EFB Chapter 20: The Arena
Chapter 20: The Arena
"Sir, have you taken a good look?" The shopkeeper approached with a smile.
"What's the story behind these boots?"
"You have excellent taste!"
The shopkeeper, holding the boots, smiled and said, "These boots are top-quality goods, double-layered tanned Yunling suede. They look light and airy on the outside, but there's a secret inside as well. The inner layer is filled with Nanzhao herbal powder, which is..."
"Are there many buyers?" Wu He interrupted his boasting and asked directly.
"many!"
The shopkeeper nodded and said, "I've been selling these boots for many years, mainly supplying government officials and military camps. Only people of high status can afford to wear them."
"We just stocked up a bit too much this year, so we're putting it on the shelf to sell. It'll be gone in two months. If you really want it, you can take it for eight qian of silver!"
"We'll see."
Wu He got the answer he wanted and turned to leave.
"Hey sir! If you don't think the price is right, we can discuss it further!"
"Sir/Madam!"
……
"Government offices, military camps."
Wu He walked along the street, deep in thought.
Of all the people I've met before, only two are in this category.
The commander of the garrison, Yu Long, and the scout captain, Qian Bin.
The former is a slut, and his desire for her is mainly physical; it's clearly unreasonable for him to sneak in and steal things late at night.
Qian Bin...
I don't think I've offended him, have I?
"Right now, the most likely candidate is Qian Bin. If he's not after money, what is he after?"
"Could it be... a sword manual?"
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Wu He's mind. He recalled that he had visited Li Bo at the Desire Immortal Pavilion yesterday. Although he didn't know if Li Bo had any other purpose, he should have learned from Li Bo that he was not his disciple.
Moreover, there is a sword manual.
Thinking of this, Wu He suddenly stopped, his pupils trembling slightly.
pass!
It's a sword manual!
The only thing more important than money is martial arts.
"The Splashing Blade Technique originated from the military camp, and Li Bo improved upon it, increasing its power."
"That day I ambushed and killed the Khitan spies, Qian Bin must have been impressed by the power of Li Bo's swordsmanship."
"But he didn't know that I no longer needed to keep the sword manual with me."
One of the great advantages of the Book of Credits is that it automatically records any martial arts techniques one comes into contact with, so one doesn't need to carry it with them or copy it down.
If it weren't for the Book of Heavenly Debts, and if Qian Bin had copied the Blade-Splashing Technique himself, he would have succeeded by now.
"Damn it, this is an undeserved disaster."
After Wu He fully understood, his breathing became heavy. He hadn't expected the world to be so treacherous, where even the slightest clue could be seized upon and coveted by others.
The matter of Yu Long has not yet been resolved, and now Qian Bin has appeared.
Involuntarily.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
Only with strength can we have the confidence to deal with things!
……
Desire Immortal Pavilion.
As soon as Wu He stepped through the door, he sensed that something was off.
Although there were quite a few guests and it was very lively, the pimps and servants were all gathered in twos and threes, whispering to each other, looking very serious.
"Master Wu! Master Wu!"
At this moment, Wang Er walked over quickly, carrying a glass of wine.
"Wait for me! Wait for me!"
He gave a wink, delivered the wine to the guest's table, and then walked over, pulling Wu He's arm and leading him aside.
"Something happened?"
"Something's happened!"
Wang Er also put away his usual carefree attitude and said with a serious expression, "This noon, the Seven Killings Society and the Black Dragon Gang fought a battle outside the city to settle the matter between our Desire Immortal Pavilion and Green Fragrance Pavilion."
They arranged a fight on the street.
Wu He was not greatly affected by what he heard.
Prior to this, Yuxianlou and Cuixianglou had repeatedly sent people to cause trouble for each other, with one party disrupting the other's business and the other causing trouble for the other.
It had always been a minor skirmish, but I never expected that this time it would actually bring out the two gangs backing them and cause a fight.
Is it really necessary for a gang to do this?
Wang Er then added, "It is said that the main reason for this anger is that someone from the Seven Killers Society died at Cuixiang Tower last time. He was the sworn brother of the gang leader, Yu Hu."
"Tsk tsk, this has caused quite a stir. A lot of people have died, and even the government has been alerted."
"Are they still playing?"
"No, the war has ended."
Wang Er continued, "After the government officials arrived, the fighting stopped, but the matter wasn't over yet. The Seven Killers Society and the Black Dragon Gang set up a duel to determine the victor."
"But they don't interfere. They let the people from Yuxianlou and Cuixianglou fight it out. Whichever side loses has to pay five hundred taels of silver, and from then on they have to act like a grandson and can't steal business from them."
Wang Er's words startled Wu He, and he immediately understood.
For the government, appeasement is the most important thing.
Therefore, a duel is the most suitable option.
To his surprise, the people from Yuxianlou and Cuixianglou were put in a duel.
This is clearly a contest to see the strength of the guards from both sides.
"With Master Li here, there shouldn't be any major problems."
"That's right, the shopkeeper has already gone to invite Master Li."
Just as the two thought this, Xu Niang hurriedly walked in from the backyard and quickly locked onto Wu He.
"Master Wu!"
"Master Li wants to see you!"
……
Inside Li Bo's room.
"You want me to fight in the arena?"
Wu He exclaimed in surprise, staring at him in astonishment.
Li Bo sat upright and said in a deep voice, "It is inconvenient for me to take action, but I cannot refuse Manager Xu's invitation. Wu He, you can fight in my place. Your swordsmanship is more than enough to handle this."
"Why...why can't you take action?"
Wu He still didn't understand.
With Li Bo's strength, let alone Cui Xiang Lou, probably no one in the Black Dragon Gang could be his match.
Why is it inconvenient to go into battle yet?
Perhaps because he needed a favor, Li Bo's attitude softened a bit, and he said slowly, "A few years ago, I retired from the army due to injury and washed my hands of the martial arts world, openly retiring. I was quite safe in the Desire Immortal Pavilion."
"If we were to fight for Yuxianlou in public this time, it would be breaking the rules. Once we return, there will be no turning back."
"This time, someone is trying to force me to make a comeback."
Upon hearing this, Wu He immediately understood.
No wonder they insisted on a duel between the people from Yuxianlou and Cuixianglou; it turns out someone was after Li Bo.
Perhaps seeing that he did not give a clear answer, Li Bo then said, "If you fight for me this time, it will be a favor to me. You may ask for anything."
After a moment of contemplation, Wu He said, "Master Li, I can fight in your place. I don't have any special requests, except for a martial arts technique for the Body Refining Realm."
He had been thinking about where to obtain martial arts techniques for the Flesh Refining Realm, and his initial idea was to spend money to go to a martial arts school.
However, considering how expensive the martial arts school tuition was, he was reluctant to part with it.
After all, he was spending money like water on all aspects of martial arts training, and the few dozen taels of silver he had left could only last for a little over a month. He really didn't have any extra money to pay for tuition.
At this point, Li Bo's place is a good option.
Upon hearing this condition, Li Bo gave him a meaningful look, then nodded slightly: "Alright, a martial art at the Body Refining Realm isn't excessive."
After saying that, he got up and took out a blue booklet from the wooden box.
"This battle is over, and this 'Collapse Dragon Force' manual is yours."
A moment later, Wu He pushed open the door. Outside, Xu Niang was pacing anxiously. Seeing him come out, she hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Master Wu, what did Master Li say? Can he go into battle?"
"I'll go."
"you?"
As soon as Wu He finished speaking, Xu Niang and the surrounding servants and pimps were all stunned.
Xu Niang looked bitter and said with difficulty, "Master Wu, it's not that I underestimate you, but it's really not appropriate for you to go this time."
"That expert guard at Cuixiang Pavilion is none other than Rolling Dragon, who caused trouble at our Yuxian Pavilion before. He's at the late stage of the Skin Tempering realm, while you haven't even reached that level. How could you possibly be his match?"
"It would be best if Master Li could handle this matter, lest your life be endangered."
Wu He waved his hand gently and said, "Master Li has decided not to participate in this battle. He has his reasons."
"Shopkeeper, lead the way."
"You... I'd better talk to Master Li again."
Xu Niang's expression was conflicted; she still wanted to ask Li Bo to intervene.
Unexpectedly, just as she reached the door and before she even saw him, Li Bo's voice rang out from inside.
"Manager Xu, let Wu He go. He's more than capable of handling it."
"If you lose, I'll pay the five hundred taels of silver for you."
"Master Li..."
Hearing him say that, Xu Niang finally stopped and did not step inside.
Looking back at the rather young-looking Wu He, she tentatively asked with a hint of doubt, "Master Wu, are you really confident?"
"lead the way."
Regardless, with Li Bo refusing to fight, Wu He was the only one the entire Yuxianlou could count on.
Although Xu Niang still deeply doubted whether Wu He, being so young, could defeat the Rolling Dragon, she had no choice but to try anything at this point.
The two followed the official road all the way out of the south gate of the city.
The snow was still falling heavily, and on both sides of the official road were large areas of broken walls and ruins, with some withered trees standing on the thick layer of snow.
At the edge of the horizon, figures moved about.
A cold wind was blowing, carrying a faint smell of blood.
As Wu He approached, he saw that there were more than two hundred people gathered there, with two distinct camps and extremely noisy sounds.
Xu Niang wrapped her fox fur cloak tightly around herself and jogged over to find a burly man sitting imposingly on a withered tree.
He had unusually short hair, with a ribbon wrapped around his forehead. Even on a cold, snowy day, he wore a simple cotton shirt with his chest wide open, revealing thick chest hair.
"Master Yu."
Xu Niang walked up to him with a bow and scrape, her face red from the cold, covered with a fawning smile.
Yu Hu, the leader of the Seven Killers Society, raised his cold gaze, glanced at Xu Niang, and then looked at Wu He standing to the side.
Then, in a low, hoarse voice that sounded like it was filled with sand, he asked, "Where is Master Li?"
"Master Li... is unable to fight today."
With a forced smile, Xu Niang introduced, "This is a new guard at our Desire Immortal Pavilion. He has received Master Li's true teachings and even intercepted and killed a Khitan spy last time."
"That's your problem."
Yu Hu looked impatient and said coldly, "I don't care who you find to fight, just send this kid over and get this over with quickly."
Now, under the suppression of the government and the military, the matter between the Seven Killings Society and the Black Dragon Gang has come to a hasty end.
Although he hadn't avenged his sworn brother yet, and was still seething with anger, he could only keep it to himself.
No matter how powerful the Seven Killings Society is, it cannot go against the government and the military camp; they still have to give those people face.
Therefore, Yu Hu wasn't very interested in this so-called arena battle; he just wanted it to end as soon as possible so he could go back and figure out how to get revenge.
"Mr. Wu, please come up on stage."
Seeing Yu Hu's indifferent attitude, Xu Niang's last glimmer of hope vanished.
She was still hoping that Yu Hu could get someone from the Seven Killers Society to impersonate her...
Amidst the fierce gazes of the Seven Killers Society, Wu He stepped onto the makeshift arena.
"Hey, where did Yuxianlou find this greenhorn?"
As the arena gradually quieted down, a burly, heavily made-up middle-aged woman across the ring raised her voice in a high-pitched voice.
"Manager Xu, didn't you claim to have a master at the Desire Immortal Pavilion? Could it be this little brat who hasn't even grown his first beard yet? Hahaha!"
Her words were full of sarcasm, and she laughed so hard she almost fell over, which made the Black Dragon Gang members around her laugh along with her.
Xu Niang's face flushed red. Usually quick-witted, she couldn't find any words to retort.
On the other side of the arena, Du Yuan, a short man nicknamed "Rolling Dragon," squinted at Wu He. Compared to the others' loud laughter, he was more puzzled and confused.
Why not Li Bo?
When the arena was set up, Du Yuan was actually unwilling to fight.
Because he had suffered a loss at Li Bo's hands last time at the Desire Immortal Pavilion, he knew that his late-stage Skin Tempering cultivation was definitely no match for Li Bo.
However, the leader of the Black Dragon Gang secretly told him that this matter was of great importance. Once Li Bo of the Desire Immortal Pavilion appeared, he would send a master of the Refining Flesh realm from the Black Dragon Gang to fight in his place.
But to everyone's surprise, the one who went to fight for the Desire Immortal Pavilion was a boy whom no one had ever seen before.
He looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, but the horizontal sword hanging at his waist was quite intimidating.
"This... Boss."
Du Yuan turned to look at the leader of the Black Dragon Gang, whose eyes were deep and said in a low voice, "Since Li Bo won't show up, then forget it. You go up and deal with this kid."
"it is good."
Du Yuan nodded, gripped the large ghost-headed sword beside him, and went up on the stage.
Meanwhile, a hundred paces away, two figures, one fat and one thin, were silently watching this scene.
"Captain Qian, your plan is probably going to fail."
Yu Long spoke with a half-smile, his slender eyes fixed on Wu He, gleaming with an unknown, strange light.
Beside him, Qian Bin's face was gloomy, his eagle eyes also fixed on Wu He in the distance. Seeing that handsome face, his left arm began to ache slightly.
They actually let him fight.
Qian Bin was caught off guard. He had planned to take this opportunity to force Li Bo to return to the underworld and spread the news, especially since his former enemies would not ignore it.
At that point, Li Bo would have no way out and the only thing he could do was to rejoin the army.
The plan was good, but unexpectedly, Wu He would be the one to fight in his place.
"court death!"
His eyes were filled with ruthlessness, still remembering the knife that had slashed him last night.
The wind howled louder, and the snow fell heavier.
Just as everyone's attention was focused on the arena, no one noticed that a limping figure quietly walked out of the city gate.
Beneath the linen cloak, his gaze pierced through space, taking in the entire arena.