Chapter 554: Easy Victory

No one could shake Jiang Huan’s dominance, nor did anyone want to challenge him.
One thousand taels of silver was already a substantial amount. Moreover, many knew that Jiang Huan had recently gotten into a fierce fight, so there was no need to provoke this “plague god.”
Although those present all had some wealth, the real tycoons had already gone to the Red Card Pavilion at Wanxian Tower. Unless they wanted to join in the fun, few of them would participate in selecting the top performer or most generous patron.
Apart from the tycoons, indeed no one dared to provoke a warrior like Jiang Huan.
“Nobody else is bidding? Come on!” Jiang Huan waved at Lan Xiang, his lips curled slightly, exuding an air of arrogance as if he owned Wanxian Tower.
“One thousand one hundred taels of silver!” Lin Dong suddenly shouted.
“Who? Who dares compete with me?” Jiang Huan reacted fiercely, as if his tail had been stepped on, his gaze sharp as a blade fixed on Lin Dong.
Lin Dong remained silent, pulling out a stack of silver bills and slapping them on the table with a thud. Not only was he bolder than Jiang Huan, but he also carried an air of wealth and confidence.
“One hundred thousand taels of silver right here! Lan Xiang, this old man has taken her! Those who disagree can try bidding.”
“Damn it!” Jiang Huan glared coldly at Lin Dong, cursing, “I’ll remember you.”
“What are you anyway? This is Wanxian Tower. Without money, what’s the point of acting tough?” Lin Dong snorted.
Bang!
Jiang Huan slammed his hand on the table, scaring the girl sitting beside him, who paled and quickly stepped back.
“Calm down, gentlemen! Calm down!” Lou Wanxian waved a handkerchief below, shouting, “Young Master Jiang, if you’re not in the right mood now, Lan Xiang will definitely accompany you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Jiang Huan took a deep breath and said coldly, “Ten thousand taels of silver!”
“Eleven thousand taels!” Lin Dong replied nonchalantly, in stark contrast to Jiang Huan’s agitated expression.
“That’s what true wealth looks like!”
“Exactly! Unlike that kid, acting like a big shot without any money. Ten thousand taels? Look at his attitude—probably just trying to take advantage of others.”
“Rather than not being able to compete with others and having your face slapped with money, it’s even worse to date a girl without paying. I say, kid, go home quickly. Next time, don’t be so arrogant. Do you really think everyone here is easy? Maybe each of them can pull out a stack of silver bills to slap you in the face.”
The clients became uproarious, excited beyond measure. If someone took the lead, they certainly wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of the situation and give Jiang Huan another beating.
“One hundred thousand taels!” Jiang Huan slammed the table again in fury.

“One hundred and ten thousand taels!” Lin Dong took out another silver note from his clothes and placed it on top of the pile on the table.
“One hundred and ten thousand taels?”
The entire Wanxian Tower was in an uproar.
One hundred and ten thousand taels could cover the expenses of Wanxian Tower for days. As far as they knew, aside from Ling Chenyue, the wastrel of Fenglin Restaurant, no wealthy man in the capital could afford such a sum. It wasn’t that they didn’t have hundreds of thousands of taels—just no one thought it was worth spending that much to kidnap a girl.
Not to mention paying one hundred and ten thousand taels to free a girl from Wanxian Tower just to spend a night with an ordinary girl—few wealthy men would be willing to pay such a price.
“Damn it!”
Jiang Huan’s veins bulged on his forehead as he suddenly swung his arm and slapped the table.
Boom!
The entire table instantly turned to wood shavings as it exploded. Dishes and food flew everywhere, covering him completely.
With a rush, the clients stood up, clearly realizing the situation had escalated. The closer they were to Jiang Huan, the more likely they were to suffer the consequences.
“Two hundred thousand taels!” Jiang Huan glared at Lin Dong through gritted teeth.
“Sister Xian, could it be that you deliberately brought this guy here to raise the price?” Lin Dong suddenly turned to look at Lou Wanxian below.
“What are you saying? Our Wanxian Tower always does business fairly. How could we do such a thing?” Lou Wanxian shook his head repeatedly.
“I know Sister Xian’s character and I know Wanxian Tower’s reputation, but can his behavior not arouse suspicion?” Lin Dong said calmly. “If he can pay two hundred thousand taels right now, I’ll give him the one hundred and ten thousand taels on the table to make up the difference. If he can’t… Sister Xian, you owe me an explanation.”
“That’s right, Sister Xian! This guy actually brought out one hundred and ten thousand taels, while this brat just acts tough. Even I’m starting to doubt him.”
“That’s true, Sister Xian. There’s no need to deliberately send someone to raise the price just because he likes Lan Xiang, right?”
Soon, the clients who were farther away from Jiang Huan started making a fuss. They didn’t doubt that Jiang Huan was sent by Lou Wanxian to raise the price, but they simply disliked Jiang Huan and decided to force Lou Wanxian to side with Lin Dong and their camp as well.
“Well…” Lou Wanxian looked at Jiang Huan awkwardly and said, “Young Master Jiang, please show us your silver notes.”
“Why should I show my silver notes to others?” Jiang Huan scanned the crowd with a cold gaze, radiating murderous intent.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver? Of course he couldn’t come up with that. After fleeing from Lin’s Inn last night, he went to a wealthy household, broke into their warehouse, and stole everything. Though he reaped a hefty profit, not to mention cash, even if all the jewels and valuables were added up, it would only amount to twenty or thirty thousand taels at most.

One should not lose face in battle, so Jiang Huan naturally wouldn’t admit defeat—otherwise, he would lose face utterly.

“It seems he really can’t come up with the money,” Lin Dong said indifferently, looking at Lou Wanshan.

“Sister Xian, could he really be someone you sent?”
“Yes! That’s right! I remember this kid caused a disturbance this morning as well. According to the rules of Wanshan Tower, such people are supposed to be thrown out, but in the end, nothing was done. I think this is probably a deliberate attempt to distance herself from this kid and create confusion.”

“Calm down, everyone! Please stay calm!” Lou Wanshan quickly bowed in apology.

The others wanted to draw Lou Wanshan onto their side. With the backing of the Qingliu King, who was behind Lou Wanshan, who would dare really confront him? Naturally, they wouldn’t insist further. Seeing Lou Wanshan bowing in apology, they all quieted down immediately.

“Everyone, rest assured. I, Lou Wanshan, can guarantee that he wasn’t sent by me to deliberately inflate prices. If you don’t believe me…” Lou Wanshan pondered for a moment, seemingly making up his mind, and then declared firmly, “If he dares to eat for free at our Wanshan Tower, he can afford to lose face. But I, Lou Wanshan, cannot. Later, I’ll have someone draw his portrait and post it everywhere in the capital to ruin his reputation.”

“Lou Wanshan, you’re seeking death!” Jiang Huan, unaware of Lou Wanshan’s backing and having already caused a disturbance at Wanshan Tower earlier, decided to act immediately upon hearing this. He pushed off with both feet and lunged at Lin Dong, his spiritual sword aimed at his heart.

“Sir, you traveled all the way to the capital hoping to have some fun, only to run into you, an ignorant fool,” Lin Dong said, neither dodging nor flinching, dismissing Jiang Huan’s attack with disdain. “I’ve always heard the capital is full of hidden talents. Since coming here, I’ve been very cautious. Today, I’ve finally seen it—here in the capital, even a martial artist can act tyrannically.”

Tch…

Yun Lan suddenly moved and instantly blocked in front of Lin Dong. With a gentle gesture of her palm, a surge of spiritual energy rushed forth, pushing aside the spiritual sword in Jiang Huan’s hand before she grabbed his sleeve. Secretly unleashing spiritual energy, she brought Jiang Huan, who had turned pale from fear at this sudden change, under control, then altered her voice slightly and asked, “Master, what should we do?”
“He’s in an unfamiliar place. Spare his life, but cripple him!” Lin Dong said indifferently.
“Please spare my life, master! I was blind and underestimated you…” Jiang Huan was terrified by Lin Dong’s words and begged for mercy loudly. He never expected that a warrior at the fifth level of the Mental State phase, in his twenties, who should be someone revered everywhere, would be encountered not only in an inn yesterday but also in a brothel today. Could it really be true as the rumors said—that the capital was full of hidden talents, and anyone picked up on the street might be connected to some official? A quick glance would surely reveal someone skilled in martial arts.
But Yun Lan didn’t give Jiang Huan another chance to plead. She violently unleashed spiritual energy, sending a torrent of power rushing into his meridians, then sweeping through them with unstoppable force.
Jiang Huan cried out in pain as tears and snot streamed down his face, but he couldn’t stop the terrifying energy from flooding his meridians. In an instant, his meridians burst one after another.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, Jiang Huan collapsed to the ground. Yun Lan flickered and returned to behind Lin Dong, regaining her role as a mere attendant.
“Heavens! You’ve crippled my meridians… my meridians…” Jiang Huan wailed in pain, overwhelmed by regret and agony. If he had known this would happen, he swore he would use spiritual energy to assess an opponent’s strength first before arguing with them.
“Gentlemen, I’m new here and don’t know the rules. If anyone is displeased, please forgive me,” Lin Dong said with a bow to the crowd.
“It’s fine, fine. This man deserved to die anyway. Crippling him is already showing great mercy from your part.”
“That’s right. If it were me, I would have killed him long ago!”
The crowd bowed in return. With an attendant who could cripple a warrior with a single gesture and someone willing to spend over a hundred thousand taels of silver, such a person was undoubtedly a powerful figure who could dominate a region. Even if they were on the same side as Jiang Huan, they would never dare oppose Lin Dong.
“In that case, Sister Xian, please arrange a quieter room for me,” Lin Dong said, looking at Lou Wanshan.
“Lan Xiang!”

Lou Wanshen called out to Lan Xiang, and the two hurried down the corridor. A few clever turtle slaves began to tidy up the mess. With the big excitement over, few people wanted to watch the minor chaos. Those who had already captured a girl took her away immediately, while those who hadn’t raised their bids faster. Jiang Huan, who was wailing and rolling on the corridor, received no attention from anyone. Even those who passed by stepped over him without so much as a glance, showing no interest in trampling on this once-proud young talent.