Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Scarface Who Provoked Public Anger _1
The seemingly casual and straightforward martial contest unfolding before them was critical to the leaders of these power organizations.
On the streets, face and reputation were paramount; losing in front of so many people meant not only a loss of face but also a tougher life ahead.
After all, in this world where the strong prey on the weak, fists were the most common tool.
Scarface gladly accepted the challenge, but instead of stepping up himself, he sat in the audience and waved Zhang Qiang over, saying, "Go up there and teach him a lesson."
"A small fry from the Flying Dagger Guild dares to challenge me? I was hacking people with a butcher knife when you were still in diapers!"
Scarface’s words drew a burst of laughter from the crowd.
Zhang Qiang nodded slightly and leaped onto the stage, causing quite a stir.
"An Eighth Rank Martial Artist, Scarface has really spent a fortune this time!"
"If we had an Eighth Rank Martial Artist, we would be walking sideways, right?"
"Let’s wait and see, Zhang San has been training hard recently, he might be just as strong as them."
As the crowd below discussed, the seats in the spectator area gradually filled up.
Ye Ming finished his tea, found it tasteless, and decided to go downstairs to watch the duel.
Just then, a man dressed in plain clothes and wearing a mask suddenly walked up to Ye Ming and whispered his name.
Ye Ming was surprised. He hadn’t expected to meet someone he knew here, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Qin Tianyu from the Qin Family.
"Qin Tianyu? What are you doing here? Does the Qin Family intend to get involved in the underworld as well?" Ye Ming asked curiously.
The attendees today were the purest of the circle; someone like Qin Tianyu, a rich young master, would not usually attend.
"Of course not, I’m just bored. My father asked me to come out and get some exposure," Qin Tianyu said without hiding anything.
Ye Ming nodded, gave a gesture of invitation, and said, "Well then, let’s go. You’ll get all the exposure you want soon. Everyone has moved downstairs; the fight has already started."
Qin Tianyu, getting interested, chuckled and followed Ye Ming downstairs, finding a very secluded corner to sit in; their arrival didn’t cause much commotion.
On the stage, Zhang Qiang began to adjust his breathing, pulling it deep within himself.
At a glance, Ye Ming commented with some surprise, "I didn’t expect this guy to be practicing Hard Qigong!"
Among Martial Artists, there were those who cultivate Inner Strength and those who cultivate External Strength.
Those who cultivate External Strength exercised their muscles, bones, and skin, turning True Qi into an augmenting force to be released.
This way of fighting was more common; it didn’t require much combat skill and focused on sheer brute force.
Conversely, Martial Artists practicing Inner Strength often leveraged clever force, practicing various moves and using True Qi to enhance themselves.
However, before absolute strength, the type of strength didn’t matter.
Zhang San was merely a Sixth Rank Martial Artist and couldn’t stir up much trouble in front of an Eighth Rank Martial Artist.
As he was about to reach Zhang Qiang, Zhang Qiang suddenly shouted and threw a punch, hitting Zhang San right in the face.
After a loud "bang," Zhang San fell to the ground, unconscious.
Seeing the situation of the fight, Li Yaozong couldn’t help but exclaim, "This guy is good with External Strength. If he trains more and gets some guidance, reaching the Ninth Rank Martial Artist won’t be difficult."
The first challenger was defeated and Scarface got up with a grin, saying, "Anybody else who’s dissatisfied can come forward, I’d be happy to accompany you!"
The second to step forward was Wang Cheng, who’d previously vented his dissatisfaction towards Scarface.
He leapt up with a light body, jumping onto the stage and coldly said to Scarface, "If I win, you know what to do, Scarface!"
Scarface said with a grin, "Of course, I’ll give my Hongyun KTV directly to you!"
"Good!" Wang Cheng roared, charging toward Zhang Qiang.
However, his fate was similar to Zhang San’s, as he too was knocked to the ground by a punch from Zhang Qiang and lost consciousness.
Scarface said with a grin, "It seems any Tom, Dick, or Harry thinks they can bark orders at me. Anyone else not satisfied, keep on coming!"
He hadn’t expected these guys to be so foolish; he even felt that Ye Ming wouldn’t need to make a move, as these opponents could all be taken care of.
Afterward, a few more minor leaders tried to challenge but were also taken down by Zhang Qiang one by one.
Finally, seeing that no one else dared to step forward, Scarface’s arrogance subsided, and he respectfully approached Xu Xincheng, saying, "Young Master Xu, I only had one goal in attending this banquet. As for the planning of the new territory, I won’t get involved."
"You take care of it!"
His approach was very smart because Scarface knew that the real experts hadn’t yet spoken up, and the Martial Artist brought by Li Dazhuang hadn’t shown himself either.
His appearance was just to warm up the crowd, play the opening act, and he wouldn’t attract unnecessary hatred for nothing.
Xu Xincheng nodded, looking at Scarface appreciatively and nodded again, but didn’t utter a word.
After Zhang Qiang left the stage, what followed was just some lesser figures sparring to pass the time; Scarface wasn’t interested. His gaze wandered over the audience, searching for the location of Ye Ming.
Under the watchful eyes of Xu Xincheng, everyone made brief contact and followed Scarface’s example, showing they weren’t ambitious and only wanted to ensure they would not be bullied.
Seeing that no one else was coming to the stage, Xu Xincheng stood up and said earnestly, "Does anyone else wish to challenge? I am here today to oversee fairness, and I can assure everyone that the duels on the stage, regardless of any past issues, will end here without repercussions, win or lose."
"Anyone harboring grudges and plotting behind the scenes after stepping down will face my intervention!"
"If no one else takes up the challenge, we’ll move on to discuss the division of the new territory."
No sooner had his words fallen than a hulking figure suddenly leaped out from the crowd.
Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Li Dazhuang.
He came before Xu Xincheng, standing tall with a chest puffed out and a face filled with pride, and said, "Young Master Xu, don’t be in such a hurry. I have something to say."
Xu Xincheng frowned and asked, "Li Dazhuang, what are you up to?"
Li Dazhuang said with a grin, "I’d like to settle scores with Scarface, and at the same time, compete for this new territory."
"Make no mistake, I’m targeting Scarface and your Xu Family!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell into stunned silence.
Everyone looked at Li Dazhuang as if he were a fool, with one thought emerging in their minds: Li Dazhuang was done for.
They didn’t much care what he did to Scarface, but the fact that he was openly provoking the Xu Family was beyond their imagination for the events that would follow.
