Chapter One Hundred Seventeen: Provoking the Entire City

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This was the capital of Great Qian, not the territory of Northern Yan. Xiao Tong’s arrogant, outrageous remarks stirred up a tempest.

The people of Great Qian had flesh, blood, and dignity. Though the corruption and weakness of the imperial court had left them deeply disappointed, they could no longer endure the shameless boasts of these foreign envoys standing before them.

Rage surged through the crowd and blocked the road.

The Northern Yan delegation was completely surrounded, unable to move an inch. The people who had earlier feared Northern Yan’s intimidation were now swept up entirely by their fury, demanding that the envoys immediately retract what they had said.

Xiao Tong merely sneered, paying no attention to the situation before him.

He had come to Kinyang City bearing formidable leverage. If he had not held the upper hand so firmly, he would never have dared provoke the entire city with such abandon.

No matter what he said or did, no matter how many people he enraged, the Great Qian court would never allow him to be placed at a disadvantage. Only through negotiations with him could Great Qian obtain a desperately precious respite.

That was the capital forged on the battlefield. Without overwhelming military strength to back them, all negotiations were meaningless.

If matters spiraled out of control, the court might even step in to rescue Xiao Tong. Jiang Chen understood this harsh reality perfectly, though most people could not see through to its essence.

“I really want to teach him a lesson!” Mao Wuying said indignantly.

“Don’t be impatient. The opportunity will surely come. What interests me more is that Northern Yan actually sent such an arrogant brute as its envoy for peace talks. From that alone, it’s easy to imagine what attitude they have toward these negotiations.”

Jiang Chen was certain that the terms Northern Yan intended to propose would make every commoner present gnash their teeth in fury.

But when one could not defeat the other side, one had no choice but to suffer a heavy loss. In the end, everything depended on what choice the current emperor made. Whatever the outcome, however, it would still be the common people who suffered.

To silence the clamorous crowd, Xiao Tong suddenly came up with an idea.

He shouted loudly, “Since you’re all so dissatisfied, I’ll give you one more chance. Tomorrow, I’ll set up a challenge ring at the relay station where I’m staying. If the sight of me displeases you so much, then come there and find me.”

“I, Xiao Tong, am a man who lets his fists do the talking. If any one of you can defeat me, I’ll return to this street and kneel before all of you to apologize, formally retracting everything I said earlier.”

“Of course, I don’t know whether anyone will have the courage to challenge me. But so long as someone dares to come, even if he loses, I’ll still present him with ten taels of gold as a reward.”

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Xiao Tong’s actions were nothing less than a challenge issued to the entire city. He claimed to be giving others an opportunity, but in truth he was creating a stage on which he could cow Kinyang and make his name known throughout the realm.

He was so arrogantly self-assured that he looked down on everyone. Naturally, it never occurred to him that he might lose.

“And you,” Xiao Tong added. “Tomorrow I’ll be waiting at the relay station to see whether you have the courage to come.”

With that, Xiao Tong urged his thunder beast forward to clear a path. His haughty expression irritated Jiang Chen immensely. A man like this could not be allowed to continue swaggering unchecked, or the blow to Great Qian’s morale would be enormous.

“Look,” Jiang Chen said to Mao Wuying. “The opportunity has come knocking all by itself.”

“He brought this upon himself. Tomorrow, I’ll make him learn what it means to dig his own grave and overestimate his abilities!”

Mao Wuying flexed the leg she had injured earlier. It still seemed extremely painful, yet her astonishing recovery ability was already bordering on the monstrous.

The thunder beast’s body was covered in hard, razor-sharp scales, even on its limbs. An ordinary person who suffered an injury like Mao Wuying’s would not merely be unable to stand so easily—they would not be able to move at all.

“Hey, you’re injured, so stop meddling in this. Let Lu Santong give it a try. He looks down on everything and everyone all day long, so he and Xiao Tong should get along splendidly.”

“Oh, and this is medicinal wine I made myself. Apply it three times a day. It will work wonders on your leg.”

As he spoke, Jiang Chen tossed Mao Wuying a small bottle of medicinal wine, then turned and strode away without looking back.

“You don’t want to see the dungeon anymore?”

Mao Wuying’s words made Jiang Chen’s heart itch with anticipation. Of course he wanted to go. He had already been considering various unorthodox ways to gain access to Liu Kui, the prisoner who had been captured.

But if he could enter openly and legitimately, that would be even better.

“I’ll go back and speak with Xueying. Perhaps she’ll change her mind. Consider it repayment for saving my life.”

Mao Wuying usually wore an icy, expressionless face, but this time she had taken Jiang Chen’s matter unusually seriously—probably because he had saved her from beneath the thunder beast’s feet.

After the two parted ways, Jiang Chen began walking toward the Yu residence. He had originally gone out that day to negotiate with the people from the Night Execution Office, but unexpectedly, the matter had been taken up by the one person least likely to help him: Mao Wuying.

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He simply did not know what Shen Xueying’s attitude would be. If he could meet the prisoner soon, Jiang Chen would no longer have to keep worrying about the matter.

He had a feeling that if things dragged on, some unforeseen trouble might arise. He only hoped that his fears would not come true.

As he walked along, a familiar-looking woman suddenly approached from ahead. She began waving to Jiang Chen from a distance. He seemed to see her often, but for a moment he could not remember who she was.

“Brother Jiang, I’ve finally found you! Why did your shop suddenly close without warning? We neighbors can’t even get a hot bowl of snail rice noodles anymore. Where are we supposed to go?”

“What happened to you all?”

It turned out to be one of the neighbors who had often patronized the shop. Jiang Chen greeted her with a smile and explained that he had been away taking care of some business, which was why the breakfast shop had not opened for a while.

The woman asked with concern, “How much longer before you can reopen?”

“Perhaps another ten days or half a month.”

At once, the woman’s face fell with profound disappointment.

She also told Jiang Chen that while the shop had been closed, several groups of people had come looking for them. They were probably customers driven to desperation by their inability to taste those delicious dishes.

“Those people were fiercer than the last,” the woman said. “The moment they entered your courtyard, they rummaged through everything without a care, as if they had come to settle a grudge.”

Jiang Chen knew they were probably from the Night Execution Office, but he could only pretend to know nothing about it.

“Oh, and another group came this morning. They were completely different from the ones before. Their clothes were extremely refined—silks and brocades, glittering jewels everywhere. They were obviously nobles and high officials of considerable standing.”

“But they had dreadful tempers too. Before leaving, they even said that if they still couldn’t find you, they would set fire to the courtyard and burn it down!”

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