Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 307: Chapter 179: Either Scram, or Lie Down

”Dragon Eagle Wan Ze... Your reputation truly precedes you.” Tian Guipu spoke mildly, raising his eyelids to look over with a smile that wasn’t a smile. ”I hear you’re quite resourceful. It only took you a day to make the Sheng Family suffer a great loss.”

Before anyone could react, he added calmly, ”But underhanded tricks are, in the end, a petty path. For a Martial Artist, standing upright and acting with integrity is the only way to last. Relying on cunning schemes might bring temporary success, but how far can one truly go? What do you think, Junior Brother Wan?”

His tone was mild, yet every word was barbed.

On the surface, he was commenting on the Sheng Family’s affair, but in reality, he was labeling Dragon Eagle’s methods as ”underhanded” and, by extension, categorizing Wan Ze as someone who ”wouldn’t go far.”

Everyone understood his meaning. Even Tie Qingyang, who didn’t know the full story, caught on. He frowned and looked at the members of the Divine Martial Society. ’They really didn’t come in peace!’

Hearing this, Wan Ze didn’t even bat an eye.

He tilted his head slightly, his calm gaze landing on Tian Guipu’s face. ”I’ll return those words right back to you.”

Those few simple words made the expressions of several people in the room change drastically.

What did he mean, ’return them right back to you?’

It meant that in Wan Ze’s eyes, the ones who were truly underhanded were the Divine Martial Society!

In an instant, Tian Guipu’s eyes narrowed, a sharp glint appearing within them.

But he didn’t lash out. He just let out a soft ”heh” and shook his head noncommittally, as if he’d just heard something amusing.

Beside them, however, Xiao Yunkai felt his scalp tingle with dread.

He knew what Wan Ze was capable of.

He had personally experienced the young man’s terrifying nature before. A sense of foreboding crept into his heart. His lips moved as if to speak, but he didn’t know where to begin.

The cause of all this wasn’t complicated.

During the arbitration in South City, the Ming Family had hired Dragon Eagle, while the Sheng Family had hired the Divine Martial Society.

According to the rules, once the arbitration was decided and the Sheng Family had won, the matter should have been settled.

But that old master from the Divine Martial Society, Elder Peng, had perhaps looked down on Wan Ze—who was acting as Dragon Eagle’s arbiter—seeing him as a mere newcomer. He indulged his own disciples, allowing them to make provocations after the arbitration had concluded.

And the result?

His disciples were taken care of cleanly by Wan Ze in just a few moves.

Elder Peng personally made a move, but before he could even save face, he was effortlessly defeated by Zhai Yu, who arrived shortly after.

With that, the situation completely reversed.

The Sheng Family, who originally had victory in their grasp, ended up giving Dragon Eagle leverage because of the Divine Martial Society’s ruckus.

It was said that the Sheng Family was forced to give up a significant portion of their shares in those South City mines.

When people in the business world mentioned it, they all said the Sheng Family had ”won the ruling, only to lose their pants.”

And the Divine Martial Society’s losses were far greater than just their pride.

Afterward, Situ Bai personally sent a message: Pay up, or we’ll pay you a visit on a chosen day.

No one in the Jiangnan Martial Dao Realm dared to take those words lightly.

The bloody suppression that occurred years ago, when Grandmasters like Situ Bai and Master Qin paid a joint visit, was still a taboo topic among the older generation of Martial Artists.

Besides, the Divine Martial Society had been in the wrong from the start.

In the end, the Divine Martial Society paid a hefty sum and was utterly humiliated in front of their peers in the Jiangnan Martial Dao Realm.

But some things... money lost can be earned back. A reputation, once lost... must be washed clean with blood.

The disciples of the Divine Martial Society could not forget this incident.

Or rather, no one wanted to forget.

From the day they returned from South City in defeat, they had all been thinking of avenging their shame.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was stretched to its breaking point.

Just as Tian Guipu and Wan Ze were clashing verbally, a burly man stepped out from the Divine Martial Society’s crowd.

This man was six-foot-three, built like a bear. His square face was a mass of knotted muscle, and he looked for all the world like a brown bear that had reared up on its hind legs.

His surname was Ma, and his full name was Ma Chongshan. He was known for having the most explosive temper.

”Wan Ze! Don’t get so arrogant! Sun Weilong’s death probably has something to do with you! If you dared to kill one of my Divine Martial Society, not even your master could protect you today!”

He spoke with menacing bravado, but Wan Ze didn’t even raise his eyes. He just said coolly, ”Are you here to investigate the cause of Sun Weilong’s death, or are you just trying to pin a crime on Dragon Eagle?”

Ma Chongshan’s expression changed.

’Dammit, the kid heard everything!’

His eyes turned cold.

But before he could speak, Wan Ze continued, ”Sun Weilong died in a life-or-death duel. That much is beyond doubt. But if you want to drag Dragon Eagle into this... all I can say is, you absolutely cannot afford the consequences.”

Ma Chongshan felt a chill seeing Wan Ze’s calm eyes, but a moment later, rage surged through him.

He had spent over ten years in Cultivation at the Divine Martial Society. Everywhere he went, wasn’t he respectfully addressed as ”Brother Ma”?

Now, to be warned to his face by a young man more than a decade his junior—he couldn’t swallow this insult. ℯ

”Wan, you’ve got some nerve!” Ma Chongshan roared, the veins on his temples bulging. ”Who do you think you are? What do you think Dragon Eagle is? This isn’t the time or place for you to act so wild!”

Wan Ze tilted his head, as if he’d heard an amusing question.

He spoke slowly, with a hint of nonchalance. ”I’m not reminding you that this is the Holy City and that you should therefore be wary of Dragon Eagle. I simply feel that a few pieces of trash like you aren’t qualified to challenge my authority.”

As soon as he said this, the entire courtyard fell silent.

”Huh?”

Ma Chongshan was stunned.

He never imagined Wan Ze’s words could be so absolute.

’What does he mean, ”not qualified”?’

’What does he mean, ”pieces of trash”?’

To be called ”pieces of trash” to their faces by some brat, especially when the Divine Martial Society had the overwhelming advantage in numbers—this was no longer just a slap in the face. This was like being pinned to the ground and repeatedly crushed!