The challenge was not part of the day's scheduled bouts, but the judge permitted it on the condition that both participants agreed and the match followed the rules. Qiao Zhi accepted, then asked that Wei An's status be confirmed before they began. The judge formally restored Wei An's tablet and confirmed that she could continue in the tournament.
Wei An stared at Qiao Zhi with gratitude and disbelief. Qiao Zhi simply gave her a small nod and walked toward the arena. She had no need to explain that she hated watching someone use a powerful name to silence another person. Xan Min had taught her that authority existed to protect a community, not to make its holder untouchable. She had no interest in a long speech about justice. If Lin Qingshan wanted to turn this into a duel, she would settle it cleanly and make sure that no one could claim the result came from an unfair decision.
