I Just Had a Good Nose

The one who spoke was Commodus, Emperor of the Roman Empire. Saturnilos could not disobey his command. He cast Zhang Heng a gloomy glance, then could only helplessly return to where he had been standing.

Saturnilos could tell that although Commodus was trying to mediate, he was clearly more partial to Zhang Heng. But Saturnilos was no fool and quickly understood why. At the very end of their exchange, Zhang Heng had made a hand-chop gesture and swept it across his neck. If Zhang Heng had been holding a knife or sword, Saturnilos would undoubtedly have been a corpse by now.

Still, it had to be said that this method was somewhat opportunistic. After all, they had only been fighting barehanded, so Saturnilos naturally had not been guarding against blades. Zhang Heng might have been able to inflict a more serious injury while Saturnilos was too slow to react if he had not made that gesture, but it would have been difficult to make it fatal. They could have kept fighting afterward.

Now Saturnilos had suffered a loss in silence, unable to complain. Meanwhile, Zhang Heng had successfully overturned Commodus's first impression of him. The emperor had initially thought him somewhat reckless, but now considered him brave and skilled in battle, and capable of sparing an opponent even when he had the upper hand. That was a rare quality, especially in a gladiator.

After the fight ended, Commodus even patted Zhang Heng on the shoulder. "Your name is Zhang Heng, right? I hear you come from the distant East, that ancient empire famed for its silk. You fought well. I'll remember your name, and I look forward to seeing how you perform in the arena."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Zhang Heng said.

Commodus seemed to want to say something