"Who might this be?" Huang Xiao asked with a faint smile when he heard the middle-aged man's words.
In fact, on his way over, he had already learned the identities of the three who had passed the Retainer assessment. This fellow, however, seemed rather unconvinced.
"Gladly. I am Zhou Ding, Deputy Gang Leader of the Iron Palm Gang!" As he spoke, a fierce aura emanated from Zhou Ding. His eyes fixed on Huang Xiao, he said, "You may have defeated Yang Quan, but he was among the weakest Retainers. Beating him is nothing to be proud of. Well? Why don't you have a match with me?"
Huang Xiao inwardly shook his head. He was in no mood to spar with anyone right now.
"Let's dispense with the match. Fists and feet have no eyes. It would be unfortunate if either of us got hurt." Huang Xiao had no wish to entertain Zhou Ding's provocation. Zhou Ding's martial prowess did not impress him.
"Don't worry. I'll go easy on you and guarantee I won't hurt you. What's the matter? Scared?" Zhou Ding seemingly had no intention of letting Huang Xiao off.
Standing nearby, Liu Sanfu and Han Jing both frowned slightly. They felt Zhou Ding was going too far.
"Younger Brother Zhou, we'll be entering the palace shortly. A match now would be inappropriate," Han Jing reminded him.
"It won't delay anything. We'll only exchange a few moves." As he spoke, Zhou Ding stepped forward and pointed at Huang Xiao. "Well? Just a few moves. Don't tell me you're a turtle hiding its head in its shell?"
Huang Xiao's expression darkened. He did not want trouble, but this fellow was growing increasingly insolent.
"We'll all be working together from now on. It's better to keep things cordial. Today really isn't a