The Prince's Wrath

Killing a man on the street was out of the question, but letting a few insolent soldiers provoke him without retaliation was even more impossible.

When Xiao Chen was stopped, he did not resist much. He followed them to the bank of the inner-city river, where a military officer was waiting with several soldiers. Without a word, the officer lashed out with his horsewhip, aiming for Xiao Chen's face.

"Insolent wretch!" he barked.

Smack!

The officer froze. Before his whip could touch its target, a large handprint had already appeared on his own face—a resounding slap.

"You dare strike me?!" The officer seemed unable to believe it, his rage reaching a peak. He raised his whip again and brought it down.

"Who do you think you are?"

Under these circumstances, Xiao Chen saw no point in arguing. There was no need, and no reason.

Smack!

Another heavy slap, this time landing squarely on the officer's face.

Once again, the officer's whip failed to reach Xiao Chen.

"Damn you!" The two slaps had enraged the officer to the point that his blood vessels seemed ready to burst. He was a soldier of the Prince of Rites—he had never suffered such treatment. He was the one who always struck others; no one had ever dared to lay a hand on him.

Smack!

A third slap sent stars spinning before his eyes.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of drawn blades rang out. Eight soldiers rushed forward with gleaming longswords, without waiting for the officer's order, and hacked at Xiao Chen with fury.

Clink, clink, clink...

Clear metallic notes rang out as the eight swords snapped one after another. The soldiers' faces changed color instantly. Seeing that Xiao Chen had shattered their blades with his bare hands, they knew they were in serious trouble.

Smack! Smack!

Xiao Chen seized the officer by the collar. Without further words, he delivered four more slaps in rapid succession, striking back and forth. "Who do you think you are? Just because you serve a prince, you think you're special?" he growled.

"You scoundrel, you've committed treason! Release me at once!"

"Treason?" Xiao Chen sneered. "What makes you think you're anyone important?"

Seeing the officer's murderous glare, Xiao Chen's anger flared. He grabbed him again and delivered two more slaps, leaving the officer dazed and disoriented.

"I serve the Prince of Rites! To offend the Prince of Rites is a capital offense!" the officer bellowed, still defiant.

Xiao Chen struck him with another four slaps, back and forth. "I thought you were the emperor himself, the voice of an entire dynasty!" Now that he had already struck, why would he hold back? By the time he was done, several of the officer's teeth had already flown out.

The eight soldiers watched in dumbfounded horror, shrinking back. Never in all their days in the capital of Tianluo had they encountered such treatment. In their hearts, they cursed the barbarism of the Southern Wastes, where even a prince's soldiers could be beaten without a second thought.

After losing half his teeth, the officer had finally softened. He no longer dared to utter threats, answering every question meekly.

"Is that true? It wasn't your prince who ordered you, but a man from this city who hired you?"

"I swear everything I said is true! I shouldn't have taken those five hundred gold coins. That damned swine came to me wanting to teach some local thug a lesson. How was I supposed to know he was an expert like you..."

By now, the officer had confessed everything. He knew he had provoked a ruthless character. In these lawless Southern Wastes, if the man before him truly decided to kill him, he would die most unjustly.

"Describe that man to me in full detail—his appearance, his build, everything."

When the officer had finished his account, Xiao Chen picked him up and hurled him into the river. The other eight soldiers, after receiving a moderate beating, were also thrown into the water.

Killing people in the city without cause was too extreme, so he had spared their lives. But such punishment could not be avoided. Though they were the prince's soldiers, he was not afraid. The Southern Wastes were a land far from the reach of the central court, and the geography was too remote to control.

Although Heavenly Emperor City belonged to the powerful southern nation of Tianluo, the highest ruler had no effective reach here. For a long time, the city had existed in a state of semi-independence. The city lord was the half-ruler of the Southern Wastes, and the great powers here did not take Tianluo seriously.

The news that a Dragon King had appeared in Heavenly Emperor City, along with sightings of several lesser sacred beasts, had stirred the entire region. Three months from now, the great beast-fighting tournament would begin, drawing aspirants from all directions. Many had already come from the north.

Prince Sun Miao of Tianluo's Prince of Rites had enjoyed a smooth political career and dearly loved beast fighting. Though he was displeased with the city lord's insubordinate attitude, he had still come to Heavenly Emperor City—one of the first powerful figures to arrive.

Heavenly Emperor City was in a semi-independent state. City Lord Liu Daoming had always shown disrespect toward the imperial family. Prince Sun Miao held a deep grudge against him for feigning ignorance and failing to greet him. Though Sun Miao had come in secret, many of the major powers in the city knew of his arrival. How could Lord Liu not know?

Sun Miao was barely over twenty years old, yet he already held a great office. To be treated so dismissively naturally kindled his anger. But for several days he had suppressed it, quietly meeting with the heads of the city's major families. Today, he had even arranged a banquet, inviting some of the younger generation from those families to show goodwill.

These families, for all their power and connections, were nominally subjects of the Tianluo Empire. They would surely send their scions to the event, not fearing to offend Lord Liu Daoming.

It was a private gathering, attended only by the elite young talents of the great families.

Just then, Sun Miao received a piece of news that made his face darken with fury. "Outrageous! Courting death!"

The guests had not yet all arrived—only a few had come. A beautiful woman noticed Sun Miao's expression and asked, "Your Highness, what has happened?"

"Someone threw my personal soldiers into the river," Sun Miao said, his voice outwardly calm. But the young men and women present were no ordinary people; they could all sense the agitation he was suppressing.

"Oh? Who would dare be so bold as to offend Your Highness?" asked a man who appeared somewhat dissipated.

Sun Miao had tolerated Liu Daoming for days, and now this incident occurred on top of it. His mood had soured to the breaking point.

"Guards!"

Unquestionably, the man who had tossed the prince's soldiers into the river was Xiao Chen. At this very moment, he was wandering through the city, searching for the thug with the scarred face that the officer had described.

He found him easily enough—the scar-faced man was still on the street where he usually loitered, having never thought to hide. Xiao Chen had already guessed something of the truth. He did not act rashly, but cornered him in an alley, keeping his own face hidden.

He immobilized the scar-faced man's acupoints, then gave him a thorough beating. "You bribed the Prince of Rites' soldiers?" he demanded.

The scar-faced man, thrashed until his limbs were weak and numb, had even gone temporarily blind, unable to see a thing. He needed no further urging to confess everything.

It turned out the scar-faced man was a minor leader in one of the city's major powers, but the one who had ordered him to act was someone else.

"Just as I thought..." Xiao Chen felt a flash of anger, but he stopped himself from digging deeper. He knew that the true instigator had long since erased all traces.

The prince's soldiers, the scar-faced thug, and the thug's 'superior' were all insignificant pieces. Yet each belonged to powers of no small weight.

Someone had deliberately tried to make Xiao Chen's life difficult, to entangle him in trouble. If he had acted rashly and chased the trail upward, he would have offended a string of minor figures. Minor figures were not frightening in themselves, but sometimes they could play a special role—and possibly bring down the major powers behind them.

Take the present situation: Prince Sun Miao was already furious. He had swallowed his anger toward Lord Liu for days, and now even a 'lowlife' in Heavenly Emperor City dared to lay hands on his soldiers. It was an intolerable insult; word of it would make the prince a laughingstock. He had not ruled out the possibility that this was a provocation from the city lord, but he could not let such a challenge go unanswered.

That was the power of small people. The prince's soldiers had naturally painted Xiao Chen as a local 'bully' in their report.

When two of the prince's personal guards led a squad of soldiers into the streets to arrest Xiao Chen, the young and hot-headed Prince of Rites began to wonder if he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

When that squad blocked Xiao Chen on a certain street, he was thoroughly irritated. The so-called mighty Tianluo Empire had already allowed Heavenly Emperor City to become semi-independent, and yet these people still had the arrogance to arrest a man on the street without any investigation. They were truly high-handed. If they had such courage, they should simply take the city back.

"Tell your so-called prince to question those soldiers I sent back and find out what really happened! I am a low-key man. I don't want trouble, but that doesn't mean I fear it!"

Low-key—that was the most brilliant boast of all. That was the sentiment shared by the entire prince's squad. 'Low-key' my ass; if a man didn't even respect a prince, he was far too arrogant.

There was nothing more to say. They moved to arrest him, charging forward as one, confident that this local thug would soon be beaten into submission.

But aside from the two prince's guards, who were Mortal-Shedding Fourth Heaven experts, the rest were merely 'elite soldiers'—nothing compared to true cultivators. How could they possibly take Xiao Chen?

In just a few moments, the street was littered with groaning bodies, including the two guards. Xiao Chen stepped over them without ceremony and said, "Pass my words to your prince. I am a low-key man. Don't provoke me."

Damn it! Everyone lying on the ground wanted to curse. Low-key was the most brilliant boast of all. Who was this man? So arrogant!

Less than half an hour later, when Prince Sun Miao saw the battered and swollen faces of his men, his face twisted in fury.

"He says he's low-key? That I shouldn't provoke him?!" He slammed his palm down on the tea table, shattering it, and rose to his feet. "A mere street thug dares to show such disrespect to me? He's courting death!"

But then, something seemed to occur to him. He said to a guard, "Go. Interrogate those men thoroughly and find out exactly what happened."

Sun Miao knew the character of his soldiers. The officer who had returned first had certainly not told the truth. But he had not bothered to pursue it—after all, they were his men. Striking a dog was still a matter of its master's face. He had simply wanted to settle accounts with this city thug. But since the thug had told him to investigate, perhaps he should ask. There might be more to the story.

"Why does Your Highness rage?" asked a young man.

The invited young men and women numbered eight or nine, all elite members of the great families. Though young, they were all quite experienced.

"A local thug has defied my authority," Sun Miao said, now convinced that Liu Daoming was behind it. His expression was grim. "Do any of you know of a thug named Xiao Chen in this city?"

The seated young men and women all shifted subtly at the name, their expressions varying.

"Ah, him!" a blue-haired girl exclaimed in surprise.

"Ka Nasi, you've heard of this thug? Is he famous in the city?" Sun Miao asked. He was fond of this cherished daughter of the Mande family, finding her refreshingly straightforward compared to the other worldly heirs.

"Of course I've heard of him! He's an absolute super-thug, the city's most notorious villain!" Ka Nasi huffed, her cheeks flushing slightly.

The other young men and women wore faint smiles, but none spoke. In their elite circle, any stirring of the wind or grass was immediately known.

A few days ago, the Mande family's precious daughter had suffered a setback—she had gambled herself into becoming someone's servant. Everyone present had heard the story.

Sun Miao could easily see their reaction. He turned to a man beside him. "Zhuge Ming, do you know this person?"

This was a young man who looked dissipated, pale-faced with dark circles under his eyes. But no one present dared to underestimate him; they all knew the power of his family.

"Hmm, I've heard of him. He seems... quite arrogant," Zhuge Ming said flatly.

The thoughts of those present were varied, but all knew that Zhuge Ming seemed inclined to make trouble for this Xiao Chen.

"A thug, a villain, arrogant..." Sun Miao was still angry at first, but now he gradually calmed down. The people seated here were the scions of the Southern Wastes' great powers. The arrogant fellow they spoke of could not be any ordinary street thug.

"Hai Yunxue, do you know this person?" Sun Miao asked another.

She was an exceedingly beautiful woman. If Xiao Chen were here, he would have been very surprised, for she greatly resembled Hai Yuntian. Her features were exquisite: flawless skin, bright and lively eyes, long eyelashes, a straight and delicate nose, red and sensual lips, and a cascade of black hair like a waterfall. She was Hai Yuntian's elder sister.

"Hmm, I seem to have heard the name," Hai Yunxue said, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

"Reporting! Miss Yan Qingcheng has arrived!"

"Show her in!"

Hai Yunxue's brow smoothed. She gave a light laugh. "Your Highness, you should ask Miss Qingcheng. She might know more."

Stunning.

That was the feeling that struck Sun Miao when he saw Yan Qingcheng. A woman from the Undying Sect, so breathtakingly beautiful that she could topple cities and overshadow flowers. Together with the other remarkably lovely women already in the hall, the entire room seemed to glow with an added radiance.