Chapter 42 Only Big Fists Can Make Assholes Chat Calmly

"Thump! Crash! Crack!"

Originally, Xiang Wanghai thought his words would at least showcase his backbone. To his surprise, not only did no one echo his sentiment, but someone panicked and overturned the dining table, soaking themselves in soup and wine without daring to utter a sound. The martial heroes who had just been standing beside him also silently drew a line between themselves and him.

Only those who had actually been present at the Hero Assembly at Jingfu Temple truly understood the crushing pressure of facing Zhang Chengyi.

No attack of any kind had any effect; one was simply toyed with and ravaged at will, like an adult beating a toddler, and yet this man never dealt heavy blows. As long as one refused to play dead, one would be knocked down repeatedly until fainting from pain or surrendering in terror to lie on the ground and pretend to be dead.

Entering into a dispute with a lunatic who did not care about anything other than beating them up for his own amusement was simply not something a sane person would choose to do.

Even the proudest backbone required something to stand firm upon; who would willingly invite a beating for no reason?

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

"Eighth Master Xiang." Qiao Feng broke the bizarre atmosphere with a calm demeanor, asking, "Does Qiao have any prior grievances with you?"

Xiang Wanghai, being held up by the others, clearly breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing the Khitan man's inquiry, he answered candidly, "No."

After a brief pause, he continued, "Although you are a Khitan, you have never committed any heinous crimes, and you were raised by Han people. I used to respect you greatly. To treat you as an enemy solely based on your Khitan identity is something Xiang disdains to do."

He possessed vast wealth and had loved martial arts since childhood. After entering the pugilistic world, he had never done anything against his conscience.

Whether Qiao Feng was truly a Khitan remained to be seen. The events at Jingfu Temple were known throughout the world, but whether they could be verified was anyone's guess.

It was just that Elder Zhiguang, who had stepped forward to speak, possessed an impeccably sterling reputation, leading the vast majority of people to believe the matter was likely true.

"My brothers, has Qiao ever crossed paths with any of you?" Qiao Feng cupped his fists, looking toward the martial artists who had just hurled insults calling him a Khitan dog, and asked in an even tone.

He was not someone who bullied the weak or flexed his martial prowess; he believed in reasoning things out.

The bare-chested man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, saying, "None."

"Hero Qiao, it was this humble me who ran his mouth."

*Crack!* Without hesitation, he dealt himself a heavy slap across the face. The sound was crisp and unsparing, and his cheek instantly swelled high.

It truly was running his mouth, but the person he had insulted stood right before him, discussing right and wrong with him in a calm manner. Acknowledging it forthrightly was the proper course; what kind of hero would he be if he tried to shift the blame or stubbornly bite back?

Of course, had Qiao Feng been an ordinary Khitan, he would have cursed away. But Qiao Feng was different. His past heroic deeds remained vivid in everyone's memory, and he was one of the foremost martial artists in the world, giving him the capital to command a direct apology.

After all, only bigger fists could allow idiots to converse calmly.

*Crack!*

*Crack!*

The remaining martial artists who had joined in the chorus of cursing the Khitan dog had no choice but to give themselves a slap across the face under the watchful eyes of the crowd, none daring to hold back.

With so many people watching, to commit a wrong and refuse to own up to it would mean losing all standing in the martial world forever.

"If Hero Qiao must know," the bare-chested man said with a swollen face, his voice somewhat slurred as he spat a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva onto the floor, "a few days ago, a band of Western Xia people somehow made their way to this Taihu region. Relying on the evil adepts of the Hall of All-Vipers, they oppressed the locals and came into conflict with many martial sects that had come here to settle scores with the Murong clan."

"Assistant Master Xie of the Beggar Sect's Greater Righteousness Branch made an appointment to meet them at Huishan yesterday, and they were all captured by the Western Xia people."

"Many thanks." Qiao Feng offered a formal salute of gratitude, then flicked his hand, casting a silver ingot forward. "Please buy yourselves some wine, brothers."

Not a single martial artist present managed to catch sight of the motion; with a sharp *thwack*, the silver ingot materialized right on the wine table.

He had always possessed extraordinary innate talent in martial arts. Now endowed with peerless internal energy and having made considerable progress through his development of body-tempering methods, he had long surpassed the realm where falling flowers and plucked leaves could injure.

Aside from Zhang Chengyi and Wuyazi, whose legendary name he had heard from Su Xinghe, who else in the world could catch this silver ingot of his?

Sure enough, as soon as he displayed this feat, the tavern fell dead silent, and the hostile gazes of the others instantly cleared up.

The pugilistic world was a place where reasoning was one thing, but absolute strength was another.

"Everyone, please proceed to the second floor." Xiang Wanghai did not drag his feet. He sheathed his saber and said, "Today's expenses for all of you will be covered by Xiang."

To everyone's surprise, Su Xinghe, the Eight Freaks of Hangu, and Qiao Feng remained completely motionless, turning their gaze uniformly toward Zhang Chengyi, who seemed lost in thought.

"Hero Zhang?" Xiang Wanghai inquired.

"Oh?" Zhang Chengyi snapped back to reality. With a face full of puzzlement, he asked, "Tell me, why on earth would the Western Xia people come all the way down to Jiangnan?"

He genuinely could not figure it out. In the novel, Helianshitie of Western Xia led the Hall of All-Vipers in pursuit of Qiao Feng and the Beggar Sect, with the explicit goal of destroying the Beggar Sect and breaking the backbone of the Song martial arts world.

The problem, however, was that the Beggar Sect was currently suffering massive upheaval, with the majority of its personnel concentrated in the north and the Four Elders stationed at the Luoyang headquarters. What business did the Western Xia Hall of All-Vipers have coming down to Jiangnan?

Could it be that the Western Xia people had also read the script and knew they had to show up to join the excitement?

"This..." Xiang Wanghai was momentarily at a loss for words.

Who could guess what the Western Xia people were thinking? What if they had simply traveled thousands of miles just to harass innocent women?

Most of the others shared this sentiment to varying degrees. Regardless of why the Western Xia people had come, finding a way to beat them up was what truly mattered—not out of any lofty notions of punishing evil, promoting goodness, or national righteousness, but rather a simple resentment of smelly outsiders coming to cause trouble on their turf.

Qiao Feng, however, understood Zhang Chengyi's confusion. The Western Xia people had come to the Central Plains under the guise of an official mission, intending to settle accounts with the Beggar Sect early on. However, the death of Ma Dayuan and the abduction of Xu Chongxiao took precedence, causing the Beggar Sect to ignore them. Under what pretext had they now run off to Jiangnan?

His lips moved slightly, his voice wrapped in true energy and projected outward.

"Brother Zhang, there must be something fishy about this. Let me go investigate, and I shall return by the hour of *shen*."

*[Could this fellow use Ventriloquism all along?]*

Zhang Chengyi paid no mind to Qiao Feng's departure to investigate the Western Xia faction. He nodded lightly, watched him leave the tavern, and quickly cast the thoughts from his mind, cheerfully heading upstairs to eat and drink.

Having someone else treat was naturally a good thing; he was not the type to worry about being unable to speak after eating someone else's food.

What kind of favor was an NPC treating players to a meal? Had he not remembered that penniless Bao Qianling and Xiang Wanghai of Xiangdong sitting together at the Juxian Manor in the novel, he wouldn't even have remembered who was footing the bill.

With lackluster martial arts, no particular fame, and zero defining traits, he would probably forget all about this fellow in a few days.

Xiang Wanghai remained entirely oblivious to the fact that the other man didn't appreciate his hospitality in the least. Once seated, he raised his bowl, scanned the circle, and proclaimed loudly, "Today, with the Jinshan Knights-Errant gracing this place, this Pine Crane Tower shines with exceptional splendor..."

He reeled off one formal pleasantry after another, pushing social etiquette to its absolute limit.