Chapter 28: The Trial and the Unexpected Arm Wrestle

Amplified by magic, the powerful shout naturally had its desired effect. Before Wang could even fully exhale, a shadow descended from the sky. To human perception, at least, that shadow was vast enough to blot out the sun. While merely an illusion, it undeniably signaled a rapid approach.

Swoosh!

As the beating of wings ceased, the first subordinate to arrive descended from above, landing before Wang and saluting with a hand over her chest.

“Reporting for duty!”

Having spoken, Little Eagle’s head swiveled, her gaze immediately shifting diagonally. The figure standing beside Wang was instantly captured in her pupils. A smile played on Little Eagle’s lips. The person she was staring at didn’t grasp the meaning of that smile, only hearing her say:

“It seems you’ll be staying here from now on.”

“Only for the next five days, Big Sister.”

“Five days…”

Upon hearing this, Little Eagle immediately fixed her gaze on Wang Xiaole. Wang Xiaole met her eyes, shrugging and spreading her hands in a gesture that seemed to imply some things simply couldn’t be forced.

“These five days are a trial. If she grows to like life here, she can stay permanently.”

Cai, standing nearby, offered a faint protest:

“Excuse me, but why would I have to stay here just because I like it?”

“Now, now. Adults are speaking; children shouldn’t interrupt.”

Though the words sounded soothing, Cai still dodged the hand reaching for her head.

“I’m already an adult!”

“I don’t care if you are or not.”

After forcibly preventing Cai from joining the conversation, Wang could focus solely on Little Eagle. “Compared to your suggestion, my approach better respects the individual’s will.”

Little Eagle conceded that Wang had a point. However…

“That may be true, but it would definitely be better for the little simpleton to stay here!”

“Whether it’s good or not, it’s not for us to decide on her behalf.”

Wang reached out and patted Little Eagle’s shoulder. Her meaning was precisely as she stated:

“Don’t overthink it. There’s still time, after all. Neither you nor I can predict the final outcome.”

Cai watched the two of them from the side. How should she put it? Well, in short, the Nun had a distinct feeling:

‘When she’s facing Big Sister, this adult acts so mature!’

If, when interacting with Cai, Wang felt like a mischievous child, then facing Little Eagle, the person in Cai’s eyes seemed to transform into a seasoned sage.

As Cai pondered this, she suddenly heard a rumbling sound. RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! At one moment, Cai felt a powerful tremor in the ground, as if a perceptible earthquake had suddenly struck.

On a mountain path like this, even a slightly vigorous step could kick up a considerable amount of dust into the air. Thus, a moment later, Cai clearly witnessed a large group of creatures, rushing frantically through the swirling dust, gathering before Wang.

“I’m second!”

“Coming, coming!”

“It’s not too late, is it?”

The demons, fulfilling their summons, offered a variety of replies, their appearances as diverse as their voices.

It was just as Cai had initially surmised: Some demons had only a single eye on their forehead, others boasted multiple heads and numerous arms, and the ranks even included tentacled beings. As she observed, the types of demons comprising this contingent numbered over thirty species. Furthermore, most of them bore no resemblance to human form.

“The appearances of different demon races vary so greatly…”

Cai’s unwitting murmur drew the attention of the demons, who had never before heard such a human voice. Naturally, their beady eyes swiveled towards the source of the sound.

“Leader, why is there a second human on the mountain?”

“She’s wearing… ah, she’s a holy person!”

“A female of the Leader’s own kind has appeared by her side? Could she be…”

No one knew who had started it, but the conversation quickly veered towards the uncontrollable. The demons seemed to have settled on a certain ‘truth,’ and after exchanging glances, they turned and knelt towards Cai.

“Could you be the female chosen by our Leader? Our future Big Sister?”

“Huh? I’m not…”

Cai, unsure how to explain, cast a pleading glance at Wang, hoping she would say a few words to clarify the misunderstanding her subordinates had concocted.

But whether from aversion to trouble or some other reason, Wang merely returned Cai’s gaze with a mischievous smile, showing no intention of dispelling the misconception.

Meanwhile, the demons continued to chant respectfully:

“Greetings, Big Sister!”

“Greetings, Big Sister!”

These demons, out of respect for their Leader, collectively maintained a polite demeanor towards Cai. Since their Leader was also human, they harbored no dissatisfaction regarding Cai’s identity, only a slight query:

“For Big Sister to catch the Leader’s eye, she must be incredibly powerful, yet why can’t we sense any power fluctuations from her?”

“Power? I don’t have any…”

“Don’t just look at appearances; she’s actually very formidable!”

Wang, with a louder shout, drowned out Cai’s voice, then stepped forward, grabbing one of Cai’s arms and raising it high above her head.

“See? This seemingly slender arm can actually unleash terrifying monstrous strength. Even I am no match for her!”

It was a glaring lie. However, coming directly from their Leader, Wang, it was difficult for the majority of the demons, who were completely unaware, to discern the truth from falsehood. Even Little Eagle found herself momentarily questioning the claim.

Seizing the opportunity while the demons’ minds were in disarray, Cai immediately whispered in a voice audible only to the two of them:

‘What are you talking about? I’ve never known myself to have any power.’

The person beside her chuckled softly in response:

‘Don’t be such a killjoy. You can’t expose the lie publicly, can you? Hehehe, just play along and give me some face for this game!’

Those who possessed power were more readily acknowledged by demons. Now, Wang intended to fabricate a lie, making her subordinates fear Cai’s strength. Only in this way could Cai more easily secure her place here, rather than constantly relying on her ‘Big Sister’ status to command respect.

Knowing that seeing was believing, Wang resolved to employ a direct method to convince her subordinates of the earlier fabrication. In other words, a contest was necessary. Just as Wang had claimed the ‘Leader’s’ throne years ago through a certain contest, the upcoming challenge would be no different.

It would be an arm wrestling match! As mentioned before, this was the ultimate primal sport, a contest of strength, wisdom, and luck. Typically, arm wrestling required a ‘table,’ but since none was available, they had to improvise.

Wang extended her left arm horizontally, straightening it completely, then supported her raised right hand with it, using her arm as the surface. After this maneuver, she gestured to Cai, saying:

“Come on, get ready to arm wrestle with me.”

“Huh?”

‘Don’t just stand there, do as I say. Foolish woman, use all your might. I’ll pretend to lose to you in front of everyone later!’

Cai didn’t quite understand the situation, but prompted by the urgency, she still raised her right arm.

‘No matter how weak her opponent was, surely she couldn’t fail to grasp a victory handed to her on a silver platter.’

‘The outcome of this fake contest was guaranteed!’

Immediately, Cai pressed her right wrist against Wang’s left arm, and the countdown began:

“Three… zero… Begin!”

Little Eagle completed the countdown, which should have lasted much longer, with only two numbers. Cai, concerned about Big Sister’s grasp of basic arithmetic, cast her a look of mild concern.

“What are you looking at? I know there’s a two and a one after, but isn’t it better to start early?”

“Then why didn’t Big Sister just count down from one?”

“Skipping numbers during a countdown feels more interesting.”

“I see…”

“Hey, stop chatting.”

While Cai was distracted, conversing with Little Eagle, Wang didn’t seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. At Wang’s insistence, her opponent began to focus on the contest.

Cai’s memories of work far outnumbered her memories of play. Regarding arm wrestling, or rather, its techniques, she only recalled one point: Apparently, one shouldn’t exert full strength at the very beginning of an arm wrestling match. Otherwise, despite gaining an immediate advantage, one would quickly exhaust their strength and suffer a crushing defeat. It was the same principle as running a race!

With this thought, Cai reined in her meager strength, merely tensing her arm quite ordinarily at the outset.

Coincidentally, at the same moment, Wang was thinking:

‘The foolish woman is definitely an amateur at this; she’ll use all her strength from the start.’

‘I should be serious at the beginning, that way I can create the impression that I put in some effort before my impending defeat.’

One side, already weak, held back even further. The other side, originally strong, instantly unleashed a tenth of her power. Two seconds later, the most predictable outcome naturally became reality.

Cai’s body, along with her completely pinned arm, rapidly toppled towards the ground!

From a third-person perspective, it appeared as though Wang had acted mercilessly, intending to throw Cai straight to the ground.

‘Is this the script I was given?’

Wang hadn’t intended for this to happen, and she was puzzled by how weak her opponent was; a mere touch had sent her toppling.

Before Cai could hit the ground in a side-fall, Wang initiated corrective measures. At this moment, Cai’s body was merely tilting to one side, not yet fully fallen. Seizing the scant time available, Wang acted, raising her right hand, which had been pinning Cai’s arm, high into the air, performing a motion akin to tossing someone upwards.

Cai blinked once, only to find herself half a meter in the air, her body still plummeting diagonally.

To counteract this, Wang raised both hands, attempting to catch her from the front. The instant her hands made contact with Cai, she placed her left hand beneath Cai’s shoulder, her fingers tucked into Cai’s left armpit, and her right hand beneath Cai’s knees. Wang lifted both hands, catching Cai and seamlessly transitioning into an embrace. In later generations, this method of carrying would come to be known as a ‘princess carry.’