brothers and sisters, and help them cheer them up!

Today is Sunday, so I don't have to go to school, so I can hear the happy voices of my disciples everywhere. They can finally take a good rest, and it is really hard and intense to prepare for the selection competition in the hall during this time.

in the room in the backyard.

The sweat-soaked gown stuck to Baicao's body wet and cold, and there was a dull pain in her heart, and she stared blankly at the sunlight shining in through the window. In the intense light, the swirling dust seemed to be golden, dazzlingly bright, so bright that her eyes were dizzy and stinging.

Suddenly I didn't know what to do.

Ever since her master took her to the Songbai Gym, she has been practicing hard every day in the morning and working hard to get the qualification to compete in the Gym Challenge, which is the focus of her life.

And now......

Curled up tightly, she closed her eyes, and the images of being kicked down on the mat again and again seemed to refuse to let her go, bursting in her mind like countless whirling fragments!

She's so self-conscious.

She thought that what the master said was true, and the master said that she had the talent to practice taekwondo, and as long as she worked hard and persevered, she would one day become a great taekwondo player! Therefore, she couldn't bear to be taken away from the victory she had worked so hard to get, so she fought desperately for herself in front of Ruobai in front of all the disciples of the Songbai Dojo, she thought that she might really be able to!

However, like a vulnerable doll, she was easily kicked down again and again by Tingyi, and she couldn't even see her legs, and she couldn't even launch a decent counterattack! Falling heavily on the mat again and again, there was utter darkness and despair in front of me, struggling to get up each time, and kicking harder each time......

"Brush-!"

The door slammed open, and anxious footsteps rushed in, and she hugged herself and shrunk into the corner. Don't, she doesn't want to be seen by anyone! Restraining her trembling back, she curled herself up tightly!

"Baicao, what's wrong with you, your body hurts, right?" Xiao Ying walked over worriedly, and when she saw the hundred grasses shrunk into a ball in front of her, she felt uncomfortable to death, and said repeatedly, "Don't be afraid, it won't hurt soon, I'll take Senior Brother Hatsuhara to see your injury!" ”

Hatsuhara......

No, she didn't want to be seen by him, her face was covered with traces of defeat from being kicked by Tingyi! Standing with him like a golden boy and a girl...... Tingyi, who looked up and smiled at him...... Gentle and beautiful Tingyi...... She couldn't see Tingyi's legs clearly, and her attack couldn't even reach the corners of Tingyi's clothes......

"Baicao, you raise your face and let Senior Brother Chu Yuan take a look, if you don't want to go to Senior Brother Chu Yuan to see the injury, let Senior Brother Chu Yuan come to see you, isn't that okay?" Xiao Ying begged, struggling to pull her shoulders, "Tingyi kicked you so hard, you must have been injured, right?" Please, let Senior Brother Chu Yuan take a look, if you are injured, you must treat it as soon as possible, otherwise what will you do if you are injured! ”

“…… I'm fine. ”

With a hoarse and dry pain in her throat, she curled up tightly, desperately resisting Xiaoying's hands that tried to pull her shoulders up! No, she doesn't want to be seen by him! She doesn't want Tingyi to be beautiful like a fairy, and she is just a kitten and a puppy who is sympathized......

"Baicao!" Xiaoying was about to die, and seeing that she couldn't pull up Baicao's body, she simply used both hands and tried to pull her desperately! "You have to show Senior Brother Hatsuhara! Did you hear that? Why are you so stubborn! ”

Hatsuhara stopped Xiaoying, who was in a hurry.

Staring at Baicao, who had always been curled up in a ball, he shook his head and said to Xiaoying, "Forget it, don't disturb her, maybe she wants to be quiet by herself for a while." ”

"But her hurt ......"

"Tingyi's legs are generally measured, so as not to hurt people too much." Handing a bottle of medicinal oil to Xiaoying, who was still uneasy, Hatsuhara looked at the girl who buried her head like an ostrich and said, "When she is better, you can help her wipe the medicinal oil on the bruised ground." If you notice anything else unwell in her body, feel free to come to me. ”

“…… Oh. ”

The door was gently shut, and Momokusa closed her eyes and listened numbly to the footsteps that faded away from the door, and the footsteps faded away until there was no more sound.

"Herb ......"

Xiaoying stood beside her at a loss, and she didn't know how to comfort her. She knew that Baicao cared very much about the Gym Challenge, but she had to watch the qualifications she had already received were taken away, and she lost to Tingyi in front of everyone like that. If it were her, she would be more sad than Baicao.

From childhood to adulthood, Tingyi was worshiped by her like an idol, but why did Tingyi let Baicao lose so miserably today? As long as you let Baicao know that there is a gap between his strength and the master, why do you have to kick Baicao mercilessly again and again, that kind of kicking will make the opponent's self-esteem and confidence be crushed!

The sun rose in the middle of the window.

Xiaoying put the rice and vegetables on the table, and saw that Baicao beside her had slowly raised her head from between her knees, and sat in the corner, staring out the window with a pair of blank eyes.

"Baicao, can you eat some food?"

Xiaoying took some vegetables and put them on the rice, stuffed them into her hand, and saw that she was still looking at the window motionlessly, she was a little anxious, and blurted out:

"Is it because you didn't participate in the Gym Challenge, just because you were defeated by Tingyi, that your reaction is so fierce? Who hasn't lost, didn't I also lose to Senior Sister Xiuqin yesterday? If everyone loses, they will be slumped, then Senior Sister Xiuqin was defeated by you yesterday, what should she do? ”

The body stiffened.

Baicao's gaze slowly withdrew from the window.

"Well, you ignore me, I don't know what I'm talking nonsense...... I understand you're sad...... I'm sad to see you...... sad too," Xiaoying sighed, scratching her hair in frustration, "...... It's just that things have passed...... Senior Brother Ruobai announced that Senior Sister Xiuqin would be allowed to participate in the competition, but he would not let you ...... Maybe there are also considerations for him...... I know you'd love to participate...... But...... But ......"

I don't know what to say anymore.

She can understand Baicao's mood, she can understand Xiuqin's mood, and she can also understand Ruobai's consideration of finally choosing to let Xiuqin play, but, alas, in the end, Baicao was wronged. So it's normal for Baicao to be the most upset.

“…… I'm sorry. ”

Suddenly she heard a dry and hoarse voice in her ears, and Xiaoying's eyes widened violently, unable to believe her ears. She stared at Baicao in a daze for a few seconds before she let herself laugh with relief and said:

"Great! You're finally willing to talk to me! I know that Baicao is the strongest, and this blow will definitely be able to survive for you! That...... Would you like to have some food? There is sea bass today, my mother steamed it for you! Try it and see if you like it! ”

“…… Good. ”

Lowering his head, Baicao began to eat in silence.

One bite at a time.

Until you have eaten all the contents of the bowl.

"Hehe, it's really delicious! Next time, let my mother cook more fish to eat! Xiaoying also finished eating in a big gulp, although she seemed to be a little indigestible in her stomach under the depressing atmosphere today, but Baicao was finally slowly recovering, and she was also relieved.

Seeing Baicao silently packing up the dishes and chopsticks as usual and preparing to take them out for cleaning, Xiaoying hurriedly grabbed it and said, "I'll come!" I got it! Take a break and take a nap! …… Oh, I said I came and I came! Don't rob me, I'll be angry! ”

When Xiaoying came back from brushing the dishes and chopsticks, she found that the grass was gone, and the room was empty and unusually silent. Where did she go? Will something happen? Xiaoying was so anxious that she rushed out as soon as her head was covered, and when she reached the outside of the house, the noon sun was so strong that there was no one in the yard.

…… Never mind.

Maybe it's like Senior Brother Hatsuhara said, maybe Baicao just wants to be quiet.

Xiaoying stood blankly in the courtyard.

As long as you give Baicao a while, and when she calms down, she will slowly figure it out. Maybe in just a few hours, the herbs will be back.

But until the evening assembly practice began, Baicao did not return. Ruobai stood in front of the team, looked at the position where Baicao should have been standing in the team, and asked indifferently:

"Why didn't Baicao come?"

“…… She's sick! Xiaoying immediately shouted nervously, thinking about it and feeling inappropriate, she said embarrassedly, "...... She...... Her injuries were severe...... Originally, she insisted on coming...... I had to let her rest in the house......"

Ruobai looked at Xiao Ying coldly for a few seconds, and saw that her palms were sweating, so he snorted, withdrew his gaze, and ordered the disciples to train in groups.

"Whew-"

Xiaoying breathed a sigh of relief in shock.