You Er and Qi Er exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Alright."

The Second Master laughed; these kids really were as fearless as young calves not afraid of tigers.

Sending two of them up at once made it easy to gauge these two youngsters’ abilities.

If, by chance, they managed to win the first two rounds, it wouldn’t matter; he and the First Master would personally take the stage in the end.

No way could they not handle these two young brats.

Forget the prized horse, he was determined to get his hands on the ten thousand taels of silver!

You Er suddenly gathered his breath and shouted, "I have a request."

"Blades and swords have no eyes, and if by chance the horses get hurt, it wouldn’t be good. How about we just fight with fists and feet?"

The Second Master laughed at You Er’s suggestion, "Alright, I too wouldn’t want to injure the prized horse."

"Let’s settle it with fists and feet then."

You Er added, "How will we know who loses? We have important matters to attend to, and fighting for days without a conclusion would waste our time!"

The Second Master frowned; this kid really did have too many demands.

Irritated, he replied, "How about losing if you hit the ground?"

You Er nodded, "Alright, it’s a deal."

At this moment, Qi Er and You Er exchanged a glance, and simultaneously took a few steps back, away from the horses.

You Er whispered, "Bro, it’s a war of attrition; the faster we deal the better, the more we delay, the more our stamina will fail us."

Qi Er nodded.

The Second Master surveyed the area and signaled at the other side, "Xiao Zhuo, Zhuozi, you two go first."

Xiao Zhuo and Zhuozi were some of the outstanding young men in the mountain hideout, having trained for a year with the First Master. They improved rapidly.

The main thing was, these two youngsters were strong.

The two young men descended from the mountain into the valley.

Qi Er and You Er stood back-to-back, both already in position.

Xiao Zhuo and Zhuozi were both tall and brawny, Zhuozi’s fists were twice the size of You Er’s.

You Er saw Zhuozi’s fist coming and dodged low, sweeping at his lower body with his leg.

Qi Er’s height was about the same as Xiao Zhuo’s, but his build seemed much thinner in comparison.

When Xiao Zhuo punched, he quickly dodged his head to the side, swiftly attacking Xiao Zhuo’s lower body in return.

Qi Er and You Er both noticed that although these two had strength, they lacked technique, especially with unstable footing, which suggested they hadn’t trained for long.

And to make them fall, attacking the lower body was the quickest way.

Having always been guided by renowned masters, and at times even personally by the Duke, You Er and Qi Er’s technique and reaction speed were top-notch, though their strength and inner strength weren’t yet adequate for their age.

Even so, they took down Xiao Zhuo and Zhuozi in one encounter.

The Second Master frowned; it had been far too quick; he hadn’t yet discerned these kids’ martial arts styles.

He first ordered someone to call the First Master, then singled out two others.

These two were the most formidable fighters in the hideout, aside from the few leaders.

For the sake of a swift victory, You Er and Qi Er fought fiercely; the two bandits, being fond of their lives, kept dodging left and right. One, caught off guard, was knocked down by Qi Er. Just as Qi Er turned to assist You Er, You Er kicked the other’s kneecap, causing him to collapse as well.

Qi Er and You Er stood back-to-back, panting.

The mountain bandits fell into silence. If their side had won, the whole mountain would be roaring with cheers by now.

But now, several of their reputed skilled fighters had lost to two boys, an awkward situation indeed.