Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 319: Chapter 183: The Jianghu Is More Than Fighting and Killing, But Are You Worthy of My Respect?

This was the foundation of Dragon Eagle’s confidence.

Money and connections meant nothing. It wasn’t as if you could trample Dragon Eagle underfoot just because you owned a few storefronts or businesses.

The people at the forefront of Dragon Eagle had all bet their entire lives on their fists.

They weren’t showing their faces now, not fighting or competing, because they were leaving opportunities for the younger generation.

And everyone understood: as long as they were there, Dragon Eagle would be there.

Wan Ze nodded. ”I understand.”

”Good.” Zhai Jia parked the car at the entrance of the martial arts hall and killed the engine. The drone of the motor stopped abruptly, and the cabin fell silent.

He turned his head, his expression turning serious. ”The Divine Martial Society broke the rules this time, so we’ll definitely make them bleed for it. The hall won’t let this go easily. They were in the wrong from the start, so there’s plenty of room to make a fuss... But Ah Ze, you need to be mentally prepared.”

Hearing this, Wan Ze’s eyebrows shot up, and he sat bolt upright in his seat.

”What for? You think the Divine Martial Society is going to come to the Holy City to get me?”

His words were full of fight, carrying an air of ’if they dare to come, I dare to fight them.’ Wan Ze looked like he wanted to throw open the car door right then and there, rush over, and strike first.

Zhai Jia was amused by his attitude and laughed out loud. ”Let them try! Even if a Grandmaster came to the Holy City in person, there’s no way Master would let them leave. What do you take Dragon Eagle for? A place you can come and go as you please? In this world, even a top-tier assassin organization like the Secret Palace gets skinned alive by us every time... The Holy City might not be big, but Dragon Eagle’s territory isn’t a place where just anyone can run wild. I never told you before, but the hall’s operations against the Secret Palace weren’t just the few public ones. Sometimes we know they’re there but can’t be bothered to deal with them. We just wait until they cause trouble and then wipe them all out in one go.”

At this, Zhai Jia paused, then said thoughtfully, ”What I mean is, Master will probably want to put some pressure on you.”

Wan Ze blinked, not quite understanding what he meant.

Zhai Jia chuckled, adjusted his seat back a little, and leaned into a more comfortable position. His tone was somewhat wistful. ”That Tian Guipu fellow wasn’t weak, really. Of course... he was still a tiny bit worse than me.”

He couldn’t hold it in and laughed at his own words before clearing his throat with a light cough. ”But undoubtedly, Tian Guipu was a significant figure in the Martial Dao Circle, definitely one of the top names among the younger generation. The fact that you could even kill him proves your strength is far beyond his, Ah Ze. And you know what Master is like. He looks for potential in people and is very deliberate in how he uses them. If he thinks you’re ready, he’s not going to hide you away. So he’ll definitely push you out there... to make a grand name for yourself! The bigger your reputation, the better Dragon Eagle will treat you. When it’s time to distribute resources, no one will dare to object. Look at Eldest Brother and the others—that’s the path they took.”

”But where would I go to make a name for myself? I can’t just go door-to-door challenging people, can I?” Wan Ze asked, stunned.

”You know, you say that...” Zhai Jia laughed out loud. ”Let me tell you a true story. That’s exactly what Brother Yu and I did back in the day. But we only managed to challenge three halls.”

Wan Ze turned to look at him. ”Why?”

Zhai Jia shrugged. ”Honestly, I found it tiring too. Running all over the place, fighting one match today and another tomorrow. And after the fight, you have to be all polite, eating and drinking tea with them. It was more exhausting than the fights themselves. But Brother Yu... well, you know him. He’s the quiet type, but he’s got a fire inside.

Usually, he’s all quiet, sitting there like a statue of a Buddha, not saying an extra word. But in reality, he’s a total warmonger. The moment he sees someone who can fight, his hands start itching. He’d love nothing more than to take them apart from head to toe.

After we challenged those three martial arts halls, we were told to stop. We couldn’t help it, we were just too strong... Actually, I feel a little embarrassed saying that, but it’s the truth. The other halls were afraid of damaging their reputations. Losing too badly would affect their student recruitment, so they sent some resources over to Dragon Eagle as a token gesture. We’re all in Jiangnan, and we have to see each other all the time. You can’t be too shameless about it. So, we went back after that.”

He paused for a moment, recalling, ”So, as they say, fame brings its own troubles. Brother Yu and I suddenly made a name for ourselves, and a lot of people had their eyes on us... Later on, Brother Yu and I were invited to train with a special forces unit, and we were gone for several years. After that, only the legends of me and Brother Yu remained in the martial world.”

”Sending gifts? It can be like that?” Wan Ze was stunned for a moment, then sighed wistfully as he came back to his senses.

’Looks like you need to understand the way of the world no matter where you are.’

Zhai Jia thought for a moment. ”But then again, going door-to-door to challenge people is an extraordinary measure for extraordinary times. Normally, they just close the doors, a few halls of similar levels arrange for some disciples to compete, and everyone has a meal together afterward. The loser offers a cup of tea, the winner says a few polite words, and everyone saves face. That’s how Eldest Brother and Second Sister did it back in their day... It’s just that Brother Yu and I didn’t have good timing. We were fated to be workhorses, running ourselves ragged.”

Wan Ze’s heart stirred. He recalled that Zhai Jia and the others’ time was right after the first Jiangnan Martial Dao Tournament. The martial world had seen many deaths; even Grandmasters had fallen, and thousands of Martial Artists below them were killed or injured.

’In such a terrible situation, who would have been in the mood to hold competitions?’

’It was already a feat for the martial arts halls to maintain a semblance of peace on the surface.’

’In other words, it wasn’t easy for Brother Yu and Brother Jia to have survived back then. He figured a Grandmaster must have been protecting them along the way.’

Wan Ze fell into a thoughtful silence.

’An City had now restarted its Martial Dao tournaments. Although they were limited to An City and hadn’t expanded to all of Jiangnan, it was a signal nonetheless.’

’The martial world was slowly returning to order, and the younger generation needed a stage.’