Peach Blossom Island lay deathly silent for miles around.
Gaze after gaze turned toward the figure in the Bright Red Flying Fish Uniform.
His accomplishments in officialdom were simply too dazzling!
Precisely because of that, the humiliation of such a powerful, high-ranking figure before everyone would become a memory the warriors of the Jianghu could never forget!
Most importantly, he represented the imperial court with full authority.
If foreign Tatars trampled him underfoot, the court would inevitably lose all face!
The moment Thousand-Household Commander Jia appeared, the situation reached a complete deadlock, a true dilemma in which neither advancing nor retreating offered a way out.
Retreat meant cowardice; advance meant humiliation!
The many palace experts looked at the Thousand-Household Commander, their expressions unusually grave.
They had never intended to let him fight. Zhongbao should have been enough to crush the Tatars' arrogance, but they had vastly underestimated the strength of the Grasslands' prodigies.
Zhongbao's defeat was still acceptable. Ultimately, he was an obscure nobody.
But a Thousand-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard belonged to the court's upper ranks. If he collapsed helplessly on the ground, they dared not imagine how disastrous the consequences would be.
Yet they had no standing whatsoever to dissuade Thousand-Household Commander Jia.
The Hunchbacked Old Man from the Misty Rain Tower's Capital branch stepped into his path and stressed:
"Thousand-Household Commander Jia, we need to discuss matters concerning the Martial Arts Tournament with the court."
Jia Huan sprang down from his horse and said calmly:
"We'll discuss them later."
With that, he walked toward the martial platform.
Zhelan Wudi's eyes burned, his emotions surging. He was about to welcome the crowning moment of his life.
The other three Grasslands prodigies watched jealously, wishing they could take his place and savor that most glorious moment.
Outside