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Chen Qing... had not yet arrived, and although it wasn’t the agreed time yet, Siao Mingxuan was feeling more and more uneasy.

His spot was far from where the Southern Barbarians were preparing to wait, but even at that distance, he felt a tingling in his scalp every time he glanced in their direction.

The other party had only glanced at him once and then paid him no more attention, but that one look was enough that he dared not look again....

The Golden Crows were very proud; even though he had failed to awaken, he felt a mysterious sense of superiority over many of the Family Heads, high talent or not.

Weichi Peng might have high talent, but Chen Qing had never looked up to the boy, knowing from the blood in his veins that he was an inferior being—no matter how talented, none could be stronger than his father or his aunt.

But Wutu Gu was different. With just one look, he knew this being was different from them!

Chen Qing’s reputation was enormous, especially after his victory over Lumings—a being even his father the Emperor had feared to confront. Defeating such an adversary implied Chen Qing must be extraordinarily strong, but even so... could he really be stronger than the one before him now?

"Is Sixth Brother’s complexion not looking well?" a gentle voice sounded beside him.

Siao Mingxuan turned to see a man with a disabled arm speaking, one arm abnormally thick like a warrior’s, completely out of proportion with his slender frame, while the other was thin as a child’s, making a strange sight...

It was none other than the Third Prince, Siao Mingjue.

"When has his complexion ever been good?" the Fourth Brother mocked mercilessly.

Siao Mingxuan was unfazed by their mockery; they were all physically flawed individuals who had been mocking each other since childhood—you laugh at my big head, I mock your kidney issues; who could outdo the other?

Instead of wasting energy on that banter, he thought it would be better to focus on the pressing matters.

His condition was likely the easiest to cure—if he could recover back to normal, perhaps he could even attempt to awaken the Golden Crow Bloodline again, whereas these two deformed creatures, even if they awakened their bloodlines, surely could not enter the stage without causing a spectacle?

"I heard Fourth Brother recently spent a fortune on lots of Ginseng Blood Wine from Jiangnan? The effects are good, aren’t they?" the Third Prince asked with a smile.

"They’re quite good..." Siao Mingxuan coldly looked at him: "That stuff can restore my vitality in the short term, unfortunately, it can’t make Third Brother’s arms and legs normal again."

The Third Prince’s face twitched, and the Fourth Prince said coldly, "Later, when Chen Qing is beaten to death, all of Jiangnan’s properties will be scoured by the Capital City. Old Liu, you better prepare more money, because the prices are definitely going to increase..."

"Hahaha!" A few of the princes immediately burst into laughter.

Siao Mingxuan’s expression grew even uglier.

Once a prince’s bloodline didn’t awaken, the Emperor would simply give up on them.

Only the Empress Dowager would allocate some resources and property.

Among all the princes, he was the least favored by the Empress Dowager.

Several princes owned decent properties and had private influences.

Moreover, with the Crown Prince gone for half a year, the other princes had been somewhat courted by various families. ..

If Chen Qing died and Jiangnan collapsed, when the time came to divide the profits, the major families would undoubtedly take the lion’s share, and his brothers might get something, but he would likely be left with nothing.

That was why he had shamelessly come to offer courtesies to his sister, whom he hadn’t seen in ten years.

But years of indifference cannot be eased by momentary gestures of kindness. He hit a wall with Siao Ming Xue, and now the situation with Chen Qing also seemed extremely dangerous.

"Don’t forget, Chen Qing... he’s the one who defeated Lumings!"

"Lumings?" Fourth Prince sneered. "There were hardly any witnesses to that duel, whether it was a fair fight is uncertain. Besides, Lumings had been weakened by an earlier scheme of our aunt’s. If Duke of Qin were at his peak, could Chen Qing really have triumphed?"

"Sixth Brother, you don’t need to deceive yourself. We’ve all seen Duke of Qin, indeed very formidable, standing there like an insurmountable peak. But don’t you see that fellow is even more dangerous?"

Siao Mingxuan fell silent. It seemed he wasn’t the only one with that feeling. The Emperor orchestrating this duel clearly wasn’t aiming for Chen Qing to gain glory...

---------------------------------

"Who do you think will win?" commoners, who could only watch from the lower tiers, continued to discuss amongst themselves.

"Is that even a question?" a merchant from Jiangnan said. "Of course, our Crown Prince will win!"

"Exactly, who has our Crown Prince faced? General Weichi, Duke of Qin, Princess Chang—what about this Wutu Gu? A Southern Barbarian nobody has ever heard of. Have you heard of him?"

"That Wutu Gu is formidable..." some merchants from the Southern Barbarians whispered, "Don’t underestimate those barbarians. The previous king of Wutu could injure the leader of the Southern Barbarians’ Flying Dragon Army, Nie Yuan.

Yet in the hands of this Second Prince, it took just one round to break all his limbs and cruelly twist off his head! "

"Exactly, we’ve also heard of his reputation. Now in the sixteen nations of the Southern Barbarians, none of the experts who fought Wutu Gu have survived. It’s said that the chain of bones he wears around his waist is made from their skulls."

"Hmph, he can only bully his own barbarian kin, a frog in a well, that’s all."

"Right, General Nie Yuan is indeed formidable, but compared to the Duke of Qin, he falls short, doesn’t he?"

"Hey, weren’t you the one who said earlier that Chen Qing was able to beat the Duke of Qin by underhanded means?"

"That... that was before... Now who still doubts the methods of the King of Qin?" the merchant from Jiangnan said hesitantly.

In fact, anyone who has been to Jiangnan wouldn’t speak ill of it.

It’s practically a paradise on Earth—the scenery changes once you’re in.

Breathing there feels like you might float away.

Given the chance, they’d all relocate their wives and children there.

How could someone who turned Jiangnan into that be a person who resorts to despicable methods?

He must be a man of vast divine skills!

Truth be told, merchants from the lower ranks who have some awareness wouldn’t want Chen Qing to lose the duel.

They wish for Jiangnan to exist forever because Jiangnan has offered them a very fair trading environment. Once Jiangnan gets taken over by the Imperial Court, they fear they won’t even get to sip the broth.

"If only..." a few Southern Barbarian merchants also showed their hope. Business on that side was getting harder, while in contrast, Jiangnan has risen rapidly these past two years. Many merchants have been preparing to change course. Naturally, they wouldn’t want Jiangnan to be reclaimed by the Imperial Court now.

The seasoned merchants knew the appetites of the elite families all too well; if business were easy in the Central Plains, why would they be forced to run their trade in that godforsaken land of Southern Barbarians?

Meanwhile, the elite families sitting in the VIP area quietly awaiting the start of the match felt differently.

In fact, just as those lower-class merchants thought, many elite families had long been coveting Jiangnan.

The anti-monopoly laws that kept emerging there prevented the big families from using their wealth to crush the smaller merchants, watching helplessly as countless money-making opportunities were snatched away by those lowly commoners.

To say they weren’t frustrated would be impossible.

However, their interests were currently too significant, so they had yet to bare their fangs. But if Chen Qing were to be killed here, that would change everything.

If the Imperial Court could reclaim Jiangnan, the chaotic market Jiangnan had created needed to be properly managed!

"Oh my, General Weichi, you’re here too?" A few Princely Heirs were nonchalantly placing their bets when an unexpected figure arrived.

Weichi Peng glanced at these childhood friends without saying much, then found a seat and sat down.

His reputation was great, even bigger than some of his elders, but he didn’t like sitting with those older folks; he always found them too complicated.

Of course, he didn’t get along with these wastrel nobles of the Capital City either. Now with Wang Ye and Wei Gongcheng gone, the Capital City felt rather dull.

Thinking of Wei Gongcheng, Weichi Peng’s mood became indescribably complex; recalling those unpretentious eyes and the state of no longer feeling inferior while drinking with him, he felt gratified but also inexplicably sentimental.

If Chen Qing were to lose today, what would become of that friend who had just finally found his place in life?

It was no wonder Weichi Gong had such thoughts; he had experienced the aura of that Southern Barbarian himself. That day the man merely sneered provocatively at him, and he nearly lost his balance. The feeling... was simply too dangerous!

"General Weichi?" One of the bolder family scions approached, trying to ingratiate himself, "We’re all placing our bets here, who do you think will win?"

"What do you think?" Weichi Peng responded calmly, a rare absence of impatience in his voice.

"This... Everyone has their own guess, right? I think Chen Qing should win. After all, he has beaten Lu... cough cough, the Duke of Qin, hasn’t he?"

"Is that so?" Weichi Peng’s eyes flickered with concern.

In all honesty, based on his intuition, if Lumings were still alive, he probably couldn’t withstand a single move from that Southern Barbarian!

He didn’t know why, but it was certain that this mere Southern Barbarian possessed a high-level expert... And certain that Chen Qing this time... was most likely in big trouble!