Chapter 234 Unexpectedly So Reckless

Chapter 234 Unexpectedly So Reckless

After a slight tremor, the earth returned to calm. However, many people still looked doubtful and uncertain.

Su Zhenyun turned to look at his daughter. Seeing that she was unharmed, he then gazed toward the sky, observing the weather. The white clouds had somehow turned into scattered fragments, though not noticeably so. A few startled birds flew overhead, but their numbers were few. After a moment of contemplation, he stepped forward and said,

"Your Majesty, this earthquake was not severe, and there should be no aftershocks. However, it would be wise for Your Majesty to move to an open area and observe the situation further."

Disaster relief is one of the regular duties of the Ministry of Revenue. Minister Su had personally gone to disaster-stricken areas for relief work and thus had some experience with earthquakes.

In fact, the viewing platform they were on was quite stable, but given the safety of the Emperor, Su Zhenyun naturally took every precaution.

Baili Hongxuan, prioritizing everyone's safety, was about to nod in agreement when a voice suddenly came from where the Dongrong Country delegation stood.

"Ah, Your Majesty, before we go anywhere, let me make this clear: your country has already lost this round. Your warrior left the stage first. According to the rules, the one who leaves the Martial Arts Field first loses, while the one who remains wins. You won't deny this later, will you?"

The Great Shen delegation, who had been uneasy, immediately glared angrily upon hearing this.

"You clearly lost, yet you dare to spout such nonsense!"

"That's right! Our Minister Xie had his sword at his throat just now! How can you say we lost?"

How outrageous! There could be such unfairness in the world!

Many who had previously despised Xie Yuan now referred to him as "our Minister Xie."

The Dongrong envoy sneered. "Open your eyes and see. Our General Tuoba is still on the Martial Arts Field!"

Everyone turned back and saw that the young man with blue-green eyes had indeed not left the stage.

But anyone could tell that Xie Yuan had clearly won the match!

Unbelievable, how despicable and shameless the Dongrong people were!

Prince Bei frowned, seemingly disapproving of his own envoy, but after weighing the situation, he did not speak up immediately.

Seeing the Great Shen crowd getting agitated and ready to argue with the Dongrong people, Baili Hongxuan said coldly, "Your envoy may not care about lives, but I must prioritize the lives of my subjects. We will discuss this matter in a safe place."

Without waiting for the envoy's reaction, Baili Hongxuan led the palace attendants directly to the spacious racetrack within the Martial Arts Field.

Hearing the Emperor's concern for their lives, the angry crowd of Great Shen felt a warmth in their hearts, unable to express what they felt, and followed closely behind the Emperor, as if ignoring the Dongrong people entirely.

When had the Dongrong envoys ever faced such coldness from the Emperor of Great Shen? Their faces darkened, but since the Emperor had already left, they could not remain foolishly in place, risking another earthquake.

So they followed suit.

Even Su Youyue was helped down by several girls, despite the inconvenience, prioritizing her safety.

Once everyone reached the racetrack, those in the front row could see more clearly that Tuoba Xiao, who had approached the Dongrong envoy, had blood on his arm. It turned out that Minister Xie's sword had injured him earlier.

This clearly showed that his martial skills were inferior to Minister Xie's, yet they still claimed victory shamelessly!

Everyone gathered in the open area, relieved that no further earthquakes occurred as Minister Su had predicted. They began to discuss among themselves.

"These Dongrong people are so shameless. Now that they've lost a round, will they honor the bet? If they don't, we'll lose big time!"

"Who knows? They're a powerful nation. If they choose to ignore their honor, what can we do? At most, history books will record their shamelessness!"

Prince Bei's face grew darker, while the Dongrong envoys argued fiercely with the Great Shen crowd.

What's the point of being shameless? When it comes to national interests, who cares about shame?

As both sides were arguing intensely, Xie Yuan, one of the main parties involved, finally spoke up, "General Tuoba."

The Great Shen crowd, who had been arguing on his behalf, stopped and turned to look at Xie Yuan.

Tuoba Xiao, upon hearing his name, also looked at Xie Yuan. His eyes seemed darker, revealing an indiscernible emotion, but it was clearly not good.

"After General Tuoba bent down to pick up the wolf tooth, did you count how many breaths passed before you rose?"

A faint smile played on the man's lips, contrasting sharply with everyone else's agitation. He seemed unaffected by their emotions.

Upon his question, everyone paused, then quickly reacted.

While there was a rule that leaving the stage first meant losing, there was also a rule that failing to rise within fifteen breaths meant losing!

Did Tuoba Xiao stay down for that long before rising?

The Great Shen crowd exchanged glances. During the earthquake, they had all been stunned and did not bother counting. Some had not even noticed.

The Dongrong crowd anxiously watched Tuoba Xiao, hoping he would answer quickly and tell them it was less than fifteen breaths. Otherwise, if they lost, the cost would be too high!

This was not a minor matter!

The Dongrong envoys were burning with impatience, wishing to answer for Tuoba Xiao, but after a moment of silence, he replied, "Sixteen breaths."

"General Tuoba!" The Dongrong envoys were frantic. They couldn't understand why General Tuoba was helping the Great Shen people!

Even if it was sixteen breaths, he shouldn't have admitted it!

If they lost to Great Shen, they would lose more than just the conditions; they would lose face for Dongrong!

To be defeated by Great Shen in the Martial Arts Field, how could they maintain their status as the strongest nation? They could not allow any other nation to surpass them!

"Hear that? I heard it too. He himself said it was sixteen breaths. That means they lost first, and Minister Xie left the field!"

The Great Shen crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief, followed by sudden joy. So, they had won the Martial Arts Field competition?

The surprise was so overwhelming that they dared not believe it at first.

The envoys of Dongrong Country all wanted to grab hold of Tuobа Chao and ask him what he was thinking.

Before they could ask, Tuobа Chao spoke up coldly, "Even if we were to have another match, no one would be his match now! It would just be courting humiliation!"

With that, he coldly left the scene.

"This..." The envoys of Dongrong Country were furious. They had heard that General Tuobа was willful, but they never expected him to be this willful!