"Changli!"
Bai Changyuan stood in place, eyes red with anger and impatience written on his face. Looking at Bai Changli's situation on the training ground, this representative of the Fifth Branch was finally losing his patience.
In the end, he turned to Bai Qing with a fierce look in his eyes, "Qinger, is this how you discipline your subordinates, allowing them to commit violence right in front of you?"
"With such arrogance, aren't you afraid of facing retaliation one day?"
He spoke aggressively, subconsciously trying to threaten her.
But after he finished speaking, he suddenly felt something was off.
Why did he feel like he recognized these words as if they were familiar? Like he had heard them somewhere before.
Soon, he confirmed his thoughts.
Bai Qing looked at him with a smile and a hint of playfulness, "What? Regretting now?"
"If there is retribution, it should befall the one who spoke those words before."
"Just like now."
She gestured towards the training platform in front of them, where Bai Changli was still being pummeled. "See, he's facing the consequences now?"
"Speaking of which, the guest from our family is not like some people's younger brothers, behaving arrogantly relying on their martial arts skills, always modest and respectful, even towards their seniors."
"Compared to some others, isn't this much better in terms of manners?"
The words were spoken smoothly by Bai Qing, appearing very natural. But to Bai Changyuan, they just made him feel infuriated.
"You!"
He stood up in anger, glaring at Bai Qing, wanting to say something but finding himself unable to speak.
He couldn't help it; this situation was quite embarrassing. As the instigator of the provocation, he could only accept being slapped in the face as well.
While it might have been more acceptable on a normal day, all the branch representatives were present today. There was no room for him to argue.
Continuing the argument would only make him a laughingstock.
"Enough."
A voice came from the side.
Bai Mingwei looked at Bai Changyuan and calmly said, "Let's stop here."
"There's no need to continue this match."
"Go announce the result immediately."
This was a way to let Bai Changyuan save face, and he immediately nodded, "Okay."
Subsequently, someone naturally left to go report downstairs.
Listening to the shouts of stop all around, Chen An also stopped and quietly put away his weapons, then he smiled, "It seems like your good brother has finally come to save you, but it's a pity..."
"I was planning to clean you up a bit more."
"However, it's interesting. Weren't you the one who said that the strong should be confident and successful, dominating across all lands? It was quite admirable to hear at the time."
"So why now, when it's your turn, are you calling for help from the elders?"
Shaking his head, disappointment evident on his face, he continued, "Or is it that you are no different from those three-year-old children, talking big but crying to their parents when bullied?"
"If that's the case, I overestimated you."
His words were calm, a stark contrast to Bai Changli's aggressive demeanor. Each word felt like a sharp sword stabbed into Bai Changli's heart.
"You! You!"
Bai Changli raised his hand, trembling, pointing at Chen An, seemingly trembling with anger.
He wanted to say something in response, but as soon as he tried to speak, his mind went blank, unable to form any words.
Of course, even if he could speak, it wouldn't have made a difference.
Chen An may appear quiet, but in his past life, he had ample experience in verbally attacking others, more than the fights Bai Changli had. He had mastered the art of verbal assaults, not needing any foul language.
He certainly had a share in being an online keyboard warrior.
When it came to verbal confrontations, could Bai Changli, who focused solely on martial arts and occasionally boasted, outmatch him?
But Chen An had let go of this skill for a long time now.
That's because he knew there were no internet connections in this world. If you berated someone in public today, the next day they might come to your doorstep with a weapon for a duel.
If you could kill someone, there was no need for verbal attacks; if you couldn't, insulting them would only bring trouble.
And that was the main reason for Chen An to stay quiet and composed. As for now, it was like finding the feeling of his past self.
Looking at the visibly angry and trembling Bai Changli, who couldn't find the words to say anything in response, Chen An shook his head in disappointment.
He had thought his past experiences of verbal confrontations would finally come in handy after hearing Bai Changli's previous words. But it seemed like he had overestimated the situation.
That's just how it was.
In this world, actions mattered more than words.
To challenge someone, you had to be able to back it up with action.
Just like before, if Chen An wasn't a match for Bai Changli, what would he have said?
He could only stand there and mock, then admit defeat.
It was the same now.
Since Bai Changli was no match for Chen An, at this moment, he could only stand there as the mocked one.
In the end, lacking in strength made everything else meaningless.
Thinking about this, Chen An felt somewhat bored. He shook his head in disappointment at Bai Changli, who wanted to say something but couldn't.
He had hoped that Bai Changli's confident words from before would show his rich experiences, but it seemed like he was mistaken.
It was what it was.
When it comes to matters of strength, actions speak louder than words.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Chen An looked at Bai Changli and silently left the training ground.
Surprisingly, as soon as he left, there was commotion behind him.
"Young Lord Li is spitting blood!"
"Quick, find someone."
A commotion erupted behind him, indicating that Bai Changli had fainted after vomiting blood.
This caused Chen An to shake his head once again.
Young people didn't just lack in the skill of verbal confrontations, their mental resilience was also lacking.
Spitting blood over such a small setback, how could he ever reach the peak of martial arts in the future?
Chen An sighed silently, then quietly left the training ground.
Compared to when he took the stage, the expressions of the people around him had changed significantly.
Eyes full of seriousness and curiosity, with a hint of scrutiny, were now fixed on Chen An.
This indicated attention and importance.
Although, in a way, this attention and importance were not what Chen An desired, they had come, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Facing the gazes of those people, he calmly met their eyes, then returned to his previous position, preparing to leave.
Of course, he intended to leave, but some people blocked his way.
After Chen An stepped down from the stage, a group of people immediately surrounded him.
"Brother Chen! You really hid it from me well!"
Bai Changyue walked up to Chen An, crying loudly.
His expression was strange at the moment, a mix of crying and smiling, looking exceptionally complicated. Chen An couldn't help but pause, suspecting if he had suffered a stroke.
This expression was actually understandable.
He cried because Chen An had won, but also cried because Chen An had won. It wasn't contradictory.
Before this, Bai Changyue thought Chen An was destined to lose, and had clenched his teeth, almost bankrupting himself to bet three thousand taels of silver on Bai Changli.
But with this unexpected turn, Chen An ended up winning.
So those three thousand taels of silver had gone down the drain, right?
Of course, there was more laughter than tears amidst the crying.
After all, Bai Changyue had bet much more on Chen An, and due to the unexpected outcome, the odds were much higher for Bai Changli.
This unexpected turn meant that he had made a successful gamble.
Thinking about this, Bai Changyue looked at Chen An with eyes that seemed to express regret.
"You should have told me about your strength earlier. Why did I have to bet on Bai Changli, end up losing three thousand taels of silver for nothing?"
Chen An naturally understood his thoughts, so he smiled and said, "It's not that I deliberately hid it from you. But if I had told you earlier, would you have believed me, Brother Changyue?"
Bai Changyue subconsciously shook his head and suddenly realized.
After all, Bai Changli had a well-known reputation, being one of the most outstanding talents among the younger generations of the Bai family, with a great reputation even in the entire Shangyuan County.
Compared to that, Chen An was relatively unknown in Shangyuan County, with little to no reputation.
At first glance, it seemed like Bai Changli had more experience in martial arts and was slightly older than Chen An, so who would believe that Chen An's strength could surpass Bai Changli's?
In this situation, it was no wonder that Chen An chose to stay quiet.
"Changli!"
Bai Changyuan stood in place, eyes red with anger and impatience written on his face. Looking at Bai Changli's situation on the training ground, this representative of the Fifth Branch was finally losing his patience.
In the end, he turned to Bai Qing with a fierce look in his eyes, "Qinger, is this how you discipline your subordinates, allowing them to commit violence right in front of you?"
"With such arrogance, aren't you afraid of facing retaliation one day?"
He spoke aggressively, subconsciously trying to threaten her.
But after he finished speaking, he suddenly felt something was off.
Why did he feel like he recognized these words as if they were familiar? Like he had heard them somewhere before.
Soon, he confirmed his thoughts.
Bai Qing looked at him with a smile and a hint of playfulness, "What? Regretting now?"
"If there is retribution, it should befall the one who spoke those words before."
"Just like now."
She gestured towards the training platform in front of them, where Bai Changli was still being pummeled. "See, he's facing the consequences now?"
"Speaking of which, the guest from our family is not like some people's younger brothers, behaving arrogantly relying on their martial arts skills, always modest and respectful, even towards their seniors."
"Compared to some others, isn't this much better in terms of manners?"
The words were spoken smoothly by Bai Qing, appearing very natural. But to Bai Changyuan, they just made him feel infuriated.
"You!"
He stood up in anger, glaring at Bai Qing, wanting to say something but finding himself unable to speak.
He couldn't help it; this situation was quite embarrassing. As the instigator of the provocation, he could only accept being slapped in the face as well.
While it might have been more acceptable on a normal day, all the branch representatives were present today. There was no room for him to argue.
Continuing the argument would only make him a laughingstock.
"Enough."
A voice came from the side.
Bai Mingwei looked at Bai Changyuan and calmly said, "Let's stop here."
"There's no need to continue this match."
"Go announce the result immediately."
This was a way to let Bai Changyuan save face, and he immediately nodded, "Okay."
Subsequently, someone naturally left to go report downstairs.
Listening to the shouts of stop all around, Chen An also stopped and quietly put away his weapons, then he smiled, "It seems like your good brother has finally come to save you, but it's a pity..."
"I was planning to clean you up a bit more."
"However, it's interesting. Weren't you the one who said that the strong should be confident and successful, dominating across all lands? It was quite admirable to hear at the time."
"So why now, when it's your turn, are you calling for help from the elders?"
Shaking his head, disappointment evident on his face, he continued, "Or is it that you are no different from those three-year-old children, talking big but crying to their parents when bullied?"
"If that's the case, I overestimated you."
His words were calm, a stark contrast to Bai Changli's aggressive demeanor. Each word felt like a sharp sword stabbed into Bai Changli's heart.
"You! You!"
Bai Changli raised his hand, trembling, pointing at Chen An, seemingly trembling with anger.
He wanted to say something in response, but as soon as he tried to speak, his mind went blank, unable to form any words.
Of course, even if he could speak, it wouldn't have made a difference.
Chen An may appear quiet, but in his past life, he had ample experience in verbally attacking others, more than the fights Bai Changli had. He had mastered the art of verbal assaults, not needing any foul language.
He certainly had a share in being an online keyboard warrior.
When it came to verbal confrontations, could Bai Changli, who focused solely on martial arts and occasionally boasted, outmatch him?
But Chen An had let go of this skill for a long time now.
That's because he knew there were no internet connections in this world. If you berated someone in public today, the next day they might come to your doorstep with a weapon for a duel.
If you could kill someone, there was no need for verbal attacks; if you couldn't, insulting them would only bring trouble.
And that was the main reason for Chen An to stay quiet and composed. As for now, it was like finding the feeling of his past self.
Looking at the visibly angry and trembling Bai Changli, who couldn't find the words to say anything in response, Chen An shook his head in disappointment.
He had thought his past experiences of verbal confrontations would finally come in handy after hearing Bai Changli's previous words. But it seemed like he had overestimated the situation.
That's just how it was.
In this world, actions mattered more than words.
To challenge someone, you had to be able to back it up with action.
Just like before, if Chen An wasn't a match for Bai Changli, what would he have said?
He could only stand there and mock, then admit defeat.
It was the same now.
Since Bai Changli was no match for Chen An, at this moment, he could only stand there as the mocked one.
In the end, lacking in strength made everything else meaningless.
Thinking about this, Chen An felt somewhat bored. He shook his head in disappointment at Bai Changli, who wanted to say something but couldn't.
He had hoped that Bai Changli's confident words from before would show his rich experiences, but it seemed like he was mistaken.
It was what it was.
When it comes to matters of strength, actions speak louder than words.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Chen An looked at Bai Changli and silently left the training ground.
Surprisingly, as soon as he left, there was commotion behind him.
"Young Lord Li is spitting blood!"
"Quick, find someone."
A commotion erupted behind him, indicating that Bai Changli had fainted after vomiting blood.
This caused Chen An to shake his head once again.
Young people didn't just lack in the skill of verbal confrontations, their mental resilience was also lacking.
Spitting blood over such a small setback, how could he ever reach the peak of martial arts in the future?
Chen An sighed silently, then quietly left the training ground.
Compared to when he took the stage, the expressions of the people around him had changed significantly.
Eyes full of seriousness and curiosity, with a hint of scrutiny, were now fixed on Chen An.
This indicated attention and importance.
Although, in a way, this attention and importance were not what Chen An desired, they had come, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Facing the gazes of those people, he calmly met their eyes, then returned to his previous position, preparing to leave.
Of course, he intended to leave, but some people blocked his way.
After Chen An stepped down from the stage, a group of people immediately surrounded him.
"Brother Chen! You really hid it from me well!"
Bai Changyue walked up to Chen An, crying loudly.
His expression was strange at the moment, a mix of crying and smiling, looking exceptionally complicated. Chen An couldn't help but pause, suspecting if he had suffered a stroke.
This expression was actually understandable.
He cried because Chen An had won, but also cried because Chen An had won. It wasn't contradictory.
Before this, Bai Changyue thought Chen An was destined to lose, and had clenched his teeth, almost bankrupting himself to bet three thousand taels of silver on Bai Changli.
But with this unexpected turn, Chen An ended up winning.
So those three thousand taels of silver had gone down the drain, right?
Of course, there was more laughter than tears amidst the crying.
After all, Bai Changyue had bet much more on Chen An, and due to the unexpected outcome, the odds were much higher for Bai Changli.
This unexpected turn meant that he had made a successful gamble.
Thinking about this, Bai Changyue looked at Chen An with eyes that seemed to express regret.
"You should have told me about your strength earlier. Why did I have to bet on Bai Changli, end up losing three thousand taels of silver for nothing?"
Chen An naturally understood his thoughts, so he smiled and said, "It's not that I deliberately hid it from you. But if I had told you earlier, would you have believed me, Brother Changyue?"
Bai Changyue subconsciously shook his head and suddenly realized.
After all, Bai Changli had a well-known reputation, being one of the most outstanding talents among the younger generations of the Bai family, with a great reputation even in the entire Shangyuan County.
Compared to that, Chen An was relatively unknown in Shangyuan County, with little to no reputation.
At first glance, it seemed like Bai Changli had more experience in martial arts and was slightly older than Chen An, so who would believe that Chen An's strength could surpass Bai Changli's?
In this situation, it was no wonder that Chen An chose to stay quiet.
