Lord of the Desert

Chapter 517 Battle Post
"It's not for the sake of Huaiyang Kingdom; what does the Feng clan's presence in Tietai City, along with the Giant Spirit Fire, have to do with me? This matter..."

Yi She sneered twice, and a few streaks of silver-blue lightning crackled between his eyebrows and the tips of his hair, revealing his uncontrollable rage.

Xiao Chu's close relationship with Hong Fan has always been a private matter, unknown to outsiders except for those with the most ulterior motives. The rumors he accidentally heard from the Eastern Palace yesterday are hard to verify, and it is even more inappropriate to make them public now.

"Brother, please do not ask about the reason for this matter."

Yi She recalled the scene of waiting for a long time outside Princess Xiande's residence only to bump into Hong Fan coming out. He endured for a long time and finally swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't try to persuade me. This man is a thorn in my side, and I will not be able to quell my hatred until we fight."

"Since you put it that way, I, your brother, will not comment further as I am unaware of the details."

Hou Mingxu had no choice but to back down.

“But why would Hong Fan fight you? The custom on the Prodigy Ranking is that the one with the lower rank initiates the challenge. You are superior to him in both cultivation and age. Putting aside the fact that it is not justifiable for you to initiate the challenge, I don’t understand why he would accept this inevitable defeat.”

This is spot on.

After defeating Lou Qianyu and Zhong Lianyun in succession, Yi She was recognized as the strongest in the past seven years - he had the peak of innate cultivation, practiced the famous "Void Thunder Strike Scripture" among the Ten Martial Arts Scriptures, and also possessed high-purity dragon blood.

Although Hong Fan has a great reputation, his cultivation level is only at the fourth level of the Innate Realm. It would be astonishing if he were to defeat the top of the Prodigy Ranking.

Yi She remained silent for a while, then his expression suddenly became intense.

"If he can defeat me, I will transfer the one-tenth of the shares of Baishihang that the clan previously gifted to him!"

Everyone in the waterside pavilion changed their expressions.

Baishihang's headquarters are located in Luoshen County, Lianggang, Zhanzhou. It is the largest and oldest among the nine provinces' ticket offices, with shareholders including dozens of prominent families across the country, and its total deposits are said to exceed 30 million guan.

This trading company's core business is providing safe and standardized deposit custody and inter-account transfer services. It does not lend to private individuals other than the imperial court, aristocratic families, powerful clans, and large trading companies. Its profits mainly come from account management fees, transfer fees, and interest. Its silver notes, issued by Dahua Tongyong, are more popular among the people of Southeast Zhanzhou and Haizhou than silver, which needs to be weighed and cut on the spot.

In terms of monetary value, one-thousandth of Bestway's shares is probably less than ten thousand taels, but its significance is immense. Not to mention the value contained in the information on the large-scale fund transfers between real-name accounts, for many emerging sects and powerful families, it represents a network platform and access to elite circles, which is something that is hard to come by.

This weight is not something everyone can handle, but Jin Haihong has been gaining momentum for five years and is now approaching the threshold.

"Yi She, have you discussed this matter with Guo Zhong?"

Hou Mingxu's eyes widened, making it difficult to see his gaze or focus, which intimidated those who were being stared at.

"No need to communicate. Since it's a gift to me, I can do whatever I want with it."

Yi She's reply was resolute, leaving Ming Xu speechless.

Then more voices emerged.

"If Brother Shi is so determined, then let's fight."

"A true man is quick to repay kindness and avenge wrongs; there is gain in loss!"

"Could it be that Brother Yi can actually lose?"

Those present were all of noble birth, and they loved watching the spectacle, so they immediately expressed their support.

Under the flattery, Yi She's cheeks flushed red, and his enthusiasm grew even stronger.

"This battle is not only to be fought, but also to be fought in front of everyone. Brother Zhou, I intend to set up the arena on the eighth peak below the Heavenly Terrace. This matter requires the approval of the Ministry of Rites, and I hope you can assist me!"

Jietiantai is the name of a mountain. There are eight peaks in one line. The seven highest peaks are enshrined with reliefs of martial saints from past dynasties, while the lowest eighth peak is both a sacrificial site and the highest-standard arena in the entire Great Hua.

Normally, a match between players of innate talent wouldn't qualify to be held here.

"Since you've put it this way, leave this matter to me, and I'll take care of it perfectly."

Zhou Tianlu gave his assurance.

He came from the Anping Duke's Mansion in the capital, and his family had a long-standing friendship with Meng Hongxi, the Minister of Rites and the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. It wouldn't be a problem for him to handle this matter.

“Since you are so determined, if you don’t mind, I will write the invitation.” Zu Yingyi, the youngest of the four marquises of Shenjing, also spoke up. He was famous among the younger generation of Shenjing for his calligraphy and was known for his refined taste.

"Very well, I'll send someone over once the ink dries. This time, I'll make sure she, and the whole world, know that Hong Fan is no match for me!"

Yi She clenched her fists, as if grasping at hope in despair.

After lunch, Hong Fan sat in his study for five hours straight, with a pile of papers filled with charcoal drawings on the table reaching a foot high.

This morning, all the materials used for refining the Wuxiangling were delivered to the Shenjing Artifact Workshop, and the project is expected to take ten days.

Hong Fan had not yet personally experienced what the realm of "true essence with spirit" was, but the concept of "self-decision in killing methods" alone gave him countless inspirations.

Proximity fuses, reactive armor, sand golems, floating turrets, loitering munitions, and even battlefield calamity systems...

As dusk fell, the sky turned a sandy gray, and the bloody wind that had swept from the north city finally reached the east city.

"Second Young Master, something urgent has happened!"

Shen Hong rushed into the hospital with a notice in his hand.

"It was sent by the Yi family; the person is still waiting outside..."

Hong Fan took the letter and noticed that it was not sealed with wax, and there was still ink seepage on the folded page.

Why should a swan, with its wings spread, bother with the chatter of sparrows among the bushes?
A fine steed gallops across the plains, why should it heed the neighing of a nag in the stable?
……

With a mere blade of grass, I have acquired the slightest skill of a firefly, yet I try to shake a tree like an ant, and merely try to reach the clouds like a sparrow.

……

I am the direct descendant of the Yi clan of Langya.

The most outstanding talent, bestowed with a thunderous sword.
On the rooftop, let's settle this once and for all!

The elegant and flowing handwriting ends with a vermilion seal bearing the four characters "Langya Yishe".

Hong Fan felt completely lost after reading it.

"On April 12th, they're using Best Logistics shares as a stake to challenge me to a duel?"

Over the years, he has used countless small and large banknotes, and the name of Bestway Bank is naturally well-known.

But now it is March of the thirty-third year of Zhenghe.

At this time, Liangzhou Tiannanhang produced more than 3,000 tons of steel annually, with an annual output value of more than 1.2 million strings of cash; Hezhou Jinghuanhang had been in operation for two years, with 500 workers, a total of 100,000 spindles, an annual output of 3 million catties of cotton yarn, and a value of 150,000 strings of cash.

What's even more frightening is that these trading companies all possess characteristics of the Industrial Revolution era, and with the empowerment of capital accumulation and technological iteration, they have an alarming rate of expansion.

In terms of economics and personal connections, Hong Fan has already established considerable ties with the top families in the two northwestern states, so one-thousandth of Bai Shi Xing's shares are actually insignificant.

"They actually chose the rooftop as the location?"

Hong Fan repeatedly read the arrogant and disdainful air that the noble families exuded in the challenge letter, and couldn't help but reveal a sinister smile.

When Zi Wuchang returned, he had already demystified the Heavenly Pride Ranking and no longer cared about the reputation of being at the top. However, the burning desire for fame that had been suppressed in his heart by reason and warmth had not yet dissipated.

A line from a movie came to mind:

All I want is to kill you all, or be killed by you all.

"Shen Hong, go and tell Yi She exactly what I said: I have already reached the fifth level of the Innate Realm and my body is infused with dragon blood. If he is not afraid, I will accept this battle!"

He casually tossed the post aside, his eyes reflecting the burning sunset.

That night, the battle between Jiguang Films and Chixing was settled, and the news spread throughout the land on the backs of countless steeds and birds of prey.

(End of this chapter)