Chapter 183 - Taking the Initiative to Surrender
Qin Nan had not expected Xiao Qingxue to pay a visit at this time.
Xiao Qingxue was part of the reason that spurred the hostility between Ouyang Jun and Qin Nan, which eventually led to Leng Feng challenging Qin Nan on behalf of Ouyang Jun, resulting in the duel.
It was not wrong to say that Xiao Qingxue was closely related to the whole incident.
However, a month had passed since the duel had been confirmed.
Why did it take so long for Xiao Qingxue to visit him?
Qin Nan restrained the doubts in his mind and went to open the door.
Xiao Qingxue was wearing a white robe, with only a bit of makeup on her pale skin, and with her attractive physique, it gave her a majestic appearance, like a lotus rising from the water or a fairy among mundane humans.
Even Qin Nan’s eyes flickered, despite the fact that it was not their first encounter.
“Qin Nan, it’s been a while…”
Xiao Qingxue glanced at Qin Nan and spoke, but her sharp sense instantly detected the aura from his body, leaving a stunned look on her face.
As a Martial Emperor Realm expert, she could easily tell that Qin Nan’s current aura was incredibly powerful, and that the Qi in his body was as abundant as a surging river.
It seemed that Qin Nan was extremely confident in himself, hence the reason he was willing to accept the challenge of a duel against Leng Feng.
“Qingxue, why are you here now?” A smile appeared on Qin Nan’s face.
Xiao Qingxue collected her thoughts and glanced deeply at him, “I was away from the sect with a mission when Leng Feng challenged you to the duel. I had no idea all this would happen while I was away.”
A pleasant look could be seen on Xiao Qingxue’s attractive face, accompanied by a hint of grimness.
She was pleased that Qin Nan did not let her down and became the first among the top four sects to reach the top of the Martial Serendipity Pavilion and obtain its secrets. Not only that, Qin Nan’s Martial Spirit was tenth-grade Huang ranked instead of eighth-grade Huang ranked!
Having a tenth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit meant that Qin Nan was now considered a highly ranked super genius in the Mystic Spirit Sect.
She was troubled because Ouyang Jun planned to get rid of Qin Nan, which ended up as a duel between him and Leng Feng which would take place at the Hall of Life and Death in two months’ time.
Qin Nan came to a realization and said while nodding his head, “I see, no wonder you didn’t come at the start.”
“I’d prefer not to come at all!”
Xiao Qingxue let out a sigh in her heart and said in a soft tone, “Qin Nan, I did remind you not to be so reckless, why can’t you not be so hot-tempered? Just a little compromising and none of this would have happened!”
Qin Nan let out a wry smile. He could face his opponents—even formidable ones—with an indifferent attitude, but against Xiao Qingxue’s grumbling, he could only stay silent as he could not find any words to rebuke her.
Qin Nan immediately switched the topic, “So why are you here this time?”
“I…”
Xiao Qingxue was about to speak, but hesitated when she saw Qin Nan before her.
Should I say it to him?
Qin Nan was aware of her hesitation, and he said with a calm smile, “Qingxue, I owe you heaps for looking after me all along the way. I also see you as my sister. Therefore, there is no need to be hesitant with me.”
“Only as a sister, huh…”
Xiao Qingxue thought in her heart as her expression turned slightly duller, but a firm look could be seen in her eyes as she thought of the discussion she had had with Ouyang Jun the night before, and she slowly said, “Qin Nan, regarding the duel between you and Leng Feng, I hope you will surrender.”
“Surrender?”
Qin Nan was stunned.
He had not expected that Xiao Qingxue would ask him to surrender.
“Qingxue, you know who I am. If he’s the one troubling me in the first place, why would I back away? Now that the duel is arranged, I will not regret my decision, and will never surrender.” Qin Nan stared straight into Xiao Qingxue’s eyes while emphasizing the words, “Besides, Qingxue, have some faith in me. It’s too early to say who will be the winner of the duel!”
From Qin Nan’s view, Xiao Qingxue only said so as she was afraid he would lose his life after being defeated by Leng Feng.
However, Xiao Qingxue’s next sentence left him stunned in place.
“It’s not like that, I’m not asking you to surrender because I’m worried that you might lose.”
Xiao Qingxue opened her eyes wide and said in a serious tone, “Qin Nan, since I met you at Lingshui City, everything you did has been incredibly shocking, like miracles far beyond my expectations. To be honest, I trust that you are able to do the things that others might find impossible. I’m sure that you can defeat Leng Feng in the duel, too.”
“If so…”
Qin Nan had no idea how to react in that particular moment.
If Xiao Qingxue was so confident in him, why would she ask him to surrender?
It felt like Xiao Qingxue had let go of her emotions, as she let out a sigh and said in a gloomy tone, “Qin Nan, I do not wish to see you fighting in a life and death battle with Leng Feng. As I just said, what happens then after you defeat Leng Feng? Following it will be the wrath and anger of Ouyang Jun. With his extreme personality, he would surely seek his revenge on you, even if it includes a series of evil plans. You might not be intimidated by his challenge, but are you able to escape from his evil plans continuously? Knowing you, with your pride, you will never concede no matter the opponent you are facing, and will surely fight until the end. It surely won’t be a good ending…”
“So the main reason that you’re asking me to surrender—as a summary—is so as to stay away from Ouyang Jun?”
Qin Nan had been stunned for a moment, before he asked the question.
Xiao Qingxue recollected the words she had heard from Ouyang Jun, before she nodded with a determined look, “If you choose to surrender this time and stay out of sight, I can guarantee that Ouyang Jun will not trouble you anymore. Hence, I hope you will surrender!”
Qin Nan fell into silence, a deep silence.
He had completely understood Xiao Qingxue’s intentions; by taking the initiative to surrender, he could escape from being targeted by Ouyang Jun, retaining his peaceful life.
It felt like all of this was for his own good, but was that so?
As a natural-born prideful person, the word ‘surrendering’ never appeared in his mind before.
Xiao Qingxue clearly knew this too.
Despite that, she had still asked him to surrender, just to stay away from Ouyang Jun!
Upon seeing Qin Nan remain silent, Xiao Qingxue’s eyes turned red as she withheld the tears and said, “Qin Nan, I beg of you, please? I’ve never asked a favor from you, can you listen to me this time? Qin Nan, just for once, ok? I know it is extremely difficult and painful for you to surrender, but just see it as a way of helping me, will you?”
Qin Nan’s figure shuddered violently.
If Xiao Qingxue were to ask him for some other favor, or even to deal with Ouyang Jun, he would not even frown his eyebrows.
But taking the initiative to surrender?
How could he surrender in the first place?
Even thinking about the word ‘surrender’ in his mind resulted in a painful sensation.
Since the start, he had always been fighting and competing against opponents who were a lot stronger than him—or when he was in hazardous situations—with his head held high. Even when blood was smeared all over him, he had never lowered his head before.
However, his heart began to struggle incredibly upon hearing Xiao Qingxue’s request.
At that instant, the Divine Battle Spirit inside Qin Nan’s body uttered a deep roar in Qin Nan’s mind, as if it was aware of Qin Nan’s intent.
The roar was filled with rage and anger.
The Divine Battle Spirit wages war against the Heavens and Earth. There is none He does not fight and none He does not win against!
This is the Divine Battle Spirit, and how could Qin Nan, the owner of the Divine Battle Spirit, back off? How could he surrender?
It was Qin Nan’s destiny to stand firm against his opponents, even if the agony was a thousand times greater. It’s his destiny to defeat every opponent, and conquer the world!
Qin Nan’s eyes instantly turned flaming red.
He had never lowered his head all this time. How could he surrender?
As the owner of the Divine Battle Spirit, with his extreme pride, how could he lower his head?
Never surrender!
I must fight!
I must win!
Qin Nan’s emotions instantly burst out, as his aura rapidly rose, emitting a shocking Battle Intent, as if he had turned into a God of War.
Xiao Qingxue saw Qin Nan’s expression switching between angry and cold. Eventually, the sound of a snap could be heard, like the snap of the strings of an instrument. The distance between her and Qin Nan became unpassable all of a sudden.
At that instant, Qin Nan’s aura returned to a calm state, as he waved his hand in a struggling manner and said in a grim tone, “You should leave… I will… surrender.”
“I… Sure…”
Xiao Qingxue felt her heart was being ripped apart upon seeing Qin Nan’s reaction. She opened her mouth, but not a single word could be spoken. At that moment, she had completely lost her thoughts. Did I make a mistake this time? She had no idea if she had done the wrong thing, as her mind went into a state of chaos, as if her soul was lost. She left the residence one step at a time, each step incredibly heavy, causing her to walk in an unsteady fashion, as if she could be buried by this cruel reality at any time.
As her figure vanished, Qin Nan could no longer hold his ground, as a strong sense of fatigue devoured him like a tide.
In the end, for Xiao Qingxue’s sake, for the relationship between them...
He chose to lower his head.