He cursed inwardly, These bastards have no manners at all! I saved their lives, and they ran off without so much as a greeting. Do they think I wanted to save their sorry asses? Hmph, ungrateful wretches.
"Huh? Why does this place look so familiar?"
Yi Chen stopped by the street in surprise and muttered to himself.
Looking up at the brightly lit room upstairs, Yi Chen shook his head, turned, and left.
Yi Chen moved extremely fast. In a few strides, he sprang onto the balcony of a high-rise building, then easily leaped into the bedroom of a luxurious suite.
Inside the bedroom, two burly men lay fast asleep on the bed, their upper bodies bare. Their chests were covered in deep scars that looked like raised ridges left by blades;
their necks bore tattoos of all sizes, serpentine markings that made the skin crawl.
Wisps of pale green vapor drifted from their bodies, carrying the distinctive odor of venomous snakes.
Yi Chen approached the bedside with a smile and asked softly, "Shapeshifting soul beasts?"
A cloud of green mist shrouded the entire bed. The two men opened their eyes and fixed their stares on Yi Chen. One snarled, "Who are you? How dare you break into our bedchamber?"
Yi Chen said quietly, "Oh, I'm an ordinary person. Hmm, who are you?"
Both men jumped off the bed at once. Flexing their arms, they closed in on Yi Chen from either side. Two short swords slid from their sheaths together, trailing ghostly streaks of cold light as they stabbed toward his chest.
They moved with incredible speed, reaching Yi Chen in the blink of an eye, then lashed out with side kicks at his head and crotch.
Yi Chen let out a strange laugh. "Good, very good... I like opponents who offer a challenge. Heh heh... I love tormenting bastards who refuse to admit defeat."
Yi Chen's body abruptly shifted position hundreds of times as he evaded the two short swords. Without the slightest restraint, he smashed a fist toward the chin of the burly man in black.
The burly man reacted extremely quickly. Crossing his hands, he blocked Yi Chen's fist and drove an elbow toward his abdomen.
Yi Chen planted both feet hard against the floor and launched himself into the air, driving his knee viciously into the man's belly. The burly man in black screamed as the blow sent him flying, and he slammed heavily into the eaves.
With a crash, the glass window beneath the eaves shattered, and the man in black tumbled awkwardly into the lounge.
Just as he tried to rise, a slender metal needle silently embedded itself in the back of his neck.
Yi Chen smiled. "Your strength and defense are much greater than his, but your speed is far worse. Stop struggling and behave, or you'll suffer terribly."
The burly man roared and sprang into the air, flailing both arms. Gusts of fierce wind rose out of nowhere, making Yi Chen's clothes snap and flutter.
Yi Chen deftly dodged his attacks. With a sway of his body, he appeared behind the burly man and slapped him across the cheek.
Smack! With that crisp crack, the burly man toppled onto the sofa like a puppet struck by a blow. He held his cheek and stared blankly for a long moment, then suddenly began howling in frenzied rage.
Yi Chen's voice rang clear and commanding. "Don't move. Otherwise... you'll become mute!"
The burly man's roar cut off abruptly. He stared at Yi Chen in astonishment. "What the hell are you?"
Grinning, Yi Chen walked over and crouched beside him. He patted the man's cheek and said with a smile, "Whatever I am, I'm spending the night here with you. Any objections? Hmm, I'm sure you won't mind, will you? After all, I saved you once, didn't I?"
The burly man's eyes darted about. Suddenly, he snatched the fruit knife from the coffee table and glared viciously at Yi Chen, cursing in a low voice. "Fuck, you damned bastard! Where the hell did you crawl out from? What do our grudges with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon have to do with you? Are you planning to wade into these muddy waters?"
Yi Chen answered coldly, "Everything concerning the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan concerns me."
The burly man froze, then suddenly laughed. "You really are a strange kid. You actually work for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
Yi Chen shrugged. "From this moment on, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is my vassal!"
A thunderbolt descended from the heavens and struck at Yi Chen's feet, its blast shaking the entire hotel violently. A thick bolt of lightning split the night sky, pouring downward like the Milky Way hung upside down, and slammed into the floor where Yi Chen stood.
Yi Chen staggered, narrowly escaping the tribulation lightning, then roared in mortified fury, "Damn it! Who did that?"
A handsome young man in a gray robe slowly emerged through the doorway, holding a glass of scarlet wine. He smiled gently. "Sir Yi Chen, you mustn't accuse us unjustly... I merely happened to witness all this, and once I sensed the fluctuations of your power, I came at once. I certainly had no idea these two gentlemen were resting here."
Yi Chen narrowed his eyes at the handsome young man. After pondering for a moment, he waved a finger and said, "Since you've already seen it... hmm, you know me?"
The young man smiled. "Sir Yi Chen, please come with me... Rest assured, you are the strongest and most upright person I have ever met."
Yi Chen frowned. "Cut the nonsense."
The handsome young man nodded. "Very well, Sir Yi Chen. Please follow me."
Yi Chen nodded and followed the handsome young man outside with the two unconscious burly men. Everyone they encountered retreated in panic, not daring to take even half a step toward Yi Chen.
A faint aura of sinister, chilling evil emanated from Yi Chen, filling everyone around him with an inexplicable fear.
At the end of the corridor, a dashing youth in military uniform, with a longsword at his waist, hurried toward them. The instant he saw Yi Chen, he raised his sword and barked, "Who are you? Get out! You're not allowed in here, or else..."
Yi Chen snorted coldly and thrust his right palm forward. A cloud of gray mist shot from his palm and instantly enveloped the major. His limbs went limp, and he slumped stiffly into the corner, his lips trembling without producing a word. Not a trace of strength remained in his body.
Without a word, Yi Chen carried the two burly men over his shoulders and followed the handsome young man outside. The guards along the way all bowed their heads respectfully. They did not understand how Yi Chen had slipped inside right under their noses, but they clearly lacked the courage to stop him.
Satisfied, Yi Chen withdrew his hand and smiled at the handsome young man. "Well? Is my strength up to standard? Hmm, don't look at me like that. This doesn't count as breaking the rules."
A tall, attractive woman of around thirty emerged from a nearby room. With a cry of alarm, she threw herself into the youth's arms and shrieked, "Abel, Abel... what happened to you? Are you all right?"