I Can See Your Combat Power - Chapter 98
Chapter 98: Chapter 94: The Change of Star Pavilion (Seeking First Subscription-)
Translator: 549690339
The world consists of Yin and Yang energies, which constantly clash and intertwine. When Yang energy prevails, it brings abundant prosperity. But if Yin prevails, malevolent spirits, phantoms, poisonous moons, and plagues tend to breed rampantly amidst extreme heat.
The month of May brings the cacophony of cicadas and the arrival of the Evil Month.
Xiling City was built along a river. Each year during the Evil Month, the city experiences extreme heat and heavy rain, and sometimes a sudden cold wave. Therefore, each May, the people of Xiling abstain from marriages, construction, moving house, and shipbuilding.
Matchmakers, construction workers, laborers, and shipyard artisans all take a long break every May, taking a full month off work to avoid the Evil Month.
With no ships to build or repair, many dock laborers find themselves jobless and loiter around the streets.
The western part of Xiling City is such a mixed bag of people. Each year in May, loiterers are as prevalent on the streets as the cicadas on the trees.
With nothing to do, they tend to gather under tree shades to gamble, brag, or watch the world go by. Thanks to several hundred years of peace in Xiling, low grain prices ensure that even the laziest among them can afford a year’s food with just a month’s salary.
While the Evil Month affects many industries in Xiling, operations at the Star Pavilion subsist as usual.
Having been the manager of the Star Pavilion for half a year, Hua Ji still isn’t quite sure about the true purpose of the place. All he does each day is allow several warriors to train inside and then leave.
Out of curiosity, Hua Ji once carefully examined the star stones, but besides their intricate textures, he couldn’t find anything peculiar.
Over time, Hua Ji surmised that the Star Pavilion might just be a place that Tang Luo uses to do good deeds.
After all, practicing a set of training routines for thirty-six cycles through the sky could earn a warrior of the Mortal Realm ten gold coins. In the impoverished area of West City, work opportunities as lucrative as this were hard to come by.
Plus, Tang Luo had set a rule in the Star Pavilion that a person could only enter the training room once every three days. This rule strengthened Hua Ji’s belief that Tang Luo did not intend to make a profit through the Star Pavilion but merely to do good deeds.
“The master really is the greatest philanthropist in Xiling,” Hua Ji often admired internally.
However, something unusual happened at the pavilion today. A room that never used for training for more than three hours straight was still occupied since the morning.
Just when Hua Ji was about to investigate, he heard tumultuous shouting outside the pavilion, faintly making out the words “Star Pavilion.”
“What on earth is happening?” wondered Hua Ji, confused. He summoned a servant. “Go to the Earth Subdue Room and see why the training isn’t finished yet.”
After giving his instructions, Hua Ji opened the grand doors of the Star Pavilion, only to be taken aback by the sight that awaited him.
At the front of the Star Pavilion stood hundreds of plainly dressed poor folks, their eyes wide with anger, and their shouts as loud as thunder.
“Hand over the murderer, a life for a life!”
‘You shamelessly sacrificed human lives for your wicked device, get out of West City!”
“Murderer, pay with your life, get out of West City!”
Caught off guard, Hua Ji was startled, failing to comprehend why these people were gathering in front of the pavilion.
The two servants that accompanied him had already collapsed to the ground in fear. Hua Ji tried to stand his ground, but his mind went blank
Seeing his pale face however, emboldened the angry mob even further. Step by step, they advanced upon the platform of the Star Pavilion, resembling a horde of demons, ready to devour their next victim.
A black figure appeared at the intersection of the platform and the stairs, facing the crowd with a tremendous aura.
“Take one more step, and I swear I will show no mercy!” Decked in heavy armor, Ying Hongyuan’s face was as icy as winter, his long silver knife gleaming in the light, halting those who were pressuring towards the platform.
An armored warrior who’d transcended the Mortal Realm was too intimidating for this group of enraged villagers and loafers who had gathered in agitation.
Their steps faltered in the face of Ying Hongyuan’s martial prowess, though the anger and humiliation in their eyes only intensified.
A middle-aged man wearing a blue hemp garment stepped out of the crowd, pointing accusingly at Ying Hongyuan. “Just because you have superior powers, do you think you can distort right and wrong? The Star Pavilion sacrifices human lives to forge demonic devices. Are you going to stand in support of them?”
With his words, the middle-aged man released an aura that was no less formidable than Ying Hongyuan’s, standing off against him.
The courage that the crowd at the foot of the stairs had just lost erupted once more with the appearance of the middle-aged man. This time, it was even more wild and hysterical.
“He’s with them, kill him! Kill him!”
“Kill him, burn this demon den!”
The furious cries of the people, their eyes showing madness, seemed to vent the fear they had just felt.
Ying Hongyuan laughed, raised his long knife, and pointed it at the throat of the middle-aged man, calmly saying, “Come and kill if you dare!”
A warrior without armor or a blade, plus a group of feeble village idlers, such a combination really did not hold any weight in his eyes, an elite from the Martial Hall.
The middle-aged man in the green shirt stared coldly, stepping even closer to the blade, the battle was about to begin.
No, they can’t start fighting like this. Hua Ji came to his senses from the chaotic state, watching Ying Hongyuan confronting the crowd, an alarm bell ringing in his heart.
“Everyone, calm down! Calm down! Listen to me!” His exhausted cry attracted everyone’s attention. He stepped over to Ying Hongyuan’s side, facing the crowd in front of the pavilion.
The young shopkeeper’s face was sincere, raising both his hands, trying to soothe the crowd’s emotions.
Although until now, he didn’t know what exactly had happened, but a voice in his heart told him, he was the shopkeeper of the Star Pavilion, he had to come out and solve this matter, instead of standing behind Ying Hongyuan, watching him fight these people.
A small window at the top of the Star Pavilion had been quietly opened. It was Tang Luo leaning against the bed rail, calmly observing the development of the situation.
From the sudden burst of noise, he had been observing. Seeing the excited expressions of the villagers, and hearing the words “sacrificing to refine a magic weapon”, if he couldn’t see that someone was trying to deal with his Star Pavilion, it would be too unreasonable.
If Hua Ji hadn’t stood up just now and had still been frozen in fear on the spot, Tang Luo would have stepped in directly to handle the matter, because Ying Hongyuan is a warrior, he wouldn’t consider right or wrong, his duty is just to defend the pavilion and kill all enemies.
But this would undoubtedly confirm the bad reputation of Star Pavilion and get them caught in the opponent’s trap.
If the reputation of the Star Pavilion were ruined and this became the cause for its downfall, Tang Luo would lose his temper.
That Hua Ji could step forward before him, he did not disappoint his expectations.
“Not bad.” Tang Luo thought, waiting to see how far he could handle the matter.
After all, the opponent could set up such a show, they must have prepared very carefully, even for him, all he could do was to counter moves with response.
The appearance of Hua Ji successfully drew everyone’s attention to him. After all, the difference in difficulty between facing a mature martial artist and a young shopkeeper was obvious even without much thought.
“Fellow villagers, I am the shopkeeper of the Star Pavilion, I don’t know what has happened to make you so angry. Can you tell me?” Hua Ji’s posture was extremely humble.
But the crowd still didn’t agree to his invitations and saw him as their breaking point instead.
“You heartless boy, you won’t end well.”
“Being a pawn for the tiger, you will surely be retributed.”
On this hot evening, no one had the patience to explain the ins and outs of the matter to a “killer,” instead they showered him with abuse.
Still, it is the middle-aged man in the green shirt, he raised his hand to soothe the crowd, and said sarcastically: “Don’t you know the dark dealings of your Star Pavilion as the shopkeeper? Do we need to explain it to you?”
Hearing the middle-aged man’s insult, Hua Ji retorted: “Of course, as the shopkeeper, I know how good the Star Pavilion is. But you keep saying it’s dubious, you must have some evidence. If you are merely slandering, then this day next year will be the anniversary of your death!”
Although Hua Ji was born a servant, he also understood the principle of the Tang clan’s pride not to be insulted. Faced with such slander, the assertiveness that the clan should have is fully displayed in him.
The young shopkeeper stared straight into the eyes of the man in the green shirt, not backing down an inch.
Ying Hongyuan smirked bloodthirstily, carrying his long knife on his shoulder..
