No sharp words are as convincing as a pair of iron fists.
No threats or intimidation are as direct as a threat to one's life.
Senior Brother Cheng, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, was now pale as a ghost and utterly terrified, feeling his Spirit Sea on the verge of collapse at any second.
When he realized that the overwhelming pressure was coming from this worldly martial artist standing across from him, he was completely stunned—nearly wetting himself in sheer terror.
His face was ashen as he stammered, "You… you're in charge."
"Louder. I can't hear you," Jiang Chen barked deliberately.
Senior Brother Cheng wanted to cry, but he had no choice but to raise his voice: "You… you're in charge! From today onward, in this courtyard, you're in charge!"
"Who gets the room in the north?" Jiang Chen asked again.
"I'll move there." Senior Brother Cheng was humiliated to the bone, but the situation left him no choice—he dared not refuse.
"Who's the inferior one? Who's the trash? Who's the dog?" Jiang Chen pressed on.
Senior Brother Cheng completely broke down, repeating over and over: "I am. I am. I am."
These three questions and three answers left every other sect disciple in the courtyard frozen like wooden chickens. They could hardly believe what they were seeing—was this really Senior Brother Cheng?
Senior Brother Cheng, looking so utterly weak in front of a mere worldly martial artist? So pathetic?
Was this the Senior Brother Cheng they all looked up to? The same Senior Brother Cheng who had always towered above them?
Jiang Chen gave a faint smile, withdrew his pressure, and ordered: "Get lost. And remember—those five rules you came up with? They're pretty good. Now, I'm requisitioning them. The six of you, from this day forward, are my servants in this courtyard. You must answer when called. You're welcome to resist, but don't say I didn't warn you—the price of resistance will be ten thousand times worse than being a servant."
Jiang Chen finished speaking with a cold snort, flicked his sleeve, and strode back into the room on the left side of the south wing.
The second-ranked martial artist followed him inside, gave a thumbs-up, and grinned: "Brother Rock, that was absolutely magnificent! Dealing with scum like that—this is exactly how it should be done. Too cool! From now on, I'm sticking with you."
Jiang Chen nodded blankly: "Your room isn't in here."
The second-ranked martial artist was stunned, then realized he was being shown the door. He rubbed his nose and chuckled: "What a joyless Brother Rock. Fine, I'll head back to my own room. Thanks to you today, I didn't have to become a servant, and I even get to stay in a south-wing room."
Jiang Chen's eyes flickered with a complicated expression as he watched the second-ranked martial artist walk out.
For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that this second-ranked martial artist was quite mysterious. There seemed to be some hidden power coiled within him.
Jiang Chen even suspected that if he hadn't stepped in, this fellow calling himself "Xiao Fei" could have handled those so-called sect disciples on his own.
Of course, that was merely a guess.
…
Outside the courtyard, the six sect disciples stood like beaten roosters, heads hanging low in defeat. A few of them still wore expressions of unwillingness on their faces.
"Senior Brother Cheng, what just happened? How could you have…"
Senior Brother Cheng waved his hand wearily: "Let's talk inside."
The group hurried into a room. One of them, who had a fiery temper, couldn't hold back any longer: "Senior Brother Cheng, you actually bowed down to that country bumpkin? This… don't tell me you were deliberately playing a suffering act?"
"Yeah, Senior Brother Cheng—I think you were just messing with that worldly punk, right? Let him climb as high as possible so he falls that much harder?"
"Haha, it must be! That's why Senior Brother Cheng would submit to a mere worldly martial artist. What a brilliant strategy—let them soar to the clouds first, then slap them back down to a bloody pulp. Fantastic! This face-slapping approach is truly inventive."
Senior Brother Cheng's face turned black as iron, his mind cursing furiously: Are you idiots truly that brain-dead, or are you deliberately playing dumb to mock me?
A suffering act—who on earth could come up with something so stupid!
"Huzi, and you, Liuzi—pack your things and move to the northern rooms," Senior Brother Cheng ordered with a dark expression.
"What?" The burly Huzi leaped to his feet. "Why should I? Senior Brother Cheng, are you joking? The northern rooms are the lowest ones—why should I go there? Wasn't it supposed to be for those two worldly martial artists?"
Senior Brother Cheng frowned: "I told you to go, so go. What's with all the questions?"
Huzi turned his head away: "I'm not going. If you want to go, you go yourself."
Having witnessed Senior Brother Cheng's cowardly behavior earlier, Huzi had clearly lost much of his former respect, and his tone had grown noticeably less polite.
Senior Brother Cheng slammed the table: "What? You think because I couldn't handle those two worldly martial artists, I can't handle you either?"
Huzi's temper flared: "You're the one who arranged everything before, and now you're going back on it. I'm perfectly happy in my west-wing room, and I'm not moving north. Not a chance—not if you kill me!"
Senior Brother Cheng flew into a rage, but someone beside him urged: "Senior Brother Cheng, what's going on? You're not going to tell us that wasn't an act just now, are you?"
"Act my ass!" Senior Brother Cheng's pale face was now streaked with bulging veins. "I nearly lost my life, and you idiots think you're tough? Think I was being a coward? I'm not trying to discourage you, but the six of you combined couldn't even handle me—so you want to provoke him? That's straight-up suicide!"
Senior Brother Cheng had reached the fourth level of the Spirit Realm—the Earth Spirit Realm. When had he ever said anything so defeatist? This was practically boosting the enemy's morale while crushing his own side's spirit.