Chapter 74: I Was the One Who Stirred Up Trouble!

Zhao Jinghong was not blind to the oddities. From the very moment Cold as Ice and Duan Peng exchanged blows, he had sensed something amiss.

No matter what, Cold as Ice was a proper second-rank martial artist. She certainly wasn’t flirting with Duan Peng in the ring. One punch after another landed squarely on his chest, and yet not a single reaction? Even I find that hard to believe!

It was one thing for Zhao Jinghong to notice something was off, but now that Duan Peng had been exposed by Cold as Ice, it became quite another matter altogether. The tense atmosphere suffocating the entire training ground did not escape the notice of a seventh-rank martial artist like him. All the martial halls were waiting to see how Zhao Jinghong would handle this situation.

…

A cold snort.

“Well, who would have thought?” Cold as Ice’s voice was laced with sarcasm. “A distinguished disciple of Jiuhua Sect, caught wearing mid-grade inner armor during a match!”

Normally gentle, Cold as Ice could be rather relentless when provoked. Her mockery was only part of it; what mattered most was what she said next.

“Instructors and students of the martial halls, does anyone recall the annual Martial Hall Exchange ever allowing participants to wear inner armor?”

She didn’t wait for a response. Her gaze locked onto Zhao Jinghong, practically demanding an explanation: “Why do the disciples of Jiuhua Sect enjoy such privileges?”

Zhao Jinghong understood well enough what everyone was thinking, but he did not hurry to respond, as if waiting for something.

…

Zhao Jinghong, Minister Zhao, remained silent?

Perfect!

Zhang Ze still had something to say.

Regardless of his own cultivation level, Zhang Ze suddenly stood up from his seat among the Yongsheng Martial Hall.

“Oh dear…”

“Perhaps this is all just a misunderstanding.”

Muttering to himself, Zhang Ze stepped into the center of attention, strolling over to Duan Hong and the others as if nothing were amiss.

He continued, “Miss Cold, perhaps Duan Peng simply doesn’t know our rules and forgot to remove his inner armor.”

“Yes, yes!” Duan Peng was no fool. He could tell the mood among the instructors and students had shifted. With Zhang Ze speaking in his defense, he was quick to seize the opportunity to excuse himself, forgetting all about the events of the previous night.

Unnoticed by the crowd, a middle-aged man in the leaders’ section shifted in his seat.

…

Zhang Ze noticed Duan Peng picking up the cue and smiled ever so slightly.

Duan Hong, beside him, was still unsure of Zhang Ze’s intention when he suddenly felt a chill across his chest.

Now it was clear as day.

Zhang Ze wasn’t here to have a casual chat with the Jiuhua Sect. He was here to strip Duan Hong of his armor!

“Look, Miss Cold, Duan Hong isn’t—” he began, feigning innocence, but then widened his eyes in mock surprise, pointing at Duan Hong’s chest.

“Oh my!”

“What’s this now?”

“So you’re wearing inner armor too, Duan Hong?”

Directing his own little performance, Zhang Ze moved on to Duan Wuren. The latter showed no fear, and Zhang Ze, perhaps sensing this, refrained from removing his clothing just yet.

But Duan Wuren’s composure did little to calm Duan Qingkuang, who panicked and jumped up, shouting at Zhang Ze, “Who do you think you are, daring to insult a disciple of Jiuhua Sect!”

But before Duan Qingkuang could finish, a cold snort echoed from the leaders’ seats.

Zhao Jinghong rose slowly. He realized he could no longer stand idly by. In the blink of an eye, his figure blurred and appeared on the arena.

In his hand was a pale red soft armor, while Duan Peng stood to the side, stripped to the waist.

“Master Duan, you owe my Anqing Martial Bureau an explanation for this incident, don’t you?” Zhao Jinghong demanded coldly of Duan Qingkuang, no longer hesitating.

Pressed by his gaze, Duan Qingkuang felt immense pressure, but his reply remained firm.

“This is Jiuhua Sect’s first time attending. We weren’t familiar with the rules of the Martial Hall Exchange!” he argued. “Besides, these three have worn their soft armor for so long, it simply slipped their mind to remove it today. I ask Senior Zhao to forgive their ignorance and grant them another chance.”

Even after this excuse, none of the other martial halls showed any sign of approval, leaving Zhao Jinghong with no choice but to consider his next move.

…

“Minister Zhao—”

Just as Zhao Jinghong struggled with his decision, Lin Yushan spoke up from the leaders’ section. Taking only a couple of steps forward, he stopped beside Duan Qingkuang and said sincerely, “It’s true that this is Duan Hong and his companions’ first time in such a competition. It’s understandable they’re unfamiliar with the rules. I suggest the Minister confiscate their armor and make a final decision after the exchange is over.”

With Lin Yushan’s intervention, Zhao Jinghong’s furrowed brow tightened further.

“Senior Zhao, may I ask whether the Martial Bureau invited any elders from Jiuhua Sect before organizing this exchange?” Cold as Ice, having taken the initiative, was not about to back down and pressed Zhao Jinghong for an answer.

He remained silent.

She continued, “Since Jiuhua Sect came of their own accord, it stands to reason they should have made every effort to understand the rules of this exchange.”

“And now, with such a scandal, are we to believe that had I not discovered it, it would have been conveniently ignored?”

Who says women are easy to fool?

At this moment, Jiuhua Sect, under Cold as Ice’s relentless scrutiny, felt the full force of her tenacity. Yet what truly caught Duan Hong and his companions off guard was the appearance of Fang Ying, Jia Justice, Qi Lijun, and others on the stage.

The arrival of these eight—thanks to Zhang Ze’s earlier phone calls—was no coincidence! Standing silently on the stage, their intentions were obvious to Zhao Jinghong.

But to expel Jiuhua Sect outright? That was still not quite justified.

…

Did Zhang Ze not understand what Zhao Jinghong was thinking?

This was precisely the moment for the instigator to step forward!

A sense of righteous purpose welled up in Zhang Ze’s heart, and he couldn’t help but bask in self-admiration. “Look at this—this is what it means to be the protagonist!”

“I haven’t even joined the Anqing Martial Bureau yet, and already I have so many followers—”

…

“Why do I get the feeling Brother Ze is even more shameless than I am?” muttered Qian Qian as Zhang Ze circled Cold as Ice, Qi Lijun, and the others.

Peng Fei, standing beside him, replied without missing a beat, “You’re just now realizing that?”

…

Standing tiptoe, Zhang Ze faced the gathering.

He smiled lightly at Zhao Jinghong. “Senior Zhao, shouldn’t you tell us how you plan to handle this situation?”

Seeing Zhang Ze swaggering about, Zhao Jinghong knew at once who was behind all this.

Indeed, this was that troublemaker’s handiwork.

He couldn’t help but feel a little helpless towards Zhang Ze. But for Zhang Ze, any chance to stand out before someone powerful was not to be missed.

Did the method matter? Not at all.

…

Some might think Zhang Ze’s behavior would irritate Zhao Jinghong.

But Zhang Ze was thinking that the more he made himself seen now, the more favor he might earn from the Anqing Martial Bureau in the future.

…

“And how would you have me resolve this?” For once, Zhao Jinghong’s voice was gentle as he addressed the young troublemaker.