Chapter Thirty-Six: Yang Wei Dominates the Arena

The arena tournament was an opportunity to showcase one’s abilities. After all, the leader of any household guard had to be a person of considerable talent and skill, and the public matches were just the stage to prove oneself. As long as one could defeat every challenger on the platform, they would inevitably be given an important position.

At this moment, many were itching to give it a try. Zhao Chengming, pulling Zhang Desen along, made his way to a seat near the front. Zhang Desen glanced around and noticed that this spot was much better designed than the others, which struck him as a little odd.

Zhao Chengming leaned over and said to him, “Brother Desen, don’t be surprised. Only the household guard leaders are allowed to sit here. That’s why there are extra tables and teacups. I want everyone to know that you are my brother.”

Zhang Desen felt a surge of gratitude and replied, “Thank you, Brother Chengming. I—”

But Zhao Chengming cut him off, “No need for more words, brother. Gather your strength, and in a moment, defeat that Hu Tu.”

Zhang Desen immediately responded, “All right!”

…

Meanwhile, inside the Qian residence, Young Master Qian seemed to have forgotten his injuries after several days of recuperation. Suddenly, he felt the urge to go out for some fun and asked his attendant, “Hey, is there anything interesting happening outside? Why hasn’t Wu Dachong shown up these past few days? The other day he said he’d go check the market for me, see if there were any novelties, and now he’s disappeared. If he hadn’t vanished, I wouldn’t have run into all that trouble.”

The attendant answered, “Young Master, why don’t I go and find out—”

But Young Master Qian interrupted, “Forget it, I’ll go out myself. I’m sick of staying in all day. Go make preparations, and send some men to look for Wu Dachong.”

The attendant pulled a long face and replied, “Young Master, there’s simply no one left at the manor to spare!”

At this, Young Master Qian demanded, “What? What’s going on? Where did everyone go?”

The attendant explained, “Young Master, have you forgotten? The master dispatched everyone to fulfill the orders of the great sage, sending out warrants for arrests. All available hands have been sent out.”

Young Master Qian’s temper flared, “It’s all because of this Tang Jie, keeping us in the dark! And to think I trusted him. Now he’s mixed up with the person that sage is looking for. I don’t even know what that person looks like, and because of it, I’ve been cursed. Damn it, what rotten luck.”

…

“Don’t panic, Young Master,” said the attendant. “Those great sages probably have no better plan either, so they didn’t set a deadline. There might still be a way out of this.”

Just as Young Master Qian was about to reply, a household servant entered and announced, “Young Master, the master sent me to remind you to make preparations. You are to receive the envoy from the Liao Ancient Kingdom, Commander Wan Lü Wudi, and you must do your utmost to please him.”

Hearing this, Young Master Qian lost his temper, shouting, “Honestly, I’m already up to my neck in trouble! Where do I have time to entertain those people?”

The attendant suddenly seemed struck by inspiration, leaping up, “That’s it! The master is wise indeed!”

This only made Young Master Qian more annoyed, “What’s so good about dealing with these arrogant people? No matter what—”

But the attendant interrupted excitedly, “Young Master, you forget—the royal family of the Liao Ancient Kingdom is connected by marriage to another tribe called the Gangduo. Don’t you remember?”

At this, Young Master Qian suddenly became excited, “Right! In less than a year their deities are supposed to descend again. If we can win the favor of the Liao royal family, perhaps we can persuade them to intercede for us. When the deities of the Gangduo tribe arrive, we could ask for their help. We have to act quickly.”

It turned out that the Liao Ancient Kingdom, which had long dominated the north, was immensely powerful, conquering and pillaging far and wide. But there was one exception—a seemingly weak nomadic people who were spared the Liao’s slaughter and plunder. In fact, the Liao royal family even went out of their way to show goodwill to this tribe, forging marital ties. This tribe was the Gangduo.

The Gangduo’s special status was due not only to their fierce unity, but also—according to legend—to the protection of their ancestral deities, who had made a covenant with them centuries ago. These deities were said to descend periodically, requiring the tribe to prepare offerings and to meet any demand without fail, or face dire punishment.

As a result, the Gangduo always made ready their tributes before the deities’ arrival, often by waging war. In return, the deities granted them powerful artifacts—feared as magical weapons among the other nomads. The power of these artifacts was said to be so terrible that any tribe resisting the Gangduo’s raids was nearly annihilated, so that in the end, all non-Gangduo tribes had no choice but to meet their demands, and even the mighty Liao Ancient Kingdom had to tread carefully.

Over time, as foreign tribute sufficed to appease their deities, the Gangduo reduced their warring. Still, occasional resistance was always crushed with the same outcome.

Whenever the deities descended, they would heal the Gangduo and certain specially chosen outsiders. Reportedly, they had never failed, so many non-Gangduo sought to curry favor with them in hopes that their kin might benefit. The Liao royal family, thanks to their marital ties, was among the privileged few given priority in this.

Naturally, Young Master Qian was now eager to ingratiate himself with Wan Lü Wudi, the envoy from Liao. Yet another question arose, so he asked his attendant, “By the way, what does Wan Lü Wudi like? What’s his purpose in coming this time?”

The attendant replied, “Don’t worry, Young Master. Wan Lü Wudi is surely here to display his power. Aside from gold, silver, and jewels, he’ll almost certainly demand a royal princess and some beauties…”

Turning to the servant, the attendant asked, “Which followers did Wan Lü Wudi, one of Liao’s five great marshals, bring with him?”

The servant answered, “He reportedly brought three thousand Liao soldiers, and even the kingdom’s foremost warrior, General Xiao Li Ba.”

At this, the attendant’s eyes lit up, and he turned to Young Master Qian, “That makes sense. It’s said that Xiao Li Ba, the first warrior of Liao, is not only invincible in battle but also extremely lecherous. Everywhere he goes, he challenges the local officials, and if he wins, takes all the women of their households. No one has ever beaten him, so—”

Young Master Qian interrupted, “All right, just tell me what to do.”

The attendant replied, “Simple. Xiao Li Ba is Liao’s top warrior and the most trusted by the royal family. Whatever he demands, they will agree. He loves to challenge local officials to matches; if he wins, he claims all the women from their households. No one has yet defeated him, so—”

Excitement flashed in Young Master Qian’s eyes, “Good. I’ll discuss this with the master. You must handle all the other arrangements for me. Understood?”

“Yes, Young Master!” the attendant replied.

…

Meanwhile, the tournament at the Liu residence was reaching a fever pitch. Among the contestants, Hu Tu’s deputy, Lian Qiao, was especially skilled. Following the rules, he rested after every two victories, then returned to win again, now tallying over ten straight wins. Many of the household guards dreaded facing him.

Once more, Lian Qiao entered the arena, swept his gaze over the crowd, and called out provocatively, “Who else dares come up here to die? Hurry up, don’t keep me waiting!”

When no one answered, he looked pointedly at Zhao Chengming, “Chief Zhao, why not try your luck?”

Lian Qiao’s taunt made everyone bristle with anger. Although a victorious guard could expect to be promoted, becoming the chief required more than just wins. Lian Qiao, carried away by his success, was clearly overstepping.

At this moment, Zhang Desen stood up and strode toward the platform. The crowd realized that the newly arrived guard was about to compete. Few knew he was the mysterious hero in odd attire, but because Lian Qiao had become so arrogant, many—especially those aligned with Zhao Chengming—hoped fervently for Zhang Desen to win.

Zhang Desen still wore his special forces uniform underneath, covered by a snow-white warrior’s robe. He had left his Type 95 assault rifle at the base, bringing instead a lengthened Chinese military three-edged dagger, as long as an ancient swordsman’s blade, ideal for the arena. Zhang Desen knew—the time had come to make his mark.