Chapter Thirty-Three: Encounter with the Three Men in Black Again

  "Could the newcomer be Xu Zhuangshi, the son of Xu Gongming from Yang County?" Zhao Xing, with a face full of smiles, asked as he walked towards the entrance of the village, where a tall and sturdy man, over 1.8 meters in height, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a prominent nose and a wide mouth, was holding a large axe and greeting him with a fist bump.

  "Is this the residence of Yang County's Xu Huan? I wonder how to address the visitor?" Xu Huan, although rough in appearance, was not a rude person, and he returned the courtesy with a bow.

  "In the humble abode of Tiger Villa, Zhao Xing was suddenly informed by a servant that Xu Zhuangshi had arrived as a guest, and he felt extremely honored. He personally came to welcome him with a humble and courteous demeanor."

  "Master Zhao, no need to be so polite. Let's get straight to the point. This time, I've come here looking for the trouble that's been plaguing your village!" Xu Huan interrupted Zhao Xing's courteous words and said with a majestic tone.

  "Oh, I don't know when our humble village offended Xu Zhuangshi, but you're coming to our doorstep with axes in hand, showing off your military might!" Zhao Xing's voice also rose.

  "You, the owner of this humble village, have the best top-grade Long River liquor, but you refuse to sell it to the county magistrate's mansion. You look down on officials! The red-faced man behind you is just a commoner from the countryside, he caught some horse thieves and claims to be the 'First Tiger of Shangdang', he too looks down on others! This time I've come, is to make you country bumpkins understand that 'beyond the sky there is another sky, beyond people there are more people', in the future, don't stir up trouble!" Xu Huan said with some righteous indignation.

  Looking at the young man in front of him, who was barely twenty years old and had a pure and innocent face, Zhao Xing thought to himself, "What a great 'four-haves' youth! But he's been fooled by that bird-brained county guard. What a waste of talent! You've come to me yourself, so why should I be polite to you? From now on, I'll be the number one human trafficker in the Three Kingdoms!"

  "But I don't know how Xu Zhuangshi wants us ordinary villagers to understand the law?" Zhao Xing asked with a relaxed smile.

  "Wait until I capture that red-faced big man, you personally drive a large carriage to deliver wine, go to the prefecture's mansion to apologize and admit your mistake, and exchange wine for people!" Xuhuang said proudly.

  "You fool, how dare you! Guan Yu is right here, let's see you try to capture him!" Xu Huan was enraged at being treated as if he didn't exist by Guan Yu.

  As they spoke, the temperature in the eyes of the two fierce men rose sharply, and without saying a word, it seemed that they were about to take action.

  "Xu Zhuangshi, slow down!" Zhao Xing stopped him, "The rules of Wotou Village, once you enter the door, you are a guest. Is there any reason to fight at the door instead of welcoming the guests into the village? If both of you can't bear the itchiness, please go to the arena in the village and have a fair competition!" That certain scoundrel started spreading rumors again.

  "Please lead the way!"

  A group of people then arrived at the arena in the middle of the village square, only to find Jia Yu and Hu Che Er already waiting there. On one side were several long tables, on which were placed several jars of top-grade Changhe Daqu, as well as some wine and dishes. On the other side were dozens of stone mills the size of millstones, but it was unclear what they were for.

  Xu Huang didn't care about so many people coming to watch him fight, he just made up his mind to compete with Guan Yu. As soon as he went on stage, he took off his outer shirt and revealed a short-sleeved martial arts uniform. He opened the formation and was about to take action. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xing spoke out to stop him again.

  "Brave warriors, hold your hands! Zhao has something to say here!"

  Xu Huang grew somewhat impatient, "Is there anything else you wish to say?"

  "You must have also heard of the rules of Wozhuang Manor, where every duel requires a wager to be set, otherwise no one will agree to fight. There's a saying that goes 'guest follows host', so I ask Xu Zhuangshi to agree, lest he weakens his own reputation!" Zhao Xing said with a sinister tone.

  "Please draw a line below!"

  "Our village has a saying that there are matches with one round and three rounds, the prizes are also different. I wonder if Xu Zhuang can dare to fight three rounds?"

  "Please go on..."

  "The first round, against the First Tiger of Sleeping Tiger Village - Guan Changsheng in a test of martial prowess; the second round, against the First Ox of Sleeping Tiger Village - Hu Che'er in a test of physical strength; the third round, against the First Scholar of Sleeping Tiger Village - Jia Wenhe in a drinking contest. Whoever wins two out of three rounds will be declared the winner. If Xu Zhuangshi emerges victorious this time, I will personally carry wine to the county governor's mansion to apologize as you suggested. But if Xu Zhuangshi loses..." Someone began to reel in the net.

  Xu Huan took a look at the weak Jia Yu and the handsome but not tall Hu Che Er, weighed it in his heart, felt that his chances of winning were great, and said proudly: "If our family loses, relying on the prestige of Sleeping Tiger Villa, Xu will not be a good man if he blinks!"

  "Good, refreshing!" Zhao Xing clapped his hands in praise, but his eyes had a "I've got you right where I want you" look.

  Next, the hapless Xuhuang suffered a series of miserable defeats in his life!

  The first round, Guan Yu fought against Xu Huang. Although Xu Huang had let Guan Yu suffer greatly in the Battle of Fancheng, and eventually took Xiangyang by surprise with Lü Meng, causing Guan Yu to flee to Maicheng, leaving behind a lasting regret. However, when the two engaged in single combat, there was still a gap between them. Not to mention that Guan Yu was several years older than Xu Huang and closer to his physical peak, but also, the long knife wielded by Guan Yu required less energy compared to Xu Huang's large axe. Moreover, in terms of techniques, Guan Yu did not fall behind at all. Therefore, after a round of fighting, Guan Yu grew more courageous, while Xu Huang was shocked and gradually weakened, eventually abandoning his axe and admitting defeat.

  In the second round, Hu Che'er and Xu Huan competed in strength to see who could lift more millstones. Xu Huan lifted four millstones with all his might. Hu Che'er easily lifted six millstones. Xu Huan was defeated.

  In the third round, Jia Xiang and Xu Huang had a drinking contest. The trick used was still Zhao Yun's ambush of Guan Yu last time, only this time it was Jia Xiang ambushing Xu Huang. As a result, Xu Huang fell down without finishing a single jar of wine.

  "Have Xu Zhuangshi carried to the guest room and have someone take good care of him. Gather the troops from Wohu Camp to prepare for defense at the manor, and have the Feihu Camp troops set off immediately for Qingfeng Ridge!" After giving the order, Zhao Xing turned around and walked towards the council hall.