173: Chapter 173 Kneel Down, All of You

Jian Xue, Zhao Ming, and Brother Cheng, the leaders of these three Tribes, now had expressions on their faces that could no longer be described as merely unsightly.

It was a complex look mixed with shock, absurdity, and anger.

They stared intently at Situ Baichuan, who was kneeling in the sand, bowing and scraping to the extreme.

They felt their worldview and understanding emit an unbearable, shattering sound.

Situ Baichuan!

A famous unruly and arrogant troublemaker in the Azure Alliance!

Relying on his strength and background, he had always acted without restraint in this eastern outer region, looking down on everyone.

Not to mention the leaders of these 'outer Tribes,' even when facing some older cadres within the Azure Alliance, he would ignore them, his arrogance written all over his face.

The only people he would speak to in a normal tone were those he deemed 'somewhat significant' and worthy of his attention.

More often than not, he communicated with people in a tone full of impatience and mockery.

But now, this utterly arrogant Situ Baichuan, who defied even the King of Heaven,

Just because he saw that woman, without a second word, swiftly and decisively, 'plop,' he knelt down?!

He knelt so skillfully, so devoutly, so utterly spinelessly!

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would believe it?!

If someone had come to them and said, 'Situ Baichuan was scared into kneeling by someone.'

They would definitely have thought the other person was crazy, or treated them as an idiot!

But now, this utterly absurd scene was unfolding right before their eyes.

What kind of Tribe is this?!

Brother Cheng was the first to recover from the shock, a surge of furious anger, feeling tricked and betrayed, rushed to his head.

He had agreed to pay a considerable price to ask the Azure Alliance for help!

And this is what he got?!

"Situ Baichuan!!"

"I paid you to come and kill the enemy! Not to kowtow and kneel to the enemy! What the hell are you doing?!"

Brother Cheng could no longer hold back, roaring out, his voice distorted by extreme anger.

Jian Xue also suppressed her surging emotions and coldly questioned:

"Captain Situ, what exactly is going on? We need an explanation!"

Zhao Ming's eyes behind his glasses were also filled with surprise and dissatisfaction.

Situ Baichuan, kneeling on the ground and trying his best to beg Li for mercy, suddenly stiffened when he heard the three people's questions from behind him.

Immediately, a burst of rage 'whoosh' shot up!

Damn it! Three clueless idiots who don't know what's good for them!

Can't you see I'm desperately trying to save my life?! And you still dare to shout?!

If you anger Lord Calamity, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough for you, don't drag me down!

He abruptly turned his head, the fawning and flattering expression he had towards Li instantly vanishing, replaced by his usual fierce look, mixed with brutality and impatience.

He unleashed a torrent of angry reprimands at Jian Xue and the other two:

"Shut up!!"

"You have no right to speak here!"

"Shut your mouths! If you dare to utter another word, I'll kill you first!"

A fierce tone, a familiar overbearing demeanor.

Jian Xue and the other two were stunned by this sudden scolding and instinctively shrank their necks.

Yes, this is it, this is the Situ Baichuan they are familiar with...

Wait! No, this isn't right!

You're kneeling right now while saying these harsh words to us!!

A person kneeling before someone else turns around and, with the fiercest tone, orders standing people to 'shut up.'

This scene, this contrast, this logic, is so bizarre it makes one's scalp tingle!

Jian Xue and the other two opened their mouths, momentarily unsure how to respond, feeling a mouthful of old blood stuck in their throats, unable to spit it out or swallow it, suffocatingly uncomfortable.

Seeing that the three were intimidated by him, Situ Baichuan seemed to feel it wasn't enough.

He glared fiercely at Jian Xue, Zhao Ming, and Brother Cheng, who were still standing upright, then swept his gaze over their subordinates behind them, who were also standing, looking bewildered and terrified.

He immediately felt extremely displeased.

I'm kneeling, so why are you useless bunch still standing?! It makes me look bad!

If I'm kneeling and you're standing, doesn't that make you look stronger than me?!

Thinking this, Situ Baichuan's gaze became even fiercer, his tone more impatient, even carrying a hint of command:

"What are you looking at?!"

"I'm kneeling, and you still dare to stand???"

"Huh?!"

Jian Xue and the other two: "???"

We have to kneel with you too?

No, big brother, did you misunderstand something?

We paid you to solve the enemy problem and save us from distress!

We didn't pay you to come and force us to kneel before the enemy in front of all our subordinates!!

Is there something wrong with this logic?!

You pay for a thug, but the thug comes, kneels to the enemy first, and then forces the employer to kneel too?

Is this inviting reinforcements or a 'Kneeling Aristocrat' instructor to teach us etiquette?!

Brother Cheng trembled with rage, pointing at Situ Baichuan, his finger shaking:

"Si-Situ Baichuan! Y-you're crazy?! We paid you!"

Situ Baichuan knelt on the ground, but his back was ramrod straight, his neck stiff, with an expression that said, 'Are you idiots?' He righteously retorted:

"Paid? Is paying a big deal?!"

"Paying means you don't have to kneel? Can your paltry money buy your lives?!"

The more he spoke, the more he felt justified, his tone becoming sterner, even carrying a hint of threat:

"What? Not kneeling? Do you want to be my enemy?"

"Be an enemy of the Azure Alliance?"

He deliberately emphasized the last sentence.

Jian Xue and the other two trembled simultaneously, their faces instantly turning even paler.

Be an enemy of the Azure Alliance?

They couldn't bear that accusation.

Not to mention their heavy losses now, even at their peak, the three Tribes combined wouldn't be enough for the Azure Alliance to crush with one hand.

Offending Situ Baichuan meant offending a part of the Azure Alliance's internal forces, and they would truly have no future in this region.

But to kneel before enemies they were just fighting to the death, in front of all their subordinates and so many newcomers...

Humiliation, an unspeakable humiliation, almost devoured their sanity.

However, there seemed to be not much choice.

The three exchanged glances, seeing the same despair, exasperation, and a hint of resigned defeat in each other's eyes.

It's over.

Today, they had lost face completely.

They should have known not to send that distress signal!

What they invited wasn't reinforcements, but a death warrant and a kneeling etiquette specialist!

Filled with regret and a 'what the hell' feeling, under Situ Baichuan's fierce gaze,

And under the shocked or bewildered eyes of their subordinates behind them,

Jian Xue slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then knelt down.

Her movements were as stiff as a robot's.

Zhao Ming's facial muscles twitched, he pushed up his crooked gold-rimmed glasses, and finally sighed, slowly kneeling down.

Brother Cheng was the most unwilling, his chest heaving violently as he glared at Situ Baichuan and Qi Yun. But in the end, under the pressure of reality and Situ Baichuan's increasingly cold gaze, he fiercely plunged his great saber into the sand, then, with a 'thud,' he heavily knelt down, kicking up a cloud of dust.