Give Me Some Face

As they neared Cloudwater City, Nalan Yu once again marveled at its sheer size. Jiang Ming curled his lip. It was not even as big as his home.

A long line had formed outside the city gates, making it clear that entry inspections were extremely strict.

"Young Master, the line is still long. We may have to wait for a while," Nalan Yu, who was driving the carriage, said.

"It's fine," Jiang Ming said indifferently.

"Student Liu, can you tell me why?" Jiang Ming looked at Liu Qingqing.

Student Liu? What kind of address was that?

"Why what?" Liu Qingqing looked thoroughly puzzled.

"Stop pretending. Why did you sneak onto my carriage? If you say it was because this young master attracted you, this young master will be very happy." Jiang Ming smiled faintly.

Liu Qingqing's expression was cold. "That has nothing to do with you, Young Master."

"I haven't even told you the price for riding in my carriage. Tell me what happened, then." Excitement at the prospect of gossip gleamed in Jiang Ming's eyes.

"No comment!" Liu Qingqing said icily, turning to leave the carriage.

Jiang Ming smiled and did not stop her.

Bang—

Smack—

Thud—

As the carriage neared the city gates, the sounds of fighting rang out.

"Young Master, they're fighting ahead!" Nalan Yu said hurriedly.

Jiang Ming stepped out of the carriage and looked at the battle ahead. The corners of his lips kept rising; he had lost count of how many times he had wanted to laugh today.

Liu Qingqing stood in the center of the crowd, surrounded by more than a dozen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Though her talent was astonishing, her First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivation was still far too weak against over a dozen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

Liu Qingqing's black hair whipped through the air, and biting cold radiated from her body as she continuously condensed solid ice to attack those around her. Yet with dozens of Nascent Souls joining forces, her attacks could hardly achieve anything. She could only be forced to exhaust her spiritual power.

The Xu Clan wanted to capture Liu Qingqing alive. They merely surrounded and trapped her without taking the initiative to attack.

Just as everyone thought Liu Qingqing was finished, a figure descended from the sky. A pressure far surpassing the Nascent Soul Realm crushed everyone in the fight to the ground, leaving them unable to move.

Seeing the newcomer clad in pitch-black armor with a longsword at his waist, someone cried out, "It's Yang Commander!!"

"Brother, who is this Yang Commander?"

"Yang Commander is one of Cloudwater City's four great commanders, a mighty expert of the Tribulation Realm."

"What? They actually drew Yang Commander here?"

"You don't know? Private fighting is forbidden in Cloudwater City. Causing trouble here is slapping the Yunshui Sage in the face. This is the city of a Saint Realm expert." The speaker looked immensely pleased with himself.

"Daring to cause trouble in Cloudwater City—every one of you can go die." Yang Commander spoke sternly.

"Yang Commander, please show mercy. We are from the Liu Clan of Cloud City, acting under our clan head's orders to capture Liu Qingqing. We did not intentionally cause trouble in Cloudwater City."

"So what? All offenders shall be beheaded!" Yang Commander said coldly.

"Wow, Yang Commander is so brutal. He does not even put the Liu Clan in his eyes."

"The Liu Clan is really nothing in Cloudwater City. The Liu Clan is merely a Tribulation Realm lineage, while Cloudwater City is the city of a Saint Realm expert."

"The Liu Clan is one of Cloud City's Four Great Families. They must have some connection to the Yun Clan."

"Of course they do. Back then, all of Cloud City was dealing with the Yunshui Sage." Someone lowered his voice.

"Oh? Brother Xisuo." Jiang Ming was greatly intrigued after hearing this. He got out of the carriage and handed over a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone.

The man's eyes lit up. He gave Jiang Ming an approving look and said with a smile, "It is said that the Yunshui Sage was the most talented member of his generation in the Yun Clan. But even heroes could not pass the beauty's gate—he fell in love with a woman from a brothel."

"So what?"

"You must know, the Yun Clan is the ruling clan of the Cloud Domain. Their statuses were as far apart as heaven and earth. The Yun Clan could never allow the Yunshui Sage to form a Dao companionship with a brothel woman." The man paused. The people around them crowded closer to enjoy the gossip.

"Therefore, the previous Domain Lord, who was also the previous Yun Clan head, ordered the brothel woman killed. He wanted the Yunshui Sage to seal his heart, sever his love, and devote himself wholly to seeking the Dao."

"But the Yunshui Sage's devotion was far deeper than anyone could have imagined. At the time, he was only at the Nascent Soul Realm, yet he directly turned the Yun Clan upside down. Because of his status, the Yun Clan's main branch could not act personally. In the end, every clan in Cloud City besieged the Yunshui Sage—dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators hunted him down!"

"That battle shattered the heavens and split the earth. In the end, dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators all perished, while the Yunshui Sage vanished without a trace."

"Two hundred years later, the Yunshui Sage suddenly reappeared and had attained the Saint Realm. He charged directly into Cloud City, killing everyone he saw. In the end, the Yun Clan ancestor stepped in, and only then was the matter settled. Ultimately, they merely carved out a portion of the Cloud Domain and gave it to the Yunshui Sage. That is today's Cloudwater Region."

"Yang Commander, you had better think this through. Our Liu Clan is not easy prey either." A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator said coldly, kneeling on the ground while speaking the harshest words.

Clang— The longsword left its sheath. A flash of white light streaked past, and the speaker's head fell to the ground. The remaining Nascent Soul Realm cultivators immediately fell silent.

With another swing of the sword, more than a dozen heads fell to the ground.

Liu Qingqing knelt halfway to the ground. Fear showed in her eyes, along with a trace of relief. She closed her eyes, wearing a faint smile as she awaited death's arrival.

"Yang Commander, how about giving this young master some face?" Jiang Ming stepped forward with a smile and stood in front of Liu Qingqing. Liu Qingqing opened her eyes and looked at the youth before her, her thoughts unknown.

"Who is this guy? He's got some nerve."

"This guy really isn't afraid of death. Yang Commander is a mighty Tribulation Realm expert!"

"Exactly! A mere Nascent Soul cultivator dares face a Tribulation Realm expert and asks him to give face? I'm dying of laughter! What does he have that could make a Tribulation Realm expert give him face? Hahaha!"

"You want this commander to give you face? What the hell are you? Since you are in league with the troublemakers, you can die with them!" Yang Commander raised his longsword as he spoke.

"I don't know him! Let him go!" Liu Qingqing shouted. Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Too much nonsense!" Yang Commander slashed down with his sword. Chilling swordlight swept across the air as Jiang Ming looked at him expressionlessly, his lips parting slightly. "You're dead."

A black shadow suddenly appeared before Jiang Ming and blocked the swordlight. A dull, hoarse voice rang out. "Those who attack the Young Master shall die!" As the words fell, sharp blade intent swept forth, and everyone who had mocked Jiang Ming earlier had their heads fall to the ground.

Yang Commander trembled uncontrollably from head to toe. Locked onto by the blade intent, he could not move and could only watch the blade light come at him.

At that moment, a man in blue suddenly appeared and blocked the blade light. "Sir, how about giving me some face?"

"It's the Yunshui Sage!!"

"Heavens! The Yunshui Sage actually appeared! Who exactly is that young man?"

"What the hell are you, asking this young master to give you face?" Jiang Ming looked disdainfully at the Yunshui Sage, then said to the black shadow, "Uncle Dao, kill him!"

Upon hearing this, the black shadow drew a long saber—the holy artifact, the Chaos Shadow Demon Blade.

"Sir, with me here, you cannot kill him." The Yunshui Sage frowned.

Uncle Dao ignored him. As his figure flickered, streams of blade qi danced through the air. The Yunshui Sage did not dare be careless and summoned the Cloudwater Sword to block them. Their battle in the blink of an eye destroyed Cloudwater City's gates. Blade qi and sword qi filled the ground, while the bystanders had long since retreated to a safe distance. Those who wanted to watch the show up close had already lost their heads.

"Sir, the Jiang Domain has decreed that there shall be no Holy War! Do you wish to become enemies with the Jiang Clan of the Jiang Domain?" the Yunshui Sage shouted.