Then How About I Fight Back?

Jiang Wang had naturally heard someone knocking at the door, but he was too lazy to move from his rattan chair.

He had not expected the visitor to simply vault over the wall and come in.

"It's him!"

Miss Shu put on a fierce expression.

Jiang Wang said indignantly, "I had placed such hopes in you. I even deliberately pulled you into the flower garden and created such a perfect opportunity, yet in the end, it was all misplaced trust. And now you still dare show your face before me!"

He had even put on such a wonderful performance.

Just thinking about it made him furious.

Ning Shisi was utterly baffled.

What did that mean?

Placed hopes in her?

Created a perfect opportunity?

Yet it was all misplaced trust?

He looked hesitantly at Miss Shu, quietly pulled her aside, and whispered, "Junior Sister, could this man be interested in you? Even if that were true, you can't call him a monster. Did he perhaps do something excessive to you?"

At that thought, Ning Shisi flew into a rage.

If that was truly the case, this man was more detestable than a monster!

Miss Shu stood frozen where she was.

Before she could explain, Ning Shisi had already been swept away by his own speculation. He drew his sword and pointed it at Jiang Wang. "You lecherous scoundrel! How dare you pester my junior sister! Calling you a monster is already the greatest insult to monsters. Take my sword!"

Though Jiang Wang was also baffled, seeing Ning Shisi thrust his sword at him immediately filled him with delight. "Miss Shu, I misunderstood you. So you came to bring me a gift."

He had no intention of dodging at all. He even leaned forward slightly, trying to make the sword come faster.

Yet when Ning Shisi saw this scene, he promptly withdrew his sword.

"I merely intended to teach you a lesson, yet you want to frame me. What a venomous heart."

Naturally, he could not kill someone so casually. Besides, this was the Marquis Manor. A simple brawl was one thing; causing a death was quite another.

If it brought the Garrison Headquarters down on him, and he did not wish to rely on power and influence, imprisonment would be unavoidable. His mission to seek immortals would be greatly delayed, and if anything unexpected happened, it would be difficult to undo.

Jiang Wang grew anxious. What was going on here?

He rose from the rattan chair and said with exasperated disappointment, "I'm a monster, and I'm pestering your junior sister. You can endure even that? Once a sword has left its sheath, how can there be any reason to put it back? If you're a man, come chop me!"

Ning Shisi instead took a step back and said warily, "Don't come over here!"

Jiang Wang said irritably, "Things have come to this. I can only take the initiative."

He took one step forward.

Ning Shisi took one step back.

Jiang Wang found the scene bizarre. He looked at Miss Shu and said, "Hey, can we be a little more professional here? You said I was a monster, and now you've found help. Wasn't your purpose to kill me? But look at this—does this atmosphere seem right to you?"

Miss Shu finally came back to her senses. She was deeply confused. "Why do you look like you're eagerly awaiting this? What exactly are you plotting?"

Jiang Wang rubbed his forehead. "Plotting my ass. You came to kill me, so I'm standing right here and letting you kill me. It's that simple. Is it really that hard to understand? If you really think there's a problem, then how about I fight back?"

Slightly resigned, he picked up the Long Night Saber and casually swung it twice. "I'm ready. Come on."

Ning Shisi was shocked. "Are you sick?"

Jiang Wang said calmly, "You're impressive. You could tell even that."

Ning Shisi said to Miss Shu, "Junior Sister, I think you may have gotten it wrong. How could he be a monster? He's merely ill. Perhaps he only pestered you because he was having an episode. We can't bully a sick person. Look how pale he is—he's been breaking out in cold sweat. Should we find a physician for him?"

Miss Shu: "..."

Weren't we here to kill a monster?

Why was the scene now so bizarre?

Was Jiang Wang really a monster or not?

She was lost.

At that moment, the gates of the Marquis Manor were pushed open from outside.

Shan Qiyu walked in front.

Master Tao followed behind him, holding a bronze mirror in his hands.

Then came Constable Zhou, leading several yamen runners.

When they turned and saw Jiang Wang holding a saber, with Miss Shu and an unfamiliar sword-wielding man opposite him, they were all stunned.

Shan Qiyu reacted first. He instantly appeared at Jiang Wang's side and watched Ning Shisi and Miss Shu vigilantly. "Young Marquis, are you all right?"

Jiang Wang said helplessly, "I rather wish I weren't."

Shan Qiyu did not understand.

Jiang Wang tossed him the saber, looked at Master Tao, and said, "I suddenly really want you to tell my fortune..."

The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly wondered: was this good luck, or bad luck?

Which way was he supposed to break this fate?

Master Tao was in a terrible mood, looking utterly dejected. "I'm in no mood right now. We'll discuss it another time."

Though Constable Zhou found the atmosphere at the scene rather strange, the matter of Wangliang was more important. He looked at the bronze mirror in Master Tao's hands and said to Jiang Wang, "Young Marquis, Wangliang is inside that bronze mirror. Master Tao is unwilling to cooperate, and we do not wish to make things too unpleasant. If Young Marquis has a way to resolve this, that would be best."

Master Tao showed little reaction.

Because he simply did not believe Jiang Wang could deal with Wangliang.

"Bring me the bronze mirror. All of you, stand farther away."

Jiang Wang steadied himself. Miss Shu was unreliable, but fortunately, there was still a monster.

Constable Zhou snatched the bronze mirror from Master Tao's hands and, with a hint of apology, handed it to Jiang Wang.

A talisman was stuck to the bronze mirror, presumably to suppress the monster.

Master Tao reminded him, "Young friend, you must be cautious. If the talisman is removed, Wangliang will escape. I can't guarantee that I'll have time to suppress the monster again. Why wade into this muddy water? If you lose your life, who will bear the responsibility?"

Even now, he had not figured out what Jiang Wang intended to do.

Monsters were not easy to deal with.

If Jiang Wang truly lost his life because of this, Master Tao would no longer be able to survive in Hun City.

He had originally only wanted to stall for time, so when Shan Qiyu found them, Master Tao had not strongly refused.

But who could have imagined that Jiang Wang would actually mean it?

Seeing Jiang Wang's hand already reaching for the talisman, Master Tao became extremely nervous and said again, "Young friend, don't act recklessly! It's truly dangerous!"

Jiang Wang smiled. "I'll take that as a blessing."

Master Tao was dumbfounded.

Was that something a normal person could say?

He immediately rushed toward Jiang Wang.

But Jiang Wang moved quickly. With a ripping sound, he tore the talisman straight off.

Master Tao collapsed onto the ground, thinking that it was over.

Shan Qiyu had already prepared to rescue his master at any moment.

Even though he guessed that the Young Marquis might be very strong, he was still deeply worried in the face of such a situation.

The people from the Garrison Headquarters were instead the calmest.

They knew well of how the Young Marquis had defeated Cai Tanggu. Dealing with a mere Wangliang should be beneath him.

Jiang Wang continued holding the bronze mirror, eagerly awaiting what came next.

The strange flowers and exotic grasses around them began to sway.

A breeze slowly rose.

The bronze mirror trembled.

A string of silver-bell laughter suddenly rang out.

A terrifying face appeared in the bronze mirror.

The image that struck them head-on was deeply horrifying.

Jiang Wang jumped in fright.

He nearly threw the bronze mirror away.

He forced himself to remain calm.

It was not stimulating enough. Give me more.

Ptooey!

The Wangliang in the bronze mirror froze.

Was this a human?

He actually spat at me?

It became enraged.

Baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, it lunged out of the bronze mirror.

Green qi instantly enveloped Jiang Wang.

The suffocating sensation was intense.

It was here!

Jiang Wang clenched his fist.

He directly punched the green qi apart.

Wangliang was dumbfounded.

Before it could react.

Jiang Wang had already grabbed it by the back of fate's neck.

It struggled desperately.

It shrieked and howled.

Jiang Wang gave it a hard slap across the face.

Wangliang wilted.

Its life as a monster had become utterly joyless.

Perhaps from ancient times to the present, there had never been a second monster slapped across the face by a human.

"How is this possible?!" Master Tao stared at the scene before him in disbelief. Capturing this Wangliang had cost him enormous effort, and he had even nearly lost his life.

How had it become like child's play in Jiang Wang's hands?

The Young Marquis was truly terrifying.

This thought emerged in the minds of everyone from the Garrison Headquarters, led by Constable Zhou.

Shan Qiyu finally relaxed.

His guess had been correct. The Young Marquis was a cultivator.

For monsters like Wangliang, even the strongest martial artists found them difficult to handle. They would rather face the monster Luo Yong, or even Ao Yin—at least those could be touched and struck.

As Shan Qiyu was thinking this, he saw Jiang Wang suddenly beckon to him.

When Shan Qiyu walked over, Jiang Wang pressed a palm onto his head.

He carefully sensed that scorching current. Though it was not as intense as when Jiang Wang had rubbed Xiaoyu's head, it was indeed effective.

Shan Qiyu was deeply shocked.

The reason Fourth Realm martial artists could contend with Cave Abyss cultivators was that martial artists at that realm had already tempered their bodies to the utmost limit. Using the body as a vessel, breathing in and out, they could thereby condense a breath of true Qi.

Such an opportunity could only be encountered, never sought.

Yet Shan Qiyu could clearly feel faint traces of true Qi gathering. Though they ultimately failed to take form, a foundation had already been laid. It was something he might never have achieved in his entire life by relying on himself.

Jiang Wang observed Shan Qiyu with some disappointment.

Because the other man had not broken through his realm.

Perhaps Shan Qiyu's realm had originally been higher than Xiaoyu's, and his own power was insufficient, able to affect only martial artists of lower realms?

His beautiful wish had shattered just like that.

He had been thinking of raising the realms of the entire Black Flame Army in one fell swoop.

Waving Shan Qiyu away, Jiang Wang once more turned his attention to Wangliang.

"Don't be so dispirited. Pull yourself together!" Jiang Wang gave Wangliang another slap across the face, then even stuffed it back into the bronze mirror.

A scholar might be killed but not humiliated!

The bronze mirror was Wangliang's life-bound object. So long as it remained inside the bronze mirror, any injuries it suffered would instantly recover.

But just as it was about to create an illusion and attack Jiang Wang.

An immensely scorching current suddenly poured into the bronze mirror, and Wangliang let out a shrill scream.

Just when it thought it was about to die, the scorching current left the bronze mirror again.

Jiang Wang smiled and said, "You're a monster with backbone. As long as you kill me, you'll be free. A beautiful world lies right before you. Don't ever give up. Try a little harder one more time—perhaps you'll succeed."

Wangliang was beside itself with rage.

Just as it was about to attack, the scorching current struck again.

Again and again, over and over.

Wangliang became afraid.

Though I'm a monster, you aren't human either!

Why was my life as a monster so miserable?

I had stayed peacefully inside the bronze mirror, only to be inexplicably captured by a human and tortured day and night.

After finally seeing daylight again, I had to suffer this humiliation.

Could there be any monster in this world more miserable than me?!