CHAPTER 2057: CHAPTER 2055: COUGHING UP BLOOD

"It’s a pity that using something that isn’t your own never feels quite right." Bai Ruozhu’s voice was light and emotionless, but to Fo Lanying, it was a stinging sarcasm.

"Go to hell!" Fo Lanying suddenly commanded the two mechanical puppets hiding behind Bai Ruozhu to launch a sneak attack. Lin Pinger, watching from the sidelines, was so scared she nearly fainted.

Bai Zepei supported Lin Pinger, gently saying, "Mother, don’t worry. Little sister knows what she’s doing."

Sure enough, before he even finished speaking, the two mechanical puppets attacking Bai Ruozhu collided with an invisible barrier and were bounced back. In the next moment, Xiaohei roared and fiercely pounced on the two mechanical puppets.

Bai Ruozhu’s lips slightly curled. Did she really not know there were enemies behind her? She was simply using strategy to catch Fo Lanying off guard.

"Come back!" Fo Lanying, seeing her two mechanical puppets being damaged by Xiaohei, panicked, especially since the one her mother had lent her was severely damaged. She ordered the retreat of the attacking puppets, afraid of losing more precious mechanical puppets.

"Oh no!" On stage, the Second Elder couldn’t help but exclaim, seeing Fo Lanying lose her composure, leaving herself open. With the speed of both the panther and Bai Ruozhu, it was highly likely they could take Fo Lanying down immediately, which would clearly determine the outcome.

But in the next second, the Second Elder let out a sigh of relief because Bai Ruozhu didn’t take the opportunity to attack, missing a golden opportunity.

The Second Elder chuckled softly and said quietly, "Still young, lacks experience."

His tone was full of disdain, prompting Elder Su next to him to say, "Indeed, Lan Ying is still young and lacking in experience, which is normal."

"You..." The Second Elder glared in anger, as Elder Su, knowing full well he was talking about Bai Ruozhu, returned the comment aimed at Fo Lanying.

At this moment, there was a gasp from the audience, and the Second Elder quickly looked over, nearly slamming the table in anger.

Another of Fo Lanying’s mechanical puppets was destroyed, and the Second Elder finally realized that it wasn’t that Bai Ruozhu had missed a good opportunity earlier, but that she had no intention of deciding the outcome with a sneak attack. She aimed to destroy each of Fo Lanying’s mechanical puppets one by one!

The Fifth Elder also noticed this, secretly shaking his head and thinking that the young were too impulsive, not realizing how deeply she’d offended the Second Elder.

In fact, Bai Ruozhu, having lived two lives, fully understood the situation. But when she saw the madness and killing intent in Fo Lanying’s eyes, it was all too familiar. Clearly, she had no deep-seated hatred with Lan Ying, but just because her second brother could go to the Enlightenment Tablet, Fo Lanying held such a grudge. If she defeated Lan Ying, wouldn’t the hatred deepen?

And the Second Elder was biased beyond reason, openly guiding his granddaughter during the competition. Holding a non-offensive stance with such a family was useless, as they were vindictive, leaving her with nowhere to hide.

So, since there was no avoiding it, she might as well offend them hard enough to make Fo Lanying afraid, so she couldn’t scheme against her brother anymore.

Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes and commanded Xiaohei to suddenly rush towards Fo Lanying’s mechanical mechanism cat.

"She dares!" On the judges’ platform, the Second Elder couldn’t help but shout out as Bai Ruozhu actually dared to touch his mechanical puppet.

Elder Su also broke into a sweat. Having interacted with Bai Ruozhu recently, he knew she had her own bravado, but he didn’t expect her to have such courage.

The mechanical mechanism cat, truly the work of the Second Elder, was very agile. It dodged Xiaohei’s claw attack with a quick movement, darting swiftly to Bai Ruozhu’s left side.

Seeing Bai Ruozhu eager to kill the mechanical mechanism cat and exposing a flaw, Fo Lanying showed excitement on her face.

"Go, scratch her face off." The mechanical mechanism cat dashed forward with a swift paw, Bai Ruozhu, caught off guard, had her left shoulder sleeve torn open, the flesh exposed and blood pouring out.

"Oh my, Sister Bai is hurt!" Qin Qin exclaimed in disbelief.

Jiao Ling’s heart leapt to her throat. How did Ruozhu get hurt?

Bai Zepei felt a dull ache in his heart. He knew his little sister wasn’t one to be reckless, competing merely to protect him, making him feel indescribably pained.

At this moment, he seemed to catch a fleeting glint of satisfaction in his sister’s eyes. Was he seeing things?

The next second, Bai Ruozhu flipped her body, and the dagger in her hand plunged fiercely into one of the mechanical mechanism cat’s eyes, while Xiaohei pounced in sync.

No matter how formidable the mechanical mechanism cat was, it remained a lifeless object, needing a mechanist to control it, and Fo Lanying hadn’t utilized its full potential. Conversely, Xiaohei, a sentient beast pet, was far more effective because it was attuned to Bai Ruozhu’s mind, following her orders better.

Of course, mechanical puppets had their strengths too, like being hard and impervious to pain, making them terrifying with a ferocious attack.

Yet, this mechanical mechanism cat of the Second Elder was made of rare materials, and Xiaohei struggled to bite through it.

Fortunately, Bai Ruozhu had learned mechanical techniques and discovered several assembly nodes on the mechanical mechanism cat’s body. She channeled her inner strength into the dagger and stabbed forcefully, directly disassembling the mechanical mechanism cat.

With a ’puff,’ the Second Elder in the judges’ stand spit blood, while Elder Su and the Fifth Elder quickly brought water and a cloth, asking if he was alright. The Second Elder, angered, spat blood again, loudly declaring, "Bai Ruozhu, I won’t let her get away with this!"

The Fifth Elder looked on with a mocking expression, "There are clan rules, the younger generation’s competitions are not to be interfered with, nor should the victorious side be troubled afterwards, has the Second Elder forgotten?"

"Do I need you to teach me how to act?" The Second Elder slammed the table in fury, flinging his sleeve as he left, knowing the competition no longer needed watching, as only one result would follow.

The Fifth Elder was also slightly incensed, saying to Elder Su, "Look at his arrogance, serves him right for lending his heart-blood-forged puppet to the younger ones in pursuit of victory, only to end up with internal injuries himself, as if being slapped by the younger generation."

"The Second Elder hasn’t realized yet, it’s not nurturing the younger generation but setting that child up for failure. Not relying on one’s own skill to win but resorting to such measures, truly serves him right." Elder Su said while stroking his beard.

At this moment, Bai Ruozhu suddenly noticed a small piece of black metal falling out of the dismantled mechanical mechanism cat. It was pitch black, irregularly shaped, yet emitted a faint glow as if bathed in moonlight.

Bai Ruozhu quickly glanced over and saw that Fo Lanying showed no signs of anxiety, seemingly unaware of the small black metal, likely ignorant of its existence. Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself, thinking if that’s the case, this treasure is hers!