Chapter 430: A Dramatic Contest Wager
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"It would be an honor to even be the nobles’ dogs."
Ma Qiyuan’s words immediately earned him a round of flattery from his disciples.
But he immediately turned on them. "Bullshit! The next person who dares to call guards watchdogs, I’ll cripple them myself! Are some jobs better than others? There are no ugly people, only ugly souls! Just look at yourselves! As practitioners of the Martial Arts, you’ve all become a bunch of snobs. I ought to clean house right now!"
"Master, please don’t be angry."
"We beg for your mercy, Master."
"Your lesson is right, Master. We were wrong."
The disciples, quick-witted enough, immediately knelt and begged for mercy.
Ma Qiyuan turned to Jiang Xinghai with an embarrassed expression. "It’s my fault for being too lax with my discipline. This bunch of disciples... they’re truly in need of a good lesson."
"It’s only human nature," Jiang Xinghai said indifferently.
’From his point of view, he didn’t want the guards to be too rigid.’
’The clever and quick-witted ones live longer.’
Ma Qiyuan’s heart leaped when he heard this; he had thought Jiang Xinghai would be disgusted by such a display.
"In that case, gather everyone from your martial arts hall who is a Grandmaster or higher, and head to the Leng Family for an assessment immediately," Jiang Xinghai said, deciding to give the man a chance.
’If time weren’t so tight, he wouldn’t have even bothered to handle this himself.’
"Sir, where is the Leng Family?" Ma Qiyuan asked.
"The former Huang Family estate," Jiang Xinghai said before driving off.
"The former Huang Family estate... HISS!"
Ma Qiyuan stood rooted to the spot, practically frozen. "The Huang Family, exterminated just a few days ago... their estate now belongs to the Leng Family..."
His disciples also began to shiver.
They had all heard about the Huang Family’s annihilation.
"Master, I think... we’ve stumbled upon a massive opportunity."
"What do you mean, ’I think’? This *is* a massive opportunity!"
Feeling as if a prize had just fallen from the heavens, Ma Qiyuan immediately summoned his favorite disciples of the Master Realm and above to assemble!
「At the same time.」
Jiang Xinghai drove Leng Ning back toward the Leng Family estate.
"There’s no need for me to test them personally, is there?" Leng Ning asked, looking at Jiang Xinghai.
"If you don’t do it, should we have your grand-uncle handle the assessment?" Jiang Xinghai replied with a wry smile.
Of the nine people in Leng Zhicheng’s family, only Leng Zhicheng himself was a Grandmaster, and only at the First Realm.
"You’re right. If I don’t go, my grand-uncle would really be in a tough spot," Leng Ning said, understanding now.
"Tonight, I’ll select a few Ancient Martial Arts techniques to gift to the Leng Family. I’ll give one to the chosen guards as well, to bolster your family’s strength," Jiang Xinghai explained his plan.
’The Shen Family’s power also needs to be built up as quickly as possible.’
After dropping Leng Ning off at the Leng Family estate, he drove alone toward Central State University.
He wasn’t going to see Shen Lingyin, but to another martial arts hall in Central State, located near the university.
The Zhang Martial Arts Hall.
The hall was a modest two-story building of just over two hundred square meters. Including the front courtyard, the total area was a little over four hundred square meters.
But the hall was small, and it had few disciples.
Jiang Xinghai pulled up, lit a cigarette, and slowly got out of his car.
No one stopped him at the entrance, so he walked right in.
From a distance, he could see twenty-seven or twenty-eight men and women in the front courtyard. Some were training on posts, some were sparring, and others were studying forms on their own...
"Who are you looking for?"
A girl with pigtails who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old approached him, holding a wooden ruler.
"I’m looking for Director Zhang," Jiang Xinghai said with a casual smile.
"My father?" The girl with the pigtails looked Jiang Xinghai up and down. "What for?"
"Ah, Director Zhang’s daughter. Hello, my name is Jiang Xinghai. I’d like to talk to your father about a fateful opportunity." Remembering Ma Qiyuan’s desperate wish for such a chance, he deliberately chose not to mention guardianship.
The girl with the pigtails laughed. "A fateful opportunity? Are you here to give one, or to get one?"
"To give to your Zhang Martial Arts Hall, naturally," Jiang Xinghai replied with a nod and a smile.
"Heh heh heh..."
The girl with the pigtails threw her head back and laughed coldly. "So, you’re a man of the Martial Arts, then?"
"I may not be the most talented, but yes, I am," Jiang Xinghai nodded.
"Very well. You’ll have to go a few rounds with me first. If you win, I’ll take you to my father. If you lose, you’ll get out of here. And I mean *roll* out. Understand?" the girl sneered.
Jiang Xinghai gave a deceptively innocent smile. "I think we can add another condition."
"And what’s that?" the girl with the pigtails asked.
"If I win, you’ll be my maid. If I lose, I’ll be your manservant. How about it?" Jiang Xinghai said with a flirtatious smile.
The girl with the pigtails didn’t agree right away, but continued to size him up.
Over the years, plenty of people had come to their martial arts hall to cause trouble.
But without fail, not one of them had ever succeeded—with the exception of a few scions from the great families.
’And this Jiang Xinghai... there are no major families named Jiang in Central State!’
’So he must be some unorthodox martial artist. What’s there to be afraid of?’
"Fine! You’ve got a deal."
The girl tapped the ruler against her palm. "Fellow disciples, come and bear witness! This man, Jiang Xinghai, and I have made a wager on our match. If I win, he becomes my manservant. If I lose, I become his maid..."