Chen Qing was late in arriving, and although it wasn't the agreed time yet, Xiao Mingxuan felt increasingly uneasy.
His position was far from where the Southern Barbarians were waiting in the audience, but even from that distance, just looking at them gave him a chill down his spine.
The other person only glanced at him and then ignored him. That one glance was enough to make him never dare to look at the other person again.
Golden Crow was very arrogant. Even though he failed to awaken, he still felt a strange sense of superiority when facing the heads of many aristocratic families. Yuchi Peng was very talented, right? But he never looked down on that kid. His bloodline told him that he was just an inferior being, and no matter how high his talent was, he would not be stronger than his father or aunt.
But that Wutu Gu was different; at a glance, he knew it was something different from theirs!
Chen Qing has a great reputation, especially after defeating Lu Ming. You must know that Lu Ming was someone even his own father, the Emperor, was afraid to touch. To defeat someone like that, Chen Qing must be extremely strong. But even if he is strong, can he be stronger than the person in front of him?
"Sixth Brother doesn't look well?" a gentle voice sounded from the side.
Xiao Mingxuan looked over and saw that the speaker was a man with a disability in one arm. One arm was extremely thick, like the arm of a warrior, which was very disproportionate to his thin body. The other arm, however, was like that of a child, which made him look very strange.
It was none other than the Third Prince Xiao Mingjue.
"When has he ever looked well?" the Laosi mocked mercilessly.
Xiao Mingxuan didn't care about their taunts at all. They were both people with physical disabilities, and they had teased each other since childhood. You laugh at my big-headed doll, I laugh at your kidney deficiency prince, who can win the argument?
Instead of wasting time on this, you should focus on more important matters. Your own condition is probably the easiest to treat. If you can recover, you might even have the chance to challenge the Golden Crow Bloodline again. As for those two deformed monsters, even if their bloodlines awaken, they shouldn't go on stage for the sake of appearances, right?
"I heard that Fourth Brother recently spent a fortune buying a lot of Blood Ginseng Wine from Jiangnan? It must be very effective, right?" the Third Prince asked with a smile.
"It's pretty good," Xiao Mingxuan said coldly, looking at the other person. "That thing can restore my virility for a short time, but it's a pity it can't restore Third Brother's limbs to normal for a short time."
The Third Prince's face twitched, and the Fourth Prince beside him said coldly, "Once Chen Qing is beaten to death, all the properties in Jiangnan will be seized by the capital. Laoliu, you'd better prepare more money, because prices will definitely go up later."
"Hahaha!" Several princes nearby burst into laughter.
Xiao Mingxuan's expression grew increasingly grim. Once a prince's bloodline hadn't awakened, his father would simply abandon him. Only the Empress Dowager could receive some resources and property. Of all the princes, he was the least favored by the Empress Dowager. Several other princes possessed considerable property and private influence. Moreover, in the past six months, since the Crown Prince's death, the other princes had been more or less courted by powerful families.
Once Chen Qing dies, Jiangnan will collapse. When it comes time to reclaim Jiangnan and divide the spoils, the powerful families will definitely get the lion's share. Although his brothers won't get the lion's share, they will at least get some. Only he himself will probably get nothing!
This is why he shamelessly fawned over his younger sister, whom he hadn't seen for ten years.
But how can years of indifference be eased by a moment of flattery? Having met with a rebuff from Xiao Mingxue, it now seems extremely dangerous with Chen Qing as well.
"Don't forget, Chen Qing is the one who defeated Lu Ming!"
" Lu Ming?" The Fourth Prince sneered, "Not many people witnessed that duel to begin with, so whether it was fair and square is anyone's guess. The key point is that Lu Ming was tricked by his aunt before, and his strength was greatly diminished. If Duke of Qin were in his full strength, could Chen Qing really defeat him?"
"Sixth Brother, don't deceive yourself. We've all met the Duke of Qin; he is indeed very powerful, standing there like an insurmountable mountain. But can't you see that guy is even more dangerous?"
Xiao Mingxuan remained silent. It seemed he wasn't the only one with this feeling; his father had personally orchestrated this duel, clearly not to give Chen Qing fame and fortune.
"Who do you think will win?" The people who could only watch from the sidelines continued to discuss among themselves.
"Of course!" said a merchant from Jiangnan. "It's His Highness, the King of Qin!"
"Exactly! What kind of opponents does our King of Qin face? General Yuchi, His Highness the Duke of Duke of Qin, Her Highness the Princess, and that Southern Barbarians Wutu Gu —who's ever heard of him? Have you ever heard of him?"
"That Wutu Gu is formidable," some merchants from the Southern Barbarians whispered. "Don't underestimate those barbarians. The previous Wutu King was someone who could injure Nie Yuan, the leader of the Southern Barbarians Flying Dragon Army, but in the hands of this Second Prince, all four of his limbs were broken in one round, and his head was snapped off!"
"That's right, we've heard of his reputation too. Now, all the experts from the sixteen kingdoms of the Southern Barbarians have fought against that Wutu Gu, and none of them have survived. I heard that the bone chain around his waist was made from the skulls of those experts."
"Hmph, they can only bully their own barbarians; they're just frogs in a well."
"That's right, General Nie Yuan is indeed formidable, but he's still somewhat inferior to His Highness the Duke of Qin, isn't he?"
"Hey, didn't you say before that Chen Qing was able to defeat the Duke of Qin through despicable means?"
"Then who still doubts the King of King of Qin's methods?" the Jiangnan merchant stammered.
In fact, anyone who has been to Jiangnan now wouldn't say a bad word about Jiangnan. It's simply paradise on earth; the atmosphere changes completely once you step inside. You feel like you can float away just by taking a breath. Given the chance, everyone would bring their wife and children there. How could someone who could transform Jiangnan into something like that be capable of using despicable means?
He must be someone with extraordinary abilities!
To be honest, any merchant at the bottom with a bit of insight wouldn't want Chen Qing to lose this competition.
They Wangjiang would exist forever because Jiangnan provided them with a very fair business environment. Once Jiangnan was taken over by the imperial court, these merchants would probably not even be able to get a taste of the spoils.
"Let's hope so," several Southern Barbarians merchants said with anticipation. Business in the Southern Barbarians lands was becoming increasingly difficult, while in contrast, the Jiangnan had been thriving in the past two years. Many merchants were preparing to switch their trade routes, and naturally, they didn't Wangjiang. Having been merchants for many years, they knew very well the appetites of those powerful families. If business in the Central Plains were easy, why would they be forced to trade in that godforsaken place of the Southern Barbarians?
Meanwhile, the various powerful families waiting in the VIP seats for the match to begin had a different experience.
Just as the merchants at the bottom of society thought, many powerful families had long coveted Jiangnan. The country refused to allow large families to monopolize it, and various anti-monopoly laws made it impossible for the large families to use their funds to crush those small merchants. They could only watch helplessly as all kinds of money-making opportunities were taken away by those lowly people. It was impossible for them not to feel resentful.
The benefits are huge right now, so they haven't shown their fangs yet. But if Chen Qing gets killed here, things will be different.
If the imperial court can reclaim Jiangnan, the chaotic market that Jiangnan has created should be properly managed!
"Oh my, General Yuchi, you've come too?" Just as the young noblemen were casually placing their bets, an unexpected figure appeared before them.
Yuchi Peng glanced at his childhood friends, said nothing, and found a seat.
He was very famous, even more so than some of his elders, but he didn't really like sitting with them, always feeling that they were too complicated.
Of course, he didn't actually get along with these playboys in the capital. Now that Wang Ye and Wei Gongcheng were gone, he felt quite bored staying in the capital.
Thinking of Wei Gongcheng and Yuchi Peng, his feelings were inexplicably complicated. That calm look in his eyes, and the fact that he no longer felt inferior when drinking with him, made him feel gratified, but also inexplicably sentimental.
If Chen Qing loses today, what will happen to this guy who finally has a life of his own?
It's no wonder Yuchi Gong thought that way. He had witnessed the aura of that Southern Barbarians. That day, the other party had only given him a provocative smile, and he had almost lost his footing. It felt far too dangerous to him!
" General Yuchi?" A bold young man from a prominent family stepped forward to make himself known. "We've all placed our bets. Who do you think will win?"
"What do you think?" Yuchi Peng asked calmly, unusually without any impatience.
"Everyone has their own guesses, but I think Chen Qing should win. After all, he defeated Lu... cough cough, Duke of Qin, didn't he?"
"Really?" A hint of worry flashed in Yuchi Peng's eyes.
To be honest, based on his intuition, if Lu Ming were still alive, he probably wouldn't last a single move against that Southern Barbarians!
He didn't know why such a powerful expert could exist in the mere Southern Barbarians, but he was certain that Chen Qing was in big trouble this time!