Chapter 38: Game And Duel
Just as Jiang Ce was about to name a price, someone had already stuffed cash into his embrace.
Liang Zhi Zhou looked at Jiang Ce and said, “Let’s go.”
Jiang Ce suddenly felt a sense of panic for no reason. It wasn’t that he feared a duel with Liang Zhi Zhou, but he just felt that the current situation was a bit strange.
It was like in an anime, where a lecherous old man shoves cash into a blonde, dark-skinned high schooler’s embrace and then eagerly urges them to go upstairs together.
This was an experience Jiang Ce had never had before.
After counting the money, Jiang Ce pocketed the cash.
“Lead the way.”
Liang Zhi Zhou didn’t waste any words and turned to walk towards the martial arts field. Jiang Ce followed closely, not showing any fear.
Everyone looked at each other and then followed suit.
Before long, Lu Yun was the only one left in front of the East Hall.
He stared blankly at the departing crowd and suddenly realized something.
“No, I have to go tell the Boss!”
In Xiao Lin’s study, Tian Yongle rushed in frantically.
Xiao Lin, who was reading, showed displeasure. “How could you forget to knock?”
“Something’s happened,” Tian Yongle said urgently.
“What? Hasn’t the inciting been enough?” Xiao Lin put down his book, curious.
“No, it’s been too effective. Liang Zhi Zhou, the Confucian Path genius you planned to send to the Four Gods Hall for cultivation, has directly taken people to confront him. They’re about to go to the martial arts field for a duel.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lin nodded and reached for his book again. “Him, that’s quite reasonable. The Confucian Path emphasizes propriety, so it’s normal for him to be the first to step forward. Although he’s only Eighth Rank, Jiang Ce doesn’t know sorcery, and he’s a top contender among the Eighth Rank. Perhaps they can have a good fight. It’s a shame those Seventh Rank individuals are out on patrol, and the Sixth Rank disdain bullying newcomers, otherwise, Jiang Ce could have been given some setbacks.”
“No, I haven’t finished. Liang Zhi Zhou, you know he’s not the type to seek conflict. Initially, he probably just wanted to verbally admonish Jiang Ce. But Jiang Ce cursed out all the people who went with him, making everyone almost lose their reason.”
Xiao Lin was somewhat surprised. “Shouldn’t those who cultivate the Confucian Path have sharp tongues? So many people couldn’t outtalk one person? What did he say? Repeat it for me.”
“I don’t know,” Tian Yongle shook his head. “Lu Yun said he could never imagine saying such nasty things, and if he were to repeat them, he fears it would diminish his merit.”
“Is it that exaggerated?” Xiao Lin was even more surprised.
“More than that. Their argument also attracted a large crowd. As a result, Jiang Ce not only showed no respect for Liang Zhi Zhou but also cursed at the onlookers, directly provoking public anger.”
Xiao Lin, who thought everything was under control, was now somewhat stunned. “Is he crazy? What good would this do him? Shouldn’t he be biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity to settle the score?”
“He actually has a benefit. After he incited everyone’s animosity, Liang Zhi Zhou wanted to duel him. Then, in front of everyone, he openly set a price: one thousand cash for a single duel, three thousand for an overnight duel.”
Tian Yongle’s already troubled expression became even more melancholic:
“I reckon everyone was pushed to their limits by him. When I came, I even saw someone running towards the West Hall’s advanced training rooms, most likely looking for those Sixth Rank individuals. If you hadn’t given your orders in advance, even those Blue Talisman holders would have been somewhat restless.”
“No…” Xiao Lin was dumbfounded. “Isn’t this maximizing his animosity? It’s equivalent to offending all the Gatekeepers. Isn’t he afraid of offending me too? I don’t think he’s that foolish.”
“That’s not right.” Xiao Lin’s mind raced, and he instantly thought of the crucial point. He questioned Tian Yongle, “Did you say something to him?”
“No, I was afraid he was young and impetuous and couldn’t handle grievances, engaging in pointless fights. I gave him some advice specifically to avoid this kind of situation.”
As he spoke, Tian Yongle seemed to realize something was wrong and hesitantly repeated what he had said to Jiang Ce.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Lin slammed the table.
“It’s that sentence of yours! Although he would have guessed the reason sooner or later, he definitely wouldn’t have done so this quickly. According to my estimate, he should have probed my reaction first.
Now, he’s directly turned the tables on me, treating all my people like fools. It was supposed to be for his tempering, but instead, he ended up tempering those naive lads.”
“So what do we do now?” Tian Yongle was somewhat uneasy, attributing all the problems to himself.
“What can we do?” Xiao Lin laughed in anger. “He hasn’t violated any rules, so how can I punish him? If I have to tell everyone the truth to stop this, how will they see me?”
“Should we warn him?”
“Warn him?” Xiao Lin rubbed his temples irritably. “He’s the one warning me now! It seems he has significant objections to my arrangements.”
“So we’ll just let him run amok?” Tian Yongle’s brows were almost furrowed into a horizontal barcode.
Xiao Lin was silent for a long time, then suddenly let out a long sigh, revealing a smile that Tian Yongle hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Let him be. It’s good, it’s been too stagnant here for too long. It’s time someone brought some life to this stagnant water.”
“I didn’t expect him to be able to counter me. It’s been a while since I’ve met such an interesting fellow. I underestimated him, indeed. How could someone who could guess Wei Lao’s thoughts be so easily controlled by me?”
Seeing Xiao Lin’s rare smile of eager anticipation, Tian Yongle was both dazed and extremely surprised.
Is Xiao Lin treating Jiang Ce as an opponent he can face and spar with?
“Stop dawdling here.” Xiao Lin got up and patted Tian Yongle’s shoulder, “Didn’t you say there was going to be a fight? Let’s go watch the fun.”
Watching Xiao Lin’s lighter-than-usual steps, Tian Yongle couldn’t calm down for a long time.
Xiao Lin, not noticing Tian Yongle’s reaction, was secretly planning his next move.
“Hmph, when I find Cao Gong, I’ll add another rule that colleagues are not allowed to curse at each other. Let’s see how you’ll break the situation then!”
Jiang Ce, who had just signed a contract, was preparing for the first battle of his life when he suddenly heard an uproar from the crowd.
Jiang Ce followed the sound and saw that Xiao Lin and Tian Yongle had somehow appeared on the viewing platform. Seeing that Xiao Lin had no intention of stopping them, and seemed purely there to watch the excitement, he already had a grasp of the situation.
Tacit approval, but you don’t have a choice, do you?
Jiang Ce thought to himself, and deliberately cupped his hands respectfully towards Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin’s expression was blank, but his fists were clenched a little tightly.
Even so, this kid was really infuriating.
Liang Zhi Zhou also returned the cupped-hand salute, and after doing so, he coldly regarded Jiang Ce, “Even Xiao Zhi Men is here to watch you make a fool of yourself. The virtuous are many who help them, the unvirtuous are few who help them, nothing more!”
Jiang Ce shook his head in his heart, this is what reading books has made him foolish. But it’s understandable, after all, they don’t know the truth and naturally believe the gossip that originally came from Xiao Lin.
At the same time, he also sighed that Xiao Lin was truly a sly old fox, not only drawing hatred towards himself but also not revealing his true strength, making an Eighth Rank fight a Seventh Rank. Did he really think everyone was Xiao Yan?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the attendant responsible for managing the practice grounds read out the rules and then announced the start of the duel.
The moment the duel officially began, Liang Zhi Zhou exuded a strange aura.
The aura was righteous and peaceful, making Liang Zhi Zhou seem transcendent, dignified, and upright.
“A chest full of poetry and a vast spirit under heaven!”
With a decree from Liang Zhi Zhou, a golden brush appeared in his hand. As he wielded it rapidly, spiritual beasts filled with spiritual energy swayed gracefully under his brush. Dozens of golden phantom beasts, each with Ninth Rank strength, such as great tigers, peacocks, serpents, and falcons, sealed off all directions, staring menacingly at Jiang Ce.
This was the first time Jiang Ce had seen someone else use true sorcery, and he couldn’t help but marvel, standing still and watching for a couple more glances.
However, this posture, in the eyes of Liang Zhi Zhou and the surrounding gatekeepers, looked like he had been scared stiff.
“This is Liang Zhi Zhou’s strength. With so many Ninth Rank phantom beasts, even an Eighth Rank would be overwhelmed!”
“How is this his strength? He is a genius who can exchange blows with a Seventh Rank for a few rounds. He clearly doesn’t want that madman to lose too badly!”
“That’s why they say Liang Zhi Zhou is a Confucian Path genius. His demeanor is evident. Ordinary people can’t even hope to match him.”
Such a result was within Liang Zhi Zhou’s expectations.
Among the gatekeepers were many connections who relied on their elders’ influence to live idly. Few of these people were exceptionally talented. Although not none, most of them possessed considerable demeanor and were kind-hearted, because cultivation itself relies on merit.
Therefore, in the righteous sects of the cultivation world, a person’s moral character is also one of the ways to judge their potential.
As for arrogant individuals like Jiang Ce, who cursed readily, they were at most Ninth Rank, forcefully elevated by their elders through unknown means. Their foundations were weak, and they had no potential for development.
So, from beginning to end, although Liang Zhi Zhou couldn’t discern Jiang Ce’s strength, he only thought that he himself was below Sixth Rank, not more than three minor realms higher than Jiang Ce, hence he couldn’t see his depth. However, he never imagined that Jiang Ce’s realm would be higher than his own.
“Confucian Art. Poetry Beasts March, move!”
As Liang Zhi Zhou gave the order, the dozens of golden phantom beasts charged at Jiang Ce, reaching him in an instant, baring their fangs and claws as if to tear him to shreds.
But Jiang Ce had already seen such a scene at Red Terrace Manor.
After his spiritual energy was refined and concentrated to the maximum in the Four Gods Hall, Jiang Ce no longer feared such scenes. Moreover, these phantom beasts were far inferior to those ghosts and monsters in both quantity and quality.
So, Jiang Ce simply and unremarkably injected a trace of malice and pointed at Liang Zhi Zhou with one finger.
“All of you, get lost!”
Instantly, the phantom beasts, still in their charging posture, shattered in mid-air, as fragile as pieces of glass.
And their master, Liang Zhi Zhou, had his golden brush turn into a wisp of smoke at the same instant. Before he could even react to what had happened, he felt as if he had been violently impacted, his mind twisted, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.
The entire venue fell silent.
Jiang Ce withdrew his hands, shoved them into his pockets, and commented matter-of-factly with an air of entitlement:
“Flashy and gaudy.”
