This matter should end here.
Whether it was the officials from the Ministry of War, the commanding officers of the Capital Garrison, or even the Border Army general standing beside Xie Yanlai, all wore expressions of astonishment.
"What are you doing? How can this be over just like that!" He reached out to tug at Xie Yanlai, unable to hold back a low complaint. "You don’t speak when you should, and then you speak when you shouldn’t."
Earlier, when these esteemed officials from the Ministry of War hadn’t arrived, he remained silent. If he had spoken then, the fight would have been stopped long ago.
Now that the Ministry of War officials had stepped in to resolve the matter, why were you saying it couldn’t end?
Xie Yanlai shook off his arm. "How can this be over? The fight isn’t finished yet, and there’s no winner."
What! The general stared wide-eyed—they still had to fight!
"Little Lord!" he shouted.
In his shock, he forgot the formal address and blurted out the nickname used in private.
Director Zhu overheard and snorted. "Captain Xie is quite impressive. He’s a 'Little Lord' at home and a 'Little Lord' in the Border Army too."
The general’s face flushed red. In terms of rank, he was no lower than Xie Yanlai, and his seniority was even greater. Xie Yanlai was the commanding officer in charge of this trip to the capital, but calling him "Little Lord" was entirely inappropriate—it made Xie Yanlai seem arrogant and domineering in the army.
"Director Zhu, you’ve misunderstood," he hurriedly explained. "It’s not that Captain Xie acts like a lord in the army. This is just... a playful nickname. We’re all rough men in the army, not so particular about formalities. Captain Xie, his character is very—"
Director Zhu laughed. "General, you’re being too modest. I can see you’re quite particular. Otherwise, why don’t you call me 'Little Lord' too?"
The general was left speechless. When it came to arguing with civil officials, he was no match.
Xie Yanlai shoved him aside.
"Go on, get lost. I am the 'Little Lord' in the army, so what?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow. "The 'Little Lord' is formidable, and everyone respects him as such. That’s how it is in our army—the strong are treated as lords. Unlike some people who are called 'Your Excellency' just because they wear an official’s hat."
Director Zhu looked furious. "Who are you referring to?"
The general quickly reached out to stop Xie Yanlai, preventing him from saying more. They had long since learned how infuriating this "Little Lord" could be with his words.
Other officials also hurried to restrain Director Zhu. After all, he was a member of the Xie family—what was so strange about him being arrogant? Xie Yanfang might speak pleasantly at court, but no one took him for a kind-hearted man either.
The officials managed to hold Director Zhu back, but the general couldn’t restrain Xie Yanlai.
Xie Yanlai shook him off and strode down the steps.
"I just want to make it clear to all of you," he said, no longer focusing on Director Zhu but instead looking at the surrounding Capital Garrison soldiers. "I, the 'Little Lord,' am arrogant because I am formidable, and the soldiers I lead are formidable too. Because we are strong, we have the right to be picky, and we have the right to be arrogant!"
His words instantly stirred up the previously quiet Capital Garrison soldiers. This time, no amount of loud rebukes from the officials could calm them down.
"Xie Yanlai! What exactly are you trying to do?" one official roared angrily.
An attendant knelt to block Xie Yanlai’s path. "Ninth Young Master, you must not cause any more trouble!"
A few more people squeezed in from outside—several young masters who called out to Xie Yanlai, "Ninth Brother" or "Ninth Elder Brother." One plump young master even shouted "Ninth Uncle" as he rushed over.
"Stop causing trouble," the plump young master said, reaching out to grab Xie Yanlai. His face was flushed red, whether from excitement or anger, and his voice cracked. "Don’t forget your current position—"
As soon as he touched Xie Yanlai’s arm, Xie Yanlai seized him, flipped him over, and kicked him to the ground. The rest of his words turned into a howl."When did it become your turn to control me?" Xie Yanlai stepped on him.
The other young masters instantly retreated, their expressions a mix of fury and fear.
"Xie Yanlai—" Xie Xiao, pinned beneath the foot, gritted his teeth and whispered, "We're in public—"
Behind closed doors at home, brothers could fight however they wanted, but outside they should present a united front.
They were in public now, under everyone's watchful eyes.
"Have you no shame?"
Xie Yanlai bent down, pressing his hand against Xie Xiao's face, and asked softly, "Do you know why you're alive?"
What nonsense was this? Xie Xiao's chubby face and small eyes were nearly squeezed into slits by Xie Yanlai's hand. The young man's face so close became blurred, only those eyes piercing through with coldness and... pity?
Pity?
Who was pitying whom?
"Xie Yanlai, you—" Xie Xiao shouted.
Xie Yanlai cut him off: "Let me tell you—you're only alive so I can beat you." With these words, he raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap.
Xie Xiao screamed in pain.
The surrounding crowd jumped in shock. Not only were the Xie family young masters terrified, but even the officials and generals widened their eyes. This Xie Yanlai truly was domineering both at home and in public!
To actually beat his own family like this!
Xie Yanlai kicked Xie Xiao aside, rolled up his sleeves, and casually drew a long sword from a general's waist.
The general snapped back to reality in fright: "Young—Xie! What are you doing!"
Xie Yanlai ignored him, twirling the long sword in his hand. The gleaming blade made the Xie young masters retreat further, while officials also stepped back.
"Xie Yanlai!" Director Zhu shouted, "This is the military camp! What do you think you're doing?"
"At the military camp, we naturally do what soldiers do," Xie Yanlai said. "Come on, I, Xie Yanlai, will fight you all—"
Xie Yanlai swung the sword around, pointing it at the dense formation of Capital Garrison troops.
"Let you pampered soldiers see how we're invincible, how formidable, how arrogant we are!"
The Capital Garrison troops first stared in disbelief, then surged with anger. Pampered soldiers? Who were the real pampered soldiers here!
This Xie fellow was the very picture of a spoiled noble brat!
"Fight it is then!"
"Brothers! Let him learn we're not idling around in the capital!"
If earlier the scene had been like boiling water, now it turned into a quagmire. Director Zhu and other officials were instantly overwhelmed, powerless to struggle.
Once again, troops galloped through the capital, throwing the city into chaos.
"They're really fighting outside the capital—"
......
......
Deep within the Imperial City, solemn silence prevailed.
Imperial guards stood motionless, while eunuchs and palace maids moved with dignified silence. The clip-clop of hurried footsteps stood out conspicuously here, drawing everyone's attention. But upon seeing the person rushing through, they immediately averted their eyes.
"Xiao Man!"
A Le stood watching outside the hall, spotting the girl approaching quickly and waving urgently.
"Hurry up! Why so slow? Run faster!"
Xiao Man immediately slowed her pace. A Le simply ran over to meet her, giggling: "Sister, my mistake. I should be the one running faster to greet you."
Xiao Man snorted and said, "It's him. He's fighting with people at the Capital Garrison."
Before she finished speaking, A Le whooshed into the hall, leaving Xiao Man behind in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Man felt both annoyed and amused. By the time she entered the hall, A Le had already relayed the message.
"Miss," she sighed helplessly, "This A Jiu—after all this time apart, he's still the same. Not a bit of improvement."
Chu Zhao didn't know the person who had come was Xie Yanlai.Zhong Changrong hadn't sent a letter. Now that she learned Xie Yanlai was coming, Chu Zhao understood why Uncle Zhong hadn't written to inform her in advance.
There was no need – a messenger might not be faster than Xie Yanlai.
Sure enough, Xie Yanlai wasn't just fast at running; he was quick to stir up trouble too. Before even entering the capital, he'd already made the city buzz with excitement.
"They say it started because he was picky about food and got into a verbal dispute with the Capital Garrison's cook. One thing led to another, and they ended up fighting," Xiao Man relayed the news gathered by Xiao Tu and the others.
A Le curled her lip, completely unsurprised. "He really is that fussy. I always knew he'd get beaten up sooner or later. I've wanted to hit him many times myself." Then she asked Chu Zhao, "Miss, don't you want to hit him too?"
Chu Zhao laughed heartily. "Yes, but we can't beat him, so there's no helping it."
"This time, he might actually get beaten," Xiao Man said.
Both A Le and Chu Zhao turned to look at her.
A Le frowned. "No way."
Although she really wanted that guy to be taught a lesson, for some reason, hearing he might actually get beaten didn't sit right with her?
"That guy's too slippery," A Le emphasized. "Not just anyone can beat him."
"No matter how slippery he is, what tricks can he pull in an open military contest watched by everyone?" Xiao Man said, reiterating the news brought by Xiao Tu. "Besides, he's fighting dozens of people alone."
One against dozens?
Chu Zhao straightened up. Is this a fight? This is a brawl!
......
......
"Ram him—!"
A shout erupted from the crowd.
In the arena, a soldier built like a mountain charged toward Xie Yanlai. His pillar-like legs thundered against the ground, making the soldiers standing around the perimeter – and even the spectators watching from afar – feel the vibrations.
All eyes followed the burly soldier, converging on the other figure in the arena.
The young man was tall and slender, his sleeves tied back. Compared to the burly soldier, he resembled a thin willow by the river. But the next moment, the slender willow charged forward too.
Was he going to ram him as well?
Wouldn't that be like an egg hitting a rock?
At the thought of an egg striking a rock, the surrounding Capital Garrison soldiers roared, their unified shouts drowning out the angry cries of the few dozen Border Army soldiers.
The arena wasn't very large. In the blink of an eye, the two collided, followed by a heavy, dull thud. But the egg didn't shatter. Xie Yanlai seemed to be sent flying by the impact, yet he swayed like a willow branch, twisting from the front to the burly soldier's side, delivering a fierce double-handed strike to the soldier's ribs.
The soldier was burly, not an actual mountain of stone. Struck in his soft spot, he grunted and swung a heavy punch at Xie Yanlai.
The powerful blow bent Xie Yanlai's frame, forcing a muffled groan from him. But he neither flew back nor fell. Instead, using the momentum of the strike, he pivoted behind the burly soldier and launched a flying kick.
The burly soldier staggered. He tried to steady himself and turn around, but Xie Yanlai gave him no chance. A series of swift, shadow-like kicks rained down from his back to his legs. When his ankle was struck, the burly soldier could no longer maintain his balance, crashing forward face-first.
A mountain fell; the ground seemed to shake.
A wave of commotion rose from the surroundings. Unlike the earlier provocative jeers, this time it was a chorus of frustrated sighs, lacking momentum, instantly overwhelmed by the Border Army's cheers.
"Bravo!"
"Well done, young master!"
Amid the uproar, Xie Yanlai straightened up, glanced at the burly soldier lying on the ground, raised an eyebrow with a smirk, and swept his gaze around, especially over the three sides crowded with Capital Garrison soldiers.
"Next!" he said lazily. "Come again."The Border Army soldiers were few in number and occupied only one side of the area. When they heard Xie Yanlai shout for another challenger, their excited clamor momentarily paused.
"General Niu, how many is this for the young master?" a soldier whispered.
General Niu's face flushed red, whether from excitement or something else, as he replied, "The tenth. The next will be the eleventh."
Another soldier urgently said, "He can't keep fighting! No matter how skilled the young master is, he can't endure this kind of wheel battle."
As if I didn't know that! General Niu thought to himself. The young man stood with his back to them, his face unclear, his posture ramrod straight. But when he rose, he pressed a hand to his waist, and the subtle gesture of clenching his fist to resist the pain didn't escape General Niu's notice.
"General Niu, we understand the young master wants to intimidate these fellows, but he can't win forever," a soldier murmured. "If he gets defeated, he'll still be mocked. Better to quit while ahead—"
General Niu watched the young man standing in the arena, erect yet languid. As he spoke, another from the watching Capital Garrison stepped forward.
"I'll take you on—"
Before the soldier finished charging out, Xie Yanlai wasted no words, lifting his foot to meet him. Before the spectators could react, the two were already locked in combat, kicking up clouds of dust.
The atmosphere around them instantly erupted into noise again.
Voices were drowned out, and a few saw General Niu's lips move.
"Old Niu, what did you say?" several shouted, hearing only their own voices.
General Niu could only hear himself yell: "He's already fought eleven! Even if he loses now, who would dare mock him!"
He stood with arms akimbo, watching the two trade blows in the arena.
"Who would dare mock him!"
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