Chapter 57: Defeat

What Sun Ce had not expected was that not only did Liu Xie move with astonishing speed, but his tactics were clearly well thought out in advance. Quickly widening the distance between them was to prevent Sun Ce from catching him right away. Though Sun Ce’s footwork and movements had been meticulously trained, after several exchanges, he could not even brush the hem of Liu Xie’s clothing.

The gap between expectation and reality left Sun Ce somewhat embarrassed—especially with his close friend and Zhang Hong standing by, not to mention the Qiao sisters watching from nearby. If he failed to impress, he would surely lose face in front of them, particularly before the sisters. The last thing he wanted was for them to look down on him.

Resolving not to hold back any longer, Sun Ce reminded himself it was only a barehanded match, and there was no real danger of inflicting serious harm on Liu Xie. With that, he immediately increased his speed severalfold, his fists and feet moving with such force that gusts of wind seemed to follow his every strike. He abandoned grappling in favor of direct attacks, clearly intending to let Liu Xie taste some hardship first.

Yet in the face of this onslaught, Liu Xie actually smiled rather than showing any sign of fear, which gave Sun Ce an uneasy feeling. Nevertheless, it did nothing to slow his movements. He launched a punch, the force of it whistling through the air, aimed straight for Liu Xie’s face.

In the distant pavilion, Empress Fu Shou and the Qiao sisters watched the contest on the martial platform with rapt attention. Empress Fu Shou was anxious, fearing that Liu Xie might come to harm at Sun Ce’s hands. As for the Qiao sisters, they themselves were unsure what exactly made them so tense.

“Elder sister, isn’t Sun Ce called the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong? Why can’t he best His Majesty, whom you said is as weak as a chicken?” one sister whispered.

“When did I say that?” the elder protested.

“The day His Majesty barged into our rooms!” the younger replied.

“Look! His Majesty is fighting back!”

Qiao Feng wished she could hide her younger sister away—right before the empress, her own sister was selling her out like this. If, in the future, Liu Xie truly took them into his harem, what good could possibly come of it for her?

Fortunately, with the topic shifted, both Empress Fu Shou and Qiao Shuang turned their eyes back to the martial platform, seemingly oblivious to the sisters’ exchange. Indeed, in the space of just those few sentences, the situation on the platform had changed.

At the outset, Liu Xie had been evading every move. After dodging several attacks, he had already gauged Sun Ce’s strength. In truth, Liu Xie’s choice not to use weapons was not arrogance—he genuinely was not adept with them; fists and feet were his true skills.

For Sun Ce, the situation was the exact opposite. On the battlefield, he was always armed; rarely did he fight barehanded. In these times, the art of unarmed combat was undeveloped, and fighting relied mostly on strength, speed, and experience.

But Liu Xie was different. In his previous life, he had mastered refined techniques, discarding the superfluous for the essential. Though his current body was less powerful than Sun Ce’s, the opening exchanges had already revealed Sun Ce’s limitations without weapons.

Missing Liu Xie with several attacks, Sun Ce was growing impatient, putting his full strength into every move. As he launched a flying kick toward Liu Xie’s ribs, Liu Xie, instead of retreating as before—which would have taken him right off the platform—stood his ground. His legs remained still as he twisted his upper body, narrowly avoiding Sun Ce’s kick by a hair’s breadth.

Sun Ce, caught off guard by this nimble maneuver, felt a jolt of surprise. He had not expected Liu Xie to use such precise technique to deflect what could have been a bone-shattering blow. Yet, surprise aside, his body, propelled by inertia, could not react as quickly as his mind.

In that split second—barely a heartbeat—Liu Xie did what he did best: he seized the opportunity. His hands gripped Sun Ce’s thigh. Though Sun Ce’s legs were as hard as steel from years on horseback and in battle, that strength was useless now. With a deft twist of his torso and a forceful push, Liu Xie sent Sun Ce flying with a lighthearted “Off you go!”

Without warning, Sun Ce shot off the platform at great speed. He did have a chance to grab Liu Xie as he was being pushed, which could have resulted in both falling together. But Sun Ce, having underestimated his opponent during Liu Xie’s evasions, paid the price for his complacency.

Ordinarily, one would expect Sun Ce to land with a heavy thud, making a spectacle of himself—though not likely to be injured, certainly humiliated. Yet he distinctly felt Liu Xie restrain his force at the last moment, even pulling him back slightly. As a result, Sun Ce drifted off the platform almost weightlessly, able to adjust his body in midair. Though he landed unsteadily, he avoided any undignified posture.

He had lost, and owed Liu Xie a small but undeniable favor. This realization struck Sun Ce the moment he touched the ground, and it was precisely the truth.

Though it appeared Liu Xie had merely dodged and then pushed Sun Ce off while he was unguarded, anyone truly experienced in the martial arts would recognize how difficult such a feat was.

“Who would have thought His Majesty possessed such skill? All these years, the world has truly been kept in the dark by him!” Sun Ce was never one to be a sore loser. His face darkened only briefly before he leapt back onto the platform, laughing as he spoke, thus conceding his defeat in a roundabout way.

On the platform, however, Zhou Yu and Zhang Hong looked far from pleased. Both had seen battle and knew that even unarmed, Sun Ce was not someone ordinary soldiers could approach. Yet before Liu Xie, he had been bested with consummate ease. If word of this match spread, the title “Little Conqueror of Jiangdong” might no longer be his to keep.

“Bofu, you jest,” Liu Xie replied with a smile. “This was but a friendly bout. You held back, of course. On the battlefield, I suspect you would have cut me down from horseback before I could even react.”