“Stop right there!” The gentleman wiped the blood from his mouth and shakily got up.
Xia Fei really came to a halt, turning around to give them a smile. “What, was I mistaken?”
Everyone was speechless. They looked questioningly at the elder gentleman. Actually, this person was none other than Hyacinth’s father, Otter, and this show had indeed been his orchestration from the start.
The atmosphere got a little tense. Seth rolled up his sleeves and stood beside Xia Fei. He had no idea what was happening, but he did get the sense that the situation was going awry.
Elder Otter could not take that comment lying down, so he called for Xia Fei to stay. He had practically gone dizzy from anger by now. He really wanted to chide Xia Fei for doing something wrong, but he could not just point out what exactly the latter did wrong.
After all, this had been a scenario he set up, and the undead Nine-armored Land Drake was something he allowed others to kill. However, it just so happened that the undead exotic beast was no match for Blood Crystal. Xia Fei did not waste any strength to kill it, even harvesting its precious resources, which were enough for him to make Nitrox, along the way.
Xia Fei raised an eyebrow, turning round and stalking over. His expression exuded his killing intent.
These mercenaries immediately stood in front of Otter once they saw the change in the situation. At this point, even a fool could tell that they had all been on the same side to begin with.
The term impersonator was nothing more than an euphemism. The truth was that these impersonators were more like swindlers. Imitating others was just a part of their subterfuge, but more often than not, it was just layers and layers of scenarios, nothing more than activities which allowed them to swindle others.
“How very interesting. I came here today in order to ask Hyacinth for help in doing some things, which more or less makes me a potential client. I don’t mind that you all rejected my request, but to turn around and spring this trap for me to walk into, just what could be the reason for this?” Xia Fei asked coldly, strolling over slowly as he did.
Seth knew how powerful this group was. He originally had no intention of clashing with Hyacinth, but he had no choice but to put his life on the line for Xia Fei, so all he could do was puff his chest out and glare menacingly.
Elder Otter’s expression changed many times before he hissed through gritted teeth, “You’re the one who injured my granddaughter first!”
“B*llsh*t! Xia Fei cursed unceremoniously. “If not for your precious granddaughter seeking to trick me, would I retaliate? Besides, I could’ve easily killed anyone if it had been my intention to do so, not to mention a fourteen-year-old girl. I wouldn’t even break a sweat killing the lot of you together!”
“What arrogance! We, Hyacinth, aren’t no pushovers!” the curly haired, middle-aged man yelled, furious as well.
*Whoosh*
Xia Fei suddenly disappeared from where he stood, and when the next time he appeared, he had already scored an uppercut directly at that curly haired man’s chin.
*Crack*
His lower jaw bone shattered, and several teeth and purple blood came flying out!
Due to the force from the uppercut, that man who weighed over two hundred pounds went flying out in a parabolic arc, like a kite with its string cut, before he landed into the river nearby.
*Splash*
“What do I have to do with you being pushovers? You claim I’m arrogant? Why don’t I show you all what true arrogance means? In this world, our fists do the talking, so if you think you’ve got a hard enough fist, come right at me! If you can survive one round against me, I’ll take your surname!”
Icy killing intent pervaded. Xia Fei had really gotten enraged by now, and the pent-up rage in his belly was having free rein of his emotions. A powerful aura instantly engulfed that bridge, shrouding the bamboo forest all around!
*Rustle*
Those members of Hyacinth, who had been hiding in the forest, all arrived at that bridge, forming a mob of over a hundred. Aside from Hyacinth and his wife Poria, this organization of impersonators, who had not tasted defeat in twenty-five years, all assembled!
The warriors among them stood in front, and even those support members who were not particularly versed in combat also eyed Xia Fei furiously.
That uppercut Xia Fei had delivered was a sort of signal. He was intent on becoming enemies with the Hyacinth!
On one side was an elite organization from Exiled Grounds, and on the other side stood Xia Fei and Seth.
Though it was just the two of them, Xia Fei did not have the slightest inclination to retreat. His stern gaze did not seem to be showing any regard for any of these hundred-over men before him whatsoever.
Grinding his teeth, Seth quickly calculated the ultimate results of what might actually happen if they were to clash. As a level 2 Law Emperor, taking on thirty-odd men at once was no problem, while Xia Fei and his unfathomable cultivation was someone Seth admired greatly; Crag Defense could hardly hold against Xia Fei, so Seth had no doubt that these impersonators could do anything to him, either.
Just a bit of mental simulation and Seth soon realized that his side had a very high chance of winning. As such, he stepped in front of Xia Fei and lectured the enemy loudly, “You swindlers actually dared to challenge my master?! How preposterous! You must all be tired of living! If you don’t kneel and apologize soon, I’m afraid I’ll have to tear you all up and feed you to the dogs!”
Otter’s expression chilled. Seth’s words were akin to dousing a fire with oil; with how things had escalated, it seemed like there was no other outcome to this situation aside from a fight.
*Plop*
Seth was secretly pleased with his grand show of loyalty, but what he had not expected was for Xia Fei to pick him up directly and toss him several meters out. His huge frame crashed down on the bridge, the impact almost strong enough for him to break through the wooden bridge.
“Scram! I don’t need you here!” Xia Fei growled discourteously.
These people did not know Xia Fei, but many knew about Seth, and they knew that he was a Law Emperor with the rare Law of Defense.
The fact that a Law Emperor would accept Xia Fei as his master was shocking enough, but for Xia Fei to treat Seth so rudely as well, picking him up and throwing him with such force that he lay sprawled on the ground, not even giving the man a sliver of face, just what sort of logic was that?
Otter was secretly bemoaning his fate deep down. He had always enjoyed studying exotic beasts since young, and he knew that the little ball on Xia Fei was the Holy Beast Shatterstar. Given how Xia Fei had unreservedly slapped a Holy Beast, of course he would not hold any regard for Law Emperor Seth, either. There were plenty of Law Emperors in the circle, but the Holy Beast Shatterstar was a unique existence!
Otter could tell from Xia Fei’s slapping Furball that he was definitely not an enemy to be trifled with. It was just that the undead Beast King Nine-armored Land Drake had been his companion for many years, and he could not bear seeing it die just like that. That was why he had yelled at Xia Fei like he did, but he did not expect that his own disciples would take it as the old man deciding to reduce this matter into a fight, so they all showed themselves from their hiding spots.
“You may come at me all at once.” Xia Fei came to a halt about a dozen meters away from where they all stood, uttering out this line emotionlessly.
Everyone gritted their teeth and looked at Otter, waiting for him to give the order.
Otter was deathly afraid of giving this order. He knew that Xia Fei would not show even a hint of mercy once he acted, and a single mistake would be all it took for Hyacinth to be wiped fresh of their existence from here on out. The crowd was visibly agitated, but the elderly Otter pondered over just how he could perfectly back away from this conflict without crossing Xia Fei or causing himself to lose face.
It just so happened that this was the very moment when that curly haired man, who had been tossed into the river, came charging out, his two hands holding high a greataxe, which was cleaving right at Xia Fei.
Because his lower jaw had been shattered by Xia Fei’s punch, his mouth was a mangle of flesh. No one could tell just what he was trying to say, and it seemed like he was demanding for Xia Fei to pay a similar price.
“DON’T!” Otter yelled in his panic. He knew very well that there was still a way to guide this altercation toward a peaceful resolution, but if this conflict escalated, hypothetically, then there would be no end to the slaughter ahead!
Unfortunately for him, his words had come out a step too late. Everyone saw as Xia Fei’s figure suddenly disappeared, abruptly grabbing a hold of that curly haired man in mid-air as easy as if he were catching a sparrow.
He used two fingers to seize that man’s throat, and the slightest exertion of force from Xia Fei caused that man to howl. The water of the river was intermingled with purple blood, which kept dripping off the bridge. Even his tears had mixed in, and another thing mixing from this release of bodily fluids was pee.
Seeing just how powerful Xia Fei was, the old demon lord chuckled. “Looks like you’re not planning to hire Hyacinth anymore. Kill them all and Exiled Grounds may not have a stronger organization anymore. Why don’t you let them off if they’re willing to cooperate with you?”
Xia Fei frowned. “Originally, I didn’t plan to trouble this group of impersonators who make a living out of cheating people, but the fact that they dared to come up with a plan just to take my weapon… You’re of greater seniority. You ought to understand just how serious a problem this is.”
Oro did not say another word. A warrior’s weapon was akin to their life, and its importance could not be further emphasized. It was a good thing that Xia Fei had seen through this ruse. Not only did he not lose his Blood Crystal, he even managed to kill the undead Beast King. However, their initial intention was sinister, and they had violated a great taboo for a warrior!
Pursing his lips, Oro found it hard to say what he originally wanted to say in an attempt to persuade Xia Fei. If he were in his shoes, Hyacinth might probably already be subjected to great calamity at this moment.
Just as he thought that there would be no way to clean up this mess, a sudden cry interrupted the tense atmosphere.
“Brother Ah Fei, Brother Seth, have mercy!”
From afar, Hyacinth and Poria came running over in a panic, and behind them were Sakura and the teenager Sambo.
Though Sakura was pampered, she had never been someone who had a bad nature, and she was a lot smarter than people of her age.
She had been hiding in the forest, wanting to watch the situation with Xia Fei unfold, but Xia Fei ended up seeing through Otter’s ruse, and both sides clashed as a result.
Sakura knew that impersonators were no warriors. Their strength lay in using disguises to to perform trickery and subterfuge. There was no way that they would be a match for a professional warrior like Xia Fei.
In the first place, she had been the one who caused this situation by embellishing details, which infuriated Otter and caused him to attempt cheating Xia Fei of his weapon just so they could show him what they were capable of. However, now that his plan had failed and Xia Fei had been angered, the instigator Sakura was of course terrified. She ignored the consequences of letting her parents find out and ran back home to bring both Hyacinth and Poria over.
“Brother Ah Fei, let us talk things over properly. We are all friends here. Is there a need for such escalation?” Hyacinth anxiously implored.
Xia Fei let out a mirthless laugh. “I treated you all as friends, but did you all extend the same kindness to me? ‘A tiger will be mistaken for a sick cat if it doesn’t show its fangs’. To think that you’d actually plan to cheat me of my weapon! A warrior’s weapon is akin to their second life; just how do you intend to settle this score?!”
While his words sounded unforgiving, Xia Fei still showed a measure of leeway. That was because he had suddenly thought of a plan that could possibly allow him to take a sizable bite off Hyacinth!
The scary thing about Xia Fei was his willingness to stake his life whenever he went crazy, while his analytical skills were overwhelming when he saw reason. Be it martial or aptitude means, Xia Fei was not someone who would let anyone take advantage of him.
Hyacinth’s expression froze slightly. His eyes were looking strangely at these comrades whom he had worked with all these years. A quick glance of his father’s look of uncertainty, and Hyacinth instantly understood everything there and then.
“Brother Ah Fei, I am the leader of this organization, so I will bear full responsibility for this transgression. Can you let my comrades off and slowly discuss this?”
Sakura clenched her teeth and admitted through quivering lips, “Actually, this whole thing is my fault. I—”
Xia Fei cut the girl off gruffly before she could even finish.
He could already tell that there was something strange about this.Though he did not manage to come to an agreement with Hyacinth for their services, it would not have devolved into a point where they would see the need to target him. Xia Fei instantly understood everything when Sakura spoke up. It turned out that it was this lass who had instigated things.
After having figuratively gotten a hold of Hyacinth by its pigtail, Xia Fei was in the process of acquiring the organization’s aid, so if Sakura took the initiative to admit her mistake right now, Xia Fei would be unable to act viciously. At the end of the day, she was still a little girl, and there was no way that Xia Fei could be petty over the antics of a child.
“You don’t have to say anything more. I don’t care what excuses you give; what’s done is done. I don’t care if you try to placate me with flattery or try to deny what happened. Playtime is over!” Xia Fei ominously barked. “I’ll give you two options: Either we let go by the rules of a warrior and let this descend into a massacre, with me facing everyone of you!
“Or we can follow the rules of you, impersonators, and let us do a ruse-off. It will also be me against all of you! Since we’re doing this, let’s do it to the utmost! I’ll let you all experience a convincing defeat!”
Everyone gathered was completely taken aback by this. Xia Fei intended to challenge Hyacinth all by himself?! It would be either a martial or aptitude challenge!
Such arrogance!
Absolute arrogance!
