Husband and Wife to Battle – Prospering Descendant of a Clan

　　The two of us immediately climbed up to the ring as soon as we spotted the ring and before we could take a good look at the surroundings. Once the cheers. .h.i.t our ears, we began to survey the area slowly. There was another ring in the direction of the s.p.a.cious underground s.p.a.ce; however, there were less people over there in comparison. The two rings essentially occupied either end of the s.p.a.ce and were separated a significant distance from each other. The underground s.p.a.ce extended beyond Feiyun Hall's grounds to dozens of residential homes. As a matter of fact, it went further beyond the homes. The high ceiling explained why those on the surface couldn't hear the noise underground. General Manager Bai and I took a considerable length of time just to go from the air duct to the ring in spite of employing our qinggong.

　　The countless flames brightened up the dark s.p.a.ce. I could see the seated audience clearly. They all wore an a.s.sortment of masks and shouted to their heart's content to turn up the heat in the venue. I did a rough head count to find there were more than five hundred people present without accounting for the people at the other ring. There were dozens of compet.i.tors ringside awaiting their turn.

　　Judging from the weapons, I could tell some of the compet.i.tors were members of orthodox sects. Some were adepts from unorthodox sects. Bai Lian meticulously scrutinised the weapons and stated, "There are Shaolin, Wudang, Emei and Kunlun disciples among the compet.i.tors."

　　"Three of them are a.s.sa.s.sins. Two are in the underground syndicates. Six are smugglers. Orthodox and unorthodox sect disciples are here."

　　It was odd for there to be so many ordinary folks around. If they weren't ordinary folks, they were farmers. Based off their disguise and quiet discussions, they weren't your everyday farmers. In all fairness, the masked audience behind them were even more bizarre. I didn't sense a minute trace of internal energy from them. They just packed exceptional brute force from labour work. I was astounded to see they matched the martial world's attendee numbers. There was one more person below the ring, specifically the announcer who called for us before. He appeared to be the official manager of the place.

　　The announcer wore the mask of a savage rabbit fiend. He raised his voice: "Shaanxi's Mandarin Duck Blade will face the club's Uncle and Auntie w.a.n.g. Betters, place your bets now, and then remove your hands from the tables."

　　The announcer's subordinates began collecting the money from various locations. We were the underdogs according to the bets; however, some faced a dilemma.

　　When General Manager Bai looked back at me after scanning the area, the two of us found we were both equally surprised with Feiyun Hall's ability to set up such a large place; there had to be someone wielding immense power to make it possible. It was no longer a surprise they dared to steal from the imperial palace. Having said that, it also meant finding the mastermind was harder. I thought that was what General Manager Bai tried to tell me. I discovered another oddity I tried to make heads and tails of.

　　Rabbit turned to us and, surprised, asked, "How did you grow taller, Hero Hu? Also, where is your broadsword?"

　　I forgot the broadsword upstairs… I resorted to deceit: "Uh… When one understands the heart of the blade, one does not need a physical blade. I'll be fine without it. As for my height, I've always been this height. Are you imaging things?"

　　"Rabbit has never been wrong. Strange. Strange… eh?!" exclaimed Rabbit Fiend. "Eh? How come Madam Hu is somehow different? She's more charming. Her waist is, well, a waist and her arm… hehe."

　　Rabbit Fiend's comments drew attention to Bai Lian. She was fine with the mask; alas, she wasn't used to female clothing. She went red in the face as a consequence of the remarks; I could feel the heat from her. I sternly jumped in: "What's so funny? My wife has always been a stunner. A waist is a waist, and an arm is an arm. Look, I understand you're jealous, because you can look but you can't touch. However, it's wrong to shamelessly mock her."

　　"Ming Feizhen! Why are you going along with them?!" griped Bai Lian, using ventriloquism with her teeth gritted. "Cut the nonsense! The fight is starting."

　　There were no such things as rules in underground fighting. The opponent could've struck at us from the moment we entered the ring.

　　I didn't even spare our opponents a glance. The two of them looked as if they were in the wrong place. They dressed in clothing worn on farm fields. They belonged on a field; not in a ring. They made their move before we did.