“Human Emperor Jiang?!”
Even though his appearance had changed, the three of them could still recognize Jiang Li’s voice from his tone.
“Y‑You… why are you here?”
“I heard you three were being targeted by the Heavenly Slaughter Pavilion, so I came to see the excitement.”
Jiang Li laughed.
“Huh? The Long Clan sent assassins to kill us?”
All three were startled—none of them expected the Long Clan to go that far.
“To kill you two, it has nothing to do with Song Ying.”
Jiang Li corrected casually. The three of them immediately understood—the Long Clan was trying to kill the master and disciple, and forcibly take Song Ying for themselves.
“So,” Jiang Li asked with a grin, “tell me, how did you offend the local tyrants?”
Yuan Wuxing gave a detailed recount from beginning to end, describing everything from an observer’s point of view. Qin Luan and Song Ying occasionally added a few words to fill in the details.
“At present, the Long Clan is guarding the surroundings of Dragon Chant City, lying in wait for us. I can certainly escape,” Yuan Wuxing said, “but I’m not confident I can protect Qin Luan and Song Ying.”
“The Long Clan’s Spirit Transformation Patriarch will not bother with such a trivial matter. They can only send Nascent Soul cultivators to kill us. But they also worry that before dying I might drag down one of their Nascent Soul attendants with me, which would not be worth it. So both sides are trapped in a dilemma. I was still wondering what move they’d make—never expected they’d send assassins instead!”
Just from the beginning of Yuan Wuxing’s story, Jiang Li had already guessed most of it. It was the same old plot—powerful clan seizes a maiden, a young hero steps up for justice, and the conflict escalates.
“You lot,” Jiang Li said with a chuckle, “are still too proper—can’t get rid of your Great Zhou habits. The Long Clan’s matter is easy to handle.”
“The Heavenly Origin Dynasty has its own rules. The strong are respected above all. You must learn to strike decisively, fight dirty if needed, follow the customs of the land.”
“You’re the Human Emperor, possessing absolute strength—of course you fear nothing!”
Qin Luan grumbled, immediately silenced by Yuan Wuxing’s scolding. Jiang Li simply smiled.
“Then let me give you a demonstration. Right now, I’m your friend in the Great Zhou. My name is Huang Li—a naturally gifted cultivator, same as you, a first-grade Core Formation.”
As Jiang Li spoke, the deep and unfathomable aura around him completely vanished. To others he now seemed nothing more than an ordinary cultivator. Yuan Wuxing sensed only the presence of a Golden Core cultivator—his golden core complete and full, of rather high quality.
As for what exact grade it was, Yuan Wuxing could not tell. Only a Spirit Transformation expert could discern something at that level.
“Watch closely how I handle this.”
Jiang Li really limited himself to the strength of the Golden Core Stage. He refrained from using Divine Sense or any ability beyond that realm.
“Where does the Long Clan’s third son usually appear?”
Qin Luan thought for a moment.
“I injured him heavily, so he should still be bedridden. But considering the Long Clan’s wealth, he’s probably long recovered with the help of miracle pills. He’s either bullying men and women in the marketplace or showing off in some arena. I met him snatching a young maiden in the marketplace last time.”
Jiang Li nodded.
“Then we’ll go to the marketplace and take a look. Wuxing, as you are a Nascent Soul senior, you may follow us secretly.”
Being called “senior” by Jiang Li scared Yuan Wuxing so badly that he nearly broke into a sweat. Jiang Li led Qin Luan and Song Ying down from the inn. Yuan Wuxing followed in the shadows.
“Put on your veil,” Qin Luan reminded Song Ying.
He knew how strikingly beautiful she was—showing her face in Dragon Chant City could easily invite trouble. At first he hadn’t paid attention to such things, but after the disaster with the Long Clan, he had learned to keep a low profile.
Song Ying lightly covered half her face with a white veil and then put on a wide-brimmed straw hat, the shadow obscuring the rest. That way, no one could see her true appearance.
“By the way,” Jiang Li asked, “why is Song Ying here, anyway? To just so happen wander into the Heavenly Origin Dynasty and bump into Qin Luan?”
Though the truth was far from Jiang Li’s assumption, Song Ying couldn’t reveal that she had followed Qin Luan’s steps here out of longing. So she simply nodded.
“Oh, I see. I thought you came chasing after me because you liked me.”
Qin Luan’s eyes widened in surprise. After their adventure in the Mysterious Secret Realm, he thought Song Ying had feelings for him—but it seemed he had been overthinking things. Song Ying smiled sweetly at Jiang Li, though under her sleeve her delicate fist clenched tight, ready to give him a good punch.
Right now, Jiang Li was only using Golden Core strength, not Divine Sense, so he couldn’t see the small details and was oblivious to her hidden gesture. When they arrived at the bustling marketplace, hawkers shouted all along the street. It was lively and crowded.
Jiang Li strolled around several times but didn’t see any cases of bullying or harassment—only pickpockets and counterfeit goods. He couldn’t quite figure out how Qin Luan and Song Ying had immediately run into trouble the last time they came here.
“Looks like the Long Clan’s third son isn’t around. By the way, what’s his name?”
“Long Sanshui. He has two older brothers—Long Dajin and Long Erhuo.”
“... The Long Clan sure has taste. They even follow the order of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth.”
“Yeah,” Qin Luan nodded repeatedly.
“When I first heard those names, I even thought my Master was their father!”
Right after that, he felt a quick kick from the invisible Yuan Wuxing behind him. As it turned out, Long Sanshui truly was in an arena, brimming with arrogance. Having just recovered from his serious injuries, he wanted to vent his frustration.
So he’d set up a fighting ring in public.
“These are ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones! Who dares step up and let me beat them once?”
Long Sanshui stood tall in the center of the platform, brimming with self-importance. Jiang Li immediately saw through him. The man’s Late Foundation Establishment strength was entirely propped up by pills.
Given his poor roots, even if he managed to form a core, it would be a ninth-grade—waste among Golden Core cultivators. But, alas, the Long Clan was rich.
“I’ll go!”
A cultivator at Late Foundation Establishment stepped up onto the stage. His foundation was solid and much stronger than Long Sanshui’s. However, within moments, Long Sanshui’s sloppy attacks overwhelmed him. The man stumbled and fell under a brutal beating.
“Ha, refreshing!”
Long Sanshui roared with satisfaction, tossing the Spirit Stones to the bruised fighter before kicking him off the stage.
“This bastard’s basically paying people to be his sandbags,” Qin Luan muttered under his breath.
“This time it’s twenty Mid-grade Spirit Stones! Who dares let me beat them up?”
Long Sanshui displayed even more wealth. The onlookers understood— the more Spirit Stones offered, the worse the beating would be. Still, many lined up eagerly.
“I’ll do it! I can take hits!”
“My voice is the loudest!”
“I’m a Golden Core cultivator!”
And among all the shouting voices, Jiang Li’s was the loudest of them all. Everyone turned around in shock—what was a Golden Core cultivator doing among Foundation Establishment scrappers? Since a Golden Core cultivator volunteered to be his punching bag, Long Sanshui naturally picked Jiang Li.
“I’ve got one condition,” Jiang Li said upon stepping into the ring.
“You pay me first.”
Without hesitation, Long Sanshui tossed the Spirit Stones to him. He wasn’t worried that a mere Golden Core cultivator would run away—there were Nascent Soul attendants nearby, ensuring no trouble could arise. Jiang Li weighed the Spirit Stone pouch a few times, then casually tossed it back to Long Sanshui.
The young man caught it, confused.
“If twenty Spirit Stones can buy a Golden Core cultivator to willingly take a beating,” Jiang Li said with a faint smile, “then it’s only fair that twenty Spirit Stones can buy a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be beaten by a Golden Core cultivator instead. Don’t you think that’s reasonable?”
As he spoke, Jiang Li suddenly dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant, and unleashed a flurry of blows on Long Sanshui.
“Stop!”
The Nascent Soul attendant nearby shouted angrily, moving instantly to kill Jiang Li. But Jiang Li grabbed Long Sanshui by the neck, pulling him close as a shield, his calm voice cold and cutting.
“Go on, try it. If you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll kill him right now! Let’s see whose life is worth more—mine or the Long Clan’s third son’s!”
(End of Chapter)