"Wait! I am willing to make amends for my errors. I will personally go to Eastern State Martial University and bring the person back!" The headmaster's heart tightened as he glanced at the decapitated Meng Cheng.
At this moment, he naturally understood that Wang Linchi had outmaneuvered him again, and this time, his own life had been the target.
How could he not have realized? Wang Linchi must have known in advance that the noble's target was him, a person with a special physique. That's why Wang Linchi had cleverly distorted the information, deliberately misleading him and leading him to this disastrous end.
"With just you?" a lavishly dressed middle-aged man asked, looking at the headmaster as if he were an insect. Considering how the headmaster had hung up on him twice in a row and then turned off his phone the third time, the headmaster was clearly an incompetent fool to think he could just go to Eastern State Martial University and retrieve someone.
Did he really think Eastern State Martial University was filled with worthless incompetents? Although it couldn't compare to the top martial arts universities, it was still one of the best among ordinary institutions.
Even he, a noble, had to carefully consider if he could bear the repercussions from Eastern State Martial University should he make a move against them.
A Martial Arts University possessed one advantage that surpassed them: connections.
Eastern State Martial University had cultivated a vast number of martial artists, among them many powerful experts, and even one figure at the Martial Emperor Level. No matter how esteemed this noble was, he wouldn't dare to provoke a Martial Sovereign.
"Just me," the headmaster said, clenching his teeth. "That little whelp is merely a Samurai. I, a dignified martial master, can capture a young man who has never experienced any real hardship with ease."
At this point, he certainly couldn't admit he had been manipulated. He could only use the excuse that he had been blinded by greed, wanting the noble to achieve a more impressive victory, and had therefore privately swapped the participant. Otherwise, if he were to confess the truth, he would undoubtedly die.
"Three days. Just three days, and I will deliver that little whelp to the noble," the headmaster added, imposing his own time limit.
"Before nightfall, dispose of the Meng Family," the noble said, then rose and departed, leaving only the kneeling headmaster behind.
The headmaster inwardly sighed in relief. He knew he had just dodged a bullet. However, within three days, he had to provide an explanation to the noble; otherwise, the Meng Family's fate would be his own.
To think that I, Liao Xun, with my lifelong reputation, have ended up in such a predicament! That little whelp is truly detestable! Headmaster Liao Xun cursed inwardly.
Of course, he didn't dare to resent the noble. The noble could obliterate him with a mere flick of a finger, let alone anything more.
As for this so-called competition, it was more like a display of ostentation among the nobles.
Whether they could actually fight was one thing; the main point was that everyone else had brought participants with special physiques for the duels, akin to pedigree dogs. Liao Xun, however, had brought Meng Cheng, which was like presenting a mongrel. This directly caused the noble to lose significant face.
A noble who had lost face would surely need to vent his anger.
"Get up. The Master has already left," a voice said. It was the middle-aged man he had met before, a look of exasperation on his face. "You! Such a great opportunity for merit, and you had to go and act on your own accord! Now look what you've done! Making the Master lose face is like slapping all of us in the face. If you bungle this again, just prepare to die!"
Liao Xun certainly didn't dare to flee. He wasn't a loner; in River City, he had parents, a wife and children, as well as relatives and friends. How could he not care about them?
Besides, even if he wanted to escape, he couldn't. The noble's power was not something he could contend with unless he became a Martial Sovereign. No, as long as he was a Martial Emperor, he could escape this predicament.
Unfortunately, he was just a martial master, completely incapable of resistance.
He could only be manipulated by them like a plaything.
"Rest assured, sir. I will definitely complete the task this time and will not act on my own accord again," Liao Xun said, knowing this was his chance to redeem himself.
Even if the noble was likely to forget about it later, Liao Xun couldn't afford not to carry it out.
Thinking about the status of these nobles, Liao Xun couldn't help but tremble. If he had known this would happen, he would never have tried to curry favor with the powerful. In the end, he hadn't gained any benefits and had instead dragged himself into this mess.
"Good that you understand. Someone will be watching you. Don't even think about running," the middle-aged man sneered, then rose and left.
Liao Xun's incompetence had implicated him as well. He'd been unjustly whipped, and the sting on his back was still raw. Moreover, he couldn't even rest; he had to go and dispose of the Meng Family.
"Go on then. If you can't bring him back within three days... after I'm done with the Meng Family, it'll be your family's turn," the middle-aged man said with a sinister smile.
This made Liao Xun's expression darken. The man was clearly convinced he couldn't succeed.
The man was powerful, and Liao Xun didn't dare to retort. He was already in a precarious position. If he antagonized the man further, the man might deliberately sabotage his efforts, and his own life would be forfeit.
The middle-aged man seemed very satisfied with Liao Xun's expression. He laughed heartily, then ignored Liao Xun and left directly.
Liao Xun looked at Meng Cheng's corpse, his anger flaring uncontrollably. "Useless! Why couldn't you have a special physique?" He furiously kicked Meng Cheng's body. With his strength as a martial master, and Meng Cheng having been only a Martial Student, the kick immediately caved in a large section of the corpse.
Seeing this finally vented some of his frustration, and he departed in haste.
What was the point of staying? It would only make him angrier and waste time.
If I can survive this ordeal, I will never seek promotion again. Gazing at the azure sky, Liao Xun's heart was filled with immense bitterness.
As the principal of South District Second School, although he didn't earn extravagantly, the perks were considerable. If it weren't for his insatiable greed, a case of a man's ambition outstripping his means like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, he wouldn't be in this situation.
Nobles acted on their whims, their temperaments fickle and unpredictable. What Liao Xun truly feared was their capriciousness.
Just moments ago, the noble hadn't actually agreed to his plea. Even if he brought Wang Linchi back and handed him over, the noble might still, out of sheer indifference, order his entire family exterminated.
Such things had happened before.
Conversely, if he managed to gain a noble's favor, the rewards would be exceedingly generous.
It was just a benefit he hadn't been able to enjoy.
"Offended a noble?" Shi Ming, who rarely had a moment's leisure, mused as he happened upon Wang Linchi's intelligence report.
A chill ran down his spine. He had initially thought Wang Linchi was a promising talent, but it seemed he was utterly foolish.
Ordinary people were unaware of the nobles' existence; they belonged to entirely different circles. Besides, the nobles had no interest in bothering commoners; tormenting martial artists was far more amusing to them.
There were only two ways to learn about the nobles. The first was through one's influential background, as was the case for Shi Ming and Liao Xun. The second was by becoming powerful enough to gain access to some information about their circle.
"It seems I have no choice but to give up on him," Shi Ming sighed with regret. He had originally planned to use Wang Linchi to divert the attention of his own clan's enemies, but that was no longer feasible.
If they truly obstructed a noble, his entire Shi Family would face annihilation.
His Shi Family held some power in their little corner of Eastern State, but the nobles wielded authority across the entire Great Zhao Country.
A few words from them, and his Shi Family could plummet from the clouds into the dust.
Unless your family had a Martial Sovereign, in the presence of a noble, you were merely a slightly larger ant.
A Martial Emperor might be able to lessen the severity, perhaps sparing your entire family from complete annihilation.
I need to warn those oblivious uncles of mine, lest they cause offense. Shi Ming realized that Wang Linchi's death was inevitable. Even if the noble in question wasn't bothered, there would always be underlings eager to curry favor.
If anyone stood in their way, conflict was inevitable.
Although he was at odds with those clan uncles, that was an internal matter. Now that external forces were involved, a single misstep could lead to the Shi Family's destruction. When faced with the survival of the clan, such internal conflicts over benefits were trivial. It would be utterly laughable if they fought amongst themselves to the point of mutual destruction.
"What a pity. Even Eastern State Martial University can't protect him. He had such a promising future," Shi Ming remarked with regret.
He, too, had briefly considered using Wang Linchi's head to curry favor with that noble.
However, he quickly abandoned the idea. Nobles were capricious; what pleased them today might displease them tomorrow. Such temporary allegiances, born of fawning, often brought disaster rather than fortune.
If his Shi Family made even the slightest misstep one day, they could be wiped out because of such a connection.
It was better not to get involved.
To live every day in constant fear and trepidation, serving the nobles like a slave, only to potentially die over a trifle and drag the entire Shi Family down with him? Shi Ming possessed no such grand sense of self-sacrifice.
Moreover, nobles wouldn't care how much you'd done for them before deciding to eliminate you. As long as something displeased them, they were capable of the most outrageous and cruel acts.
With the Great Zhao Country always cleaning up their messes, the unbridled depravity of these nobles was beyond anything ordinary people could imagine. Even Shi Ming, who had only heard rumors, found the accounts dumbfounding.
