The Hot Spring Reckoning

It was no exaggeration to say that Hoffman had committed every evil under heaven — murder, arson, rape of female students, theft of property. Roughly every few days, a life was lost to his depravity; there was no foul deed he had not done. Almost daily, someone would come to his door seeking vengeance.

Days earlier, he had received word of the scramble for the Little Defiant Dragon but paid it no mind. Since he had not succeeded, and he was not the only one involved, he saw no reason to take the matter seriously. He had no idea who this particular "troublemaker" even was.

"Who the hell are you?" Hoffman said, his face twisted with menace. He was so used to bullying everyone in his path that he could not tolerate a normal tone of speech — only groveling and bowing were acceptable.

"Your mouth is filthy." A streak of light flashed, and a crisp slap rang out. A clear palm print appeared on Hoffman's face, and he nearly stumbled into the hot spring. It was a solid, stinging blow.

"Damn it, you dare hit me? You're asking to die!" Hoffman was no mere weakling — as a Mortal-Shedding Fourth Heaven expert, he normally walked all over ordinary practitioners. To be slapped like this was the deepest humiliation. With murderous rage contorting his features, he lunged forward.

What was Xiao Chen's cultivation now? Mortal-Shedding Ninth Heaven! Compared to him, Hoffman might as well have been an ant. Xiao Chen's disgust for the man had reached its peak. Leaning back against the pool wall in the hot spring, he kicked out. A heavy shadow of a foot flashed before Hoffman's eyes, filling him with shock and fear — a Fourth Heaven expert could not even dodge. The sole of the foot slammed into Hoffman's face, blood spurting from his nose as his body flew backward and splashed into the spring.

Hoffman wept with pain, his nose feeling as if it had shattered, his eyes barely able to open.

"Damn it! Men, cut this bastard to pieces!" Hoffman roared. He had never suffered such a loss — he was always the one doing the tormenting. Today's events were beyond his comprehension.

"Men, kill this scumbag!" Li Dongbo shouted as well. Earlier, he had held back only because Hoffman told him to, but he had taken a solid slap himself. As he yelled, he thought sourly: Hoffman, you deserve this. When I got slapped, you told me to control myself. Now you tried to be tough and ended up humiliated. Serves you right!

In an instant, a dozen figures rushed in. At the same time, Keke sneaked back, looking guilty. Seeing the commotion, it thought the "she-devils" had sent someone to catch it and was about to flee when Xiao Chen called it over.

Xiao Chen had originally planned to have the Little Defiant Dragon deal with them, but seeing Keke return, he said, "Come here. Bind all these people and throw them into the spring to soak." For the moment, he forgot to ask where it had been and whether it had caused any trouble.

A seven-colored radiance flickered, and the dozen bodies were frozen in place, then tossed into the hot spring. An invisible force pressed them underwater; bubbles rose endlessly as the "hot spring" became "hot soup."

Xiao Chen reclined leisurely against the pool wall, pouring his own wine and drinking.

"Who are you, really?" Hoffman's face changed color. This avenger was clearly different from the usual lot — unfathomably powerful, with a strange little beast that looked like a formidable character.

"You still don't know who I am?" Xiao Chen laughed coldly. "A few days ago, you were trying to steal my holy beast."

"You… you're Xiao Chen?!" Hoffman turned pale again. He glanced at the white celestial horse beside them, then back at Xiao Chen with some doubt. Although the horse was spirited, it was certainly not the Little Defiant Dragon, which was why he had never connected the man to the incident.

Xiao Chen seemed to read his mind and said grimly, "You killed my holy beast. A holy beast with limitless potential! Tell me, how do you intend to compensate me?"

"You… nonsense! How could that be a holy beast? It was just an ugly sub-dragon!" Hoffman's tone had noticeably softened. He no longer dared curse. He had heard of this man — in recent days, many had talked about the madman who had even defeated Wu Xingfeng. That was an extremely dangerous character.

Xiao Chen let out a cold laugh. "An ugly sub-dragon? Then why did you go after it?" With that, he delivered a slap that sent the towering Hoffman flying once more, splashing into the water.

Li Dongbo's face went deathly pale. He never imagined they would provoke this legendary human Tyrannosaurus — a Ninth Heaven freak! And compared to Hoffman, his family background was nothing; he had no strong backing.

"You motherf***er!" Hoffman shouted, his face livid as he climbed to his feet and pointed at Xiao Chen. "Fine, I concede today. But this isn't over, you bastard. Just wait!" He turned to leave.

Xiao Chen slapped him again. A flash of light struck, and Hoffman took another solid blow, his cheek swelling horribly as he fell gracelessly into the spring.

"You dare act tough in front of me? You dare throw your weight around? You're not even qualified!" Xiao Chen's voice was ice. "Who said you could leave? If I don't give the word, try taking another step."

Hoffman, utterly humiliated before his usual cronies, was nearly mad. He stood up and cursed, "Are you asking to die? I'm from the Ligen family—"

This time Xiao Chen did not hold back. With a fierce wave of his hand, a streak of light pulled Hoffman forcibly to his side. Xiao Chen grabbed him and delivered ten crisp slaps, alternating front and back. Hoffman's face swelled to three times its normal size, a mass of bruised purple.

"How dare you curse in my presence? You've lived too long."

Li Dongbo, Zhuge Kun, and Luo Guao shuddered. This man was utterly outrageous — dragging the young master of the Ligen family around like a chicken and beating him without mercy. It was arrogance beyond belief.

Such acts were familiar to them: they bullied the weak, humiliated those who came seeking justice — people far below them in status and strength. But never had they encountered anyone as arrogant as Xiao Chen. The Ligen family was one of the oldest and most powerful clans in Heavenly Emperor City, with influence reaching all over the Southern Wastes. To beat their young master like this was sheer audacity.

"I f—" Hoffman was furious, but when he met Xiao Chen's icy glare, his voice died in his throat. He sensed the aura of death closing in. The man before him was terrifying, a chill that pierced to the bone.

Without a doubt, this was a madman who cared nothing for his family's power. If he kept shouting, he might be killed without a second thought!

"Why did you stop cursing? Continue being arrogant."

"I…" Hoffman was completely deflated. Deep fear surged within him. This Xiao Chen was no kind soul; a single wrong word and he would kill. How could he dare keep up his bluster? "What do you want? I want to settle this misunderstanding from a few days ago privately."

"Misunderstanding? Hah!" Xiao Chen gave a cold snort and shoved him hard. Hoffman tumbled into the water. But when he climbed out this time, he did not dare act rashly.

"You, come here." Xiao Chen sat back down, drank a cup of wine, and crooked a finger at Li Dongbo. His casual manner made Hoffman and the others want to curse — who did he think he was, some overlord of Heavenly Emperor City? Such arrogance!

Li Dongbo walked over in terror, all his earlier bluster gone. The man before him was a monster among monsters. If he had known, he would never have stuck his neck out.

Xiao Chen patted his face lightly. "You were pretty cocky just now, weren't you? Saying I was asking to die? Why so scared now?"

Thump!

Xiao Chen kicked Li Dongbo flying, sending up a great splash.

"Come here."

Li Dongbo's face went pale, then red, but he returned.

Slap!

Another slap sent him flying. It took him a long time to crawl back up.

Xiao Chen was not bullying the weak out of cruelty. It was simply that these people were all worthless scum. Hoffman had raped female students, murdered for money, burned and killed — there was no evil he had not done. What good could his cronies be? If not for caution, Xiao Chen would have gladly butchered these degenerates.

He felt that what he had done was already merciful. Why show any leniency to such reprobates? Ignoring Li Dongbo, Xiao Chen drank his wine and crooked a finger at Zhuge Kun. "Fatty, you're next."

Zhuge Kun, short and round as a landmine, waddled forward, his fat jiggling, with an ingratiating smile plastered on his face. "Brother Xiao, that last time was really a misunderstanding. Please rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory explanation."

"Save your excuses. My battle beast is dead. What can you offer to make up for it? How do you satisfy me?" Xiao Chen was intent on teaching these idle aristocrats a lesson; no matter what smooth words they spoke, he was going to beat them.

Beside him, the Little Defiant Dragon watched coldly. If not for Xiao Chen handling them, it would have charged in long ago.

"Brother Xiao, hear me out…" As a direct descendant of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Kun was of no ordinary status. He had never stooped so low, but trapped here today, he had no choice. He had to find a way out of this hellish place.

Smack!

Xiao Chen seemed to have taken a liking to slapping. He left a heavy palm print on Zhuge Kun's fat face. There was a saying: "Hit a man without hitting his face," but Xiao Chen was precisely targeting their dignity.

Zhuge Kun's nose began to bleed, but he still smiled and stood up. "Please, Brother Xiao, show some mercy. I am Zhuge Liang's cousin. That last time was truly a misunderstanding. Hear me out, and I believe we can become friends…"

"Become friends with people like you? I'd rather kill myself. Do any of you have a shred of decency?"

Xiao Chen sat upright in the hot spring, his sturdy frame gleaming with a bronze luster. His lean, well-proportioned body seemed wrapped in twisting dragons, appearing powerful and vigorous. His long black hair hung loosely over his shoulders, his brows slanted upward into his temples, and his bright, piercing eyes were as sharp as blades.

To Zhuge Kun and the others, he seemed almost demonic, making them feel like prey under a wolf's gaze.

When a rogue meets a ruthless man, reason fails. Yes, if they were rogues, then Xiao Chen was a supreme villain, leaving them utterly helpless.

While the "villain" in VIP Zone Two was dealing with the rogues, in the adjacent VIP Zone One, several beautiful women frolicking in the water were whispering.

"Where did that little beast come from? It's so adorable."

"Exactly. A tiny, snow-white thing, as if carved from white jade. A fuzzy ball with a glossy sheen — I really want to hold it tight."

"Me too. I'd like to keep one by my side. That white little creature is so full of spirit."

Several lovely ladies were entranced, as if they had already cuddled Keke in their arms, not hiding their fondness. Without outsiders present, they cared little about revealing their charms, their creamy skin and voluptuous figures dazzling the eyes.

The spirited girl of the Mande family, Kanasi, rolled her big eyes, a clever look on her face. "Why don't we go outside and take a look? Maybe we can find it. Even if it has an owner, we can buy it. Who would say no to a group of beautiful young maidens like us?"

She had already recognized it as Xiao Chen's pet but pretended otherwise, hoping to stir up trouble for him. As she spoke, she nudged the serene Hai Yunxue, who had exposed ample snowy skin, and said, "Stop pretending to be proper. There's no stranger here. What do you think of my idea? Are you in?"

"Count me in. We must find that snow-white little beast." Two other women were very enthusiastic.

Yan Qingcheng watched all this with a faint smile. She had recently joined their little circle and did not voice her opinion, but inwardly she heartily approved of the blue-haired Kanasi's proposal. A peculiar expression crossed her stunning face. She could already imagine Xiao Chen getting entangled in trouble, and she felt it was high time that detestable man got some payback.