Don't Bully the Young and Poor

The smile vanished completely from Zhao Tianba's face, his expression turning grim. "Brother Xia, what do you mean by this?"

"What do I mean?"

Xia Shi snorted coldly. A faint flash of light flickered in his hand, and he took out a letter from his Storage Soul Tool, pointing it directly at Zhao Tianba as he demanded, "I should be asking you what you mean!"

"Old Xia, this is...?"

Mother Huo Yang looked at the letter, confusion on her face.

At that moment, Zhao Tianba's expression had already turned extremely ugly. His gaze was fixed firmly on the letter.

Xia Yang was also curious and turned his eyes toward the letter in his father's hand.

"See for yourself."

Xia Shi handed the letter to his wife.

Huo Yang took it and quickly scanned the page. Her face changed abruptly.

A suppressed Soul Power Fluctuation rose from her body. She suddenly looked up, fury blazing in her eyes as she glared at Zhao Tianba. "City Lord Zhao! Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"This is an intelligence report from our Spirit Hall. It states in black and white that three months ago, you had already promised Yanran to a Nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire!"

"But if I remember correctly, Yanran's engagement to Yang'er had not yet been dissolved three months ago!"

"Speak! What exactly do you mean by doing this!"

The hall fell deathly silent.

Xia Yang's Pupils contracted slightly, and his heart sank.

So this broken engagement had not happened solely because of his failed awakening.

It was because they had already found a better match.

If it had merely been a simple broken engagement, the Xia Family might have lost face, but they could still have accepted it.

But in this situation, Zhao Tianba was clearly treating them like fools, throwing their dignity to the ground and stomping on it viciously.

"Old Zhao, we've known each other for over ten years. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

Xia Shi's face was expressionless, his voice low.

"An explanation? What explanation?"

By now, the guilt and awkwardness that had been on Zhao Tianba's face were long gone, replaced by undisguised arrogance.

His purple Pupils and sinister gaze made him look exactly like a venomous snake lying in wait.

"You...!"

Xia Shi stared in shock at this old friend of many years, scarcely able to believe his transformation.

If the other man had given him a reasonable explanation, he might have endured it.

But he had never expected Zhao Tianba to refuse even the most basic pretense of reason.

"I'll tell you the truth. The one who is going to marry Yanran is the young son of Marshal Ge Long's family from the Heaven Dou Empire!"

"Marshal Ge Long is not only a Nobles with real power in the empire, but also a powerful Soul Douluo. How can your little Soul King family compare?"

As Zhao Tianba spoke, he jabbed a finger heavily into Xia Shi's chest.

"Besides, your Spirit Hall and our Heaven Dou Empire have always been outwardly united but inwardly divided. As an imperial city lord, what's wrong with me keeping my distance from you?"

His gaze swept over the Bishop robes Huo Yang wore, and he let out a cold snort.

"Zhao Tianba."

Xia Shi trembled with rage, pointing at him as he cursed, "You bastard from a pirate background!"

"Back then, Spirit Hall's Enforcement Team chased you like a stray dog!"

"If my wife and I hadn't pulled strings for you, could you have gone legitimate?"

"You'd probably still be drifting at sea right now!"

"And now you're putting on airs as a city lord before me? You think you're qualified to talk to me about keeping your distance?"

"Have you let the dogs eat your conscience?"

"Don't point at my head again."

Zhao Tianba suddenly shoved Xia Shi's hand away and roared, "I once swore that I would never let anyone point at my head again!"

"Xia Shi, my days as a pirate are long over. Now I am the city lord of Xiling Harbor! A city lord!"

"Before long, I'll become a Nobles with real power in the empire!"

"I am breaking off the engagement. I did find a better branch to cling to. What can you do about it?"

Zhao Tianba had completely torn away all pretenses, looking utterly fearless.

"You... you..."

Xia Shi trembled all over with rage, pointing at him, unable even to speak properly.

"Old Xia, are you all right?"

Huo Yang hurriedly supported her husband and asked worriedly.

Having known each other for many years and weathered life-and-death trials together, this was the first time she had seen her husband this furious.

The hall was so quiet that only Xia Shi's heavy breathing could be heard.

After quite a while, Xia Shi gradually calmed down. He patted his wife's hand and said, "I'm fine."

Xia Shi turned to Zhao Tianba, closed his eyes, lowered the arm blocking the way, and stepped aside to clear a path. In a deep voice, he said, "City Lord Zhao, please."

"But from this day onward, all ties between us are severed. We are no longer friends."

"Hmph, what a show! Yanran, let's go."

Zhao Tianba grabbed his daughter and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Xia Yang suddenly spoke up.

The father and daughter of the Zhao Family stopped and turned back.

Xia Yang strode to the desk nearby, spread out a sheet of paper, ground some ink, and began writing furiously.

Before the ink had even dried, a Divorce Letter had already been written.

Without hesitation, he bit his Index Finger until it bled. A bright red bead of blood seeped out, and he pressed his fingerprint firmly onto the Divorce Letter.

"This is a Divorce Letter for your daughter."

Xia Yang casually tossed the Divorce Letter, and the sheet of paper drifted lightly toward Zhao Tianba outside the doorway.

"Now, the engagement is truly dissolved."

"Good, very good, you little brat..."

Zhao Tianba snatched the Divorce Letter out of the air and glared darkly at Xia Yang.

"You, with your Wasted Martial Soul, what right do you have to write a Divorce Letter?"

Zhao Yanran demanded shrilly.

Xia Shi abruptly opened his eyes, his voice booming like a Great Bell. "My son is not trash!"

"Listen well: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't Bully the Young and Poor!"

"One day, my son will become a powerful Soul Master!"

His words brimmed with a father's rage and unwavering conviction.

His voice echoed through the hall, causing some of the Spirit Hall members outside to glance over.

"Hmph."

Zhao Tianba snorted coldly and left without looking back.

Once they had gone far away, Xia Yang hurried to his father's side. "Dad, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

Xia Shi patted his son on the shoulder, guilt written across his face.

"Dad has wronged you. If I hadn't arranged this marriage all those years ago, you wouldn't have suffered such humiliation today..."

"Dad, don't say that."

"The fault isn't yours. Their intentions were impure."

Xia Yang took his father's hand and comforted him.

"All right, all right, you father and son can stop being so mushy."

Huo Yang interrupted them and pulled Xia Shi aside to sit down.

"Old Xia, it isn't worth getting angry over someone like that."

"I'm not angry at him. I'm angry at myself for being blind for more than a decade."

Xia Shi slammed his palm heavily onto the tea table, making the teacups rattle and sending tea splashing everywhere.

"How could I have called someone like that a brother back then?"

The more Xia Shi thought about it, the angrier he became. He suddenly stood and shouted toward the door, "Old Liu!"

Butler Liu Feng entered in response. He had heard the conflict clearly from outside and was equally indignant.

"Pass down my order."

Xia Shi's voice was firm and ringing as he said, "Inform all the brothers making their living at sea: from this day onward, my North Mystic Black Tortoise officially severs all ties with the City Lord Manor of Xiling Harbor!"