Liu had to hand it to the challenger; beating old Zhang was certainly an impressive feat. He himself had only managed to best him after taking him on countless times, and even then it was only by a stroke of luck that he did so. As he was about to applaud the fiery-headed martial artist, though, everyone in the room suddenly turned to him and asked him to best the man who did in one try what he took ages to do.

"...Er... I'm... Not exactly... A barehanded combatant, if you guys haven't forgotten." Liu laughed nervously, eyeing the crowd carefully. They seemed disappointed in him, but... Well, damn, he definitely wouldn't come out unscathed if he jumped into this headfirst. "Remember, I've always been more of a weapons person; when it comes to martial arts, things usually don't end up well for me."

The way he spoke made the crowd even more agitated, and one man even shouted that he was 'nothing more than a coward with no balls' or something to that extent. Okay, now [i]that[/i] was just rude.

"Look. You wouldn't set in an archer into combat against a swordsman, right?" Liu appealed, worriedly trying to calm the crowd. "I know everyone's got the village's pride to preserve, but that doesn't mean tossing whatever you have at him will fix anything! Furthermore, I have no reason to point my blade at anyone here; nobody's life is in danger, after all!"

The shouting and jeering seemed to grow even worse, and Liu could only stand there and sigh. These people and their persistence... Honestly...

"...Maybe it was a mistake coming here..." Liu said, sweatdrops forming on his forehead as the crowd grew louder. Turning to the red-haired fighter, Liu's eyes were almost pleading for assistance in settling the rowdy townsfolk. Preferably without conflict.