A Shocking Turn of Events

In the borderlands, the common folk revered martial arts and respected the strong, a sentiment that extended even to children just a few years old.

Around the packed arena, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd, praising Zhang Xiaofei's manly spirit. Only the adventurers, who lived perpetually on the edge of death, had a flicker of mockery in their eyes. They could see the young man's inner weakness and his unrealistic actions.

Even a goshawk needs to exert full effort to catch a rabbit.

That young man actually judged others by their appearance, boasting that he would let his opponent have three moves. It was utterly arrogant. Even if he won this time, he would likely face a downfall if he encountered a similar situation in the future.

Yin Xiaojiu stood there timidly, asking hesitantly, "Are you really going to let me have three moves?"

Seeing Yin Xiaojiu's frightened demeanor, Zhang Xiaofei felt even more confident. He slapped his thick palm against his chest with a loud thwack, his mouth arrogant and proud. He declared loudly, "I, this young master, keep my word. I'll definitely let you have three moves. You little brat, bring it on."

Yin Xiaojiu took a deep breath and encouraged herself internally. Then, she pushed off the ground with her toes, desperately controlling the meager Vital Energy circulating within her meridians. As a surge of power flowed through her body, she instantly charged at Zhang Xiaofei.

The distance of five to six meters vanished in an instant. Lacking any combat skills, Yin Xiaojiu swung her small fists directly at Zhang Xiaofei's nose.

Crack...

The crisp sound of a broken nose was clearly heard by the surrounding adventurers. As Zhang Xiaofei's body toppled backward, Yin Xiaojiu's kick landed squarely on his abdomen.

Gasp...

The voices of the crowd, who had been cheering for Zhang Xiaofei, abruptly ceased. It was as if that punch and kick hadn't landed on Zhang Xiaofei, but had struck their own hearts.

Yin Xiaojiu watched Zhang Xiaofei fly back several meters, sliding backward into a kneeling position. A hint of hesitation flickered across her delicate young face. But recalling the adults' words, "Strike while the iron is hot," even though she didn't intend to take Zhang Xiaofei's life, she pounced like an agile leopard.

Her fists landed with solid impact, using all her strength.

Yin Xiaojiu didn't hold back, fearing she wouldn't be able to injure Zhang Xiaofei. If he got back up, she would be the one taking the beating.

At this moment.

An deathly silence fell around the arena. Faces filled with disbelief, eyes wide with shock, as if they had been turned into living statues. The unexpected turn of events, the seemingly inevitable outcome, felt like invisible slaps to the faces of the self-righteous spectators, a stinging pain not just on their cheeks, but in their throbbing hearts.

A hundred meters away.

A Kirin Carriage was parked quietly by the roadside. Four burly men in armor scanned their surroundings with cold expressions. A beautiful maidservant, dressed in fine silks and satins, stood by the window.

"Wen Yun..."

A ethereal female voice emanated from within the luxurious carriage.

The maidservant's expression shifted, and she quickly and respectfully replied, "Mistress, what are your orders?"

From behind the curtains, a graceful and elegant woman gazed at the arena a hundred meters away and said calmly, "That little girl is quite good. You will stay here in Cold Mountain City and find out her background. When I return, if possible, bring her with me!"

"Yes!"

The maidservant looked back towards the arena again, her bright eyes showing a mixture of pity and envy.

At the edge of the arena.

Ye Tong watched the one-sided battle, a look of admiration in his eyes. Although he was worried about Yin Xiaojiu, he did not intervene in the match. This was not a time of peace; everyone was fighting desperately to survive. Even if he could look after Yin Xiaojiu for a while, he couldn't do it for a lifetime. If she wanted to live a better life in the future, it would ultimately depend on herself.

Besides, A fight between children, even if they got hurt, was unlikely to be life-threatening.

"Stop."

A stout middle-aged woman in coarse clothing stormed onto the arena, followed by two plump, angry-looking youths.

Yin Xiaojiu stopped attacking and turned to see the stout woman and the two furious youths. Fear flashed across her face, and she quickly retreated to the other side of the arena's edge.

"Sister Yezi,"

Yin Xiaojiu's eyes lit up, and all her fear receded like a tide.

Ye Tong glanced at her, nodding with satisfaction. "You did well. From now on, if anyone dares to bully you, teach them a lesson. Even if you beat them to death or cripple them, I'll cover for you."

The stout woman stopped in her tracks, looking at her son, who was curled up on the arena, twitching from his injuries, with heartache. She then glared fiercely at Ye Tong and cursed, "Where did you pig-like creature come from? This damned brat has injured my son so badly. This isn't over. Da Kui, Er Kui, go beat them to death."

A cold glint flashed in Ye Tong's eyes. He retracted his left hand into his sleeve, crushing a black pill into powder. Just as the two plump youths were about to pounce, he flicked his fingertips. The black powder flew out, transforming into a burst of flame. Although the flame only lasted for a few breaths, it still made the two youths retreat in alarm.

"Sorcery?"

Most of the people present showed expressions of astonishment, including the stout woman.

From the crowd, an adventurer holding a long sword shook his head and said, "It's not sorcery, just Illusionary Black Poison."

Illusionary Black Poison?

Everyone suddenly understood, and their gazes towards Ye Tong became peculiar.

Ye Tong, having used poison in plain sight, had no intention of hiding it. He snorted, "Kneel and apologize, and you can walk off this arena alive. Otherwise, have your butcher of a husband come to collect your corpses."

"Oh ho... quite the mouthful!"

A rough voice came from the back of the crowd. As the crowd parted to create a path, the powerfully built Butcher Zhang strode towards the arena. Behind him, a dashing young man, accompanied by four retainers, followed.

Ye Tong's expression was stern. His gaze lingered on Butcher Zhang for only a moment before shifting to the young man.

Tong Kaishan!

The third son of the Tong family in Cold Mountain City, a notorious dandy. He was insidious and shameless; any rules and regulations were as good as nonexistent to him. The bad deeds he had committed in Cold Mountain City were too numerous to count. Ye Tong knew him primarily because this rotten scoundrel had visited the Precious Medicine Workshop multiple times to purchase aphrodisiacs and poisons.

Tong Kaishan did not step onto the arena. Instead, with a strange expression and a half-smile, he spread his hands towards Ye Tong and said, "Well, well, it's Young Master Ye. Since when did you start mingling with common street rats? Or perhaps... now that the old senior is missing, your shackles are gone, and you've become a rutting pig, even hooking up with little female slaves?"

Ye Tong was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Triple the amount of the medicine from last time."

Tong Kaishan's eyes lit up, then he coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Young Master Ye wants to play hero and save the damsel. Anyone who dares to interfere is going against me, Tong Kaishan. You two, continue."

Ye Tong felt a sense of relief. He didn't fear Tong Kaishan himself, but he was wary of the Tong family behind him. This family had considerable influence in Cold Mountain City, especially Tong Kaishan's father, who was a ruthless and powerful cultivator. It was best not to provoke them unless absolutely necessary.

Butcher Zhang clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it. He cursed Tong Kaishan in his heart as an "ungrateful whelp," but outwardly, he didn't dare to show the slightest hint of doubt. He could only stare directly at Ye Tong and shout sternly, "Kid, you're quite arrogant, aren't you? You dare to offend my wife? Are you tired of living?"

Ye Tong said, "This is a competition stage. If you want to be confident, your fists need to be strong. After dealing with the junior, the elder comes out – this kind of behavior is shameless, but I can still accept it. If you want to make a move, first kneel down and kowtow a few times, and apologize publicly. Otherwise..."

Butcher Zhang sneered, "Otherwise what? You little piglet who hasn't even grown all his hair dares to threaten me?"

"That's about it."

Ye Tong turned to look at the stout woman and the two young men.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The stout woman and the two young men collapsed to the ground the moment Ye Tong finished speaking. A dark color appeared on their faces as they convulsed on the ground.

Butcher Zhang's eyes widened like copper bells, and he exclaimed in horror, "What's going on? You... what did you do to my wife?"

Ye Tong calmly replied, "I don't have much experience in fighting, but I'm best at refining and using poisons. You have only a quarter of an hour. If you don't kneel and apologize within this time out of concern for your pride, then I can only congratulate you. You can marry a new wife in the future, or perhaps have another chubby son!"

"Poison?"

Butcher Zhang's expression changed drastically in terror.

The surrounding crowd also stirred, retreating backward. Poison posed a fatal threat to them. However, the adventurers looked at Ye Tong with interest, not believing that such a young man could refine any truly potent poison.

Ye Tong said, "Think carefully. It's up to you whether you kneel and apologize or start planning to marry a new wife! The elders and folks of Cold Mountain City will definitely not despise you for not saving your wife when she's in danger."

What to do?

If he truly knelt and apologized, he would lose all face and could only live a dejected life in Cold Mountain City from then on. But if he didn't kneel, his wife would be poisoned to death, and the reputation of being a heartless man who wouldn't save his own wife would be no better than being humiliated by kneeling.

Butcher Zhang turned with difficulty, his eyes looking toward Tong Kaishan as if seeking help. He had recently managed to get on Tong Kaishan's good side and had been offering him many gifts.

Tong Kaishan rolled his eyes. With his tendency to "turn his back on people even before he's pulled up his pants," he had no intention of caring about Butcher Zhang's family's life or death at this moment. Ye Tong's previous offer could save him a lot of Blue Silver.

"Butcher Zhang, his poison is very potent," Tong Kaishan said nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Butcher Zhang's eyes were filled with rage. While hating Ye Tong, he also began to hate Tong Kaishan.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Butcher Zhang suddenly knelt down on both knees in front of Ye Tong and said through gritted teeth, "You are Young Master Ye, correct? I apologize to you on behalf of my family. All our mistakes are our fault. I hope you will be magnanimous and spare my wife and the others."