บท 310: Chapter 303: Complex friendship!
"Calm down! Why is everyone fighting so suddenly?" Shen Lu could no longer watch by the sidelines and intervened. As a strategist, knowing when to jump into the fray at the most crucial moment was but a basic skill that he had already mastered.
"This two brother here, may we know your name? It doesn't seem to appear that you guys are from the local populace around here..." he said as he stared right onto the duo with a calm and amiable smile. While this sentence of his might sounded ordinary, it had already elevated themselves into the moral high ground in this dispute.
After all, it could be translated as 'You guys are not from here, so what do you know about us?'
"Hmph! At least there is somebody here that still knows how to be polite! Indeed, we are not from the Jiu Empire. I am Zhang Liao from the Wei Empire and this is Lu Bu from the Qin Empire! We are your Lord's friends." Zhang Liao answered while placing his hands behind his back, his expression softened.
It is always great to be able to converse with those who thinks first before they speak!
"Wei and the Qin Empire?"
Shen Lu's heart trembled a little upon hearing this, but he didn't let it appear on his face. Instead, continuing with his smile, he stepped forward and bowed a little.
"So it is Brother Zhang Liao and Brother Lu Bu! Please don't mind them, this is all but a big misunderstanding!" he said, trying to placate the situation.
However, how could it be so smooth?
"Shen Lu, these two are obviously some cocky fellows! What does it matter if they are local or not? For daring to bare their teeth in front of I, Shen Murong the dragon, I'll pummel them all the same! Hahahahaha!" Shen Murong laughed out loud, looking unperturbed with his aura spiking gradually, ready for a brawl anytime!
Despite his brashness, Shen Murong was not a total fool. It wasn't that he did not recognize that the two standing in front of him were foreign people. In fact, he could even sense that the two were not from any normal clans either, judging by their attire that looks expensive and solemn. Only the powerful clans would distinguish their members as so!
After all, he was also part of a Great clan himself!
It's just that he couldn't care less about it.
For someone like him that pursues the very heights of martial arts and cultivation, heeding to hierarchy wasn't something that would make him really bothered that much!
Otherwise, despite being in the top prestigious Shen clan of the Jiu Empire, why would he feel the need to become Duan Li's followers?
He only respects the strong, and only the strong will he follow! It was as simple as that!
"HAHAHAHAHA!" someone suddenly laughed out loud in response to Shen Murong's words, swiftly getting everyone's attention.
"I never expected that I will meet another Brother that is almost as overbearing as me here! Brother Zhang Liao and Brother Lu Bu, this person called Shen Murong only listens to the words of the strong like me. I am afraid that he will not back down unless you show him a hint of your true strength!"
It was Wang Dong, and he couldn't help but to look at Shen Murong with a look of approval!
"Oh?" Shen Murong shifted his gaze to look at Wang Dong with an interested look.
When their gaze met, as if they understood each other's thoughts, they grinned and swiftly broke into a laughter!
"If you guys want to fight, do it in one move." Duan Li finally talked after being left by the sidelines like a side character as he sighed.
"Brother Duan Li, since that is the case, we will not stand on ceremony then. Unless they are qualified, propriety must be strictly uphold! Come, let us trade a single fist above!" Lu Bu beckoned towards Shen Murong as the latter nodded, and they flew to the skies.
...
"Brother, who do you think would win?" Shen Lu asked Duan Li curiously as he stared at Shen Murong and Lu Bu that were closely facing each other at an arm's length.
"Eh... I've fought them both before and Shen Murong is definitely weaker. But that is before. Now that his cultivation realm had reached the Core Formation realm, maybe they are equally matched!" Duan Li replied honestly. Even he was interested in knowing Shen Murong's current strength!
Zhang Liao that heard this by the side furrowed his brows, "Brother Duan Li, I mean no offense by saying these but, don't underestimate Brother Lu Bu. I've never seen or heard him being beaten in terms of physical strength, other than you of course!"
In response to this, Duan Li chuckled, "Hehe let's just watch and see!"
While Zhang Liao might be right, Duan Li himself knew full well the extent of Shen Murong's physical prowess!
Everyone then raised their head to look at the two floating figures above them, both radiating out sharp battle intent!
"Let's finish this. No skill art, just a pure punch!" Lu Bu said with a confident and indifferent expression. In his opinion, there was no way that he would lose to anyone, not to mention that the other party was only in the Middle stage of the Core Formation realm while he himself was at the Pinnacle stage!
"Hahahaha! Agreed!" Shen Murong replied with a wide grin.
Clenching their right fist together, it only took them an instant before they punched out at the same time.
KABOOMM!!
The moment their fists clashed with one another, sonic boom exploded out in the sky, causing even the trees below to sway to the side and the grasses to flip furiously!
Crack! Crack!
"Hm?!" Lu Bu was astonished that his eyes opened wide. On the other hand, Shen Murong only seemed to snigger!
Just by this one exchange, they could already understand the physical strength of their opponent!
"Hmph! It appears that you do have the capability." Lu Bu harrumphed and retracted back his hand, before descending down back to the crowd. Shen Murong shrugged and then followed suit.
Tap! Tap!
"Brother Lu Bu, how was it? Is his strength similar to yours?" Zhang Liao could not help but to ask this with an expression of disbelief as soon as the other party landed on the ground.
"Similar? Far from it! I haven't even used half of my strength yet." Lu Bu shook his head and replied honestly. "However, he was also the same as me and held back most of his strength!"
Zhang Liao was once again struck in surprise, but he soon nodded in realization after he gave it a thought.
The full might of Brother Lu Bu's punch could even shatter a mountain cliff with a single punch! Perhaps he did not want to attract the attention of the surrounding people...
That should be the case!
"Are you guys done? Can I talk now?" Duan Li said as his eyes narrowed and his voice sounding impatient.
"Huh? Y-yes! We deeply regret our actions for causing such a scene..." Zhang Liao swiftly apologized and used a more respectful tone. Only now did he realized that they had stepped over the line!
"Its good that you understand. You talk about hierarchy and propriety, but you immediately lashed out at them before I could even speak a single sentence! Even though you two are my friends, that was a little too much when you guys are the guests in my residence, not to mention against my loyal followers at that, don't you think so?" Duan Li's words caused these two new friends of his to tremble a little and their face to become pale.
On the other hand, Duan Li's followers was all smiles upon hearing this, and they showed a bit of complacency in their smiles!
"Please forgive our mistakes, Imperial Overseer! We meant no disrespect!" the two of them immediately bowed 90 degrees as they admitted to their wrong-doings.
While Duan Li was their friend, they forgot for a moment that the other party was also the Imperial Overseer of the Jiu Empire, a standing even higher than the Emperor himself!
If word were to return back to their empire that they caused such a scene to a person of Duan Li's status, it will be without a doubt that the Imperial Palace will summon them to get an explanation and punishment!
"Imperial Overseer?" Duan Li's followers gasped in unison and turned towards each other. They finally remembered!
"Don't tell me... the coronation ceremony has already ended?" Shen Lu said as frustration sunk in.
The coronation ceremony was something that he had plans for! It was a moment where they could act solemn and stood beside Duan Li while looking imposing to the others!
But now that such an opportunity was already gone, he could not help but to pull at his hair!
"You guys are too much! Leaving your Lord here alone when you should be present back then! Even the Emperor himself had asked me the whereabouts of you all!" Duan Li sighed.
His relationship with these followers of his was quite complicated.
Xiahou Yu, Shen Lu and the currently not present Wang Xiaolun were both his friends first before becoming his followers. They were the ones who supported him to successfully become a Lord back then and their contributions to recruit the others was something that he will always remember.
Meanwhile, the others were more of his followers than friends. However, he could not possibly be bias and partial in his treatment, that might lead to some dissatisfaction between them.
Therefore, the only choice he had to make was to voice out his discontent in front of everyone like this.
As expected, after hearing this, they felt guilty and lowered their heads. One by one, they began to apologize with varying response.
Shen Lu laughed it out and apologized directly like friends would between each other, Wei Shang and Wei Wang single kneeled and offered a more formal way to apologize, while Fei Longwei, Xu Rong and Guo He bowed before admitting to their mistakes.
Shen Murong was still as proudful as ever but still gave Duan Li his apology by saying "Sorry.." which seemed to take everything he had as his face reddened in embarrassment.
On the other hand, Xiahou Yu did not say anything, but offered Duan Li a full bucket of fried chickens that was labelled 'Premium'. While this action of her's stupefied everyone and Duan Li almost broke out in a laughter, it was suffice to understand her intentions behind it.
After all, actions speaks louder than words!
Only after these was revealed did Zhang Liao, Lu Bu and Wang Dong understood the relationship of the people here with Duan Li.
"Brother, I'm really worried about Wang Xiaolun! It only dawned onto me that he has a different cultivation realm than the rest of us after we entered the Eternal Maze! What should we do?" Shen Lu asked worriedly.
"I am concerned as well. But Wang Xiaolun should know this better than us, yet he still entered the Eternal Maze nevertheless. Let's wait for a while, and if he still did not return, then we shall all depart into the Third region to find him!" Duan Li replied with a resolute decision!
"En!" the others nodded to this. They felt like it was the best course of action to take for now.
After all, every cultivator has their own pride, and in the world of cultivation, fortune comes along with peril if one was able to endure.
"Eh?" Duan Li was suddenly struck by an epiphany!
Seeing Duan Li's dazed look, everyone looked towards each other before asking, "What's wrong?"
Duan Li clenched his fists tight, and in an agitated voice, he replied;
"I think I've found the solution on how you guys could cultivate your second dantian!"
...
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