Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 43.2

Part 2

Rong Xie thought, Fortunately, the content of this competition isn’t too outrageous. Competing is fine.

The lotus boat was a small boat pointed at both ends, seating only two people. Those who hadn’t rowed such a boat easily lost their balance. However, this was no problem for Shen Bingsi at all.

After the competition started, a dozen lotus boats wobbled off from different starting points. Burly male paddlers paddled vigorously in front, while girls sat in the back to stabilize and watch the direction. Villagers on the shore shouted cheers loudly…

Just then, a lotus boat cut through the wind and waves, rushing into the lotus pond. With a whoosh, it disappeared. Only a straight water line and white waves hitting the shore proved that a boat had indeed passed through here.

“Eee-hee, what went by just now?”

“Seems like the boat of those two outsiders?”

“Impossible. How could anyone row a boat as fast as a waterbird?!”

Shen Bingsi didn’t use spiritual power, only some of the physical strength of a top-tier sword cultivator. In the process of his frantic rowing, the tall lotus leaves in the pond toppled to both sides.

At this moment, if someone looked down from high above, they would see a path artificially cut through the dense lotus pond—straight, precise, leading directly to the finish line.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Shen Bingsi had already rowed out from the other side of the lotus pond. He rolled his shoulders, jumped ashore, and then turned back to help Rong Xie.

The villager registering at the finish line stared at the two dumbfounded. Only upon Shen Bingsi’s reminder did he take out the booklet and let the two register their names.

“S-Second round.”

When half the contestants had come ashore and gathered again, the atmosphere became completely different from before.

Everyone looked at Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi, intentionally or unintentionally. Outsiders, terrifying as such.

The loud-voiced girl’s voice was also uncertain. The strength of the outsiders was unfathomable. Would the top prize of this year’s Flower King Hegemony Competition be snatched by outsiders? That was unprecedented! Where would the young men and women of Lotus Town put their faces?

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“Fellow villagers, townspeople, lads and lasses! We must do our best! We can’t let the outsiders look down on us! The second round of competition is—Betting on Spiders!”

The onlookers shouted, cheering for the local youth. The participating teams also rubbed their fists and wiped their palms, showing determination to win back a round.

“Betting on Spiders” meant placing spiders in closed boxes, leaving them for a period, and then uncovering the lids to see how much silk the spiders had spun. The more silk spun, the better. The team with the most won.

This round relied purely on luck. When choosing boxes, one couldn’t see the spiders inside—whether they were big or small, hungry or full. Shen Bingsi had agreed not to use spiritual power or spiritual sense to probe. So, there was no certainty in this round. After choosing a box, they just waited for the result.

“Has everyone chosen?” The loud-voiced girl came out to host again. “We have to wait half an hour for the results. While everyone gets ready, let’s proceed to the third round of competition!”

“The third round is the highlight of this Flower King Hegemony Competition, a classic retained event! I believe everyone knows what Lotus Town is most famous for—”

“Lotus Embroidery!” the local youth and onlookers shouted in unison.

Shen Bingsi looked around, then at Rong Xie. Rong Xie shook his head; every place had its own customs, and he really didn’t know this one.

Shen Bingsi frowned slightly. The third round wouldn’t be asking him to embroider handkerchiefs, would it?

That had nothing to do with chemistry.

But then again, the second round had nothing to do with chemistry either—or even strength. Small town competitions were just random like that.

Thinking this, Shen Bingsi still rolled up his sleeves, revealing forearms with smooth muscle lines.

Even if it was an embroidery competition, with his eyesight and hand stability, these mortals couldn’t hope to catch up. Just tell him how to embroider, and he could embroider the most awesome handkerchief!

That’s right, his competitive spirit was that strong. Either don’t play, or play to win!

The loud-voiced girl signaled the crowd to quiet down and announced the third round: Threading Needles.

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Long embroidery tables were set up from one side of the street to the other. The two members of each team stood on opposite sides of the table and couldn’t cross over.

Where they stood, colorful embroidery threads and a box of needles of various sizes were already prepared.

What they needed to do was, within the time of one incense stick, for one person to hold the needles and the other to hold the thread, threading as many needles as possible onto the colorful thread. Whoever threaded the most won.

“Remember, the rule is that both can only use one hand, and you cannot touch each other,” the loud-voiced girl announced. “If there are no questions, let’s begin now!”

“Wait!”

At the head of the table, Shen Bingsi, standing in the current first-place position, raised his hand, signaling the loud-voiced girl not to rush the start and to listen to him first.

“Mn?”

“One question. If we get first place in two rounds, does it mean we are definitely first in the end?” Shen Bingsi asked in a deep voice.

“Yes.” The loud-voiced girl nodded.

“Very good.” He revealed a satisfied smile. “Although there are some inexplicable segments, overall, it is still a competition witnessing chemistry and strength. Let the Flower King grow in the water; I want those two lotus-patterned handkerchiefs.”

Shen Bingsi’s attitude was determined to win.

The loud-voiced girl opened her mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment, so she just announced the start of the competition.

…

Before the incense stick had finished burning, the competition ended without suspense.

Shen Bingsi pulled the colorful thread taut. A row of needles hung glistening on it, varying in size and thickness, but arranged perfectly so that adjacent needles differed by only one size. When pulled up as a whole, they looked as neat as short tassels on a sedan chair roof.

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The crowd gasped.

What kind of perfectionist spirit was this? Ordinary people just hoped to get the needles on the thread. These terrifying outsiders actually considered aesthetics as well. Moreover, the needles on their thread seemed to outnumber everyone else’s combined. What was going on?

The former palace weaver and judge of this Flower King Hegemony Competition, Granny Huang, who had been resting under the pergola, walked up. Seeing the thread Shen Bingsi held up, her eyebrows flew up.

“Young man, did you thread this?” Granny Huang looked Shen Bingsi up and down. The scene of him rushing into the lotus pond earlier had left a deep impression on her. “I didn’t expect… young people nowadays not only have great strength but also possess finesse within boldness, performing such amazing craftsmanship!”

Shen Bingsi always respected elders with skills. Hearing Granny Huang praise him like this, he immediately said seriously, “You praise me too much. I didn’t thread these. I just held the thread still.”

“These are all the work of my best friend, Rong Xie.” Shen Bingsi stepped aside, exposing Rong Xie to the most prominent position.

Many gazes focused on Rong Xie. Granny Huang nodded repeatedly with surprise and gratification. Rong Xie felt a bit awkward, but he had to admit, becoming the focus of the entire venue and being looked at with admiration felt quite nice.

With the results of two rounds out, the remaining spider-in-a-box round wasn’t that important anymore.

“Although I’m reluctant to admit it, facts are facts…” The loud-voiced girl sighed. “The first place in the threading competition—the pride and highlight of Lotus Town—goes to our outsiders!”

Hearing this result, the local youth weren’t surprised, but they felt quite defeated.

“However, for letting us see such a wonderful competition process, we should thank our outsider team!”

“And, announcing the final result of the Flower King Hegemony Competition—the ‘Qixi Festival’s Most Compatible Couple Made in Heaven’ is our outsiders, Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie!”

As soon as these words came out, the participating youth and local villagers cheered enthusiastically. Everyone took out the fresh flowers and fragrant herbs they had prepared in advance and threw them at the two surrounded in the center.

Shen Bingsi stood there as if struck by lightning, unable to speak, standing like a wooden stake while being slapped in the face by oncoming petals and herbs.

What! What did she say this was! Isn’t this the Flower King Hegemony Competition?! Why did the words “Qixi” (Chinese Valentine’s Day) appear!

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