To ensure fairness, the time for the Seven Formations wager was set for three days later, at Wolong Mountain Manor, not far from the northeastern great camp.
With the stakes increased, Hua Jinrong's document needed to be redrafted, and King Wucheng had to issue orders and deploy troops.
Thus, the uncle and nephew, who should have been mortal enemies, were forced by circumstances not only to rack their brains to avoid each other while handling official business but even to eat and sleep together.
It was… quite vexing.
Fortunately, this situation didn't last long, as others soon found their way over.
Three days later, both sides arrived at Wolong Mountain Manor.
As if fearing a renege, the martial world rogues, wealthy merchants, and even royalty from neighboring countries like Prince Andrei of Chile, were all invited by the unusually unified uncle and nephew to serve as witnesses to the wager.
Fortunately, Wolong Mountain Manor had extensive experience hosting large banquets, providing a comprehensive service from venue and accommodation to snacks and markets.
Feeling as though piles of shining silver were slipping through her fingers, Lin Qingge was forced to sit in a prime viewing spot, biting her lower lip sourly.
Before long, three cannon shots rang out, signaling the start of the Seven Formations wager.
The entire venue fell silent.
Unexpectedly, yet also predictably, Liu Chenfei was once again the host.
As the third disciple of the master of Wolong Mountain Manor, Liu Chenfei skillfully leaped onto the central stage and cupped his fists to the crowd:
"Esteemed guests, before the formations officially begin, I shall first read out the wager between King Wucheng and the Tenth Prince."
Although the new emperor could approve this matter with his seal, it was inconvenient for him to appear in person.
And while Lin Qingge was initially intended to be the fall guy, she fortunately discovered the situation in time.
After she declared she didn't mind Leng Ningyue directly killing King Wucheng, no matter the consequences, Hua Jinrong silently wrote Feng Qingchen's name on the document.
However, in a lapse of meticulousness, the new emperor's seal was affixed just as An Ling, who was delivering a memorial, happened to see it.
An Ling returned and mentioned it to Feng Qingchen. Already overwhelmed with handling the aftermath of the Fourth Prince's rebellion, Feng Qingchen became furious once again, and then again, and again.
Consequently, upon receiving the document, Hua Jinrong found that not only had her name been replaced with his, but she had also received an additional "letter of greeting," estimated to be over three thousand characters long, with no repeated phrases.
After Liu Chenfei read the wager twice, the crowd was astonished that the Tenth Prince, who was also the Right Prime Minister personally appointed by the new emperor, was playing such a high-stakes game, even putting military authority on the line.
At the same time, they were curious how Lin Jingxing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, had provoked King Wucheng to such an extent that he was willing to expose his treasonous thoughts to the public, even at the risk of his own life, just to eliminate Lin Jingxing.
Meanwhile.
Adhering to the principle of respecting elders, Hua Jinrong yielded the right to issue the first challenge to King Wucheng.
King Wucheng confidently made a gesture to call out his challenger.
Before long, gasps of surprise erupted from the viewing stands on both sides:
"Heavens, is this guy human? How can he be so huge?"
The warrior who stepped out had a head like a sack of grain, eyes like copper bells, a head full of curly yellow hair, sixteen shrimp-like braids tied together with golden clasps, and wore a pair of oversized cowhide combat boots.
If this person had even coarser hair, he would have been a perfect, genuine gorilla!
Let alone practicing martial arts, just standing on the stage, he resembled a small mountain, exuding an oppressive and suffocating aura.
"Goodness, isn't that General Da Xingxing?"
The exclamation came from Prince Andrei of Chile, who, due to their acquaintance, was seated with Lin Qingge.
"A gorilla?"
With a twitch of his eyelids, Lin Qingge felt too weary to even retort.
"Lord Lin, Da Xingxing is a general of our Chile kingdom. He possesses natural strength and is valiant in battle.
However, why is General Da Xingxing here?
This prince recalls his father mentioning before departing that he had an important task for General Da Xingxing.
Coincidentally, it was on the same route as this prince, so he allowed General Da Xingxing to escort this prince."
Lin Qingge, upon hearing this, couldn't help but support her forehead with one hand:
"Brother, isn't there a possibility that Da Xingxing isn't here as a spectator to join the fun, but was sent by your father to participate in the challenge?"
Although Chile and Great Xia were on friendly terms, if Da Xingxing assisted King Wucheng in a personal capacity, Great Xia would have no grounds to object.
At this moment, Da Xingxing on the stage faced the viewing stands where Lin Qingge was seated and loudly declared in a heavily accented, stilted manner:
"I am Da Xingxing, the 'God of Strength General' of the Chile kingdom.
This general competes not in other aspects, but in strength."
As he finished speaking, a loud "clash, clash" of metal striking metal was heard from outside the arena.
The crowd looked up and saw an iron vehicle, seven feet long and four feet wide, being pushed in from the southeast corner.
Anyone familiar with warfare would know that this was an iron siege roller, a weapon used for defending cities and strongholds, possessing considerable destructive power.
Because the iron vehicle was too heavy for the stage to bear, and thus could not be lifted onto it, Da Xingxing specifically descended to the open ground, puffed out his chest.
"Do you all see?
This iron siege roller weighs nine hundred and thirty jin. Now, this general will use it to practice with you."
After saying this, Da Xingxing grabbed the two handles at the back of the vehicle and effortlessly pushed it forward nine steps, pulled it back nine steps, and then circled the stage three times.
Finally, he rubbed some unknown white powder on his hands, bent down, gripped the head of the vehicle, gripped the handle with his other hand, shook his head, and assumed a horse-riding stance:
"Lift!"
The shout was so loud and clear that the nearly thousand-jin iron siege roller was immediately lifted off the ground, held aloft by Da Xingxing.
As Da Xingxing lifted the iron siege roller over his head, everyone present was awestruck:
"Such strength!"
"Truly divine power!"
"Amazing!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Da Xingxing lowered the iron siege roller amidst the applause, breathing steadily and without a change in expression, filled with pride.
After a brief pause, he shouted provocatively towards Lin Qingge's viewing stands:
"If anyone can lift this iron siege roller like this general just did, they win!"
However, this move by the "gorilla" truly put Lin Qingge's side on the spot.
As the saying goes, it's not the fear of a thousand techniques, but the fear of one perfected technique.
This strength subdued all other skills.
Even Leng Ningyue, who possessed extraordinary martial arts, could at most use her internal energy to send this iron siege roller flying a short distance.
It was utterly impossible for her to lift it.
The same applied to Ling Han and others.
Ye Shengxiao looked around and pouted:
"My lord, it is not that I am boosting the enemy's morale and dampening our own.
Were it about agile movements, aerial leaps, swords, spears, sabers, axes, halberds, or hooks and forks, we would be sure to win!
But this thing...
Even my beloved, oh no, my wife, would probably find it difficult, like stuffing pepper into her nostrils, right?"
"You're the one with pepper in your nostrils!"
Glinting at Ye Shengxiao, who clearly had a silver tongue but a foul mouth, Lin Qingge had already made up her mind to forfeit.
After all, no one here could possibly do this, so it was better to conserve strength for the remaining six formations.
Just as Lin Qingge was about to signal Hua Jinrong to forfeit, a clear female voice suddenly rang out from afar:
"What impudent gorilla is this, to be so arrogant!
Come, let this Princess meet you!"