Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 72 Challenge

The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.

The golden-armored warriors on the perimeter immediately surrounded him, pointing their long spears at Fan Zhou with murderous intent.

Fan Zhou stood with his hands behind his back, head held high, saying nothing.

The elders and ministers of the Gumi tribe all stood up, their weapons and secret treasures gleaming, their powerful aura erupting like a volcano, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble. In the next instant, they would crush Fan Zhou into dust.

"That's enough!"

Princess Chenxing slammed her hand on the table and stood up, stopping everyone in the room from moving.

General Che stepped forward and said solemnly, "Your Highness, this boy has openly trampled on the dignity of Gumi. I request that you order this old minister to arrest him and execute him by burning at the stake immediately!"

Another elder with a black beard chimed in, "Indeed, nothing else can quell the public's anger!"

Lou Zhenqing was so angry that his beard stood on end. With a clang, he drew his sword, its cold light slicing across everyone's faces, and roared:

"How arrogant! Daring to spout such nonsense on my Sword Furnace territory? Do you think Sword Furnace has no one to rely on?"

The sharp sword moved with unstoppable force, cutting a path through the elders and ministers of the Gumi tribe and dispersing their aura.

The members of the Gumi tribe were all secretly shocked. They had not expected Lou Zhenqing's cultivation to be so profound that so many people could not suppress his sharpness.

General Che's eyebrows shot up, and he shouted, "Your disciple knocked His Highness's reward to the ground; as his master, you are also to blame!"

"joke!"

Lou Zhenqing sneered three times, "You've humiliated my disciples, and I'll settle the score with you!"

Elder Chen Qing frowned, not expecting the situation to develop to this point, and could only step forward again to act as a peacemaker.

"Please calm down, everyone. This is all a misunderstanding. Let's not let this damage the harmony between our two families."

She was a member of the royal family of the Gumi tribe, and held a prestigious position, so even General Che and others dared not act recklessly.

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased somewhat, Chen Qing continued:

"It was I who proposed the idea of ​​bestowing the title of Warrior upon Fan Zhou. I was grateful to him for avenging the princess, so I thought of giving him a title. I never thought that I would be senile for a moment and forget that this title is only given to soldiers. This has put General Che in a very difficult position and caused unpleasantness between the two families."

She took all the blame upon herself, thus giving both parties a way out.

General Che immediately bowed and said, "I should not say much about the old lady's kindness in bestowing this reward, but this boy not only looks down on the warriors of our country, but also knocks away the reward and offends the dignity of Gumi. This is unacceptable no matter what."

Lou Zhenqing snorted coldly, "Fan Zhou has repeatedly put himself in danger for the sake of righteousness, yet General Che insults his reputation for a mere title. We disciples of the Sword Furnace are not made of clay; how can we endure such humiliation?"

"My disciple's righteous act will be reported to the King of Yue, and the King will bestow titles and rewards upon him. Who cares about your titles?"

He sheathed his sword, bowed to Elder Chenqing and Princess Chenxing, and said:

"Let's leave the rewards here. If the princess and elders still remember our kindness, our two families will remain on good terms from now on."

"Goodbye!"

Lou Zhenqing said no more and turned to leave with his men.

"building……"

Princess Chenxing wanted to persuade him to stay, but seeing Elder Chenqing shake his head, she had no choice but to give up.

The golden-armored warriors surrounding them silently parted to make way for Lou Zhenqing and the others to leave.

Fan Zhou followed behind his master, still somewhat puzzled. Did the Gumi tribe just let them leave so easily? Was General Che really that good-natured?

As he was pondering to himself, he suddenly saw three young soldiers walking side by side in front of him, blocking their way.

The three men were dressed as soldiers, around fifteen or sixteen years old, all tall and handsome with golden eyes that held a hint of the supernatural. They were likely members of the royal family of Gumei.

Lou Zhenqing stopped and turned to look at Elder Chen Qing:

"What does the elder mean by this?"

"It has nothing to do with the old lady; we came here of our own accord."

The tallest of the three boys spoke.

"We heard that some people look down on the warriors of the Gumi, so we came here specifically to see what they're made of."

Another boy, with clearly defined muscles and many scars on his skin, said...

"Indeed, although the warriors who slay the rhinoceros are only minor nobles in the army, they are all brave warriors who have fought bloody battles on the battlefield. Not just anyone has the right to look down on them."

The young man with an arrow wound on his forehead, standing between the three, spoke in a deep voice.

"So they came for me."

Fan Zhou raised an eyebrow and carefully examined the three people in front of him.

All three were at around the sixth or seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage, and their auras were pure, making them even stronger than the previous Gumi assassin.

Chen Qing felt a tightness in his chest. He glanced at General Che, who was still kneeling on the ground, and knew that he had summoned these three people.

"Chen Hao, Chen Zhan, Chen Chan, this is no place for you three juniors to speak. Get out of here right now!"

Chen Chan, with an arrow wound on his forehead, crossed his arms and said:

"This Mr. Fan was shouting loudly just now. He can talk, and so can I."

Chen Zhan, whose arms, thighs, and cheeks were covered in scars, glanced sideways at Fan Zhou:

"Hey, weren't you so arrogant just now? Why are you hiding behind Master and not saying a word now?"

Chen Hao, the tallest and fairest-skinned among them, shouted loudly:

"Are you scared?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The three of them burst into loud laughter as they spoke.

Shen Yusheng, Qin Zhiyuan, and the eight market managers behind them all looked angry.

These people are all at a higher level than Fan Zhou, and they deliberately provoked him. If Fan Zhou refuses to fight, he will undoubtedly lose face and implicate Lou Zhenqing.

However, if Fan Zhou were to fight, his cultivation level would be far inferior to these three, and he would definitely not be their match.

If they lose, they will lose face for all of them, and even for the entire Jianlu and Yue Kingdom.

"Fan Zhou's reputation is a small matter, but it would be terrible if we lost face."

Several of the shopkeepers thought the same thing, hoping that Lou Zhenqing would reprimand the three boys and take them away quickly, so as not to let Fan Zhou go out and embarrass himself.

On the Gumi tribe's side, Elder Mi snorted disdainfully and whispered:

"This kind of victory is dishonorable; even if we win, what face do we get?"

Everyone present possessed profound cultivation, so they could all clearly hear what he said.

"Elder Mi, you are mistaken. Chen Chan and the others are the same age as young friend Fan. How can their victory be considered unfair?"

General Che stood up at some point and said to Elder Mi in a cool and indifferent tone:

"Besides, they are disciples of a great nation and a prestigious sect. Our Gumi is a remote and barbaric country. If we don't send a few people with higher cultivation levels, how can we be their match?"

He spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone in Gumi and the market to hear, deliberately speaking to Lou Zhenqing.

His actions from the very beginning were all aimed at Lou Zhenqing.

This was something that the Great King of Gumei had specifically instructed him to absolutely not allow the Yue people or any Yue forces to infiltrate the army.

Although the Warrior Who Slays the Rhinoceros is only a minor noble, it is still a noble title earned through military merit. How could Lou Zhenqing's disciple be allowed to hold this position?

"Lou Zhenqing, once your disciple has utterly disgraced the soldiers, what right do you, as his master, have to interfere in my military affairs?"

Che Zhi had already made all the arrangements in his mind.

Lou Zhenqing's refusal to let Fan Zhou fight would be a disgrace for both master and disciple, and a disgrace for the Yue people.

Lou Zhenqing sent Fan Zhou into battle, and the result was bound to be defeat. The master and disciple, along with the entire Sword Furnace and the Yue Kingdom, would lose face.