The curtain of the carriage was lifted by a slender hand.
Then came thin sleeves trimmed with gold, followed by sleek, jet-black hair. As the person looked up—
A face full of pockmarks was revealed.
Objectively speaking, his features were not ugly, but those pockmarks made them impossible to ignore. They were truly unsightly.
When the calling card shot toward him like a bolt, the man remained perfectly still.
Only when the thin calling card lodged precisely into the carriage door did he turn his head slightly.
The golden-thread embroidered character "Bao" on the card was so glaring it hurt the eyes.
The Soaring Dragon realm "coachman" driving the carriage steadied the startled horses with one hand while flying into a rage: "This villain is going too far!"
Two guards who had been escorting beside the carriage were also at the Soaring Dragon realm. They drew their sabers almost simultaneously, as if a single wrong word would lead to bloodshed on the spot — the classic "when the master is humiliated, the subjects die."
Bao Zhongqing reached out and removed the calling card intact, with effortless grace that revealed his first-rate cultivation.
"Phew~"
He gently blew away the wood shavings clinging to the card.
Then he furrowed his brow: "What's all the shouting about?"
He glanced at his own guards: "Put your sabers away. I am here as a guest today. What kind of impression is this?"
The coachman shut his mouth, and the guards sheathed their sabers.
He alighted from the carriage with a tall, graceful stride, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeves, and said with an air of breezy composure: "Given the relationship between our two families, it is only natural that Young Master Chongxuan would be hostile toward me. Since we have taken the initiative to befriend you, how can we be so lacking in grace?"
The Bao family and the Chongxuan family being at each other's throats was common knowledge.
To serve as the Chongxuan family's political rival, the Bao family was naturally no trivial matter.
Three counts in one family, one of them hereditary and passed down through generations with actual fief and real power. Their influence reached into both the military and political spheres, rivaling the Chongxuan family in might.
Bao Zhongqing was the second son of the current Count Shuofang, the head of the Bao family, and a first-class scion among the noble houses of Linzi.
Though his appearance was poor, his demeanor carried considerable elegance.
Holding the calling card, he walked past the rejected gifts and stopped before the gate of the estate. He reached out and knocked gently.
Admittedly, this show of courtesy was impeccable — no one could find fault with it.
The gatekeeper of the Xiashan Villa spoke respectfully from behind the door: "Please, turn back. Young Master Chongxuan has said he is not receiving guests today."
Bao Zhongqing halted his knocking and said with sincere tones: "Please pass along my regards. I am Bao Zhongqing of the Bao family. I have no ulterior motives — I am truly here in good faith to make friends..."
"Get lost!"
A furious roar erupted like a thunderclap from clear skies, startling the two carriage horses so badly they shrank back.
It was, without a doubt, Chongxuan Sheng's voice.
Even with Bao Zhongqing's impeccable composure, his face could no longer hold. His voice turned cold: "Chongxuan Sheng, are you too good for my kindness?"
The great gates creaked open.
Chongxuan Sheng strode out, sleeves rolled up: "Well, if it isn't Old Pockface Bao! You bring your face right to my door for me to slap, and then complain it hurts too much?"
Pockface Bao...
Who in Linzi didn't know this was Bao Zhongqing's forbidden nickname?
His face flushed red with fury, making his pockmarks even more prominent. He was so enraged he could not speak.
At that moment, the "coachman" leaped down from the carriage and rushed forward with a few heavy steps, his expression brimming with indignation: "When the master is humiliated, the subject dies! Young Master, please allow this lowly one to teach him a lesson!"
Chongxuan Sheng cast a glance at those abnormally thick-boned hands: "Oh? Ocean-Shroud Yan Er?"
This man came from the greenwood brotherhood. Once, eighteen of them had roamed Linhai Prefecture, pillaging far and wide. He was known as the strongest Soaring Dragon in all of Lanhai.
Even Chongxuan Sheng had heard of his name — a testament to his notoriety.
But the fat man's tone shifted, turning ice-cold in an instant: "Now that you've become the Bao family's dog, you've forgotten your place?"
Yan Er curled his lips with indifference, rather nonchalant: "Young Master Chongxuan, care to teach me?"
Clang!
Fourteen stepped out from the courtyard, producing the sound of a heavy object striking the ground. She said nothing, but her meaning was clear.
Jiang Chen also came out, but merely watched the show from the side with an amused smile, offering no comment. He had confidence in both Fourteen and Chongxuan Sheng's strength.
Bao Zhongqing thrust out a hand to stop Yan Er, then fixed his gaze on Chongxuan Sheng, his face dark as a storm cloud: "Your situation is good right now? What about when Chongxuan Zun finishes his cultivation? What will you do when facing Wang Yiwu? And you still cling to the old generation's grudges? Can you even tell which matters more?"
"Yi Wang Yiwu is blockheaded, and Chongxuan Zun is a bird in a cage. You can't even see that my situation is splendidly bright, yet you dare ask me if I know what's important?"
Chongxuan Sheng's expression was arrogant, his attitude thoroughly contemptuous: "Go back now and tidy yourself up — try to salvage what little face you can!"
Swish!
The sound of blades being drawn.
Two sounds merging into one.
Bao Zhongqing's two guards stepped forward.
These two were the Twin Fiends of Pingxi. They had earned their fame in the border prefecture of Pingxi, known as the "Twin Sabers that Slay the Inner Palace." After being taken under the Bao family's banner, they had also made quite a name for themselves in Linzi.
Of course, ever since the Yang Territory was fully incorporated into Qi, the Pingxi Prefecture was no longer considered a border region.
Chongxuan Sheng still wore his arrogant expression.
Fourteen still leaned on her sword, motionless.
Jiang Chen still smiled faintly, saying nothing.
They had all fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the battlefield. Compared to that, theseso-calledgreenwood terrors were utterly insignificant.
But after glaring at Chongxuan Sheng for a moment, Bao Zhongqing suddenly turned his head and looked at Jiang Chen: "What are you laughing at?"
Jiang Chen felt baffled, but to avoid trouble he still explained: "I'm just his friend, staying here temporarily. Whatever grudges you have, settle them between yourselves. You don't need to concern yourselves with me."
He trusted in Chongxuan Sheng and Fourteen's strength. Being lazy now and then wasn't a crime. So from beginning to end, he had not said a single provocative word — hadn't even made any gestures that could be misconstrued. He never expected to be picked on anyway!
"I asked you what you're laughing at!" Bao Zhongqing erupted like a volatile man who had finally lost his temper, roaring at Jiang Chen.
"..."
This was just picking a fight. There was no avoiding it now. Jiang Chen was provoked, and said coldly: "I'm laughing at you. What are you going to do about it?"
Bao Zhongqing nodded, took a step back, and pointed forward: "Kill him for me!"
Almost simultaneously, the two guards and the coachman — three Soaring Dragon realm experts — launched their attack.
Jiang Chen was so angry his teeth itched.
So they wanted to kill someone to assert dominance, but Chongxuan Sheng was certainly not a target.
As Chongxuan Sheng's personal guard, a childhood companion and sworn protector, killing Fourteen would also mean an irreconcilable feud.
So, in their eyes, someone who was merely a guest — he himself — naturally seemed like a good choice... A great choice, my foot!
Did this old master look that easy to kill? Was he just going to let them pick and choose?
Jiang Chen drew his sword in fury, blocking the first saber that came slashing down.
The sword light spun, parrying three times in one fluid motion.
First deflecting the saber, then swatting aside a palm strike, then blocking a third slash.
Then Yan Er's massive, thick-boned hands rose into the air like a canopy over the sky.
And the Twin Fiends of Pingxi crossed their sabers in perfect coordination, the two blades spiraling into a dazzling vortex of blade-light!
The blade-light surged like an ocean...
Jiang Chen shouted: "You two don't need to interfere!"
He was truly angry now, determined to prove his strength.
But from the corner of his eye...
As if they needed to be told.
The moment the three opponents lunged, Chongxuan Sheng and Fourteen retreated back into the courtyard in perfect sync, their bodies relaxed, lounging about as if watching a show.
Damn it all!
He cursed silently in his heart.
Jiang Chen charged forward instead of retreating, hurling himself into the storm of blades as though he were seeking death!