Wu Jinliang glanced at the two dumbfounded sides, turned with a chuckle, and headed back as well.
Mai Zhanchang instinctively turned toward Wan Daoxuan, who promptly shot him a look, signaling him to sound out Shi Chun's true intentions. Mai Zhanchang hurried after them with a limp.
The leaders of the surviving groups quickly followed, crowding into Shi Chun's cave once more, while the rabble outside began whispering among themselves.
There was no point beating around the bush. Upon entering the cave, Mai Zhanchang voiced his concern directly. "Chief, you have to choose your opponent yourself. You can't let them choose."
"Exactly, exactly. They have experts thick as clouds over there. You'll be at a disadvantage."
"That's right. They haven't agreed yet, so renegotiating now wouldn't count as going back on your word."
Shi Chun swept a glance over them and asked, "Would they let me choose any opponent I wanted?"
"Well..." The group was struck speechless. Obviously not. If he picked the weakest one, they would never agree.
Mai Zhanchang added, "Chief, this kind of duel puts us at a disadvantage. We need to think twice before acting!"
"Think twice about what?" Shi Chun demanded bluntly. "You don't actually think they'll negotiate a method that lets you come out ahead, do you? Making them spit out meat already in their mouths-what sweet dream are you having? They're just going through the motions with you. Don't tell me you took it seriously. Let me try. Of course, if you think someone else would be better suited to shoulder the blame, I don't mind."
They immediately fell silent, feeling as though a single remark had jolted them awake from a dream. He was right. The other side was merely observing formalities to shut them up. They would never truly let them