Chapter 669

Wanyan Chixiong saw La Han so excited, then looked at Xiong Tianba's pair of hammers, and immediately understood what was going on: this pair of hammers had been used by Long Tuotuo, and Long Tuotuo was La Han's elder brother, which was why his emotions were so aroused.

Wanyan Chixiong hastily called out to stop La Han, seeing that this black-skinned boy could actually lift the pair of hammers, he finally put aside his contempt; this monkey-like boy also seemed possessed of extraordinary strength.

Wanyan Chixiong looked at Hu Xiaotian and said, "Is this what you call a warrior?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said, "He's not any kind of warrior; he's just my carriage driver."

Xiong Tianba blinked his eyes: "Eh! Yeah, I'm Sir Hu's carriage driver, what of it?" At the crucial moment he wasn't muddle-headed either.

Hu Xiaotian saw Xiong Tianba still holding the two hammers, and found it both laughable and vexing; he said to Xiong Tianba, "Put the hammers down, I'll watch over them for you."

Xiong Tianba then took the Great Iron Hammer to Hu Xiaotian's table, set it down, and carefully instructed: "Uncle, you must keep an eye on it for me."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Just relax."

Wanyan Chixiong said: "Since your warriors have arrived, let them compete right here to see whose warriors are stronger—those of my Hu State or yours of Kang State."

Xiong Tianba said: "I'm not a warrior, I'm a groom!"

The venue instantly burst into cheerful laughter.

Xiong Tianba believed being a groom had its advantage: winning was pleasant, losing wasn't embarrassing, anyway Hu Xiaotian had assigned him the role of a groom.

Lahan, upon seeing his elder brother's relic, became excited and wailed loudly, continuously pointing at the pair of great hammers before Hu Xiaotian's table. Although Hu Xiaotian couldn't understand what he was saying, from Lahan's expression he could infer that Lahan certainly recognized those great hammers.

Huo Shengnan, who was fluent in the Hu language, whispered to Hu Xiaotian: "If I'm not mistaken, this pair of great hammers was used by the Hu general Longtuotuo in his lifetime, and this Lahan is Longtuotuo's younger brother."

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected such a coincidence. No wonder Lahan was so excited.

Hu Xiaotian rose and bowed to Princess Xue Lingjun, saying: "Your Highness, the theme of tonight's banquet is friendship; brandishing swords and spears is never good, and if anyone were injured or killed, that would be a real downer."

Xue Lingjun thought he was showing weakness, nodded and was about to speak, but unexpectedly Wanyan Chixiong coldly snorted: "Are you scared? If you're afraid, have your groom kowtow and admit defeat. Leave those great hammers here, and let this matter drop."

Xiong Tianba angrily said: "Damn it, who are you telling to kowtow? You're also trying to scheme for my great hammer, damn it!"

Hu Xiaotian rebuked: "Xiong Tianba, don't be rude!"

Xiong Tianba, quite impressed with Hu Xiaotian, immediately shut his mouth.

Wanyan Chixiong's face turned ashen with anger.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Afraid? The Han people's several-thousand-year civilization has no fear in its bones—especially toward you Hu people. While we were reading and writing, you were still eating raw meat and drinking blood."

"You!" Wanyan Chixiong slammed the table hard and sprang to his feet.

The venue fell silent; although everyone had initially come just to watch the spectacle, Hu Xiaotian's words voiced what they were thinking. Though those present held some awe for the Hu people, deep down they looked down on them.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Actually, a martial contest need not be a fight to the death; in our Central Plains, we never judge heroes by victory or defeat."

Wanyan Chixiong nodded and said: "Good!"

Xue Lingjun said: "Sir Hu speaks well. Since that's the case, I have an idea: outside there are two gate seas. Each of you take one, carry it down to the steps, then return it to its original place; whoever finishes first wins. Whoever cannot lift it loses. Whoever takes even a single step at night loses, and whoever spills even a drop of water from the gate sea also loses." The gate seas she referred to are actually the two large water vats outside the main hall, because the palace's halls and pavilions are all wooden structures; in dry weather they easily catch fire, and once a fire breaks out, if it cannot be promptly extinguished, the flames will spread rapidly, possibly reducing the entire building to ashes; thus the water vats were set up for emergency firefighting.

Xue Lingjun's suggestion sounded unremarkable, but actually carrying it out was not that easy; each gate sea can hold five thousand catties of water, and the vat itself is bronze-cast, so the total weight should be over six thousand catties—seemingly impossible to lift by human strength alone. Xue Lingjun actually came up with this idea because she favored Hu Xiaotian's side; anyone could see that Xiong Tianba, no matter his height or weight, was far inferior to Lahan; the two together looked like a bear and a monkey, and no matter how you looked, Xiong Tianba had no chance of winning. So why not simply pick a task neither could accomplish; if both failed to lift it, it would be a draw.

Xue Daohong understood Xue Lingjun's meaning and smiled: "Then let's follow the Princess's suggestion." He also didn't want the situation to become too stiff.

Wanyan Chixiong conveyed the Princess's meaning to Lahan; Lahan nodded, strode out with head held high toward the outer hall, and Xiong Tianba followed him out.

Among the guests, some couldn't contain their curiosity and followed outside to watch the spectacle, but most remained seated, everyone expecting the final result to be a draw, since neither could lift those two great vats.

Hu Xiaotian and Wanyan Chixiong did not go out; their eyes met, Wanyan Chixiong burning with anger, while Hu Xiaotian wore a look of contempt.

Suddenly, a thunderous cheer came from outside, followed by heavy footsteps. Everyone looked toward the palace gate and saw Lahan embracing a great vat with both arms, stepping slowly into the main hall. Worried that water might spill, he walked very carefully; each step landed with immense weight, as if the whole ground trembled with his footsteps.

The crowd gaped, exclaiming repeatedly, "This Hu man possesses boundless strength; he's practically a deity."

Seeing Lahan actually lift the vat, Xue Lingjun couldn't help but think, "Uh-oh, this Hu man's divine strength is astonishing; Hu Xiaotian's scrawny black groom is surely doomed to lose."

Among the crowd came murmurs; seeing the black Hu display such might on their own turf, everyone felt indignant. Someone whispered, 'Looks like only Commander Dong Tianjiang of the Tiger Banner Camp could match him.' Another said, 'I think even if Commander Dong Tianjiang came, he might not be able to lift that vat.'

Hu Xiaotian still felt confident about Xiong Tianba; he had once heard Zhou Mo say that, in terms of sheer strength, few could match Xiong Tianba—even if the commander Dong Tianjiang had once defeated him, that was only due to superior martial technique, his actual strength was still weaker than Xiong Tianba's. But seeing Lahan stride in first, embracing the vat, Hu Xiaotian also felt a twinge of doubt: could he really lose to this Hu man today?

As Hu Xiaotian felt uneasy, another thunderous cheer came from outside. Xiong Tianba entered carrying the great water vat; he had taken so long to arrive because his arms weren't as long as Lahan's, making it impossible to cradle the vat. After thinking it over, he lifted it from the bottom, holding it aloft with both hands overhead—a pose harder than simply cradling it. However, there was an advantage: his legs were freed, so his walking was unimpeded.

Although Lahan was tall and long-armed, holding the vat against his chest inevitably affected his leg movement, making his steps slow. Xiong Tianba strode forward with the vat, appearing to keep pace with Lahan; he held the vat high overhead and, without forgetting to glance at Lahan, smiled: "Kid, tired? If you are, put it down—just don't tire yourself to the point of wetting yourself."

Lahan glared at Xiong Tianba and spat out a string of gibberish; the brat didn't understand, but it was surely nothing good, and he spat, "Your grandmother's, if you've got guts, try holding it with one hand!" He then released one hand, switching to support the vat's bottom center with just his right hand.

This was astonishing; the surrounding spectators shouted approval in unison, their palms turning red from clapping.

Lahan reached both hands to the vat's bottom, gritted his teeth, heaved it overhead with all his might, then switched to supporting it with one hand at the base; the venue fell silent again, and after a while Wanyan Chixiong's cheer was heard.

Xiong Tianba switched back to holding the vat with both hands and strode forward; Lahan also stepped at the same time, his long legs making each step nearly equal to two of Xiong Tianba's, and he soon overtook Xiong Tianba again, reaching the steps first before turning back. Xiong Tianba seemed a bit anxious, noticeably quickening his pace. The water inside the vat surged, threatening to spill at any moment.

"Hold steady!" Li Chenzo reminded him first.

Hu Xiaotian had intended to warn Xiong Tianba, but Li Chenzo spoke first; he had noticed Lahan's breathing had become obviously ragged, indicating his stamina was plummeting, whereas the brat's stamina seemed not to have diminished at all.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Xiong Tianba, ignore him, keep your own pace!"

Only then did Xiong Tianba calm down, slowing his steps, striving to keep the vat steady and move forward step by step at his previous pace.

Lahan, holding the vat, walked slower and slower; at this point his stamina plummeted, his bare upper body drenched in sweat. He drew a deep breath, let out a loud shout to spur himself on, and relied on his tenacious endurance to keep going.

Xiong Tianba, however, kept steady and firm, his steps maintaining the same rhythm, gradually drawing even with Lahan again.

Seeing this black brat catch up again, Lahan inwardly thought, "Uh-oh," never expecting this monkey-like fellow to be so formidable; his arm strength was not inferior to his own. Lahan was basically giving himself credit—he had already exerted every ounce of strength, even the strength to suckle, while Xiong Tianba showed no sign of fatigue, holding the several-thousand-catty vat as if it were weightless.

The destination for setting down the vat was no longer far off; seeing Xiong Tianba closing in step by step, Lahan panicked, forced himself to take a big stride, and the two reached the original spot almost simultaneously, also setting down the vat almost at the same time.

Even the sound of the vats hitting the ground overlapped, so that even spectators standing nearby could not tell which vat landed first.

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