If You Lose the Duel, You'll Be My Maid!
"..."
Li Ruoxi glanced at Zhang Lingxiao before looking at Ouyang Shishi, immediately finding herself caught in the middle.
Neither of them was someone she wanted to offend.
The wisest choice was to remain neutral.
Zhang Lingxiao glanced indifferently at the girl in pink, sneering inwardly.
Her behavior was so arrogant and unreasonable, yet her name, Ouyang Shishi, sounded so gentle and refined.
The contrast was almost amusing.
"Junior Sister Li," Zhang Lingxiao said calmly, "I'd also like to purchase a flying Spiritual Artifact. Please take me there."
"Of course, Senior Brother."
Li Ruoxi nodded.
After apologetically smiling at Ouyang Shishi, she prepared to lead Zhang Lingxiao away.
"Stop!"
"You scoundrel, you're not allowed to leave!"
"Senior Sister Li, you're not allowed to help him either!"
Ouyang Shishi hurried after them.
Hearing her shout, Zhang Lingxiao suddenly turned around.
He slowly raised his right hand, curling his fingers slightly.
Seeing that familiar gesture, Ouyang Shishi's face instantly turned red with embarrassment.
"You..."
"You shameless scoundrel!"
"You're doing it on purpose!"
"I challenge you to a duel!"
"A duel?"
Zhang Lingxiao laughed.
"With you?"
Although Ouyang Shishi was undoubtedly talented among cultivators of her generation, she was only at the early stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm.
He, on the other hand, had already reached the middle stage and possessed the strength to defeat opponents above his cultivation level.
What confidence did she have?
"That's right!"
"A duel!"
"What?"
"Are you scared now?"
"Feeling guilty?"
"I knew it!"
"Those Inner Sect robes and identity token must be stolen!"
Ouyang Shishi folded her arms proudly, convinced she had exposed the truth.
Zhang Lingxiao smiled faintly.
"I'm not interested in a meaningless duel."
"But..."
"If there's a wager involved, I'll gladly accept."
A mischievous smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to teach this spoiled young lady a lesson.
"Fine!"
"What do you want to bet?"
Ouyang Shishi asked immediately.
"If I win..."
"You'll serve as my maid for one month."
Zhang Lingxiao spoke with a teasing smile.
Ouyang Shishi froze.
For a brief moment, her expression stiffened.
Then she snorted proudly.
"Hmph!"
"And if I win?"
Without another word, Zhang Lingxiao took out the Xuan Water Cauldron from his Storage Ring.
"If I lose..."
"This pill furnace is yours."
He already knew she had been saving Contribution Points specifically to purchase it.
There was no way she could resist.
Sure enough—
Ouyang Shishi bit her lip before nodding firmly.
"Deal!"
"Let's head to the Duel Arena!"
"Senior Sister Li, you'll be our witness!"
"And help us draw up the wager contract!"
"No problem."
Li Ruoxi agreed with a helpless smile.
Within Qingyun Sect, both Duel Arenas and Life-and-Death Arenas had been established.
The former were used for settling personal disputes and friendly competition.
The latter were reserved for irreconcilable grudges.
Since there was no mortal hatred between Zhang Lingxiao and Ouyang Shishi, the Duel Arena was naturally the appropriate choice.
...
On the way, Zhang Lingxiao spent one hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones to purchase a small Xuan Leaf.
Soon afterward, the three of them set off.
Ouyang Shishi rode her own Xuan Leaf.
Li Ruoxi accompanied her.
Meanwhile, Zhang Lingxiao carefully controlled his newly purchased Xuan Leaf for the very first time.
Even with his astonishing comprehension, flying wasn't something that could be mastered instantly.
The Xuan Leaf swayed left and right several times.
He nearly fell out of the sky more than once.
Seeing this, Ouyang Shishi couldn't stop laughing.
"So that's all you've got!"
"You can't even fly properly!"
"How embarrassing!"
She looked at him with obvious disdain.
Zhang Lingxiao merely smiled inwardly.
Laugh while you still can.
We'll see whether you're still smiling after this duel.
...
The Duel Arena bustled with activity.
Many Inner Sect and Outer Sect Disciples occupied the various platforms, exchanging techniques through fierce battles.
Before long, the three found an empty arena.
Li Ruoxi took out a Contract Talisman from her Storage Ring.
The agreed wager had already been recorded upon it.
She looked toward Ouyang Shishi with concern.
"Junior Sister Ouyang..."
"Are you really certain?"
"If you lose, you'll have to serve him as a maid for an entire month."
"Isn't that wager a little too much?"
Hearing those words, Ouyang Shishi hesitated.
Seeing Zhang Lingxiao remain so calm made her instincts tingle.
Could this scoundrel really have some hidden confidence?
Noticing her hesitation, Zhang Lingxiao secretly thought:
Not good.
Senior Sister Li is making her second-guess herself.
Without hesitation, he pressed the attack.
"What?"
"Getting scared?"
"You think your wager is harsh?"
"What about mine?"
He raised the Xuan Water Cauldron.
"This pill furnace is worth eight hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
"I paid for it with my own money."
"You've been saving Contribution Points for how long?"
"Eighty thousand points wasn't easy to earn, was it?"
"Don't you want the opportunity to win it?"
"Besides..."
"You insisted my identity token was stolen."
"In your eyes, I'm just some inexperienced nobody."
"So why are you hesitating now?"
He shrugged.
"If you're too afraid to continue..."
"Forget it."
"A duel without stakes isn't worth my time."
Every sentence struck precisely where it hurt.
Advancing when appropriate.
Retreating when necessary.
Completely controlling the rhythm of the conversation.
Ouyang Shishi's resolve immediately wavered.
She looked at the Xuan Water Cauldron before clenching her teeth.
If Zhang Lingxiao walked away now...
She would lose her best chance to obtain the pill furnace she had wanted for so long.
"I'll do it!"
She stomped her foot.
"Senior Sister Li..."
"Let us sign the contract!"
Li Ruoxi sighed softly before handing the Contract Talisman to both of them.
Zhang Lingxiao and Ouyang Shishi each injected a strand of Spiritual Power into it.
The contract immediately took effect.
Once established, neither party could violate its terms.
Anyone who broke the contract would suffer the loss of an entire major cultivation Realm.
The punishment was extraordinarily severe.
Li Ruoxi stepped back.
"The duel..."
"May begin."
Zhang Lingxiao and Ouyang Shishi stepped onto opposite sides of the arena.
With a smile, Zhang Lingxiao rested the Tianji Sword on his shoulder.
"Junior Sister Ouyang..."
"This Senior Brother won't go easy on you."
"Who's your Junior Sister?!"
"You shameless scoundrel!"
"Stop talking!"
"Fight!"
Ouyang Shishi snorted.
With a flick of her jade-like hand, a fiery-red long whip appeared from her Storage Ring.
The whip was nearly ten feet long.
Forged from rare materials, it combined flexibility, resilience, and astonishing toughness.
The rich fire-attribute aura surrounding it made it obvious that it was no ordinary Spiritual Artifact.
Zhang Lingxiao raised an eyebrow.
"No wonder your temper is so fiery."
The teasing remark nearly made Ouyang Shishi explode.
"You still dare to mock me?!"
"You shameless scoundrel!"
"I'm going to beat those filthy hands of yours into uselessness today!"
With an angry shout, she lashed the flaming whip toward Zhang Lingxiao like a blazing serpent.
"Overestimating yourself."
Zhang Lingxiao smiled coldly.
The Tianji Sword instantly appeared in his hand as he stepped forward to meet her attack head-on.