Chapter 668

Wanyan Chixiong said: "This white camel, even in my Hu State, is a rare thing; traversing the sandy sea desert like walking on flat ground, I specially selected one to present to the Eldest Princess."

Xue Lingjun chuckled: "This white camel may be good-looking, but it is utterly useless in the Central Plains."

Wanyan Chixiong said: "When the Eldest Princess goes to play in the great desert in the future, it will come in handy."

Xue Lingjun said: "I, the Princess, am frail and especially afraid of the cold; I never want to go to that bitterly cold, arid place in the great desert in this lifetime."

Wanyan Chixiong's expression turned awkward; he waved his hand, signaling the big man to lead the white camel out.

Xue Daohong said: "In the future, if Black Hu and Dakang maintain good relations, I believe there will be a chance to visit Black Hu; Princess, you should still accept it."

Xue Lingjun said: "Besides livestock, what else does Black Hu have?" Her words, spoken with a narrow smile, carried a double meaning.

Wanyan Chixiong didn't understand her meaning, patted his chest and said: "Our Hu State still has warriors!"

Xue Lingjun said: "Warriors? I wonder how the Black Hu warriors compare to those of Da Yong."

Xue Daohong heard the aunt's tone was off, hastily gave her a glance, but Xue Lingjun acted as if she hadn't seen it.

Wanyan Chixiong beamed at Xue Lingjun; this question really gave him a headache. In his heart, Black Hu's warriors were naturally a hundred times stronger than Da Yong's, but it wouldn't do to say so to their face.

Xue Lingjun said: "I don't know if the Fourth Prince has any warriors accompanying him on this trip; why not summon one to show his skills, so we can broaden our horizons?"

Wanyan Chixiong nodded and said: "Good! Summon La Han!" He suddenly bellowed, his voice like a great bell, shaking everyone's ears with a hum; the sound carried far outside the hall. Soon, the warrior La Han, who had been waiting outside, entered the hall.

Black Hu people are generally tall and sturdy; this La Han is even more so. He appeared in the hall like a robust brown bear, instantly eliciting low gasps from the crowd.

Wanyan Chixiong said: "La Han, haven't you met the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess yet?" He spoke in the Hu language, which few present could understand.

La Han placed his right hand over his heart and bowed to the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess.

Huo Shengnan, upon seeing this person appear, couldn't help but frown. La Han is the deputy general of Black Hu's General Zha'erchi, sworn brothers with him; Zha'erchi died at her hands. Recalling the earlier assassination attempt against her, Huo Shengnan faintly sensed that the appearance of these Black Hu people in Yongdu was anything but ordinary.

Xue Daohong praised: "What a formidable man! I wonder what skills you possess."

Wanyan Chixiong said a few words to La Han; La Han nodded and retreated to the center of the hall. Wanyan Chixiong said: "The Crown Prince may have his warriors attack with swords and spears; La Han will not fight back."

Xue Daohong said: "Swords and spears are blind; if they hurt him, wouldn't that be bad?"

Wanyan Chixiong said: "Your Highness, rest assured, not a single hair of La Han will be harmed."

Xue Daohong, hearing him speak so confidently, nodded and signaled his guards to give it a try.

The warrior drew his sword, and a gasp rose from the crowd. The warrior, gripping his steel blade, circled La Han; before striking, he still let out a shout, for it was not a life‑or‑death match, so he held back a third of his strength. The steel blade striking La Han's body actually rang like metal on stone. Around them came repeated gasps; the timid guests covered their eyes, dreading to see blood spilled on the spot.

La Han showed no expression after that blow; only his clothes were torn by the warrior. He shook his head, pulled open the front of his garment. With a sound of ripping cloth, he appeared half‑naked before the crowd, his muscles knotted like stone carving, clearly defined; his chest was covered in thick black hair, and each of his thick arms bore a tattoo of a blue wolf head.

The warrior's earlier strike left not a single mark on La Han's body.

Wanyan Chixiong laughed heartily and shouted: "Don't hold back—give it your all!"

Xue Daohong gave the guard a look; the guard retreated two steps, then surged forward again, swinging his steel blade and chopping fiercely at La Han's shoulder. This blow came with savage force, the blade ringing loudly, clearly he had exerted his full strength. The crowd again gasped as La Han neither dodged nor blocked, allowing the blade to fall on his shoulder. With a crack, his shoulder suffered no harm, but the steel blade, as if striking hard rock, snapped in two.

The guard clung to the broken hilt, his face a picture of shock; he never imagined this Black Hu warrior could be so formidable—this was no mere flesh and blood, but harder than metal and stone.

Two more guards stepped forward with long spears, their tips flashing with cold light straight for La Han's heart. La Han not only did not dodge, he took a step forward. Both spear points struck his chest simultaneously, but his hard skin would not let them penetrate even a fraction. He kept walking forward, the shafts bending under his pressure until they snapped with a crack. The onlookers stared, dumbstruck—La Han was truly a divine man. No wonder Da Yong and Black Hu have fought for years without defeating him; if Black Hu had a few more warriors like him, the outcome of any clash would be far from certain.

If at first the crowd had doubts about the sudden peace between the two nations, now seeing La Han's ferocious display, a chill ran down their spines; many thought that if the two countries could henceforth be friendly and end warfare forever, it would not be bad at all.

Xue Daohong praised: "Truly a warrior! Someone, reward him with fifty gold!"

Wanyan Chixiong's face lit up as he said to Xue Daohong: "Your Highness, I've heard that the Central Plains also produce heroes in abundance; do you have such a warrior?"

Before Xue Daohong could reply, Xue Lingjun beside him said: "Our Da Yong has plenty of heroes who are both wise and brave; why, Fourth Prince, would you like to see one?"

Wanyan Chixiong laughed: "I naturally believe the Eldest Princess's words; Da Yong and Black Hu are places where heroes abound, but I've heard that the southern state of Dakang is full of weaklings and incompetents—surely not a single respectable person among them." As he said this, he deliberately glanced at Hu Xiaotian, picking on the soft persimmon, basically provoking Hu Xiaotian on purpose.

Hu Xiaotian merely took his words as a fart and ignored him completely.

Xue Daohong, however, said: "That remark of the Fourth Prince isn't entirely true either; although Dakang lies in the south, it has also produced many outstanding heroes thanks to its talented people and auspicious spirits."

Wanyan Chixiong burst out laughing: "Heroes?" He pointed at Hu Xiaotian and said: "Do you dare call someone like this a hero?"

As the saying goes, "what does not concern one is hung high"; the guests all watched silently, waiting to see how things would develop.

Hu Xiaotian had always wanted to keep a low profile, but now that someone had provoked him openly to his face, staying silent would make him a coward. He smiled and said: "Throughout history, few have become heroes relying solely on brute strength; the Eldest Princess was right—true heroes possess both wisdom and courage. Don't think that just because you've trained your skin to be thick and have a bit of strength you're some kind of warrior hero; such specimens are a dime a dozen in the Central Plains, not necessarily formidable." He skillfully dragged Xue Lingjun into the conversation, speaking from the perspective of the Central Plains to stir up a sense of common hatred against the enemy.

Wanyan Chixiong said: "This Lord Hu really knows how to talk big; do you have the guts to challenge my warrior here?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "I say, Fourth Prince, you really can talk while standing without hurting your waist—what status do I have? How could I possibly spar with a servant?"

Wanyan Chixiong snapped: "Anyone can talk big; it's just that you lack courage! I see that all of Dakang are cowards."

Xue Daohong, hearing his rude words, couldn't help but cough and said: "Fourth Prince, Lord Hu, you are both honored guests of Da Yong; please, do not harm the harmony."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, "You bastard, you're no good, deliberately stirring up trouble, favoring one over the other, looking down on our Dakang; if you don't show us some color, you'll regret it." Hu Xiaotian said: "Fighting and killing only hurt harmony; according to your Black Hu rules, isn't it just that whoever has strength is a warrior? My horse‑handler is very strong—why not bring him in to match up with your so‑called Black Hu's number‑one warrior?" (No one had said La Han was Black Hu's number‑one warrior; Hu Xiaotian was deliberately putting a laurel on him, so the higher the praise, the harder the fall.)

Huo Shengnan quietly reminded Hu Xiaotian: "This man possesses boundless strength; you don't need to contend with him over this."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "If we don't contend over this, they'll still think the Central Plains has no one!" He waved at Jianping and said with a smile: "Sister, please go fetch my horse‑handler, the bear‑cub."

Li Chen Zhou said to Hu Xiaotian: "This man is endowed with innate brute strength and has mastered hard‑style martial arts; does your lordship's horse‑handler truly have the ability to face him?" Although Li Chen Zhou didn't particularly like Hu Xiaotian, he also didn't want to see the Black Hu people showing off their might here.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Thanks for your concern, but I see that this dim‑witted oaf isn't anything formidable."

Xiong Tianba soon arrived; before he even got here, his voice came through: "Lord Hu! Lord Hu! Are you looking for me?" His voice was also extremely loud, shaking everyone's ears with a hum.

Wanyan Chixiong was startled at the boy's voice, but seeing Xiong Tianba walk in from outside, he burst out laughing, slapping the table and saying: "I thought a monkey had come in!" Everyone laughed at that. Xiong Tianba is dark and thin, really looking a bit like a monkey.

Xiong Tianba didn't know why everyone was laughing; seeing Hu Xiaotian walk over happily, he had not brought his Great Iron Hammer—he loved that pair of hammers dearly and now couldn't bear to be parted from them for a moment. Although the Eldest Princess's mansion forbids outsiders from bringing weapons inside, he insisted on not putting the hammers down, and Jianping could only go along with it, specially permitting him to bring the hammers in.

Upon seeing the pair of Great Iron Hammers in Xiong Tianba's hands, La Han's body shuddered and he let out a mighty "wa‑ya‑ya" roar as he lunged at Xiong Tianba.

Xiong Tianba didn't understand what he was saying; seeing the person not retreat, he raised his twin hammers and shouted angrily: "You big idiot, stand your ground! Come any closer and I'll smash you to death!" (To be continued~^~)