Chapter 2331 - 2067: Courting Disaster_2

Even though Guo Jia also knew this thing was proposed by Chen Xi and finished after Ma Jun’s modifications, once Ma Jun completed the first one and drew up the schematics, even a Grand Craftsman was needed to make it after that.

Chen Xi had specifically bragged to Guo Jia and the others about this, and was even planning to, after a while, recruit a batch of craftsmen with good skills to produce this and sell it to big tycoons like Kushan and Rome.

"This thing is called a bell, you know. ’Sending bells’—how does that sound to you?" Chen Xi said irritably. "That’s why I’m making you pay for it!"

Guo Jia’s face went cold at those words, and everyone else was the same. "Fine, we’ll pay and buy one later, you better not gift us any."

"Xiaoo Zhi, if I remember right your wedding banquet is in four days. Your family from back home already here?" Chen Xi turned his head to look at Fa Zheng and asked.

"Yeah, the Jiangg Family people are here, only a few from the Wang Family came, all the ones closer with my cousin." Fa Zheng smiled as he spoke. "What about it?"

"Just thinking about what to give you." Chen Xi said with a grin. "There are a lot of weddings lately, and picking gifts is a big headache. I almost want to just go full tacky."

"That really is a problem. Have you guys got your gifts ready?" Fa Zheng looked at the crowd around the table and asked.

"We’re off topic, off topic, get back to work!" Lub Su tapped the tabletop with his fingers, warning everyone not to talk about such pointless things during work hours.

"I hear a roaring sound." Chen Xi, diligently slacking off, suddenly straightened up and said.

"Wahaha, Zhang Yide, feel my power!" Right at that moment a certain arrogant, excited, and suicidal shout carried over from far away.

"Ma Mengqi’s voice?" Li Youu raised an eyebrow.

"Rumble, rumble!" A rumbling rolled in from far off, and before that, the shadows inside the Political Office flickered a few times from some strong light.

"You shut up for me!" Another bellow rang out, and this one everyone knew was Zhang Fei’s roar.

"Judging from this, they must have started fighting." Lub Su sighed, sounding rather powerless. "Xiaoo Zhi, go greet them. Looks like the guy is here to attend your wedding banquet."

"I’m going too." Chen Xi raised his hand, then, whether Lub Su agreed or not, decisively bolted. Jia Xu and Guo Jia did the same. Then Li Youu went to pour himself a cup of water, and when he turned around even the people were gone. In just a few minutes, the Political Office had emptied out.

"..." Lub Su’s hand holding the brush trembled a bit as he found himself missing the days when Zhuge Liang was still around.

"Crack." Lub Su applied too much force, the brush snapped clean in half. At that, a bellyful of fire surged up; he tossed the brush aside and ran out as well.

"Zhang Yide, well, did you feel my power or not!" Ma Chao laughed wildly as he let lightning fly. The Golden Spear in his hand, after being separated from that bastard Sunx Ce, had finally finished its Nurturing; and then this guy showed up and immediately picked a fight with Zhang Fei.

"You actually pushed your Inner Qi all the way to Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation." Sparks crackled across Zhang Fei’s body; he looked at Ma Chao without any obvious joy or anger, but that bristling hair-and-beard state was a very clear sign of how much damage the lightning was doing to him.

"Henghengheng, but of course. In Martial Arts I have astonishing Talent!" Ma Chao said proudly. "Last time you could easily beat me, but this time I’ve already stepped up to the same level as you. Now it’s not just my Battle strength that’s there, my foundations have caught up too."

Zhang Fei dug at his ear, recalling how he’d held back last time when he fought Ma Chao. Then he looked at Ma Chao’s current manic state, felt that tingling numbness spreading over his body, Inner Qi flowing through, that faintly strengthened feeling, and stroked his beard.

"Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve stretched my body. I’ve gotten kind of lazy lately." Zhang Fei shook his head, flexed his fingers, swung his arms twice, and gave his upper body a simple twist. "No idea how much you’ve improved."

"Henghengheng, now even General Dian couldn’t possibly take me down..." Ma Chao said wildly—but before he could finish, a streak of black light appeared right in front of him; a Heavy Strike of a fist slammed straight toward his solar plexus, and Ma Chao, mid-sentence, dodged on reflex.

"Good timing!" Ma Chao shouted in excitement. The Golden Spear in his hand, wreathed in pale blue sparks, whirled and smashed straight toward Zhang Fei. Then, under Ma Chao’s shocked gaze, Zhang Fei simply stood his ground, not dodging at all, and took that blow squarely on his shoulder.

In that instant, Zhang Fei himself seemed to explode like a light source, unleashing astonishing Radiance; every hair on his head stood on end, strands of electricity seeping out.

But even in that state, Zhang Fei still erupted with extreme power. A tyrannical aura, an awe-inspiring Will directly shoved aside the lightning coiling around his body, and a single savage Heavy Strike of a punch blasted straight toward Ma Chao’s solar plexus.

Ma Chao did everything he could to block; he couldn’t pull back the Golden Spear in his hand, so he could only try his best to thicken the Inner Qi Defense over his chest and abdomen.

However Zhang Fei’s ferocious power surged out, the condensed Inner Qi on his right arm was almost like pure black armor. In an instant it shattered Ma Chao’s Inner Qi Defense, bent his whole body into a U shape, then tore through the sound barrier clouds and sent him hurtling back hundreds of meters.

After that, Zhang Fei crossed his arms, quickly dispersed the sparks on his body, and looked toward the distant Ma Chao, who had already climbed back up.

"You really are tough and good at taking a beating." Zhang Fei looked at Ma Chao with slight surprise. Even though he hadn’t gone all-out with that strike, by his estimation, taking that punch off-guard should have left Ma Chao unable to get up. He hadn’t expected Ma Chao to bounce back instantly.

"You actually sucker-punched me!" Ma Chao roared in fury as he got up from the ground, his voice full and loud. Zhang Fei’s blow hadn’t caused the massive damage Ma Chao had imagined.

"I’m curious—just now, that punch, sure I didn’t use full strength, but with your physique you shouldn’t have been able to stand." Zhang Fei looked at Ma Chao, slightly puzzled. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit had already reached the Inner Qi Manifestation level.

Which meant each of those three alone was enough to trade blows with a First-Class expert. Now that he’d fused all three, Zhang Fei felt that once he went crazy, even he didn’t know how terrifying he could get.

"Don’t be ridiculous. Just a single punch—how could I, Ma Chao, not be able to take it? Never mind you weren’t even going all out, even if you did, I still wouldn’t be in trouble." Ma Chao said, still manic.

Zhang Fei stroked his bristling beard and nodded. This was a fine punching bag.

Zhang Fei didn’t know that over at Cao Cao’s side, Ma Chao was also used by Dian Wei as both sandbag and massage tool. At first, Ma Chao would get flattened in just a few blows, and if it weren’t for the fact he could serve as a massage device, Dian Wei wouldn’t even have bothered to spar with him.

But people do improve. Ma Chao got beaten by Dian Wei every day, and also had to act as a massage device, constantly releasing lightning to massage Dian Wei. In the process of massaging Dian Wei, he was actually also using lightning to strengthen his own body and Inner Qi.

With time, although Dian Wei could still pound him into the ground, Ma Chao could now take a few of Dian Wei’s Heavy Strikes head-on and still stay standing. By this point, whatever else you say, Ma Chao’s stamina and ability to take a beating were downright frightening; his Attack Power might only be at a normal level, but you absolutely couldn’t knock him down casually.

"Really is a pretty good sandbag. Lately I haven’t even known who to spar with." Zhang Fei straightened up again, stretched once more, and slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t know when it had started, but he’d gradually run out of sparring partners.

As Zhang Fei slowly relaxed his body, his muscles began to loosen bit by bit, while Inner Qi seeped out of him like black smoke. Then, as his eyes snapped open, hundreds of meters away Ma Chao suddenly felt that same terrifying aura as when Dian Wei went all-out, and Zhang Fei’s muscles swelled in an instant, his body seeming to grow taller by a whole notch.

"Hoo~" Zhang Fei drew in a deep breath; even at a distance of several hundred meters, Ma Chao clearly felt the wind direction change. Then Zhang Fei exhaled, and Ma Chao’s cape was blown up behind him. In an instant, cold sweat soaked through Ma Chao’s Inner Armor.