Chapter 145: Unexpected Wealth Knocking on the Door

"Poke him?"

Philip's hair stood on end, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched uncontrollably. No matter how brightly the country bumpkin was smiling, how could he possibly agree to such a request? Damn it! That day, he, Philip, had seen with his own eyes this fellow pierce straight through the mage's magical defense barrier with a single sword strike!

"This goes too far! I—I—I'll fight you to the death!!"

After all, Philip was a high-tier warrior. Pushed into a corner with no retreat, a fierce ruthlessness hardened in his heart. The situation had come down to this: either he died, or his opponent did! Watching Xiaya step closer and closer, he hardened his resolve, let out a roar, and raised his silver cross sword. Brilliant silver battle aura radiated outward. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he lunged forward and slashed furiously at Xiaya.

You could say this single strike unleashed every ounce of strength he possessed in his entire life. Wherever the battle aura swept, a crescent-shaped blade of light surged outward. The intensity of that battle aura was actually a super-standard display of potential in the face of absolute desperation!

Xiaya's gaze narrowed. Seeing the blade of light slashing down toward him, though his pace had seemed leisurely before, he had actually been on high alert the entire time, holding a deep breath within his chest. As the light blade reached his face, he raised his fire fork and swung it down savagely.

With a loud crash, the light blade was shattered into pieces. Xiaya's body swayed, and he took a couple of steps back. The right hand gripping the fire fork trembled violently all the way from his arm to his fingertips! After all, Philip possessed formidable strength. Pushed to fight for his life, the momentum was naturally astonishing. The madman was already pouncing forward, his long sword trembling as sword lights and battle aura sprayed out like money was no object, instantly shrouding Xiaya within countless strands of silver radiance!

The surrounding spectator stands erupted into thunderous cheers. Being able to witness a high-tier warrior unleash his full strength like this during the preliminaries set the audience's blood boiling. Especially when they looked at Xiaya, enveloped as he was in the silver radiance, fearing they might immediately witness the grisly spectacle of him being hacked to pieces. How could these spectators, who desperately craved cruel and thrilling sights, not be excited?

Then they saw Xiaya suddenly come to a halt. A trace of crimson flashed in his eyes. In an instant, along Xiaya's line of sight, the speed of the incoming silver radiance seemed to drag and slow down, appearing to decelerate manifold!

The battle aura rays that had originally seemed to strike simultaneously were suddenly segregated into sequential, slowed-down fragments in Xiaya's eyes. Within the blaze of light, distinct gaps appeared one after another. To Xiaya, the previously dense web of swords was actually riddled with holes and utterly full of flaws!!

The country bumpkin let out a wild laugh, then shifted his footing, stepping forward instead of retreating! Ducking his waist, he transformed as if into a wildcat or a panther, his body forcefully "squeezing" right through that dense web of sword energy!

Even though the sword lights had clearly been unleashed simultaneously, not a single one landed on his body! In the eyes of the tens of thousands of spectators in the stands, Xiaya's figure looked precisely like a ghost. Despite the bright sunlight overhead, he suddenly seemed to shed all physical presence, effortlessly executing a few steps, twists, and turns to transform into a lingering afterimage as he shuttled straight through the sword light!

Philip had cast all caution to the wind, channeling his entire body's battle aura. His blade scattered outward like a violent storm, battle aura raging as he was hell-bent on hacking this fellow to death. Yet while he chopped away like a madman, from the perspective of the surrounding crowd, Xiaya was clearly seen closing in step by step! Those countless beams of sword energy and battle aura were always dodged by Xiaya through bizarre, twisting evasions that brushed right past his skin. Finally, after closing in by several steps, Xiaya made his move!

The fire fork swept out once more, leaving a trail of black. With a few crisp cracks, the closest beams of battle aura were directly shattered to dust by him! Charging right up to Philip's face, Philip thrust his sword forward with all his might, but Xiaya simply laid the fire fork horizontally across his waist and slammed forward with brute force... With a sharp clank, Philip's silver cross sword snapped in half! Xiaya drove his elbow straight into Philip's chest!

That once gorgeous and brilliant silver breastplate instantly caved inward at the center, forming a deep dent. Fragments of silver armor splintered apart, and amidst the sound of breaking metal, a series of popping bone fractures rang out!

Philip threw his head back as a mouthful of fresh blood shot into the sky, his body tumbling backward as he fell!

Yet at that very moment, Xiaya suddenly accelerated his movements! His footsteps instantly turned as swift as lightning, and his body darted forward. Seeing Philip falling backward with his body parallel to the ground, Xiaya flew into pursuit! Before Philip could hit the ground, he slammed a heavy fist right into his shoulder!

The country bumpkin's crushing punch, unleashed while in the state of summoning the crimson murderous intent, possessed terrifying power! The moment this punch landed, the force of the blow carried a faint red hue, instantly ripping away Philip's shoulder guard and sending Philip spinning wildly on the spot. After tumbling over several times, he crashed heavily into the earth!

The ground of the arena was originally packed dirt, but Xiaya's punch drove Philip so deeply into the earth that a major portion of his body was buried! Once he finally hit the ground, his armor was already deformed beyond recognition, and blood kept gushing endlessly from his mouth!

In that exact instant, the entire arena plunged into a dead silence!!!

It seemed as though all ten thousand people in the stadium had widened their eyes and held their breath, staring fixedly at Xiaya and Philip down in the arena!

Did—did they see that right?

A high-tier warrior, beaten to a pulp in just a few exchanges?!! That wasn't just some nobody! That was a genuine, bonafide high-tier warrior!!!!

After a long while, the entire arena suddenly erupted into thunderous cheers! Countless people rose to their feet, clapping wildly and roaring at the top of their lungs, while others pointed at Xiaya and hurled frantic curses—these infuriated gamblers were tearing up their betting slips, presumably having placed their wagers on Philip to win. Xiaya's brutal strikes had utterly crushed Philip, turning these gamblers' money straight down the drain... The stadium was a chaotic mix of cheers and curses, with people celebrating and swearing. Amidst the roaring din, Xiaya walked up to Philip.

By now, Philip couldn't even manage to stand up.

Xiaya grabbed a handful of his hair, "plucked" Philip out of the crater, and hoisted him high into the air. Being naturally taller than Philip to begin with, holding him up by the hair left Philip's feet dangling mid-air, stripped of even the strength to struggle.

Deliberately refraining from making any further moves, Xiaya simply turned around and swept his gaze across the surrounding spectator stands.

***

Finally, movement stirred in the stands!

Countless people—whether cheering, cursing, or the bettors who had wagered on Philip and felt bitter over his incompetence, alongside those who had bet on Philip's opponent and were angry that he had lost them money—almost a majority of the entire stadium raised their handkerchiefs. A sea of white fluttered and rolled across the stands, accompanied by deafening cries:

"Kill him! Kill, kill! Kill him!!"

"Kill him!!"

"Chop off his head!!!"

Listening to the escalating clamor, Xiaya wore a cold sneer on his face.

These were the exact same people who, just moments before, had been cheering for Philip and praising him like a hero. Yet right now, with Philip defeated, they viewed him as a mere chicken or dog fit for slaughter... Though Philip had been beaten half to death, he still retained a shred of consciousness. Seeing the fluttering sea of handkerchiefs in the stands and hearing the stadium-shaking cries for his death, terror and despair gripped his heart. Struggling and choking on his own blood, he desperately pleaded, "Don't—don't kill me, I beg you, don't kill me, don't kill me... I—I'll give you money! Lots and lots... of money!"

Not a single trace of his previous arrogance remained. He coughed incessantly, fresh blood surging forth.

Had it been right when he first entered the arena, Xiaya's mind had been firmly made up to skewer this Philip with his fire fork. Having been ambushed by him on the road, the country bumpkin's philosophy was certainly not some bullshit turning of the other cheek; his creed was an eye for an eye!

Yet right now, looking at the twisted, frantic, ugly faces in the stands—looking at these exact same faces that had cheered and roared for this dying man just minutes before—Xiaya suddenly felt an overwhelming, irrepressible wave of disgust rise within his heart! He found those fanatically twisted faces and those clamoring cries for blood echoing in his ears to be utterly grating and repulsive!

He glanced down at the dying Philip in his hand, and suddenly raised his fire fork... Slash!!

A streak of black light flashed, and blood burst forth!

Philip's entire body shuddered as a shrill scream escaped his lips. Both of his thumbs had been cleanly severed at the roots, dropping into the dirt below as blood welled up continuously, a shocking and horrifying sight.

Xiaya released his grip, letting Philip collapse onto the ground. Amidst the surrounding shouts for blood, he coldly declared, "I've cut off your thumbs. You'll never be able to use a sword, saber, bow, or spear for the rest of your life. Your sternum is smashed, and your shoulder is shattered. From now on... just live as an ordinary person!"

Philip wailed in agony, curling into a tight ball on the ground. Ignoring him entirely, Xiaya turned around and strode to the edge of the arena.

His actions immediately stirred a commotion throughout the stadium. The fanatical spectators were deeply dissatisfied with Xiaya's act of sparing his life, and thousands began hurling abuses and roaring in outrage.

Standing at the edge of the arena, Xiaya coldly eyed the ring of fanatical audience members, his heart filled with contempt.

Despite the thousands of insults and provocations hurled his way, Xiaya simply stood there, sneering nonstop. He raised his head, scanned his surroundings, and abruptly hoisted his fire fork into the air!

With the fork facing downward and the handle pointing upward, he gestured in a sweeping circle toward the shouting sections of the stands. The country bumpkin let out a hearty, booming laugh, a wild and unrestrained sound that not even the curses of ten thousand people could drown out.

"Want someone dead? Jump down and do it yourselves! If you've got a problem with me, come down here and throw your lives away!!"

This single gesture was practically a direct declaration of war against the tens of thousands of spectators in the arena. Seeing the public fervor and the tide of insults, Xiaya merely wore a look of disdain.

He stood there for a full minute. While the people in the stands cursed to their hearts' content, not a single one of them actually had the courage to jump down and challenge him the way Xiaya had done earlier.

Gradually, a mocking smile surfaced on Xiaya's face: "I couldn't care less about you lot!"

He leaped up into the stands. Seeing him approach, the crowded spectators who had been shouting insults just a moment before shrank back in fear, ducking deep into the crowd as if regaining their courage only from the safety of numbers. Paying them no mind, Xiaya walked straight through the stands. Wherever he passed, though the curses never ceased, the surrounding people hastily retreated, clearing a wide path for him.

Reaching Afrecat, Xiaya cast a sidelong glance at the surroundings and said, "Let's go! This wretched place is full of cowards!"

***

The departure of Xiaya and Afrecat was nothing more than a minor interlude to the tens of thousands of spectators in the arena. Already accustomed to standing in the "safe zone" of the spectator stands, looking down to watch warriors beat each other to death, seeing flesh fly and heads roll, and then applauding and cheering, these viewers were well-versed in such spectacles.

Watching from the sidelines while crouched in a crowd gave them boundless courage, but when it came to stepping into the spotlight, they were nowhere to be found. Such behavior was both laughable and lamentable.

Barely moments after Xiaya and Afrecat left the arena, the spectators, finding it dull, quickly found a new source of entertainment. In another fighting ring, an axe-wielding warrior had just hacked off his opponent's thigh. The bloody scene instantly ignited a new wave of frantic roaring... As for Philip, who had been carried away defeated, and Xiaya, who had "incurred the wrath of the masses"—who would even remember them?

What battle of life and death, what warrior's honor, what courage and heroism... To these spectators, it was nothing more than tossing a few copper coins to watch a spectacle, providing material for chatter after tea and meals.

Who actually cared?!

Stepping out of the arena, the main street remained bustling with crowds. Wave after wave of warriors thronged the thoroughfare, all surging toward their sacred shrine—the arena. To these warriors, the arena was a place to make a name for themselves and the source of their hopes for survival. Achieving sudden success could win them both fame and fortune, whereas being defeated and dying... meant nothing more than death itself!!

Looking at the people on the street, though the walking warriors and citizens all wore agitated and excited expressions, in Xiaya's eyes, these individuals were entirely numb. The country bumpkin's gaze was filled with disgust and contempt.

Noticing the shift in Xiaya's mood, Afrecat beside him sighed softly, "My lord, you needn't feel disgusted by such matters... For thousands of years, countless bones have been buried beneath this arena. Countless warriors have rushed forward wave after wave, only to chase an illusory name."

"Illusory bullshit name," Xiaya sneered. "True valor and honor are forged fighting on the battlefield. Here, they're reduced to nothing more than clowns in the eyes of people who pay to watch a show! This wretched business is no different from me paying for wine and watching maidens sing vulgar ditties! What warrior's honor? It's nothing more than prostitution dressed up in a different costume! To hell with it."

Having originated from the competitive fighting circuit himself, Afrecat's expression turned somewhat unnatural upon hearing Xiaya's words. Xiaya turned his head to look at Afrecat and said coldly, "It doesn't matter if you think I'm wrong. Anyway, things that piss me off simply piss me off. If you're willing to follow me from now on, let's make this clear first! Anyone qualified to be my companion, regardless of their skill level, must first be a human being! A true, upright human being! Not someone hiding behind the bullshit name of warrior's honor while engaging in prostitution!"

Looking somewhat dim-faced and sighing, Afrecat answered frankly, "My lord, it's not that I don't understand these words. Countless warriors fight and kill each other for life or death in the arena, risking their lives and suffering heavy casualties, only to win a few sarcastic jeers from the people in the stands—do you think I don't understand that logic? It's just that this is how the world works. Without this, what else would the empire's millions of warriors rely on to make a living? Are they all supposed to become bodyguards? Mercenaries? In this arena, at least they can win a moment of glory... Though how many warriors live in destitution and waste away their lives!"

Saying nothing more, Xiaya patted Afrecat's shoulder to show his understanding. The two ceased discussing the topic. Xiaya's playful mood vanished, and even his intention to seek out a renowned archery master faded—he genuinely held little respect for these "honorable warriors" who threw away their dignity to fight in arenas for the amusement of spectators. How could any true powerhouse possibly exist among such people?

Would a genuine powerhouse ever tolerate such humiliation?! Would a true powerhouse ever allow their martial arts to be turned into a circus for public viewing?

Riding their horses back home, they had barely stepped through the front gate when they heard someone outside wishing to pay a visit.

The squire Soyt went out to greet the visitor, and shortly after, the guest followed him inside.

Standing in the courtyard, Xiaya looked toward the front street and saw a carriage parked outside the main gate. It lacked anything particularly eye-catching, being merely an ordinary merchant carriage bearing the crest of a certain trading guild.

The visitor walking at the very front was a middle-aged man wearing a long sword. With ordinary features, a warrior's robe, and tall leather boots, he walked straight into the courtyard and bowed deeply directly toward Xiaya—not using a warrior's salute, but rather the etiquette reserved for meeting nobility.

"Who are you?" Xiaya frowned.

The middle-aged man smiled, pointed to his own mouth, and opened it—half of his tongue had clearly been cut out! Upon seeing this, Xiaya furrowed his brow tightly.

Unflustered, the middle-aged man turned and pointed behind him. Two civilian servants behind him were jointly carrying a chest inside. Though not particularly large, carrying it together made their muscles strain, indicating it was exceptionally heavy.

Once the chest was set down before Xiaya, the middle-aged man bowed again with a respectful expression on his face. Suddenly, he drew his sword with a swift and sharp motion! Seeing the opponent's blade-drawing movement, Afrecat instantly arched his brows and rested his hand on his sword hilt, but Xiaya reached out and grabbed Afrecat's arm, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

Clang!!!!

The middle-aged man slashed his sword down onto the wooden chest. His swordsmanship proved quite sharp; with a single strike, the wooden chest split open and immediately scattered into pieces with a loud clatter!

Flashes of brilliant gold filled the field of vision. Spilling out from the shattered chest were piles upon piles of Byzantine Empire gold coins!! A quick, rough glance revealed there must have been at least one or two thousand of them!!

Swiftly sheathing his long sword, the middle-aged man pressed a hand to his chest, bowed deeply to Xiaya once more, and then slowly backed away all the way to the gate. Only then did he turn around and leave with his two servants. Outside the gate, the rolling of carriage wheels sounded, departing without a single moment of delay.