The upcoming arena match between Night-blooming Jasmine and the Strict Law Society had caused a huge sensation in Black Stone Slope.
Before the fight, Tang Peigong waved his banner, bringing journalists and over a hundred disciples in a grand procession for the challenge.
When they returned, the disciples had to bring stretchers and call for doctors, weeping and wailing all the way back to their residence.
Tang Peigong was seriously injured.
The Strict Law Society was seriously injured.
The disciples cried everywhere, claiming that Night-blooming Jasmine had broken the rules and resorted to physical violence on the Literary Arena.
The Strict Law Society was closely associated with the Great Clan Gate, whose minions controlled the Great Newspaper Office. This gave the Strict Law Society a propaganda advantage over Night-blooming Jasmine.
However, in terms of propaganda, the Strict Law Society had suffered a great loss.
No matter how they explained it, they had lost, and the defeat was an ugly one.
And Martial Elder Wu Decheng had yet to make a statent. He had not clarified whether the challenge was agreed upon to be literary or martial, only suggesting that there might have been so misunderstanding.
The several renowned witnesses could not speak out either. They were also unclear about the rules of this particular competition.
After three days, the whole of Black Stone Slope rembered only one thing: Night-blooming Jasmine had defeated the Strict Law Society on the stage, and the Society’s elder had been beaten to the ground, nearly killed.
Theaters everywhere began to show "Blood Gun Detective," and the prior warnings of the Strict Law Society were ignored by everyone.
"Night-blooming Jasmine" sold better and better, and the printing workload increased. To print more magazines, Ma Wu worked until three in the morning. After only two hours of sleep, he was startled awake by a loud HOOOONK!
"What happened!" Ma Wu shivered with fright and quickly climbed out of bed.
Stepping outside, he saw everyone awake except for Li Banfeng. The sound was coming from the rooftop.
There was a steam whistle on the roof, used by the factory to signal the start of work, al tis, and bedti.
The boiler was broken, with no steam—how could the whistle have gone off?
As Ma Wu pondered the cause, Xiao Chuanzi ca running over, his face covered in soot. "Master Wu, the boiler’s fixed!"
"Which boiler?"
"The one in the courtyard!"
Ma Wu angrily exclaid, "Why did you fix it?"
Xiao Chuanzi hung his head in silence. He had not closed his eyes for three days and nights and had only just managed to fix the boiler.
Ma Wu cald down for a mont and said, "Now that the boiler’s fixed, go and buy a proper printing press so we don’t have to work so hard."
Xiao Chuanzi was delighted and went off cheerfully to purchase a printing press.
Li Banfeng slept until noon. Refreshed, he stepped out of his Portable Residence. After circling the factory twice, he decided to go for a stroll in the town when soone ca to report that Elder Wu Decheng of the Strict Law Society had co again.
Li Banfeng had a clean factory room tidied up, and they sat down face to face.
"Elder Wu, the tea is currently brewing and will be ready shortly. The poison I’ve put in this ti is no ordinary one; it’s not bitter or astringent, and has no odd taste. You’ll have to try it in a mont."
Wu Decheng shook his head with a smile. "Boss Ye, you were too heavy-handed. I’m afraid Elder Tang won’t be able to leave his bed for a year and a half."
Li Banfeng, feeling quite helpless, replied, "Elder Wu, why did you let him co to fight in the first place? Didn’t he just bring death upon himself? My n spared his life. He should consider himself lucky."
Wu Decheng nodded. "That’s true. The next match is scheduled for tomorrow night. Don’t forget our previous arrangent."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Don’t worry, isn’t it just about sending a few people to go through the motions? I definitely won’t forget!"
Wu Decheng got up to take his leave, and Li Banfeng escorted him to the door.
Watching his retreating figure, Li Banfeng touched the Clock Pendulum at his waist. "I’ll need your strength again this ti."
"Master, just give your orders and I shall comply," it responded.
...
Wu Decheng left the "Night-blooming Jasmine" Newspaper Office and returned to his mansion.
In the study, four disciples were sitting upright: Wu Rongjin, a Fifth Layer Martial Cultivator; Rao Shaofeng, a Fifth Layer Literature Cultivator; Cheng Zhiyan, a Fourth Layer Body Cultivator; and Yue Qingsong, a Fourth Layer Poison Cultivator.
These four disciples were the most capable fighters under Wu Decheng’s command.
Wu Decheng poured a cup of wine for each person. "Gentlen, you have followed for many years and endured no small amount of grievances, especially at the hands of Tang Peigong, where we suffered considerable bullying."
The four, holding their cups, said in unison, "We do so willingly, Master!"
"The battle tomorrow will determine the honor and disgrace of our lifeti. If we win, Black Stone Slope will be our world. If we lose, we will no longer be able to stand our ground on Black Stone Slope.
"Before stepping onto the arena tomorrow, make sure to watch carefully. If the man surnad Ye enters the arena, I will also join the fray. If he doesn’t, I will watch from below. We have an agreent. In this battle, the man surnad Ye is sure to surrender. He will definitely send so trash to make an appearance on the stage.
"Don’t be rciful. No matter who he sends, finish them off decisively. If the man surnad Ye steps into the arena, kill him as well. If he doesn’t, wipe out everyone on the stage, then rush down and kill him. Don’t worry about his support; I will join you in the fight when the ti cos!"
After the plan was set, the eldest disciple, Wu Rongjin, a Fifth Layer Martial Cultivator, expressed concerns. "Master, if we outright kill the man surnrad Ye, will we be criticized?"
"Criticized for what?" Wu Decheng laughed. "For being too ruthless? But who made them enter the arena? How can one afford to be lenient there? Tang Peigong was beaten into such a state; has anyone pitied him? Even if so people did comnt for a while, they would forget about it after a few days. People in this world only rember the winners. No matter how pitifully losers make their case, it only serves as a joke for others. Rember this well: once you bring back the head of the man surnad Ye, Black Stone Slope will be ours!"
...
The next day, at 5:30 in the evening, both parties arrived at the arena on ti.
The workers had just gotten off work and didn’t even have ti for dinner. They all ca to watch the fight.
"Who do you think will win this ti?"
"I heard this ti it’s a real martial contest. Elder Wu is personally involved. Boss Ye’s chances are slim."
"Last ti you said it looked dire for Boss Ye too, and yet, didn’t he win?"
"Last ti was different..."
"Don’t talk nonsense. I’ll bet a hundred Huan Country Banknotes on Boss Ye. Do you dare to bet against ?"
The onlookers had already opened a betting pool.
Li Banfeng, looking tired, ca to the side of the stage and greeted Wu Decheng. "Elder Wu, should I just admit defeat after going up, or should we have a little fight first?"
Wu Decheng frowned slightly. "Boss Ye, don’t make such jokes. Once we’re up on the stage, it’s all about showing our abilities."
"All right, it’s about showing our abilities. You’re taking this play-acting seriously, huh..." Li Banfeng yawned and called three people onto the stage.
Just as Wu Decheng predicted, this man surnad Ye ca intending to concede defeat, and his attitude was extrely casual.
The capable ones from before did not co. The three people who went on stage were a sorry sight.
One of the n was tall and bulky, but his body was excessively rotund, not at all resembling soone who practiced martial arts.
The other two were small and skinny, looking as if they hadn’t had enough to eat, wobbling as they walked.
Looking at their attire, all wore rough cloth clothes covered in grease, with faces full of soot.
This was truly dismissive.
The man surnad Ye had probably just hired a few workers fresh from the factory, hoping to muddle through and be done with it.
Wu Decheng lowered his voice. "Boss Ye, are these your people?"
"What’s wrong?" Li Banfeng snorted. "Contemptuous? The people you brought on stage weren’t any better!"
Wu Decheng glanced over at Li Banfeng’s side. He hadn’t brought a single supporter.
Fine, young man, you’re quite arrogant.
Just don’t cry later!
A steam whistle sounded, and both sides readied for battle.
Wu Decheng’s four disciples climbed onto the arena.
Li Banfeng frowned. "What do you an? I only have three people, and you bring four. Trying to bully with numbers, huh?"
This statent was quite loud, prompting discussions among the surrounding crowd.
Wu Decheng didn’t respond, but his disciple, Rao Shaofeng, a Fifth Layer Literature Cultivator, stepped forward. "Boss Ye, aren’t you also here? Why not go up on stage for a friendly exchange?"
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why should I go up? Either way, I’d lose and just embarrass myself, wouldn’t I?"
Wu Decheng hurriedly cut in, fearing that if this continued, the man surnad Ye would expose their agreent. "Three against three is fine, too, Qingsong. You don’t have to go up."
Yue Qingsong, a Fourth Layer Poison Cultivator, stepped down from the arena and stood next to Wu Decheng.
The second steam whistle sounded. The sides confird their numbers and could not back out.
The third steam whistle blared, and the battle comnced.
Wu Rongjin, a Fifth Layer Martial Cultivator, charged at the robust man first. Of the three, it seed only this robust man might be able to put up a bit of a fight.
The robust man didn’t dare to strike and quickly retreated.
A skinny man, crouching low, moved beside Wu Rongjin and tripped him, causing him to stumble.
Wu Rongjin swung back a punch at the man.
The man easily dodged. "Can’t hit , can you?" he taunted with a smile. "Why are you so clumsy?"
Wu Rongjin lifted his foot to kick the man, but the man dodged again. "Are you blind or what? Where are you kicking? I’m over here!"
The man’s words were truly infuriating. Wu Rongjin chased after him, and as the man dodged, he cursed and laughed, "How did your mother give birth to such a worthless oaf like you? You’re so big yet can’t even walk properly. Look at your feet, so clumsy they can’t even spread apart. With your skills, you’re fighting in the arena? You couldn’t even catch up to eat warm shit!"
Wu Rongjin beca furious. He lost all restraint in his attack, his movents becoming wide and loose. The man seized the opportunity and kicked his shin.
The force wasn’t strong, but it was precisely aid. Wu Rongjin’s legs tangled, and he fell face-first.
The skinny man chuckled. "See? I told you, you can’t even catch up to eat warm shit."
The bulky, corpulent man behind him advised, "Don’t say that. There’s so warm stuff right here."
He took out a bucket from his clothing and placed it over Wu Rongjin’s head.
Wu Rongjin retched. Before he could remove the bucket, the man broke his leg bone, crushed his arm, and kicked him off the platform.
Who was this man? How could he fight so well?
This wasn’t a man; this was the Swearing Woman.
It had to be said, Clock Pendulum’s makeup skills had vastly improved. Even Li Banfeng hadn’t recognized her initially.
While her appearance could be changed, her body shape could not. The old lady was so thin that, disguised as a man, she looked even skinnier.
Wu Rongjin lay on the ground, cursing loudly, "What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you helping !"
He was yelling at his two junior martial brothers. It was three against three, but they just watched him get beaten up.
His two junior martial brothers wanted to help but were tied up, unable to lend a hand, as another skinny man entangled them.
Fighting one against two, this skinny man didn’t fall behind in the slightest.
This was Ah Qin, a Sixth Layer Body Cultivator.
Wu Rongjin had been knocked off the platform and, by the rules, couldn’t return. Now it was two against three.
They couldn’t even gain an advantage two-on-one; how could they fight two-against-three?
Rao Shaofeng, the Fifth Layer Literature Cultivator, bellowed, "You can’t use superior numbers to oppress the few!"
That was the Uniform Rule technique.
The bulky man, Xiao Genzi, holding the bucket, said, "Then I won’t fight."
This bulky man was Xiao Genzi, with only a Second Layer cultivation level. If you say don’t fight, then I won’t fight—I couldn’t have won anyway.
The remaining four people, two against two, faced off for a mont. Then, Rao Shaofeng, the Literature Cultivator, shouted loudly, "Soar straight up for ninety thousand li!"
It was impossible to go ninety thousand li, but the A Single Word Becos Reality technique indeed let him soar quite high—at least seven or eight ters.
Ah Qin, originally a Cricket, spread her wings. She leaped up, grabbed Rao Shaofeng’s ankle with one hand in mid-air, spun him around, and slamd him hard onto the platform.
Ah Qin landed imdiately and stepped on Rao Shaofeng’s chest. He instantly vomited blood.
Only Cheng Zhiyan, the Fourth Layer Body Cultivator, remained. He had kept a trick up his sleeve. But seeing Ah Qin and the Swearing Woman approaching together, Cheng Zhiyan suddenly turned and, with a RUSTLE, released a cloud of smoke.
Ah Qin covered her nose.
The Swearing Woman spat. "That bastard’s a weasel! That other kid just sprays Golden Juice, and you fucking fart! Who the hell can stand this!"
Together, they each landed a kick, sending Cheng Zhiyan off the platform.
HOOOONK!
The steam whistle sounded. The match was over.
The crowd, covering their noses and mouths, fell silent.
This battle had been quite a spectacle, though not very fragrant.
Wu Decheng shouted angrily, "Ye, you tricked !"
Li Banfeng retorted, "How did I trick you?"
"You dare to cheat !"
Li Banfeng yelled, "What did I cheat you out of? Say it! Shout it out loud!"
"I say..."
But what could he say?
Wu Decheng trembled with anger. While his attention was entirely on Li Banfeng, Xiao Genzi, holding a ladle, flung its contents in Wu Decheng’s face.
"Go ahead, say it!"
PS: That ladleful was crucial.
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