Yin Jianzhong was, after all, the most talented disciple of the Green Sparrow Sect. Though his reputation wasn't as dazzling as someone like Wei Guchang, he certainly had the qualifications to call the other "Brother Guchang." In the past, he had always interacted with geniuses from other sects this way, and no one had ever taken issue with it.
But Wei Guchang gave him absolutely no face this time. His sharp retort left Yin Jianzhong looking mortified. Gritting his teeth, he corrected himself: "Brother Wei…"
"Was it you just now who said Brother Yang would have to pay for this?" Wei Guchang stared coldly at Yin Jianzhong, launching into his accusation.
Qian Tong had asked him to bring Yang Kai ahead to this place, specifically to give him a chance to build rapport with Yang Kai. He never expected that the moment he stepped away, someone would cause trouble for Yang Kai. This infuriated Wei Guchang, and naturally he had no intention of letting it slide. If he couldn't even handle something like this, he'd have no business trying to befriend Yang Kai.
"What happened earlier was really a misunderstanding. If I'd known sooner that this friend was from the Shadow Moon Hall…"
"I already told you—I'm not from the Shadow Moon Hall." Yang Kai cut him off again.
Yin Jianzhong's face flushed crimson, and he genuinely had no idea what to say. The fact that he'd shown such weakness toward Wei Guchang in front of thirty of his own fellow disciples was already humiliating enough. Who could have expected the other party would be so unrelenting once they had the upper hand? He instantly realized that unless he took a clear stance, there would be no peaceful resolution.
All he could do was say with a sullen face: "This whole matter was my fault. I, Yin, was blind. I beg Brother Wei and this friend not to hold it against me!"
As he spoke, he cupped his fists slightly and turned to leave with his fellow disciples, eager to get away from this trouble spot.
"You come when you please and leave when you please? I'm afraid it's not that easy." Wei Guchang snorted coldly. He despised this kind of bully-the-weak-fear-the-strong type the most. If Yin Jianzhong had dared to stand up to him, he might have earned a sliver of respect. But this sort of fellow who clearly relished picking on the powerless was someone he couldn't help but look down on.
By comparison, Yang Kai had remained completely unfazed while surrounded by thirty of their people. That, Wei Guchang truly admired.
Yin Jianzhong had no choice but to halt. His fists clenched tight, veins bulging on his forehead, he growled through gritted teeth: "What more do you want, Brother Wei? This friend already snapped my junior brother's arm. I myself took a punch. Your friend here is completely unharmed—he hasn't suffered any loss, has he?"
"I can't say whether he's suffered a loss or not. After all, by the time I arrived you'd already surrounded him. Even if Brother Yang appears unharmed on the outside, he may well have been frightened."
Yang Kai wore an expression of complete indifference and nodded along in agreement from the side.
The dozens of Green Sparrow Sect disciples couldn't help but gape.
This kind of person could be frightened? He clearly had the bearing of someone who feared nothing under heaven—a blade pressed to his throat probably wouldn't make him so much as blink. How could he possibly be frightened? They were obviously spouting lies with their eyes wide open.
Even though everyone knew Wei Guchang and Yang Kai were talking nonsense, no one dared question it. They were obviously looking for trouble on purpose—who would be stupid enough to pour oil on the fire?
"Brother Yang was indeed frightened." Wei Guchang looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression, his tone heavy with concern.
"Brother Wei, just name your terms. I, Yin, will accept them." Yin Jianzhong sighed in resignation. His left eye was bloodshot—whether from rage or from the punch Yang Kai had landed earlier, it was impossible to tell.
"One million Sacred Crystals!" Wei Guchang was nothing if not straightforward, and he named the number without hesitation.
"Don't push this too far, Brother Wei!" Yin Jianzhong's face twisted with anger as he snarled: "One million? How do you expect me to come up with that?"
Though the Green Sparrow Sect was no pushover, a single disciple certainly wouldn't carry that many Sacred Crystals on him at any given time.
"You can't even produce a mere one million Sacred Crystals, and you wanted to buy a passage token from Brother Yang? You must have grease clogging your brain."
Yang Kai looked at Wei Guchang with surprise. He suddenly realized that although this guy appeared calm and proper on the surface, he was actually full of wicked schemes, and his words were vicious to the extreme. Truly, one shouldn't judge a person by appearance.
He only wondered what Wei Guchang was like when alone with Dong Xuan'er. He guessed that a gentle, well-mannered girl like her must be completely under his thumb.
Yin Jianzhong's nostrils flared with hot breath, his expression one of absolute tolerance pushed past its limit. He seemed ready to fight Wei Guchang to the death—even being killed would be better than standing here and being humiliated at will.
Some of the other Green Sparrow Sect disciples cast pleading glances toward a figure not far away—an elder at the second level of the Void Return Realm who had led the Green Sparrow Sect group here. He stood with a grim expression on his face. Though he noticed the desperate looks from his disciples, he showed no intention of stepping in to resolve the situation.
Setting aside the fact that the Green Sparrow Sect was clearly in the wrong this time, all the people involved in the conflict were young. If an old man like him barged in, it would violate the unwritten rules. The Green Sparrow Sect might have a Void Return Realm cultivator, but didn't the Shadow Moon Hall have one too?
If he truly dared to intervene, it would only make things worse.