Never Seen Anyone So Arrogant

A portion of the men Guan Tie brought had already made their way to the mountaintop and were monitoring the surroundings.

At Shang Chaozong's command, hundreds of men formed ranks and advanced towards the summit. Shang Chaozong himself held a Zhanmadao, while Shang Shuqing drew her sword and followed closely beside her brother.

Seeing the situation, Qu Wu and the others had no choice but to ascend the mountain as well.

As Niu Youdao passed Yuan Gang, he patted him on the shoulder. Without a word, he followed them up the mountain.

Outside Nanshan Temple, on the steps leading down, Song Yanqing stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the group of people pushing their way up the mountain. Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo guarded him on either side. Behind them were about twenty monks led by Abbot Yuan Fang, each carrying a long staff, with Su Jieren, whose mouth was bleeding, in their custody.

Upon seeing Niu Youdao behind Shang Chaozong and his group, Song Yanqing's lips curved into a smile. He had been worried that Niu Youdao might have escaped, causing trouble in finding him. It was good that he was still here.

The thought of being able to kill the man who had gone through the wedding ceremony with Tang Yi filled him with uncontrollable excitement, the primal pleasure of driving away rivals and claiming a mate.

Niu Youdao, following behind the others up the mountain, was surprised to see Song Yanqing and the other two blocking the path. When he had heard Shang Chaozong's personal guards recount the encounter, he had judged that the attackers' strength wouldn't be too high. He hadn't expected it to be these three. After marrying Tang Yi, he hadn't seen these three for several years. Was the Shangqing Sect sending these three to kill him?

Upon further reflection, he realized that the Shangqing Sect likely didn't look down on him. He had deliberately kept a low profile within the Shangqing Sect, so sending three such individuals to deal with him was already a sign of respect.

He had previously worried about facing some expert. Now, it seemed that maintaining a low profile usually had its benefits.

With the path blocked, and Shang Chaozong having no intention of Song Yanqing bypassing them, they could only stop at the foot of the steps. Shang Chaozong looked up and shouted, "Who are you people, daring to lay hands on my men!"

Song Yanqing recognized Shang Chaozong. He had seen him occasionally when he returned to the Capital City in the past, but at that time, Prince Ning was still alive, and Song Yanqing didn't have the status to approach Shang Chaozong. However, he had spent many years in the Shangqing Sect in his early days, and Shang Chaozong had been in prison for the past few years he was back in the Capital City, so Shang Chaozong didn't recognize him.

Lan Ruoting, holding a sword, immediately whispered beside him, "This man's name is Song Yanqing, the grandson of Song Jiuming and the son of Song Shu. Both father and son are disciples of the Shangqing Sect." He recognized them.

Shangqing Sect disciples? Shang Chaozong turned sharply to look at Niu Youdao behind him, wanting to ask him what was going on.

Shang Shuqing saw Su Jieren being held captive. Noticing Su Jieren's attire, which resembled Niu Youdao's, she instantly understood something. She was secretly alarmed and abruptly turned to look at Niu Youdao behind her, thinking, "This man, who appears so calm and leisurely, is actually a person of extreme depth, cunning, and ruthlessness!"

Song Yanqing showed no intention of demeaning himself before Shang Chaozong, still looking down from above. He cupped his hands and said, "I met the Young Prince in the Capital City in my younger days. Seeing you again today, I am filled with emotion. Song Yanqing pays his respects! As for who I am, I believe Mr. Lan beside you is aware, hehe!" He deliberately called Shang Chaozong "Young Prince" even though Shang Chaozong was now a formal Prince, which could be interpreted in many ways.

Yuan Fang behind them was terrified. He couldn't afford to offend the Shangqing Sect, and he certainly couldn't afford to offend the Song family in the Capital City. Now, a "Young Prince" had appeared. What kind of trouble had he gotten himself into?

Shang Chaozong: "So you're the grandson of Minister Song. I ask you, on what grounds did you attack my men?"

Song Yanqing shook his head: "Young Prince, you need to understand one thing. It wasn't us who attacked your men; it was your men who first shot arrows at us and tried to kill us. We were merely defending ourselves. This logic holds true anywhere, even if we were to go to the Capital City for a lawsuit, I would still be in the right!" He knew clearly that even if he were in the wrong, Shang Chaozong's influence in the Capital City couldn't compare to the Song family's, especially since the Song family held judicial power. "However, out of respect for the Young Prince, as long as you hand over this person, I will not pursue the matter further!" He pointed at Niu Youdao.

Everyone looked at Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao showed no reaction. The sword in his hand landed on the ground again. He looked at Song Yanqing with interest, remaining silent, also waiting to see how Shang Chaozong would respond.

Shang Shuqing and the others were accustomed to Niu Youdao's style of wielding a sword. Others' swords were like gentlemen; his was like a walking stick.

Shang Chaozong shifted his gaze from Niu Youdao to Song Yanqing and said in a deep voice, "You killed my men and now you want my man. Song, you have quite the audacity!"

Song Yanqing: "Niu Youdao is clearly a disciple of the Shangqing Sect. Since when did he become the Young Prince's man?"

Shang Chaozong: "At least he is still my accompanying pháp sư!"

"Accompanying pháp sư?" Song Yanqing couldn't help but chuckle. Whether Niu Youdao was qualified to be an accompanying pháp sư was not something he would argue about publicly. "I advise the Young Prince to hand him over."

Shang Chaozong said coldly, "What if I don't hand him over?"

Song Yanqing: "I'm also doing this for the Young Prince's own good. The journey up the mountain is treacherous, and taking him along would be a burden. The Young Prince might not reach his destination safely."

"Are you threatening me?" Shang Chaozong's eyes narrowed suddenly, and he said coldly, "The Song family truly has great authority. It seems you don't even respect the Great Yan Imperial family!"

"..." This accusation was a bit too much. It stiffened Song Yanqing's expression. As bold as he was, he wouldn't dare to utter words that insulted the Great Yan Imperial family in public. If such words reached the Capital City, not only the Emperor, but even Grand Secretary Tong Mo would make the Song family accountable. He had to put on a show for all the imperial family members with the surname Shang. He immediately retorted, "Young Prince, you can't just say things like that. He, Niu Youdao, is not qualified to represent the Great Yan Imperial family!"

Shang Chaozong suddenly roared in fury, "What if I don't give him to you? If you have the guts, try to touch even a single finger of mine!"

Song Yanqing's face darkened, and anger flared in his eyes, but as Shang Chaozong said, he dared not act rashly. His identity had already been revealed. To openly attack a Prince of the realm would be to cause trouble for the Song family. If they were to act, it would be in secret, without leaving any room for criticism. A family like the Song family wouldn't lack understanding of such principles.

Shang Chaozong waved his hand, "Those who resist will be killed without mercy. Take them all down!" If he hadn't known Song Yanqing's identity, it would have been one thing, but knowing it, he wanted to see if Song Yanqing dared to act presumptuously!

Hundreds of personal guards immediately surged forward, converging on the mountaintop.

Shang Chaozong used his power to intimidate them. Song Yanqing and the others turned pale, not expecting Shang Chaozong to be so forceful. They dared not act rashly and were forced to retreat by the approaching crowd.

"Senior Brother, the token!" Xu Yitian whispered.

Song Yanqing came to his senses, flipped his hand, and revealed a token, pushing it towards Shang Chaozong. "I am carrying out an order. Shang Chaozong, do you intend to rebel?"

A conspicuous character '刑' (Xing) was on the token, which belonged to the Deputy Minister of Justice's subordinate officials, specifically responsible for arrests.

The surrounding personal guards stopped their advance upon seeing the token, and even Shang Chaozong himself showed hesitation and apprehension. He had used force to suppress them, but Song Yanqing used authority. Authority precedes power; with authority comes power. The token in Song Yanqing's hand represented the ruling power!

"Your Highness, please have your men stand down!" Niu Youdao's voice came from behind the crowd.

Everyone looked, and saw Niu Youdao parting the crowd and slowly walking forward, stopping beside Shang Chaozong. Shang Chaozong stared at him, not harboring any goodwill. Shang Chaozong could tell that this incident was likely orchestrated by him, resulting in the loss of dozens of his men!

Niu Youdao bowed slightly to him and said, "Your Highness, please have your men stand down. Since they are here for me, I will resolve this myself."

Shang Chaozong: "He killed my men and captured my men. This is no longer just your affair!"

"I will do my best to give Your Highness an explanation!" Niu Youdao was not one for unnecessary words. He said what was needed and then looked at Song Yanqing, "Senior Brother Song, let's settle our own matters. There's no need to involve others. Release the Prince's men!" He gestured towards Su Jieren.

Song Yanqing wanted him, and had no intention of clashing with Shang Chaozong to the bitter end. He snorted coldly, flicked his hand, and Chen Guishuo immediately waved to signal Yuan Fang to release the person.

Yuan Fang promptly pushed Su Jieren, the hot potato, forward. Someone from the personal guards quickly stepped forward to help Su Jieren retreat.

Lan Ruoting touched Shang Chaozong's arm, signaling him to wait and see. Shang Chaozong then raised his hand, and the surrounding people slowly backed away.

With his sword sheath planted on the ground, Niu Youdao rested one hand on the hilt and asked calmly, "Senior Brother Song, I'm a bit confused about this. What do you mean by tracking me down here?"

Song Yanqing retorted, "Does it matter?"

Niu Youdao looked around and asked, "Just the three of you?" He still wanted to confirm this, hoping there weren't any hidden experts.

Song Yanqing: "Who do you think you are?" The implication was that the three of them weren't enough.

Niu Youdao chuckled and asked, "What do you want?"

Song Yanqing: "You've violated sect rules, and we're here to clean house!"

"Violated sect rules? It's true that if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. It seems Senior Brother Song isn't planning on reasoning with me." Niu Youdao sighed with a helpless expression, then continued gently, "Actually, I'm a person who hates fighting and killing the most. I've seen too much of life and death, so I hope Senior Brother Song will be merciful and let me off the hook!"

Song Yanqing smirked. He'd seen people pretend before, but never someone who pretended like this. A guy like you, who's been under house arrest all this time, dares to say you've seen too much of life and death? Let's see you cry later! He tilted his head and signaled, "Capture him alive!"

How dare he steal my woman? The thought of Niu Youdao and Tang Yi getting married made him feel unbearably stifled. He was prepared to capture Niu Youdao and torture him thoroughly to vent his anger, ensuring Niu Youdao wouldn't die too comfortably.

Beside him, Xu Yitian suddenly darted out, holding a sword in one hand and reaching for Niu Youdao with the other. He didn't even bother to draw his sword, showing just how much he underestimated him.

To everyone watching, Xu Yitian's speed was already incredibly fast. In an instant, he was in front of Niu Youdao, his claws aiming for Niu Youdao's shoulder. Niu Youdao, seemingly unfazed, appeared not to have reacted yet.

However, the change happened in a flash. Just as Xu Yitian's five claws were about to touch Niu Youdao's shoulder, Niu Youdao, who had been holding his sword, moved. With his other hand, he suddenly struck Xu Yitian's chest with a palm at lightning speed, emitting a muffled thud.

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