Chapter 174 - 99: Han Hu, Come Out and Take My Blade!

Chapter 174: Chapter 99: Han Hu, Come Out and Take My Blade!

The night was as dark as ink.

Zheng Jun grasped the hilt of his saber with his right hand and hoisted the Coiling Dragon Staff onto his left shoulder, making his way toward Nixiang Pavilion.

Could this Coiling Dragon Staff really offset six thousand taels of silver? Probably not. It was likely only worth around three to four thousand taels. Zheng Jun had taken the staff as collateral purely to put the squeeze on Han Hu. For Zheng Jun, Han Hu’s skill level was absolutely perfect—the ideal stepping stone to grind his repayment progress.

He thought, "At four hundred points a day, it won’t even take ten days to completely pay off the Wave-Treading Blade Technique!" On top of that, if he showed up every day demanding a duel and Han Hu refused, what face would the man have left in the army?

Taking the Coiling Dragon Staff away also served another purpose: weakening Han Hu’s combat power. Han Hu had used the Coiling Dragon Staff for a long time; being deprived of it would naturally cause his battle prowess to plummet. Even if he switched to another staff of the same grade, it inevitably wouldn’t feel as comfortable. His overall strength would undoubtedly dip. This ensured that Zheng Jun’s subsequent challenges would go off without a hitch, lowering the difficulty. After all, he was showing up at their doorstep to slap faces. The worst outcome he could accept was a draw—never a loss. Zheng Jun simply wanted to see exactly how thick Han Hu’s skin really was.

Back at the military camp, after Zheng Jun left, Han Hu’s expression had thoroughly darkened.

"General."

"General!"

Once Zheng Jun was completely out of sight, the Captains and Crew Leaders off to the side swarmed over, asking after Han Hu’s condition with deep concern. Some gnashed their teeth, their eyes burning with surging flames of anger, looking as if they wanted to tear Zheng Jun limb from limb.

"I’m fine," Han Hu said. Though he looked thoroughly disgraced, his face was extraordinarily grim. He resembled a venomous snake flicking its tongue, radiating absolute ruthlessness. "Return to camp!"

Having been sent flying by a single punch from Zheng Jun in public, he had lost all face. Han Hu naturally wouldn’t linger on the training grounds; every quarter-hour he stayed was another fraction of his dignity gone. Though he hadn’t actually been injured by Zheng Jun, his cheeks burned with a stinging pain. He could already imagine how the people of the city would mock and gossip about him over the coming days.

He thought, "Despicable! Detestable!" Han Hu’s eyes brimmed with a vicious glare.

Once Han Hu left the scene, the soldiers of the first infantry squad could no longer contain themselves and began whispering among themselves.

"Who was that youth just now? To think he could actually suppress General Han Hu in a fight, even sending him flying with a single punch and leaving him in such a pathetic state?"

"I don’t know, but looking at that youth’s True Qi, it hasn’t completely transformed into Gang Qi... Doesn’t that mean his Realm hasn’t even reached Outer Gang yet? Good heavens, who exactly is he to defeat General Han with just a Qi Storage Realm cultivation!"

"General Han actually lost to a Qi Storage Martial Artist?"

"What exactly is that youth’s background? Could he be the Direct Lineage scion of one of the Noble Families, or perhaps a Direct Disciple of a great Martial Arts Sect?! Surely he doesn’t have Imperial Family blood?"

As the soldiers chatted animatedly, an Advisor mingled into the crowd and lowered his voice to speak to a few men. "That is General Zheng Jun of the Black Mountain Fortress. He hails from Black Mountain County, born as a Common People constable. Despite his young age and having practiced Martial Arts for barely a year, he has already reached Qi Storage!

"Even before defeating General Han, General Zheng had already slain an Outer Gang spy from the Northern Demon Court and an Outer Gang grand thief wanted by the Court! When facing such a prodigious youth, it’s only natural that General Han would taste defeat."

Hearing the Advisor’s words, dawn broke over the surrounding soldiers. They had heard of these exploits and knew there was a Qi Storage Martial Artist who had slain two Outer Gang experts. Hearing the Advisor put it like this, they naturally made the connection, their hearts instantly trembling with shock.

But soon, they realized a glaring problem. If that was the case, General Zheng Jun had come to challenge General Han Hu to demand his reward silver. Was their own general truly so despicable that he would even embezzle someone else’s reward money? The soldiers couldn’t help but lower their heads, feeling a deep sense of shame.

Meanwhile, the Advisor let out a heavy sigh of relief. After all, only by constantly elevating the opponent’s strength could General Han’s recent defeat seem natural and justified. However, following the Advisor’s little propaganda campaign, the soldiers’ opinions seemed to have subtly shifted against their commander.

Having finished spreading the news, the Advisor immediately headed for the main military tent. As soon as he entered, he was met with General Han Hu’s thoroughly darkened face. Seeing Han Hu’s expression, the Advisor’s heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled with dread. He cupped his hands in greeting. "General."

"Liu Peng, what nonsense are you gossiping about out there?!" Han Hu’s face contorted in sheer rage. He snatched up a military treatise beside him, imbued it with True Qi, and hurled it viciously at the Advisor named Liu Peng. He roared, "Who says I can’t beat that brat Zheng Jun?! Today was just a momentary lapse of focus! If we fight tomorrow, I will undoubtedly crush him!

"Cowed before the battle even begins, spreading rumors to shake our army’s morale—you deserve death! You deserve to be executed!"

Han Hu let out a savage, beastly roar at Liu Peng, akin to an infuriated lion. The Advisor named Liu Peng could only remain silent, his heart turning icy cold. Off to the side, the Captains, Crew Leaders, and other Record Advisors were also astonished, never having expected General Han to erupt in such fury.

"Did that Thief Zheng bribe you or something, making you speak up for him like that?!" Han Hu grew increasingly stifled by his anger, rebuking him relentlessly. "You are merely at the Blood Refining Realm! The only reason you’re by my side is because you’re the Han Family’s accountant, and I granted you a favor! Yet you dare publicly shake the army’s morale, inflating that Little Thief Zheng’s prestige while destroying my, Han Hu’s, spirit?! And you still have the sheer gall to show your face before me?"

"Please quell your anger, General," Liu Peng said, his face stiffening as he hastily pleaded for forgiveness. "Your subordinate has made a mistake. In my anxiety and fear, I spoke utter nonsense. I absolutely shouldn’t have done so, and I beg the General for forgiveness."