Chapter 34: Arena Matches, the Beggar Gang Steps Up

Chapter 34: The Arena Tournament, Beggar Gang (Part 1)

"What the hell is the Ming family up to?"

"Where'd the Ming family haul those guys off to?"

"I know that sect—they're cocky as hell, but they've always been loyal to the Ming family!"

Ning Xishi wasn't the only one with a cold shiver down his spine—the other martial artists were getting a bad feeling too.

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let the Mings hear you."

With so many sects around and a few thousand martial artists packed in, the little stir from Ning Xishi's corner didn't carry to the folks further out. Plus, the Ming family moved so fast—gone in a flash—that anyone who blinked for a second missed the whole thing.

Even people right next to them hadn't caught the full picture and were frantically asking what the hell just went down.

Only the ones who'd actually seen it all seemed to catch on, quietly edging away from Ning Xishi.

It suddenly hit Ning Xishi: were those two spies planted by the Ming family?

They'd baited him into throwing a punch, and then the Mings swooped in to "deal with it"—making it look like the Ming family and the Beggar Gang were in cahoots.

Ning Xishi never figured that even after he'd agreed to follow Ming Hanche's orders, the guy would still pull something like this.

The guy really thought of everything—no holes at all.

Guardian Ye had clearly figured it out too, her face going cold.

Their gang leader was the classic spoiled young master—soft with kindness, but you push him and he pushes back hard. Humiliate him in public, and he'd definitely hit back.

But anyone who knew the gang leader understood his "revenge" was just kid stuff—a token flex at best.

By putting on this act with their people, the Mings had not only made the Beggar Gang chief look like he was in their pocket in front of everyone, but also made him seem petty and spiteful.

Guardian Ye was about to blow her top and go find the Ming family's hidden guards when shouts from the crowd cut her off—

"The Ming family head is here!"

"Damn, Old Master Ming really knows how to make an entrance."

"That palanquin is so insane—even storybooks wouldn't dare write that."

The worries nearby got swallowed up by the noise, and for a second, everything seemed fine.

With the crowd in the way, Ning Xishi could only make out the tip of a solid gold palanquin, with a vermilion orb hanging underneath. Unlike regular palanquins with carved and painted decorations, this orb was one giant, real jade.

Smooth and glossy, it gleamed like crazy in the sunlight.

Ning Xishi thought: rich as hell—even the imperial palace might not have a hunk of jade this big.

Just as the crowd's cheers hit their peak, the palanquin touched down and Ming Hanche stepped out.

His hair and beard were snow-white, but unlike most old men, his face wasn't covered in wrinkles. His eyes looked dull at first, but his stare was sharp as a hawk's.

Standing on top of the palanquin—which was already a raised platform—he looked down at the thousands of martial artists. Anyone he looked at didn't dare meet his eyes, all of them looking away one by one.

Only Ning Xishi, in plain white robes that showed off a young man's elegant frame, with a silver mask like butterfly petals on his face, didn't flinch. Even without seeing his face clearly, you could tell his bone structure was top-notch.

When Ming Hanche's gaze landed on Ning Xishi, their eyes locked.

It was Ming Hanche who blinked first. He hadn't expected that, with all this grand show and every Ming guard deployed, someone would still dare stare him down.

"Worthy of a minister's son," Ming Hanche thought, his hunger for the imperial throne growing stronger by the second.

If even a minister's son had this much presence, he couldn't imagine how epic it'd be to have the whole court kneeling at his feet.

His grand plan—backed by that mysterious force, holding dirt on Ning Xishi, and even controlling the Jule Gang, that thorn in his side—was practically a gift from the heavens!

After locking eyes with Ning Xishi, Ming Hanche didn't look away like he'd planned to, to sweep the crowd.

Instead, he held the stare. In the past, when he stared back at someone like this, they'd hesitate, lose their nerve, and look away.

But not Ning Xishi.

That spoiled brat looked back at him with this weird amusement, like he was watching a monkey do tricks—no flinch, no fear.

Ming Hanche's eyes went completely dark, and he was the first to break the stare.

Time was ticking; he couldn't waste it on some wastrel like this, or the intimidating aura he'd worked so hard to build would fall apart.

Ning Xishi suddenly didn't feel like just standing there watching Ming Hanche show off. He spoke right up: "Old Master Ming, you called us all here to pick a new Martial Arts Alliance Leader. So how exactly are we doing this?"

That was exactly what everyone was wondering.

In an instant, the dead-quiet venue exploded into noise and chaos, like a damn market.

"Yeah, we've been here forever—just tell us the damn rules already!"

"Is it a fight or a popularity contest? Spill it."

Ming Hanche watched the once-serious gathering fall into chaos, his face darkening as he locked eyes with Ning Xishi again, not even trying to hide the murder in his gaze.

Ning Xishi realized he'd gone too far. Remembering his whole family's lives were in this guy's hands, he quickly spoke up again: "Think what you want, but this Martial Arts Alliance Leader title—the Jule Gang is taking it!"

The second those words left his mouth, the already loud venue exploded like a pot of boiling water.

Whether they wanted the title or not, even the most deep-rooted powers were rocked by Ning Xishi's words, everyone whispering to the person next to them.

"Is this seriously the Jule Gang's leader?"

"Just showing his whole hand—not even pretending to hold back?"

"Young and cocky, wanting to be the center of attention, the focus of the whole world."

"Is he for real? I still can't tell."

"Real or not, the words are out—no taking them back now. The Jule Gang just painted a target on their backs."

In the end, all the chatter boiled down to one thing—

"So... is this leader just plain stupid?"

If Ning Xishi were older, maybe they wouldn't think that, but the problem was how young he was—plus, after his little speech, the Beggar Gang's guardians and elders all had grim looks on their faces.

It just confirmed what everyone was thinking: Ning Xishi had carelessly blown the Beggar Gang's cover and ambitions.

"But the Beggar Gang is crazy strong. Even if their leader's a screw-up, those elders and guardians are no joke."

"With that many members, if he's really serious about going for the Martial Arts Alliance Leader title, we don't stand a chance."

"Hmph, if I'd known the Beggar Gang, which has never meddled in martial arts world affairs all these years, would come to grab the title, I wouldn't have bothered coming."

"Bro, are you even in the martial arts world? Sure, our sect's strength can't compare to the Beggar Gang's, but at least we can throw down with their Gang Leader."

"Exactly, this guy's right. If we can make their Gang Leader cry, haha, then when we're out bragging later, we can say we've beaten a Martial Arts Alliance Leader too."

Ming Hanche, seated on the sedan, couldn't help but be taken aback at Ning Xishi's words.

Earlier at the theater, Ning Xishi had agreed to do his bidding and become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. But everyone knew that until things were actually set in stone, even the most flawless plan could fall through.

The biggest wildcard in Ming Hanche's scheme was Ning Xishi.

If he hadn't known Ning Xishi's weakness, he would have continued to lie low rather than stage such a big show.

Therefore, Ming Hanche was constantly on edge because of Ning Xishi.

Ning Xishi clearly wasn't the type to take orders from anyone, but unfortunately, he had a father serving as an official at court and an elder brother who had just placed top scholar in the imperial exams. Once his identity was exposed, the entire Ning family would be executed.

Ming Hanche was gambling on Ning Xishi's conscience.

The results of his earlier tests had been quite satisfying—Ning Xishi's Achilles' heel was indeed his family.

It could be said that whenever Ming Hanche wanted to reveal Ning Xishi's identity to more people to put his own mind at ease, Ning Xishi would do something reassuring.

A few days ago, it was showing his face around teahouses and taverns; now, it was directly declaring his intention to become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

Now, Ming Hanche no longer saw him as a wildcard he couldn't control but couldn't do without, but rather as a young man who liked throwing tantrums yet was extremely useful as a pawn.

Guardian Ye was also shocked to hear Ning Xishi's words and was about to ask why he did it when she noticed Ming Hanche's expression was mild, as if he liked what he heard.

Guardian Ye couldn't wrap her head around Ming Hanche's reasoning.

She was the type to save her trump card for last—that was just how she operated. She thought Ning Xishi was Ming Hanche's trump card, and he should have waited until the Martial Arts Alliance Leader competition heated up before pushing Ning Xishi forward to directly seize the position.

Revealing the trump card this early would only give his rivals time to prepare.

Ning Xishi seemed to notice Aunt Ye's confusion and quietly told her, "Aunt Ye, making old guys happy is truly my natural talent."

Guardian Ye: "?"

Ning Xishi added, "My father indulges me so much exactly because I'm good at pleasing him."

Guardian Ye: "..."

Ning Xishi continued, "Actually, my husband isn't exactly young either—he's a full nine years older than me. He seems pretty happy to see me too. So, my natural talent is getting old men to like me."

Guardian Ye: "..."

Guardian Ye finally couldn't help but twist Ning Xishi's ear. "Is being nine years older than you really that old?"

Ning Xishi quickly said, "Oh no, my talent doesn't work on making older sisters happy."

Guardian Ye couldn't help but burst out laughing, and her hand that was twisting Ning Xishi's ear changed to smoothing his hair.

"You smooth talker. Forget the martial arts competition—that mouth of yours could make the whole world bow to you."

Just as Ning Xishi finished his bold statement, Ming Hanche had someone announce the rules for the Martial Arts Alliance Leader competition.

It wasn't just about martial prowess, but also the ability to govern a sect—which was hard to gauge, so the competition was entirely based on arena battles.

Those wishing to compete would become arena masters, and others would challenge them. The arena master could have their subordinates fight for them.

After sixteen days, once the arena masters held their ground, they would then compete against each other, where no subordinates could step in—it would test the arena master's own strength.

Ning Xishi was pretty happy with these rules, meaning he wouldn't have to fight for the next sixteen days.

He had no real combat experience and didn't want any. Being able to avoid as many fights as he could was absolutely perfect.

==========Author's Note:==========

Single update

Good night