The Yu Shi settle it themselves?

Hearing this, Bai Feiyao sneered inwardly—how could Qinse Valley possibly permit any family to start a major conflict here?

If the Yu Shi wanted to settle things on their own, fine—just leave Qinse Valley first!

The moment they dared to leave, he would make sure the Yu Shi vanished from Liuxian Isle forever!

The two Qin-Se Elders, of course, understood the stakes involved perfectly well. They couldn’t allow the gathering to be disrupted any further, couldn’t let Bai Feiyao continue stealing the spotlight—but they also had to protect the Yu Shi.

The Qin Elder took a deep breath. “Elder Yu, this old man has already declared Young Master Yu the winner. Why concern yourselves with the ravings of a drunk man? Once Bai Feiyao sobers up tomorrow, I will personally see to it that he formally concedes to Young Master Yu. How does that sound?”

That was already an enormous concession!

According to the rules of the gathering’s drinking game, the Qin Elder had indeed already declared a winner. Whatever Bai Feiyao chose to curse or deny while playing the drunk, there truly was nothing anyone could do about it.

But men of the martial world weren’t merchants, weren’t after profit—what they fought for wasn’t gain, wasn’t glory before the heavens, but simply a matter of reputation, of who had won and who had lost. Men of the martial world fought for pride, for that one breath of dignity!

Having been humiliated so badly just now, how could Yu Xiao possibly let it go so easily?

But just as he was about to angrily refuse, his father stopped him. The Yu family head, after all, was a man of years, with more restraint, more caution.

If this dragged on any further, it would effectively mean the Yu Shi rejecting Qinse Valley and walking out on their own. Unless the Gu Shi was willing to leave alongside them, the moment they stepped outside Qinse Valley’s boundaries, they’d surely be set upon by the Bai Shi.

Whether the Bai family had really shown up at all remained a mystery to everyone.

And as for the Gu Shi—ever since Jun Beiyue had appeared, they seemed to have simply been observing from the sidelines, showing no intention of intervening at all!

There was no way he could let Yu Xiao take such a dangerous step!

“Father!” Yu Xiao protested, deeply unwilling, utterly serious.

“The Qin Elder has already ruled you the winner—so you have won. Tomorrow, I’m certain the Qin Elder will see to it that Young Master Bai formally concedes to you,” the Yu family head said loudly, deliberately.

Bai Feiyao sneered inwardly. There was absolutely no chance he would ever concede—the Yu family head could just wait and see.

Tomorrow, he wouldn’t admit to a single thing!

Yu Xiao’s chest heaved with suppressed fury, pounding it repeatedly in frustration—but in the end, being the dutiful son he was, he forced himself to swallow it and step back.

Bai Feiyao shot him a provocative glance, pointing straight at him, eyes narrowed in a grin. “You—you lost!”

Yu Xiao took a deep, furious breath, nearly bursting with rage. He would rather die than let this go—but his father held his hand tightly!

What could he possibly do?

For the greater good, for the sake of his family, he had no choice but to endure it!

But Bai Feiyao kept provoking him further. “You—”

“Someone, take him away, let him sober up!” the Qin Elder ordered angrily.

But Bai Feiyao suddenly shoved the guards aside, feigning a drunken stagger. “You—no guts!” That finally broke Yu Xiao’s restraint entirely, and he let out an anguished roar, “AAAH—”

A cry so heart-wrenching, so full of pain!

Ziqing watched coldly, murmuring low, “Jun Beiyue, if you won’t handle this, I will.”

“I never said I wouldn’t. I just wanted to see things clearly first,” Jun Beiyue said, and suddenly rose to his feet, saying flatly, “Elder Qin, among people of the martial world, winning or losing is a matter for a laugh, and even grudges can be laughed away in the end—but when it’s time to stand up for oneself, there’s no room for half-measures.”

At those words, the Qin Elder’s brow furrowed. What he wanted most right now was to simply drag Bai Feiyao away and restore order to the gathering!

What he feared most was the Gu Shi getting involved as well!

Though the Qin Elder was thoroughly sick of Bai Feiyao’s behavior, he still had to consider the bigger picture at this moment, and said flatly, “Prince Yao, why bother competing with a drunk man?”

“A drunk man? She’s no drunk man,” Jun Beiyue said with a cold smile.

A flicker of alarm crossed Bai Feiyao’s heart. He looked away, his whole body suddenly going limp against the guards, playing the drunken wretch, then abruptly gagged as if about to be sick.

“This—” the Qin Elder said, troubled. “He’s this far gone already. Is there anything you can do about it, then?”