"All right, if you've got nothing else to do, go home and study. Wandering the streets like some idle hoodlum-you haven't the slightest awareness of how a great family's son should behave. Or is your upbringing the problem?"
Tang Yan's casual remark reached certain attentive ears without a single word being missed-Tang Ling's and Uncle Mo's, for instance. The two exchanged startled glances. On the surface, the brat was accusing Liu Yuan of having no upbringing, but beneath that, he was belittling the Liu Family as a petty household.
"Hmph, Tang Yan, weren't you so impressive last time? Dare to fight me again? If I lose, I'll give you another two thousand taels of silver. If I win, you kneel and kowtow to me. How about it?" Suppressing the urge to rush over and beat him up, Liu Yuan stated why he had come.
"You expect me to lift a finger for two thousand taels? You think I'm worth that little? Get lost. This young master is heading home." Tang Yan was desperately short of silver, but the young man in green robes posed a threat. He wasn't afraid, but if a real fight broke out, the truth that he could cultivate would be exposed.
"Heh, what lofty airs. Today, you'll fight whether you want to or not." The young man in green finally spoke.
"Master, that boy in green is Liu Quan. He's fairly strong among the Liu Family's younger generation. Should we go out and take a look?" Uncle Mo asked anxiously.
"No hurry. Let's see how the brat handles this!" Old Master Tang waved a hand.
"And if I refuse?" Tang Yan asked defiantly.
"Refuse?" The young man gave Tang Yan an amused look. "That's fine too. Kneel down and obediently give me three resounding kowtows, and I, Liu Quan, will let you leave."
"What, you want to restrict my freedom? This is Cloud City, not your Liu Family's home. You'd need the city lord's permission to restrict my freedom. Could your Liu Family be so powerful that you don't even respect the City Lord's Residence?" Tang Yan exclaimed theatrically. "Does your Liu Family intend to take the City Lord's Residence's place?"
Tang Yan had deliberately chosen crowded streets earlier, and the confrontation had already drawn the attention of everyone nearby. Hearing his words, Liu Quan's heart jolted. This brat really dared to say anything. If that enormous accusation were pinned on them, even the perpetually neutral City Lord's Residence would take issue with the Liu Family.
"You bastard! That old mongrel Tang Ling really couldn't raise anything decent. Nothing but slippery, scheming scum!" Liu Quan roared.
Bastard... At that word, Tang Yan's heart abruptly sank, and an icy glint flashed deep in his eyes.
In his previous life, he had had neither father nor mother and had grown up with his master. In this life, he still had neither parent, but had finally gained a grandfather. Family affection was Tang Yan's greatest reverse scale-the one place no one could touch.
Though he had transmigrated only a little over a month ago, he could fully feel Tang Ling's heartfelt love for him, and deep down, he had gradually come to accept him as his grandfather.
Having lived two lives, Tang Yan was more than capable of handling matters smoothly, but that did not mean he had a mild temper.
A true man knew what he must do and what he must never do. Now that his reverse scale had been touched, threads of killing intent began to grow in Tang Yan's heart.
Tang Yan knew perfectly well that Liu Yuan had come prepared today. Leaving easily was clearly impossible. Since he couldn't leave, he could only fight!
"Hey, Uncle Mo, I'm over here!" Suddenly, Tang Yan's eyes lit up as he looked behind Liu Yuan and the others.
"Uncle Mo's here?" Liu Quan's and Liu Yuan's hearts sank, and both turned their heads.
"Idiots!" Tang Yan muttered. His body became a streak of lightning as he shot forward.
Still wondering why he couldn't see Uncle Mo, Liu Quan suddenly felt a fierce wind rushing toward him. Alarmed, he immediately remembered that Tang Yan had tricked Liu Yuan the same way last time. He hastily retreated, guarding his dantian with both hands.
But with Tang Yan moving at full speed, the unprepared Liu Quan had no chance to dodge.
Smack! Smack! Two ringing slaps sounded.
Liu Quan instantly felt a fiery sting across his cheeks, but humiliation burned even hotter. He, a distinguished expert among the Liu Family's younger generation, had actually been slapped by Cloud City's wastrel?
During his brief stupor, Tang Yan swung his hand and delivered two more slaps.
In the flash of a spark, Liu Quan had taken four slaps to the face.
"You're courting death!" A Yellow Tier martial artist after all, Liu Quan recovered after those four slaps. His eyes bloodshot, he roared and swung a fist at Tang Yan.
The howling wind of his punch tore through the air as it hurtled toward Tang Yan's chest.
"How dare you! Don't touch my grandson!" In the distance, Old Master Tang's eyes nearly split with fury. He had never expected his grandson to attack without warning. Unleashing the full strength of his Profound Tier Ninth Grade cultivation, he charged toward them with a roar, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
But everything had happened too quickly. Tang Ling would likely be too late to save him.
Facing a Yellow Tier martial artist's hate-fueled blow, Tang Yan showed no weakness and punched to meet it.
Seeing Tang Yan overestimate himself and attempt to counter his strength head-on, Liu Quan's lips curled into a cruel smile. Brat, you dared slap me. I'll beat you to death today!
Though brimming with murderous intent, Liu Quan wasn't a fool. He knew he couldn't kill Tang Yan outright yet, or the Liu Family would face the Tang Family's all-out assault. Still, he had put eighty percent of his strength into this punch. Tang Yan's arm would probably be crippled.
Some of the onlookers recognized Liu Quan, and all waited to see Tang Yan sent flying.
Just as the fist was about to strike him, Tang Yan shifted slightly to the right at an incredible angle. Liu Quan's fist skimmed almost directly across the tip of his nose.
What... what was going on? Young Master Tang had actually dodged it! Everyone's eyes widened, as though they couldn't believe what they had just seen.
"My turn!" Tang Yan smiled at Liu Quan. His punch abruptly paused, and he drew true qi furiously from within his body, gathering it in his fist before driving it hard toward Liu Quan's dantian.
Origin Tier Eighth Grade!
Feeling the ferocity of that blow, Liu Quan's heart turned ice-cold. Wasn't this brat's dantian supposed to be destroyed? How did he still have any strength?
Having already fully committed to his strike, Liu Quan could no longer dodge. The fist laden with true qi slammed into his lower abdomen.
Bang! Liu Quan was instantly sent flying backward.
"Impossible!" Everyone's eyes widened once again.
Only Liu Quan knew that being sent flying was the least of it. When Tang Yan's fist struck his dantian, a hidden force had also surged straight into it.
Even if his dantian hadn't been crippled, it had likely suffered grievous damage. His future cultivation would probably remain stuck at Yellow Tier First Grade.
Old Master Tang, who had been consumed by fury just moments earlier, now stared at his grandson with wide eyes, as though he had seen a ghost.
This little bastard could actually use true qi? And he was fucking Origin Tier Eighth Grade!
Having already revealed himself, Old Master Tang now felt like strangling Tang Yan. You brat, why didn't you tell me you'd regained your strength? You made me worry for nothing!
But now that he had come out, slipping away again would be inappropriate. Still looking as though his fury reached the heavens, Old Master Tang strode over and viciously slapped the stunned Liu Yuan three times across the face.
"My grandson's dantian has already been destroyed, yet you dared bring your brother to bully him! Do you think the Tang Family has no one to defend it? I, Tang Ling, warn you all: if anyone dares lay so much as half a finger on my grandson again, I'll stake these old bones on slaughtering you until not a single roof tile remains!" After delivering his murderous warning, Old Master Tang seized Tang Yan by the collar and headed toward the Tang Family estate.
Before leaving, he cast a long, meaningful look toward the City Lord's Residence.
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