Challenge me?
Hearing his own name.
Chen Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
He gave Liu Hong standing before him another look. Short, plain-looking, and completely unfamiliar.
Clearly, he didn't know him.
"I just came to the escort agency for the first time, and someone's already challenging me? What a coincidence."
Although Liu Hong had offered a whole string of reasons, as if he were standing up for justice,
Chen Feng still kept his guard up.
"Could he have been sent by the Lin Family or the Li Family? His surname is Liu... Hard to say. Better to be cautious."
A thoughtful look surfaced in Chen Feng's deep eyes.
"I wonder how strong this man is..."
They hadn't made physical contact.
Chen Feng couldn't sense Liu Hong's Qi Blood, so he couldn't judge his exact strength.
He could only make a rough estimate.
"Surely he isn't really just some hotheaded fool who's offended so many Escort Guards, only to end up challenging me?"
Meanwhile, Escort Leader Yu beside him could hardly believe his ears.
Challenge who?
Chen Feng?
A Personal Disciple of a Great Martial Master?
He glanced up at Chen Feng.
Then at Liu Hong, who was brimming with confidence.
After confirming he wasn't seeing things,
Escort Leader Yu suddenly remembered that he still hadn't introduced Chen Feng to everyone.
He glanced discreetly at Chen Feng, as if asking with his eyes: Should we fight?
Chen Feng gave a slight nod.
Seeing this, Escort Leader Yu promptly agreed.
"Of course. The capable should prevail—that's the only sound principle. I, Yu Hengchuan, am not an unreasonable man."
Liu Hong's face lit up.
He looked at Chen Feng, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
"I'll definitely beat you, you nepotism hire!"
"I've been waiting far, far too long..."
Liu Hong's heart surged with excitement. At last, he'd been given a chance to prove himself!
He had been a Martial Artist for some time, and his realm had completely stabilized.
He had absolute confidence in his strength.
Besides, back when he was still an apprentice, he'd once left the city with an Escort Leader and seen bloodshed firsthand.
As for the "nepotism hire" before him...
So young, so green. At a glance, he looked like he'd hardly seen anything of the world—he might not even have seen a corpse before.
By all appearances,
the advantage was his!
What's more, Liu Hong had made inquiries. The employer for this Escort Mission was a big shot.
This shipment belonged to the Cheng Family.
And important figures would be traveling with them.
If he stood out and caught the eye of one of the Cheng Family's big shots,
wouldn't he be set for life?
Who'd want to keep working as an Escort Guard, walking around with his head on the line every day?
Liu Hong stared fixedly at Chen Feng.
For some reason, a line rose in his mind:
"I'll win."
The escort agency's Training Ground.
The Escort Guards called over a few laborers. In no time, they'd cleared a small patch of ground and put together a simple ring.
They also set out wooden chairs below for the Escort Leaders.
Fortunately, the escort agency had plenty of space.
That meant the match wouldn't interfere with the recruitment test taking place on the other side of the grounds.
A crowd of Escort Guards gathered around the ring.
The spectacle drew quite a few onlookers.
"Brother, what's going on here?"
"See, I heard there's a dispute over a personnel change for an Escort Mission. They're going to settle who stays and who goes with a match."
"Oh? They're taking it seriously."
"Of course. Look over there—all those Escort Leaders are watching. I reckon there's more to it."
It was summertime, and the weather was growing hotter by the day.
Though it wasn't even noon yet,
the blazing sun overhead was already showing its might,
scorching the earth with all its fury.
On the ring, Liu Hong clasped his hands toward the gathered Escort Guards and said,
"Everyone, bear witness! I, Liu Hong, hereby formally challenge this..."
Liu Hong's voice trailed off as he realized he didn't know his opponent's name. He lifted his chin and gestured for Chen Feng to introduce himself.
Chen Feng stood calmly opposite him.
"Chen Feng."
"I, Liu Hong, hereby formally challenge Chen Feng. The winner will be qualified to join the Escort Mission. The loser can go home and stay there."
Liu Hong spoke with utter certainty,
as if he'd already won.
Down below, several Escort Leaders heard the name "Chen Feng," and surprise flickered in their eyes. They immediately turned to look at Yu Hengchuan,
wanting confirmation.
Escort Leader Yu gave a discreet nod.
Zhang Biao Tou grinned, his mind at ease.
At the same time, he leaned toward Escort Leader Yu and chuckled, "Old Yu, you sneaky bastard."
Escort Leader Yu's only reply was the intriguing curve of his lips.
He suppressed his smile.
Then he stood up solemnly and said,
"The rules are simple. You'll compete in actual combat. You may use weapons, but only those provided by the escort agency."
At his words, several laborers carried over a weapons rack.
They were called weapons, but every one of them was made of wood.
Liu Hong picked a pinewood staff.
When he saw Chen Feng casually pick up a pair of pinewood boxing gloves and put them on, he couldn't help sneering.
He mocked him silently:
You don't even know how to pick a weapon. I've got a Long Staff, so you won't even be able to get close. How are you supposed to fight me?
Escort Leader Yu continued explaining the rules:
"You may injure your opponent, but you mustn't try to kill them. You lose if you surrender, remain down for more than five breaths, or fall completely outside the ring."
This was an ordinary sparring match, not a fight to the death, so they naturally couldn't let anyone be killed.
Besides, several Escort Leaders were sitting nearby to keep watch, so there was no need to worry too much.
At that moment, a young man approached through the crowd.
His status seemed exceptionally high; every Escort Guard instinctively made way for him.
"Huaiyuan, you're back?"
Zhang Biao Tou rose, ready to give the young man the best seat below the ring.
"Yeah, I just got back. Then I saw the crowd and came over to take a look. Uncle Zhang, is this a match?"
"That's right. Have a look yourself. With you here, it'll seem even fairer."
"Uncle Zhang, you're teasing me..."
The young man walked over and stood beside Zhang Biao Tou.
He didn't sit down.
Liu Hong glanced at the young man on the ring. The moment he recognized him, his excitement soared—his chance to shine had arrived!
Judging by everyone's attitude,
the young man's identity was obvious.
The son of Chief Escort Master Yang, Yang Huaiyuan.
Excitement sparked in Liu Hong's eyes.
Today, Liu Hong would make a name for himself by crushing his opponent!
At Escort Leader Yu's command,
the match began.
As if he wanted to draw everyone's attention,
Liu Hong roared,
"Ha!"
Before the sound had even faded, Liu Hong stamped his foot. His Blood Qi surged, and the aura of the Blood Refining Realm burst forth as he brought his full strength to bear.
He planned to defeat Chen Feng with a thunderous strike!
Liu Hong strode forward like an arrow loosed from its string, charging straight at Chen Feng.
In his eyes, Chen Feng was completely unprepared, standing rooted to the spot. Liu Hong roared inwardly:
You bully people with your connections, but now your whole body is full of openings!
Martial Artists moved incredibly fast. In just a few breaths, Liu Hong had crossed half the ring.
He raised the Long Staff high,
then brought it crashing down on Chen Feng's head!
"Die!"
The wooden staff whipped through the air with a sharp whistle, making it crackle.
The next instant, Liu Hong felt a force against the tiger's mouth of his hand.
He was overjoyed.
"Got him!"
But then...
Crack!
With a sharp snap,
the wooden staff broke in two.
One half shot away, spinning several times through the air before tumbling off the ring.
As for Chen Feng, he was completely unharmed.
"...?"
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