"Cough, cough!" Ronglin coughed twice, snapping the distracted nobles back to their senses. He then dragged the young man to the front of the crowd. Everyone recoiled in terror, making the already cramped space even more crowded.
Before everyone's eyes, Ronglin seized the young man by the throat and lifted him high off the ground. The young man instantly struggled for breath, his legs kicking wildly as he clutched at Ronglin's hand, trying to pry open the iron grip clamped around his neck and keep himself from suffocating to death.
Ronglin sneered. "Do you want to live?"
The young man's face had turned crimson from lack of air, and he nodded desperately.
The moment Ronglin released him, the young man crashed to the floor. He could not even stand steadily, only lying there with one hand around his throat and gasping for air. His fear of Ronglin had reached an indescribable level.
Ronglin planted a foot on the young man's body, forcing him flat against the ground. Then he turned to all the nobles and sneered. "All of you know I came from the Rukon District. I have no possessions and no ties to worry about. If you make me unhappy enough to go on a killing spree, let's see who among us suffers greater losses."
At Ronglin's rogue-like words, quite a few of the nobles on the ground frowned. They had only thought about suppressing and bullying this lowborn man from the Rukon District. They had never considered just how powerful he was, nor that he stood alone. If they truly drove him to a fight to the death, they would obviously be making a deal guaranteed to leave them at a loss.
Many people began to feel uneasy. The strength Ronglin had displayed earlier was already beyond what