Chapter 470 – Then Let’s Compete in Strength Again

However, Valley Master Nie still tried to dissuade him, saying: “Nephew Tong, your strength is acknowledged as the greatest within our alliance—why concern yourself with such a hollow title? Besides, Nephew Ren is a guest of our Spring Rebirth Valley. If the two of you were to compete in strength and someone got hurt, that wouldn’t be good. We shouldn’t let outsiders make a joke of us.”

Then he waved his hand and said, “Let this matter drop. Don’t bring it up again.”

Tong Ba glanced at his master and smiled. “Uncle-Master Nie, don’t be afraid. It’s just a contest of strength, not a duel on the stage. This prospective brother-in-law of mine didn’t suffer a single loss even on the arena—how could he lose out in a friendly bout with one of his own?”

Valley Master Nie looked at Tong Ba with surprise, then at Si Yakong, and said: “Nephew, why insist? Our Spring Rebirth Valley is practically treating Young Hero Ren as a guest of honor—why let him take such a risk?”

But Tong Ba still refused to back down. “Uncle-Master Nie, you’re mistaken. We who walk the jianghu—how could we not see a bit of blood and storm? Besides, it’s merely a contest of strength, not a martial duel. What danger is there in that?”

Valley Master Nie hesitated. Last time, asking Zhang Xiaohua to act had been for the sake of Spring Rebirth Valley and Nie Qianyu. He had been quite angry about the matter with Lu Meng. If not for some family shame that couldn’t be made public, he would’ve lost his temper then. And now this Tong Ba was openly proposing a challenge to Zhang Xiaohua in front of him—what was going on?

Moreover, the head of the Weapon Forging Sect, Si Yakong, was also present. Could it be that being number one in strength within the alliance was really that important? Valley Master Nie cast an annoyed glance at Tong Ba, who looked proud and aggressive, then looked over at Si Yakong, who had earlier spoken frequently but now sat there as if asleep. He thought silently, “Could it be that Elder Brother Si has tacitly agreed? Does he want to suppress the Artifact Forging Sect?”

He then turned his eyes sideways toward Zhenxuan. “Huh? That fellow is also sitting there eyes-to-nose, nose-to-heart like a meditating Buddha. Could he have guessed Elder Brother Si’s intentions and now dares not speak?”

“But the Weapon Forging Sect has always been a step above the Artifact Forging Sect anyway—why go out of their way now? Truly strange.”

Just as he was about to speak again, Tong Ba stepped forward and said: “Uncle-Master Nie, you keep blocking for Young Hero Ren and won’t let him compete with me—how do you know he himself is unwilling?”

Valley Master Nie was taken aback. That was indeed the truth. Judging by Zhang Xiaohua’s demeanor, he wasn’t one to shrink from conflict, and his strength clearly surpassed Lu Meng’s. He might not be afraid of Tong Ba at all.

Tong Ba then pulled a small booklet from his robe and smiled. “I know this prospective brother-in-law of mine has some interest in refining weapons. However, since he’s not one of us in the alliance, it might be difficult for Uncle-Master Nie to speak on his behalf. This booklet contains a few forging methods from my Weapons Forging Sect. If Young Hero Ren agrees to compete with me, then let this be the wager for our contest.”

“Hmm?” Valley Master Nie stared at Si Yakong, frowning deeply.

He had heard about this matter from Nie Qianyu earlier and knew that Zhang Xiaohua had shown some interest in the Weapon Forging Sect’s techniques. But just as Tong Ba had said, Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t officially a member of the Yuli Alliance, so it wasn’t convenient for Valley Master Nie to ask either Si Yakong of the Weapon Forging Sect or Zhen Xuan of the Artifact Refining Sect directly. He had originally intended to bring it up discreetly during the banquet later. Who would have thought Tong Ba would suddenly place the forging methods right in front of him, completely catching him off guard?

Valley Master Nie considered for a moment, glanced at Zhen Xuan, and said: “Last time, Young Hero Ren only wanted to use Lu Meng’s booklet as a wager to teach him a lesson. It’s not necessarily true that he wants to study refining techniques. Nephew Tong, you might be overthinking it.”

Heh—Valley Master Nie was an old fox himself. Since they hadn’t caught Zhang Xiaohua red-handed, of course he wouldn’t admit anything. Trying to pry into the internal secrets of another sect was hardly proper behavior.

He then chuckled and said: “Since Nephew Tong has gone to such lengths to prepare, I’ll have Little Yu ask Young Hero Ren whether he’s interested in such a contest. If there’s any reply, I’ll let you know right away. Would that be alright, Brother Si?”

Si Yakong was forced into giving a stance, so he had no choice but to open his eyes and laugh. “It’s just the younger generation being competitive. Weren’t we the same back then? Let them mess around. After all, Young Hero Ren is only half an outsider at this point—might as well let the water flow into our own fields.”

Valley Master Nie could only nod in agreement.

And so, the matter was set aside for now, and everyone began discussing in detail the pills of Spring Rebirth Valley.

The next day, Zhang Xiaohua received Nie Qianyu’s message and found himself rather baffled. What’s this about a strength contest again? I’ve got a whole pile of things I haven’t even finished learning yet!

Let’s not even talk about alchemy—the Scarlet Flame Pill is still waiting for me to refine it, and I’m not entirely confident in that yet. Then there’s the Rabbit Talisman—still trying to comprehend it in haste. Oh right, and the incantation in Guiding the Spirit for concealing one’s cultivation—those all take time to master.

Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Nie Qianyu chuckle and say: “Besides, Senior Brother Tong even brought out the Weapon Forging Sect’s manuals to use as the wager for this match. Big Brother Ren, haven’t you always wanted to study some forging techniques first? If you win against Senior Brother Tong, wouldn’t you be able to study them openly and aboveboard?”

Zhang Xiaohua gave a bitter smile. I already have the jade slips from the Artifact Refining Sect—who still cares about his minor martial forging techniques? But then again, if there had been no wager, he could’ve simply refused. Now that someone had brought a bet to his doorstep, would there really be any need to turn them down?

Moreover… Zhang Xiaohua frowned and asked: “Little Fish Nie, there’s no need to mention that Tong Ba of the Weapon Forging Sect is stronger than Lu Meng of the Artifact Refining Sect—but how much stronger is he, exactly?”

Nie Qianyu laughed. “I only know that it’s quite a bit stronger, but as for exactly how much—I didn’t pay attention to that. Still, Father said last night that it was several hundred jin more in strength, I think.”

“Several hundred jin?” Zhang Xiaohua’s brows furrowed even more. To ordinary people, several hundred jin would be an unimaginable figure—but to me, that’s far too little.

“How odd, even Lu Meng couldn’t lift my weapon. Tong Ba surely knows that. With his level of strength, why would he come seeking humiliation like this?”

Zhang Xiaohua said aloud.

“Exactly, what Big Brother Ren says is spot-on,” Nie Qianyu added, “That’s exactly what Father said yesterday too. There’s no reason—who would willingly offer up their sect’s forging techniques? Even if it’s just some ordinary methods, they’re still confidential.”

“There must be something fishy going on.”

Zhang Xiaohua said, “So then, what exactly did Uncle Nie say?”

Nie Qianyu nodded and said: “Father thinks so too, but he couldn’t draw anything out of them. At last night’s banquet, Uncle Master Si still kept his mouth tightly shut. So Father said you might as well go along with the flow and see what trick lies behind it all.”

Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said: “Exactly—since the fat meat’s already delivered to my door, why shouldn’t I have a taste? Besides, they didn’t ask me to put up any stakes. I’m not offering anything at all. Even if that Senior Brother Tong of yours wins, I won’t lose anything, will I?”

“Pah!” Nie Qianyu couldn’t help but spit at him. “Father even said you should use one of your pills as the wager, and look at you—just trying to snatch a white wolf with bare hands.”

Zhang Xiaohua put on an innocent face and said: “I’m just minding my own business in Spring Rebirth Valley refining pills. I didn’t provoke anyone, and now they come knocking, and I’m the one being called stingy? Should I just refuse, then?”

Nie Qianyu covered her mouth and laughed. “Fine, after all, this is always the kind of thing you end up doing. And there’s always someone who ends up being the sucker.” Then she suddenly let out a cry, “Oh no! That’s right—you got those twenty taels of gold from the peach grove outside the valley. I still haven’t given it to you! Last time Father even urged me to, but I completely forgot!”

Then she looked at Zhang Xiaohua in puzzlement. “Could it be Big Brother Ren already forgot about it?”

Zhang Xiaohua put on a sincere expression and said, “Of course not. How could I forget?”

“Then why didn’t you ask me for it? Feeling a little embarrassed? Ah, look at my head—I completely shoved it to the back of my mind.”

“Not at all, not at all. Just keep holding onto it—just give me some extra interest when the time comes!”

“Pah!” Nie Qianyu nearly spat right into Zhang Xiaohua’s face. So that’s what this scoundrel was thinking all along!

Zhang Xiaohua turned and smiled at her, then asked: “So how did Uncle Nie arrange it? When and where is the match going to be?”

Nie Qianyu said: “If you agree, the match will be held tonight in our Spring Rebirth Valley’s Martial Hall. By then, all the key figures of our Yuli Alliance will be present. Hehe, aside from the alliance’s biannual competitions, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen some of the uncles and senior uncles.”

Zhang Xiaohua was stirred and asked: “Your Yuli Alliance is really that tightly knit? You even hold inter-sect competitions?”

“Of course! The Yuli Alliance is mostly composed of sects passed down through generations, many of them with over a thousand years of history. Naturally, there have been changes over time—some sects were destroyed in the past, but if they were ever revived, they’d rejoin the alliance. My father and a few of the other uncles and senior uncles have known each other since they were young, so disciples of our various sects are all very familiar with one another. Otherwise, how do you think Father was able to obtain the Weapon Refining Sect’s forging techniques that day?”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed, “How is this any different from a major sect?”

Nie Qianyu replied seriously: “There’s a huge difference! Each sect has its own techniques and its own focus. If it were a single sect, wouldn’t the sect master be worked to death?”

Zhang Xiaohua said: “Maybe thousands of years ago, all of you were actually one sect and just split up later.”

Nie Qianyu shook her head. “That I wouldn’t know. Alright, enough talk. Let’s get back to refining pills. Since Father knows you’ll be busy tonight, he told me to bring fewer herbs over.”

“What? Uncle Nie is so sure I’ll go tonight?”

“With that personality of yours? Always eager to snatch up every free advantage—you think you wouldn’t go?”

“Hm, Uncle Nie truly understands me well.”

That evening, as the candles were lit, within a western courtyard of the mountain estate of Spring Rebirth Valley, thick-armed candles and burning torches illuminated the spacious square brightly. In the center was a large open area, while rows of tables had been set up at the head and along the sides, already laid with food and drink. Disciples of Spring Rebirth Valley were still busy bringing out the rest of the arrangements.