Chapter 129: Spreading Rumors and Stirring Up Trouble

"Liu Feng!" With these words from the City Lord of Litian, the tournament came to an end, and Liu Feng was declared the champion of the Four-Nation Alliance Tournament.

"The awards ceremony for the winners will be held here tomorrow. I shall now read out the list of the top one hundred participants, after which everyone may return to their quarters." After a brief pause, the City Lord continued: "First place, Liu Feng; second place..." A moment later, he finished reading the list.

"Excellent! Our Qingyu Kingdom's martial artist has secured first place in the Four-Nation Alliance Tournament. This truly brings great honor to our nation."

"I would like to see who dares to look down on the martial artists of Qingyu from now on."

"Haha! Liu Feng has certainly slapped a few people in the face this time."

"Liu Feng! Liu Feng!..."

The audience from the Qingyu Kingdom in the stands was in high spirits. Seeing Liu Feng take first place, they laughed heartily, and even the Qingyu martial artists in the contestant area wore expressions of joy.

The spectators from the other three nations, however, were not in such high spirits. They had never imagined that the martial artists of the Qingyu Kingdom, whom they had looked down upon the most, would end up achieving final victory.

"Haha! With Liu Feng's victory, I have won our wager. Sun Ming, Yang Zhi, you both owe me two cities each. You must keep your word!" Wang Bin said happily, looking at Sun Ming and Yang Zhi, whose faces were now grim.

"Rest assured, we will certainly honor our word. Here are the administrative seals for the two cities; take them," Yang Zhi said, producing two seals from his person. Sun Ming also withdrew two seals.

"Haha! You are indeed men of your word. I shall not be polite, then," Wang Bin said, taking the seals from them.

"However, Wang Bin, I advise you not to be too smug. You only won this time because of your good luck, and your luck will not last forever," Yang Zhi spat out bitterly.

"The two of you, cease your anger. A bet is a bet, and you must learn to be good losers," Kong Xuan said calmly, looking at Sun Ming and Yang Zhi.

"Quite right. Do not let it bother you; I shall immediately order the finest food and wine to host you all," Wang Bin added.

By this time, Liu Feng had descended from the ring and returned to Zhao Jun, Zhao Bochao, and the others.

"Well done! Brother Liu Feng, you have truly brought glory to our Qingyu martial artists," Zhang Liang said happily as Liu Feng returned.

"This is truly wonderful. Our Qingyu martial artists have finally let out a long-pent-up breath of frustration. The martial artists from the other countries should not dare to look down on us anymore," Wang Xing added, his face beaming with joy.

"Excellent! Liu Feng, our Zhao family will also become renowned because of your achievement," Zhao Jun said, patting Liu Feng on the shoulder with delight.

"I will use the transmission talisman in a moment to share this good news with our Zhao family," Zhao Bochao said, his voice filled with excitement.

Seeing the joy on their faces, Liu Feng smiled faintly and said, "Actually, I think the greatest gain this time is that our strength has improved significantly, and our martial hearts have become even more resolute."

Zhao Jun and Zhao Bochao nodded in agreement; after all, only when a martial artist solidifies their belief in the path of martial arts can their strength grow more rapidly.

"Let us head back; there is still the awards ceremony tomorrow," Zhao Jun said, standing up. Liu Feng and Zhao Bochao also rose, preparing to return to the inn.

"Brother Liu Feng, and brothers Bochao and Zhao Jun, don't rush back just yet. We should find a place to celebrate!" Zhang Liang intercepted them.

"Exactly! Brother Liu Feng has achieved first place in the Four-Nation Alliance Tournament; it must be properly celebrated," Wang Xing echoed.

"Liu Feng, that's a good idea. You should certainly celebrate such an accomplishment," Zhao Jun and Zhao Bochao agreed with Zhang Liang.

Liu Feng mused, "Very well, let us have a good meal and drink today."

"Let's go to the most famous restaurant in the city, 'Litian Pavilion'," Zhang Liang said, leading the way. Liu Feng and the others followed.

They crossed a major street and arrived before a towering restaurant, the plaque reading "Litian Pavilion" in bold characters. The place was bustling with crowds, and bursts of boisterous laughter echoed from within, accompanied by the beautiful sound of a zither.

After a brief survey of the surroundings, the group walked inside.

"Welcome, patrons! Please, head upstairs!" A waiter, seeing the five of them, rushed over enthusiastically.

They nodded and followed the waiter to the second floor.

"This spot is perfect; let's sit here," Zhao Jun said, pointing to a table by the window with satisfaction. The group gathered around and took their seats.

The waiter brought the menu, and after looking it over, they ordered several of the establishment's signature dishes. The waiter acknowledged them and went to prepare the meal.

While sipping tea and waiting, the group chatted intermittently.

"Brother Liu Feng, your taking first place in the tournament has made us all feel very proud," Zhang Liang said with a smile.

"Indeed! Brother Liu Feng may not have been well-known before, but this time you have truly stunned everyone," Wang Xing added.

Liu Feng smiled nonchalantly. "Alright, you have praised me enough today; let's talk of other things."

"Hmph! This Liu Feng only took first place because of luck. I don't think he's half as strong as Chen Jun."

"Exactly! In the final match, Chen Jun was about to win, yet he suddenly lost. I suspect there must be some dark secret behind it."

"Yes, I believe this Liu Feng must have used some despicable method to defeat Chen Jun."

As Liu Feng and his friends were talking, they overheard these comments from a few diners nearby.

Wang Xing, hearing this, was immediately displeased. He walked over to the group and shouted, "How can you say such things?"

Hearing Wang Xing, one of them said coldly, "Who are you? We are merely voicing our opinions; is that not allowed?"

"Voicing your opinions? You are spreading rumors without any evidence; of course it is not allowed," Wang Xing retorted sharply.

"And what do you intend to do about it?" the man replied indifferently.

"Apologize to Liu Feng immediately, and we will overlook your nonsense," Wang Xing said, suppressing his anger.

"Haha! What a joke. Apologize to him? Who does he think he is? And you, leave at once; do not disturb our drinking," the man said coldly.

"Exactly! Get out of here, or I will make you crawl back home," another man added arrogantly.

"Fine, I will leave, but I hope you stop slandering Liu Feng," Wang Xing said.

"Still babbling while we tell you to leave? You're asking for a beating." With that, one of them threw a punch toward Wang Xing.