Who Was Punishing Whom

Ren Qiancheng was slapped so hard that he stood there in a daze, his face burning. Ren Jie's blow had not caused much injury, but the humiliation was what truly stung.

He was the Third Elder's own nephew. Ever since the Third Elder had entered the Council of Elders and gained power, he had also become imposing within the Ren Family. Especially over the past year, after rising from a steward to Deputy Chief Steward, he had been riding high on the crest of the wave. Although Ren Jie was the Family Head, Ren Qiancheng had often seen the Third Elder and the others berate Ren Jie, and he was used to seeing Ren Jie pester them for spending money, even speaking nicely to him.

Little by little, he had stopped taking this Family Head seriously. Besides, he did not think he had done anything wrong.

Ren Qiancheng covered his face and stared wide-eyed at Ren Jie. "Fa... Family Head, I'm here to deliver a message on behalf of the three elders. What... what do you mean by this?"

"What do I mean? Ha..." Ren Jie laughed at the question and looked at Ren Qiancheng. "The fact that I hit you means you were in the wrong. Not only do you refuse to repent, you're standing here questioning what I mean? Tie Ta, drag him over here."

Ren Jie's face darkened as he reached up and tugged at his sleeves. Those two slaps just now had clearly not satisfied him; he was rolling up his sleeves, ready for a full-blown fight.

"Yes." Although Tie Ta was only at the Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer, he did not hesitate in the slightest at Ren Jie's command and strode forward. At that moment, even if a mountain of blades, a sea of flames, an iceberg, or a dead end lay ahead, he would not hesitate by even half a step. In two strides, he was already before Ren Qiancheng. Like a humanoid demon beast, he reached out and grabbed directly at Ren Qiancheng.

"A brat of the Body Refining Realm dares lay hands on the Deputy Chief Steward? You overestimate yourself."

"Get lost."

Ren Qiancheng himself possessed cultivation at the True Qi Realm Fifth Layer. Though he had not fought much, the True Qi Realm was vastly stronger than the Body Refining Realm; the difference was fundamental. Seeing Tie Ta charge at him, he abruptly activated the true qi within his body. In an instant, a layer of True Essence Bodyguard Qi faintly condensed around him. This was the True Aura Shield that could only be fully condensed after reaching the True Qi Realm Sixth Layer, yet Ren Qiancheng forced it out with all his strength in his haste.

When the four lackeys behind him saw Tie Ta rush forward, they habitually charged up as well, preparing to attack. The four of them were all at the Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer or Body Refining Realm Great Perfection. At their age, without rewards, it would already be difficult for them to step into the True Qi Realm. Still, they had fought no shortage of battles in ordinary times, especially while throwing their weight around under the protection of someone like Ren Qiancheng.

"Hah..." Surrounded by four people no weaker than himself, two of whom were even somewhat stronger, Tie Ta did not change course in the slightest. Just as he was about to reach Ren Qiancheng, the four men arrived before him as well. Tie Ta's chest suddenly heaved. Like a vajra subduing demons, he let out a furious vajra roar.

In an instant, the four men were shaken until their blood and qi churned, vomiting blood as they staggered back. Even Ren Qiancheng, who stood closest to him and was countless times stronger yet knew nothing of fighting and possessed no real experience, saw stars burst before his eyes as his mind went blank.

In that instant, Tie Ta's palm, broad as a cattail fan, had already grabbed for the back of Ren Qiancheng's neck.

"A Body Refining Realm brat thinks he can seize this chief steward? Die..." Though Tie Ta's unexpected roar had left Ren Qiancheng seeing stars and stumbling backward, Ren Qiancheng was still at the True Qi Realm Fifth Layer. He steadied his mind and formed his fingers into a sword, stabbing at Tie Ta's left eye even faster than Tie Ta's grab. If that strike landed, Tie Ta's eye would surely be ruined.

Yet Tie Ta did not alter his actions in the slightest because of it. He might have been straightforward by nature, but his combat experience was extremely abundant. Even when he was young, he had joined soldiers in suppressing bandits, and dozens of enemies had died by his hand. He knew full well that they were separated by an entire major realm. His opponent was also at the True Qi Realm Fifth Layer, on the verge of condensing a True Aura Shield. His surprise attack just now had prevented Ren Qiancheng from gathering that aura; this was his only chance. If he missed it, he would no longer be able to seize him.

Tie Ta's eyes widened like those of an ox. He neither dodged nor defended himself, maintaining his momentum completely as he insisted on grabbing Ren Qiancheng.

"Tong Qiang!" Everything happened in a flash. Ren Jie had expected Ren Qiancheng to resist, considering he was in the True Qi Realm and had been so arrogant and unruly before, unable to distinguish master from servant. But he had not expected Tie Ta's fighting style to be so ferocious.

Almost at the exact moment Ren Jie shouted, Tong Qiang struck after yet arrived first. He pointed through the air, and a streak of golden light shot forth, striking after yet arriving first.

"Crack... Ah..." A crisp crack rang out, followed by Ren Qiancheng's scream. The finger he had aimed at Tie Ta's eye was shattered outright, twisting at an unnatural angle of over a hundred degrees. At the same time, Tie Ta's cattail-fan-sized hand had seized the vertebrae at the back of his neck.

Even a True Qi Realm cultivator, so long as he had not reached the True Qi Realm Ninth Layer where true qi could leave the body, would find it difficult to retaliate once such a vital point was controlled at close range. Much less Ren Qiancheng, who possessed no combat experience whatsoever.

Though Tie Ta had just faced danger without fear and fought with unmatched fierceness, after seizing and controlling Ren Qiancheng, he still nodded gratefully toward Tong Qiang. Then he carried Ren Qiancheng back to the Spirit Beast Carriage.

"Ah... my hand! Tong Qiang, you bastard! You actually dared... dared break my hand! I'll never let this go! My uncle is the Third Elder! I'm the Inner Sect Deputy Chief Steward..." Ren Qiancheng was nearly 1.7 meters tall, yet Tie Ta held him like a chick. With his finger broken, he screamed miserably, losing his head as he kept roaring wildly.

"Slap... Deputy Chief Steward, are you? You're exactly who I'm hitting. After this slap, you won't be Deputy Chief Steward anymore." Ren Jie swung his arm and slapped him across the face.

"Slap..." After striking one side and snapping Ren Qiancheng's head to the side, Ren Jie immediately delivered another slap from the other side. "My Family Head's brother—is he someone you can insult?"

"Slap... Since when did even you dare shout and bark orders at this Family Head?"

"Slap... The treatment of this Family Head's Guard Squad—is that something you have the authority to interfere with? Whoever dares object, speak up. This Family Head will slap him to death."

"Slap... Is Beast Uncle someone you can order around?"

"Slap... This Family Head seized you, and you still dared resist? Are you trying to rebel and betray the Ren Family?"

Though Ren Jie had been here for some time now, he had been displeased from the very beginning. The moment he woke up, a group of elders had wanted to deal with him as though they were scolding their grandson. The people outside the Lineage had ignored him one after another as well. Damn it, now even a Deputy Chief Steward dared act so arrogantly. From this, it was clear what position they thought this Family Head held.

Ren Jie had been holding in a bellyful of rage. With every slap, he spoke a sentence, his hands swinging left and right as he beat Ren Qiancheng.

Before they had even entered the Ren Family's main gate, quite a few people were passing by in the distance. A crowd had also gathered at the entrance, each one staring in utter shock as the Third Elder's nephew, who had risen to prominence just over a year ago—the Inner Sect Deputy Chief Steward, Deputy Chief Steward Ren Qiancheng—was beaten black and blue.

Both sides of his face swiftly swelled up. Blood spurted from his nose and mouth, and even his teeth were knocked out. His True Qi Realm strength was restrained by Tie Ta's grip on his vital point, leaving him unable to erupt. He could force himself to erupt, but that would mean fighting to the death. He could even feel Tong Qiang's gaze upon him from the side.

Ren Qiancheng's behavior had been purely habitual. Whether he occasionally said a few things to Ren Jie when he saw him, just like the Third Elder did, or said a few things to Tong Qiang and the others, he had grown accustomed to it. Every time he did so, it satisfied his vanity and made his subordinates fear and respect him even more. Even Tong Qiang, who had once followed the former Family Head, and the current young Family Head's Deputy Chief Steward, dared to be spoken to by him. The Deputy Chief Steward truly was formidable.

Yet he had never expected this time to end so miserably. Before he even had the chance to beg for mercy, he had been beaten until he could no longer speak.

"How could this happen? The Deputy Chief Steward is the Third Elder's nephew. Isn't the Family Head basically slapping the Third Elder in the face?"

"That's too ruthless, isn't it? Who said the Family Head was weak? Look at how fiercely he's beating him. If this continues, won't he beat him to death?"

"That's too miserable. Did you see that? Even his teeth were sent flying."

"He deserves it. Who told him to be so arrogant all the time?"

"The Family Head is too fierce. He actually made a move personally at the Lineage entrance. This will definitely shake all of Jade Capital City."

Some members of the Ren Family watched from afar, each unable to believe it. Was this truly the new Family Head who had inherited the position over a year ago but had never managed a single matter of the Lineage? And because this was right before the Ren Family's main gate, many outsiders were watching from afar as well, even less able to believe what they saw.

"Damn, that was incredible. I've never seen a Family Head from any Lineage be so tough."

"The Family Head personally beat someone. Is he enforcing family law?"

"That's fucking impressive. A little brat from the Body Refining Realm beating a True Qi Realm cultivator—having power really is fucking incredible."

"That's the Family Head, equivalent to the ruler of a Lineage. Forget a few blows; a truly powerful Family Head can have people much stronger than himself lose their heads with a single word."

"You're talking about Ren Tianxing. This kid isn't that formidable. He only subdued him by force. Just watch, things are about to get lively."

"That's the Ren Family Head's carriage. What is the Ren Family Head trying to do?"

"He's killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, perhaps. Maybe the Ren Family will begin a round of internal strife next. Just watch—there'll definitely be a good show."

Others watched the excitement, but Gao Ren, Tong Qiang, and the Guard Squad members who had remained beside Ren Jie were different. When Ren Jie first began hitting Ren Qiancheng, he struck with the greatest ferocity, speaking one sentence with each slap. Yet those words made their hearts pound faster. It was because Ren Jie was absolutely not making excuses or looking for reasons. They could feel his anger, the same anger expressed in his words.

His Guard Squad—how could others be allowed to command them? His friends—how could others be allowed to insult them? Beast Uncle—how could others be allowed to order him around? His guards—how could others be allowed to harm them...

"Stop..." Just as Ren Jie was beginning to tire from all the hitting, an angry roar sounded from afar. A figure swept over as though riding the wind, rushing over in an instant. It was the Third Elder, Ren Hanlin. Behind him came the Second Elder, Ren Junyang, and the Fourth Elder, Ren Wenxu.

With such a major incident, they naturally received word quickly. They had been waiting in the Great Council Hall for Ren Jie to come up and receive a scolding, and had hurried over at once.

"Good... very good..." Seeing Ren Qiancheng beaten so badly that he looked worse than a pig's head, to the point that Ren Hanlin could barely recognize him, Ren Hanlin's rage could no longer be suppressed. "The Family Head is becoming more and more capable. After beating people in front of the Imperial Palace, he has now come to the Lineage entrance to beat someone from his own Lineage."

"This is utterly outrageous. Do you truly think that being Family Head allows you to act recklessly?" Ren Wenxu said angrily as well. Earlier, they had been driven back from the Imperial Palace, feeling that they had lost every shred of face. They had been furious and had told Ren Qiancheng to wait for Ren Jie at the entrance, ordering him to bring Ren Jie to the Great Council Hall once he returned so they could properly discuss that matter. Yet before they could even discuss that incident, this had happened.

"The Family Head is young and ignorant. Are you people young too?" Fury flickered in Ren Junyang's eyes as he looked darkly at Tong Qiang. "You have all followed the Old Family Head for decades. Are you simply going to watch the Family Head make such a mess of things? Do you think this is a good thing? The Old Family Head established the Council of Elders precisely to restrain the new Family Head's youthful ignorance and prevent him from acting recklessly. Tong Qiang, return immediately and prepare to receive punishment. Everyone else, stop gathering here to watch. This is the Ren Family's main entrance, not a place to put on a monkey show for others. Bring the Family Head to the Ancestral Shrine immediately."

"Boom..." The moment they heard "Ancestral Shrine," the people in the distance erupted. Something major had happened—something major had happened! It seemed the elders had finally become enraged. Once they reached the Ancestral Shrine, even members of the Lineage would be punished for wrongdoing. They were going to punish the Family Head! Tong Qiang froze for a moment, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes. But he seemed to think of something and forcibly suppressed his displeasure, waving his hand to prepare to lead the Guard Squad away.

"Stop." Ren Jie suddenly halted him with a shout. "Are you this Family Head's guards, or the elders' guards? Without this Family Head's order, who told you to leave? From today onward, remember this clearly: the Family Head's Guard Squad is responsible for protecting this Family Head's safety, and this Family Head currently feels extremely unsafe. Damn it, a bunch of bastards outside are looking for trouble, and those at home are no less troublesome. Tong Qiang, did you hear what this Family Head said? This Family Head is asking you: who the fuck do you listen to?"