Zu An frowned at him. He couldn’t deduce this man’s cultivation, which meant that his cultivation rank was quite a bit higher than his own.

It wasn’t necessary to know his cultivation rank, though. His bearing alone was enough to say that this elder was a different breed. He seemed to step on one’s heart with every step, moving in harmony with one’s heartbeat. It was a rather nauseating feeling.

He didn’t doubt for a second that just the act of walking like this would be enough to shatter the heart of a weaker cultivator.

“Who are you?” Zu An’s entire body was tense. He wasn’t about to let down his guard.

“Han Fengqiu,” replied the elder, who had come to a stop and was standing there calmly. He did not seem about to make a move. It was as though his name alone would be enough to settle matters.

The driver with the missing tooth frowned. “Things are getting complicated now.”

“Is this person formidable?” The madam inside said in her pleasant-sounding voice.

“He is one of the Five Great Guardians of King Qi Manor. He is a cultivator at the peak of ninth rank,” explained the driver. His Madam wasn’t familiar with the cultivation circles, so it was only natural that she did not know this.

Those at the master level were either kings, or major officials in the imperial court. The highest-level individuals still serving within a clan would be at the peak of ninth rank.

King Qi’s clan was probably the only one who could dispatch someone like this. No one else had the qualifications to retain someone at the peak of the ninth rank as a servant. These individuals would have much preferred to become officials themselves.

There was no more sound from within the carriage.

…

Zu An spoke again. “Han Feng-what?”

“Han Fengqiu,” repeated the elder. He assumed that this kid had finally come to his senses, and was merely seeking confirmation.

“Something-Fengqiu?” asked Zu An again.

The silver-haired elder frowned, but held his temper in check and repeated again, “Han Fengqiu!”

He couldn’t help but raise his voice, though.

“Han-something-qiu?” Zu An looked confused, as though he really couldn’t remember.

The silver-haired elder bubbled with rage.

“Damned brat, were you making fun of me?!”

You have successfully trolled Han Fengqiu for 315… 315… 315…

He refused to believe that a cultivator’s memory could be that bad. This kid was clearly messing with him!

Zu An smiled innocently. “It took you this long to realize this? You don’t seem all that sharp.”

The silver-haired elder couldn’t believe his ears.

You have successfully trolled Han Fengqiu for 999… 999… 999…

A laugh came from within the distant carriage, but it cut off suddenly, almost as if whoever had laughed had immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

The battle between Zu An and the young heir had been exciting and full of surprises, so no one had paid attention to the conversation between the woman and her driver.

In this moment of brief silence, though, her laughter stood out.

Everyone looked towards the source of this abrupt sound. How could there exist in this world someone with such a perfect voice?

However, this fleeting thought was quickly replaced by more important considerations.

Zu An was curious. Hm? This voice does sound rather pleasing. I wonder what the woman herself looks like… The fact that she’s still here means she at least has some loyalty. I supposed I didn’t save her life for nothing.

The silver-haired elder was more concerned. I can’t discern that driver’s cultivation. Is he an ordinary person or a powerful cultivator? There’s no way an ordinary person would stay here and watch all this unfolding as though watching a play, right?

Murong Qinghe spoke quietly to Chu Youzhao. “Big brother Chu, your brother-in-law is too reckless! He isn’t strong enough, yet he’s provoked another powerful expert. I can’t tell if he’s smart or not.”

As the young miss of the Murong clan, she obviously knew who Han Fengqiu was, and she knew his cultivation level as well. Someone at the peak of the ninth rank could overwhelm anyone below the master rank!

She wasn’t so concerned about Zu An’s intelligence, though. She was more worried that this might cause trouble for her big brother Chu.

She was still concerned by how Chu Youzhao had run out to protect Zu An earlier on, and didn’t want to go through that again.

“My eldest sister said that brother-in-law looks uncouth and impetuous, but he actually had an incredibly sharp mind,” explained Chu Youzhao. “He’ll always leave his enemies seething in anger, while losing nothing in return. Even though this doesn’t really conform to the virtues that we are taught, it’s still pretty fun to watch sometimes.”

When she’d told her about this, her big sister’s eyes had been shining brightly. Chu Youzhao did not really take her words to heart, though. It felt like her eldest sister was merely describing a shameless and despicable man.

Having spent some time around this brother-in-law, though, she gradually understood what her big sis meant.

Her brother-in-law was really good at pissing people off. King Qi’s heir had experienced it, and now, this elder was going to suffer the same fate.

His great comeback had left her eyes sparkling as well. She was now full of confidence in her brother-in-law.

Han Fengqiu looked away from the carriage. It looked too ordinary to belong to anyone of significant strength, even if they had some skills. Rescuing King Qi’s heir was the most important thing right now.

He looked coldly at Zu An. “Kid, you’ve successfully made me angry.”

Zu An sighed. “Why do all you pompous pricks always sound the same? Do you think that you’re some powerful CEO or something?”

King Qi’s heir was in so much pain that he was about to cry. Even though Zu An’s words filled him with all manner of curses he wished to unload, he still didn’t dare to speak.

This guy really is a madman, so it’s not worth picking a fight with him. He would take his time to exact revenge once Uncle Han saved him.

Han Fengqiu’s eyes narrowed. Even though he didn’t know what a CEO was, the ridicule in his voice was obvious. “Brat, you’ll soon pay dearly for those reckless words.”

“Did you ask me to move my foot just now?” asked Zu An coldly.

Han Fengqiu nodded his head slightly. “Indeed. Move it, or else this old one…”

Before he could finish speaking, Zu An had already stomped his foot down. The sound of bones shattering was accompanied by the young heir’s squealing, horrifying the onlookers.

Chu Youzhao was stupefied. No matter how good her opinion of her brother-in-law was becoming, he had surely done it this time.

Murong Qinghe looked at Zu An as though looking at a dead person. Shattering the young heir’s knee in front of an expert at the peak of the ninth rank… This man is beyond saving. He was merely waiting for death.

The driver with the missing tooth gasped. “I thought that he was the slick and cunning sort. I didn’t expect him to be this tough and stubborn! This kid is quite frightening!”

The woman in the carriage frowned, but refrained from comment.

Han Fengqiu was so angry that his entire body was shaking “How dare you…?!”

You have successfully trolled Han Fengqiu for 998… 998… 998…

Zu An fixed him with a disdainful look. “You’re right. Sometimes, you really do pay dearly for speaking reckless words. If you had spoken a little more nicely, I might have spared him, but you decided to speak to me the way you did, as though you were almost afraid that I would end up not doing something to him. You know, I’m really starting to wonder if you’re a spy in King Qi’s manor who’s trying to use this as an opportunity to get rid of his heir.”

Han Fengqiu almost choked on his breath. He’d sensed a sudden spike of alarm, afraid that King Qi might be misled.

However, he quickly calmed down. “You have a really sharp tongue. Unfortunately, talk is useless in this world!”

His longsword left his waist as soon as he finished his sentence, sending out an incredibly sharp streak of sword ki, which locked onto Zu An.

Zu An felt goosebumps rising all over his body. He quickly raised the Tai’e Sword to protect himself.

With a bang, he was blasted back several zhang of distance. Blood dripped from between his fingers.

Han Fengqiu was already standing in front of King Qi’s heir. He squatted down to take a look. “My Lord, are you okay?”

The young heir in question raised his hand and pointed at Zu An. He said through gritted teeth, “I won’t die. Break every bone in that bastard’s body first. Don’t leave a single one intact!”

When had he ever been injured so badly in his lifetime? When had he ever experienced such humiliation? There was only one thought in his head right now, which was revenge. He was going to make Zu An regret being born into this world.

“Understood!” Han Fengqiu stood up, and he instantly locked his aura onto Zu An.

Zu An smiled. “Young heir, have you forgotten the oath you took before the battle? This was supposed to be a fair battle between us. If you turn your clan’s power against me, you might just suffer heaven’s wrath.”

Han Fengqiu frowned. If the young heir had truly taken such an oath, he really couldn’t interfere.

Unexpectedly, King Qi’s heir pointed towards the ice sculptures littering the street, “I may have said that I wouldn’t bring the strength of King Qi Estate against you to exact revenge. However, it seems you’ve killed many court officials. This is a crime punishable by death! Uncle Han would only be following the law by bringing you to justice.”