"How utterly disgraceful!"
Just as everyone in the trading area was left speechless by the shameless antics of that Qianlan Northern Palace disciple, a cold reprimand suddenly rang out from the distance.
A middle-aged man in an apricot-colored robe strode forward.
The moment they spotted him, every person representing various major factions in the trading area wore a look of reverence in their eyes. A few even gazed at the Qianlan Northern Palace disciple with barely concealed schadenfreude.
They all knew this guy was about to be in serious trouble.
Apricot robes — that was the uniform of an enforcer from the Qianlan Southern Palace. And on this enforcer's chest were embroidered three short daggers, clearly marking him as the one in charge of discipline. His authority was second to none.
A Qianlan Southern Palace disciple hurried over to greet him, putting on an obsequious tone: "Lord Bei, you've arrived!"
Lord Bei's face was expressionless, his frigid gaze boring into the Qianlan Northern Palace disciple. "I've long heard that Qianlan Northern Palace lords it over the western regions of the kingdom, running roughshod over everyone. It seems those rumors aren't exaggerated. Under the very nose of the Royal Capital, at a grand event hosted by our Qianlan Southern Palace, you dare cause a disturbance. You've got quite the nerve!"
"I... I..." The Qianlan Northern Palace disciple's face turned the color of dirt, his legs trembling so badly he was on the verge of tears.
"Guards!" Lord Bei's face darkened.
Immediately, several fierce enforcement disciples surged forward from behind.
"Drag him away. A hundred strokes of the rod. If he dies, toss the body out to the dogs. If he survives, make him scram out of the Royal Capital at once! If I ever see him at a future event hosted by our Qianlan Southern Palace, it's execution — no exceptions!"
Lord Bei issued his order with ruthless finality.
"Ah! Lord Bei, please, no beating!" The Qianlan Northern Palace disciple burst into desperate pleas. "I'm the nephew of Elder Hu Yan of Qianlan Northern Palace. If you beat me..."
"Add another hundred!" Lord Bei's expression didn't so much as twitch.
"Lord Bei, you're — you're slapping Elder Hu Yan in the face!" the disciple screeched. Another hundred meant two hundred strokes total — even if he didn't die, he'd be crippled for life.
A cold smirk appeared on Lord Bei's corpse-like face, and he waved his hand. "Drag him out. Beat him until he's dead!"
Amid a chorus of wailing, the disciple who had challenged Jiang Chen, along with several attendants, were dragged away like dead dogs.
Lord Bei's gaze swept across the entire crowd, sharp and menacing. "Remember this — at an event hosted by the Qianlan Southern Palace, anyone who causes trouble will pay the price!"
"I don't care how powerful your background is or who your patrons are. I, Bei, am an enforcer of the Qianlan Southern Palace. Using your backers to threaten me? That won't work!"
Lord Bei's thunderous display made everyone witness his iron impartiality and ruthless resolve.
Even those who had been harboring less-than-honest intentions suddenly became very well-behaved.
Lord Bei's gaze fell upon Jiang Chen, and he gave a slight nod. "Young man, what happened today was not your fault. My surname is Bei. If you run into any trouble here, you may report directly to me. On behalf of the Qianlan Southern Palace, I offer you my apologies for what just happened."
Lord Bei's iron sense of justice actually led him to apologize to Jiang Chen, which caught the young man slightly off guard.
"Lord Bei is too kind. Such troublemakers are few and far between. It's your impartial enforcement that I truly admire."
"Without rules, there can be no order. The reputation of our Qianlan Southern Palace is at stake — how could we allow one scoundrel to tarnish it?"
Jiang Chen nodded. He had to admit, he had taken quite a liking to Lord Bei, especially after watching those Qianlan Northern Palace lackeys get dragged away like dead dogs. It had been immensely satisfying.
"In any case, I thank Lord Bei for upholding justice," Jiang Chen said, cupping his fists.
Lord Bei waved a hand. "Fair trade is the most basic requirement. Rest assured, no one here will dare pull any more tricks today. However — I should warn you. Today's matter involved the beating and killing of a Qianlan Northern Palace disciple. They can't come after the Qianlan Southern Palace for an explanation, but coming after you? That's entirely possible. You should be prepared."
For a high-ranking enforcer of the Qianlan Southern Palace to speak so frankly and openly with him, Jiang Chen felt a measure of gratitude.
"I appreciate the warning, Lord Bei. I'll stay vigilant."
Qianlan Northern Palace coming after him? The mere thought of those four words made his blood boil. Back when he was traveling to the Royal Capital, a group of Qianlan Northern Palace disciples had ambushed him on the road and tried to rob him.
That old score had never been settled. Once he had established himself in the Tiangui Kingdom, he would make Qianlan Northern Palace pay ten times over.
Lord Bei's authority was truly fearsome. After this act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, everyone in the trading area became far more well-behaved.
Although they all knew Jiang Chen's supreme-grade Blue Sea Pill was incredibly tempting, not a single person dared try to coerce him.
In the end, Jiang Chen selected the Blue Iris Grass and the Wood Stump Fruit he needed, purchasing them from a disciple of the Duobao Dojo.
That Duobao Dojo disciple didn't want to accept Jiang Chen's payment, but Jiang Chen insisted on paying the full price.
Jiang Chen was a man of principle. He had no desire to accept undeserved favors. Besides, this small amount of money was as trivial to him as plucking a single hair from his thigh.
He chose to deal with this particular Duobao Dojo disciple because the man was clearly clever. Jiang Chen enjoyed doing business with intelligent people.
With the items he wanted secured, Jiang Chen had no interest in wasting any more time in the trading area. He turned to leave with Gouyu and the others.
The Duobao Dojo disciple followed them out and called after Jiang Chen: "Brother, please wait a moment."