The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 46

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Zhang Xiaoyuan immediately withdrew behind Lu Zhaoming, only poking half his head out, cautiously peering at Cao Zilian.

He wasn't afraid at all.

Today, he came out with Eldest Senior Brother. With Eldest Senior Brother's martial arts skills, what could Cao Zilian do?

Besides, Cao Zilian had an injury on his waist. It was difficult for him to straighten his back now. Dealing with him might just require a simple kick from Eldest Senior Brother.

Ashner knew that even if Cao Zilian didn't have an injury, he wouldn't be a match for the person in front of him. Although he didn't know the depth of the opponent's martial arts, he believed in himself as a top 33 expert in the Western Regions. Even if ranking in the Central Plains, he should be in the fifty to sixty range. The opponent, looking like a young man in his twenties, seemed younger than him. He was confident in himself.

He blocked Cao Zilian, preventing him from doing anything foolish. He pushed back the half-drawn knife and, in a strange mix of Mandarin, said to Cao Zilian, "When going out to fight, the boss shouldn't easily use his hands."

Cao Zilian paused, feeling that what he said made sense.

He was still quite angry, but being the master of a sect, according to both the rules of the martial arts world and the common sense of brawling, the leader should always be the last to appear. Knowing Ashner's martial arts surpassed his own, he grew confident. Taking a deep breath, he laughed heartily and said to Lu Zhaoming, "Ha! I'll send the elder of our sect to deal with you!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

There are only two of you. There's no need to be so modest!

He really didn't want to fight in someone else's shop. What if they broke the tables and chairs? That would definitely cost money!

Lu Zhaoming glanced at Ashner, seemingly assessing his martial arts. He didn't actually know who this person was. When Ashner rescued Cao Zilian that day, he used smoke to conceal his whereabouts and figure. Lu Zhaoming hadn't seen him, and Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't know the level of the Western Region's ranking that Ashner mentioned. He was a bit worried. Behind Lu Zhaoming, grabbing his arm, Zhang Xiaoyuan whispered, "Eldest Senior Brother, be careful. This seems to be a skilled opponent."

Lu Zhaoming nodded slightly, pushing Zhang Xiaoyuan back behind him. He whispered, "Step aside."

Zhang Xiaoyuan obediently stepped back.

The patrons in the restaurant finally sensed something amiss. People started discussing, gradually stepping back. After all, this was Baicang City, with many martial artists. Although the Martial Arts Alliance controlled things, it was still challenging to avoid fights. The proprietor, seemingly accustomed to this, boredly calculated, signaling for his assistant to come over.

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at the proprietor's head and indeed saw two lines popping up.

「They break things, let them pay as usual.」

「It's okay to compensate generously. Anyway, the Martial Arts Alliance forbids them from fighting. They wouldn't dare to trouble the Alliance.」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Swindler! Another swindler!

......

Ashner drew a curved knife and said, "You're the one who injured our sect master."

Lu Zhaoming tilted his head slightly, puzzled. "He caused trouble at the Martial Arts Conference."

Ashner: "An eye for an eye."

Lu Zhaoming seemed to want to say something more, but Ashner had already rushed towards him.

Zhang Xiaoyuan's heart was in his throat, afraid that this foreigner's martial arts skills might be too good. Eldest Senior Brother might not be a match. But he clearly underestimated Lu Zhaoming's skills. In less than a moment, as their figures intertwined, Lu Zhaoming's long sword hadn't even left its sheath. Perhaps he held back to avoid bloodshed. His strike landed under Ashner's ribs, not overly forceful, but enough to make him stumble, crashing into nearby tables and chairs. With a swaying motion, his curved knife barely grazed Lu Zhaoming's clothes, not even leaving a mark.

Lu Zhaoming was already behind him.

Ashner quickly turned, while Lu Zhaoming reversed his grip on the sword hilt, turning the blade to rest right at Ashner's nose.

Only a tiny distance remained.

Lu Zhaoming didn't draw his sword, nor did he truly intend to harm him. If not for that, who knows how today would have turned out. It was hard to say.

Zhang Xiaoyuan coughed and hurriedly called a halt before they caused even more commotion. He didn't want too much damage, fearing they couldn't afford the compensation. Just as he shouted "Eldest Senior Brother," Cao Zilian, seeing Ashner's defeat, panicked. He pulled Ashner back a few steps, clearly attempting to escape.

Wait.

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at the overturned tables and chairs by Ashner. The furniture seemed fine, but most of the dishes and food on the table had spilled onto the floor. The plates were all shattered. Although he couldn't identify the specific dishes, judging by the quantity of pigeon meat, it was evident that the meal was not inexpensive. The wine was likely of good quality, with a rich and mellow fragrance. Looking at the broken tableware and scattered food, Zhang Xiaoyuan had no desire to compensate.

Lu Zhaoming stood in front of them, with the restaurant's main door behind him. If Cao Zilian wanted to escape through the main entrance, he would have to pass by Lu Zhaoming. Zhang Xiaoyuan, anxious, shouted, "Eldest Senior Brother! Don't let them escape!"

As soon as he spoke, Cao Zilian visibly panicked. Fearful of another scabbard hitting his waist, he clutched it and only managed to run a couple of steps. Lu Zhaoming kicked a nearby bench diagonally, which happened to trip up some obstacles in front of Cao Zilian. Cao Zilian's knee hit the bench, instantly turning his face pale, emitting a familiar scream to Zhang Xiaoyuan.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

He truly just wanted Eldest Senior Brother to intervene.

But this time, Eldest Senior Brother didn't throw out his scabbard. Cao Zilian should... not be too seriously injured.

Zhang Xiaoyuan consoled himself in his mind.

Ashner crouched beside Cao Zilian, assessing his injuries. He knew they couldn't escape so easily today, so he gave up struggling. The proprietor, seeing that it seemed like they had finished fighting, also settled the bill. He waved to his assistant, who approached the group, tapping an abacus in hand. He spoke, "Honorable heroes, fighting is fine, but for the things you've damaged... shouldn't there be compensation?"

Perhaps afraid they would refuse, even before they could respond, he continued hastily.

"This is Baicang City," the proprietor said. "Lord Pei prohibits you to fight indiscriminately."

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Lu Zhaoming seemed somewhat unsure of what to do, only able to turn his head to look at Zhang Xiaoyuan.

Zhang Xiaoyuan, in turn, looked at the proprietor's head, wanting to know how much money he intended to extort.

After a moment, he indeed saw a compensation list popping up above the proprietor's head. The amount wasn't excessively large, but it was a figure he didn't want to pay.

Zhang Xiaoyuan took a deep breath, unhesitant as he pointed to Ashner and Cao Zilian.

"They started it! They also knocked over the tables and chairs!" Zhang Xiaoyuan shouted. "We were forced to fight. We should be the victims here."

Cao Zilian: "?"

Cao Zilian, one hand covering his waist and the other holding his leg, looked up at Zhang Xiaoyuan and Lu Zhaoming, displaying a puzzled expression.

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Even if Cao Zilian felt a lot of dissatisfaction, what Zhang Xiaoyuan said was indeed the truth.

It was indeed them who started the fight, and it was indeed Ashner who knocked over the table.

He considered himself a reasonable person. As the future overlord to defeat the Demon Sect Master and unify the dark sects in the martial arts world, he couldn't stoop to the level of these small fry.

His leg ached to the core, making it impossible for him to stand at the moment. Ashner supported him, helping him to a nearby chair. Despite enduring the intense pain in his leg, Cao Zilian, with a pale face, forced a faint smile. "I am a reasonable person."

The proprietor looked at him. Probably having seen many people like him before, he didn't show any expression on his face.

Cao Zilian: "For the things we've damaged, of course, we should compensate."

The proprietor nodded.

Cao Zilian: "How much? We will pay."

The proprietor lowered his head and rattled the abacus a few times, looking proficient. But Zhang Xiaoyuan knew he had already calculated how to squeeze a hefty sum from them. Remembering the mere five taels of silver left for the Ethereal Illusion Palace, he felt a twinge of reluctance and shifted his gaze away.

"Not much," said the proprietor. "A few broken dishes, a spilled table of pigeon feast, a cask of fine daughter's red wine. In total, fifty-seven taels and eight copper coins. I won't haggle with you. Round it down, and you can pay fifty-seven taels."

Cao Zilian: "......"

The smile on Cao Zilian's face froze.

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Too harsh.

Zhang Xiaoyuan silently thought.

This proprietor was truly a shrewd merchant. The few dishes and the table of food that Cao Zilian and the others had damaged, at most, would cost five taels of silver.

Cao Zilian obviously didn't know the actual prices of those items on the table. He only knew the proprietor was demanding an exorbitant amount. Holding back for a while, he refrained from calling him a swindler. His voice trembled slightly as he sought confirmation, "Fifty... fifty-seven taels?"

The proprietor didn't even raise his eyes, systematically listing the prices for the damaged items.

However, each item was priced ten times higher than the market rate.

The surrounding diners gathered to watch the spectacle. Zhang Xiaoyuan stood for a while, feeling somewhat weary. He decided to sit at his own table, picking up the pre-meal snacks he had ordered. Cracking melon seeds and peanuts, he observed how Cao Zilian negotiated with the proprietor.

Cao Zilian wasn't adept at bargaining. He couldn't bring himself to compromise his dignity.

He, the future overlord set to defeat the Demon Sect and unify the dark sects in the martial arts world, found himself haggling over a mere fifty-seven taels of silver. If news of this reached the martial arts world, it would tarnish his notorious reputation as the demonic leader.

He must come up with this money!

But where could he conjure up fifty-seven taels of silver?

All his money was with Ashner, and if his memory served him right, a few days ago, they had only five taels left. They spent some on welcoming Wu Kui into their ranks, buying him new clothes and a decent iron sword, costing about one tael. Factoring in expenses for food, accommodation, and medicine during these days, he suspected Ashner had less than three taels left. Fifty-seven taels might be beyond their credit limit.

Cao Zilian felt defeated.

Seeing his plight, the proprietor calmly handed the abacus to his assistant. "If you can't pay, it's fine. But you'll have to accompany me to the Martial Arts Alliance. Keep in mind, Lord Pei doesn't appreciate people brawling in Baicang City."

A blatant threat.

Zhang Xiaoyuan cracked open a melon seed, finding the proprietor utterly despicable.

While it might be true that Pei Wuluan disliked martial artists fighting in Baicang City, he certainly wouldn't support such blatant extortion.

Righteous individuals generally feared Pei Wuluan. While they might not afford the compensation, as long as the proprietor suggested some tasks to offset the debt, no one would likely refuse.

Fifty-seven taels wasn't a significant sum for such a large restaurant. For Zhang Xiaoyuan, it wasn't considerable either.

Favors owed held far greater value than fifty-seven taels. Although Cao Zilian appeared seemingly useless, no one could predict his future worth.

Moreover, the proprietor initially demanded fifty-seven taels, and Zhang Xiaoyuan was confident he could haggle it down to within ten taels.

Cao Zilian sighed deeply.

Perhaps righteous individuals were merely constrained by reputation and the punishment of the Martial Arts Alliance, making them unwilling to approach Pei Wuluan. But he was different. He recently caused a commotion at the Martial Arts Conference. He couldn't leave a stain of being a Martial Arts Alliance captive in his career as a demonic leader. It was just fifty-seven taels, and he could tough it out, even if reluctantly!

Cao Zilian gritted his teeth, about to speak when Zhang Xiaoyuan brushed off peanut crumbs from his hands and said, "Fifty-seven taels is not that much money."

Cao Zilian glanced at him, slightly surprised, not understanding why Zhang Xiaoyuan would say such a thing.

Zhang Xiaoyuan added, "If you need it, I can lend it to you."