“I won’t do it!”
Huang Ling’er’s face was streaked with tears as she begged, “Young Master Nie, please, just let me go. If you absolutely must have money, I can try to figure something out, scrape together some more, and pay you back!”
“Don’t act so pure and high-and-mighty with me. I know exactly what you’re like!”
Nie Feng’s face was dark and sinister as he sneered, “You were kept by Jiang Tian before, so don’t pretend you’re some kind of untouched, chaste white lotus. Just take your clothes off already. You know my power and influence—I could destroy your whole family as easily as playing a game.”
Huang Ling’er’s already pale face turned even whiter, but she kept shaking her head, tears sparkling as they fell in streams.
“Alright, alright, if you won’t undress, then I’ll help you. I can be quite the gentleman, you know.”
Nie Feng gave a sinister smile, walked up to Huang Ling’er, and grabbed for her collar. With a sharp tug, he popped open the buttons of her blouse and held it tight.
And just at that moment—BAM!—the door was kicked open with a single blow. Nie Feng turned his head to look and paused for a second. “Jiang Tian, how come you’re back?”
He knew Jiang Tian inside and out, didn’t fear him in the slightest. Letting go of Huang Ling’er, he lazily sauntered toward Jiang Tian.
He said with a grin, “Ha, I know you used to keep her, but she’s not your wife. You don’t mind, do you?”
“What do you think?”
Jiang Tian stepped forward slowly.
His tone was cold, like ancient ice that would never thaw, sending shivers down anyone’s spine.
“You want to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
Nie Feng was startled for a moment, then burst into arrogant, overbearing laughter. “Hahaha, Jiang Tian, you’re hilarious! A discarded son of the Jiang family like you isn’t even fit to tie my shoes, and you still dare to act tough in front of me? This is like throwing an egg against a rock—you’re an idiot!”
“Jiang Tian, what are you doing? Can’t you see how many thugs he has?”
Zhen Shuai tugged at Jiang Tian, so anxious he could barely breathe.
Even at the peak of the Yaowang Group’s power, Jiang Tian was no match for Nie Feng.
And behind Nie Feng stood more than a dozen big, black-clad men—elite fighters from the Qingyun Society. Going up against them empty-handed was just asking for a beating.
“Jiang Tian, why are you meddling in this? Get back here, or I’ll tell your sister!” Mu Yunqing’s face was full of worry, her brow furrowed as she yelled sharply.
Mu Yunqing was growing more and more disappointed in Jiang Tian.
Getting into a jealous fight over a girl who sold herself, and offending Nie Feng over it—that was just clueless. It really was like throwing an egg against a rock.
“Young Master Nie, this guy has nothing to do with us! Don’t give him any face—just beat him to death!”
Ouyang Bin’s face went white with shock, drenched in cold sweat. After figuring out what was going on, he was furious at Jiang Tian and immediately distanced himself from him.
“You piece of trash? You think you’re my match? I told you to get lost—didn’t you hear me?”
Nie Feng gave a contemptuous smile, stepped forward, and pointed his finger almost at Jiang Tian’s nose. “Going up against me over a little sellout like her? You really have some nerve!”
The fact that Huang Ling’er had once sold herself to Jiang Tian kept getting brought up again and again. Her pretty face flushed red and then went pale, tears streaming from her beautiful eyes. She sobbed uncontrollably, her whole body trembling.
Seeing this, Jiang Tian felt a sharp pang in his heart. And Nie Feng still had no idea how close death was. His face full of mockery, he said:
“Don’t worry—she’s better off with me than with you. I heard you still owe her maintenance money. With me, she’ll make two million a year! Thanks for the training you gave her. I’m sure she’s gotten pretty good at her ‘skills.’”
Before his words even faded, Jiang Tian suddenly moved.
With a deafening BAM, before anyone could blink, Nie Feng vanished from where he stood. Like a rag doll, he smashed through a window, flew seven or eight meters, and landed in the lotus pond in the courtyard.
Blood quickly seeped from his body, staining the pond a sickening bright red.
“Holy crap—is he even human?”
Zhen Shuai felt a chill shoot from his feet straight up to the top of his head, and his whole body shuddered.
Ouyang Bin froze for a second, then ran out the door. Holding Nie Feng, who had barely any breath left coming in and almost none going out, he shouted, “Quick, quick—call an ambulance!”
Huang Ling’er suddenly lifted her head, staring at Jiang Tian in disbelief. Her heart pounded wildly. He… he actually stood up for me!
“Damn it—you dare hit Young Master Nie? You’re insane!”
“Cut him up and feed him to the dogs! Don’t let the girl go either!”
More than a dozen thugs charged forward, swinging their clubs and pipes. Jiang Tian quickly pulled Huang Ling’er behind him to shield her, blocked an iron pipe swinging at his face, grabbed the attacker’s wrist, deflected another steel tube, and drove his knee into the guy’s gut. In a cold voice, he said, “You really don’t know when to quit. Looking for a death wish?”
He snatched the steel pipe, swung it with a sharp WHOOSH, and cracked it down on the thug leader’s head. Blood gushed out, and the man staggered back, clutching his head and screaming in pain.
At the bloody scene before her, Huang Ling’er shrieked in terror. One thug who had gotten close actually pulled out a machete and swung it at her shoulder.
Jiang Tian let out a cold snort and rushed forward. In that split second, he caught the machete with his bare hand.
The blade landed right in Jiang Tian’s palm.
Normally, with Jiang Tian’s level of cultivation, cold weapons like this couldn’t hurt him at all. But then a sudden idea struck him—he deliberately dispersed the true energy in his palm. Instantly, the sharp edge cut into his hand, and blood gushed out along the blade.
That thug was scared out of his wits by Jiang Tian’s ferocity. He had only swung the blade to intimidate, using Huang Ling’er to threaten Jiang Tian—he never actually meant to hurt her. Who would have thought Jiang Tian would really throw himself in front of the blade without a second thought? That raw, bloody courage was absolutely terrifying.
“Get lost!”
Jiang Tian growled. With a sudden surge of force from his bleeding left hand, he actually snapped the shiny machete in two.
Everyone was stunned by Jiang Tian’s sheer power.
The thug leader deeply regretted ever getting involved. No wonder this guy dared to lay hands on Young Master Nie—turns out he was a real martial artist.
A scream rang out as Jiang Tian kicked the machete-wielding thug straight out the door.
Jiang Tian coldly dropped the bloody half-blade. His eyes, fierce as a wild beast’s, locked onto the thug leader, whose face was now covered in blood.
The thug leader’s legs went weak with fear. He stumbled back, pulling a few of his men with him, and blustered, “Kid, if you’ve got any guts, don’t you dare leave. I’m calling Young Master Qiang over!”
By now, the entire club was in an uproar, pure chaos.
People came out of their private rooms to watch and ask what was happening. Some called the police, some shouted for ambulances, some asked for bandages, some were cursing, some were screaming, and others were pointing and gossiping.
“Yunqing, you’re here too? You’re not friends with that guy who did the hitting, are you?”
A young master with a cigar in his mouth walked down the hallway, glanced at Nie Feng—who had been carried to the edge of the lotus pond, his head hanging limp—and then looked seriously at Mu Yunqing.
“Young Master Long, I do know him. Back in Qixia County, we lived in the same compound…”
Mu Yunqing was anxious, knowing Jiang Tian had stirred up huge trouble today. She hesitated, wondering whether to step in and mediate.
“Your friend sure has a temper, hitting even Young Master Nie. Big trouble now—Young Master Qiang is here too!”
The speaker was Hou Longbo, a second- or third-tier young master in Jinling. His family was in the car trade. He was a natural playboy, keeping a whole flock of pretty women—like having three thousand concubines in his harem.
“Which Young Master Qiang are you talking about? Yu Qiang?”
Just as Mu Yunqing was panicking, a calm, quiet voice suddenly spoke up.
“You know Young Master Qiang?” Young Master Long looked at Jiang Tian, who had asked the question, and paused in surprise.
“This guy is really going downhill. I warned him before—stay far away from those Nie family scumbags.”
Jiang Tian shook his head in disappointment. “Tell him to come see me. Watch me scare the hell out of him.”
“Kid, you’d better watch your mouth. Young Master Qiang isn’t someone you can afford to offend.” Young Master Long’s eyes narrowed, a vicious glint flashing in them.
Mu Yunqing’s face changed dramatically. Zhen Shuai was trembling with fear. Ouyang Bin looked bitter.
As for Zheng Xia and the other female classmates, they were too terrified to even chime in.
Yu Qiang was a top-tier young master in Jinling, on par with Nie Mingyuan of the Nie family, and could easily put men like Chen Bo and Sun Hao in their place.
His father controlled the police force of over a hundred thousand in the entire province. Ordinary people didn’t dare provoke him. One word from him, and Jiang Tian would die a violent death.
“Young Master Long, could you do me a favor and put in a good word with Young Master Qiang?”
Mu Yunqing hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.
“Yunqing, do you a favor?”
Young Master Long gave a surprised smile, then his face suddenly darkened. “You haven’t been in the young master circle long enough, have you? The only reason I’m warning you to stay out of this mess is because I respect how well you handle yourself. Believe me—with one word from Young Master Qiang, you won’t even be able to survive in Jinling anymore.”
With that, he left Mu Yunqing standing there, her face pale, and strode off.
“Forget it, Sister Mu. That guy’s nothing but trouble. Don’t bother with him. Whether he lives or dies today has nothing to do with us.”
Zheng Xia walked over to Mu Yunqing and gently tried to persuade her.
“Everyone keep your eyes open and your mouths shut. When Young Master Qiang gets here, don’t go begging for mercy on Jiang Tian’s behalf—don’t throw yourselves to the wolves.”
Ouyang Bin also warned the group.
Mu Yunqing hesitated for a moment, then let out a soft sigh and turned her head away.
In an instant, except for Zhen Shuai, all the compound kids stepped back, cutting ties with Jiang Tian and watching from the sidelines.
“Jiang Tian, when Young Master Qiang or the Nie family shows up, just apologize to them. I’ll even cover the medical bills if that helps.”
Zhen Shuai pleaded earnestly. “A moment of patience brings lasting peace. If you go head-to-head with them, nothing good will come of it.”
“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”
Jiang Tian sat there as calm as ever, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
“He’s completely insane!”
Seeing this, Zheng Xia and a few other classmates looked at Jiang Tian with contempt, as if he were an idiot.
“He thinks it’s a big deal that his dad is a county head, but he doesn’t realize that in the eyes of a top-tier young master like Yu Qiang, that’s worth less than nothing.”
Ouyang Bin gave a dismissive snort, convinced Jiang Tian had no idea how outmatched he was.
By now, Huang Ling’er had snapped back to reality. She reached out and took Jiang Tian’s still-bleeding hand, her heart aching as she said, “Your hand… it’s still bleeding… let me see…”
Jiang Tian gave a faint, calm smile, his face showing a kind of resolute courage that tugged at the heart.
His left hand had a gash straight across the palm from the machete, and blood kept flowing out.
The truth was, he had gotten hurt on purpose. It was a calculated move—a little “playing the martyr” to break the deadlock between him and Huang Ling’er.
But Huang Ling’er’s pretty face had gone pale with worry. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with tears that made anyone melt. “No, we have to go to the hospital right now. You might need a few stitches.”
