After Liang Wu had temporarily dealt with the farce at the Soul Fighting Arena and the nobles and wealthy merchants had left, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
I'm exhausted.
Toji, meanwhile, watched the scene coldly, his heart burning with anger.
The "exciting matches" those nobles spoke of were nothing more than a chance to watch him, an "ordinary man," struggle on the brink of life and death to satisfy their morbid curiosity.
In the past, he'd had no choice if he wanted to survive.
Now that he had turned over like a salted fish, he would never again be a plaything for those people's entertainment.
"Liang Wu, come here," Toji said flatly, lowering his voice.
A trace of unquestionable authority ran through his words.
At the sound of Toji's voice, Liang Wu's heart tightened. He hurried over and asked quietly:
"My lord, what are your orders?"
Toji said:
"How long has this been going on?"
Liang Wu hurriedly answered:
"They've been making a fuss ever since you stopped competing. Those nobles are all shrewd as can be. They've probably already guessed that something has gone wrong between us. Now every last one of them is pressuring me to sell you to them."
The Soul Fighting Arena provided the venue, and the nobles supplied the money. Both sides had business interests in common.
Now that Toji, their cash cow, was gone, both sides were earning far less, which had naturally displeased some of the nobles.
Over the past five years, Toji's matches had been the most popular by far.
They all loved watching Toji sweep through teams of Soul Beasts and Soul Masters single-handedly.
"What was that fat man after?" Toji couldn't resist asking. The fat man from earlier had disgusted him.
"My lord, you should be careful." Liang Wu hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly. "As you know, my market is made up of wealthy people with somewhat twisted minds. People's thresholds for pleasure and excitement rise. Once they've enjoyed the pleasures and thrills of ordinary people, they gradually raise the bar..."
"Then it develops into some... unusual fetishes and pleasures..."
"And that fat nobleman just now is notorious for..." Disgust rose on Liang Wu's face. "The passion of the cut sleeve."
Toji's mouth twitched.
"Most importantly, he favors powerful pretty boys with fair, tender skin." Liang Wu took another look at Toji. "And you happen to meet his requirements, my lord. You're powerful and tall, and you're handsome too. Your skin has also become very nice and fair from years of training..."
"Now that he has his eye on you, my lord, you must be careful. That man won't stop until he gets what he wants."
Liang Wu offered the warning.
Toji was thoroughly disgusted by the man too.
"Tell me everything you know about him."
The moment Liang Wu heard that, he knew the man was finished.
Toji was going to kill him.
Liang Wu blurted out:
"He's from a family surnamed Li. His name is Li Erpang. In Heaven Dou City, his family wouldn't even count as a third-rate power, but I suppose he's a local strongman in our little corner. He has considerable wealth and he's a Soul Master too, though he's a little weaker than me, only level fifty-nine."
"His Martial Soul is some kind of turtle, though I don't know exactly what. His defense is very strong, and he isn't afraid to face me. Even with my Tool Martial Soul, I have a hard time breaking through his defense."
"If you want to assassinate him, my lord, I'm afraid it'll take some thought." Liang Wu paused, then went on, "Why not pretend to agree to sell you to him, hold a Hongmen Banquet, and put an end to this hidden danger once and for all?"
Toji stared at Liang Wu.
"You have plenty of petty tricks up your sleeve."
"No matter how many petty tricks I have, I still lost to you, my lord." Liang Wu forced an ingratiating smile.
"Normally speaking, he's a defense-type Soul Master, and even you can't break through his defense... Looks like we really will have to outsmart him."
Toji thought for a moment, then continued:
"A turtle shell like that won't be easy to kill, so we'll do as you said. We'll hold a Hongmen Banquet and poison his cup. When his guard is at its lowest, the three of us-me, you, and Uncle Zhang-will strike together. There shouldn't be any problem."
Liang Wu hurriedly nodded. "Rest assured, my lord. I'll make the arrangements right away and make sure Li Erpang takes the bait!"
"Have Uncle Zhang help you with it," Toji added.
"Yes."
Of course Liang Wu understood what he meant. Toji still didn't trust him.
He would never try any tricks at a time like this, either, or he really would be poisoned to death.
"One more thing."
Toji stopped Liang Wu.
"Have you gotten in touch with that inner-court disciple from Shrek?"
Liang Wu answered respectfully:
"Rest assured, my lord. I've already sent someone to Shrek Academy to contact him. This is the only channel I use to give him his annual share of the profits."
"Since this place is quite far from Shrek Academy, it should take a long time, but they've probably reached him by now, and he's on his way here."
"Mm. Once we've dealt with these nobles, he's the next target." Toji took out a short blade and toyed with it in his hand.
Seeing the fierce gleam in Toji's eyes, Liang Wu shuddered. He took his leave and went to arrange the Hongmen Banquet.
Even now, he still wasn't quite used to it.
What's going on...? I'm a mighty Soul Emperor. Why does he keep frightening me?
In terms of strength, he could easily kill Toji, but Toji's presence was simply too cold and savage. Having Toji hold something over him was a truly unpleasant feeling.
"Serving a ruler is like living beside a tiger."
Liang Wu shook his head and hurried off to work.
Meanwhile, Li Erpang, the man Liang Wu had spoken of, had just returned to his residence from the Soul Fighting Arena.
His face was flushed as he considered how to get his hands on Toji.
But when he pushed open the door to his home, he found several uninvited guests inside.
Two men stood in the sitting room. One had an unusually thick right arm, its muscles knotted as though it contained boundless strength.
The other was small and thin, but his head was unusually large, giving him a rather peculiar appearance.
The Soul Power fluctuations radiating from the two men made Li Erpang's heart tighten.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" Li Erpang asked warily.
The man with the thick right arm gave him a cold look.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have spared trash like this a glance, but for the sake of the mission, he held back.
"We're from the Body Sect. We're looking for someone."
"The Body Sect?!" Li Erpang's heart jolted when he heard the name.
The Body Sect was one of the Heaven Dou Empire's most powerful sects, and it was also known as the most mysterious sect under heaven.
He hadn't expected the Body Sect to appear before him just like that.
"Who are you looking for? Is there anything I can help you with?" Li Erpang asked cautiously, forcing a fawning smile.
If he could latch onto the Body Sect's mighty thigh, his future would be bright.
This was a power that was in no way inferior to Shrek or Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Elder Big Head narrowed his eyes.
"A boy named Toji, around fourteen years old. He has no Soul Power, but his fighting strength is immense. Have you seen him?"
Li Erpang's heart jumped at the name "Toji."
He immediately thought of the "Tyrant" from the Soul Fighting Arena, the boy who had swept through Soul Masters and Soul Beasts single-handedly.
He was the very person Li Erpang wanted to get his hands on.
"Looks like he knows Toji." Elder Big Head's spiritual power was exceptionally strong, and he saw through Li Erpang at once.
With that, he grabbed Li Erpang and pulled him close. An invisible spiritual fluctuation emerged from his head and entered Li Erpang's brain.
A moment later, Elder Big Head looked as though he had seen something revolting. So startled was he that he hurled Li Erpang away and looked at his companion in despair.
"Do you have any water? Quick, let me wash my hands. This man is fucking disgusting-he has a passion for the cut sleeve!"
The elder with the thick right arm burst out laughing. He took out some water and handed it over so Elder Big Head could wash his hands.
"Did you find Toji?"
"I did. He's been fighting matches at a Soul Fighting Arena, but he hasn't competed for quite a while lately," Elder Big Head said. "Let's be careful. We'll report this to the sect master first and let him decide what to do. We shouldn't take matters into our own hands again and displease him."
"You're right."