Chapter 123: Not Quite Right in the Head

Observing his reaction, Jiang Xiaotian grew more cautious, but since the man wouldn't answer, there was little he could do. The one thing he couldn't fathom about the Ito family was why they had made such a grand display of force. While these people posed little threat to him, they did include practitioners of internal energy, which would be considered a significant force in Beihai.

These martial artists were noticeably more wooden than their Huaxia counterparts; they acted like machines. If they were locals, they would have likely resorted to verbal provocation or mockery to liven up the atmosphere, but these men did not. They simply stood there, staring at Jiang Xiaotian with the impassivity of robots.

"I admire your courage, but one must always pay the price for their actions. You are too arrogant, which hardly fits the virtue of humility that you Huaxia people pride yourselves on," Ito said with a sneer, appearing as though victory were already in his grasp.

Jiang Xiaotian hopped down from the high platform and walked up to him. Gazing at his still-swollen face, he remarked, "It seems I didn't hit you hard enough."

As soon as he uttered this threat, the Eastern martial artists rushed forward without hesitation. These men had a peculiar trait: their battle cries were deafening, loud enough to make a handful of people sound like a full-scale riot.

To Jiang Xiaotian, external-strength martial artists were no different from children. Even if he didn't dodge, their attacks couldn't cause him any real harm. Only those with internal energy were worth his serious attention.

Eastern martial arts differed from theirs; the local philosophy emphasized restraint, avoiding life-or-death aggression unless pushed to the brink, and always holding something back. These Eastern fighters were different; they were purely domineering. From the first strike, they gave their all, aiming for a kill-or-be-killed outcome. Since Jiang Xiaotian had no intention of killing them, he found himself somewhat on the defensive.

Watching this, Ito was ecstatic, convinced that Jiang Xiaotian was overwhelmed and on the verge of defeat. "Heh, and here I thought you were so powerful. Turns out you're just being beaten like this? Tsk, tsk. No wonder you talk about humility—so much for Tai Chi. And they call you a legend who can fight ten men at once!"

Seeing that look on his face, Jiang Xiaotian felt his temper flare. If the man were a local, he would have taught him a lesson, but since he was a foreigner, and given how much trouble the Ito family had caused just because he’d broken a hand, it would be a nightmare if he actually killed him. Thus, Jiang Xiaotian held back, trying to teach them a lesson without causing permanent injury, which was incredibly frustrating.

He couldn't fight at full capacity, making the performance feel rather pathetic. But given the disparity in their skill, it wasn't long before only a single internal-energy practitioner remained to struggle on, and Ito’s laughter gradually faded.

Even without going all out, they were no match for him. If he had brought his divine sword, he would have cut through them like a scythe through grass, leaving them so disoriented they wouldn't even know which way was East.

However, his focus wasn't on the remaining fighter; he was more interested in the man's martial style. It was a pity they carried no swords, which was strange given his earlier reaction to the mention of them. In reality, Jiang Xiaotian’s senses were locked onto someone hiding in the shadows. Her strength was likely on par with his—mid-to-late stage internal energy. She was clearly the Ito family’s trump card, which only reinforced Jiang Xiaotian’s belief that the family had lost their minds.

Why go to such lengths for such a trivial matter? Did internal-energy masters grow on trees?

Though he remained vigilant, the person in the shadows merely watched and never made a move.

By the time the last internal-energy practitioner fell, the arrogant Ito finally began to panic. Although Jiang Xiaotian hadn't been injured, his entire body ached. Eastern martial arts were so desperate and aggressive that their blows caused him pain, and their reliance on pure physical combat—the "take a thousand to deal three hundred" approach—was something he wasn't accustomed to dealing with.

Watching his men groaning and struggling on the ground, Ito’s face turned deathly pale. He looked at his strongest fighter, then back at Jiang Xiaotian, finally betraying his shock. The latter’s strength was far beyond that of a beginner in internal energy!

"Are you... a Black Samurai?" Ito’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Jiang Xiaotian couldn't be bothered with his nonsense. His main goal was to make him understand the gap in their strength. Hopefully, this battle had scared him enough that he wouldn't come looking for trouble again—provided, of course, that the person in the shadows stayed put.

He remained on guard, but even at this point, the observer did not intervene.

"Get lost. Huaxia is full of hidden talents; don't think Beihai is short on experts. Let me tell you, if you offend the wrong people, you could die here and no one would even care. Do you understand?" Jiang Xiaotian waved his hand impatiently and turned to leave.

Ito didn't dare utter a word, nodding subserviently and feeling lucky that he hadn't been beaten himself.

Jiang Xiaotian walked away slowly, circling the area and deliberately staying nearby. The figure in the shadows continued to watch him, which was interesting. When he walked further away, the presence vanished, as if they had stopped watching. Then, when he drifted back toward Ito and his men, the gaze returned. He played this game several times, and Jiang Xiaotian couldn't help but be amused.

The person seemed to be there solely to protect the Ito family, and unless there was a life-or-death crisis, they likely wouldn't intervene. This made the situation even stranger. Unless the Ito family were truly brain-damaged, wasn't their primary goal to teach him a lesson? Now that they had failed to teach him anything and their men had been beaten, the strongest one still refused to fight, only watching from the sidelines as if terrified of being discovered. What was going on?

Either the Ito family was completely incompetent, or this grand display of force had a hidden purpose entirely unrelated to harassing him.

"Easterners are truly strange," Jiang Xiaotian muttered, shaking his head. He had no clue, but as long as they didn't cross the line, it didn't matter. Otherwise, he would personally ensure that none of them made it home.

When he got home, Ling'er habitually ran over to sniff him. She was like a little puppy, twitching her nose to ensure there was no scent of another woman before allowing him inside. Naturally, she had her reasons, claiming it was a matter of "mental hygiene" and that she didn't want the smell of any "vixens" in their home.

Tsk, women...

That night, as they watched television together, Jiang Xiaotian recounted the evening's events. Ling'er nodded. "Then your guess is probably right. They are playing a game of 'Xiang Zhuang performing the sword dance with the intent to kill Pei Gong'—on the surface, they came to trouble you, but they must have other motives."

"Ling'er, your vocabulary is getting better. You're quite the little princess of idioms," Jiang Xiaotian teased.

Ling'er smiled. "That's right! I'm a genius; I learn everything quickly!"

Jiang Xiaotian disagreed internally. If he remembered correctly, when she first arrived, she had claimed to be hopeless at cultivation and incapable of fighting. Of course, he wouldn't dare voice this, or given her current temper, he might not live to see the sunrise.

Although Ling'er also felt the Ito family was up to something else, Jiang Xiaotian had no intention of meddling. This wasn't the East; he trusted they wouldn't dare cause too much trouble. They probably had some personal vendetta to settle. In matters like this, the people of Huaxia were always united against outsiders. If the Easterners dared to overstep, trouble would find them in no time.

In fact, the local martial arts authorities had been tracking the Easterners since they stepped off the plane. Everyone knew they were there to "seek revenge" on Jiang Xiaotian, so why would anyone bother intervening? By now, not just Long City, but half of Huaxia had heard of Jiang Xiaotian's heroic deeds. Who didn't know him? A few external and internal-strength fighters trying to settle a score with him? No one cared; they only saw it as asking for trouble—and sure enough, they had all ended up in the hospital.

Suddenly, Ling'er looked toward the window and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just someone passing by the entrance of the complex." She was always cautious.

Not far away, a girl stopped in her tracks and let out a soft "Huh," looking back in the direction of where Ling'er was.

The girl’s attire was strange. She wore a high ponytail and oversized, ill-fitting clothes, with a slender Eastern sword at her waist. Her presence was even fainter—so weak that, aside from Ling'er, even Jiang Xiaotian hadn't noticed her. A cloth was wrapped around her eyes, yet she moved with complete ease, as if her sightlessness didn't matter at all.