"Right, stop putting on a show here; I dislike being watched while eating," Chen Feng said, waving his hand impatiently.

Filomina heard Chen Feng, and though his tone wasn't pleasant, the anger was gone, meaning he had clearly forgiven her and her brother. Her face lit up with excitement. "That's wonderful, then we'll be imposing on you!"

With that, she immediately grabbed her brother's hand and dragged him out.

Not long after leaving the small courtyard, the youth angrily roared, "Who exactly is he? Sister, why are you so afraid of him? We could just tell brother-in-law to send troops and have him killed!"

"What do you know?" Filomina exhaled, remembering the nightmarish slaughter she witnessed at the Lefu family. A shiver ran down her spine. "He... he's not human, he's a demon! From now on, even if you offend His Majesty Suomen, do not provoke him!"

"Who is he? Sister, tell me clearly!" the youth asked anxiously. "I can see he's not very old. If you're afraid of offending him, I'll go find brother-in-law!"

"You dare! If you want to die, then don't drag the entire Iron Sword Merchant Guild down with you!" Filomina roared. "If he hadn't been in a good mood today, you'd probably be dead already!"

The youth pouted, disbelieving. "I don't believe he alone can fight against our entire guild. Do you think he's Iori Yagami?"

After the news spread about Iori Yagami single-handedly causing chaos in the Imperial City, every young man regarded him as an idol, as a god. The youth was no exception, and he blurted it out without thinking.

"Iori..." Filomina’s expression became strange. "Do you think he isn't Iori Yagami?"

"Wh-what..." The youth jumped up as if electrocuted, his lips trembling. "Sister, what did you say?"

"Nothing!" Filomina strode away, adding as she walked, "You better quiet down, or even your sister won't be able to protect you!"

"Sister..." the youth chased after her. "Who is Iori Yagami? You still haven't explained clearly..."

……………………………………………………………………

The crowd, seeing a potentially good show end without incident, dispersed quickly. Simultaneously, a mixture of awe and curiosity about Chen Feng's identity began to surface. Some whispered he was the Seventh Prince making a private visit; others suggested he was a Corps Commander from the military. Regardless, he was clearly someone who could not be offended. Thus, in less than ten minutes, the entire inn knew a major figure had arrived.

The innkeeper was even more panicked. Seeing how the young mistress had behaved, he shuddered thinking about his own earlier behavior. He prayed the esteemed guest was generous and would overlook his momentary lapse in courtesy.

He approached cautiously. "Sir, the [Beast Fighting Competition] is about to start. Shall we go take a look?"

"Good, lead the way quickly!" Little Hu said eagerly.

"Yes, sir!" The innkeeper glanced at Chen Feng. Seeing he didn't appear angry, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They walked along the flagstone path; the fragrance of the surrounding flowers and plants was exceptionally refreshing.

"The [Beast Fighting Competition] doesn't have a fixed venue; the Iron Sword Merchant Guild initiated it first. Every major commercial location in Central Merchant Town gets a chance to host the fights. Generally, only the wealthy participate, so holding it anywhere causes a sensation and brings in significant revenue. Today, it’s our inn's turn!" the innkeeper explained.

Chen Feng nodded, approving of the Iron Sword Merchant Guild's strategy. An event couldn't always attract attention; by varying the location, it created a sense of rare opportunity, making it all the more precious. It was like the Olympics in his previous life: previously, it was nearly worthless, and no country wanted to host it—it even stooped to being held privately. But after the hype, nations lined up for the hosting rights, overjoyed upon securing a spot.

This [Beast Fighting Competition] was surely the same. If it were held in only one place, it wouldn't be this popular. Once anticipation builds, its value increases.

As they spoke, they arrived at a spacious small courtyard. Around the courtyard was a circular covered walkway furnished with many tables and chairs. In the center of the yard sat a massive iron cage, inside which a leopard, over four meters long with fur entirely black, paced and roared continuously—it was the Fourth-Tier Fighting Beast, the Iron-Armored Leopard!

The seats along the walkway were already full of guests, many sipping tea and discussing things quietly.

Roar!

The Iron-Armored Leopard suddenly let out a roar like muffled thunder, deafening some of the onlookers. Its massive limbs slammed hard against the iron cage.

Buzzing...

The cage emitted a deep clang, sounding as if it were about to shake apart.

"Ah..." A young girl at a nearby table screamed upon seeing the leopard’s ferocity and buried herself into the arms of the young man beside her.

"Heh heh, what are you afraid of?" The youth patted her back and chuckled. "This iron cage was forged by forty-eight merchant houses using tens of thousands of pounds of fine steel, involving over a hundred craftsmen. Furthermore, it’s enchanted with a Seventh-Tier Gold Elemental reinforcement spell. Forget a Fourth-Tier beast; even Seventh or Eighth-Tier beasts couldn't break out. Don't worry!"

Hearing this, the girl looked up again at the massive beast in the cage. Seeing that it truly couldn't break through, she finally relaxed.

"Sir, please sit here. The [Beast Fighting Competition] will begin shortly."

The innkeeper led Chen Feng and the other two to a table, quite close to where the young man and woman were seated.

The youth glanced over and recognized the man leading the way as the innkeeper. Anyone receiving such personal escort must be the powerful figure who had just clashed with the young master of the Iron Sword Merchant Guild. He scrutinized Chen Feng closely but noticed nothing particularly special.

"That's enough, you can go attend to other matters," Chen Feng said lightly, noticing the innkeeper lingering behind him. He disliked the way all eyes in the courtyard had shifted from the beast to his party.

"Yes, sir!" The innkeeper bowed and stepped back.

"Locking a man and this beast together to fight—it prevents escape. This places high demands on both mental oppression and footwork," Chen Feng mused, looking at the iron cage.

Even if a human and a beast of the same tier were matched, defeating the beast would be difficult. In a narrow confrontation, the brave survive; the beast possesses immense strength but low intelligence, so it would surely be fierce and resolute against strangers. A human, suddenly facing such a savage beast, would inevitably feel fear.

With this thought, he began assessing the participants of the competition.

"Friend, your faces look unfamiliar. Is this your first time watching the [Beast Fighting Competition]?" the youth beside them suddenly spoke up.

Someone even the Iron Sword Merchant Guild dared not provoke must be a significant figure. The youth was already thinking of fostering a connection.

"Yes, we are!" Hu nodded quickly.

"Heh heh, it's no wonder if it's your first time. The most exciting part of the [Beast Fighting Competition] isn't watching the fight, but placing bets! The more you bet, the more thrilling it is! I wonder, are the three of you planning to bet on the beast winning or the One-Armed Strongman winning?" the youth inquired.

"We haven't placed any bets yet!" Little Hu finished, then looked at Chen Feng. "Boss, which one should we bet on?"

"Bet on whatever you like," Chen Feng said, casually tossing out a Merchant Card. He didn't care for this kind of game; he wouldn't even have come if Little Hu hadn't insisted.

"Bet on whatever?" Little Hu blinked his large eyes, looking somewhat troubled. "Should we bet on the beast or the man?"

"Heh heh, since this is your first time, perhaps you don't know the situation. Fighting this beast is the strongest Beast Fighter in all of Central Merchant Town." Seeing Little Hu looking confused, the youth quickly explained, "Oh, 'Beast Fighter' is what we call these competitors. This Beast Fighter is over two meters tall, his body like an iron tower, but he only has one arm, so we call him the One-Armed Strongman. He has participated in seven matches and has never lost a single one!"

"One-Armed Strongman? Hmm, very good, then I’ll bet on him!" Little Hu said eagerly.

The youth shook his head. "Although the One-Armed Strongman is powerful, he might not win this time. His previous records were all against Third-Tier beasts. This is a Fourth-Tier beast, and a peak Fourth-Tier at that—the Iron-Armored Leopard, known for having one of the top three defenses among Fourth-Tier beasts. It’s really hard to say who will win!"

"It's hard to say again?" Little Hu felt deflated and couldn't help but ask, "Who did you bet on to win?"

The youth smiled. "Since it's a wager, naturally, one has to gamble. I can’t clearly tell who will win, so I took a chance. I bet on the beast to win!"

Little Hu glanced at the ferocious beast continuously slamming against the cage and truly started to waver. He looked at Chen Feng. "Boss, maybe we should bet on the beast winning!"

Chen Feng replied, "Don't rush. Haven't you seen the One-Armed Beast Fighter isn't out yet? Once he appears, we can see his strength, and then we’ll know what to do!"

"Right!" Little Hu’s eyes lit up. With his cultivation at the Saint Domain level, as soon as he saw both combatants, he could gauge their strengths quite accurately. Placing the bet then would surely be fine.

Just then, a gong sounded from one side of the courtyard. A young attendant in a green robe walked in and loudly recited a few sentences—the information was largely the same as what the youth had provided—and then invited people to place their bets.

Instantly, the entire small courtyard buzzed with activity. The smallest wager placed was 1 Gold Coin; the largest single bet reached an astonishing 200,000 Gold Coins!

A single match involved tens of thousands of gold coins; these people were all wealthy aristocrats.

When they reached Chen Feng's group, Little Hu said directly, "We'll bet later. We haven't even seen that Strongman yet; how can I place a bet?"

The green-robed attendant nodded, turned, and walked toward other areas, muttering under his breath, "Stingy ones!" He naturally assumed Little Hu and his companions were hesitating because they couldn't afford to lose.

Clang...

The gong sounded again at that moment, and a voice shouted out, "The One-Armed Strongman has arrived!" As the shout ended, a tall figure walked in.

"It's him?" Chen Feng's heart clenched upon seeing the figure.