Outside, various high-ranking officials and dignitaries, having heard the commotion, brought their servants to crowd around the entrance, whispering and commenting as if they were watching a play.
"What's this? You've brought a few house dogs and suddenly have the guts to bark at me?"
Zhou Tieyi’s tongue was as sharp as ever. It was not only necessary to maintain his original persona to avoid suspicion regarding his identity, but he had also just spotted the enchantress Guan Guan in the crowd.
She must be burning with curiosity, wondering why he hadn't managed to kill Zhao Taisui back in the pavilion due to the influence of the Divine Seed.
She was hiding in the shadows now...
Was she still trying to stir up a conflict between the martial nobility and the imperial relatives?
That was it. There must be a vast organization behind this enchantress, and she was surely working toward a quota!
Thinking of this, Zhou Tieyi’s expression relaxed considerably.
As long as he knew she was just another wage earner with a quota, there was room to maneuver. He could intervene, lower the difficulty for her, and it wouldn't necessarily require him to kill Zhao Taisui himself.
Why should one worker make things difficult for another?
Provoked by Zhou Tieyi’s mockery, Zhao Taisui flew into a rage. "Take him! Someone, take him!"
The swordsman to his left stirred slightly. A sharp, metallic ring emanated from the sword case on his back, escalating into a shrill noise, like claws raking across glass.
The piercing sound caused the onlookers to scatter instinctively.
Ada immediately stepped in front of Zhou Tieyi.
Zhou Tieyi stood up and bellowed, "Let’s see who dares! I am the legitimate heir of the Zhou family. For four generations, the men of the Zhou family have been heroes, shedding blood and sacrificing their lives for this great dynasty! The Founding Emperor once declared, 'Titles shall be passed down through the ages, and endure alongside the nation.' Here, at the feet of Tianjing, with His Majesty reigning like the sun and moon in the sky, I have broken no law. Unless His Majesty himself decrees it, who has the right to touch me?"
Zhou Tieyi’s voice was filled with righteous indignation. Even without a shred of internal power, its sheer authority seemed to suppress the grating ring of the sword.
The swordsman cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Taisui. Although he was a retainer for the imperial relatives and the Empress was currently in power, everyone knew that within Tianjing, His Majesty remained the ultimate authority.
Had they seized him before he shouted those words, it could have been dismissed as the squabbling of two hot-headed youngsters. But now, to seize him without a crime would be to openly show disrespect to His Majesty.
The onlookers pulled back their mocking expressions, sizing up Zhou Tieyi with genuine, startled curiosity.
In the courtyard in the distance, a spectator hidden among the flowers let out a soft laugh and muttered to himself, "Words as blades—this son of the Zhou family has a bit of the eloquence of my School of Names."
Zhao Taisui felt a sudden tremor of insecurity. Usually, he relied on his status as an imperial relative to run rampant, but he still understood the boundaries of power.
Taking advantage of the pressure he had placed on Zhao Taisui, Zhou Tieyi curled his lips. He beckoned to Guan Guan, who was still watching from the shadows. "Isn't that my sweetheart? What’s wrong? Did you get a taste and now you can’t bear to leave your good brother?"
He then glanced at Ada. "Go, bring my sweetheart over here."
Ada, who had been somewhat surprised by his young master's earlier outburst, sighed inwardly upon receiving the order. It really was his young master, through and through.
The crowd returned to their role as spectators. It seemed the rumors were true; the second son of the Zhou family, relying on the shadow of his ancestors, spent his life wallowing in vice. Even if he had talent, he was effectively ruined.
Ada pushed through the crowd and walked up to Guan Guan, speaking with a touch of deference. "Miss Guan Guan, my young master requests your presence."
Guan Guan’s eyes welled with tears instantly. With the teardrops still staining her egg-shaped face, she looked even more heart-wrenchingly beautiful in the moonlight, causing the surrounding men to sigh at the sight of such a femme fatale.
After a performance of lingering hesitation, Guan Guan finally lowered her head in resignation, her body trembling slightly as she followed Ada.
"Guan Guan, you don't have to fear him."
With a beauty standing before him, Zhao Taisui’s head grew hot, and he cast caution to the wind, blocking Ada’s path. "He has the shadow of the Zhou ancestors, but do you think my Zhao family lacks the same?"
Zhou Tieyi walked over personally, laughing. "What’s this? Trying to play the hero saving the damsel?"
He beckoned to Guan Guan again.
Guan Guan walked toward Zhou Tieyi with apparent reluctance. As she passed Zhao Taisui, she lifted her head, her face wet with tears, and whispered, "My purity has already been given to Young Master Zhou..."
Zhou Tieyi burst into laughter, pulled Guan Guan into his arms, and playfully pinched her cheek.
*Nice bit of acting. Ninety-nine points for that performance.*
Sure enough, Zhao Taisui could not bear such provocation. He roared at Zhou Tieyi in shame and anger, "Let her go!"
Zhou Tieyi looked at Zhao Taisui with feigned shock. "What? You want the shoes I’ve already worn?"
Zhao Taisui flushed crimson. Glancing at Ada standing beside Zhou Tieyi, a thought struck him. He bellowed, "Do you dare to wager a duel with me? Whoever wins takes Miss Guan Guan!"
"A wager? You and me? Fine!"
Zhou Tieyi looked excited. During their earlier clash in the pavilion, he had already tested that Zhao Taisui, much like his predecessor, had not reached the level of a true practitioner. With the advantages of this body's strength and constitution, it would be effortless to handle this weakling.
"What 'you and me'? A man of wealth doesn't sit under a crumbling wall. You think everyone is as much of a barbarian as your Zhou family? A wager naturally means a contest between our retainers."
Zhao Taisui’s bravado had waned slightly as he spoke.
However, the onlookers saw nothing wrong with this. Daxia was a land of abundant treasures and talented prodigies, but even a genius, no matter how gifted, had to cultivate step by step.
This process required an incalculable amount of resources.
And it was the imperial clan and the great families who held those resources.
Thus, the retainer system was born. Retainers received resources for cultivation from the families, and in return, the families bolstered their own strength by keeping them.
The martial Daxia dynasty turned a blind eye to this system, for within Tianjing, the Emperor of Daxia was the Sage, and the power of life and death was merely his divine grace.
"Is that so..."
Zhou Tieyi pondered for a moment. Observing the expressions of those around him, he realized everyone considered this the norm. Drawing on the memories of his predecessor, he understood that if a noble family proposed a duel, it was best not to refuse, even if one knew they would lose, as it reflected a family’s latent strength.
His right hand slid down from Guan Guan’s flawless cheek, gripping her delicate chin and tilting it upward so their eyes met. Zhou Tieyi said with a crooked smile, "Sweetheart, what do you think?"
Guan Guan’s eyes still glistened with moisture as she replied, "Whatever Young Master wishes."
So, that was a 'yes'?
Zhou Tieyi pondered. It seemed as he had guessed: Guan Guan’s task was to incite conflict between the martial nobility and the imperial relatives.
As for how severe that conflict needed to be or who needed to be involved, she had the discretion to decide.
While Zhou Tieyi was lost in thought, Guan Guan’s voice—voluptuous, lazy, and as seductive as a blooming poppy—emanated from the Divine Seed within his body. Through a strange vibration, it echoed directly inside his skull: "Young Master, I am rather curious: just how did you manage to suppress your killing intent earlier?"