Unyielding Iron Bones!

"It hadn't even hit her."

Cao Mengyun's breezy remark completely enraged Yang Ming!

Yang Ming knew that pregnant woman as well.

Yang Ming remembered that whenever he passed by her house before, she would warmly bring out desserts to treat him. Sometimes, she would even take Yang Ming's hand and say she wanted him to be the older brother of the child still in her womb.

The people of Holy Soul Village were simple and honest, with no ill intentions. Yang Ming could naturally tell that when the pregnant woman had said those words, she had been utterly sincere, not merely making polite conversation.

Yang Ming's face darkened as though ink had spilled across white paper. He stepped forward and shouted each word distinctly:

"Apologize! I want you to apologize to her, do you hear me?!"

Cao Mengyun sat steadily atop his horse, his swordlike brows knitting in displeasure. He was the dignified Patrol Deacon of Spirit Hall. If a mere child could threaten him into apologizing to some rural woman, how could he continue making his way through the world afterward?

Besides, Cao Mengyun did not think he had done anything wrong in the first place.

After all, that rural pregnant woman had not been run over by him!

She had nearly fallen on her own. Who could she blame?

Was that somehow my fault?

Cao Mengyun raised his riding crop and lashed it viciously at Yang Ming, saying coldly:

"Where did this ignorant brat come from? Since your parents never taught you how to treat your elders with respect, I'll teach you on their behalf how to conduct yourself!"

The whip tore through the air with an explosive crack. Clearly, even without using his Martial Soul, Cao Mengyun had put his full strength into the strike. If an ordinary child were hit in the face by that whip, they would at the very least be disfigured, their life ruined from then on.

A flash of red passed through Yang Ming's eyes as the Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared, perceiving the whip's trajectory. With Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track beneath his feet, his body swayed from side to side, and the whip swept past him, striking the muddy road and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Hm?"

Cao Mengyun let out a surprised sound. He truly had not expected such a young boy to evade his casual attack.

Yang Ming was not the sort who would silently swallow his grievances after being wronged.

Seeing Cao Mengyun strike first, Yang Ming immediately counterattacked in fury. Gripping his spear and using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he closed in, the spear tip trembling as it formed three successive blossoms.

Cloud-Piercing Dragon!

One thrust, two thrusts, three thrusts!

Each thrust surged forward like a thorned rose blooming—beautiful and deadly.

Surprise repeatedly flashed through Cao Mengyun's eyes. Yang Ming had not only avoided his attack, but had also given him such a tremendous surprise. Such proficient spearwork could not grasp the essence of the spear without ten or twenty years of immersion. How had Yang Ming learned to apply it so well at such a young age? Had he started cultivating while still in his mother's womb?

In the blink of an eye.

Just as the spear tip was about to touch his nose, Cao Mengyun raised his right hand and flicked the riding crop in his grip. Like a python, it coiled around the spear shaft loop after loop.

Without even using his Martial Soul, Cao Mengyun had broken Yang Ming's attack with that move alone!

But in the next instant, a flicker of lightning ran over the spear shaft, traveling from the spear tip straight into Cao Mengyun's body.

"Hm?"

Cao Mengyun felt an electric current strike his right hand. It immediately went numb, temporarily losing all sensation.

A perfect opportunity!

A brilliant light burst from Yang Ming's eyes. He released the spear shaft in his right hand, pushed off with his feet, leaped into the air, twisted his waist, and sent a whip kick toward the side of Cao Mengyun's face.

If Cao Mengyun were kicked by a rural child, it would be a barefaced humiliation. He would never be able to hold his head up before his peers again.

"Heng!"

With his right hand still numb, Cao Mengyun gave a cold snort as a Soul Ring flashed around him.

Even though the Three-Tomoe Sharingan clearly saw what was happening,

Cao Mengyun's counterattack was too fast, surpassing the limits of Yang Ming's physical reactions. Yang Ming's vision went black, and he felt a monstrous force crash into him. His whole body seemed to have been struck by lightning. With a muffled groan, he flew backward like a cannonball, blood spraying from his mouth through the air. Bang!

Yang Ming's back slammed heavily into the ground, sending dust flying.

Seeing Yang Ming fall, Cao Mengyun had originally intended to give him another lash to vent his irritation at having his path blocked.

However, seeing Cao Mengyun refuse to let him off, even the honest villagers became enraged!

You could treat us like dirt, but Yang Ming was still just a child!

The villagers surged into the street of their own accord, carrying farming tools such as hoes, axes, and rakes. Gritting their teeth, they charged toward Cao Mengyun.

If they had merely been a group of ordinary farmers, Cao Mengyun naturally would not have cared.

But at that moment, Cao Mengyun saw a man—someone who appeared to be a blacksmith from the smithy. When Tang Hao's icy gaze fell upon him, Cao Mengyun unexpectedly felt a faint sense of fear.

Since Tang Hao had settled in Holy Soul Village, village chief Old Jack had always shown him considerable care. Although Tang Hao's usual attitude toward the village chief was hardly pleasant, Yang Ming was the village chief's grandson. Seeing Yang Ming humiliated, he naturally could not stand by and watch!

Anyone who could become a Soul Grandmaster was no fool.

Cao Mengyun understood that Holy Soul Village was, after all, a village that had once produced The Big Shot. There might be hidden masters here. He immediately gave a cold snort, cracked his riding crop, and rode away.

The black horse's neighing reached their ears, followed by the fading sound of hoofbeats.

Yang Ming struggled to rise from the ground. Watching Cao Mengyun's retreating back, he clenched his teeth tightly and said with hatred:

"One day, when I become a Soul Grandmaster, I'll make you pay!"

The pregnant woman who had nearly fallen and gone into labor hurried over. Supporting Yang Ming, she brushed the dust from his body and asked with concern:

"Yang Ming, are your injuries serious? Why don't you come to my house and let Auntie apply some medicine?"

Besides the pregnant woman, the surrounding villagers soon gathered around as well, expressing concern for Yang Ming.

Seeing the genuine concern on the villagers' simple faces and the farming tools in their hands, Yang Ming knew they had just risked their lives to save him. Warmth filled his heart. He cupped his fists and said:

"Thank you for your concern, everyone. My bones are tough; this little injury is nothing!"

Hearing Yang Ming's words, the villagers all gave him a thumbs-up and praised him:

"That's a real man!"

Within the crowd, Tang Hao watched Yang Ming from afar. Only after seeing that he had not suffered any serious injury did he withdraw his gaze.

Then Tang Hao smacked the back of his son Tang San's head and said carelessly:

"San, look at little Yang. At such a young age, he's already a true man of unyielding iron bones. When the strong bullied the weak, he dared to step forward and stop it. The village chief truly raised a fine grandson!"

"And when will you be as outstanding as little Yang?"

Listening to his father's incessant nagging, Tang San's face darkened.

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