"You’re quite impressive to know all this," Fang Yi said, not denying it at all, as he knew that some secrets couldn’t be hidden from Shen Binnan in the long run.
Shen Binnan said, "I didn’t see that coming; you actually understand this."
Fang Yi smiled and said, "Fighting and killing is not all I’m good at."
Shen Binnan said, "Alright then, since that’s the case, I’ll entrust you with the cosmetics side of things. But there’s no rush for now. First, tell me, do you have confidence in your fight against Bai Kuang?"
"Confidence comes naturally; you’ll just have to wait and see," Fang Yi replied. He had advanced to the Human Level Seventh Layer, but he had never told anyone else.
"That’s good to hear. I will be there to watch the fight; just don’t disappoint me. If you win, I will have a surprise for you," Shen Binnan said.
As long as it’s not a shock. Fang Yi murmured to himself.
The day of the decisive battle between Fang Yi and Bai Kuang soon arrived, and by that afternoon, many people had already made their way to Broken Dragon Mountain.
The showdown between the two had caught the interest of many, part of which was due to Bai Kuang. In the upper echelons of Moon City society, as a young member of the Bai Family, Bai Kuang manifested a strong talent at a young age. Afterwards, he challenged many of his peers in the city and was almost invincible.
Rumor had it that Bai Kuang had only been defeated twice, and both times it was by a young man.
But no one would underestimate Bai Kuang because the young man he lost to was the heir of a Martial Arts grandmaster; losing wasn’t a shame.
Besides Bai Kuang’s reputation, there was Fang Yi.
Most people’s understanding of Fang Yi was simple and straightforward, majorly coming from how Fang Yi broke Fang Tianqi’s legs.
At that manor, regardless of Fang Tianqi’s status, Fang Yi mercilessly broke his legs. Such ruthlessness and decisiveness were spoken of widely. Although they did not know Fang Tianqi’s true identity, they sensed he was no ordinary figure.
But where had this Fang Yi popped up from, daring to act so brazenly? They thought his bravado might even surpass that of a man who had eaten a leopard’s gall.
However, Fang Tianqi was not skilled in Martial Arts, so Fang Yi was only seen as someone who picked on the weak. Therefore, in their eyes, Fang Yi stood no chance in the showdown today against Bai Kuang.
One was a well-known young master from the Bai Family, the other an unknown, inconspicuous fighter. Who would win and who would lose seemed obvious at a glance, right?
Broken Dragon Mountain could be counted as a scenic spot in Moon City.
There were tales that a dragon used to reside here, causing havoc until it was slain by a mighty heavenly deity. During the battle, the deity used a sword to slice off the mountain’s peak.
Consequently, the peak of Broken Dragon Mountain was no longer sharp but had become a flat surface, like a huge plaza. Later on, the government developed it into a tourist attraction.
In theory, the place was not supposed to be open at night, but someone from the Bai Family had pulled strings with the government to get it open for this evening.
However, commoners were not allowed in, only those with certain status could enter.
Many people gathered at the foot of the mountain, all who came to watch the battle, but they were all barred from entering.
Midway up the mountain, inside a pavilion.
Bai Mingqi sat opposite an old man.
"Housekeeper Zhou, please, have some tea," Bai Mingqi offered.
"Thank you, young master Bai," Zhou Quan replied, smiling but somewhat distracted.
Bai Mingqi, sharp-eyed as he was, noticed and said, "There’s no need for concern, Housekeeper Zhou. My elder brother is at the Human Level Eighth Layer, while that Fang Yi is only at the Fourth Layer. My brother could kill him with ease."
Zhou Quan said, "That’s true. But please relay to your elder brother that my young master does not wish for Fang Yi to die too swiftly."
Bai Mingqi smiled and said, "Since it’s a request from Fourth Young Master Fang, I will convey it to my elder brother. Rest assured, Housekeeper Zhou."
Zhou Quan laughed and nodded, lifting his teacup, and Bai Mingqi did the same. Their cups touched each other lightly, marking the end of the conversation and its satisfactory conclusion.
Meanwhile, far away on Broken Dragon Mountain, there was also a pavilion.
And within this pavilion sat three elderly men.
"I say, Old Song, what brings you here? Don’t tell me you came to watch my grandson make a fool of himself," the Bai family elder looked at one of the old men.
This old man couldn’t be described as having a kindly face, but he did have one distinguishing feature: he was fat.
Yes, his face was rather round, unlike the gaunt look of most elders, Old Song seemed to be living the good life, his visage brimming with health.
Old Song chuckled slyly, "Old Bai, I heard your fine grandson proposed to Old Lin’s granddaughter. Did the little girl turn him down?" As soon as he spoke, Old Lin sitting by them looked slightly embarrassed.
Old Bai raised his eyebrows and glared, "Old Song, do you enjoy bringing up sore subjects? Looking for a fight, are you? Come on then, I’m ready to engage."
Old Song waved his hand, "Old Bai, don’t pick on people. Everyone knows the Bai family is a martial arts lineage. If it’s a fight you want, let’s wait until my son gets back. I’ll have him bring a machine gun for me, then we’ll fight it out."
Old Bai fell silent for a moment, then said, "Shameless."
Old Song laughed heartily, truly devoid of shame, without the slightest flush on his face.
Just then, an old man with a young boy entered the pavilion.
"Old Wang, you’re here too, come over and have a seat," Old Song called out.
"I’m intruding," Wang Zhuo said with a smile, walking over and finding a spot to sit. He glanced at the three men and asked, "Where’s Old Kong?"
"You mean that old man who always wears a frown? I called him, but he didn’t come. By the way, Old Wang, don’t you only care about calligraphy? What brings you here?" Old Song inquired.
Wang Zhuo chuckled, "I heard from Qingci that tonight Bai Kuang will have a match with a young man, so I came to watch."
At that, the Bai family elder perked up, "Old Wang, is the young man you’re speaking of named Fang Yi?"
Wang Zhuo twirled his beard and smiled, "That’s right."
Old Song grew curious, "How strange, Old Wang, what’s your relationship with this young man?"
Wang Zhuo shook his head, "No particular relation, but a single phrase he said prompted my visit here."
"The heart of a tiger, the delicate sniff of a rose."
Instant silence fell over the pavilion.
At that moment, at the foot of Broken Dragon Mountain, the place was already crowded with people. There was only one road leading up the mountain, and it was quite difficult to climb from other areas due to the rugged terrain.
At the mountain path entrance, a group of security guards stood, maintaining order.
A red Audi drove up in the distance, but due to the overwhelming crowd and multitude of cars, it had to stop in a nearby open space.
"It seems your decisive battle with Bai Kuang has garnered quite a bit of attention, there are even reporters here," Shen Binnan said upon getting out of the car and spotting the news vans.
"I wanted to keep it low-key, but that just wasn’t possible," Fang Yi said with a sense of resignation.
Shen Binnan glanced at him, "If you weren’t low-key, I’m afraid these people would beat you to death."
Fang Yi laughed, "I have no enemies here."
Shen Binnan replied, "Yes, you may have no quarrel with them, but if you win against Bai Kuang, they might all gang up on you. If they don’t beat you to death, they’ll drown you in their spit."
(I really appreciate everyone’s tips, but please tip a little less, one or two hundred book coins is enough, not too much. You might not mind, but it pains me.)