Sophistry? This Is Called Letting Loose!

"Hmph, who are you? Everyone gathered here is a person of weight in Dongjiang City. What right do you have to speak?"

Someone in the crowd shouted angrily. Li Yan sneered. "What, as the source of calamity you people keep talking about, I'm not allowed to take part?"

"Oh? You're Wan Sanhuo?"

Wang Jin looked over, his eyes filled with hostility.

"What the hell do you want?"

"You!"

In Dongjiang City, even the city lord had always shown him a measure of respect when they met. Li Yan's utter lack of courtesy made the dissatisfaction in Wang Jin's heart grow ever fiercer.

Xu San, on the other hand, cupped his hands toward Li Yan. "So it is Hero Wan before us. This old man greets you."

"Easy enough. I rescued Miss Shangguan in the midst of danger, escorted her hundreds of miles, and slew over a hundred vicious bandits. I can accept the title of hero without shame."

The moment those words came out, everyone who had wanted to speak was choked silent.

The two brothers of the Shangguan Family exchanged a glance, each with a different gleam in his eyes.

"Hmph, sharp-tongued brat. Don't think that saving Shangguan Xiyun means everything is fine. Do you know how much trouble you've brought to Dongjiang City?"

Wang Jin already disliked Li Yan's savage methods of slaughter, and coupled with his insolence, he showed no mercy in his words.

"The hundred thousand people of Dongjiang City only wish to live in peace. In the past, they had kept out of each other's way with the Fierce Wind Bandits, but because of you today, the Fierce Wind Bandits have set their sights on Dongjiang City. The people of the city will likely suffer far more consequences in the future. Don't you feel guilty at all?"

Hearing this, Li Yan sneered inwardly. This trick of swapping concepts and shifting contradictions was rather clumsy. In a later age, it surely would have been much smoother and silkier.

Wang Jin's move scored thirty points—not even half of a passing grade.

"Heh, I heard Senior Wang runs a martial arts school called Mighty Martial, is that right?"

"Hmph, what of it?"

"Nothing. It's just that after hearing what Senior Wang said, I thought perhaps I had remembered wrongly. Your martial arts school should be called Cowardly Rats."

"You! How dare you insult me, you little brat?!"

"Brother Wan!"

Just as Wang Jin was about to make his move, Shangguan Liuyun grabbed Li Yan and pulled him to his side. "Everyone in Dongjiang City knows Senior's character. Brother Wan, do not act rashly."

Li Yan gave Shangguan Liuyun a subtle, reassuring look, pushed his hand aside, and continued, "Elder Brother Shangguan, I think what I said was right."

"The Fierce Wind Bandits are a pack of chicken thieves and dog robbers, cunning and vicious scoundrels. Every righteous person has the right to execute them."

"Yet today, I, Wan, rescued an innocent young woman from their hands, only to become the target of everyone's verbal attacks. Tell me, is it that the world has fallen into decay and people's hearts are no longer what they once were, that even the martial world no longer distinguishes good from evil..."

"Or is it that I, Wan, simply have rotten luck and happened to run into accomplices of the Fierce Wind Bandits—people who want to vent their anger for their companions?"

As soon as Li Yan said this, everyone's gaze immediately turned toward Wang Jin, their eyes carrying varying degrees of strange suspicion.

"Bastard! You yellow-mouthed child, spitting blood at people!"

Wang Jin roared in fury. As his aura burst forth and he prepared to attack, someone stepped in front of him.

Though Shangguan Feiyun was still injured, Wang Jin was likewise burdened by old wounds. Although his realm surpassed Shangguan Feiyun's, if they truly fought, fists feared the young and strong.

"Shangguan Feiyun, what are you doing?" Wang Jin glared at Shangguan Feiyun.

"Nothing. But Brother Wan is my sister's lifesaving benefactor. If you wish to attack him in the Shangguan Family, Senior, are you trying to make my Shangguan Family lose all face?"

"Ah..."

Suddenly, a long sigh rang out, and everyone turned to look at Xu San.

At that moment, the old man was steeped in the air of twilight years, his face full of worry and pain.

"You people of the martial world fight and kill every day, fighting and killing, fighting and killing. You clearly do it for fame and profit, yet your mouths are full of benevolence, righteousness, morality, and virtue. Do you know what kind of lives ordinary people live?"

Widow Wang from the south of the city sold herself to a brothel some days ago. Do you know why? Because her husband was accidentally killed two years ago by two martial artists brawling in the street."

"The pillar of her household fell, leaving behind her and two children. The three of them lived a life of utter misery."

"And there was Old Woman Liu. She had three sons. Their family could have lived well, but all three sons wanted to become martial artists and learned martial arts. In the end, all of them died in martial-world grudges. Now only this lonely old widow remains, waiting for death day after day."

"Why must your grudges in the martial world drag the ordinary people of an entire city into them?"

Though Xu San appeared to be holding the martial artists present accountable, his spearhead still pointed directly at Li Yan.

Everyone was looking at Li Yan as well, vicious light exposed in their eyes.

The things Xu San spoke of had existed since ancient times. Heroes used martial strength to violate prohibitions, and there would always be times when innocent fish were caught in the pond. But martial-world experts held the power to speak, while common people were fish and meat, naturally able only to swallow their anger.

Now that this topic had been pushed into the open, the martial artists knew they were in the wrong and naturally had nothing to say. But what did this have to do with Li Yan?

"Old Xu is right. Martial-world grudges have nothing to do with ordinary people, but what do they have to do with me?"

"You still say it has nothing to do with you? If not for you, why would the Fierce Wind Bandits set their sights on Dongjiang City?"

"Do you know that the Fierce Wind Bandits have already spread word that if the people of Dongjiang City leave the city in the future, they will receive special attention!"

Li Yan shrugged. "So what? The Fierce Wind Bandits—they're bandits."

"What do bandits robbing people have to do with me? Before I came, did they not rob people?"

"They're targeting Dongjiang City, so go find the Prefectural Office. If that doesn't work, find the city lord and organize people to wipe out the bandits. Why come looking for me?"

"Nonsense! That's sophistry! You were clearly the one who provoked the Fierce Wind Bandits!"

Someone in the crowd spoke up, and Li Yan gave a cold snort. "Sophistry? I provoked them? That's truly laughable!"

With that, Li Yan drew the plain saber in his hand. Its icy blade flashed with a forest-cold gleam beneath the blazing sun.

"This plain saber was seized from those bandits. Since entering my hands these past few days, it has drunk only the blood of Fierce Wind Bandits. But before that?"

"Before me, it harvested ordinary people, passing merchants, and weaklings like you who had not even the strength to truss a chicken."

"I am eliminating harm for the people. Instead of thinking about solving the problem, you are blaming the person solving it for you?"

"Could it be that you think the Fierce Wind Bandits would not have set their sights on Dongjiang City without me?"

"Why did they capture Shangguan Xiyun? Could it be that they had not already targeted Dongjiang City?"

"The Shangguan Family is Dongjiang City's foremost martial clan. So long as they had Shangguan Xiyun, the Shangguan Family would be forced to fear breaking the rat's vessel. When they brought disaster upon Dongjiang City, the Shangguan Family would be unable to help, and you would die even faster."

"You are all short-sighted as mice, gaining an advantage yet still acting coy. You're just like ostriches with their heads buried in the sand, pretending not to know what's what!"

With that, Li Yan sheathed his saber and sneered. "Fine. Since Dongjiang City is full of fools like you, there is no need for me to say more. I will leave Dongjiang tomorrow. I'd like to see what faces you'll wear when the Fierce Wind Bandits' horses trample Dongjiang."

"No! You can't leave!" Someone in the crowd suddenly roared. "You caused this mess. You must solve it!"

But the moment that person finished speaking, a ringing clang answered him.

Li Yan drew his saber and pointed it from afar at the speaker. "I will leave. Try stopping me and see. If I can kill Fierce Wind Bandits, I can naturally kill you too."

With those words, the martial artists present could no longer sit still. The Fierce Wind Bandits were numerous, powerful, and savage. If they truly became enemies of the Fierce Wind Bandits, who knew how many people would die?

But the brat before them was alone. If handing him over could quell the storm, why not?

In an instant, these people drew their weapons one after another, and the atmosphere became drawn swords and bent bows.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort rang out again, accompanied by a powerful oppressive force sweeping across the area.

Shangguan Liuyun stepped forward. The aura of the Ninth Level of Meridian Opening erupted in full, forcibly driving everyone present back again and again.

"Everyone, this is the Shangguan Family. If you wish to behave outrageously here, then you are making an enemy of me, Shangguan Liuyun. You had best think carefully about the consequences!"