Chapter 122: Forced Into It

(First update today!) Chapter 122: [All Forced by Circumstance]

BANG!

A human figure crashed out through the door. The original two-panel thick wooden courtyard gate was instantly shattered into pieces. A burly man in a leather breastplate flew out amidst the splinters, landed on the steps outside, tumbled down, and slammed his head against the stone paving of the street. He spat out a mouthful of blood, as if trying to say something, but finally, his head lolled to the side—he had passed out cold.

A broad-backed saber also shot out from the courtyard, landing on the ground with a metallic clang and a spray of sparks, embedding itself into the gap between the paving stones.

On the street, at both ends and in front of the shops opposite the courtyard, dozens of people dressed as warriors had gathered. Seeing the guy fly out of the courtyard, their expressions shifted. Many reached for their swords, but glancing at the other warriors around them, they hesitated...

Inside the yard, Xia Ya stood there clutching a long axe, his face full of murderous rage, eyes wide and glaring, looking truly awe-inspiring... Actually... actually... the bumpkin was so angry he was about to vomit blood!

Because this guy he had just kicked out was already the fourteenth one today!

Since he had moved into this small courtyard arranged by Ruhl, in just over an hour, fourteen "challengers" had broken in.

It was... it was goddamn insane!!

These guys were like flies. Every single one of them arrived with an imposing aura, shouting, "Where is Xia Ya, who defeated Hastings? Accept my challenge!"

In just over ten hours, this "XXX" had changed names a dozen times. These guys had mediocre skills—with Xia Ya's current abilities, he could easily beat them with a few moves—but he couldn't handle the sheer numbers!!

From the moment he settled in until now, Master Xia Ya hadn't rested, hadn't had a drink, hadn't eaten a bite... he hadn't even had the time to go to the damn bathroom!! The bumpkin’s lower abdomen was bloated; he had been holding in his urine for half an hour, his face flushed red. Finally, after kicking the fourteenth bastard out to vomit blood, his legs trembled, and he turned to run into his room. But he had only taken two steps onto the steps when a warrior with a long sword jumped in, striking a heroic pose and bellowing:

"Where is Xia Ya, who defeated Hastings? I, XXX, have come to challenge you!"

Xia Ya was filled with grief and indignation, thinking to himself: Screw your mother!!

*Bang bang, slap! Crack! Ouch...* With a miserable cry, this heroic figure flew out in a sprawling mess, his front teeth smashing against the steps before he jumped up, covered his mouth, and ran away.

In the yard, Xia Ya clutched his lower belly, his legs shaking. He let out a roar of tragic fury and bolted toward his room.

Another hero jumped in from outside: "Where is Xia Ya, who defeated Hastings..."

Xia Ya reached the chamber pot behind his room door, dropped his pants, and sat down, cursing furiously: "Wait! I'll come out and deal with you in a minute!!"

...This kind of challenge continued until dark. Xia Ya was so exhausted he didn't even have time to eat. A piece of beef was roasted over and over again. After being interrupted multiple times, the bumpkin finally snapped!!

He charged out of the courtyard gate with an axe, looking at the many heads scattered on the road outside, and roared: "I am Xia Ya!"

With that roar, the bumpkin charged into the crowd, axe swinging. He cut down seven or eight of them instantly. The remaining warriors broke into a chaotic retreat, running for their lives. Xia Ya kicked two more down, one hand holding the axe and the other on his hip: "Damn it! Come bother me again and I’ll start killing for real! Do you really think I’m soft-hearted?!"

Seeing these flies outside disperse, Xia Ya felt relieved, spat heavily, and walked back into the courtyard.

Dodoro and Soite looked at each other and propped the collapsed gate back against the frame... (Well, surely those guys won't dare to come back now...) The bumpkin felt a weight lift from his heart. He returned to his room and asked Dodoro to fetch a bucket of hot water. Just as he was about to take off his clothes to bathe and had his pants halfway down, he heard a shout outside, and the gate was kicked in again: "Where is Xia Ya, who defeated Hastings..."

Xia Ya collapsed... He finally understood what the fat man Ruhl meant by "good luck."

These bastards coming to challenge him were simply a bunch of shameless leeches! If they couldn't beat you, they’d disgust you to death! If they couldn't disgust you to death, they’d exhaust you to death!

These guys clearly had no skills worth mentioning, yet they were thick-skinned enough to harass you—they knew their abilities were far inferior to Xia Ya's, so they tacitly adopted a strategy of swarming and wheeling attacks.

It seemed most of them held the same thought: keep this up, and eventually, Xia Ya would be exhausted. Maybe when it was their turn, they could pick up an easy victory!

A crazed Xia Ya charged out, holding up his pants with one hand. Before the guy looking for a cheap win could even state his name, Xia Ya punched him, caving in his nose, then kicked his thigh bone and threw him out.

On the street outside, the number of warriors gathered there did not decrease; instead, there were even more than during the day.

Watching another "early bird" get tossed out, the remaining guys looked at each other. Some smart ones shouted from the back to stir things up, while some hot-headed ones felt lucky: *He must be tired now...* And under the incitement of others, they would jump into the courtyard with swords, only to be tossed out moments later...

***

Xia Ya was completely convinced!

The bumpkin was truly convinced! He was utterly beaten!!

He hadn't closed his eyes all night. Every time he lay on the bed and turned over, a new guy unafraid of death would charge in from outside.

In the middle of the night, the bumpkin finally started killing. He smashed a guy's ribcage with one punch. When the man was thrown out, he vomited blood and probably wouldn't survive. This move shocked the others into silence for a while, allowing the bumpkin to sleep for half an hour. But soon, after half an hour, the guys outside changed their strategy!!

*BOOM!*

A rock, sourced from who knows where, smashed into the courtyard, shattering the gate again. Then, the guys on the street kept throwing stones into the courtyard. By the time Xia Ya couldn't take it anymore and rushed out, they scattered again, leaving only two or three slow ones to be beaten into vomiting blood by Xia Ya.

When Xia Ya cursed and went back to his room to sleep—those guys didn't dare to get close to throw rocks anymore.

From a hundred steps away from the gate, they yelled and cursed, starting from the bumpkin’s eighteenth generation of ancestors. Some creative ones even found gongs, drums, and horns, making a deafening racket. Xia Ya, inside, covered his ears with a pillow, tossing and turning, unable to sleep... The intention of these guys was obvious: exhaust you! Exhaust you! Don't let you sleep, don't let you rest! Exhaust you! As long as you are tired, you have a chance of being defeated!

***

"Master, actually, many of those guys last night were just thugs hired with money. Someone paid them to disturb your rest..." Dodoro hadn't slept well either, looking at Xia Ya with panda eyes: "That... this kind of person will just come in waves..."

"Damn it! Is there no one in charge? What about the patrol soldiers? How can they be so lawless..." Xia Ya almost wanted to cry.

Dodoro, having lived in the capital for some time, knew a bit about how things worked. He smiled bitterly: "These street thugs have some open or secret connections with the patrols who maintain order, so... sigh. Besides, you have no family here; the patrols wouldn't help you..."

"Then... is there really no other way?" Xia Ya was filled with grief and indignation.

"Legitimate challenges between warriors are protected by imperial law." Dodoro wore a bitter face: "The law allows warriors to challenge each other for honor, and similarly, challenges between mages are also protected. Even if someone dies, it won't be investigated... unless you refuse the challenge, in which case you are considered to have admitted defeat."

Admit defeat?

If Xia Ya had heard this yesterday, he would have chosen to admit defeat immediately—damn it, he didn't even want the title of defeating Hastings! Besides, he hadn't actually defeated Hastings. This title... it could get someone killed! Admit defeat and be done with it. The bumpkin wasn't the type to pursue hollow fame; he only cared about real, tangible benefits.

But now... he couldn't swallow this!

Thinking of those bastards harassing him and making his life miserable—admit defeat now? I can't afford to lose that much face!! How could he let these trashy bastards get their way!!

In the morning, just as Xia Ya stepped out of the courtyard onto the street, he heard a shout: "Xia Ya is out!!"

With a buzz, the people gathered on the street scattered like birds and beasts. Xia Ya looked closely for a while, and as Dodoro said, most were dressed as ordinary people, with only a few dressed as warriors. Most were probably hired to harass him.

He couldn't eat breakfast. Early on, some bastard had wrapped a pile of feces in parchment and thrown it into the courtyard. Xia Ya had no choice but to hold his nose and take his two attendants out to find a place to eat.

Just as they turned the corner, he saw many pedestrians pointing at him, and some suspicious characters lurking behind the crowd.

Xia Ya snorted, head held high, and continued forward. He heard a clamor in the crowd, and then the onlookers, as if they had expected it, scattered and ran away.

*BOOM!* Stones came flying at him from front and back. There were even a few bags of feces among them. Xia Ya swung his weapon to block, lunged to the roadside, and grabbed a door panel from a shop that had just opened to shield his head. After a barrage of clanging, the panel was full of dents, and foul-smelling, suspicious substances landed on him and the ground.

Dodoro and Soite lay on the side with bitter faces. The poor mage was bruised and bleeding, unable to even cry.

By the time Xia Ya chased them, the culprits were already far away. Though Xia Ya was furious, there was nothing he could do.

He finally dragged Dodoro and Soite into an open restaurant and sat down, but the moment they sat down, they heard someone shouting on the street outside: "Where is Xia Ya? Do you dare come out and fight me!"

Xia Ya, sitting by a window on the second floor, looked at the burly man standing on the street below, picked up a chair from the room, and threw it down, knocking the man flat.

When eating, the waiter holding the tray would suddenly flip it and sprinkle a bag of lime from underneath.

When walking out the door, masked men would suddenly jump out of intersections and fire crossbows at him.

When walking down the street, cold arrows would suddenly shoot from the crowd ahead and behind.

Xia Ya had originally thought he had seen it all. Even in the great battle on the Wildfire Plains, in the middle of a battlefield with thousands of horses, he could charge in and out a few times. Even when surrounded by Odin’s berserk warriors, he could fight his way out unscathed... But now, walking on the streets of the Imperial Capital, it was step-by-step death. Every step was a trap, and every pedestrian around him looked like a villain...

The only chance he got to rest in the morning was when he encountered a patrol. With them passing by, the attackers finally restrained themselves, giving Xia Ya a moment of peace. The bumpkin had a sudden inspiration and followed the patrol, taking the opportunity to buy two meat buns for Dodoro and Soite, eating as they walked.

The patrol soldiers looked at Xia Ya with pity. One soft-hearted one couldn't help but whisper a warning: "Be careful next time you buy food; these guys might poison it... You aren't the first expert in this city to be poisoned to death."

Xia Ya: "..."

By the morning, a sweating Xia Ya was practically fleeing through the city with Dodoro and Soite, running through streets and alleys. Finally, near an intersection by the southern pier, he saw General Ruhl and his squad of guards in the distance. Xia Ya immediately burst into tears, lunged at the fat man, and grabbed him, refusing to let go.

Seeing Xia Ya panting as if he were dying, Ruhl suppressed a laugh, patted Xia Ya’s back hard, and smiled: "Alright, alright. I sent people to pick you up early this morning, but when I found you weren't at your residence, I guessed as much—these guys are being too arrogant this time. I thought they’d at least show some restraint, but I didn't expect them to be so blatant! Alright, alright, with my squad of guards here, they won't dare to act up."

Xia Ya panted and shook his head vigorously: "I’ve finally learned how terrifying these rogue warriors are! They’re like locusts! I could tolerate the open attacks and hidden arrows, but they actually resorted to throwing feces!"

Hearing this, Ruhl pushed Xia Ya away, took a giant step back, covered his nose, and cursed: "Feces! Damn it! Why didn't you tell me sooner! I just changed into these clothes this morning!"

Xia Ya said indignantly: "You knew, why didn't you warn me!"

"Nonsense! I warned you yesterday, and you were the one acting all heroic, saying you'd take them on one by one, or pair by pair!"

"..." A flash of anger crossed Xia Ya's face, his face turning red. He growled: "Damn it! I didn't think these guys were so resilient! I thought if I killed two, they'd be afraid... but I didn't expect... damn it! It's fine to take them on a pair at a time, but there are hundreds of them! How can I fight them all?"

After the bumpkin vented his anger, a thought suddenly crossed his mind: "That's not right! There are many hidden experts in the capital! Why are these guys only hounding me? Could it be that all the other martial arts experts in the capital live like this every day?!"

A glimmer of a smile appeared in Ruhl's eyes. He looked at Xia Ya with approval: "Hmm, you're finally starting to get it."

Xia Ya was anxious and grabbed the fat man’s neck, shaking him violently: "Tell me! What the hell is going on!!"

Ruhl shook off Xia Ya’s hands and sneered: "You think it's easy being an expert? In this world, there are thousands of people who want to get rich, get famous, and get ahead! Do you think everyone is kind and noble? Despicable and low-life people are everywhere, and those who stop at nothing to get ahead are as numerous as the hairs on an ox! To get ahead, these guys will do absolutely anything. Any expert, no matter how strong, still has to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom, right? Keeping you exhausted is exactly when these guys strike! So, you think those legendary experts are all lone wolves? Hmph!"

"..." A vein throbbed on Xia Ya's forehead: "You mean..."

"You need a backer and a power base to protect yourself, my brother." The fat man patted Xia Ya on the shoulder and laughed: "Stories of lone wolves traveling the world only exist in legends. 'Lonely expert,' my ass! If you have to worry about cold arrows while sitting on the toilet, I don't see what's so 'lonely' about that! Even if you were made of iron, how many nails can you withstand? These despicable people—even if you kill a thousand, there will always be a time you are tired, and the one-thousand-and-first will take the chance to knock you down and loudly announce, 'I have defeated the legendary Xia Ya!' and step on your shoulders to get ahead!"

"Then... what do the others do?" Xia Ya sighed.

"The paths are simple. Those famous experts either take in many disciples so they have underlings to handle the chores and block the trouble, or they simply throw their lot in with some big shots or noble families. Those powerful families have enough influence that no trash would dare to come looking for trouble. Others... who refuse to take disciples or find a backer, can only hide their names and live in some godforsaken place."

"Damn it." The bumpkin cursed: "So those reclusive experts were all forced into it!"