Chapter 1685: The Smiling Tiger

“What angered you so much, Brother Xiahou?”

It was at this moment an amiable, easygoing, smiling voice came from the distance.

It felt like a gust of spring that blew away the murderous aura and the terrible pressure encompassing this whole area. Before the people knew it, the atmosphere returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened.

It was at this moment a man appeared on a street. He was slowly making his way toward the Four Seas Restaurant.

He was a pale, portly man in his forties. His luxurious attire marked him as someone important. He was wearing a wide smile on his face. Maybe it was because he was too fat, or maybe it was because his smile was too wide, but his eyes were almost narrowed into tiny, indiscernible slits. He looked rather amusing, to be honest.

The man’s smile did not look ugly or elicit feelings of disgust though. On the contrary, he looked adorable, friendly, and amiable. He had an appearance that naturally elicited a good first impression.

In reality, everyone on the street blanched and walked away as soon as they recognized him. It was like he was a ferocious tiger or a deadly scorpion. Forget staying, they didn’t even dare to look at him.

In just the blink of an eye, what was a crowded street bustling with people became empty and deserted. Not a single soul was left when all was said and done.

The man paid this no attention. He was used to it—in fact, he very much enjoyed being feared like a tiger. His smile grew even brighter because of this.

“Tsk tsk... you finally showed your face. And here I thought that you would keep playing the cowardly tortoise until the end.”

Xiahou Zun looked down on the portly man from above and needled him with obvious ridicule.

The man did not fly into a rage though. Still wearing a smile on his face, he said, “How can I spurn an invitation from Brother Xiahou himself?”

The man’s arrival delighted Yu Shuanglu. She cried out, “Save me, husband!”

“In due time, my lady.” The man looked at Xiahou Zun and smiled. “I am here now, so can you release my wife? Surely you’re not the type to bully a weak woman?”

“But of course. I’m not like you, a man who loves to send his woman to do his dirty work for him while he hides in the shadows and roleplays a cowardly tortoise.”

Xiahou Zun waved his hand and relinquished the restraints binding Yu Shuanglu. He said, “Get lost.”

In a flash, Yu Shuanglu appeared beside the portly man with a tearful expression, “You’re finally here, husband...”

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry...”

The man patted her shoulder and consoled her for a bit before looking back at Xiaou Zun. “Can you please release my unworthy son as well, brother Xiahou?”

“You want me to release your son? I can do that,” Xiahou Zun said indifferently. “Shouldn’t you say something before I do that though?”

“But of course, of course.”

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Again, the man did not seem annoyed by Xiahou Zun’s repeated attempts to needle him. After clasping his hands in front of him and bowing to Xiahou Zun, he said seriously, “My unworthy son is young and foolish. He has offended Brother Xiahou. My wife was so worried about her son’s safety that she momentarily forgot her place. She too has offended Brother Xiahou. On their behalf, I offer you my sincerest apology. I humbly ask for your forgiveness, Brother Xiahou.”

Xiahou Zun didn’t say anything. He simply watched the man with a curious look on his face. Receiving no response from Xiahou Zun, the man kept bowing and saying nothing at all.

It was as if he would never rise again if Xiahou Zun refused to speak or forgive him.

“Tsk tsk... a man who can bend his back as well as he stands upright; who can maintain a face as tranquil as a lake despite the volcano brewing inside his chest. No wonder they call him the Smiling Tiger!”

Inside the Four Seas Restaurant, Ye Qing could not help but praise the portly man.

Feng Qingyou smiled. “He could not have gone from a destitute, forgotten descendant of a king to the Pingshun King otherwise.”

Yes, the man who looked like your average, portly rich man was really the powerful and influential aristocrat with hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, the Pingshun King Wei Nandou.

The “Smiling Tiger” was an outsider’s nickname for him.

Why did they call him the Smiling Tiger? Because Wei Nandou liked smiling from a young age. Even if he was humiliated, scolded, criticized, slandered, or even threatened with a blade on his neck, it looked as if he would never get angry. He would only wear a kind and amiable smile on his face.

However, Wei Nandou’s fondness for smiling and kind, amiable smile was just a mask. He was, in essence, a cruel, tyrannical, and bloodthirsty man. He had massacred cities, destroyed countries, and killed countless in his conquest of the nations of the Western Regions. Wherever he went, the blood ran like a river, and not even an animal was left alive.

Wei Nandou had accumulated his merits and earned his position today purely through slaughter and conquest. This was why they called him the Smiling Tiger.

Wei Nandou wasn’t just infamous on the battlefield. He was deeply feared within Wei as well.

Wei Nandou was infamously petty and vengeful. Anyone who ever offended him or opposed him would face his wrath. He might wear a smile on his face, but he would do everything in his power to ruin the person who had offended him or opposed him behind their backs.

Once, there was a scholar who criticized Wei Nandou while chatting with his friends. Those thoughtless remarks had somehow made their way to Wei Nandou’s ears. So, Wei Nandou fabricated a criminal charge and threw the scholar and his family into prison. Then, he tortured everyone of his family members right in front of the scholar, all the while wearing a smile on his face. The scholar was so frightened that he went crazy.

Wei Nandou did not stop there, however. He later sewed up the scholar’s mouth, broke all of his limbs, and tossed him outside for others to trample upon. In the end, the scholar starved to death.

This was just one of many examples.

Without exaggeration, the Smiling Tiger was a folktale mothers told their children to silence them during bedtime. The adults were absolutely terrified of him as well. It was why the crowd had escaped like it was the plague as soon as they recognized Wei Nandou.

“Brother Xiahou offended Wei Nandou hard this time.”

Ye Qing asked while rubbing his chin, “Do you think Wei Nandou would overlook this?”

“He will,” Feng Qingyou answered surprisingly quickly and without hesitation.

“Why do you think that?” Ye Qing asked.

“Because he’s no match for Xiaou Zun.”

Feng Qingyou explained, “Be it in terms of individual strength or faction power, he is no match for Xiahou Zun. So, he has to swallow this indignity no matter what.”

“But of course, this may change in the future.”

Ye Qing did not say anything. He understood Feng Qingyou’s meaning of course. Wei Nandou was vengeful, ruthless, cunning, and most importantly, patient. He might be afraid of Xiahou Zun right now, but if an opportunity were to present itself in the future, Wei Nandou would absolutely repay the humiliation and shame he had suffered today a hundred fold.

Honestly, Wei Nandou was less like a tiger and more like a viper.

The best way to deal with people like him was to kill him in one go. Otherwise, he would forever become a thorn in one’s side.

But of course, Wei Nandou wasn’t so easily killed. Forget that he was a king with hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, he was a powerful Sage in his own right. Killing him took far, far more effort than just flapping one’s mouth.

It wasn’t their problem though. It was Xiahou Zun’s. They were just nobodies who just happened to be passing through the area. Their only job was to enjoy the show to their heart’s content.

“Hahaha... when the tiger bows, heads will roll. You’re probably thinking all sorts of ways to kill me, aren’t you Wei Nandou?”

It was at this moment Xiahou Zun’s guffaw erupted from the Four Seas Restaurant.