The Poisoning

Vajra Tou Tuo was not actually a monk. Though he kept his head shaved, his filthy, open-front leather coat and battered black-sheathed saber made it clear beyond doubt that he was a wandering swordsman who occasionally turned to banditry.

Shangguan Fei soon discovered that he was not the only one who found Vajra Tou Tuo unfamiliar.

The contest had come together suddenly, but the prize money was remarkably generous. There was not only a hundred thousand taels in prize money; the freely available food and drink alone had brightened everyone's eyes. Yet when they saw Vajra Tou Tuo's face, weathered by wind and frost, many people's eyes dimmed instead.

"Today's contest..." Vajra Tou Tuo had barely spoken a few words when a voice cut him off. "Bring out the hundred thousand taels and let us have a look."

"A hundred thousand taels! A hundred thousand taels!" The ample food and drink had apparently been a mistake. The half-drunk heroes of the martial world started jeering without the slightest consideration for their host's feelings.

Vajra Tou Tuo was not tall, but he was built like a small calf. Most striking were his hands, almost as large as an ordinary person's head. When he spread them wide, they were deeply intimidating. "Everyone, listen to me!"

"Listen to him, listen to him." After a brief commotion, the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Some of you know me." Cheers rose from the crowd. "Quite a few of you are new friends, so let me introduce myself. My name is Vajra Tou Tuo, and people call me Vajra Tou Tuo. My roots are in Hexi, and I don't often come to Dragon Court. From now on, whoever goes to Hexi can look me up. I won't brag about other places, but in that stretch of land,