Chapter 121: The Time to Act Has Finally Come

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“In which round did you lose?”

Jiang Chen whispered the question into Lu Santong’s ear.

“The fiftieth.” Lu Santong was filled with resentment, but the truth was that he had lost to Xiao Tong, and he had felt all too keenly the enormous gulf between them.

It was the second time he had lost to someone recently. The first had been against Jiang Chen. The feeling of becoming the defeated party was certainly unpleasant, and the blow to his confidence had been considerable.

“You fought very well. Come back with me for some tea. The flower tea I roast myself tastes quite good.” Jiang Chen comforted Lu Santong as though they were old friends.

His hand remained pressed against Lu Santong’s shoulder. With that support, Lu Santong was able to keep himself upright, concealing from everyone that he had actually suffered severe injuries.

“Did he win?”

“Judging by his appearance, he shouldn’t have lost!”

The crowd speculated among themselves about who had won and who had lost. Then Xiao Tong swaggered out of the relay station.

“You have some spirit. These ten taels of gold are what you deserve. If you were in the Northern Yan army, you would certainly be trained into an even stronger warrior. What a pity that your talent has gone to waste in this foul land of Great Qian.”

Xiao Tong ordered one of his men to carry the ten taels of gold over to Lu Santong. This made it clear that the victor was once again from Northern Yan, and disappointed or dissatisfied jeers rose from the crowd.

Lu Santong’s expression was gloomy. He had indeed exerted all his strength and had even defeated three powerful Northern Yan opponents in succession, yet he had been helpless when facing Xiao Tong.

In truth, being able to fight Xiao Tong for fifty rounds after three consecutive battles had already surpassed Jiang Chen’s expectations. His performance had been beyond reproach.

“What? You don’t want it either? I really don’t understand you people from Great Qian. A loss is a loss—what is there to resent? Recognizing the gap between yourself and your opponent is a skill in itself.”

“Put away that pitiful pride of yours. It is utterly meaningless.”

Xiao Tong wore the same contemptuous expression as before. Lu Santong clenched his fists so tightly that he nearly ground all his teeth to pieces.

“Keep that bit of gold and use it to buy medicine for your injuries.”

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Jiang Chen rejected the malicious humiliation on Lu Santong’s behalf, and his appearance brought a gleam to Xiao Tong’s eyes.

“So it’s you. I was wondering why you hadn’t come out to challenge me. I was rather disappointed for a while. So, do you dare come in and fight me now?” Xiao Tong swept one large hand outward, making an inviting gesture.

A flicker of anticipation appeared in Shen Xueying’s eyes. This should have been the moment for Jiang Chen to make his move, yet his response proved somewhat disappointing.

“No. Not now.” Jiang Chen flatly rejected Xiao Tong’s provocation.

“Hahahaha! What did you say? You’re afraid to fight me, so you’ve come up with this excuse, haven’t you? What a foolish coward!”

Xiao Tong and the other Northern Yan men burst into unrestrained laughter. Even Lu Santong and Shen Xueying were baffled. Why would Jiang Chen so readily back down at a time like this?

Lu Santong had fought both Jiang Chen and Xiao Tong, making him the most qualified person to judge their strength. In his opinion, Jiang Chen was entirely capable of battling Xiao Tong, though the outcome would be difficult to predict.

If that was the case, why would Jiang Chen avoid the fight? Did he simply feel that there was no need to involve himself in such a matter?

While everyone was bewildered and disappointed, Jiang Chen offered an explanation.

“You are going to pay your respects to our Great Qian emperor tomorrow. If I beat you into a swollen pig’s head today, wouldn’t the emperor come after me and demand an explanation?”

“Great Qian is a nation of courtesy, a great power with its own dignity. You people of Northern Yan are guests here as well. Guests may sometimes be overbearing, unreasonable, and ignorant of proper conduct, but we must still treat them with benevolence and tolerance. That is the bearing of a great nation that Great Qian has maintained for centuries.”

“So I will not fight you today. But I can promise you this: once you have finished paying your respects to the emperor, I will certainly come and deal with you.”

Jiang Chen’s explanation was flawless and immensely rousing. After hearing it, those in the crowd who had initially felt dejected suddenly felt their spirits lift.

Indeed, Great Qian could not abandon the dignity of a great nation. There was no need to haggle over every slight with these barbaric people from Northern Yan.

With just a few simple words, Jiang Chen had turned what had seemed an ugly situation into one that favored Great Qian. Xiao Tong had even lost a round to him in the contest of words.

“Hmph. You silver-tongued little wretch. Then I’ll wait for you to come find me! But as long as no one defeats me, the Northern Yan banner will remain hanging outside this relay station for one more day.”

“As long as you don’t find it an eyesore.”

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At the mention of the banner, Jiang Chen instead took the initiative to provoke him.

“I’m going to tear that banner to pieces right now. If you can stop me, then come and try. Consider it a little appetizer before our agreed battle, something to whet the appetite.”

“Do you dare?”

Xiao Tong threw back his head and laughed. “I won’t let you take even half a step through the gate, much less give you the chance to touch the Northern Yan banner.”

The confrontational aura between the two men ignited at once. Jiang Chen had refrained from beating Xiao Tong earlier for the sake of the greater picture. If the Northern Yan envoy appeared before the emperor with a battered and swollen face, it would only give them grounds to make trouble.

Great Qian was the weaker side, and that was something they could not afford to overlook.

But tearing down the Northern Yan banner was another matter. Doing so now would cause no trouble. It would be the perfect way to suppress these arrogant Northern Yan brutes who looked down on everyone, and teach them to restrain themselves within the capital of Great Qian.

As he spoke, Jiang Chen charged straight into the relay station. The tall pole bearing the banner stood just inside the courtyard. As Xiao Tong had declared, he would give Jiang Chen no opportunity to take advantage of him, and the clash between them began immediately.

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Everyone wanted to see with their own eyes how that detestable Northern Yan banner would be torn down.

Lu Santong was also silently forcing down a surge of excitement. Although he disliked Jiang Chen intensely, ever since witnessing Jiang Chen’s skill during their previous encounter, he had been forced to admit that this man was fully qualified to join the Night Punishment Office.

Now that they were fighting toward the same goal, he naturally began to regard Jiang Chen as an ally.

Jiang Chen moved with astonishing speed. After Xiao Tong feinted, he immediately ducked, tucked his body low, and darted into the courtyard. In this way, Xiao Tong’s boast that he would not allow Jiang Chen to set foot inside the relay station was broken with effortless ease.

Xiao Tong had not expected Jiang Chen to be so agile. He immediately gave chase from behind, determined to intercept him before he could reach the pole.

The two men raced one ahead of the other, their speeds nearly identical. By the time their figures had completely blurred into two streaks of afterimages, many people in the crowd could barely keep up with their movements.

Shen Xueying watched Jiang Chen’s every move with an impassive gaze, yet she was deeply shaken inside.

She realized that she had seriously underestimated Jiang Chen. Although she had always admired him and valued his abilities, only now did she understand that her assessment of him had still been far too superficial.