Chapter 9

Zhao Kuo felt complicated when the big man looked at him like that. A surge of frustration rose in him. He jumped off the carriage, annoyed by being treated as a “pretty boy.”

Zhao Kuo thought, if he couldn’t defeat Bai Qi, how could he not beat these men? They were strong, but clearly inexperienced in real combat. 

If he couldn’t handle them, how could he still call himself a military commander or general? He might as well retire and farm for the young master.

With that thought, Zhao Kuo didn’t even use the sword at his waist. He defeated the group of men barehanded.

That’s right, it was an easy win.

Without much effort, Zhao Kuo quickly knocked out the dozen men.

The sudden change startled the group of strong men, their cries of pain reaching Ying Yue in the carriage. Her eyes widened in shock.

She looked at Bai Qi, who stood nearby, and asked, “Is Zhao Kuo really that strong?”

Ying Yue had watched Zhao Kuo challenge Bai Qi many times, only to be defeated by Bai Qi. So hearing the painful cries from the men outside surprised her.

Although she knew Bai Qi had wiped out Rui Wang Mansion quickly, she assumed it was a basic quality of a general.

But now, it seemed… that wasn’t all?

Ying Yue finally acknowledged the title given to Bai Qi by the system and the last line of his character introduction:

—A well-deserved God of War.

—Not just anyone can become deified.

The title “God of War” showed Bai Qi’s unmatched military power.

Outside, Zhao Kuo stood over the fallen “corpses” and asked the leader: “Tell me again, who’s the pretty boy?”

“I, I, I, it’s me,” the big man quickly admitted, “I’m the pretty boy, I was wrong, please spare me!”

Zhao Kuo frowned, unsatisfied with the answer.

He looked at the rough-looking man and said with disdain, “You? And you dare to talk about pretty boys?”

The man immediately changed his words, “Yes, yes, you’re right, I’m not worthy of being called a gigolo.”

Listening from the carriage, Ying Yue was amused by their conversation.

Even though she couldn’t see the “bandit leader” from the carriage, she could picture him in her mind just by listening.

A smile spread across her face, and she covered her lips, trying not to laugh out loud, fearing she would anger Zhao Kuo.

However, Bai Qi, who was sitting beside her, heard her soft laughter.

Seeing this, Bai Qi sighed and said, “If you want to laugh, go ahead.”

After all, Zhao Kuo wouldn’t get mad at her.

Ying Yue quickly shook her head, but her eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Qi.

After Bai Qi nodded, she lifted the curtain and called out to Zhao Kuo: “He’s suffered enough, stop beating him.”

As soon as Ying Yue spoke, Zhao Kuo stopped.

In fact, if the sturdy man hadn’t called himself a gigolo at the beginning, Zhao Kuo wouldn’t have cared about messing with a newbie.  

In the proud young man’s mind, a general’s opponent should be another general, not some random guy. This big, strong man looked like someone who could only work as a cook in the army, not a fighter.  

When Ying Yue’s voice appeared, the group of men quickly turned toward her, and they were stunned. Their jaws nearly dropped, and someone muttered, “A fairy has come down to earth…”  

Ying Yue was naturally beautiful. Even in a rich place like Jizhou, she was unmatched. Her beauty was so rare that if so-called handsome men and beautiful women stood beside her, they would look ordinary.  

And now, they were in Yongzhou, where it was difficult to survive, let alone dress up. So compared to everyone else, Ying Yue looked like she came from another world.  

Zhao Kuo then threatened, “If you keep staring at my sister, I’ll dig your eyes out.”  

The threat worked. The men immediately looked away, no longer daring to stare at Ying Yue, who looked like a fairy.  

As Zhao Kuo turned to talk to her, the group of men he had beaten began to stand up one by one, starting with the man on top of the pile. They checked that Zhao Kuo wasn’t looking at them, and then tried to sneak away.  

However, before they could get far, Zhao Kuo, with his back turned, yelled, “Stop.”  

His voice was cold and fierce. He looked over his shoulder at them and said, “Did I say you could leave?”  

Then, he sneered, “You try to rob someone but fail, and now you think you can just walk away? The world doesn’t work like that.”  

As he spoke, Zhao Kuo pulled out the machete that had been stuck in the ground. He twirled it a few times and then threw it back into the ground, this time even deeper.  

As the machete sunk into the ground, Zhao Kuo said coldly, “Robbery.”  

He tilted his head, cracked his neck, and, with a dominating air, said, “I own this road now.”  

The situation had completely flipped.  

The young kid who was supposed to be robbed had become the predator.  

“We just arrived in Yongzhou and don’t know much about this place. If you tell us something useful, I’ll forget what happened today. Otherwise…”  

Zhao Kuo didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant—talk or die.  

The leader of the group swallowed nervously and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “Ask away,” he said.