As soon as the first man finished speaking, another chimed in: "Well, she went and killed the Young Lord of the Wind and Cloud Hall. Provoked the Wind and Cloud Hall in this region — what chance does she have of surviving? It's only a matter of time before she's dead."
"That woman's really something, though. Of all the people she could've killed, she had to go and pick the Young Lord. The old Hall Master of the Wind and Cloud Hall has had countless wives and concubines, but never produced a single heir. He finally had a son in his old age, and dotes on him like nothing else. Now someone's gone and killed the boy — you think he's going to let that slide? If it weren't for that, the bounty wouldn't be nearly this generous."
"Come to think of it, that Young Lord wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue. He leveraged his status and the old Hall Master's indulgence to bully and abuse people left and right. His cultivation wasn't much to speak of, but with a background like that, who could touch him? Who knows how many women he's ruined over the years. Apparently the reason he got killed this time was because he tried to harass that woman."
The brawny man surnamed Xiong perked up at this. "So you're saying this woman is something special to look at?"
The first man laughed. "More than special! Think about it — the Young Lord had been with countless women. What kind of woman hadn't he seen? Do you really think some plain girl would have caught his eye? I'll be honest with you two — I once caught a glimpse of her from afar. Absolute heaven-on-earth beauty, like a goddess descended to the mortal realm. A woman like that, if you could bring her home, you'd have no interest in Cultivation anymore. A spoiled young master like the Young Lord — how could he have restrained himself? It's just a pity…"
"A pity what?"
"A pity her cultivation isn't half bad either. I wasn't confident I could beat her, so I had to watch that opportunity slip right through my fingers."
"I've always been fond of beautiful women myself." The brawny man surnamed Xiong grabbed the wine jug off the table and took a long swig, wine dribbling down the corners of his mouth in a thoroughly uninhibited manner. A lewd gleam flickered in his eyes. "I'd like to see for myself just how heavenly this woman really is. She's only at the first level of the Emperor Realm — if I lay eyes on her, I'll make sure there's no escape, wings and all."
"With Lord Xiong stepping in, that woman won't stand a chance," one of them flattered.
The brawny man laughed heartily. "Once I've caught her, I'll have my fun with her first, then hand her over to the Wind and Cloud Hall for the reward."
"That works out perfectly. If you really do capture her, Lord Xiong, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me have a turn after."
The brawny man chuckled. "Brother, that's a bit of a heavy appetite you've got there. You'd take my leftovers?"
"Just for fun — it's not like I'm planning to marry her. What's the difference?"
"Fine, it's a deal then. But is the intel even accurate? Is that little vixen really going to pass through here?"
"The information's confirmed without a doubt. That woman's got some nerve, I'll give her that. After provoking the Wind and Cloud Hall, instead of hiding, she's been fighting her way straight toward the Hall itself. Sounds like quite a few people have already fallen at her hands. To reach the Wind and Cloud Hall, Starpoint City is the only route. If she passes through, she'll definitely leave traces. We just wait here. Besides — haven't the two of you noticed that there are far more Emperor Realm cultivators in Starpoint City than usual? They're all here for her."
"Hmph. As if they could compete with me — utterly delusional. As long as they don't get in my way, fine. But if they do interfere, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
"Lord Xiong is absolutely right. How could those scraps possibly compare to you?"
As the group chatted away, the brawny Xiong suddenly looked up and glanced in Yang Kai's direction.
At that very moment, Yang Kai was sampling the mid-grade Sword Wine the server had brought him. After a single sip, his brow furrowed. This Sword Wine was nothing like what he'd had before.
Completely different class.
There was sword intent in the wine, but it was absurdly shallow. Once it surged into his meridians and flesh, he neutralized it effortlessly — it accomplished nothing whatsoever.
The Sword Wine Zhu Qing had given him last time must have been a far more premium variety.
He held the cup with a furrowed brow, suddenly losing all interest.
Just then, the opened wine jug on his table was pulled away by a sudden burst of suction. The brawny Xiong man let out a hearty laugh and called over to Yang Kai: "Kid, Sword Wine isn't something you can handle. I'll do you a favor and finish it for you — no need to thank me."
It turned out the Sword Wine at his own table had long since run dry. The moment he saw Yang Kai order a jug, he snatched it without a shred of hesitation.
Even as he spoke, he'd already lifted the jug and began gulping it down in great swallows. His Emperor Essence churned and surged, apparently stimulated by the sword intent within the wine.
Yang Kai's expression darkened instantly.
This brawny Xiong had humiliated him several times over, and Yang Kai had been too lazy to bother. But now the man had gone and laid hands on his things. Yang Kai didn't particularly care about this mid-grade Sword Wine — he hadn't even planned to finish it — but having it snatched away was an entirely different matter.
"Excellent wine!" The brawny Xiong drained the jug, the sword intent sending the blood in his entire body boiling. His face flushed red, his neck thickened, and he wiped his mouth with a satisfied bellow. The two others at his table regarded Yang Kai with mocking smirks, contempt gleaming in their eyes.
Yang Kai's face turned to ice. His voice came out cold as a blade: "The good are trampled, and the kind are ridden roughshod. I didn't want to bother with someone like you, but you just couldn't stop poking. It seems like you're looking to die."
The brawny Xiong froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "What was that, kid? I didn't quite catch that. Say it again for me."
As he spoke, he actually tilted his head to the side, cupping an ear as though genuinely straining to hear every word.
Yang Kai sighed softly. "Some people sit at the bottom of a well and think the sky is only as wide as the opening above them — yet they still believe themselves to be something remarkable."
The brawny Xiong's face went cold. He shot to his feet. "Who are you calling a frog in a well, kid?"
The other two at his table stood as well. One of them flared his Emperor Might and snorted: "Watch your mouth, boy. This isn't some backwater hole you crawled out of. Say the wrong thing and embarrass yourself — that's one thing. Say the wrong thing and lose your life — that's another."
"It's your lives you should be worried about losing!" Yang Kai raised his hand slightly, ready to teach these three a lesson they'd never forget.
It was at that exact moment that something changed.
A deafening boom suddenly erupted from somewhere in the distance, followed by several screams that tore through the sky. It sounded as though powerful fighters had clashed — Emperor Essence surged, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth trembled, and the laws of reality rippled outward in waves.