102. The Banquet Begins
That night was sleepless for many, but Li Aozi had a comfortable rest, recharging and preparing thoroughly.
He had already made up his mind: if the plan failed, he would flip the table immediately. After all, he held leverage over Tianhuan, and as a Red Arrow citizen, he wasn't afraid to play hardball.
Xia Jianjing's reaction was rather surprising. Despite her straightforward and aggressive nature as a terrorist, she had not shown any signs of an attack so far, cautiously laying low, which saved Li Aozi a lot of trouble.
"Now, let's enjoy this celebration."
The Kowloon Gathering began, and the crowds in Joan Capital had doubled. Li Aozi, invited to the event, avoided the peak travel time and took a private vehicle to the main venue—the Kowloon Temple.
Passing through the torii gates and the mountain path filled with countless white lanterns, Li Aozi, guided by two monks, stepped into the square. It was rare to see such an ancient-style temple in this era. High-ranking officials from Tianhuan and the temple's head priest were giving speeches on stage, followed by the ceremonial rites led by shrine maidens and a grand onmyoji.
The whole process was overly mystical, and Li Aozi wasn't interested. He listened symbolically for a while, but his gaze scanned the crowd, quickly noticing several Frost-Plated Republic faces.
They appeared serious and rigid, all male, which ruled them out as Frost-Plated officials or wealthy individuals—they must be Law III agents.
With his [Eye of Truth], Li Aozi took a quick glance and confirmed that these Frost-Plated individuals were indeed [Law III Unofficial Agents].
"Looks like the Frost-Plated Republic is up to something."
Li Aozi noticed these men frequently conversing with some Tianhuan strongmen, occasionally casting glances in his direction. He couldn't help but sneer: at this point, they still wanted to use someone else to kill him?
The Frost-Plated Republic, facing setbacks on the Granter front and having suffered repeated humiliations from Li Aozi, must be eager to eliminate him. But to use such underhanded tactics, trying to provoke strongmen to deal with him? That was shortsighted.
Li Aozi didn't bother with these people, but on second thought, they might still have some use.
"Maybe... I can use them…"
He turned and stepped directly into the exhibition hall, admiring the weapons crafted by Tianhuan's artisans over the past year.
This was one of the ways the Kowloon Gathering increased foreign exchange revenue—Tianhuan's weapons were renowned worldwide, especially their cold weapons like swords. Whether for collection or practical use by powerful individuals, they were always top choices.
At such international events, not only were there weapon orders, but it was also a great opportunity for craftsmen to showcase their skills. Many obscure swordsmiths were noticed through their work and could become famous overnight, achieving a leap in status. Some were here simply to show off their craftsmanship, deliberately creating flashy but impractical weapons.
Of course, this wasn't a place for a flea market where people could casually play with the weapons. All items had complex genetic code locks, and if someone was interested, they had to discuss with the craftsmen to unlock and test them.
Naturally, such strict selection methods weren't always friendly to most buyers. There were also those who cut corners or passed off inferior goods, and no one wanted to spend a lot of effort only to end up with something flashy but worthless. As a result, the organizers of the Kowloon Gathering often assumed both parties had reached a mutual understanding, offering a relatively objective evaluation price.
Buyers took on the risk, and that was part of the shopping fun.
Many attendees were seriously appraising the weapons in various ways. Clearly, those attending the gathering were from good backgrounds and had their own means of evaluation and instruments.
But even so, when Li Aozi activated his [Eye of Truth] and scanned the crowd, he found that out of ten people, at least five had overpaid, and one had bought a mere showpiece.
For such treasure-hunting tasks, the [Eye of Truth] was practically a cheat, as the quality and attributes of the items were laid bare before him, sometimes even just by glancing at the names to see if they were genuine.
[This really saves a lot of effort—if the players had a chance to attend this gathering, they'd probably thank me to death.]
Li Aozi pretended to browse some booths, all the while aware of the Frost-Plated agents trailing him. He didn't mind, occasionally picking up weapons to try out and engaging in conversations with the craftsmen.
But soon enough, the Frost-Plated agents' whispers behind him started to have an effect.
Li Aozi set down a wakizashi, shook his head, and said to the craftsman:
"This weapon doesn't suit my combat style, and it's too short. But the craftsmanship is exquisite. I wish you find a suitable buyer."
There was nothing wrong with his comment, but before he finished speaking, a mocking voice suddenly sounded from behind:
"Oh, the Red Arrow man knows his stuff. A wakizashi is indeed a short blade, and yet you think it's too short."
Li Aozi glanced back to see a burly man with a swagger approaching, his aura unmistakably that of a Beta-tier warrior. He wore a large samurai robe, clearly a member of the Dragon faction, with a venomous snake tattooed on his neck.
He sauntered over, grabbed the wakizashi from the craftsman's hand, weighed it, and swung it a couple of times, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp hiss. He nodded approvingly:
"What's wrong with it? It's pretty good. Sharp enough to cut through hair."
Holding the wakizashi, he cast a sly glance at Li Aozi, then his tone shifted:
"Well, no surprise—Tianhuan is a small country. Our resources are scarce, and we've never seen the world. How can we compare to the lords of the empire?"
The nearby onlookers seemed to recognize the samurai and began whispering:
"Hey, isn't that Hojo's retainer—Yanagimon Shinsuke?"
"That Red Arrow guy's out of luck. How did he get mixed up with this mad dog?"
"Yanagimon's master was defeated by a Red Arrow swordmaster and committed seppuku out of shame. Now this guy's just a Red Arrow-hating maniac."
The murmurs and the look of schadenfreude among the guests caught Li Aozi off guard—he hadn't expected to encounter something like this.
[Law III must have gotten really lucky, managing to stir up someone like this.]
On second thought, it made sense. Law III was a master of instigation and had probably approached many similar individuals.
The craftsman, intimidated by the samurai's aura, didn't dare say anything, nervously glancing at Li Aozi for help.
Li Aozi shot a glance at the samurai, not wanting to waste time with him. He turned to leave, but the samurai stepped in his way, blocking him.
"Leaving so soon? What, Tianhuan's goods aren't good enough for you?"
Yanagimon's tone was full of mockery, clearly looking for trouble.
—But hearing this, Li Aozi grew irritated.
His eyes began to glow with golden rings, preparing to crush this blind idiot when a voice shouted from the distance:
"Hey! Yanagimon! Are you trying to embarrass us internationally?"
A confident man in military uniform with his hands in his pockets walked over, glaring at Yanagimon coldly:
"This is the Kowloon Gathering, a sacred festival where guests from around the world gather. Do you want Tianhuan to become a laughingstock?"
"Oh? Isn't this Gold Tae-hyun, Captain of the Capital Guard?"
Yanagimon showed no fear, despite facing a high-ranking officer, grinning slyly:
"Your job is to protect Prime Minister Park's life, not to safeguard Tianhuan's dignity. On the contrary, only samurai can uphold the honor of Tianhuan."
Yanagimon, as a retainer of the Hojo family, held a much higher status than someone like Gold Tae-hyun, a mere soldier. According to the unspoken rules, Gold Tae-hyun should be speaking to him with respect.
Gold Tae-hyun's face darkened. He had intended to mediate this pointless altercation, but now he found himself ridiculed.
He pointed at Yanagimon, shouting, "Do you even know who's causing trouble here? Don't think that just because Hojo-san favors you, you can act with impunity. This is Joan Capital! It's not your place to throw your weight around!"
"Oh? I'm curious—does that mean it's not my place, or is it not the place for 'us' retainers?"
Yanagimon spread his hands, now fully confronting Gold Tae-hyun.
The rivalry between the new military faction and the traditional clans had been brewing for a long time. The former, buoyed by the prestige brought by the Kowloon Gathering, had become a bit overconfident, forgetting that the country was still controlled by the clan conglomerates.
"If you hadn't picked a fight with a foreigner, I wouldn't have had to step in to stop your foolishness."
Gold Tae-hyun countered, pointing at Li Aozi beside him:
"Everyone here saw it. This foreign guest was simply evaluating the weapon, and Yanagimon blocked his way—what do you want? To make Tianhuan look like a nation of unreasonable savages?"
"Only cowards care about others' opinions," Yanagimon sneered. "Besides, that guy next to you is from the Red Arrow Empire. What? Are you defending an enemy of Tianhuan?"
"I don't care about your personal grudges. This is an international event!"
"Fine, if I've disrupted the order, arrest me. Take me away, lock me up—why aren't you doing it, Captain Gold? Afraid?"
Yanagimon laughed mockingly, knowing full well that Gold Tae-hyun didn't have the authority to arrest a retainer of the Hojo family.
The country would never risk a fallout with the Hojo family. In fact, the whole of Tianhuan was practically armed by the Hojo clan. If anything happened to the Hojo family, the nation would be thrown into chaos.
Because of this, the retainers of the Hojo family acted with near impunity, running wild across the country.
Even if Yanagimon committed a crime, Gold Tae-hyun wouldn't dare arrest him.
Yanagimon's aura of Beta-tier peak strength only added to his intimidation.
Tianhuan was a place where power equaled privilege. Many times, strength was the deciding factor. As a Beta-tier elite and a retainer of the Hojo family, Yanagimon belonged to the "untouchable" tier.
Gold Tae-hyun's face turned red. If he dared arrest Yanagimon, the man would come back for revenge sooner or later. He didn't even need the Hojo family's help—just the elite Beta-tier samurai would be enough to make him lose sleep for the rest of his life.
Let alone daring to arrest him—Gold Tae-hyun didn't even dare fight here, knowing the potential consequences.
Li Aozi, seeing Gold Tae-hyun's dilemma, calmly watched the scene unfold without any reaction.
This was Tianhuan's internal power struggle, and he had no desire to get involved. However, Yanagimon wasn't satisfied with just humiliating Gold Tae-hyun and soon turned his attention back to Li Aozi, provocatively beckoning him.
"Hey, Imperial guy," Yanagimon gestured at Li Aozi and then at the exhibition hall in the distance:
"I know you're not happy about this, but I, Yanagimon Shinsuke, care about face. Today is the Kowloon Gathering, so no bloodshed allowed—how about we make a bet?"
"Not interested."
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Yanagimon said with mock sincerity. "Our country invited you as a guest, and you're being so dismissive?"
Li Aozi raised an eyebrow:
"What's it to you?"
"I can see you're from a distinguished family, given your handsome appearance—this Kowloon Gathering is full of treasures, but there are always distinctions between them, and treasures have their own hierarchy."
Yanagimon glanced at Li Aozi, thinking to himself: This guy, though, does look like quite a beauty.
But, too bad you're from the Red Arrow Empire.
He spread his hands and made a proposal:
"You and I will each pick 10 treasures. We'll take them to the judging panel to assess their total value. If your eye is better than mine, I'll admit you didn't insult Tianhuan's swordsmiths and even cover your expenses. But if I win, you'll have to cover mine."
Li Aozi tilted his head:
"You're so ordinary. Where does this confidence come from?"
"Are you going to take the bet or not?" Yanagimon continued in a mocking tone: "After all, for you Red Arrow people, living in mansions and driving V8 luxury cars, it must be hard to appreciate how scarce our resources in Tianhuan are."
"Pfft—"
Yanagimon's nonsensical remark made Li Aozi laugh.
"If you want to provoke me, at least be straightforward about it," Li Aozi waved his hand. "Fine, I'll clear out my shopping cart, and you'll pay for it."
"Heh, blind confidence."
Yanagimon was secretly pleased: not only was he deliberately causing trouble, but he also knew how wealthy the Red Arrow people were. If he could fleece Li Aozi, it wouldn't just be revenge for his master but also a tangible gain. Plus, spreading the word that a Red Arrow man paid his bill would be great for his reputation.
Fame and fortune—there was no way he could lose.
Besides, he was well-prepared. Those Frost-Plated agents had already provided him with a list of renowned swordsmiths. As long as he followed their suggestions, he was sure to win in terms of total value.
"I'm definitely going to win!"