Chapter 1044: Chapter 166: Celebrate for My Great Qin Jianghu (8,400 Words) (2/2)_2

“What’s wrong, did I strike a nerve?”

“My mouth is on my own body, I can say whatever I want, whenever I want, what business is it of yours?”

Ma Yihong grew up surrounded by righteous people and had never dealt with such ruffians. His face flushed with anger, he shouted loudly:

“You’re spouting nonsense here, of course it’s my business to manage you!”

The person was about to retort sarcastically when he suddenly noticed the blue long blade behind Ma Yihong. Though sheathed, it concealed the Shark Tooth Sword’s edge, obviously an extraordinary weapon. Feeling intimidated, he still didn’t want to lose face, so he braced himself and said:

“Who are you anyway? Some official or a master teacher?”

“This is Great Qin, and I am a citizen of Great Qin. With so many adults inside Xiong City, how could it be your turn, a young man, to manage me?”

Just after saying that, someone beside them suddenly shouted:

“That sword… he’s Ma Yihong from Chaozhou, with the Shark Tooth Sword!”

“The nineteenth place of this year’s rookies!”

“The Shark Tooth Sword!”

With that shout, people immediately gathered around, forming layer upon layer of dense crowds, startling the middle-aged man. Yet, he remembered something, stiffened his neck, and said:

“Are you that Shark Tooth Sword? Could your rise in rankings really be related to Blade Madman? Are you guys in cahoots, have you taken some benefit? Otherwise, why are you so angry?”

“Is it because I discovered the truth and it angered you?”

He relied on this being the securely guarded Xiong City, the top-tier city in the Northwest of Great Qin. Though initially afraid, he still had some courage, especially with so many onlookers around. The Shark Tooth Sword had just become famous, he wouldn’t cause trouble here, so he wasn’t too afraid, and spoke more freely.

Ma Yihong, a modest person, had never argued like this with anyone. In his agitation, his neck flushed with redness, yet he could only say things like, “You are slandering,” without any real power behind his words.

The other person spoke provocatively again, with apparent disdain. Ma Yihong could no longer hold back, reaching for his sword, producing a clang as the renowned Northwest Shark Tooth Sword emerged from its sheath.

The interlocking shark teeth on the blade were far more intimidating than any other sword, making it easy to imagine how gruesome the wound would be when slashed by such a weapon.

The surrounding onlookers, seeing a sword drawn, quickly retreated with a whoosh, creating a large empty space, yet still stayed to watch from a distance. Only then did Ma Yihong realize what he’d done in his anger, looking at the man opposite, gritting his teeth:

“Tell me, why did you slander Blade Madman?!”

The middle-aged man looked at the Shark Tooth Sword’s shimmering edge, his face pale. Yet, with so many onlookers, he couldn’t back down. At this point, feeling like a reckless person with nothing to lose, he shouted:

“Did I say anything wrong?!”

“Who doesn’t know Blade Madman’s record?”

“In this city, many folks and elders heard that battle that day. Blade Madman’s skill is just mediocre. How can you suppress others just because he mentioned your name? Is he some kind of recognized master? If he is, fine, but he’s not on any prestigious list!”

“Let everyone judge!”

“Why should such a thing have no issue? Just because he took out a bandit, he dares to claim to be the Blade Madman?”

Among the onlookers, many had heard that fight since it was the first match of the newly started competition, leaving a deep impression. Many nodded in agreement, while some explained to the uninformed onlookers.

Ma Yihong could only feel that almost everyone around him was whispering. He realized, with his own anger, despite benefiting from Blade Madman’s help, in the onlookers’ eyes, he was indeed appearing ashamed and angry. Frustrated with his lack of composure, he grew even angrier within.

The Defensive Army Tribunus on Xiong City’s wall saw the commotion below, noting the crowd and a martial artist brandishing a sword. He prepared to take a team down to disperse them but was stopped by the Defending General, puzzled, he turned to look.

The Defending General shook his head, saying:

“Relax, it won’t escalate today. The rankings are being posted, let it run its course, we can watch from here, no need to intervene.”

The Defensive Army Tribunus was quite puzzled, but his superior had far more experience than him. Since the General said there’s no issue, though still unsure, he nodded, put down his weapon, leaned against the battlement, and watched the events unfold below.

The situation and opinions were now overwhelmingly one-sided.

Curious, he wondered how the young swordsman would handle the situation.

Ma Yihong’s fair face had already turned red with rage. He wanted to speak out about what truly happened that day, to tell those unaware of the truth how embarrassed the self-proclaimed experts really were.

But, despite his straightforward nature, he knew that, at this point, no matter what he said, they wouldn’t believe him, further harming Blade Madman’s reputation. Enraged and feeling stifled, even his hand holding the sword trembled slightly.