Chapter 235 - 220: Shui Yun: I’ve Agreed to the Reward

Chapter 235: Chapter 220: Shui Yun: I’ve Agreed to the Reward

That could cost him half his life.

By the same token, even though Tang Wen’s constitution was unparalleled among his peers...

...if he really dared to consume the Blood Marrow of a Fifth Grade Exotic Beast, the fire-source energy within would invade his entire body, and it was entirely possible he’d be crippled as a result!

Still, he had to scheme for the Fifth Grade Exotic Beast Blood Marrow.

He couldn’t use it, but it was perfect for the Flame Queen.

Helping the Queen break through to Fifth Grade would give him a true safety net! A real guarantee of strength!

As for Vice Gang Leader Lin?

’If he dares to bare his teeth, I’ll secretly take care of him!’

Everyone turned to look at the main seat.

The Gang Leader’s expression was calm, his gaze as still as an ancient well. He looked at Tang Wen and said, "If you can truly fight beautifully and take first place, it’s not out of the question to give you a share of the rewards."

Tang Wen mulled it over and understood the Gang Leader’s meaning: ’You are my disciple, so of course I will protect you! But if you go up on that stage, you must win spectacularly. Otherwise, it’s better not to go up at all.’

He thought for a moment, then stood and clasped his fist. "Thank you for your guidance, Gang Leader. But since Vice Gang Leader Lin and all the seniors and brothers here are so eager to see me compete, a fight is no big deal. It’s a perfect opportunity to ask for your instruction on my progress! If I lose, it’s only because this disciple has been practicing martial arts for a short time and my skills are unrefined. I will certainly train harder every day in the future."

Those present were Martial Artists, but they were also shrewd people.

With a little thought, they understood Tang Wen’s meaning: ’I’m the Gang Leader’s disciple, so I have the confidence to compete. If by some chance I lose, the blame will be mine alone!’

No one said anything more. The way they looked at Tang Wen had changed slightly.

But a question surfaced in their minds: ’This kid isn’t stupid! Why would he agree to such an outrageous match?’

The Gang Leader pondered for a moment. "Since you have confidence, go on and give it a try."

"Yes, Gang Leader." During work, one addressed others by their titles.

In truth, the Gang Leader’s words were also a hint to Tang Wen, subtly asking him where his confidence came from.

When Tang Wen had fought Zhao Xiong earlier, the Gang Leader had been able to see through the black mist.

But he hadn’t used his Spiritual Power to probe deeply.

After all, the black mist seemed to favor Tang Wen, so why would he do something unnecessary?

Probing with Spiritual Power might have interfered with his own disciple.

Therefore, while he had some guesses about Tang Wen’s strength, he couldn’t get a clear read on it.

Now, in such a public setting, and with Tang Wen not knowing the secret of vocal transmission, he could only offer a veiled reminder.

He couldn’t very well ask Tang Wen: ’Kid, where are you getting this confidence?’

’Who gave you the nerve to take on three at once?’

’Do you think the gang’s elite are made of clay?’

’You think just because you beat Zhao Xiong quickly, you’re invincible among your peers?’

’You haven’t been drinking fake liquor, have you?!’

Within the Black Water Gang, the Martial Artists were a massive group.

With so many members and such a large base, there were naturally many outstanding individuals among them.

Among the gang’s Martial Artists, Zhao Xiong probably wouldn’t even rank in the top ten.

A simple deduction made this clear.

If Zhao Xiong were truly formidable, he would have appeared in today’s tournament for the top four.

Not as Vice Gang Leader Lin’s pawn, sent to challenge Tang Wen.

These people were luring Tang Wen into a trap, taking advantage of his lack of understanding of the gang’s internal situation.

And Tang Wen really didn’t understand.

’Why should he need to?’

He held his teacup, looked at Vice Gang Leader Lin, and repeated the agreed-upon conditions one by one.

If he won, he would get four months of exclusive use of a Core Secret Chamber.

As well as two portions of Sixth Grade Exotic Beast Blood Marrow, and seven portions of Peak Extraordinary Blood Marrow provided by the various Vice Gang Leaders, Young Masters, and Elders.

At this point, the nature of the event was equivalent to Vice Gang Leader Lin, the Eldest Young Master, the Sixth Young Master, and others making a bet against Tang Wen. They were all betting on him to lose.

If Tang Wen lost, they wouldn’t have to pay any price.

But for Tang Wen, if he won, he would clean them all out!

As they spoke, the three Martial Artists who were supposed to participate in the tournament had already arrived below the stage.

The Eldest Young Master’s beautiful wife, Lin Shi, asked casually, "I wonder, what are the characteristics of the three contestants this time?"

The Eldest Young Master immediately took the conversational bait. He glanced at Tang Wen, and seeing he had paused, said with a smile, "Speaking of these three, they all have nicknames. They are called [Rock Vajra], [Soul-Chasing Hand], and [Eight-armed Yaksha]."

"They certainly sound more formidable than the last."

"Indeed. Take Zhao Xiong, for example. He also participated in the gang’s tournament but was stopped in the round of sixteen, not even making it to the top eight. It was Rock Vajra who eliminated him. In three moves!"

"What?"

"He overpowered him fair and square in just three moves!"

’Fair and square?’

Tang Wen looked at the Eldest Young Master. ’This guy. Is he implying my win wasn’t honorable?’

’Heh heh, I’ll remember this, my friend.’

’But don’t you worry. After you’re on your way, I’ll take care of your wife and daughter for you.’

’We are from the same sect, after all!’

’I’m so kind.’

The Eldest Young Master said a few more words, but deliberately avoided going into detail about what the three were skilled at.

Presumably, he was afraid of Tang Wen learning too much.

But even though he didn’t elaborate, beside Tang Wen, Shui Yun’s secret vocal transmissions hadn’t stopped:

"[Rock Vajra] is skilled with the Iron Rod, Flying Axe, and Crossbow Arrows."

"His Iron Rod can weigh up to five hundred jin, and he likes to wear Heavy Iron Armor that weighs over three thousand jin!"

"What’s more, he’s skilled in Hard Skills."

"The gang’s Visualization Defense Technique—[Inexorable Stone Wall]."

"I suspect he has already reached the minor success stage."

"In other words, even if you break through his Heavy Armor, I’m afraid you still won’t be able to hurt him!"

Tang Wen smiled and squeezed Shui Yun’s hand.

She continued her explanation, "[Soul-Chasing Hand] is the skinny one. He’s skilled in the [Shadow Nether Step] and a move from the Night Divine Fist—Shadow Kill!"

Tang Wen was stunned for a moment, then he let out a sigh of relief.

When he heard the man was skilled in the Night Divine Fist, Tang Wen thought he had mastered the entire Fist Technique!

For a second, he’d been a little nervous.

But now he knew the man had only mastered the first form, Shadow Kill.

Shui Yun had a high opinion of him. "If I remember correctly, he also fought Zhao Xiong in a previous match. A single Shadow Kill sent Zhao Xiong right off the stage."

At this, she couldn’t help but sigh. "Junior Brother, it’s not that I don’t believe in you, but challenging these three at once... even a regular Extraordinary would likely be at a disadvantage."

Suddenly, Tang Wen put on a serious face and leaned close to her ear, whispering, "Speaking of which, I almost forgot! This challenge is so difficult... doesn’t that mean the reward my Senior Sister promised me should be tripled?"

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but flash a wicked grin and raise an eyebrow, his gaze burning as he looked at Shui Yun’s charming face!

Shui Yun was taken aback, then she scoffed. "You’re impossible! Just wait until I get my hands on you later."

She continued introducing the third and final person: "[Eight-armed Yaksha] is the oldest, already thirty-five, but don’t underestimate him. He’s a true survivor, having fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He’s been in the gang for over twenty years! He has also comprehended one form of the Night Divine Fist: the Eight-Armed Divine Fist. Moreover, his Body Technique is agile, and he excels at night combat. Even if you release your dark mist, he can probably handle it."

"It seems our gang is really full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons."

"Don’t be careless. If it’s too much, just concede. There’s no real loss in doing so," Shui Yun urged repeatedly.

But Tang Wen disagreed. "How can there be no loss? The Fifth Grade Blood Marrow, the Sixth Grade Blood Marrow, the secret chamber resources... if I lose, they’re all gone. That’s a huge loss!"

Helpless, Shui Yun played her trump card, sending via voice transmission, "As long as you aren’t reckless, Junior Brother, and you protect yourself and don’t get hurt... then I can agree to the matter of the reward."

"Really?!" Tang Wen exclaimed aloud.

Everyone on the high platform turned to look at him.

Even though Shui Yun was a seasoned veteran of many years, she couldn’t help but blush at that moment.

Her slender hand reached out to the soft flesh on his waist and gave it a vicious pinch.

Tang Wen played along, sucking in a sharp, exaggerated breath as if he were in agony.

Knowing he was just teasing her, Shui Yun still let go, not having the heart to keep pinching him.

"Seventh Young Master! If you please!"

Vice Gang Leader Lin’s voice boomed across the entire area, both on and off the stage.

The venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder discussion.

"No way? Is he really going one-on-three?"

"So arrogant! This Seventh Young Master probably doesn’t know that any two of them working together could seriously injure an Extraordinary!"

"Seriously injure? Heh! You clearly don’t know either! Never mind the others, did you see the three black stars on Rock Vajra’s Iron Armor? Do you know what those mean?"

"What?"

"Spit it out, brother!"

"Heh, the number of Extraordinaries who have died at his hands is three!"

"Ah? No way!"

"Why not? For his most famous battle, Eight-armed Yaksha single-handedly hunted down a wounded Extraordinary. Guess what the result was?"

"HISS! Could the legends be true?"

"Could they be false? If they didn’t have the ability to face an Extraordinary head-on, how could they have earned such a great reputation!"

"Makes sense, makes sense!"

The chatter died down as Tang Wen slowly ambled to the center of the high stage.