Xiao Ze Quan Ye had never encountered a woman as difficult as Peng Ying. He was in so much pain that he was crying and wailing, but he still had some backbone. Despite the agony, he refused to beg Peng Ying for mercy.
Absolutely refusing to bow down to a woman was Xiao Ze Quan Ye's bottom line!
However, his deputy, He Hong Hui, couldn't stand it. It wasn't that he pitied Xiao Ze Quan Ye; as a subordinate of the Star Emissary, he had to consider Peng Ying's interests at all times.
He Hong Hui walked over to Peng Ying and whispered, "Xiao Ze Quan Ye is an important guest invited by the Left and Right Protectors. You can discipline him, but please, do not kill him. Tomorrow's marathon relies heavily on his performance. If things go wrong, your position as Moon Emissary might be in jeopardy..."
The wise speak only half the words.
They don't need to say everything, but you still understand.
He Hong Hui was a master of communication, which was why he was Peng Ying's confidant.
Peng Ying frowned slightly and said coldly, "If it weren't for the sake of the Left and Right Protectors, I would skin this old pervert alive!"
With that, she took out the antidote for the centipede venom and handed it to He Hong Hui.
She said, "Give him the antidote an hour later."
"Ah?" He Hong Hui was puzzled. "Are you letting the centipede's poison spread a bit more?"
"No, I just want to toy with him. Let him suffer for an hour first, so he'll learn his lesson."
It was truly speechless.
A woman like Peng Ying acted entirely on her whims.
He Hong Hui nodded, "Your subordinate understands. He'll receive the antidote an hour later."
"Mm."
Peng Ying had no more patience to dally with Xiao Ze Quan Ye and turned to leave, disregarding all etiquette and protocol, acting purely on her own mood.
Watching Peng Ying's retreating back, Xiao Ze Quan Ye's eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "You bitch, once I win the marathon tomorrow, I'll demand an explanation from the two Protectors. I'll strip you, this thorny wild rose, bare and play with you a hundred times!"
Xiao Ze Quan Ye had already made his plan.
His first demand after winning the championship would be to capture Peng Ying! To avenge today's humiliation!
He Hong Hui smiled bitterly and shook his head, thinking to himself, "What an ignorant fellow. A woman like Peng Ying can only be looked at; touching her would be fatal. Such a woman can never be tamed by any man."
An hour later, He Hong Hui administered the antidote to Xiao Ze Quan Ye. By then, Xiao Ze Quan Ye had been tortured to the brink of death, barely clinging to life.
He Hong Hui had people carry him to a guest room to rest.
How would this farce conclude?
He Hong Hui sighed, "Following such a master, there's truly no future. But with the Moon Emissary dead and the Day Emissary never keeping anyone by his side, I have no other path but to continue following this crazy woman. I'll take it one step at a time, hoping I can make something of myself."
...
A day passed quickly, and the next morning arrived.
Early in the morning, a large crowd gathered on the Chang Pan Road next to Jinling's Xuanwu Lake. They were a dense mass of people.
There were participants in the race and spectators who had come to cheer them on.
Jinling City first delivered a passionate and inspiring speech, encouraging everyone to compete hard and achieve their best results to honor the souls of the warriors who had sacrificed in the war.
For such a meaningful competition, everyone was eager and ready to go.
It was worth mentioning that all the income from this marathon would be used for public welfare. Every participant entered voluntarily, and there were no prizes even for the winner.
Despite this, a large number of participants flocked from all over the country.
According to official statistics, the number of participants this time reached an astonishing 13,776 people! Nearly fourteen thousand!
An extremely exaggerated number.
Even for a simple fun run, the usual number of participants is around ten thousand. For a full marathon, which is extremely demanding, there are typically only two to three thousand participants, or even fewer.
The fact that this year's race attracted an astounding 13,776 participants indicated the importance everyone attached to the event.
And this was without any prize money!
The mayor of Jinling City was very pleased, realizing that the patriotic sentiment of the people across the nation was still strong.
This was evident from the attire of many.
Many were wearing clothes printed with the national flag, some even had the national flag painted on their faces, and some sang the national anthem loudly before the race.
The scene was deeply moving.
Those with shallow tear ducts would cry on the spot, their strong patriotic feelings surging forth.
Seeing this, Lu Ming felt gratified.
His clothes also bore the vibrant red flag.
Feeling the patriotic fervor of the people around him, Lu Ming was deeply touched. It showed that over the years, people had not forgotten past humiliations, nor the soldiers who fought valiantly, nor the innocent civilians who lost their lives in the war.
Lu Ming felt deeply moved and resolved to work harder in the future to protect this pure patriotic sentiment in the hearts of the people!
However, not everyone shared this sentiment.
Xiao Ze Quan Ye!
After being dealt with by Peng Ying yesterday, he was extremely displeased and had a stomach full of anger that needed an outlet.
Today's marathon was a perfectly suitable occasion.
Seeing so many Chinese people wearing the national flag and singing the national anthem, a sinister smile spread across Xiao Ze Quan Ye's face.
He braced himself and did a few simple stretches.
Then...
In front of everyone present, Xiao Ze Quan Ye took off his jacket and outer pants, revealing the sportswear he had prepared for the competition.
This in itself was a commonplace act.
The problem was that Xiao Ze Quan Ye's sportswear was printed with a very conspicuous Sakura (Japanese) flag!
On his chest and back, two Sakura flags appeared glaringly before everyone's eyes!
Huh?
What's going on?
Everyone was stunned. Who was this guy? Was he out of his mind? At such an important and meaningful occasion, he was wearing this kind of competition attire?
Wasn't this openly defying all Chinese people?
He's revolting!
Immediately, a torrent of curses erupted.
"You dog, what are you wearing? On our Chinese land, in Jinling, on such a significant occasion, you wear a Sakura flag! You f***ing..."
Xiao Ze Quan Ye was agile and strong. The moment the man reached out, Xiao Ze Quan Ye grabbed his arm and executed a shoulder throw!
Bang!
The man was slammed hard onto the ground, spitting blood and losing consciousness.
The entire crowd was stunned.
Was he crazy?
Was he going to challenge the bottom line of nearly fourteen thousand people single-handedly? Did he not want to live?
Then, Xiao Ze Quan Ye brushed off his hands and looked up arrogantly, saying, "You are Chinese, wearing the Chinese flag and singing the Chinese anthem, that's fine. Then I am from the Sakura country, wearing Sakura flag sportswear, what's wrong with that? Are you Chinese people so narrow-minded, playing double standards with me?!"