In Half-Dragon City, on the streets, everyone was silent.
When Li Jiao turned his head again, the cold expression had returned to his face. He advanced toward the sinister man step by step.
Having been slapped hard across the face, the sinister man's vision swam. He steadied himself and suddenly saw Li Jiao standing right in front of him. Fury and humiliation surged through him, and he opened his mouth to curse: "You f\*\*\*\*\*\* dare hit me?"
Li Jiao's eyelids dropped, and he swung out another slap.
With a crisp crack, the sinister man's other cheek swelled up just as high.
The dual suppression from bloodline and cultivation left him utterly powerless against Li Jiao, able only to take the beating passively.
"Bastard! F\*\*\* you..."
Before he could finish, Li Jiao slammed a fist into his face, instantly splitting skin and flesh.
"You..."
BOOM...
Another fist.
The onlookers around them were frozen in terrified silence, feeling a chill sweep from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet.
Li Jiao seemed to have worked himself into a rage beyond all restraint. Without a care, he lunged forward, straddled the sinister man, and unleashed both fists left and right, hammering away at his face without pause. The sound of slap after slap filled the air, leaving the sinister man without even a moment to speak.
Though his blows were savage, he exercised remarkable restraint.
After all, this was unfamiliar territory. While he certainly wanted to vent his anger on behalf of that mother and daughter, he held back from delivering lethal blows. So though the sinister man looked wretched beyond description, his life was never in any real danger.
"My friend, show mercy where mercy is due. This man... is someone you cannot afford to provoke."
A voice drifted suddenly into his ear — someone had secretly transmitted a message to Li Jiao. Hearing it, Li Jiao frowned, and his movements softened considerably. After such a thorough beating, much of his fury had been vented, and he was no longer as irrational as before.
The woman he had rescued finally came to her senses and cried out urgently: "Stop, stop! My lord, please stop!"
She wasn't pleading for the sinister man's sake. After suffering such humiliation at his hands — especially with her own daughter witnessing it — she wished she could kill him herself to avenge that disgrace. Why on earth would she plead for him? What she feared was for Li Jiao. If this man were really beaten to death, Li Jiao would have no way out either.
Her heart was filled with guilt and unease, feeling that she had dragged Li Jiao into this.
Li Jiao slammed two more savage punches into the sinister man before finally stopping, letting out a cold snort: "What horseshit!"
The woman seized the chance to rush forward, grab his arm, and plead: "My lord, enough. Stop fighting."
Li Jiao rose to his feet, staring coldly down at the sinister man lying on the ground. His voice came out icy: "I'll spare your life this once. If there's a next time, I'll tear you to pieces."
The sinister man's face was now caked in blood, so battered it had nearly lost its shape. Whether from shame and fury or genuine severe injury, he lay motionless on the ground, looking as though he were dead.
Li Jiao kicked him one more time, then turned to look at the woman, his expression somewhat complicated. "Are you alright?" he asked.
The woman shook her head, not daring to meet his gaze, and gently released his arm.
She was also at the Emperor Realm. Though she had been bullied and sustained minor injuries earlier, nothing was seriously amiss.
"Good that you're fine." Li Jiao nodded.
The woman lowered her head, gently biting her red lip. "I thank my lord for your righteous aid. My lord... you should leave quickly. You can't stay in Half-Dragon City."
Li Jiao's brow furrowed at her words. Between the woman's reaction just now and the whispered transmission from before, certain unspoken messages were coming through clearly. Li Jiao was no fool — he knew the man he'd just beaten had some connections.
He'd gotten himself into trouble.
A flicker of unease stirred within him, but he let none of it show in front of the woman. If he were given the choice again, he would still intervene — not because he was warm-hearted by nature, but because...
"Must you insist on addressing me that way?" Li Jiao looked at the woman and let out a soft sigh.
The woman's delicate frame trembled. Feigning ignorance, she said: "My lord... whatever do you mean?"
Li Jiao shook his head, not pressing the matter further. "Come with me."
With that, he took the lead and walked off.
The woman hesitated for a moment, but still called to her daughter and took her hand, following behind Li Jiao.
They entered the teahouse from before and climbed to the second floor. Li Jiao immediately saw Yang Kai watching him with an amused, knowing smile. His old face flushed red, knowing that his earlier outburst had given Yang Kai something to laugh about.
After all, he was a third-level Emperor Realm cultivator and a palace master — it was rare for him to lose composure like this.