Chapter 226: Chapter 141: I Will Take Good Care of Your Fiancée.
"Rest assured, Young Master Lu. I will be sure to take good care of Miss Wang on your behalf."
With that, he paid no more mind to Lu Maozhi’s fiery glare and ragged gasps. He flicked his sleeves, turned with an air of nonchalance, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Zilan toward the Song Family’s shattered gates.
Lu Maozhi stared daggers at their departing backs, his teeth grinding with an audible CLICK. The metallic tang of blood rose in his throat, but he forced it back down.
Humiliated before all eyes, any threat he might utter now would only sound pathetic and laughable.
All he could do was suppress his boundless fury and humiliation deep within his heart, transforming it into the most venomous of curses.
’Chen Sheng, enjoy your little victory. Just wait until my brother returns from the Upper Sect. I swear I’ll make you pay for this humiliation a hundred times over!’
.....
The moment Chen Sheng and Wang Zilan’s figures vanished through the gates, the previously hushed courtyard erupted in an uproar.
"How satisfying! Truly, utterly satisfying! To witness one of the Ten Heroes being unseated with my own eyes—this trip was well worth it."
"Who would have thought? A newcomer to the Earth Fiend realm taking on one of the Ten Heroes and winning... That Deputy Captain Chen is truly remarkable."
"Looks like the winds are changing in the Ning’an Martial World. The Government Office has been producing a stream of incredible talent these past few years."
"Including Deputy Captain Chen, doesn’t that mean the government faction now holds two spots among the Ten Heroes? That’s the first time that’s happened in nearly twenty years!"
"Sigh, it’s a shame they weren’t taking bets. Even before the fight, I saw Captain Chen’s composed bearing and exceptional Evil Qi and figured he had a solid chance. If I’d had the opportunity... TSK."
"Hindsight is 20/20, isn’t it? Before the fight, at least ninety percent of us thought Lu Maozhi had it in the bag."
"What do you know? It’s the first rule of gambling: the overwhelming favorite always chokes. I was just following universal law!"
These blatant conversations were like a thousand invisible barbs, digging mercilessly into Lu Maozhi’s heart.
His face instantly went from white to green, then to a ghastly shade of purple, his expression twisted and horrifying.
Supported by two retainers who had fortunately been spared, Lu Maozhi struggled to his feet. He swept a frigid glare across the chattering crowd and snorted. Then, under countless inscrutable stares, he stumbled away in utter disgrace.
"Tch. The man lost. What’s he still posturing for?"
"Exactly. If it weren’t for Luoyun Manor at his back, would someone like him even be worthy of a spot among the Ten Heroes?"
"After today, that spot on the Ten Heroes roster is about to have a new name on it."
"The worst part is the blow to his pride. Losing the wager for a dinner with his ’fiancée’ in front of everyone... Hehe. He’ll have to wear that hat for quite a while."
"Hey, you know, his name is almost too perfect for this. Lu Maozhi. The ’Maozhi’ in his name means ’to flourish.’ Hehe... a different kind of ’flourishing’ from what he expected, I’d say!"
"Gentlemen, a word of caution. Luoyun Manor is, after all, not an entity we can afford to provoke..."
Xu Shenzhi observed all this with cold detachment. The frustration that had been building inside him for so long seemed to finally dissipate a little.
Seeing Lu Maozhi in an even more pathetic, humiliated state than he himself had once been, he felt a strange pang of sympathy for a fellow sufferer. But that feeling was instantly swallowed by an even more intense surge of glee.
Because Lu Maozhi’s fate was going to be far worse than his own.
At least Captain Chen had shown no interest in Han Ling’Er back then.
But Wang Zilan... had clearly caught the Captain’s eye.
Xu Shenzhi found himself eagerly anticipating the day the rumored marriage alliance between Luoyun Manor and the Ning’an Wang Clan would be called off for good.
When that happened, would Lu Maozhi and Luoyun Manor be the only ones humiliated?
The Ning’an Wang Clan, along with this legendarily arrogant legitimate daughter of the Wang Family, would also become the talk of the town.
That scene, he thought, would be... quite amusing.
...
That evening, two pieces of news exploded from the Song Family estate in Qu Shui, spreading like a furious hurricane and shaking the entire Ning’an Prefecture.
The first piece of news: The Song Clan of Qu Shui—a top-tier, second-rate power backed by Luoyun Manor and entrenched in the area for years—had been annihilated. Citing their collusion with the Cyan Flood Dragon Alliance, the harboring of fugitives, and armed resistance against the authorities, Deputy Captain Chen Sheng of the Jingwu Bureau had led a lightning raid that resulted in the execution of the entire clan of over four hundred members and the seizure of all their assets.
The banks of the Qu Shui River ran red with blood.
This news alone was horrifying enough. A deeply-rooted Noble Family had been wiped from existence in a single day. The iron-fisted methods of the Jingwu Bureau struck terror into the hearts of many, putting all other major powers on high alert.
However, the second piece of news that followed was an even greater shock—a thunderclap that left the entire Ning’an Martial World reeling and sparked a firestorm of debate.
The newly ascendant Deputy Captain of the Jingwu Bureau, Chen Sheng, had accepted a public challenge on the ruins of the Song Family estate. The challenger was Lu Maozhi, a direct disciple of Luoyun Manor and the lowest-ranking member of the Ning’an Ten Heroes.
The stakes: twenty Elemental Crystals and... a private dinner with Wang Zilan, the legitimate daughter of the Ning’an Wang Clan.
What was even more unbelievable was that Chen Sheng, a mere newcomer to the Earth Fiend realm, had defeated Lu Maozhi—a martial artist at the very peak of that same realm—in a direct confrontation, right before everyone’s eyes. He had won the wager and left with the lady.
And Lu Maozhi’s defeat meant, without a doubt, that Chen Sheng would be stepping over his reputation to claim a spot among the Ning’an Ten Heroes.
A Hero Unseated, a New Star Risen!
A Noble Scion Defeated, a Beauty as the Prize!
Each of these phrases was enough to set teahouses and taverns buzzing, becoming the hottest topic of gossip on every street and alley. Combined, the shockwave from these two events was magnified exponentially.
In an instant, Chen Sheng’s name became legend.
————
A 10,000-character update, served!
I’m begging you all for your monthly ticket support!
I’m about to fall off the monthly ticket rankings.
Thank you! Thank you!
I’m bowing in gratitude to you all in advance.
