According to Zhu Yixin’s explanation, this elderly man was the master of ceremonies for this Jiben beast-fight and the owner of Mogulan, the largest arena in the south. His name was Agawa, and he was of mixed human and Yao blood.
Old Man Agawa was born in Chongzhou, not far to the east of our Myriad Yao Stockade. Chongzhou bordered the Southern Sea, and more than two-thirds of its territory lay upon the water, distributed across islands scattered like stars. South of Gevin Island, the southernmost point, lay the maritime territory of the Leitian Kingdom. Over a hundred and twenty years ago, when the War of the Six Yao Kings broke out in Leitian, Agawa was only thirteen. He had been caught up in the war by chance while out fishing and drifted to Leitian. As a mercenary, he spent decades fighting through life-and-death situations, eventually amassing a troop of a thousand men and hundreds of millions in wealth. King Anci granted him the title of Governor and took him into his service. Once Leitian was pacified, Agawa, having seen through the vanities of the world, decided to wash his hands of the business. Upon returning to his homeland, he built Mogulan in Chongzhou.
Chongzhou had always been a place where humans and Yao lived together; even the Yao language, the Jing tongue, and the Leitian language were used side-by-side without conflict. Xiao Xuelin and Wen Shu had been stationed there for several years and had picked up a smattering of the Yao language through osmosis. Chongzhou was also a place where bandits thrived and madmen roamed, home to every kind of black-market industry imaginable. Bloody events like beast-fighting were hosted year-round by several establishments. Thus, a place like Mogulan was unheard of in the decadent and peaceful twin capitals of Ping and An, but it was a common sight in Chongzhou. I wondered what Manager Jin, the host of this year’s Jiben, was thinking by bringing Mogulan to the foot of the Emperor’s throne. Although the government turned a blind eye to the Jiben gatherings, they surely had to pay heavy tributes to the various ministries...
Seeing me tilt my head and scan her with my eyes, Wei Qingming smiled. "What is it?"
I snuggled into her arms with a grin, tickling her neck with the fluffy pom-poms at the end of my cloak’s ties. "Old Man Agawa must be making a fortune opening shop in the capital. Has he offered any tribute to our household? Shouldn't Official Wei squeeze him a little?"
"Mogulan," Wei Qingming mused. "I have dealt with them while on business in Chongzhou. Mr. Agawa is a man of considerable character. His son, Uguli, has decent martial skills; he and I became acquainted through a bit of a scuffle."
Her casual words left both Zhu Yixin and me stunned. After a long moment, Zhu Yixin cried out, "Why didn't you say so earlier! I wasted all that breath explaining it to you, and it turns out you know the most!"
I, on the other hand, excitedly grabbed Wei Qingming’s shoulders. "I want to go backstage and see. If that's the case, it shouldn't be a problem at all, right?"
Wei Qingming couldn't help but chuckle. After her laughter subsided, she replied with her usual calm, "Naturally. I had already agreed with Mr. Agawa to leave Jiben through the internal passage once the show ends. If Zhenzhen wants to take a look and pay a visit along the way, that would be fine as well."
Zhu Yixin and I shared a high-five and cheered. Over in the arena, Agawa had finished introducing the combatants. There were only three of them, yet twenty-four beasts had been prepared for them to slaughter. My brothers and sisters teased me, saying a cat watching a beast-fight was a case of "the beanstalk burning the beans," but in the Yao perspective, beasts that have not transformed and lack sapience are not considered Yao. Moreover, the Yao world follows the law of the jungle. Humans merely use their own morality to judge what we consider common sense—and how much hypocrisy is hidden within that morality!
After Agawa finished speaking, he bowed elegantly with his hand over his heart, wrapped his cloak around him, and paced back to the side of the stage. Behind him, the heavy iron gates opened once more. The massive iron chains groaned with a sound like muffled thunder as four ferocious beasts were slowly brought out on prisoner carts, instantly igniting a chorus of terrified yet excited roars from the crowd.
All four giant beasts were native to the hot southern lands, belonging to the dragon-lizard species, covered in thick scales with long tails and sharp claws. Eight heavy steel cables, as thick as a man's arm, were spiked into the armpits of their forelimbs and looped around their chests. The ends of these cables were held by four beautiful fox Yao who looked like identical sisters. They sat or stood leaning against the front of the carts, giggling coquettishly and leaping with excitement, constantly waving to the surrounding audience. Their delicate, soft skin appeared even more mouth-watering against the backdrop of the rough, dark lizard scales. Furthermore, they were dressed in thin, revealing clothes, and they had deliberately kept their furry ears and tails atop their heads and behind them... This kind of incomplete transformation was done entirely to please humans and was deeply despised in our Yao realm!
Soon, the first protagonist of the beast-fight made a high-profile entrance, arriving from the horizon in a flying carriage drawn by four horses and eight wings. Before his figure was even seen, the sound of warbling laughter preceded him. The man held two fox Yao—seemingly cast from the same mold as the four on the ground—in his arms. Dressed in dazzling white, his manner was flamboyant as he prided himself on being a romantic rogue. This was "White Viscount" An Zhe, whom Agawa had just introduced.
As this peacock of a man landed on the ground and bowed in all directions, the people of Pingjing gave him face, their cheers shaking the earth and sky. I rolled my eyes and covered my ears, yet I could still hear Nie Xueqing laughing behind me. "People in the capital really haven't seen a beast-fight. In the south, those who bet on the opposing side use broken Yao language to hurl insults; there's far more cursing than cheering! This kid looks so surprised—he probably didn't expect that no one would curse him!"
We all burst into laughter. An Zhe, flanked by beauties on both sides, looked utterly decadent. After waving happily, he kissed one of the women and then smilingly placed his hand over hers to press a mechanism. The steel cables piercing the four beasts' bodies crashed to the ground. The long spikes were over a foot long; instantly, blood geysered from the eight wounds. The shrill, enraged cries of the beasts echoed over the arena, causing even the clouds in the sky to tremble.
The fox Yao, dragging the blood-stained ends of the long cables, skipped back behind the iron gates. According to the arena rules, gladiators could use any weapon but were forbidden from wearing defensive equipment to make the combat more dangerous and thrilling. An Zhe was thin, and the white clothes he wore were indeed ordinary garments. After the referee verified this with a magical tool, they only waited to unlock the cages and release the beasts for the match to begin. Facing four beasts at once meant An Zhe had to fight four consecutive rounds. Depending on the outcome of the victories, defeats, and injuries, several types of bets could be placed—this was the primary source of income for arenas like Mogulan.
The inspection was complete. The referee’s hand hovered over the lock of one of the cages. Just as he was about to open it, a malicious laugh rang out across the arena. "Is bullying beasts without sapience considered a skill?"
A man walked slowly from the main gate, dressed in a yellow Daoist robe with black borders and an embroidered Eight Trigrams pattern—the standard attire of a wandering charlatan. Yet, no one dared to underestimate him—he was a Yao with a cultivation at the early Radiance-Consuming stage! For some reason, his face, set with emerald-green snake pupils, looked utterly incongruous and bizarre when paired with Daoist clothing.
"A Yao cultivator from a Daoist sect..." Qiao Songlin remarked with a rare frown. "Unheard of."
Only then did I realize why I felt such a strange sensation upon seeing this man. Indeed, all Daoist cultivators within the Great Jing borders were humans. At most, there were a few scattered Spirit Race members, all of whom were artifact spirits from the few ancient human magical tools that remained. Yao generally only needed to cultivate by instinct; though slow, their lifespans were long, and they grew stronger than humans of the same rank as they progressed. If they insisted on taking a human path to the Dao, they could choose the Buddhist or Demonic paths, but I had never heard of a Daoist path for them... The techniques of my Goumeng Mountain fused Buddhism and Daoism and existed outside the Five Elements; historically, they were even closer to the Buddhist path. Therefore, there had never been any obstacles for Sister Feng Xuan and me to practice illusion arts after our transformation.
Seeing me turn an uneasy gaze toward her, Wei Qingming returned a reassuring smile, gently patting my hand. "Do not fear," she said calmly. "Someone will deal with him."
As soon as she spoke, the Yao Daoist indeed raised his voice to call for Agawa. The old gentleman appeared in the arena once more without waiting for further words, calmly cupping his hands. "A distinguished guest arrives suddenly. Please forgive my lack of welcome. May I ask for your guidance?"
He was nearly a hundred and fifty years old. For one at the peak of the Cloud-Swallowing stage, he wasn't actually old, but he had not used any youth-preserving techniques. Combined with his weathered expression and relaxed shoulders, he looked like a man who had experienced all the warmth and coldness of the world—a truly desolate elder. In contrast, the Yao Daoist, who was several hundred years older, was in high spirits and retained the appearance of a young man. Despite the pressure of the Radiance-Consuming stage that this man arrogantly released, Agawa remained neither humble nor haughty, unmoved as if nothing in the world could ever disturb his spirit again.
"A world of purity, under the bright sun," the Yao Daoist sneered. "That such a tawdry business can grandly enter the Imperial Capital is a sign of moral decay and the loss of ancient integrity!"
As he spoke, his eyes ignited with the piercing color of a Yao’s pupils. He began to chant a sorrowful Yao song: "Born in fear, dying in grief, pity my kin, for their suffering is great..."
Though the beasts in the cages were not sapient, the Yao language was something they understood instinctively. Hearing the song, they craned their necks and roared. From deep behind the iron gates, faint wails responded, sounding like ghostly sobs rising from the depths of Avici Hell.
Though An Zhe had fragrant flowers pinned to his lapel and gold leaves circling his hat brim, his speech was crude and vulgar. "What does the senior want? Give us the truth plainly! You're wasting everyone's time for nothing!" he said impatiently.
The Yao Daoist glanced at him and gave a wicked smile. "You boy, you pride yourself on being strong, but you're just taking advantage of the rules. If they had equal intelligence, you wouldn't be able to kill even one of these four giant beasts!"
"Hoh!" An Zhe feigned shock, leaning back with a rogue’s grin. "Old Daoist, you can't just talk nonsense. You—"
"An Zhe." Agawa understood that further verbal entanglement would surely lead them into the Yao Daoist’s trap. He spoke up to stop him, but it was too late. The Yao Daoist smiled leisurely and replied, "I do not speak nonsense. Master of Mogulan, do you dare to make a bet with me?"
He flicked his wide sleeves and laughed wildly. "Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I shall grant these four beasts sapience and have them leave their cages together to fight your four warriors. Only then can it be called a fair duel!"
The crowd erupted into a din, with people constantly shouting, "Agree to it!" "I'll double my bet!" "We want to see something exciting!"
In such a situation, Agawa had nothing more to say. He remained calm. "The rules of the arena state that those who have already fought cannot appear again. I only have three warriors left under my command."
"Your son is the top figure of the Chongzhou arena." The Yao Daoist seemed to have anticipated this, saying without hesitation, "He can make up the number; that should suffice!"
This statement was contemptuous and rude to the extreme. Only then did Agawa lift his eyelids and stare at him quietly, yet he raised no objection. Without waiting for his father’s command, Uguli had already emerged from the backstage. He was indeed robust and graceful, his steps light and steady. His killing intent was not worn on his sleeve; his aura was restrained, and his noble bearing was evident. He truly deserved Wei Qingming’s "decent" praise...
He came to a halt behind his father, gave a submissive nod, and cupped his fists toward the Yao Daoist. "Uguli offers his greetings. May I ask the senior’s name?"
"Wang Guangqi."
At the same time, Wei Qingming summoned Hong Lu and uttered only one word: "Investigate." Hong Lu made a hand gesture toward the high seats of the arena. Several seemingly unrelated people stood up and quietly left the venue. Among them was the man with the shrewd, small eyes that bore a resemblance to Commander Yuan, despite his disguise...
Uguli offered a casual pleasantry and turned to wave his hand. "Everyone, come up!"
The two warriors originally scheduled to follow An Zhe emerged at the sound. One was a gaunt, tall man in a black robe, standing in the arena like a withered tree scorched by fire. The other was a woman with slightly bronzed skin, looking very fit. With a spear at her waist and a bow on her shoulder, she was a hunter—a rarity in the arena who fought with long-range archery!
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wang Guangqi curled his lips into a bizarre smile. Standing with two fingers pressed together, he threw out a streak of golden light that covered the four beasts. Instantly, Yao energy erupted, forming four whirlwinds that collided, repelled, and devoured one another. The cages made of refined steel let out a groaning sound as they buckled under the weight. The four beasts underwent a metamorphosis on the spot, transforming into human form!
