Young Master Ji's originally relaxed smile suddenly turned cold.
"Who are you?"
Vice Gang Leader Ma kowtowed repeatedly. "This humble one is Ma Yue, Vice Gang Leader of the Ten Thousand Serpent Gang."
"The Ten Thousand Serpent Gang?" Young Master Ji furrowed his brow and cast a questioning glance at Commander Mo beside him. Young Master Ji was one of the most prominent young lords in the Glazed Royal City and knew virtually everything that went on there. However, places where rogue cultivators gathered were things he rarely concerned himself with.
He had certainly heard the name of the Ten Thousand Serpent Gang. But given his status, a mere underground gang was naturally beneath his notice.
The small Ten Thousand Serpent Gang might have been a top-tier power in the Haiqing District, but to a colossal force like the Panlong Clan, it was ultimately nothing more than a bit player. It was perfectly normal for it to fall outside Young Master Ji's field of vision.
Commander Mo leaned in and whispered a brief explanation.
Young Master Ji nodded slightly, his brow creasing further. "In broad daylight, even my Panlong Clan wouldn't dare extort people on the street. Your Ten Thousand Serpent Gang really has some nerve."
Hearing this, Vice Gang Leader Ma trembled so violently his whole body shook like a sieve. "Young Master Ji, it's a misunderstanding. This is all a misunderstanding!"
Young Master Ji nodded. "I won't wrong you. Saying it's a misunderstanding doesn't help — let's hear from the others."
With that, he glanced at Jiang Chen. "Brother, how do you think we should handle this?"
By now, Jiang Chen had heard the red-haired man recount the whole affair. He patted the red-haired man on the shoulder. "Old Meng, you did well with this. A fine merit."
The red-haired man was overjoyed. He had been a slave originally seized by Jiang Chen from the Sikou Clan. Jiang Chen had selected ten Saint-realm powerhouses.
This red-haired man, Meng Hongfa, was one of the first to see reason and voluntarily agree to submit to Jiang Chen and serve him for twenty years.
Recently, he had been entrusted by Shen Sanhuo to keep watch in the Haiqing District, specifically to look for the Ling father and daughter.
It was Shen Sanhuo who had taken this matter to heart — otherwise, he would never have dispatched a Heavenly Saint-realm expert like Meng Hongfa to the Haiqing District.
If Meng Hongfa hadn't intervened, by the time Jiang Chen and the others arrived, the Ling father and daughter would most likely have already been taken away by the Ten Thousand Serpent Gang, with consequences too terrible to contemplate.
After hearing Meng Hongfa's account, Jiang Chen's heart went cold with alarm even as fury surged within him.
Though it was inconvenient to reveal his identity to the Ling father and daughter right now, he was hardly unfamiliar with Ling Hui'er. Despite the slight disguises the pair had adopted, Jiang Chen was absolutely certain it was them.
Hearing what they had been through, his rage was barely containable.
He knew full well that Ling Su's personality was extremely cautious, and as newcomers to the Glazed Royal City, they would never have borrowed a million Holy Spirit Stones from the Ten Thousand Serpent Gang.
Anyone could figure out with half a brain that the Ten Thousand Serpent Gang had deliberately extorted the Ling father and daughter. He didn't know the full motivation, but it most likely had something to do with Ling Hui'er.
When Young Master Ji looked to him for input, Jiang Chen lightly furrowed his brow. "I've already learned what happened. This Ten Thousand Serpent Gang attempted extortion on the street and tried to kill people. What sort of punishment does the Glazed Royal City prescribe for such conduct?"
Vice Gang Leader Ma's face changed dramatically. "Young Master Ji, a misunderstanding! It truly is a misunderstanding. My men mistook someone — it was absolutely not intentional!"
Meng Hongfa sneered. "Mistook someone? Before, this father and daughter protested multiple times that you had the wrong people. What did you say in response?"
Young Master Ji nodded and turned his gaze toward the Ling father and daughter. "You're the ones involved. You speak. Don't worry — in the Glazed Royal City, the Panlong Clan upholds justice. Don't fear any retaliation."
Ling Su's face bore a whip wound. The injury wasn't life-threatening, but the sight of mangled flesh and blood made Jiang Chen's brow crease involuntarily.
Beside him, Ling Hui'er sobbed quietly, applying medicine to her father's wounds again and again. She looked like a frightened fawn, her eyes filled with terror as she darted glances about.
Clearly, this young girl who had never ventured far from home had been thoroughly shaken this time. The carefree fearlessness she once showed was nowhere to be seen.
Ling Su gently soothed his daughter, though his own mind was somewhat clouded.
His eyes held a mix of inquiry and doubt. He clearly wanted to tell the truth, but he feared that even if justice were served, the aftermath would leave him and the Ten Thousand Serpent Gang as mortal enemies — and then he and his daughter would be truly finished.
Even a mighty dragon couldn't beat a local snake, and the two of them weren't even mighty dragons.
Jiang Chen stepped past and suddenly reached out, patting Ling Su on the shoulder. "Don't worry about anyone retaliating against you."
At the same time, he sent a voice transmission to Ling Hui'er: "Junior Sister Hui'er, it's Jiang Chen. Accuse them boldly — I'll back you up!"
Ling Hui'er heard the transmission, her wide eyes blinking rapidly. Glistening tears still clung to her long lashes as she stared at Jiang Chen, an expression of utter disbelief crossing her face.
"Junior Sister, stay calm. Don't let anyone see through it," Jiang Chen hurriedly warned.
Fortunately, though Ling Hui'er was thick-headed, she wasn't completely foolish. The cry of surprise that had nearly escaped her throat was suppressed just in time, and her tears turned to a smile.
Her spirits, which had already plummeted to rock bottom, suddenly soared upon hearing Brother Jiang Chen's news — like a drowning person grasping the most reliable piece of driftwood, she clung on with all her might.