"You..." Zhong Xiang glared angrily at Zhang Chen, his chest heaving with fury, unable to speak. He simply turned around to look at the distant mountains and forests, too lazy to deal with Zhang Chen. At this moment, he secretly hoped that his family’s guards and reinforcements would come quickly to help him out of this predicament. He wanted to cut this despicable man into pieces.
Watching Zhong Xiang’s back, Chen Xu’s legs trembled with fear. In his heart, he thought, "I’m doomed! Zhong Xiang is the most domineering person, and seeing me with Zhang Chen, he will definitely see me as an accomplice. Once he is rescued, he will never let me off."
Chen Xu hurried to Zhang Chen, pulled him aside by his clothes and, with a trembling voice, said, "Young Master, why did you abduct the Southern Qilin? You’ve caused a huge disaster. Let him go quickly, and let’s find a way to avoid further conflict."
"I know your skills, but your skills are useless here! You can suppress Zhong Xiang, but the Zhong Family is a bloodline family with mysterious power flowing through their veins. There are also some old masters in the Zhong Family. If they come looking for us, we’re all dead." Chen Xu’s hands shook with fear:
"If not just us, our families will be found by the Chen Family, and they will ensure there’s nothing left of us. We can’t bring such a catastrophe upon ourselves!"
"Do you think if we let him go, he’ll spare us? Do you think he’ll let it go?" Zhang Chen asked.
"At worst, you and I go together to apologize, kneel down and let him punish us. You must know that the elders in his family are officials in the court, and their influence is widespread. If they find out our identities, there’s no place for us here anymore." Chen Xu held Zhang Chen’s trembling hand, clearly terrified.
The dignity of nobility was ingrained in the bones of this world, to the point that one didn’t even dare to entertain thoughts of rebellion.
At this moment, Zhong Xiang, hearing Chen Xu’s words, showed a trace of smugness in his eyes: "Kid, you understand the situation well. But it’s too late to be afraid now. Even if you surrender, I will make you pay. As long as you kowtow and beg for mercy, and sever your arms, I can spare the lives of your family."
"Young Master Zhong, it was not our intention to offend. Why push things so far?" Chen Xu was shocked at the thought of severing his arms and quickly pleaded:
"Please, spare us as if we were nothing but a fart."
"Heh, since you dared to offend the nobility, how can you avoid paying the price?" Zhong Xiang sneered coldly, as if he had the two firmly in his grasp. His eyes focused on Zhang Chen, his voice filled with a sense of triumph:
"Kid, if you chop off an arm now and then kneel before me to be my slave, I can spare your life."
Upon hearing Zhong Xiang’s words, a strange light shone in Zhang Chen’s eyes, as if he were looking at an idiot. He slowly rolled up his sleeves, walking slowly but surely towards Zhong Xiang: "You brat, now a prisoner, still dare to act so arrogantly? You have yet to understand the situation in front of you."
"What are you planning to do?" Zhong Xiang, seeing Zhang Chen’s malicious approach, was suddenly alarmed, quickly assuming a defensive stance, and looked at Zhang Chen warily, after all, he was an elite of his family, naturally not lacking in Martial Dao cultivation.
"I want to teach you what rules are, what it means to lower your head under a low roof."
Zhang Chen slapped at Zhong Xiang’s face. Seeing the incoming slap, a hint of joy flashed in Zhong Xiang’s eyes. He could see that Zhang Chen was just an ordinary person ignorant in Martial Dao. If he could lock Zhang Chen’s arm, he could shatter his throat in an instant, killing him on the spot, and then have a chance to escape.
Zhong Xiang’s hand reached out, swiftly grasping Zhang Chen’s arm. At this moment, his eyes revealed a stab of cruelty as he looked at Zhang Chen:
"Kid, you have some skills, but your combat experience is too lacking. Your fatal mistake was letting a master of Dark Force touch your flesh."
After speaking, Zhong Xiang attempted to exert force to shatter Zhang Chen’s muscles and bones, but to his surprise, he was suddenly immobilized, just like a statue, unable to move a millimeter. Only his eyes, filled with shock, looked at Zhang Chen, crying out bitterly in his heart: "What kind of weird ability is this? Damn it! Where did this kid get such nonsensical tricks?"
Zhang Chen leisurely pulled his arm back from Zhong Xiang’s hand, then delivered a slap full of power across Zhong Xiang’s face: "Little Zhong, what did you just say? I didn’t quite catch that. Do you want to repeat it?"
Zhong Xiang’s left cheek swelled visibly, swollen instantly like a small bun.
On the side, Chen Xu was terrified beyond words, hurriedly approaching to hold Zhang Chen back: "Young Master, do you have a death wish? This is Zhong Xiang! The eldest son of the Zhong Family, Zhong Xiang! How dare you slap him?"
"And so what if I slapped him? Look, he’s just a man with a nose and a pair of ears, doesn’t he? Does he have three heads and six arms? He can slap me, so why can’t I slap him?" Zhang Chen shook off Chen Xu’s hand.
"Ancestor! Mr. Zhang! How can you compare to him?" Chen Xu was like an ant on a hot pan, completely at a loss, utterly frantic.
"I can’t compare to him?" Zhang Chen glanced at Chen Xu scornfully, feeling that he underestimated both himself and others.
"Stand here properly," Zhang Chen instructed Chen Xu, facing Zhong Xiang. Then, Zhang Chen moved behind Zhong Xiang, seized his shoulders, and kicked his knee, causing Zhong Xiang to kneel down immediately.
"Look, he even kneeled for you. This guy is just a regular human after all, what’s the big deal?" Zhang Chen said, his voice full of disdain.
"My ancestor! Oh my heavens!" Chen Xu saw Zhong Xiang kneeling on the ground. Although Zhong Xiang’s body couldn’t move, the blood in his eyes was like flames, and the veins bulged out, his furious expression so fearful that Chen Xu’s legs gave way, making him kneel directly to Zhong Xiang, kowtowing: "Young Master Chen, this has nothing to do with me. Please, don’t hold a grudge against me."
Chen Xu kowtowed repeatedly, begging Zhong Xiang for mercy.
Zhang Chen placed Zhong Xiang’s body in a prone position and then sat on Zhong Xiang’s back, tapping Zhong Xiang’s head: "Little Zhong, didn’t know you had such awe. Look how you frightened this coward."
"My ancestor, I beg you, stop causing trouble, will you? I kowtow to you, please spare Mr. Zhong." Chen Xu, seeing Zhang Chen sitting on Zhong Xiang’s back, was utterly shocked, repeatedly kowtowing.
"Look at your pathetic state. This guy is just someone with some power, some skill, what else is he? Just another human, isn’t he?" Zhang Chen scolded Chen Xu: "Besides, do you think after all we’ve done, he’s kneeled to you, and if he escapes, you’ll still live?"
Chen Xu sat helplessly upon hearing this, his eyes turned towards Zhong Xiang’s eyes, seeing them blood-red and tear drops falling like beans, constantly dripping onto the dirt, forming little mud clumps.
"Oh my, is he crying? You, a grown man, are actually crying?" Zhang Chen, being very sensitive to water vapor, hadn’t expected this. Zhong Xiang, a grown man, actually cried.
Zhang Chen got off Zhong Xiang’s back and then released the Body-Stabilizing Rune, and the next moment a wailing cry sounded: "You rascal! You lowly commoner, you’re bullying me too much! You might as well kill me with a blade."
He was an unparalleled prodigy, a model and role model for the younger generation throughout the world, having always been smooth sailing all the way; when had he suffered such humiliation?
He was beyond aggrieved!