Chapter 124
Lucian closed his eyes right before the blood was shot at his face. However, as the spat of blood
contained all of Jonathan''s vitality, it still managed to pierce his eyeballs through his eyelids.
If he were not so eager to kill Jonathan and instead waited till his cultivation reached the Nascent Soul
stage and for his vigor to be fully formed, then that spat of blood would not have dealt any damage at
all.
Lucian''s vitality was at its most intense and hence most unstable state when the blood hit him. With his
eyes wounded, his vitality was subsequently shattered as well.
“Ah!” the man screamed. Shaken to the core, he stumbled backward and copsed to the ground. The
parts that used to be his eyes were just two bloody holes, with blood still pouring out of them. Wrecked
with pain and humiliation, Lucian waspletely devoid of the air of elegance he used to exude.
He held a shaky hand against the wound. His vitality, shattered, was in a dangerous condition, and he
could lose control of himself at any moment. Blindly, Lucian left the ring and rushed out from the back.
As for Jonathan, he was also hurt. Unfortunately, the injuries were not minor. At that moment, he could
feel his vitality coursing through his body in a turbulent manner. Lucian''s attack had wounded his
internal organs. His lungs were also seriously injured as he had expended all his energy on spatting the
blood at Lucian. Dizzy with pain, he could hardly stand up. Still, injuries or otherwise, Jonathan knew
he had won since Lucian voluntarily stepped out of the ring, which would be counted as a forfeit.
Polly and the others hurried to Jonathan''s side and helped him down from the ring.
With that, the first half of the Golden Sword Tournament had concluded.
Amber and Yasmin were on either side of Jonathan, holding him up. Guarded by Polly and Jessica, the
group quickly made their way out of the tournament venue and into the Mercedes-Benz, still driven by
Donovan.
Once in the car, Jonathan rested with his eyes closed.
Though Jessica and the rest were worried about his well-being, they dared not disturb his rest lest his
condition worsened.
“Should we send him to the hospital?” Amber asked Polly in a muted voice.
“His internal organs are probably injured. The hospital can treat him, but it''d take at least three months
of rest for him to recover. Not to mention that his wounds might not even bepletely healed,” Polly
said quietly. She paused before continuing, “But you don''t have to be overly worried. Jonathan is able
to heal himself. He''ll adjust his vitality ordingly to mend the internal injuries. Even so, this will still
take around ten days, which means he won''t be able to continue participating in the Golden Sword
Tournament.”
“It''s better that he''s not participating,” Jessica said immediately.
Both Yasmin and Amber were thinking of the same thing.
Polly''s brows puckered in a frown. “You know as well as I do that Jonathan has signed that form. It''s
considered a forfeit if he discontinues his participation, and it''ll be seen as a breach of terms.
Strikezone Martial Arts did so much just so they could settle their grudge with Jonathan in the
tournament. There''s no telling what they''d resort to if he were to withdraw.”
“But look at how hurt Jonathan is,” Amber said, clenching her teeth in anger. “There''s no way he can
continue to take part. He''ll die if he does. To hell with Strikezone Martial Arts! If they dare do anything
funny, I''ll go up against them with everything I''ve got.” It was clear that she cared about Jonathan a lot.
However, the feeling was not born out of romance. Rather, it was a testament to the friendship she had
with him.
Polly let out a sigh. “It''s not that simple, Amber. I know you have connections, but Strikezone Martial
Arts is more powerful than you think. Its leader, Edward Weiss, in particr, is extremely strong. If he
wants one dead, that person is doomed for sure. Let''s say Jonathan withdraws from the tournament
because of his severe injuries. Strikezone Martial Arts would then take this opportunity to send
someone to assassinate him and have the world believe that the cause of his death is his fatal injuries
from the fight with Lucian.” She paused to let the others take in her words. Then, she continued, “On
the other hand, if Jonathan were to continue the tournament and win, it would be more difficult for
Strikezone Martial Arts to do anything to him because of the promise they made to Amber''s
grandfather.”
“But it''s impossible for Jonathan to continue taking part in the tournament!” Amber eximed anxiously.
Frowning, Polly contemted for a while before saying, “It''s indeed a problem. I can only think of one
solution...”
The other women perked up. “What is it?”
“Well, Strikezone Martial Arts is probably already monitoring our every move. It''s unlikely that we''ll be
able to send Jonathan to Yaleview, where Amber''s grandfather is, without the martial arts center''s
knowledge. They''ll stop us for sure. But we might be able to seek help from Mabel Sandler. She''s
working for such a powerful and secretive organization. Maybe she has ways to help Jonathan,” Polly
exined.
The fact that Jonathan was injured was an unexpected development that made things more
complicated.
Because of his injuries, Jonathan was in a dangerous situation.
Strikezone Martial Arts did not foresee such a turn of events, but after everything they had done, it was
almost certain they would not let him walk away alive.
Every martial artist could guess what Strikezone Martial Arts was trying to do when someone as strong
as Jareth appeared in the tournament in advance. Along that vein, they were able to deduce whether
Strikezone Martial Arts was behind the scenes of the tournament.
Regardless, Strikezone Martial Arts had expended all efforts to kill Jonathan, yet every attempt of theirs
had ended in failure. If it went on, the organization would be aughing stock in the martial arts
world.
Martial artists generally had no interest in political correctness. In the world of martial arts, where power
was everything, they hailed Strikezone Martial Arts because its fighters were the cream of the crop,
thus making the organization a terrifyingly strong entity. However, such a reputation would no longer
hold if people were to know that Strikezone Martial Arts was unable to kill Jonathan.
There would be doubts about the organization''s prowess and if it was overrated.
Amber nodded. “I''ll contact Mabel at once.”
The call was picked up a few ringster.
“Ms. Sandler, have you seen the match earlier?” Amber asked, cutting to the chase.
Mabel''s voice was calm and even. “I have.”
Her aloofness bothered Amber somewhat, but it was not something thetter had time to address.
“Jonathan''s badly hurt. He can''t participate in the Golden Sword Tournament anymore. But we all know
Strikezone Martial Arts won''t call it quits. If Jonathan were to withdraw from the tournament, they''d try
to assassinate him.”
Once Jonathan withdrew, there would be spections that he was gravely injured. If he were to die,
people would naturally assume that he died of the injuries.
Those who were sharp might have guessed that Strikezone Martial Arts was behind Jonathan''s death.
However, no one would be willing to seek justice on his behalf. His death would only serve as a
reminder to everyone that Strikezone Martial Arts was not to be messed with.
While Strikezone Martial Arts would prefer for Jonathan to be killed by one of their men during the
tournament, it would nevertheless be a good opportunity to assassinate him if he withdrew due to his
injuries. In that way, Arthur would not be able to hold them ountable.
Jonathan was hence in a precarious situation.
“What do you want me to do?” Mabel asked.
“Bring Jonathan to a safe location,” Amber said immediately. “And it has to be done discreetly.”
“I''m sorry, but I can''t do it.”
“Why not?” Amber blurted out in surprise.
“I no longer owe you or Jonathan anything. I''ve already done my best to help him. The sixth division
works to ensure national security. It''s not someone''s personal tool,” the other replied coolly.
Amber was incredulous. “Ms. Sandler, Jonathan and I see you as our friend. How can you just leave
him to die?”
“I''m sorry.” It was the only thing Mabel said before hanging up.
Stunned, Amber put away her phone. A momentter, anger started burning in the pit of her stomach. I
can''t believe she''s so heartless.
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“What''s wrong?” Polly asked.
“Ms. Sandler refused to help, didn''t she?” Yasmin asked softly.
“It''s fine.” Amber bit her bottom lip, eyes shining in determination. “I can ask my friend to contact
Faike''s gendarmerie division and get them to dispatch armed forces to protect Jonathan. Then, I''ll
ask my grandfather to send a military aircraft to deliver Jonathan to a safe ce. Strikezone Martial
Arts is powerful, but they can''t be that powerful.”
“No, don''t.” Jonathan opened his eyes suddenly.
Thedies turned to him with concerned expressions. “You''re awake! How are you feeling?”
The man took a deep breath, wincing as pain red up from his internal injuries. However, his heart
warmed when he saw the worry in their eyes. “I''m fine,” he reassured.
“Really?” All of them were overjoyed.
Though Polly was aware of Jonathan''s true condition, she chose not to expose his white lie.
Jonathan turned to Amber and said, “Even if you were to get the gendarmerie, Strikezone Martial Arts
would have made their move first before the gendarmerie could get here.”
Amber paled slightly. “What do you think we should do then?”
“Tell the tournament''s organizingmittee that I need half a day''s leave, so I won''t be taking part in
tonight''s matches. I''ll be back in the tournament by tomorrow,” he said decisively.
“Are you sure?” Amber looked uncertain. “How are you going to take part tomorrow, given your
condition?”
Yasmin and Jessica, too, looked at him anxiously.
“Don''t worry. I have a trick or two up my sleeve,” Jonathan dered, smiling.
He had said it with such confidence that thedies were reminded of the time he was framed by
Leonardo and yet solved the crisis effortlessly.
That''s right... He''s a clever one, to begin with. He''ll figure it out.
With that thought in mind, Amber and the rest were reassured by Jonathan''s words and were no longer
as worried as before.
“All right,” Polly said. “I''ll take tonight off as well and get some medication for your injuries.”
“Sure.” Jonathan nodded, knowing that thanks were unnecessary between him and Polly.
Having reached a conclusion, the group returned to Pearl Hotel.
Jonathan went to rest in his suite while Polly liaised with Morgan for approval of a leave of absence for
herself and Jonathan.
The tournament''s organizingmittee was informed of the situation as well, so they granted the two
of them a leave of absence.
Naturally, the news of Jonathan''s leave had also reached Yasir. He was frustrated that things had
deviated from his ns, so he had monitored Jonathan and thedies closely for the past two days.
When Jonathan was injured during the match against Lucian, Yasir had the feeling that the situation
would only get more derailed from what he had nned.
Like what Polly had spected, he was, in fact, contemting Jonathan''s assassination if thetter
withdrew from the tournament, as he knew it would be the only way to kill the other man. Otherwise, he
would forever lose the opportunity to kill Jonathan. After all, he could not afford to offend Arthur.
Yasir did not want to resort to assassination unless absolutely necessary. Hence, he was relieved to
hear that Jonathan would still be participating in the tournament and had merely taken half a day off.