Killed and Fed to the Dogs?

In the VIP room, Gu Ni sat in a chair, still holding the Qi Recovery Pill.

Gu Ni's fingers trembled slightly. It was a Third-Rank Qi Recovery Pill of superior quality, expertly refined, its surface smooth and rounded, its medicinal fragrance rich and pure.

Even those renowned Third-Rank Alchemists who had made a name for themselves over many years would find it difficult to refine a pill like this.

"Master Gu Ni, are you certain this is of superior quality?" Ya Fei asked.

Gu Ni raised his head and looked at Ya Fei.

"After refining pills for more than twenty years, I still have enough discernment to tell." Gu Ni said, "This Qi Recovery Pill isn't just of superior quality. The person who refined it has alchemy skills far beyond the Third Rank."

Ya Fei drew in a sharp breath.

Gu Ni was a Second-Rank Alchemist, already the most accomplished alchemist in Wutan City. Yet he said Xiao Chen's alchemy skills were far beyond the Third Rank. Xiao Chen might even be a Fourth-Rank Alchemist.

"Ya Fei, we absolutely mustn't offend Xiao Chen." Gu Ni said.

Ya Fei nodded.

"Not only must we avoid offending him, we should do our best to befriend him." Gu Ni said, "A Third-Rank Alchemist who's only fifteen or sixteen—his future achievements are boundless."

"I understand." Ya Fei said.

Ya Fei stood and walked to the window, looking outside.

"I'll have someone report this to the family right away." Ya Fei turned around. "A Third-Rank Alchemist in his teens, who might also be a Dou Wang expert—the family will certainly take notice."

Gu Ni nodded. "The sooner, the better."

Ya Fei went to the desk, picked up a pen, and wrote a letter.

She recorded Xiao Chen's circumstances in detail.

Fifteen or sixteen years old; strength possibly at the level of a Dou Wang expert; alchemy skills at least Third-Rank; had once hunted a Fifth-Tier magical beast, the Black Scale Python, and obtained a Fifth-Tier Magic Core; had once refined a superior-quality Third-Rank Qi Recovery Pill.

Ya Fei put the letter into an envelope and sealed it.

"Someone come." Ya Fei called.

A maid pushed open the door and entered.

"Miss Ya Fei, what are your orders?"

"Send this letter back to Jia Ma Holy City and deliver it personally to the clan leader." Ya Fei said.

The maid took the letter and bowed. "Understood."

With that, the maid turned and left the VIP room.

Ya Fei returned to her chair and sat down, looking at Gu Ni.

"Master Gu Ni, where do you think Xiao Chen really comes from?" Ya Fei asked.

Gu Ni shook his head. "It's hard to say."

"The Xiao Clan is a small family in Wutan City. They couldn't possibly have nurtured someone like him." Ya Fei said.

"So Xiao Chen must have someone backing him." Gu Ni said.

"A master who's at least a Dou Wang." Ya Fei said.

Gu Ni nodded.

"Someone like that is exactly the sort our Mittel Family must befriend." Ya Fei said.

Xiao Chen left the Mittel Auction House and headed back to the Xiao Clan.

The streets were bustling with people, but Xiao Chen paid no attention to those around him and walked straight ahead.

He didn't walk quickly, but each step was steady.

After turning down another street, he would be on the road back to the Xiao Clan.

As soon as Xiao Chen rounded the corner, he saw a group of people approaching.

At their head was a young man dressed in fine clothes, with several burly men who looked like mercenaries following behind him.

When the young man saw Xiao Chen, he stopped.

"Well, if it isn't the Xiao Clan's good-for-nothing, Xiao Chen?" Jialie Ao called out.

Xiao Chen glanced at Jialie Ao, ignored him, and kept walking.

Seeing Xiao Chen disregard him, Jialie Ao's expression darkened.

"I'm talking to you. Can't you hear me?" Jialie Ao raised his voice.

Xiao Chen stopped and looked at Jialie Ao.

"What do you want?"

"I heard you went to the Mittel Auction House yesterday." Jialie Ao asked. "What were you doing there?"

"None of your business." Xiao Chen replied flatly.

At that, Jialie Ao's expression grew even uglier.

"Xiao Chen, you're a good-for-nothing with only Three-Stage Dou Qi. How dare you talk to me like that?" Jialie Ao snapped.

Xiao Chen looked at Jialie Ao, his face expressionless.

"You're asking for it." Jialie Ao said. "Do you know who I am?"

"Jialie Ao." Xiao Chen said.

"Good. You know." Jialie Ao said. "Since you know who I am, get down on your knees."

At that, the corners of Xiao Chen's mouth lifted slightly. Kneel?

"What did you say?" Xiao Chen asked.

"I said, get down on your knees." Jialie Ao said. "Can't you understand plain speech?"

Xiao Chen looked at Jialie Ao, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"What if I don't?"

Jialie Ao froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You won't?" Jialie Ao said. "Then I'll beat you until you do."

The mercenaries behind Jialie Ao laughed as well.

"Young master, this good-for-nothing doesn't know what's good for him. Let us teach him a lesson." one mercenary said.

Jialie Ao nodded. "Don't kill him. Just leave him breathing."

The mercenaries closed in around Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen looked at them and sighed.

"I wasn't looking for trouble." Xiao Chen muttered.

"What did you say?" Jialie Ao asked.

Xiao Chen didn't answer.

Xiao Chen raised his hand and casually swept it out. Dou Qi burst from his palm and blasted toward the mercenaries.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several muffled thumps rang out almost at once. The mercenaries were sent flying and crashed to the ground, motionless.

Jialie Ao stared at the scene, completely dumbfounded.

Those mercenaries of his were all Dou Shi-level experts. How had they not even withstood a single move?

"You... you..." Jialie Ao pointed at Xiao Chen, his voice trembling.

Xiao Chen looked at Jialie Ao and walked toward him, one step at a time.

Jialie Ao took a step back, his face deathly pale.

"Don't come any closer!" Jialie Ao shouted. "Do you know who I am? I'm the young master of the Jialie Clan! If you touch me, my father won't let you get away with it!"

Xiao Chen stopped and looked at Jialie Ao.

"The Jialie Clan?" Xiao Chen said coolly. "So what?"

Jialie Ao froze. He hadn't expected Xiao Chen to fear not even the Jialie Clan.

"You... what do you want?" Jialie Ao's voice trembled.

Xiao Chen didn't answer.

Xiao Chen raised his hand and struck with his palm. There was nothing fancy about it; it was just a simple palm strike.

But Jialie Ao couldn't dodge it at all.

Thud!

Jialie Ao's body flew backward. He hit the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lying on the ground, Jialie Ao looked at Xiao Chen, his eyes full of terror.

"You... you dare kill me?" Jialie Ao said. "My father won't let you get away with this... The Jialie Clan won't let you get away with this..."

Xiao Chen walked up to Jialie Ao and looked down at him.

"Finished?"

Jialie Ao's lips trembled. He couldn't get a word out.

"If you're finished, then die."

Xiao Chen raised his foot and brought it down.

Crack.

Jialie Ao's eyes went wide. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but not a word came out.

Jialie Ao's head lolled to the side. He was dead.

Xiao Chen drew back his foot and glanced down at Jialie Ao's corpse.

A good-for-nothing at the Dou Zhe level had dared to bluster in front of him. He really didn't know what was good for him.

Xiao Chen raised his foot and kicked Jialie Ao's corpse to the side of the road.

A few stray dogs happened to be foraging there. When they saw the corpse fly over, they immediately pounced on it.

Xiao Chen glanced at them, turned, and left.

The mercenaries Xiao Chen had knocked unconscious came to a few moments later.

They scrambled to their feet and saw that Jialie Ao's corpse had been chewed beyond recognition by the stray dogs. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale.

"Young master... The young master is dead..."

"Quick... We have to hurry back and report this to the clan leader..."

The mercenaries fled in a panic.

Back at the Mittel Auction House, Ya Fei and Gu Ni were still discussing Xiao Chen in the VIP room.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Ya Fei said.

A maid pushed the door open and entered, looking flustered.

"Miss Ya Fei, something has happened." the maid said.

"What is it?" Ya Fei asked.

"Master Xiao Chen just killed the Jialie Clan's young master, Jialie Ao, in the street." the maid said.

At that, Ya Fei shot to her feet.

"What did you say?"

"Master Xiao Chen killed Jialie Ao." the maid repeated. "And... and he even kicked Jialie Ao's corpse to the roadside to feed the dogs."

Ya Fei drew in a sharp breath.

Xiao Chen had killed Jialie Ao and fed his corpse to the dogs. He had a lot of nerve.

The Jialie Clan might not be as powerful as the Mittel Family, but in Wutan City they were still a prominent family.

Jialie Ao was the Jialie Clan's only son. The clan leader, Jialie Bi, had no other children.

Now that his son had been killed and fed to the dogs, how could Jialie Bi possibly let it go?

"Does the Jialie Clan know yet?" Ya Fei asked.

"They know." the maid said. "Several of Jialie Ao's mercenaries have already gone back to report it."

Ya Fei sat back down, lost in thought.

Xiao Chen had dared to kill Jialie Ao. That meant he wasn't afraid of the Jialie Clan at all.

Anyone who wasn't afraid of the Jialie Clan was either insane or powerful enough to stand against them.

Xiao Chen clearly wasn't insane. So he had to be powerful enough.

A Dou Wang expert—only a Dou Wang expert would dare kill people in Wutan City with such impunity.

"Ya Fei, Xiao Chen is even more extraordinary than we imagined." Gu Ni said.

Ya Fei nodded.

"He killed Jialie Ao and even fed his corpse to the dogs." Gu Ni said. "Not just anyone has that kind of nerve."

"Xiao Chen isn't afraid of the Jialie Clan taking revenge." Ya Fei said.

"With Xiao Chen's strength, the Jialie Clan really can't do anything to him." Gu Ni said.

Ya Fei fell silent for a moment.

"Master Gu Ni, what do you think the Jialie Clan will do?" Ya Fei asked.

"Jialie Bi has only one son. He certainly won't let this go." Gu Ni said. "Jialie Bi will definitely seek revenge against Xiao Chen."