A Casual Handout, Tang San's Utmost Humiliation

On the broad official road only a few miles from the muddy path, a dark-gold carriage resembling a palace sped along the smooth bluestone pavement.

Two hundred heavily armored Spirit Hall Temple Knights marched in neat formation on either side of the carriage, their murderous aura soaring to the heavens.

Inside the carriage, Qian Renyuan lounged lazily against a soft couch, idly playing with a jade pendant in his hand.

Across from him, Jiangmo Douluo behaved like a respectful old butler, holding a white jade teacup in both hands. He carefully filled it with spiritual tea and offered it to Qian Renyuan.

"Your Highness, we will soon enter Notting City. This little place does not even have a decent place to stay, so I have already sent word to the bishop of the Notting City Branch Hall and told him to clear out the finest residence for you." Jiangmo Douluo reported with lowered eyes, his tone full of obsequiousness.

Qian Renyuan took a sip of tea, his expression indifferent. "There is no need for such pomp. I came here to watch a good show."

Half an hour later, outside the gates of Notting City.

Tang San and old Jack finally arrived at the city gates, weary and covered in dust. However, just as they were about to enter the city, two gate guards crossed their spears and stopped them.

"Stop! Who are you?" One soldier with a face full of flesh looked the pair over from head to toe, taking in their worn hemp clothes and straw sandals caked with mud. Disgust filled his eyes without the slightest attempt at concealment. "Where did these country bumpkins come from? You think Notting City is somewhere poor wretches like you can enter whenever you please? Get lost, get lost! Do not stand here and offend my eyes!"

Jack hurriedly forced a smile and took out the certificate issued by Spirit Hall. "Sir soldier, we are from Holy Soul Village. This child is a work-study student going to register at Notting Academy..."

"A work-study student? So, a beggar who cannot even afford tuition?" The soldier knocked the certificate from Jack's hand and sneered. "Get lost, now! A towering figure is coming to the city today, and the City Lord has ordered the streets cleared. If you offend the honored guest, you could sell yourselves and still not be able to pay for it!"

Tang San's expression instantly darkened as he watched Jack being roughly shoved around.

He silently stepped back half a pace and inconspicuously raised his left wrist, aiming his sleeve at the soldier's throat.

"Just two watchdogs, yet they dared humiliate Grandpa Jack like this. They already had a death wish!" A killing intent flashed through Tang San's eyes. His finger hooked around the mechanism of his Sleeve Arrow; with a light press, the two soldiers would die on the spot.

"Rumble!"

Just as Tang San was about to act, the earth suddenly began to tremble violently!

From the distant official road came thunderous hoofbeats, accompanied by rolling clouds of dust.

"Wooo—!" A deep horn call resounded through the skies.

Immediately afterward, several Spirit Hall Temple Knights radiating icy killing intent appeared in everyone's sight, escorting that incomparably luxurious carriage.

Atop the carriage, the Six-Winged Angel banner representing Spirit Hall fluttered in the wind.

"It is Spirit Hall's Temple Knight Order! Heavens, just what great figure is sitting inside that carriage?"

On the city wall, the Notting City Lord was so frightened that he scrambled and tumbled down, even knocking his hat crooked.

"Quick! Drive all these commoners away!" The City Lord roared as he staggered downward. "If the honored guest is disturbed, this City Lord will have all your heads!"

Running madly alongside the City Lord were the master of the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall and every prominent noble in the city.

The gate guards, who had been arrogant and overbearing moments earlier, immediately turned pale upon hearing the City Lord's furious roar.

Seeing Tang San and Jack still standing dumbly in the middle of the road, the soldier kicked them into the muddy ditch by the roadside as though chasing away stray dogs.

"Are you blind? Kneel already! If you want to die, do not drag us down with you!" the soldier cursed. Then, together with the City Lord, he dropped to his knees by the roadside with a thud, pressing his head tightly to the ground.

The master of the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall knelt at the very front and shouted at the top of his lungs, "This subordinate, master of the Notting City Branch Hall, leads the entire city in welcoming the arrival of His Highness the Holy Son! The Branch Hall has prepared a residence and respectfully invites Your Highness to proceed!"

"The... the Holy Son?!"

The City Lord could no longer care about dignity. On the hard bluestone pavement, he shouted, "This lowly official, the City Lord of Notting City, welcomes His Highness the Holy Son! I am willing to serve Your Highness before horse and behind saddle, and would not hesitate to die ten thousand deaths!"

"Noisy."

Jiangmo Douluo's cold snort came from within the carriage.

Only two words, yet they made everyone's blood and energy churn.

"The Holy Son has arrived. Do ants like you deserve to block the road? Move aside!" The Temple Knight commander clearing the way swept his spear, and violent Soul Power directly sent several nobles kneeling too close flying through the air.

Yet no one dared utter even the faintest scream. Instead, they knelt even lower, as though being whipped by Spirit Hall's knights was an immense honor.

Tang San had been caught off guard and kicked to the ground, rolling through foul-smelling muddy water. He gritted his teeth and raised his head despite the humiliation.

The heavily armored knights moved as though no one else existed, shoving aside Notting City's guards like garbage and opening a broad path for the carriage.

Watching the carriage slowly pass through the city gates amid the kneeling worship of every commoner and noble in the city, along with that suffocating display of grandeur, Tang San's humiliation instantly turned into jealousy and resentment.

"These snobbish watchdogs look down on us so much, yet they wag their tails and beg like dogs before the person in that carriage!"

Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh. He screamed madly in his heart, Just wait! Once my Tang Sect arts reach great mastery, the person in that carriage will have a death wish too!

At that moment, the carriage happened to roll over the bluestone pavement before Tang San.

A slender hand gently lifted the dark-gold carriage curtain.

Qian Renyuan looked down from above at the roadside, his indifferent gaze falling upon the hemp-clad youth with gloomy eyes in the muddy ditch.

Seeing the killing intent hidden in Tang San's eyes, Qian Renyuan's lips curled into an amused sneer.

He did not lower the curtain immediately. Instead, he glanced at the jade pendant he had been idly playing with.

"Since you are lying in the mud like a dog, you should possess a dog's awareness." Qian Renyuan casually tossed it away as though discarding trash.

With a plop, the priceless jade pendant traced an arc through the air and landed precisely in the muddy ditch before Tang San. The splashing mud struck Tang San directly in the face.

The surrounding kneeling nobles stared wide-eyed at the sight.

That was Top-grade Jade Marrow. Even chipping off a tiny corner would be enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime.

"Thank you for Your Highness's reward! Thank you, Your Highness!" Jack saw such a valuable treasure and assumed the noble figure had shown kindness. He repeatedly kowtowed in thanks, preparing to reach for the jade pendant.

"Grandpa Jack, do not pick it up!" Tang San's eyes nearly split apart. He trembled all over with rage. In both his past and present lives, when had he ever suffered such monstrous humiliation as being treated like a beggar receiving alms?

Qian Renyuan paid no further attention to Tang San's impotent fury and slowly lowered the curtain.

Escorted by the Temple Knights, the carriage ignored the resentful gaze from the muddy ditch and rolled grandly toward the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall.