As the soldier raised his hand to signal the archers, Damon stepped forward casually, hands folded behind his back.
"Excuse me, before you carry out this sentence, I'd like to offer a wager," he said, his Mandarin slightly better than before, if not lightly accented.
The heads of the soldiers turned toward him in surprise, and even the bound prisoners lifted their heads in confusion.
The archer captain narrowed his eyes. "You are not a local, Scholar. Speak carefully."
Damon smiled faintly. "Indeed, I'm a wandering scholar. And I propose this… if I can defeat three of your men in a fair match, then those three accused spies walk free. If I fail, you may take my head along with theirs."
There was a stunned silence.
Then, the tension slowly intensified into something more dangerous.
"How bold!" the captain said with a sneer.
"Stupid, but bold," another soldier muttered with a hint of disdain.
One of the old men in the crowd whispered. "A madman…"
