Chapter 113: Chapter 112: The Way of the World
Jia Lu’s laughter cut off abruptly, like a rooster being strangled.
Jia Lu’s expression turned cold as he said harshly, "You called me a crawler?"
Wen Qingye nodded seriously. "A very lowly crawler."
Jia Lu’s eyes blazed with uncontrollable fury. He ground his teeth and said, "Fine. Just fine. In that case, I’ll get to see just how a mighty dragon from Qig Mountain Academy defeats a mere crawler from Purple Sun Prefecture."
Jia Lu’s loud voice startled the surrounding crowd, and all eyes turned toward them.
Wen Shibei, standing nearby, quickly pulled at Jia Lu. "Brother Jia, let it go. It’s just a small matter. Why get so worked up?"
Wen Shibei knew full well how formidable Jia Lu was. He was at the Peak of the Refining Essence Seventh Layer Heaven and had mastered the Seventh-Grade Martial Arts, the Heavy Peak Fist Technique. There was no way Wen Qingye could be his opponent.
Jia Lu sneered. "Hmph. He calls himself a dragon and me a crawler. Well, I’d like to see what kind of True Dragon is afraid of a crawler!"
At this moment, the woman from the Yao Clan who was standing nearby heard Jia Lu’s words and was inwardly ecstatic. ’How arrogant! A mere student from the Outer Courtyard of Qig Mountain Academy dares to call himself a dragon. How ridiculous!’
Zhang Hua frowned. His own cultivation was at the Refining Essence Eighth Layer Heaven, and he was extremely sensitive to the aura emanating from Jia Lu. He knew Jia Lu was powerful, and that Wen Qingye was most likely not his match. Zhang Hua hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to stand by and watch how things developed without saying a word.
Gao Ming, seeing Zhang Hua stand there motionless, was also deeply wary of Jia Lu, this prodigy from Purple Sun Prefecture. He struggled internally for a moment before giving up on the idea of stepping forward to say a few words in Wen Qingye’s defense.
Wen Xu’s expression darkened slightly. If Wen Qingye were to be brutally taught a lesson, he would lose a great deal of face as well. He immediately walked over and said, "Today is a joyous occasion. If you two must compete, I suggest you postpone it to another day."
Jia Lu cupped his fist and said, "Uncle, it’s not that I don’t want to give you face. It’s just that this eldest son of yours was far too aggressive. He called me a crawler and himself a True Dragon. I’m quite curious to see just how strong this ’True Dragon’ really is."
Jia Lu’s words immediately stirred up a wave of discussion.
"Wen Qingye actually called himself a True Dragon and a prodigy from Purple Sun Prefecture a crawler? No way."
"Is Wen Qingye out of his mind? How could he say something like that?"
"Exactly! I don’t believe Wen Qingye would say that."
The buzz of discussion rose and fell around them, with most people refusing to believe Wen Qingye would say such a thing.
Hearing the doubtful murmurs from the crowd, Jia Lu frowned and looked at Wen Qingye. "Wen Qingye, you know full well whether you said it or not."
Wen Qingye replied calmly, "That’s right. I said it. You are a lowly crawler."
ROAR!
The crowd instantly erupted like a pot boiling over. Everyone stared at Wen Qingye with strange expressions.
"Wen Qingye is way too arrogant, saying something like that!"
"It’s unbelievable. Did Wen Qingye get stupid after spending time at Qig Mountain Academy?"
"He actually called a prodigy from Purple Sun Prefecture’s Outer Courtyard a crawler. Who’s the real crawler here? He’s completely out of line!"
.......
The woman from the Yao Clan was overjoyed, a faint smile playing on her lips. Seeing Wen Qingye get humiliated seemed to be the happiest moment of her life.
A cold glint in his eyes, Wen Xu shot a look at Wen Qingye, then fiercely flicked his sleeve. With a cold snort, he stalked off to the side. His meaning was perfectly clear.
Jia Lu’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Wen Qingye, I’m asking you, do you dare have a duel with me?"
Time for a duel!
Those four words slowly echoed through the hall, lingering for a long time as if an echo, refusing to fade.
Just as Wen Qingye was about to accept, Liu Tianli, who was beside him, stopped him. He turned to Jia Lu and said, "Young friend, how about I take Qingye’s place?"
"Uncle!" the woman from the Liu Clan cried out in alarm.
Jia Lu said impatiently, "You’re just a bag of old bones. At your age, you want to fight in Wen Qingye’s place? Get out of the way."
Liu Tianli smiled. "It’s just a match. Even if this old man is just a bag of bones, what’s the harm in sparring a bit with a young friend like you?"
Jia Lu gave a savage grin. "Old dog, piss off! I’m only dueling Wen Qingye today. Isn’t he a True Dragon? If he loses, I’m going to shatter every bone in his body! You should take your old bag of bones, find a coffin, and get yourself buried!"
To be called an "old dog" in front of everyone—Liu Tianli, who was after all a man of some standing in Phoenix City—couldn’t help but flush red with anger and humiliation.
The expressions of the Liu Family members present all changed, and the woman from the Liu Clan turned pale as a sheet.
Wen Xu’s eyelid twitched, but he remained utterly indifferent to the scene before him, as if the one Jia Lu was threatening to cripple wasn’t his own son.
Hearing Jia Lu’s words, Liu Wen said angrily, "Do you know where you are? Believe it or not, my Liu Family can make sure you never leave Phoenix City."
Jia Lu burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You brat, you dare threaten me? Do you have any idea who I am? I’m from the Jia Family of the Imperial City! Believe it or not, I can have your Liu Family wiped out overnight, reduced to ash!"
"The Jia Family from the Imperial City? The Jia Family that’s one of the Eight Great Families of the Celestial Martial Country?"
"So he’s from the Jia Family... no wonder he’s so powerful."
"Heavens, the Liu Family really picked a fight with the wrong person this time."
Hearing Jia Lu’s words, Liu Wen’s eyes filled with terror, and he stumbled backward several steps.
No one else in the hall dared to speak up for Wen Qingye. Not Gao Li, who owed him a debt of gratitude; not Zhang Hua, who had wanted to curry favor with him; and not even his own biological father, Wen Xu. Not a single person spoke a word on his behalf.
Everyone was certain that Wen Qingye was no match for Jia Lu, but they all remained silent. Even Gao Ming and Zhang Hua, who had considered stepping forward, stopped in their tracks.
The human heart is a fickle thing! Such is the cold, uncaring way of the world!
They all knew the Jia Family’s power was unstoppable. To them, it possessed an intimidating thunder aura. This was what Wen Xu thought, what Zhang Hua thought, and what Gao Ming thought as well.
SHING!
Wen Qingye suddenly took a step forward and drew his Cyan Mist Sword. A cold glint flashed in his heart as he shouted icily, "The Jia Family of the Imperial City? Never heard of them. I accept your challenge. A duel to the death!"
WHOA!
The crowd was stunned!
"A duel to the death?"
Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, everyone stared at him in shock.
"No, Qingye!" The woman from the Liu Clan grabbed Wen Qingye to stop him. "Don’t make it a duel to the death! If you absolutely have to fight, then just have a normal match. There’s no need for it to be to the death!"
"Mother, don’t stop me!" Wen Qingye said, glancing at her.
The woman from the Liu Clan looked into Wen Qingye’s ink-black eyes and couldn’t help but take a few steps back.
Gao Yuerou watched Wen Qingye, her beautiful eyes shimmering. Of everyone present, she was the only one who believed in him.
A murderous glint flashed in Wen Qingye’s eyes. In his mind, Jia Lu was already a dead man.
Jia Lu laughed wildly. "Hahaha! Good! A duel to the death it is! Don’t worry, even after I beat you, I’ll let you live a little while longer. I said I’d shatter your bones, and I always keep my word."
After speaking, Jia Lu took a step forward, licked his lips, and a savage smile spread across his face.
"Looks like Wen Qingye is done for this time."
"Sigh... Wen Qingye was considered a late bloomer who’d finally started to rise."
"What a pity. His personality became far too arrogant."
Gao Yuerou looked at Wen Qingye, a gentle expression flashing in her eyes. For some reason, whenever she saw this proud, unyielding man being insulted, her heart ached for him.
Yao Qi watched the two men and chuckled to the woman beside him. "Jiao, I never thought we’d get to see such a match just by coming to my cousin’s engagement party. Isn’t this interesting?"
The woman, Ling Jiao, looked at the two on the stage and pouted flirtatiously. "Neither of them is as amazing as you, Brother Qi."
"Amazing? In what way are you referring to?" A gleam flashed in Yao Qi’s eyes as his hand slowly snaked onto the woman’s body.
Ling Jiao shot him a look and giggled coquettishly. "You’re so naughty!"
Feeling the allure of the beauty before him, Yao Qi felt a wicked fire stir within him. If they weren’t at the Wen Family’s estate, and if Yao Luojun wasn’t right nearby, he would have taken her right then and there.
The two of them paid no attention to the duel about to start, as if it were a completely trivial matter.
