"Ha!"

Cao Hua laughed out of sheer rage. "So you're here because of Qin Donglai's death? In that case, was it you who killed our Martial Association's Three-Bag Elder?"

He had, of course, sent people to investigate Huang Zhijie being found hanged from the rafters of the Xue Family home. But the culprit had been too clean, leaving not a single trace behind and making it impossible to learn anything.

He never expected this guy to come knocking on his door!

"You mean Huang Zhijie?" Chen Yang bared his teeth in a grin.

Watching the smile slowly spread across Chen Yang's face, Cao Hua felt an inexplicable shiver run down his spine, cutting through his anger.

There was something demonic about that smile.

"I order you to kneel!" Cao Hua roared. "Kowtow and apologize to Elder Huang, and I might grant you an intact corpse!"

His roar caused the people queueing up to pay their fees to turn and look.

"Did you hear? The wolf head sculpture outside was smashed to pieces with a single punch!"

"It was obviously this guy! I have to admire his guts, though, daring to come and wreck the Martial Association's place!"

"Heh heh, now we've got a good show to watch! You think this kid can even take one move from Elder Cao?"

"..."

These people had chosen to join the Martial Association to learn martial arts, hadn't they? The chance to watch a Three-Bag Elder in action for free was a thrilling prospect, and they all craned their necks in anticipation.

Even the main entrance was now completely blocked by the crowd, every pair of eyes locked on the developing scene.

"Kid, didn't you want to know who gave the order to kill Qin Donglai? I'll tell you right now!" Cao Hua took a step forward, looking Chen Yang straight in the eye with utter disdain. "It was me! How about that? Are you furious? But what can you possibly do about it?"

"Hurry up and kneel, and you can beg for an intact corpse!"

To think this kid was demanding an explanation from him, Cao Hua—it was the most ridiculous joke he had ever heard!

Although he and Huang Zhijie were both Three-Bag Elders, Huang Zhijie had secured his position mostly due to his business acumen. He, on the other hand, was a true martial artist.

To put it bluntly, he could take on seven or eight men like Huang Zhijie by himself!

The crowd's blood pumped with excitement. This was the confidence that came from power! This was the dominance and tyranny of the Martial Association!

Perhaps Chen Yang was in the right, but in this day and age, being right was the most useless thing, especially when you had provoked the Martial Association.

Other than kneeling and begging for mercy, was there any other path to take?

Although a few people felt uneasy, the vast majority were caught up in a state of hot-blooded excitement. After all, they were about to become members of the Martial Association themselves.

"Kid, be smart about it and get on your knees! Elder Cao is not someone you can afford to offend!"

"Elder Cao is already showing great mercy! Don't make him do this the hard way!"

The crowd began to "persuade" Chen Yang, which was really just a way of sucking up to Cao Hua. A smug, arrogant grin spread across Cao Hua's face, the pride so thick it was palpable.

He was crushing him with pure intimidation!

So what?

This was the Martial Association, and he was a Three-Bag Elder! Besides, this was hardly the first time he had bullied someone like this.

Wang Qingze stood quietly to the side with his arms crossed, content to just watch.

Chen Yang might have some pull in the Martial Department, but this was the Martial Association's turf. Even if they killed him, with a bit of negotiation from the Martial Association's upper echelon, the Martial Department would have no choice but to swallow its anger and drop the matter.

How had the Martial Association managed to grow so powerful in such a short time? It had everything to do with the incredible influence of its leadership.

Why would they care about some minor official from the Martial Department?

Seeing that Chen Yang still had no intention of kneeling, Cao Hua's face darkened. "What? Are you deaf? Or are you just pretending not to hear me?"

"I was just thinking about whether or not I should leave you an intact corpse," Chen Yang said, his voice as calm as still water.

What?!

Instantly, the hall fell deathly silent. Every pair of eyes staring at the scene went wide with disbelief.

This guy was insane!

At a time like this, shouldn't he be trying to figure out how to de-escalate the situation?

"Haha!" Cao Hua burst out laughing, then his voice grew deep. "Kid, you'd better not test my patience!"

WHOOSH!

Chen Yang said no more. He suddenly lunged forward, his clenched right fist following his momentum as it shot out.

Cao Hua sneered, but before he could even react...

BOOM!

The sudden, muffled boom was like a clap of thunder shaking the earth. It seemed to rip the very air apart as the piercing sound wave assaulted everyone's eardrums.

Cao Hua was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string.

He finally crashed onto the smooth marble floor.

Cao Hua felt an unbearable, bone-scraping pain tear through his entire body. His face twisted into a mask of agony as cold sweat poured down his face.

His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, his eyes filled with pure terror and shock.

Lying in a growing pool of his own blood, he could clearly feel that half of his body was ruined—the kind of ruined where the bones themselves were pulverized!

What... what kind of monstrous power is this?!

At the same time, the vast hall fell as silent as a midnight graveyard, the quietness itself terrifying. Everyone's eyes were bulging as if a spell had frozen them in place; they simply stared, dumbfounded.

Wang Qingze was no exception.

He crippled Cao Hua with a single punch?

This outcome completely shattered everyone's expectations.

Chen Yang walked up to Cao Hua, his footsteps the only sound in the hall. He looked down at the man and said, "I've thought about it. I'm not going to leave you an intact corpse."

"No, no!" Cao Hua shook his head desperately, begging for his life.

His pleas, however, were met with a kick from Chen Yang.

BAM!

The kick sent Cao Hua slamming violently against the dragon-carved pillar behind him, his body twisting into an unnatural shape.

Wang Qingze could no longer remain standing. He collapsed to the floor, his entire body trembling violently.

He's... he's a monster!

Chen Yang pulled out two tissues and wiped his hands. He glanced at Wang Qingze, gave him a chilling smile, and then strode away. The crowd automatically parted, clearing a wide path for him.

"See? The Martial Association is nothing special. If you truly want to learn real skills, go to the Martial Department! Their doors are always open for you!"

With that parting shot, Chen Yang disappeared into the crowds on the street.

He called Yang Hu and asked him to send some people from Qingqiu Dao to clean up the mess. Afterward, Chen Yang began to wander the streets leisurely. As dusk fell, he bought a small gift for Qin Qiu before returning to the Zhou Family estate.

「At seven o'clock that evening, the Zhou Family's clan banquet began on time.」

"Did you all hear? The Three-Bag Elder stationed at the Martial Association's Qingqiu Dao branch was beaten to death!"

"I heard that people from the Martial Department came to handle the aftermath! I wonder who could have done it!"

"We'll find out when Wang Qingze gets here. We can just ask him."

"..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.