The Central Hall of the Prefectural Yamen.
The burly middle-aged man who had come expressly to "deliver a gift" had smashed the flagstones beneath his knees. Both kneecaps were shattered, and blood covered the floor.
He was a Supernatural Ability User who had only recently reached the second tier, which made him a skilled fighter even in the borderlands. Yet now his body trembled. He struggled to summon all his energy and strength, but could not resist the terrifying force pinning him down.
Once he entered, he had been suppressed to the level of a first-tier Supernatural Ability User. Moreover, Authority Power could draw upon the Heavenly Dao rules of this Star Gate. With a mere thought and some expenditure of Star Source power, Ren Ye could handle him however he pleased without even rising.
But even on his knees, with both of them ruined, the burly middle-aged man remained defiant. "...Zhu Zigui! Lay a hand on me, and I guarantee not one of those forty-two merchants will come back!"
"Still running your fucking mouth."
Thump, thump!
Brother Huang kicked the man twice in the side of the face, his teeth itching with hatred. "I'll skin you and hang your hide over the latrine doorway as a curtain!"
Ren Ye stared at him, slowly rose, and waved Brother Huang and the others back.
Glaring furiously, they stepped back a little.
Ren Ye walked up to the burly middle-aged man and looked down at him with his hands behind his back. "You don't know how to speak like a human being, do you?"
The man raised his head with difficulty and answered viciously, "Heh, I took to the mountains as a bandit. Risking my neck is what I do! If I feared death, I wouldn't be in this business. You little