Hearing the tone of Ling Hu'er's words, the several warriors on horseback burst into laughter. Each one laughed with exaggerated abandon, rocking back and forth and swaying wildly.
They looked as though they had heard the most hilarious joke in the world.
"Laws?" One of them doubled over on his horse, laughing aloud. "Two tiny ants, daring to prattle on about laws in Glazed Tile King City?"
"Little girl, let this master teach you what the laws of Glazed Tile King City are!" one of the warriors said with a grin, nudging his horse forward. With a swift scoop of one hand, he reached toward Ling Hu'er's chest.
Ling Hu'er's face lost all color. But Ling Su reacted with incredible speed. He threw out one arm to block, slapping at the man's reaching hand.
Seeing this, the man flew into a rage and bellowed, "You're asking for death!"
As he spoke, he lashed out fiercely with his riding crop. The whip crackled with the sound of wind, like a flood dragon bursting from the ocean, and came slashing down straight at Ling Su's head and face.
Ling Su had to watch over Ling Hu'er while simultaneously dodging the whip. Instantly, he was flustered and overwhelmed.
Ling Hu'er flew into a furious rage. She drew a short sword and slashed at the whip.
"Get out of the way, little girl!" The man's strength was clearly far superior to Ling Hu'er's. With a casual flick of the whip, he knocked the short sword from her grasp.
Ling Hu'er felt her arm go numb, followed by a full-body shudder, as if electrocuted. She found herself unable to move and collapsed to the ground.
Yet the man's whip still had momentum. It struck down hard, slamming into Ling Su's face.
Crack!
The crisp whip crack landed squarely on Ling Su's cheek, instantly carving a deep, bloody furrow that went right down to the bone.
"Owe a debt and refuse to pay, yet you want to get physical?" The man grinned savagely. He didn't withdraw. Instead, the whip came down again, smashing viciously toward Ling Su's head.
This strike was even more vicious than the last. If it connected, Ling Su's head would certainly be sent flying.
Ling Su frantically tried to dodge. However, while his evasive movement was quick, his opponent's whip was faster. The blow was about to land on Ling Su's head.
Suddenly, a sharp sound cut through the air. *Swish!* Something struck the whip.
The whip, hit by this sudden force, deviated slightly, veering to the side. And Ling Su, moving with all his speed, barely managed to dodge the fatal blow.
He snatched his saber from its sheath, his face grim as if facing a great enemy, and hurriedly dashed to his daughter's side, shielding her.
The burly man had intended to kill Ling Su outright with that whip strike, but this sudden interference had ruined it.
"Who? Who dares ruin my business?" The burly man, gripping his whip, roared viciously into the empty air.
His companions also urged their horses forward, standing shoulder to shoulder, scanning their surroundings, each one burning with fury.
Clearly, these men were used to running roughshod over this area and never expected anyone to dare openly interfere with their business.
Across the street, a red-haired man with an indifferent expression walked over. He cupped his fists toward the group. "Gentlemen, show some mercy where you can. How much do they owe you?"
The burly man was obviously the leader of this group. He glared at the red-haired man with wide eyes. "Was that you just now?"
The red-haired man seemed to have a naturally expressionless face, like a walking corpse. "Yes."
"Do you know what you're doing?" the burly man asked coldly.
"I do." The red-haired man seemed utterly oblivious to the threat and intimidation in the other's tone.
"Since you know, no one in this Haiqing District dares interfere with the business of our Ten Thousand Serpent Gang. I don't see three heads or six arms on you, do I?" The burly man looked the red-haired man up and down, his tone growing more sinister.
"Tell me. How much do they owe?" The red-haired man didn't seem inclined to banter with them.
"And who are you to them? Do you plan to pay their debt for them? Do you even have the means?" The burly man sneered.
"Tell me the amount," the red-haired man said flatly.
"Fine. It's rare to see a hero for the cause of justice in Haiqing District. That's quite novel. Since that's the case, I'll give you a chance. He originally borrowed one million high-grade Sacred Ling Shi from us. With such a long time having passed, with interest, the repayment is now three million high-grade Sacred Ling Shi!"
The burly man held up three fingers. "You just need to pay back three million Sacred Ling Shi for them, and I won't hold today's little incident against you."
The red-haired man frowned. Three million was clearly beyond his expected range.
Ling Su had now recovered somewhat. He shouted, "I don't know how tyrannical your Ten Thousand Serpent Gang is in Glazed Tile King City. You say I borrowed money? Show me the proof! Without proof, you can just find anyone on the street and claim they owe you money? And when they can't pay, you try to drag them off? Is this debt collection? This is robbery! I refuse to believe that the noble Glazed Tile King City would tolerate you thugs running wild in the streets!"
Ling Su had actually witnessed similar incidents during his years of wandering the martial world. It was just that such things had never happened to him personally before.
This time, it had struck him directly, and for such an enormous sum!