Just as the situation was growing awkward, a stir of commotion suddenly rippled through the crowd. The onlookers on the outer edge parted of their own accord, clearing a path.
A young man dressed in lavish brocade robes strode forward, flanked by several personal guards.
Jiang Chen recognized him at a glance. It was the Wang family disciple he had spotted outside the Wei family's shop—the son of the Wang Court Great Clan's patriarch.
The young lord of the Wang Court Great Clan. No wonder he was putting on such a show!
"Brother Wang, you're here!" Tong Kun shot Wei Jie a venomous glare. "This brat from the Wei family is utterly insolent. He's just begging for a beating."
The young lord of the Wang Court approached with measured steps, an aura of authority radiating from every inch of his bearing. Even Jiang Chen felt a flicker of surprise.
This young lord's cultivation didn't seem to fall short of Cao Jin, a true disciple of the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect?
A son of a great clan already possessed cultivation on par with the top ten true disciples of the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect? Then what of the successors of the Seven Great Emperors—the true imperial heirs and young lords of Glazed King City?
For a moment, Jiang Chen genuinely had to admire the strength of Glazed King City.
Everyone said that Glazed King City's power surpassed that of first-rank sects. Jiang Chen had always understood that only in the abstract. Now, seeing it up close, it was all too real.
Though the Wang Court young lord held an exalted position, he was far from being the most outstanding young talent in Glazed King City.
The true rulers behind Glazed King City were the Seven Great Emperors, and their heirs—the imperial princes and young lords—were the ones who represented the absolute pinnacle of its prodigies.
By that measure, Glazed King City's reputation was no empty boast.
Compared to this Wang Court young lord, Wei Jie's Seventh-Level Spirit Realm cultivation was impressive in its own right, but in terms of presence and grandeur, he was utterly eclipsed.
The young lord clearly understood the art of making an entrance. From the moment he appeared, he radiated the air of a protagonist, making people instinctively step aside.
In that alone, his methods were far from ordinary.
In Glazed King City, only those imperial heirs—the successors of the Seven Great Emperors—typically enjoyed such treatment.
"You're Wei Jie, aren't you?" The young lord's gaze swept over Wei Jie with cool indifference. "Your little Wei family thinks it can cause trouble at Lianshan Studio? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Don't go looking for trouble where there isn't any." Without so much as lifting an eyelid, he strode past as though Wei Jie were thin air.
The sight nearly made Wei Jie cough up blood.
Looking for trouble? Wasn't it his Wang Court Great Clan's lackeys who had started this? Was this the definition of the guilty party suing first?
Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh of pure indignation.
He had seen shameless people before—the Immortal Perish Gate and the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect, for instance.
But shameless to the degree of Wang Teng? That was something new. The facts were crystal clear, yet he had the audacity to twist black into white—never mind calling out the actual troublemakers, he turned around and accused Wei Jie of looking for trouble.
"When a thief bites, the wound runs deep. Young Master Wei, you see now? This is what they call a thief crying 'stop thief'!" Jiang Chen's voice cut through the air, loud enough for every person present to hear. The crowd stared in stunned silence.
Was this man really the Wei family's Pill King? The nerve—openly defying the young lord of a great clan? Was he asking for a death wish?
Sure enough, Wang Teng's steps halted. Without turning around, he barked over his shoulder: "And just who are you to stick your nose in?"
"Who are you to talk?" Jiang Chen shot back without missing a beat. "Since when does the Wei family's business fall under your jurisdiction? Are you a judge? Or the lord of Glazed King City?"
Jiang Chen would never back down. Forget Wang Teng—even someone ten times his caliber, Jiang Chen had faced down before. Did he think a posturing peacock like this could intimidate him?
Wei Jie, clearly not expecting Jiang Chen to stand up so boldly, seized the moment: "Wang Teng, the Wei family doesn't answer to your Wang Court Great Clan. If you want to lecture someone, you've got the wrong person. Anyone with eyes can see who started this. If you're trying to pin a crime on the Wei family or drag our name through the mud, you've miscalculated."
Wei Jie's stance thrilled the crowd.
So it was really happening.
Rumors had been swirling outside that the Wei family intended to betray the Panlong Great Clan and defect to the Wang Court Great Clan. The story wasn't entirely credible, but it had spread with alarming conviction.
Now it seemed the truth was something else entirely.
Wang Teng's expression darkened. "Is that so? You think Wang Teng needs Wei Jie to tell him how to conduct himself?"
Wei Jie was about to retort when Jiang Chen put a hand on his arm and stepped forward with an easy smile. "Whether you want to be a man or a dog, that's your business. It has nothing to do with us—no need to report your life choices. If you really want to throw your weight around, wait until your Wang family actually sits on the throne of Glazed King City. Until then, all your posturing amounts to nothing. We're not buying what you're selling. This is Lianshan Studio, and you don't get to play bully here."
Wang Teng's face went rigid. He genuinely hadn't expected someone like this to appear at Wei Jie's side—someone so sharp-tongued and unyielding.
He had assumed that with his superior bearing alone, he could crush Wei Jie into silence. Instead, his plan had backfired spectacularly, and he'd been the one publicly humiliated.
Wang Teng's expression turned icy, and he was about to lash out when a new figure stepped forward from the front. A calm, unhurried voice drifted over: "Wang Teng, it's been a while, and you still haven't improved one bit. What, bullying your betters is entertaining for you? You must really enjoy it, hm?"