Chapter 179 - 118: A Gentleman Can Be Bullied
Jiang Ran was, at this point, somewhat speechless.
Luo Zhenxie and Qi Kai were in cahoots. His current words were nothing more than an attempt to obscure Ye Jingshuang’s identity.
He wanted to make her title, "Young Mistress Ye," untenable.
This so-called definitive judgment from Luo Zhenxie did carry some weight.
With him personally questioning the matter, trying to force their way into Red Maple Manor without clarifying Ye Jingshuang’s identity would surely cause some kind of trouble.
’But is there any point to this unnecessary charade?’
’What’s real can’t be fake, and what’s fake can’t be real.’
’There are plenty of people here who can prove Ye Jingshuang’s identity. If Luo Zhenxie alone could overpower the five major sword sects, his name would have long been recorded among the martial world’s elite ranks.’
Sure enough, just as the thought crossed Jiang Ran’s mind, Huang Xuan stepped forward and sneered.
"How absurd! You may not recognize my Junior Martial Sister Ye, but do you think we don’t?
"She is, of course, Ye Jingshuang, daughter of Ye Konggu!"
Luo Zhenxie glanced at Huang Xuan and offered a cupped-fist salute with a smile.
"And you are...?"
"Huang Xuan of the Liuyun Sword Sect!"
Huang Xuan did not neglect his courtesies. Even if the other party was being unreasonable behind the scenes, they maintained a veneer of civility.
Therefore, he had to play his part as well.
The martial world wasn’t always just about flashes of steel and storms of blood.
Many factors determined a person’s standing in the martial world.
Reputation, character, martial skill, and integrity—not one could be lacking.
Otherwise, why would a group of people, when choosing a leader, always seek someone of great martial skill and high moral standing to command respect?
If martial skill were the only requirement, then any murderous fiend or Demon Sect disciple could become the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch. Wouldn’t the world descend into chaos?
It was the small details of daily conduct that best revealed a person’s character.
Today, Luo Zhenxie was perfectly courteous to Huang Xuan.
If Huang Xuan had looked down his nose at him, word would have spread, and he would inevitably be labeled as conceited.
As a disciple of the Liuyun Sword Sect, such an action would also tarnish his sect’s name.
Many who didn’t know the full story wouldn’t care about the details or subtleties of the situation.
They would jump to conclusions and spread rumors, damaging one’s reputation.
If someone with ill intentions were to stir up trouble, it would be even more problematic.
When Huang Xuan announced his two-word name, the crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.
Luo Zhenxie was also taken aback.
"So you are Huang Xuan, the ’Celestial Battle Sword’ of the Liuyun Sword Sect!?"
"Indeed."
Huang Xuan nodded.
"How can you prove it?"
Luo Zhenxie asked.
"..."
Huang Xuan nearly laughed out of sheer anger. "Not only do you question my Junior Martial Sister Ye’s identity, but now you question mine as well? How laughable... I have roamed the martial world for many years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered such an aggressive and bizarre accusation.
"However, proving my identity isn’t difficult..."
He reached out and gripped his sword.
"All you need to do is test it with your lives. We’ll see if the Swordsmanship of my Liuyun Sword Sect can still kill!"
Qi Kai hurriedly interjected:
"Hold on, my friend. We aren’t blocking your way because we want to fight.
"Red Maple Manor is the ancestral property of the Ye family. With her identity unconfirmed, how can we simply stand aside...?
"If you truly are Huang Xuan, how could you not consider the Ye family’s best interests?
"If Young Mistress Ye is truly still alive, then what we are doing today is also for her own good."
"That’s exactly right,"
Luo Zhenxie said in a loud voice.
"Or is it that you can’t prove your identities at all and can only resort to bullying us with your martial skills?
"To be frank, those who fear death have no business in the martial world. How many cowards who cling to life are present here today?
"As long as it is for the sake of justice in the martial world, we would die without regret!
"You can kill us, but can you stop the wagging tongues of everyone under heaven?"
"Exactly!"
"Well said! Hero Luo lives up to his name!"
"Preposterous!"
Huang Xuan was about to die from rage.
’This man is clearly being unreasonable. I’ve announced my identity, and he still refuses to believe it.’
’My Swordsmanship could prove my identity, but the problem is, they won’t fight...’
’They’re just demanding verbal proof. This... how am I supposed to prove that?’
Jiang Ran was now seeing it firsthand. ’These ancient times really are lacking in some ways.’
’If this were the modern era... I’d just pull out an ID card and I guarantee it would shut them up.’
He crossed his arms, watching the farce unfold before him, finding it quite amusing.
At this moment, Junior Martial Uncle Gu’s brows were also tightly furrowed.
"Then what do you propose?"
After he asked this, Luo Zhenxie acted even more surprised than he was.
"What you’ve just said, sir, is rather puzzling to me.
"Proving your own identities should be your problem to solve. How can you push the responsibility onto us?"
Junior Martial Uncle Gu frowned, his patience wearing thin.
Ye Jingshuang, however, let out a soft breath and glanced at Qi Kai.
"So this is your plan?
"Before, you sent people to capture the daughter of the Cangzhou Prefecture magistrate, wanting to marry her.
"Now you occupy my Red Maple Manor and bar me from entry... Qianliu Manor has a foundation built over decades. Aren’t you afraid of destroying it?
"Does your father know you’re here making such a scene?"
"Nonsense!"
Qi Kai’s brows knitted together.
"To be honest, I wasn’t without my own doubts about what Hero Luo said earlier.
"It’s just that your appearance bears a slight resemblance to the Young Mistress Ye I met five years ago, so I remained silent.
"But now that you’re slandering me with such baseless accusations... it has instead thoroughly convinced me that you are absolutely not Young Mistress Ye!
"Young Mistress Ye is of noble character. How could she ever twist the truth like this?"
"Twist the truth?"