Intimidation

At the Su Family in Huang Yan City, Lin Ming and his two companions were talking with Su Xue when a sudden commotion broke the tranquility of the living room.

The noise grew louder and louder; judging from the commotion, it seemed someone was trying to force their way in but was stopped by the guards.

"Let me in! I want to see what kind of distinguished guest Xue'er personally came out to greet, and why she closed the door to all visitors and even postponed the mine meeting!" A slightly arrogant young man's voice rang out.

Su Xue's face immediately darkened, and a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.

Lin Ming raised an eyebrow. It seemed the Su Family wasn't as peaceful as it appeared. And it seemed this stay might not be too boring.

At this point, Lin Ming picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and immediately began to observe the situation. Xiao Yi Xian remained expressionless, as if everything outside was irrelevant to her. Zi Yan, on the other hand, blinked her big eyes and looked curiously towards the doorway, seemingly very interested in the impending conflict.

The atmosphere in the living room paused slightly due to the noise outside the door.

Su Xue frowned, her gentle demeanor instantly replaced by a layer of frost. She stood up and said apologetically to Lin Ming, "Young Master Lin Ming, I'm sorry, they were just some tactless people. I'll go and send them away right away."

However, before she could act, the living room door was pushed open with force. A young man dressed in a magnificent brocade robe and with a jade belt around his waist barged in.

He was handsome, but the arrogance and domineering air between his brows ruined the overall impression.

Behind him were two elderly men with considerable auras, clearly his guards. Their sharp eyes swept over the people in the living room, lingering for a moment longer on Lin Ming and Xiao Yi Xian, whose auras were rather ordinary, with a scrutinizing look.

"Sister Xue'er, why be so formal? I heard we have distinguished guests at our door. As your older brother, and also the Second Prince of Jin Huai State, and the next Crown Prince, it's only natural that I come to entertain you, lest we be impolite." As soon as the man finished speaking, he instantly revealed his Dou Ling Peak. At the same time, his gaze was fixed intently on Su Xue, his tone carrying a self-righteous intimacy, completely ignoring the presence of Lin Ming and the other two.

Su Xue's tone was icy. "Prince Jin Yu, please watch your manners and speech! This is an honored guest of the Su Family; there's no need for you to go to such lengths to entertain him. We have important matters to discuss; please leave!"

Jin Yu seemed to have just noticed Lin Ming and the others, glancing sideways at them. When he saw Xiao Yi Xian's stunningly beautiful face, a flash of undisguised amazement and greed crossed his eyes. But then his gaze fell on Lin Ming, his expression condescending and scrutinizing. "Oh? May I ask where these distinguished guests have come from? They look unfamiliar. Sister Xue'er, Huang Yan City is going through a turbulent time right now. Don't be fooled by people of unknown origin."

His words were full of contempt and provocation. His Dou Ling Peak gave him the right to be arrogant. In his opinion, Lin Ming was about the same age as him and his aura was not obvious, so he probably wasn't that strong. As for the two women beside him, although they were beautiful, they were probably just pretty faces.

Zi Yan couldn't stand that kind of look. She pouted, about to explode, but was stopped by a faint look from Xiao Yi Xian. Xiao Yi Xian remained sitting calmly, as if everything before her was just a boring farce.

Lin Ming put down his teacup, slowly raised his head, and calmly looked at Jin Yu. He did not release any aura, but his eyes, which had experienced life and death and seen through the truth, made Jin Yu feel a sudden tremor in his heart for no reason, as if he had been stared at by some prehistoric beast.

"A prince of Jin Huai State?" Lin Ming's voice was calm and indifferent. "Miss Su has already said that we have important matters to discuss. Your uninvited arrival is an overreach, as if you are usurping the host's position. Is this how Jin Huai State treats its guests? Or do you think that you can come and go as you please in this Su Family mansion?"

Lin Ming's words were unhurried, yet each syllable was like a needle piercing Jin Yu's arrogance. The two old men behind him changed their expressions slightly, stepped forward, and faint fluctuations of Dou Qi emanated from them, clearly indicating that they were also Dou Ling Peak experts! They obviously wanted to intimidate Jin Yu with their power.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense. Su Xue was so angry that her face turned pale. Just as she was about to scold him, she saw Lin Ming shake his head slightly at her.

Jin Yu was taken aback by Lin Ming's words, a flash of anger crossing his face. He sneered, "What a sharp-tongued brat! How dare you try to sow discord between me and Xue'er? I think you're clearly..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Ming suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with a subtle mockery. His gaze swept past Jin Yu, as if looking towards a more distant place, or perhaps simply stating a fact:

"Dou Ling Peak... Not bad for someone so young. It's a pity that your foundation is weak and your Dou Qi is scattered. You probably just relied on pills to force your way up, right? With such cultivation, how dare you make such a fuss here?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Yu's face drained of color instantly. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he shrieked, "You're talking nonsense!" His greatest pain was that although his cultivation progressed rapidly, he could never perfectly control it. Even his Imperial Capital subtly hinted at this, and now that a stranger had pointed it out in public, how could he not be filled with shock and anger!

The two guards' expressions instantly turned extremely serious. To be able to see through the Second Prince's cultivation level at a glance, this person was definitely not simple! The Dou Qi within their bodies began to circulate faster, firmly locking onto Lin Ming.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze. A conflict seemed inevitable. But Lin Ming remained as calm as a mountain.

Jin Yu's face turned ashen and his chest heaved violently as he was stung by Lin Ming's seemingly casual yet incisive words.

As the Second Prince of Jin Huai State, how could he have ever suffered such humiliation? Especially in front of Su Xue, whom he was trying to curry favor with. The aura of the two Dou Ling Peak guards behind him suddenly increased, like two volcanoes about to erupt. Their fierce Dou Qi locked onto Lin Ming. As long as Jin Yu gave the order, they would not hesitate to capture this arrogant brat.

"Insolence!" Jin Yu shouted angrily, his voice sharp with rage. Then, he swung his hand down at the two guards, saying viciously, "How dare you slander this prince! Guards, seize this madman!"

"Stop!"

Su Xue was both anxious and furious. She stepped in front of Lin Ming and glared angrily at Jin Yu. "Jin Yu! This is my Su Family's place! You have no right to act so arrogantly here! Young Master Lin Ming is an honored guest of my Su Family. If you dare to lay a finger on him, you will be making an enemy of my Su Family!"

Although Su Xue's cultivation level was inferior to Jin Yu's, her determination to protect Lin Ming was exceptionally firm at this moment.

She knew all too well how capable Lin Ming was.

Several years ago, he already possessed the cultivation of Dou Wang and was able to obtain Heavenly Flames from the depths of his own Huang Yan Mineral Vein, at which time he was able to refine 6th Grade pills. Now that he has returned, his aura is even more unfathomable.

Of course, Su Xue would never reveal any of this now. To her, Jin Yu's actions were a slap in the face to the Su Family, regardless of whether Lin Ming and his group were the targets.

"Sister Xue'er, you..." Seeing Su Xue so protective of Lin Ming, Jin Yu's jealousy intensified, his face darkening to the point of being almost dripping with malice. "You're willing to become an enemy of my Jin Huai State for the sake of some unknown outsider?"

"You are provoking the bottom line of the Su Family!" Su Xue refused to back down.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate and the atmosphere reached its peak of tension, Lin Ming gently patted Su Xue's shoulder, signaling her to calm down. He slowly stood up, his gaze calmly meeting the two guards who were poised to attack, a faint smile even playing on his lips.

"Gentlemen, you are not young anymore, and it is not easy to cultivate to this level. Why ruin your future for a spoiled brat?" Lin Ming's voice was still calm, but the content of his words shocked the two guards.

They could sense that the young man before them was not bluffing. His composure and confidence, emanating from within, were genuine. Especially when Lin Ming's gaze swept over them, they felt as if he had completely seen through them, as if the very path of their internal Dou Qi had been exposed. This was an absolute suppression on a soul level!

The two guards exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and uncertainty in each other's eyes. They hesitated, their imposing manner weakening by a third.

Seeing that his guards were actually intimidated by the other party's words, Jin Yu was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He roared, "You two pieces of trash! What are you waiting for? Attack!"

However, the two guards hesitated and did not act immediately. They were worldly-wise and knew that there were some people in this world they could not afford to offend. This young man before them was too strange.

Just then, Xiao Yi Xian, who had been sitting quietly to the side as if it were none of her business, gently put down her teacup. The teacup made a crisp sound as it touched the table.

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone present felt a slight jolt.

Xiao Yi Xian raised her pale purple eyes, her gaze falling on Jin Yu, her tone indifferent and without a trace of emotion. "So noisy."

With just three words, an invisible and intangible yet chilling and deadly aura instantly filled the entire living room like a tidal wave! This aura was not aimed at the body, but pierced straight to the soul!

Jin Yu was the first to be hit. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if he had instantly fallen into an ice cave that had stood for millennia. His soul trembled, and even his thoughts were almost frozen! His mouth was open, but he couldn't utter a single word of cursing. His face was ashen, and his legs trembled uncontrollably. It was a fear that came from the very instinct of life, and had nothing to do with his cultivation level!

The two guards were utterly horrified! They clearly sensed that the source of that aura was none other than the silent woman in white! The terror of this aura far exceeded their imagination, far surpassing even the fearsome presence of their Jin Huai State Dou Wang Emperor! It could be said that their Dou Wang Emperor, in the face of this woman, probably displayed a similar level of power to them.