What mother would want her daughter to see her being tormented?
The young girl was frozen in shock, eyes wide, tears streaming down her cheeks — whether from fear or something else, no one could tell.
"If you'd just agreed earlier, none of this would've been necessary," the sinister man snorted coldly. His massive foot ground into her chest, and the sound of bone shifting rang out immediately. He acted as though he hadn't heard it, leaning down to say, "If you'd agreed sooner, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this."
The woman's face was twisted in pain, but she clenched her teeth and refused to make a sound, only gazing at her daughter, trying her best to force a smile that looked worse than weeping.
"Lowly thing — this lord took an interest in you, which should be your blessing, yet you still dare to resist!" The sinister man seemed far from finished tormenting her, wanting to vent the fury in his heart. Moreover, he appeared to relish the sensation of crushing the woman beneath him, his eyes brimming with pleasure.
In the teahouse, Yang Kai's gaze turned cold.
He and Li Jiao had witnessed the entire incident from the beginning, so they naturally understood what had transpired.
Though he had only recently arrived and had yet to get a full picture of Half-Dragon City's situation, watching a mother and daughter be brutalized right before his eyes was something Yang Kai could hardly stomach.
Just as he was about to intervene, Li Jiao shot to his feet, staring at the palace-robed woman on the ground with a vacant expression of utter disbelief. In the next instant, rage engulfed him like wildfire.
"Begging for mercy now is too late," the sinister man continued to torment the palace-robed woman. "Neither of you mother and daughter will escape. You're both coming with me."
As he spoke, he grabbed the young girl with one hand and reached for her mother with the other.
A figure materialized before him without warning. A terrifying Emperor's might descended from the heavens, shrouding the sinister man completely.
The sinister man's face drained of color. He pushed off with both feet and retreated, bellowing, "Who's there?!"
Li Jiao threw a punch straight at his face.
The sinister man was horrified. He hurriedly channeled his Emperor Yuan to defend himself, but in the very next instant, the fist before him swelled to an overwhelming size and slammed directly into his nose bridge.
A crack rang out — something snapping — and the sinister man was sent flying backward. At the same time, the hand that had been gripping the young girl suddenly went light; she had broken free from his grasp.
Crash! The sinister man flew backward into the shops behind him, smashing through who knew how many things before he struggled to rise. All he could feel was a wave of dizziness, his nose and mouth filled with the taste of blood.
He wiped at his face. His hand came away covered in blood. His nose bridge seemed to be broken.
The sinister man flew into a towering rage. He burst from the ruined shop in an instant, fixing Li Jiao with a venomous glare. Killing intent surged like a tide as he snarled, "How dare you!"
Li Jiao paid him no attention. Instead, he looked at the young girl he had rescued, then at the palace-robed woman lying on the ground, and said in a low voice, "Go help your mother up."
The girl didn't move — she was likely still paralyzed with fear.
The palace-robed woman, however, stared at Li Jiao with absolute astonishment. She clearly hadn't expected anyone to stand up for her at a time like this. After all, the sinister man was not someone to be trifled with. Though his cultivation wasn't at the very top of Half-Dragon City and there were plenty stronger than him, he was someone who simply could not be offended.
Anyone who offended him met with a terrible end, regardless of how strong they were.
Once she got a clear look at Li Jiao's face, the woman's eyes went wide and a soft gasp escaped her lips.
Their gazes met. A flash of pity and nostalgia passed through Li Jiao's eyes, while the woman immediately averted her gaze and looked away.
Seeing her reaction, Li Jiao let out a soft sigh and gave the young girl another push. Only then did the girl come to her senses, stumbling forward with loud wailing to help her mother up.
Li Jiao's dismissive attitude undoubtedly infuriated the sinister man. But strangely enough, even though he could sense that Li Jiao's cultivation was a small tier above his own, he showed no fear. Instead, he glared viciously and growled, "You dare wound this lord? No matter who you are, you're dead today."
"That's exactly what I was about to say to you." Li Jiao turned his head to face the sinister man. His expression was mild, yet anyone could hear the fury he was restraining.
In the teahouse, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, raised a cup of tea to his lips, and took a sip. His gaze drifted from the palace-robed woman to Li Jiao, and something clicked in his mind — he understood.
Over there, the sinister man froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "You've got some nerve. No one in this Half-Dragon City has ever dared speak to me like that."
"Now there is!" Li Jiao took a quiet breath, steadying the rage within. He had never been this angry before. The fury churning in his chest felt like it might tear him apart, demanding release — demanding that he reduce this sinister man to dust.
"You're courting death!" The sinister man was equally incensed beyond measure. He flared his aura, and the several dragon scales below his neck suddenly deepened in color. A faint dragon might radiated outward.
Among the onlookers, a number of dragon descendants immediately showed expressions of discomfort.
There was nothing they could do about it. This was suppression through bloodline. The sinister man's dragon bloodline was slightly superior to theirs, and combined with his two-tier Emperor Realm cultivation, once he fully unleashed his aura, virtually no dragon descendant in all of Half-Dragon City could withstand it.
Even those among the human and demon races who weren't dragon descendants found it difficult at this moment, gradually retreating further away.
Li Jiao, however, remained unchanged. He stood firm as a mountain, merely watching the sinister man with cold eyes.
Seeing Li Jiao's composed demeanor, the sinister man's expression shifted. Something wasn't right — he had detected dragon bloodline in Li Jiao as well, which was precisely why he had been so brazen, since he was certain Li Jiao's dragon bloodline couldn't possibly be more pure than his own.
But when his dragon might washed outward, Li Jiao's reaction left him greatly startled.
The other party stood there unperturbed!
How was this possible? Bloodline suppression wasn't working?
Bloodline suppression couldn't simply fail. If the other party appeared this calm, there could only be one reason — their bloodline was absolutely no weaker than his own!