Wu Tian had anticipated Yuan Hai's taunts; the guy was never going to stop.
He looked at Yuan Hai's mocking smile and replied with a smile of his own, "What, you're still here, so why should I leave?"
"I heard you're very capable. If that's the case, shouldn't you let me witness your might?"
Yuan Hai sneered, "Some things can be witnessed, but some things, I advise you to witness less."
"Lest you cry when you're scared, with nowhere to find your mother!"
Yuan Hai's taunt was met with hearty laughter from his companions, sounding like a flock of crows cawing.
Wu Tian, however, paid it no mind, merely smiling lightly, "You probably don't have the ability to make me cry."
"I'm just afraid some people will explode with anger later, with nowhere to vent their frustration."
Yuan Hai retorted, "Kid, keep talking tough. The competition has already started anyway, so no matter how tough you talk, it's useless."
"Do I not know your capabilities?"
"I reckon you don't even know what a Shenxian Cao is!"
Wu Tian said, "Instead of wasting your breath here with me, you'd be better off thinking about what to do later."
"What if you've been taunting me all this time, but in the end, you can't do anything? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
"I can't do it? I can't do it?" Yuan Hai continued to laugh heartily.
"Kid, don't judge me with your limited vision. I'm telling you, you're not worthy!"
"I've known how to inspect Shenxian Cao since I was three years old. Just watch closely later, and see how amazing the Shenxian Cao I find is!"
Wu Tian was accustomed to Yuan Hai's self-praise, so he simply smiled faintly, "Is that so? Then I look forward to you surprising me!"
Just as the tension between the two sides was at its peak, that playful female voice rang out again, "Yuan Hai, don't you feel uncomfortable if you don't stir up trouble every day?"
Wu Tian looked towards the source of the voice and indeed saw the girl approaching.
Upon hearing the voice, Yuan Hai's eyes lit up.
He quickly turned his head and said with pleasant surprise, "Xiao Meng? You're here. Did you come specifically to find me?"
Xiao Meng pouted, "Stop being so narcissistic. Who's looking for you? I just can't stand your behavior!"
"Everyone participating in this competition wants to bring glory to the country. Shouldn't we be united?"
"But what's your intention? Are you trying to cause internal strife?"
In front of Xiao Meng, Yuan Hai completely lost his arrogant demeanor.
He chuckled, "Xiao Meng, you misunderstand me. I'm not trying to cause internal strife. We have a personal grudge!"
"This kid offended me earlier and still hasn't apologized!"
"Tell me, shouldn't I trouble a guy like this?"
Xiao Meng's eyebrows furrowed, "I don't care what grievances you have, but I must tell you, you can't cause trouble for others here."
"Otherwise, I'll report to my father, and see if he'll disqualify you!"
Hearing this, Yuan Hai's expression changed slightly.
He continued to flatter with a smile, "Don't do that, Xiao Meng. We're childhood sweethearts, aren't we? Are you really going to disrespect me like this?"
Xiao Meng said unhappily, "What childhood sweethearts? I didn't play with you much when I was little. In any case, you don't need to tell me this."
"If you want to compete, then compete properly. If you don't want to compete, then get out!"
Yuan Hai was somewhat afraid of Xiao Meng, so he quickly nodded, "I understand, I understand. It's because your dad is the chairman. I'll leave now, hehe."
After chuckling, Yuan Hai adjusted his expression and said grimly to Wu Tian, "Kid, you're lucky this time that Xiao Meng is speaking up for you!"
"But remember this, our business won't end so easily!"
"When you're eliminated later, be prepared to be trampled under my feet!"
Xiao Meng put her hands on her hips and exclaimed, "Hey, hey, hey, did you hear what I said? What are you still rambling about?"
"I warn you, if you don't leave now, I'll really call someone!"
Yuan Hai quickly said, "I'm going, I'm going! Since Miss Xiao has spoken, how could I possibly refuse to leave!"
"Oh, right. Tonight I'm hosting a banquet to celebrate my victory in the provincial preliminaries. I hope Miss Xiao will grace me with her presence!"
Xiao Meng glared at him, "With me here, what kind of banquet are you holding? Do you think you can win against me?"
"But don't worry, when I host a banquet, I definitely won't invite you!"
Yuan Hai gave an awkward laugh but didn't say much more to Xiao Meng, leading his companions away.
"Really, that guy is just terrible," Xiao Meng murmured. "The competition has just started, and he's already thinking about hosting a banquet. How conceited can he be?"
After muttering, Xiao Meng turned her gaze back to Wu Tian.
She smiled charmingly, "Hey, how are you? Did they do anything to you?"
Wu Tian was still a bit stunned. Snapping back to reality, he shook his head, "They didn't do anything to me. Thank you for speaking up for me."
Xiao Meng waved her hand, "Alright, alright. I just can't stand him. He's always showing off, it's so annoying."
Wu Tian eyed Xiao Meng with a strange look, then smiled, "I just didn't expect you to be Chairman Xiao Ding's daughter. That's quite surprising."
Xiao Meng's eyes widened again, and she said indignantly, "Hey, what do you mean by that?"
"So what if I'm the chairman's daughter? My strength is no worse than that guy Yuan Hai's. I earned my spot through my own efforts!"
"If you have any strange ideas, don't blame me for getting angry!"
Wu Tian quickly said, "No, no, you misunderstand me. I was just making an exclamation, nothing else!"
Wu Tian's heart was pounding. He hadn't expected Xiao Meng to have such a temper; he had really said the wrong thing unintentionally.
Xiao Meng pouted and huffed, "You'd better not look down on me, or I'll definitely blow your mind away!"
After saying that, Xiao Meng huffed again, then turned and left.
Wu Tian could only smile helplessly, then focused his attention back on the competition.