“Huh? A duel?” Zeng Liang still stared with his dead fish eyes, calmly watching Basho read aloud.

“That’s right! Let this student who looks like a bird be the referee!” Basho pointed at Xiao Tan.

“I’m a falcon…” Although he felt it was unnecessary to say, Xiao Tan still corrected him.

“So… the time has finally come to teach this smug disciple a lesson…” Basho said to himself, ignoring the two’s reactions, and in the next second… he ripped open his shirt.

His kimono was a one-piece, and because it was tied with a belt, even if he untied the upper part of his clothes, the whole thing wouldn't fall off.

“Ultimate secret…” Basho stood straight with his bare chest, legs slightly apart. Then he raised his hands, straightened his palms, and made them parallel to his forearms. Then… he was like a crab waving its claws, swinging his arms up and down, and said with a constipated expression, “Take this! Matsuo Thousand-Hand Guanyin!”

“Isn’t that just two hands…” Xiao Tan looked at this guy clowning around and was too tired to retort.

“Hahaha… you’re shocked, aren’t you.” Basho smiled smugly and looked at Zeng Liang, “This move… uses the high-speed movement of both hands to create multiple afterimages, turning into the appearance of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin…”

“Didn’t you hear him say it’s only two hands…” Zeng Liang replied coldly.

“Eh? Aren’t there more hands?” Basho was stunned for a moment.

“No…” Xiao Tan replied in a very affirmative tone.

Hearing this, Basho increased the frequency of his hand movements a little: “How about this?”

“Useless…” Xiao Tan gave an even more thorough denial.

“Is that so… I see…” Basho murmured thoughtfully, and the movements of his hands gradually slowed down, “Then… never mind…”

At this point, he quickly put on his clothes again in a flash of lightning, and with a flash of inspiration, said, “I’ve got it! Let’s decide the winner with haiku!”

“That’s too abrupt!” Xiao Tan exclaimed, “Speaking of… if you used the speed of putting on clothes to swing your hands, you might really be able to create afterimages!”

“Hehehe…” Basho ignored Xiao Tan’s words again, put on a gloomy face, and said in a terrifying tone, “The rule is… from now on, all my conversations with Zeng Liang-kun must be in the five-seven-five format…”

“So you’re the one setting the rules…” Xiao Tan murmured, “I thought I was the referee…”

“Alright! The match begins!” Basho interrupted Xiao Tan again before he could finish speaking, and shouted loudly.

On the other side, Zeng Liang was as calm as ever, and quickly said, “I say, Basho (five), the things you like to eat (seven), what are they exactly (five)?”

“I love to eat sea urchin.” Basho blurted out almost immediately.

After the two finished speaking, silence fell…

About five seconds later, Basho shouted in anger and unreasonable agitation, “Not yet! I haven’t lost yet!”

“Uh… whether you’ve lost or not should be decided by me, the referee…” Xiao Tan’s mouth twitched, and he continued, “But to be honest… does a victory or defeat that’s so obvious really need a referee…”

“Even now…” Basho still ignored Xiao Tan, stubbornly rushed to Zeng Liang and said, “…Only swimming then! Let’s decide the winner by swimming!” He pointed to the side, “The duel will be in that small river over there, whoever swims to the big rock upstream first wins!”

“Alright.” Zeng Liang replied calmly.

“Eh?” Xiao Tan wasn’t worried about the young and strong Zeng Liang, but… Basho, this guy, was really unreliable, “That’s too much! Basho-san!” He also glanced at the river, “The river’s current is very fast!”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Basho grabbed Xiao Tan’s wing and headed straight for the river, “I insist on competing!”

…

Two minutes later…

Wang Tanzhi, Matsuo Basho, and Kawai Zengliang… arrived at the river.

Although it was in the town, such small rivers still existed. Because it was connected to the city's sewage pipes, the river water was not very clean, and the current was quite rapid.

“Enough small talk, I’ll call the start!” As soon as the three of them stood on the riverbank, Basho couldn’t wait to walk to the front, “Get on your marks…”

Before the word “marks” could be uttered, one of his feet had already stepped into the water. In less than half a second… his whole body slipped down, and he shouted inexplicably, “First departure!” (a pun that sounds like a finishing move).

“First departure?” Xiao Tan repeated in disbelief, and watched Basho… being washed away by the water.

“Ah! The water is so fast!” Basho, who was instantly carried more than ten meters by the current, finally showed a look of panic, “Wait a minute… what the hell? I can’t swim! I don’t want to play anymore! Eee… hee…”

Seeing this scene, Zeng Liang, standing on the bank, still said to Xiao Tan in a lukewarm tone, “Did you see that (five), Matsuo Basho in the river (seven), washed away by the water (five).”

“What are you leisurely doing over there! Your master has been washed away!” Xiao Tan roared, “Also… why are you still talking in the five-seven-five format!”

…

Fifteen minutes later…

Two kilometers downstream.

“We’ve walked so far and still haven’t seen a trace, where did he get washed to…” Xiao Tan walked beside Zeng Liang, muttering to himself.

“The riverbed downstream has become shallower, he’ll probably stop somewhere.” Compared to Xiao Tan, Zeng Liang’s attitude seemed even colder, as if the one washed away by the water was just a stranger… no, it should be said… someone not even as good as a stranger.

Before the two could finish speaking, a light green figure appeared in Xiao Tan’s vision.

His falcon vision was very powerful now, he could see things very far away, so he saw at a glance… that it was Basho’s lower body stuck upside down in the riverbed.

To make a long story short, with the joint efforts of Xiao Tan and Zeng Liang, Basho was soon pulled out of the river.

“Basho-san… are you okay?” Xiao Tan asked, looking at the disheveled Basho.

After getting ashore, Basho, covered in water, lay on the ground, looking exhausted: “Thanks to you, I was saved…” He paused and explained, “My head was caught between the rocks on the riverbed, that’s why I was floating upside down like that.”

“I say… Basho-san.” Xiao Tan said, “You proposed a swimming duel yourself, and ended up being washed away… that’s embarrassing enough, don’t expose such unflattering details…”

“Nonsense!” Basho perked up as soon as he caught his breath, “I, haisei (俳聖, a great haiku poet) Matsuo Basho… did it to protect the villages downstream, that’s why I jumped into the river and used my proud muscles to withstand the torrent…”

“Is this blatant nonsense also part of the *Basho Legend*…” Xiao Tan replied with narrowed eyes.

But Basho’s nonsense didn’t stop there, he continued: “However… Zeng Liang-kun, my disciple, who saw this scene, became jealous of the handsome Matsuo… or, in short, Handsome Tail… so he…”

“Smear your bear face!” Zeng Liang slapped him, shutting Basho up.

“Looks like your method is effective after all…” Xiao Tan said.

“Of course.” Zeng Liang replied.

“Damn it…” Basho was still unconvinced, he stood up with a whoosh, “Listen up… there’s one last duel…”

“Are you still not giving up…” Xiao Tan rubbed his forehead and shook his head.

At this moment, he only hoped to end this side quest quickly, lest he suffer any indelible mental damage.

“Hehehehe…” The confidence in Basho’s smile was simply unbelievable, “That’s right… at the very end… let’s decide the winner by handsomeness!”

He suddenly turned his head and pointed at Xiao Tan, “This classmate, as the referee, you must make a good judgment in this match!”

“Eh? You still remember I’m a referee…” Xiao Tan was stunned, “Speaking of… I didn’t have a chance to make a judgment before at all.”

“Are you ready? Zeng Liang-kun!” Basho took half a step back and looked at Xiao Tan, “Now~ classmate, which one of us, Zeng Liang-kun or I, is more handsome? Please speak from your heart!”

“Zeng Liang-kun.” Xiao Tan’s answer came so quickly.

“You bastard…” Basho jumped up in desperation, “What the hell!” He shouted as he rushed towards Xiao Tan.

“Hmm? What’s going on? A fight?” This time, Xiao Tan was caught off guard, he thought that no battle would be triggered in this goofy script, so he was completely unprepared…

But he saw Basho grab Xiao Tan’s collar, push him to the ground, and then… put his other hand into his hair and start scattering dandruff…

“Feel the wrath of the god of haiku! Snow Dance Nine Heavens!” Basho shouted out the name of the move full of chuunibyou energy.

At this moment… Xiao Tan was deeply shocked.

Looking at the dandruff floating on his face, he was speechless, and he didn’t want to get up and resist, because… he felt it was too cruel to argue with this kind of clown.

“Sigh… forget it…” At this time, Zeng Liang-kun sighed, “I’ll concede.”

“Eh?” Hearing this, Basho immediately stopped his movements, “Really? Then I’m the suave and handsome Suave Tail?”

“Ah… yes, yes…” Zeng Liang replied weakly, “Suave Tail.”

“What~ so I won after all~” Basho instantly put on a harmless expression, stopped his “Snow Dance Nine Heavens”, and took something out of his pocket, placing it in Xiao Tan’s hand, “Anyway, thank you, classmate…”

Before he could finish speaking, he pulled Zeng Liang away and waved to Xiao Tan from afar, “Bye bye~”

[Side Quest Completed]

[Special Script Additional Reward: Basho-san’s Horse Fly Plushie]

When Xiao Tan came back to his senses, the two had already walked away, and the system voice indicated… that the “thing” Basho had stuffed into his hand before leaving was the reward for this mission.