"Zhijin Hua has violated the tournament rules. She is disqualified. The winner of this match is Hu Jie."
As the referee's voice rang out, the crowd erupted into murmurs.
On the surface, the ruling was fair—Zhijin Hua had clearly broken the rules by bringing in outside help. But the problem was, Hu Jie had been blasted into atoms. What good did declaring him the winner do?
Still, what intrigued the audience even more was the relationship dynamics at play. Wasn't the big boss supposed to be with Lu Linglong? So where did this Zhijin Hua come from?
And what about the next two female competitors, Feng Shayan and Feng Baobao? Given how familiar they seemed with the group, was it possible they were also involved with him?
Some bold spectators couldn't resist shouting:
"Big bro! Other than Goddess Linglong and Goddess Zhijin Hua, do you have any other wives? Give us some warning!"
"Yeah, you scared the hell out of us just now! We're just here to watch the fights, not lose our lives!"
"Exactly! Just tell us upfront so we can run for our lives before you go berserk again!"
Lu Linglong, having been through this once already, handled the teasing better this time. She didn't even bother correcting them—what was the point?
Zhijin Hua, however, wasn't prepared to become the subject of gossip. Her face turned beet red, and she instinctively looked to Su Xiaoqi for help.
Su Xiaoqi simply stated, "I won't interfere in the remaining matches."
Whether the crowd believed him or not was their problem.
Just then, the referee announced: "Feng Shayan and Jia Zhengliang, please enter the arena!"
Sakata Gintoki immediately perked up. "Yanzi, remember what I said—beat the crap out of that redhead!"
Feng Shayan waved him off dismissively. "Yeah, yeah." Then, with a smirk, she added, "Though it's kinda cute seeing you all worked up over me. Sit tight and watch your woman perform."
Gintoki's face flushed. "W-Who's worked up?! Gin-san just hates that red-haired bastard!"
Su Xiaoqi grinned. "Wow, the legendary 'Shiro Yasha' actually blushing? That's rare."
Gintoki crossed his arms. "Tch. Gin-san's just feeling under the weather. I don't *do* blushing."
As the match began, Jia Zhengliang—just like in the original story—was busy chatting with his mom on the phone. But this time, Feng Shayan didn't humor him. She went straight on the offensive.
Despite Gintoki briefing her on Jia Zhengliang's abilities beforehand, the redhead proved to be a tough opponent. The fight quickly turned intense, with both sides taking damage.
Watching from the sidelines, Gintoki grew increasingly agitated.
Then, Feng Shayan's father, Feng Zhenghao, approached their group.
Feng Xingtong quickly stepped forward. "Dad, let me introduce everyone. These are me and Sis' friends. And this guy—" He gestured to Gintoki, who was currently shouting encouragement to Feng Shayan. "—is Sis' man. My bro-in-law."
Feng Zhenghao nodded. He had already noticed these people and even asked the Heavenly Master about them—though he hadn't gotten any useful information.
He didn't object to his daughter dating this white-haired man. In fact, he was supportive. While Su Xiaoqi would have been his first choice, this wasn't bad either.
Suddenly, the crowd gasped. Jia Zhengliang had unleashed his ultimate move—controlling twelve flying blades that forced Feng Shayan into retreat.
"Goddammit!" Gintoki snarled, drawing his wooden sword. "Gin-san's had enough! That redhead's going down!"
Feng Zhenghao called out, "If you interfere, Shayan will be disqualified."
Gintoki's usual lazy demeanor vanished. His expression turned deadly serious. "Since when does Gin-san take orders from you? One more word and I'll beat you up too."
As Gintoki charged into the arena, Su Xiaoqi remarked, "Just sit back and enjoy the show. This is Gin-san's moment to shine."
Lu Linglong nodded. "Yeah, we rarely get to see him go all out. If you keep yapping, I'll have Su Xiaoqi blow up your *Tianxia Hui*."
Feng Xingtong, seeing his father suddenly become public enemy number one, hastily intervened. "Dad, just watch quietly. I wanna see what bro-in-law can do too."
Feng Zhenghao sighed. "I wasn't trying to stop him. Just giving a friendly reminder."
Meanwhile, as the twelve blades closed in on Feng Shayan, Gintoki intercepted them with swift strikes of his wooden sword.
The audience immediately turned to Su Xiaoqi.
*Didn't he say he wouldn't interfere?*
Su Xiaoqi shrugged. "Not my fault this time. Those two are a couple."
"Feng Shayan has violated the tournament rules. She is disqualified. The winner is Jia Zhengliang."
The referee hurriedly announced the result—before things escalated further.
Feng Shayan opened her mouth to scold Gintoki—but the words died in her throat when she saw his expression.
Instead, she simply said, "Give me the sword. Carry me back."
As Gintoki lifted her into his arms, Feng Shayan studied his face and smiled. "So this is what he looks like when he's serious."
But her smile lasted barely three seconds before Gintoki whispered, "Yanzi, Gin-san doesn't have any Senzu Beans, but I can give you a *full-body examination* later. Guaranteed better than any magic bean."
Feng Shayan rolled her eyes. "I *knew* that 'examination' would be perverted." Then, grinning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured, "But... I'll take you up on that offer, *my Gin-san*."
Meanwhile, Jia Zhengliang stood dumbfounded in the arena.
*What the hell just happened?*
Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone. "Better call Mom first."
With the final elimination matches concluded, the eight finalists and the next day's matchups were announced:
1. **Lu Linglong vs. Zhang Lingyu**
2. **Wang Ye vs. Zhuge Qing**
3. **Jia Zhengliang vs. Hu Jie** *(Hu Jie deceased—Jia Zhengliang advances automatically)*
4. **Feng Baobao vs. Zhang Chulan**
Zhang Chulan turned to Feng Baobao. "Baobao-jie, Jia Zhengliang's all yours."
Feng Baobao nodded. "No problem. I'll find a nice spot to bury him."
Su Xiaoqi and the others sweatdropped.
Zhang Lingyu scowled. "Zhang Chulan! Have you no shame?! You're embarrassing the entire *Longhu Mountain*!"
Zhang Chulan waved him off. "Shishu, this is called *strategy*. Linglong had her man help, and Hua'er's man straight-up vaporized her opponent. Compared to them, I'm practically a saint."
Zhang Lingyu choked on his fury. Lu Linglong and Zhijin Hua, their faces burning, weakly protested—though no one bought it.
Zhang Chulan grinned. "I get it, I get it. We'll keep these things private from now on." Then, turning to Su Xiaoqi, he suggested, "Big bro, how about we all hang out tonight? Get to know each other better?"
Before Su Xiaoqi could respond, a voice chimed in:
"That sounds like an excellent idea. Would you mind if this humble Daoist joined as well?"
Zhang Chulan spun around and beamed. "Brother Wang! Zhuge Qing! And... uh... the small fries."
"*Who* are you calling small fries?!"
"Zhang Chulan, you wanna fight right now? Just because you lucked into the top eight doesn't make you hot shit!"
After trading a few more barbs, Zhang Chulan turned back to Su Xiaoqi. "So? What do you say? Bonfire, drinks, moon-gazing—just a chill night among friends?"
Su Xiaoqi smirked. "Sure. Let's have some fun."
*And maybe witness some legendary moonlit bird-watching while we're at it.*