Chapter 286 - 153: Cherishing Words Like Gold

"Wh-where’s my knife?"

"Uncle Li, Uncle Li! Your knife, it’s in his hand!"

The waiter quickly pointed out.

Chef Li turned his head. Sure enough, the horse-head cleaver that had been with him for over a decade—a blade that had even cut down a living man—was in that man’s hands.

"Y-you... give it back!"

Chef Li hastily demanded.

The man gazed at the knife in his hand, and after a moment of silence, casually swiped a finger along the blade and gave it a flick.

With a SHATTER, the cleaver, which had been ground to an extreme sharpness, exploded into a pile of fragments on the floor.

"Th-this..."

Chef Li was completely numb with shock. His legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to his knees.

The onlookers who had gathered to watch the commotion were also stunned.

This wasn’t some street ruffian; he was clearly a master of the martial world.

"What skill."

Ruan Yuqing’s brow furrowed slightly. "This man’s Inner Strength is fierce and unyielding. When he wiped his hand across the cleaver just now, his Inner Strength had already fractured the blade’s edge. The flick of his finger afterward was what finally broke it completely."

"How does he compare to you, Miss Ruan?"

Jiang Ran asked casually.

Ruan Yuqing shook her head.

"My Shuiyue Sword Sect’s Inner Strength is primarily soft and gentle; it’s not the same path as his fierce and unyielding Inner Strength."

"Therefore, I cannot do what he just did."

"And he may not necessarily be able to do what I can."

Jiang Ran nodded, understanding what Ruan Yuqing meant.

At this point, the waiter and the others were all dumbfounded.

"Th-th-then... you can just stand there, that’s fine. We... we won’t bother you."

"I..."

The man hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Waiting."

"Waiting for someone?"

The waiter stared blankly for a moment, then nodded quickly.

"Oh, I see! Please, take your time waiting, sir. Or, how about you come inside to wait? I’ll bring you a pot of fine wine, have Uncle Li whip up a couple of his best dishes for you. How about eating and drinking while you wait?"

The man was silent for a moment, then uttered a single word:

"Poor."

"...Huh?"

The waiter didn’t get it at first, but once he did, he quickly laughed.

"No problem, no problem at all. It’s on me."

Hearing this, the man shook his head, thought for a moment, and looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

In the end, he just shook his head again.

Seeing this, Ruan Yuqing frowned slightly, and then a sudden realization struck her.

’Could this person be... Man Shengming, the one who "Cherishes Words Like Gold"?’

After she spoke, she looked toward the Elder.

She saw that the Elder had, at some point, already taken out a booklet and a brush and was writing furiously.

When she tried to get closer to see what he was writing, the Elder quickly blocked her with his arm.

"You can’t look, you can’t! Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed!"

"..."

Ruan Yuqing was speechless.

Jiang Ran, however, said thoughtfully:

"Do you think... he might be waiting for me?"

Tang Huayi nodded repeatedly.

"Of course he’s waiting for you."

Hearing this, Ruan Yuqing glanced at the Jiaowei on Jiang Ran’s back and sighed.

’I didn’t expect that even "He Who Cherishes Words Like Gold" would come all this way for the Jiaowei.’

Luo Qingyi, however, shot to his feet with a CLATTER.

"I’ll get rid of him."

After saying this, he walked straight out of the inn and stood before Man Shengming.

Man Shengming looked up at him. As their eyes met, Luo Qingyi spoke.

"You’re waiting for someone right in front of the inn. How are they supposed to do business? Don’t think you can look down on everyone just because you have some skill."

"Move!"

Man Shengming shook his head. "No!"

He really did cherish words like gold; if he could say it in one word, he absolutely wouldn’t use two.

"Then don’t blame me for what happens next."

Luo Qingyi snorted, clenched one hand into a fist, and suddenly threw a punch.

The air instantly let out an explosive CRACK.

Man Shengming glanced up, a glint of light in his eyes.

"[Elephant Divine Fist]!?"

This was the first time he had spoken three words. The next moment, he too threw a punch.

The two fists collided with a loud BANG.

Luo Qingyi’s expression changed slightly as he was forced back three steps. With the final step, he shattered one of the cyan bricks by the entrance.

Man Shengming looked down at his own fist, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Imprecise."

Luo Qingyi had been astonished by the man’s martial skill, but now, hearing his comment, he flew into a rage.

"Are you saying my skills are unrefined?"

"Yes."

Man Shengming nodded. He seemed to want to say more, but after a moment’s hesitation, he closed his mouth again.

"How dare you!"

Luo Qingyi laughed in fury, took a few steps forward, and his fists became a blur of a thousand afterimages.

Man Shengming looked up and felt as though Luo Qingyi’s fist technique was like a great ocean tide—vast, overwhelming, and endless.

Yet he didn’t retreat a single step. He flipped his right hand and suddenly shot it forward.

The next instant, there was a sharp SMACK.

His hand passed straight through the multitude of afterimages and clamped onto Luo Qingyi’s wrist. With a spin of his body, he lifted Luo Qingyi clean off the ground, spun him around once on the spot, and threw him back into the inn.

This time, Luo Qingyi was completely off-balance, stumbling back seven or eight steps before he could barely steady himself.

For a moment, his face was a mixture of livid and pale.

Then, Man Shengming’s voice was heard.

"Too poor."

Luo Qingyi, whose expression was already grim, flew into an even greater rage upon hearing this.

"A warrior can be killed, but not dishonored!!"

With that, he was about to charge forward and fight Man Shengming to the death.

Just then, Jiang Ran’s voice rang out:

"Hold."

Only then did Luo Qingyi regain his senses.

He glanced back at Jiang Ran, then at Man Shengming by the door. He took a deep breath, cupped his fists in a brief salute, and returned to his seat.

Jiang Ran, meanwhile, smiled and looked at Man Shengming.

"Friend, you’ve come here to wait for someone?"

"...Yes."

Man Shengming nodded.

Jiang Ran then asked:

"Then, may I ask who it is you are waiting for?"

"You."

Man Shengming didn’t hide a thing. Though he cherished words like gold and would never use two words when one would suffice, his directness was surprisingly frank.

"Waiting for me? We’ve never met. Why are you waiting for me?"

"...Challenge."

Man Shengming looked behind Jiang Ran and cupped his fists.

"Win... Jiaowei!"

"And what if I refuse?"

Jiang Ran was a little curious.

Man Shengming’s face was suddenly filled with bewilderment, and he asked frantically:

"N-n-n-no... refuse? Wh-wh-wh... why?"

Jiang Ran and the others were all taken aback at the same time.

They finally understood why he was called "He Who Cherishes Words Like Gold."