As they exchanged words, their eyes turned toward the direction of the city gates.

By now, a large crowd of Jianghu people had gathered at the city gates.

These Jianghu people exuded a strong oppressive aura.

Yet, the citizens were not the least frightened.

Xuanjing City, as the most important city of the Daqian Kingdom, sees an endless stream of Jianghu people everyday.

Thus, even these citizens had long been accustomed to such gatherings.

At this moment, in a pavilion slightly further away, sat two men and one woman.

One man was tall and the other short, both handsome; the woman wore white and was exquisite in appearance.

The two men exchanged a glance.

The taller man paused for a moment before speaking.

"Why wait here any longer? The crowd gathered at the inn is probably enough to give Qin An a hard time."

"Perhaps Qin An has already suffered defeat and is silently bandaging his wounds somewhere."

As soon as he spoke, the shorter man immediately replied.

"Brother Ouyang, you’re quite the strategist! I, Chen Wuming, don’t want to hear anything, I only believe what my eyes see now."

Ouyang Xun sighed helplessly and shifted his gaze to the lone woman, speaking in a deep voice: "Ming Ruxin, do you also want to continue waiting here?"

Ming Ruxin lightly ran her fingers across the railing of the pavilion and said, "You all know you need to leverage Qin An to build your fame, why shouldn’t I do the same?"

"Today, hearing is false, seeing is true."

"If I can’t see Qin An appear, then I won’t leave."

Ouyang Xun snorted indifferently and said, "Why don’t you all just go directly to the inn instead of waiting here?"

Chen Wuming looked at the crowd of Jianghu people, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"Heroes from all corners of the land have gathered here, each one a top-ranked individual from their regions, naturally having their own thoughts."

"Those heading to the inn are slightly weaker in strength; if Qin An can’t pass this stage, then what right does he have to accept challenges?"

"Even if he wins a challenge, it would be nothing but an empty joke."

Upon hearing this, the woman named Ming Ruxin also nodded slightly, evidently agreeing with Chen Wuming’s view.

Ouyang Xun tapped his fingers on the table, choosing not to say more.

He thought the same, only voicing his question to test the waters.

If these two were to truly go back, then his opportunity would arise.

But it seems, now, these two have no intention of returning.

Of course, since these two don’t plan to go back, they will stay here.

Anyway, whoever proves stronger later will gain the most benefits.

Thinking this, Ouyang Xun too began patiently waiting.

...

Time continued to pass, the sunset became increasingly weak, and the evening glow in the sky turned blood red.

Under the gradually darkening sky, many of the citizens were unable to bear it and hurriedly returned inside.

And just as many in power began to think Qin An would not arrive, a calm sound of footsteps conveniently echoed.

Everyone, including Ouyang Xun and the others, looked up to see two figures riding swiftly into the city gates on horseback.

One of the riders, dressed in dark attire, was Qin An.

The instant Qin An stepped into the city gates, the gathered people all swept their gazes over him, their eyes showing excitement.

Yet, none of them made a move.

They were much smarter than those at the inn, aware of the proverb that it’s the first bird that gets shot, so they chose to observe the situation quietly.

Yu Feng stood beside Qin An and, upon seeing the situation, his mouth twitched slightly.

These people were much stronger than those at the inn, and clearly better prepared.

Even if he were to face such circumstances, he would likely feel powerless.

Yet, Qin An appeared as calm as a still lake.

At times, Yu Feng truly wondered how Qin An managed to cultivate such a mindset.

However, upon closer reflection, given Qin An’s legendary experiences and the battles fought along the way, such a mindset seemed normal.

The sound of weapons dragging brought everyone back to their senses.

Turning their heads, they saw a rope tied to the horse’s back, laden with weapons that seemed as high as a hill.

Qin An casually tossed the weapons forward.

The rope snapped, and the weapons, suddenly unsupported, scattered all over the ground.

Qin An shook his hand and calmly said, "I encountered a group blocking the way on my journey here, waiting at the inn for me."

"Feeling pressed for time, I invited them all to come at me together; and indeed, they did. So, I casually took care of them."

"After dealing with them, I collected all their weapons and brought them here, dragging them all the way—quite an effort. So, why not distribute them to everyone, so you may exchange them for some money?"

His tone was so nonchalant, as though recounting a trivial matter.

But to those listening, a different image came to mind.

A look of astonishment appeared on their faces, especially at the mention of "everyone came at me together," which sparked not only shock but also a faint sense of fear.

They knew well that at such a time, Qin An had no need to lie.

In other words, those people truly came at him together.

And Qin An indeed fought his way out from such a siege, even bringing all their weapons to the capital.

This revelation left everyone at a stalemate, with no one making a move.

Qin An spoke calmly, "So, does no one wish to take these weapons and exchange them for money? Or are you looking to battle me once more?"

He dismounted and strode forward.

"I know what all of you are thinking: you want to use me as a stepping stone to make your names known everywhere. However, sometimes you must think clearly."

"Your thoughts are simple, but... is it you all using me as a stepping stone, or am I using you?"

"Occasionally, it’s best not to harbor thoughts of making others your stepping stones, lest all the fame you’ve accumulated dissipates completely."

These words clearly carried weight, and everyone understood Qin An’s point.

The strength required to confront such a siege alone and still manage to fight his way out is proof that Qin An was indeed formidable.

This strength was beyond them to counter.

Thus, to rashly challenge Qin An now might only make them his stepping stones.

No one would engage in such a losing endeavor, nor would anyone foolishly strike now, unless they had supreme confidence in their abilities.

Inside the pavilion, silence reigned.

The three, Ouyang Xun and the other two, exchanged glances without words.

Chen Wuming broke the silence: "Why aren’t you two taking action? I think even if we encountered such a situation at the inn, we could fight our way out."

"Therefore, Qin An’s threat doesn’t concern us."

Ouyang Xun shook his head slightly: "Now isn’t the time for me to intervene."

Ming Ruxin echoed: "You forgot that idiot is also in the crowd; he won’t be intimidated by Qin An’s words now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wuming displayed understanding.

"You’re talking about the barbarian from Hundred Barbarian Mountain—interesting, let’s keep watching then."

A commotion arose from the crowd, splitting it into two groups.

Both sides directed their gazes toward a central figure.

The figure was tall, over two meters high.

Instead of silk or cloth garments, he wore armor made from animal hides.

His style was entirely different from those around, exuding a primitive aura.

As he approached, he pounded his Wolf Fang Club onto the ground, producing a heavy thud.

"I am Man Shan Yue, the most outstanding disciple of my generation at Hundred Barbarian Mountain."

"Today I await Mr. Qin here, to utilize Mr. Qin’s hand to spread the name of Hundred Barbarian Mountain—please, Mr. Qin, enlighten me!"

With these words, the crowd erupted in surprise.