Chapter 971: Too Arrogant
Zu An looked at the jade token in his hands. It was probably equivalent to the place’s highest VIP status. Reaching such a level was obviously not easy. Meanwhile, his number was 333, meaning that there weren’t many others of similar status.
Furthermore, when he heard that from that manager’s tone and how there were other Hub of Freedom locations, he had just been about to sigh in admiration toward their influence and size when he heard the mocking voice ridiculing him.
When Zu An turned around, he saw a group of people standing on the stairs. The one in the lead was a young man with a sneer on his face. It was such a cold day, yet he had a fan in his hands. This man was definitely a culture snob.
The worst part was that he didn’t even look all that suave and confident. Even though he had a mask on, Zu An could still see that he had dead fish eyes. They didn’t look all that intelligent, and he was leaning on the railing in a sloppy manner, making his character seem even more wretched.
Zu An sensed his aura roughly with ki. The other individual’s cultivation was only around the fifth rank. As such, he didn’t pay the snob any more attention after a single glance, and instead looked at the elder behind him. The elder’s presence was steady, and the ki fluctuations he radiated were around the seventh rank. He could barely be considered a powerful cultivator.
As for the followers behind him, they were only around the third or fourth rank, with even some non-cultivators among them. They were clearly servants. These people wouldn’t be anything special in a place like the capital, but they were already quite the force in these local areas. They would be enough to even wipe out some smaller scale sects.
When he heard the remark, the manager said politely, “The esteemed guests of the Hub of Freedom are all of an appraised standard. This young master has satisfied the conditions, so he naturally deserves a jade token.”
The dead fish-eyed man snorted coldly. He was about to say something, but the elder whispered something behind him. Then, perhaps out of fear of the Hub of Freedom’s influence, he didn’t say anything else. He turned around and saw Zu An. As if sensing the contempt in Zu An’s eyes, he felt incredibly annoyed. His dead fish eyes widened and he exclaimed, “What are you looking at?”
Zu An laughed inwardly. He hadn’t expected someone else to use his own skill against him! As such, he gave the appropriate response without any hesitation. “I’m staring at you, shithead!”
The dead fish-eyed man’s chest rose and fell rapidly; he was clearly furious. “Very good… It’s already been a long time since anyone dared to speak to this young master like that.”
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +222 +222 +222…
Sun Ji? Zu An racked his brain, because the name seemed a bit familiar. He said, “Hah, I almost thought you were King Yan’s heir or something from how arrogantly you were acting. I wonder where a random beggar like you came from.”
The heir of King Yan would obviously be surnamed Zhao. There was no chance of it being the man in front of him. He had just reflected on his laziness in acquiring Rage points recently. Now was such a good chance, so he obviously had to do some proper farming.
Sure enough, the dead fish-eyed man immediately erupted with rage. “You’ve successfully angered this young master! You’ll soon pay the price.”
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +444 +444 +444…
The manager had a surprised look on his face. He gave Zu An another look. How does this person know the young master isn’t King Yan’s heir? Everyone is wearing masks! Could it be that he’s close to King Yan’s heir?
But that’s not right… If he really is close to King Yan, there’s no way he wouldn’t recognize the young master!
Zu An gave the other party a mocking look. “Did you make it this far in life just by relying on that mouth of yours?”
“You!” The dead fish-eyed man pointed at Zu An. The skin around his neck was turning red from anger.
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +682 +682 +682…
The elder stepped forward just then as well. He remarked sternly, “Youngster, did your parents not teach you that a loose tongue may cause trouble?”
Zu An said indifferently, “Old man, if you’re old, you should stay home and raise your grandson properly. If you hop around blindly outside, any legacy you’ve built up might just get washed away.”
The elder narrowed his eyes. “Reaching six ranks of cultivation at your age is quite excellent, and so you must have lived your life quite arrogantly. Unfortunately, this experienced one will offer you some advice. There will always be someone better than you, so it would be best to not behave too pridefully outside. Ever since ancient times, there has been no lack of geniuses who came to a premature end.”
You have successfully trolled Yang Long for +280 +280 +280…
He had clearly observed Zu An’s cultivation beforehand in secret. When he sensed that Zu An’s cultivation was only at the sixth rank, he immediately relaxed. The threatening implication behind his words was clear.
However, even though he was trying to intimidate Zu An, this youngster had been able to reach the sixth rank at such a young age, so he might have some kind of family background. That was why he held back for the time being, settling for warning him to back out of the awkward situation.
Zu An picked his ear a bit, then flicked the earwax away. “As expected, if the owner is like this, the dog won’t be much different. You’re all too scared to fight and only know how to bark.”
The manager watching from off to the side was speechless. This person looked rather refined and cultured just now; why does he now seem as if he’s really good at starting trouble? The other side is probably about to explode from anger, right?
The elder named Yang Long turned away, as if to avoid the intangible verbal attack. His complexion was completely ashen.
Mister dead fish eyes turned around to look at the Hub of Freedom’s manager, asking, “By what qualification was he able to obtain your business’ jade token?”
The manager took out a pigeon-sized sapphire. “This chrysanthemum sapphire is just too rare and precious…”
He was cut off by the dead fish-eyed man before he even finished his sentence. “Hah, and here I thought it was someone crazy influential! So it was just an upstart who relied on a shoddy gemstone. Elder Yang, out of respect for the Hub of Freedom, spare his life. It’ll be enough as long as you cut off his tongue.”
Those who were watching from the surroundings shivered. Having one’s tongue cut off might even be worse than death… The worst part was that the man made it sound as if he were being merciful. Even though that youngster’s words were harsh, there was no need for such harsh treatment, right?
Of course, they all only cursed a bit silently. No one would step out in the name of justice in this kind of situation.
Zu An was instead a bit surprised. Looks like this dead fish-eyed guy isn’t just a completely ignorant spoiled brat after all! At the very least, he asked the manager about my background first.
As for the other party’s threat, he didn’t care in the slightest. What kind of crazy schemes and drama hadn’t he experienced before? Small fry like this couldn't even produce the slightest ripple in his emotions. If it weren’t because he needed to earn Rage points, he wouldn’t have even bothered to say another sentence to them.
The elder named Yang Long nodded. He took a step forward, and all of his ki fluctuations erupted, locking onto Zu An. “Youngster, if you speak randomly outside your clan, you have to pay the price for it.”
The pressure immediately made many people whose cultivations were lower find it hard to breathe. They were all horrified. This was actually a seventh rank expert! It seemed this youngster was done for.
Zu An’s eyes narrowed. Just then, however, the Hub of Freedom manager stepped forward and stood between the two of them, saying, “Young master Sun, please cease fighting here.”
The observers began to whisper among themselves.
“Young master Sun? Which young master Sun?”
“How many young master Suns can there even be in Yi Commandery?”
“So it was Sun Xiang’s young master. This youngster’s future might really be finished.”
…
Even though their whispers were soft, Zu An’s cultivation was already extremely high and he heard everything clearly. He immediately realized who it was.
The Sun Xiang they spoke of wasn’t actually named Sun Xiang; rather, they were referring to the ‘Xiang Minister’, Sun Xun, who worked under King Yan. These local kings had their own small official courts, and they had all kinds of officials working in them. Of course, they were much smaller than the central court.
The position of ‘Xiang Minister’ was that of second-in-command under King Yan. Sang Hong had already introduced the important officials underneath King Yan on the ship before they arrived, and this Minister Sun Xun was the one of highest importance. He was King Yan’s greatest trusted aide and possessed tremendous status and authority in the area. No wonder his son was so arrogant.
Mister dead fish eyes spoke up. “What, are you trying to help him right now?”
The manager shook his head. “I am not helping anyone. I do not care what you do outside, but our Hub of Freedom has its own rules. Private conflicts are strictly forbidden here, let alone between fellow jade token-holding guests. If something ended up happening to him inside of our building, our reputation would be completely ruined.”
The dead fish-eyed man was about to say something else, but elder Yang Long had already withdrawn. He whispered quietly, “Young master, the Hub of Freedom’s background is deep and immeasurable. There is no need whatsoever to publicly engage in conflict with him here. Furthermore, the manager is implying that they will not care what we do once we leave. Why don’t we…”
Mister dead fish eyes nodded. “Fine, then we’ll show the Hub of Freedom some respect today.” Then, he turned around to give Zu An a sneer. “We’ll let you live a bit longer then.”
However, once they were outside, it wasn’t just going to be a tongue. Even though an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to find out the identity of another masked guest, it was a completely different story with his influence.
Zu An replied indifferently, “You should be the one thankful that you got to keep your life.” He walked straight in afterward. He didn’t feel like paying them any more attention.
Mister dead fish eyes and the elder were both speechless.
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +666 +666 +666…
You have successfully trolled Yang Long for +666 +666 +666…
Forget about them, even those in the surroundings began to whisper among themselves.
The Hub of Freedom manager also frowned. He’s way too arrogant… Is this youngster already tired of living? He was fortunate enough to keep his life here. Shouldn’t he try to be a bit more low-profile?