“You Hu Clan bastards just won’t stay put, huh?”

A bulky man in the garb of City Guards scolded the rowdy mob in front of a shop. The men in the group wore yellow robes with a tiger head etched on their chest.

“City Guards, my ass! How will you weaklings who can’t protect yourselves guard the City? How the standards have fallen!”

A bearded man who seemed to be the leader of the band of mischief-makers retorted.

“Just because you have a few extra people, don’t think you can act rambunctious under City Lord’s watch!”

“He will soon be a City Lord without any power. Our Hu Clan is the true ruler of this City!”

“What are you watching? Take these mo-fos down and defend the City Lord’s honor!”

“Charge! Let these fools see the consequences of messing with our Hu Clan!”

Ikasa got down from the halted carriage upon hearing the sounds of wood striking the wood. He saw people on both sides using wooden poles without caring for the shops around them.

Their wild swings swept goods in the shops. Some people were even caught up in the crossfire and injured.

A fight escalated to the point that the man used a Battle technique but missed the target. His pole struck the vegetable cart of some poor vendor, destroying it.

“My cabbages!”

The sea of noises drowned the poor vendor’s horrified shout.

Ikasa could see people running hither and thither to avoid the random strikes. Panic had set in among the citizens, and yet there was no one to intervene and stop the fight.

Baffled by the scene, Ikasa looked at Zhu Zan. He looked used to the scenario playing out before them.

“What is happening here?”

Feng Yan asked as he jumped down from his seat beside the coachman of the luggage cart.

Xin Ruo also peeked from the window, doing the exact same thing she had prohibited the kids from doing a while ago.

“The situation in the City has always been tense since the Monstrous Flame Sect withdrew its support of the City Lord. Since no single power can overwhelm the other two, clashes between their followers are common.”

Ikasa had a grave look on his face. He saw another innocent young man hit in the back by a stray swing.

“And what about the shops and shopkeepers? Are they compensated for their damages?”

Zhu Zan snorted with disdain as the idea was utterly laughable, forgetting his station as a subordinate.

“Who cares about them? These guys are already lucky that there is no casualty yet.”

His callous tone revealed two possibilities. Either Zhu Zan was an unsympathetic bastard, or the people here have become used to these brawls.

Ikasa and Feng Yan exchanged glances. The situation here was dire beyond their imaginations.

“Look, the Monstrous Flame Sect disciples are here to join in the fun!”

Zhu Zan shouted, pointing at the red-robed youths swaggering on the street. The two fighting parties also noticed their presence and called a ceasefire.

“Senior Brother, I told you. They will stop fighting if we approach them. Now see, you have spoiled our fun.”

A guy with messy hair complained to the youth with his long hair tied in a bun. He looked at the complaining boy with a smirk and declared in a self-righteous tone,

“If the people suffer because of some hooligans, our teachings say we must step in and protect the civilians.”

Their words were a tight slap in the face of the two supposed rulers of the City. The Guard Captain and the team leader of Hu Clan looked at each other and came to a consensus-

Getting rid of these cocky Sect Disciples is more critical than any disputes between them.

Before they could open their mouths, the second Commander of the City Guards, Zi Ming, arrived at the scene. The fourth seat of the Hu Clan, Qi Shu, was just behind him.

“Why did the disciples of a Sect descend into the mortal world?”

Zi Ming asked with a cupped fist. Qi Shu glared at his rival but followed suit. Their actions might seem respectful, but there was not a hint of respect in them.

The leader of the Sect disciples acknowledged their greeting with a nod. With a raised hand, he stopped his fellow disciples, who were ready to charge into the fray.

“Since the dignitaries of the two powers are here in person, I am sure they can reign in their subordinates now. Wouldn’t they be called incompetent leaders if they can not even care for their citizens?”

The eldest senior brother shouted to his fellow disciples. Except his words were snubs aimed at the inability of the two powers to control their subordinates.

The two new arrivals were not born yesterday. They understood the sarcasm in the disciple’s words. However, their responses to the mocking differed like night and day.

Qi Shu chose to glower at his men for making him lose face. Though they felt wronged, the team leader and his subordinates lowered their heads out of shame.

On the other hand, Zi Ming didn’t even look at the Guard Captain. He met the senior-most disciple’s eyes and retaliated with a barb of his own.

“Well said, Disciple Hui. We are more than capable of taking care of our citizens. After all, why would the tax-paying shopkeepers need the help of a tax-evading Sect?”

Huo Hui, the senior-most disciple, bristled at the clear insult. If it were just a few of the City Guards and Vice Commander Zi Ming, he would definitely fight them to defend the Sect’s honor.

Even so, the presence of Hu Clan’s Qi Shu prohibited him from having any thoughts of resistance. Furthermore, he had provoked both of the powers together. So, any hope of an internal clash between the two was futile.

He looked at the other disciples and commanded a retreat.

“Let’s go, junior brothers and sisters; we have no reason to stay here anymore. Still, we will have to take good care of these shop owners after the Tribute Tournament, so remember them.”

He gave a look that said much about Sect’s intentions regarding the Tribute Tournament.

Once the Sect disciples had disappeared from view, Zi Ming and Qi Shu exchanged glances and came to an agreement. Understanding they couldn’t waste time here, they returned with their men to report the news.

They could resolve their grudges any day; getting this news to their superiors was more consequential.

The News that the Monstrous Flame Sect had something big planned for the Tribute Tournament!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep