Chapter 010: A Battle of Wits

Seeing everyone attack Huarang so harshly, Wenmeng could no longer bear to watch. Just as she was about to refute them, Huarang suddenly gave a cold laugh and said, "Gentlemen, you are greatly mistaken. Although I am a scholar, I can still take care of Wenmeng and make her happy. Making someone happy and taking care of them should have nothing to do with what that person does or their abilities, right?"

Huarang looked at everyone, a slight smile on his lips. He was sure these people wouldn't dare to answer this question, because happiness is inherently intangible and cannot be measured by anyone. Even if Huarang only gave Wenmeng simple meals every day, as long as Wenmeng felt happy, that was happiness.

Huarang's words indeed left the young heroes of Jiangnan speechless. However, they were not ordinary people. Shortly after Huarang finished speaking, one of them suddenly stood up and said, "What you said leaves us speechless, but you are, after all, a scholar, with no power, no influence, and no money. If Wenmeng encounters danger, how can you protect her? Do you want Wenmeng to live in constant fear?"

This person took a different approach, focusing on Wenmeng's safety. He believed that a scholar, being physically weak, would be unable to protect himself, let alone Wenmeng, in times of danger.

Upon hearing this, the crowd became noisy again. At this moment, Huarang smiled faintly and said, "Not so. Although I am a scholar, I am not destined to be powerless and penniless forever. I am only in my early twenties, with a bright future ahead. It is not impossible to achieve something. No one knows what the future holds, so don't look down on a young man for being poor. Moreover, if danger comes, I will risk my life to protect Wenmeng. So there's no need to worry."

When he said the last sentence, Huarang's tone became particularly heavy. He wanted to use this last sentence to warn these young heroes that his love for Wenmeng was their business, and these people were just outsiders. Those who knew would think they were meddling, and those who didn't would think they all wanted to marry Wenmeng.

Realizing they couldn't outtalk Huarang, everyone finally turned their gaze to Wenyidao. Huarang had just indicated that this was their business and that outsiders should not interfere. But if Wenyidao intervened, could Huarang still call him an outsider?

Wenyidao naturally understood everyone's intentions. He looked at Huarang and asked, "If one cannot protect oneself, how can they protect others? Relying solely on self-sacrifice is absolutely not enough. If you want to marry my daughter, you must prove that you have the ability to protect her."

Huarang glanced at Wenyidao and bowed, saying, "Uncle Wen is right, but how can I prove that I can protect Wenmeng?"

Wenyidao looked at everyone and said, "Everyone here today is a young hero of the Jiangnan martial world, each with a reputation. If you can defeat one of them in a match, I will consider you capable of protecting my daughter. Are you willing to try?"

Upon hearing this, Wenmeng's face changed. She knew Huarang's skills very well. How could Huarang possibly be a match for any of them? She felt that her father was deliberately making things difficult.

Even so, Wenmeng couldn't say much, or the whole thing would be ruined.

At this moment, Huarang smiled faintly and asked Wenyidao, "Am I to fight with these martial heroes here?"

Wenyidao nodded, "Yes, them."

After Wenyidao spoke, Huarang smiled again and said, "I would very much like to test my skills with them, but I fear that it would damage Uncle Wen and the young heroes' reputations."

After this, Fang Baiyu suddenly laughed coldly, "What do you mean by that? Do you think you have the ability to defeat any of us?"

Seeing Fang Baiyu so agitated, Huarang remained calm and composed, smiling and saying, "Not at all. It's not that I have the ability to defeat you, but rather that I don't want you to be laughed at by the martial world. I am just a scholar, weak and powerless. You are all renowned martial heroes. If it were to be known that you fought a scholar, how would you stand in the martial world?"

After Huarang said this, everyone was stunned. They never expected that so many of them would be outwitted by a scholar. Now, even if they wanted to fight Huarang, they probably couldn't.

Seeing Huarang silence everyone with his words, Wenmeng couldn't help but feel a growing admiration for him. She knew these martial heroes well; they were usually very arrogant and had never been so thoroughly challenged.

Wenyidao, sitting in front of everyone, wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. He wanted to be angry but couldn't. For a moment, he could only sit there in frustration. But at this moment, Huarang suddenly said, "If I don't fight with you, you will surely be unsatisfied and think I don't have the real ability to protect Wenmeng. Since that's the case, why don't we try a different kind of competition?"

Everyone perked up when they heard Huarang was willing to compete. As long as Huarang was willing to compete, they were determined to make him pay.

At this moment, Fang Baiyu laughed coldly, "What kind of competition do you want to have with us? If it's a literary contest, forget it. We are all martial artists."

Fang Baiyu's words effectively ruled out a literary contest, which gave the young heroes more confidence. They all knew Huarang was a scholar, and making martial artists compete in literature would only result in their defeat.

Seeing this, Huarang smiled faintly and said, "A literary contest would make people think I'm bullying you. I won't compete in literature. Instead, I will show you that I can make you unable to stand up from your chairs with just one finger."

After Huarang said this, the entire hall burst into laughter. They were all martial artists, trained in strength from a young age. A scholar claiming he could make them unable to stand up with just one finger was laughable.

At this moment, Wenmeng also pulled Huarang, thinking that even if Huarang pressed his entire body down, these martial young heroes would still be able to stand up. They weren't pushovers.

But after Wenmeng pulled Huarang, he only smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry. If I don't show them my true abilities, they won't let it go, and Uncle Wen won't agree to let you marry me."

These words were bold and showed great responsibility. Even though Wenmeng knew they were pretending to be lovers, she felt a warm current in her heart at that moment.