Chapter 4448 — A Named Challenge
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Such a thing was entirely likely. In the first round, the escort-robbery response match, Ling Yi had not gone up in person. If tomorrow proved the same, then even if they could wrest points from Qingtian Escort Agency, they would have no chance to kill Ling Yi—and that would be a great pity indeed.
"Don't be hasty. What I described was the rules as originally agreed upon by the conference. But to deal with this Ling Yi, I can contrive to add one special rule besides," Hai Wuliang said with a cryptic smile.
"Oh? Might we hear Chief Escort Hai's esteemed proposal?" Cheng Haonan and the others asked, playing their part.
"I had inquiries made beforehand. That Ling Yi holds the rank of honorary escort in Qingtian Escort Agency. So beyond the regular matches, I can add an additional challenge—the Agency Head Challenge," Hai Wuliang said, squinting with a cold smile.
"The Agency Head Challenge?" Cheng Haonan and the others were all taken aback, at a loss.
"It's simple. The rule for this extra challenge is that any competitor may directly name and challenge the Golden Core senior members of any agency—escort chiefs, deputy chiefs, and honorary escorts included. And the challenges may be made without limit; the challenged agency may not refuse!" With that, Hai Wuliang could not hide his satisfaction as he sipped his fine spirit tea.
Cheng Haonan, Wu Baoliang, and Long Kuiba took a moment to digest it before they finally grasped the immense convenience this special rule offered them.
"Excellent! Chief Escort Hai, this special rule you've added is tailor-made for us—utterly practical!" Long Kuiba said, overjoyed.
"So by what Chief Escort Hai says, when the time comes, so long as we challenge Qingtian's senior members, Ling Yi will be forced to fight?" Cheng Haonan and Wu Baoliang were likewise beside themselves with delight.
"Naturally. Otherwise, would I have set this special rule for nothing?" Hai Wuliang gave a cold laugh. "Unless Qingtian Escort Agency forfeits and willingly accepts expulsion from the Southern Continent Escort Alliance—otherwise, they must play by the rules."
"Ha ha, quite so, quite so! Chief Escort Hai is mighty indeed!" Cheng Haonan and the others laughed and chimed in.
This trip to the Four Seas Escort Agency had truly been worth it. They had borne a little risk, perhaps—but had they not come, how would they ever have found so fine a chance to deal with Ling Yi?
Left to their own devices, Cheng Haonan and his two companions might have lingered until the conference's end without ever getting a chance at Ling Yi. But once the matter fell into Hai Wuliang's hands, it was another thing altogether.
He was the chief escort of the Four Seas Escort Agency, the foremost of the conference's five judges and arbiters—the maker of the rules of the game! If he wished to work some trick against a man, it was all too easy; and every word from his mouth came cloaked in high-sounding principle, so that even those who chafed could find no ground to object. Position decides everything—that saying was truly not one bit false.
"But what if, when the time comes, we name a challenge against Qingtian's Golden Core senior members, and Ling Yi still stubbornly refuses to go up, sending someone else out instead?" Long Kuiba was still somewhat uneasy.
Even if the special rule Hai Wuliang proposed were passed, this Southern Continent Escort Gathering was, after all, a contest among thirty-two escort agencies, not a showcase of any single man's prowess. Whatever the match, the premise was that one competed in the name of an agency.
In other words, if Wu Baoliang truly meant to issue a challenge, he could at most name a challenge against Qingtian Escort Agency's senior members; it was hardly possible to come straight at Ling Yi from the outset, for that would make it a purely private vendetta—and where then would be the fairness and dignity of the Southern Continent Escort Gathering? (To be continued...)