Rewards for Thirty Consecutive Victories

This domineering certainty, where words became law and brooked no doubt...

Wang Dong'er suddenly felt that all the so-called "justice" and "rules" she had learned at Shrek seemed so laughable, so pale and powerless at this moment.

This... seemed to be the truest law of this world?

She was lost in wild thoughts.

"Stop!"

An angry shout came from the end of the street.

Immediately afterward, a squad of City Lord's Manor guards in uniform black armor rushed over with spears in hand, surrounding Yu Chen and Wang Dong'er in an instant.

As though they had seen ghosts, the crowd scattered and retreated far away again.

A man in brocade robes who appeared to be the guard captain hurried over to the young masters still twitching on the ground. The moment he recognized their faces, his expression changed drastically.

"It's... it's Young Master Li! Quick! Report to the City Lord! Deputy City Lord Li's son has been crippled!"

The guard captain abruptly turned around, drew the saber at his waist, and pointed its tip at Yu Chen. He shouted sternly, "You've got a lot of nerve! How dare you assault people in broad daylight! Men, seize both of them!"

Several guards raised their spears and closed in with vicious looks.

Yu Chen did not even slow his pace.

He could not even be bothered to look at the guards. He merely swept his gaze over his waist.

A palm-sized token hung there, carved entirely from dark jade. A ferocious black dragon was coiled upon it, its jaws wide open as though it were about to devour heaven and earth.

The guard captain, who had been about to order the attack, happened to glimpse the token.

The instant he clearly saw the dragon totem on it, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

The ferocity and fury on his face vanished in an instant as though doused by ice water, replaced by a fear that rose from his bones and penetrated his soul.

"Stop... stop! All of you, stop the fuck right now!"

The guard captain let out a shriek in a warped voice and kicked a guard beside him in the backside just as the man nearly thrust his spear tip into Yu Chen.

He scrambled forward in a panic. He did not even stop to pick up his saber after it clattered to the ground. His knees buckled, and he dropped to his knees before Yu Chen with a thud, pressing his entire upper body tightly against the dusty ground without daring to raise his head.

"I... I did not know a distinguished guest of the Heavenly Dragon Gate had arrived! This lowly one failed to recognize greatness! I deserve death! I deserve it!"

His voice trembled like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, and his entire body shook violently along with it.

Just then, a commotion rose from the end of the street.

A fat middle-aged man wearing the lavish official robes of a city lord came panting over, surrounded by a group of people. At the sight of his son lying on the ground, the fat on his face twitched as he was about to fly into a rage.

But then he saw the guard captain kneeling on the ground and shaking like a sieve, as well as the glossy black jade dragon token at the waist of the white-robed youth before him.

In that instant, the city lord's face turned paler than a corpse's.

The fury and heartache on his face disappeared without a trace, replaced by intense shock and obsequiousness.

He rushed forward in a few strides, kicked his precious son—who was still screaming on the ground—aside, then bent deeply at a ninety-degree angle toward Yu Chen. His voice carried a sobbing note.

"I did not know the Young Lord would honor us with his presence. Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar! I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

The room at the inn was filled with fine sandalwood incense, its fragrance elegant and light.

The floor was covered with a thick carpet made from some unknown animal's fur. It was so soft that half a foot could sink into it.

Wang Dong'er sat by the window with her chin propped on one hand, her pink-blue eyes gazing absentmindedly at the figures on the street below, now no larger than ants.

The moon-white dress she wore had been something Yu Chen had casually pointed out at a clothing shop after they entered the city and told her to change into.

The material was excellent, and it fit well, but... it was far too eye-catching.

The scene on the street still spun through her mind.

Those crisp cracks of breaking bones that made her teeth ache, along with the screams of the young masters as they fell to the ground with their legs twisted at grotesque angles.

It had been frightening.

And also... satisfying?

Even she could not figure out what she was truly thinking.

"The tea has gone cold."

A voice came from behind her.

Wang Dong'er came back to herself and turned to see Yu Chen seated at the table. He held a clean white cloth as he unhurriedly wiped a white porcelain teacup.

From beginning to end, he seemed not to have shown the slightest emotional ripple.

"Oh." Wang Dong'er answered, rose, walked over, and poured herself another cup of hot tea.

Steam rose from the tea, blurring her vision.

Cradling the warm cup, she asked quietly, "Just like that... you crippled them. Won't that city lord cause trouble?"

"He wouldn't dare."

Yu Chen put down the teacup and spoke only three words.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Someone knocked on the door three times, neither too hard nor too soft. The rhythm was steady, carrying a sense of caution and respect.

Wang Dong'er's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked toward the door.

"Come in." Yu Chen did not raise his head.

The door opened, and an elderly man in the gray attire of a Heavenly Dragon Gate steward entered. His hair was grizzled, but his back was perfectly straight, and his footsteps made no sound.

Upon entering, the old man first looked at Yu Chen, then quickly swept his gaze over Wang Dong'er at the side. Immediately afterward, he lowered his head as though a second glance would be gravely disrespectful.

He quickly approached the table and bowed.

"Young Lord."

"Mhm." Yu Chen responded through his nose. "Is it done?"

"In reply to the Young Lord, everything has been taken care of. Blackstone City will make its tributes on time from now on, and the City Lord's Manor guard force will also be replaced with our people." The old steward answered respectfully, keeping his voice low.

Wang Dong'er stood beside them, listening so intently that she forgot to put down her teacup.

Replaced with our people?

In only this short time, a city's defensive forces had...

Looking at Yu Chen's calm profile, she suddenly realized that what she knew of this man might not even amount to the tip of the iceberg.

"There is one more matter."

As he spoke, the old steward took a box made of dark ironwood from his robes. Holding it in both hands, he raised it above his head.

"This was sent by someone from the Soto Great Soul Arena. They said... because you have not lost a single match and have drawn unprecedented attention at the Soul Arena, they have exceptionally raised your reward to the highest tier."

Yu Chen's movements paused.

He reached out and accepted the box.

It was heavy in his hand, and intricate patterns had been carved into its surface to seal what lay within.

He gripped the edge of the box with one hand and exerted a little force.

Click.

With a soft sound, the lid opened.

In an instant, a brilliant, dazzling crimson light burst from the box!

The entire room was bathed in red light as though submerged in the glow of sunset. Even the temperature in the air rose several degrees, and the scorching, immense energy fluctuations made Wang Dong'er's breathing stop.

Her eyes widened as she stared fixedly at the box.

There, upon the red silk lining inside, lay a bone roughly the size of an adult's palm.

The bone was a crystal-clear crimson throughout, as though carved from the finest ruby. A faint halo flickered across its surface like dancing flames.

Its shape resembled the arm bone of a right arm.

"A... a soul bone!"