Li Man'er's fierce expression returned, "You all get lost! I, Li Man'er, do not harm the innocent."
These were Yelü Hongge's guards, and they naturally could not stand by and do nothing. Seeing this, Li Man'er no longer held back. After a few lashes, she finally showed everyone what it meant to be superior.
Logically speaking, Yelü Hongge was the monarch of Xizhou, and his guards should not be unskilled. However, several grown men couldn't even get close to Li Man'er and were whipped into wails of misery by her.
For some reason, whenever their weapons were entangled by Li Man'er's whip, they would instinctively release their grip. Their bodies became uncontrollable, and when they fell to the ground, they foamed at the mouth as if poisoned.
Could her whip be poisonous?
The crowd had never seen such a scene and were stunned.
Li Man'er let out a cold laugh, pointing her whip at Yelü Hongge. "If you're a man, fight me."
Yelü Hongge frowned slightly. He had never seen such strange martial arts. Princess Anning had single-handedly defeated all his guards. It seemed she was indeed skilled.
Li Man'er scoffed, "Are you afraid?"
"I am willing to protect flowers, not to fight with the Princess."
"I think you're a coward!" Li Man'er said. "Fine, today's matter is clear for all to see. Yelü Hongge, I'll give you one last chance. Fight me."
"Since the Princess is so aggressive, Yelü Hongge will naturally oblige. However, I fear victory would be unearned and wound the Princess's dignity."
Li Man'er almost roared to the heavens, "You surnamed Yelü, no, Yelü Hongge, dare to make a bet?"
"What will the Princess wager?"
"If you lose, you will return to your Xizhou and never appear before me again."
"And what if the Princess loses?"
Li Man'er raised her whip and declared, "If I lose, when I lead my troops to Xizhou, I will spare your dog's life."
"Audacious."
"Witch, hold your tongue."
With words spoken to this extent, if Yelü Hongge didn't accept the challenge, even his guards would not agree.
"There is a martial arts arena behind the Sifang Hall. Does the Princess dare to try?"
"Whoever dares not is a grandson."
The two of them led the way towards the martial arts arena, with A'si and Yelü Hongge's guards following closely. The people in Sifang Hall, hearing the commotion, also gathered to watch the spectacle.
On the high platform, Li Man'er and Yelü Hongge stood facing each other.
"Princess Anning, it's not too late to regret this if you wish!"
Li Man'er sneered repeatedly. "Although I am not a man, I know that a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Are you afraid? Afraid to fight me?"
The crowd below also buzzed with discussion. "Who do you think will win?"
"I think the Princess will win. She's been on the battlefield before, fighting one against a hundred in Mobei. She'll surely defeat that pretty boy."
"I also think the Princess will win. Yelü Hongge is a ruler of a nation. No matter how skilled he is, he can't be a master of martial arts. He has to govern, right?"
A plain-looking old man shook his head. "I don't think it's that simple. Perhaps Yelü Hongge had a plan all along and was feigning weakness earlier."
"Let's just watch, everyone."
Yelü Hongge's expression changed. A mist in his eyes seemed to dissipate, and his gaze became clear and sharp. His demeanor transformed.
"Princess, I apologize for what is to come."
Li Man'er did not dare to underestimate him. "Where is your weapon?"
"The Princess only has a whip in hand. Strictly speaking, it's not much of a weapon. I am a man and naturally have the advantage of strength. If I were to use a weapon, I fear victory would be unearned."
Li Man'er did not argue with him, saying only, "I will not hold back. Make your move!"
Yelü Hongge attacked first, aiming to defeat Li Man'er in the shortest possible time. His steps were solid, and his hand techniques were not weak. His arms moved with great force, exhibiting a style honed by countless battles.
Li Man'er was no weaker. She used agile footwork, weaving and dodging, never engaging him head-on. Her tactic was hit-and-run, entangle and evade. Her posture was light, seeming as if she could be easily grasped, yet utterly untouchable.
"The Princess's Qinggong is not weak."
"Such skill would take at least decades to cultivate."
Yelü Hongge's guards were furious. "Your country's Princess is too shameless! We agreed to a duel, yet she keeps running away."
"We aren't stopping her. If you have the ability, you run too!" A'si, having been with Li Man'er for a long time, had become her spitting-image second.
The guards turned red with anger, unable to utter a single word.
Li Man'er wasn't running endlessly. She was observing Yelü Hongge's moves. Once she had a plan, she began to counterattack.
Her whip danced with great force, like a silver snake or a swimming dragon, dazzling the eyes. Yelü Hongge tried to grab the whip several times but was easily evaded by Li Man'er. She leaped high, kicking towards Yelü Hongge's chest. He blocked it easily with his arm, but his waist was entwined by Li Man'er's whip.
She landed gracefully and yanked the whip fiercely, attempting to throw Yelü Hongge. However, he remained motionless, as if he didn't care about her strength at all.
The Xizhou guards cheered loudly, as if Yelü Hongge had already won, looking at A'si with challenging glares.
A'si remained unfazed, but inwardly thought, the Princess's strength is considerable; she shouldn't be unable to pull Yelü Hongge. She's doing this perhaps to mislead, and must have a plan.
A'si understood Li Man'er well; she never did anything without expecting a return.
At this moment, Yelü Hongge grabbed the whip and pulled it towards himself inch by inch. Li Man'er's face turned red, as if she was using all her strength to resist his brute force. However, her steps were slowly moving towards Yelü Hongge, as if she had been put at a disadvantage.
"Look, Princess Anning seems to be moving."
"A woman's strength is naturally inferior to a man's. If she used her clever techniques to win like before, perhaps she would still have a chance."
"Fighting with brute force is indeed a poor strategy."
Li Man'er and Yelü Hongge drew closer. Suddenly, Yelü Hongge exerted great force, tugging the whip towards himself with both arms. He had calculated that he would pull Li Man'er into his embrace and steal a kiss in public. Then, even if Li Man'er wanted to marry the Ninth Prince, she wouldn't be able to.
Li Man'er cried out in surprise, seemingly having lost her grip and her balance, lunging towards Yelü Hongge.
A'si's palms were sweaty, and he almost shouted out.
A hint of terror flashed in Li Man'er's eyes. Yelü Hongge secretly rejoiced, his hands naturally reaching out to embrace Li Man'er.
Just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Li Man'er's whip suddenly shot forward, pressing against Yelü Hongge's abdomen. A current immediately surged through Yelü Hongge's entire body, causing his limbs to twitch uncontrollably. His eyelids rolled back, and he fell straight down.
Li Man'er let out a cold snort. "Little brat, you won't escape getting electrocuted."