This was only because not much time had passed yet. If it went on longer and its influence grew greater, it was entirely possible that it would prompt the Great Yong court to respond and take action.
The main thing was that the timing was simply too perfect. Ninth Prince Beitang Shu had only just received generous rewards for driving back the Hu Man allied forces, and now Tong Lie, a Barbarian, was flaunting his martial prowess across Liang Prefecture without restraint. It was impossible to stop people from drawing connections.
Thus, after changing locations several times to gather information, Fatty Xia returned to the small courtyard they had rented, heavy with worry, and sought out Tong Lie, who was practicing his fist techniques, to discuss a countermeasure.
After hearing him out, Tong Lie stopped practicing. He casually picked up a clay jar as large as a washbasin, gulped down its contents, then wiped his lips and said,
"So what? Rumors are only rumors. Besides, with the martial arts I've displayed, even if ordinary people are dissatisfied, what can they do?"
It had to be said that during this period among the human race, Tong Lie's attitude had truly drifted skyward—and drifted very far indeed.
There was no helping it. Before coming here, he had done plenty of mental preparation, treating the human lands within Divine Land Pass as a dragon's pool and tiger's den.
The Bronze Hammer Tribe's chieftain had shared the same view. He had even entrusted Tong Lie with the tribe's inherited sacred weapon, the Flying Sickle Axe, fearing that if he encountered danger or trouble, he would have some means of dealing with it.
Precisely because his expectations had been too high and he had imagined the human race's martial strength within Divine Land Pass to