"After we finish the business in Yuanwu City, we'll go check out Qingwu Gorge. If there really are spirit beasts there, I'll make sure you get a reward," Qi Oliver said, narrowing his eyes with a smile.
Liu Isaiah's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied excitedly: "Thank you, Master!"
By noon, the three of them finally arrived at Yuanwu City. The overall strength of Yuanwu City was similar to that of Yuan Spirit City. After entering the city, Wang Jacob and Liu Isaiah were clearly nervous. Though Qi Oliver was extraordinarily powerful in combat, there were only three of them—and this was the territory of the Hong family (Hong Theo) and the Zheng family (Zheng Finley, Zheng Matthew, Zheng Riley).
Qi Oliver first went to the Zheng family mansion. When the gatekeeping servant of the Zheng family saw that Qi Oliver and his companions were strangers, he asked arrogantly: "Who are you, and what do you want at the Zheng residence?"
Wang Jacob said coldly: "Go tell your master (Zheng Matthew) that our Master Qi has come to visit!"
"Master Qi?" The servant couldn't help but snort in amusement. "There's no 'Master Qi' in Yuanwu City. Boy, do you think just because your surname is Qi and you have two people with you, you can call yourself a 'master'?"
"Liu Isaiah, go kill him," Qi Oliver said indifferently.
The servant's face turned pale instantly. He stepped back quickly and shouted in alarm: "This is the Zheng family! How dare you run wild here! Just wait!" With that, he banged open the gate and slipped inside.
Liu Isaiah looked embarrassed and muttered glumly: "Master, it's not that I disobeyed your order—it's that the guy ran too fast. I didn't even have time to make a move..." He didn't have the courage to rush in and kill someone.
Qi Oliver smiled faintly: "It's fine. Some people won't know their place until they're frightened."
Soon, a group of people marched out of the Zheng residence aggressively.
"Today, I want to see which fool dares to cause trouble at the gate of the Zheng family!" A middle-aged man with a thick beard roared as he approached. The servant cowered beside him, shot a sneering glance at Qi Oliver, and quickly said to the man: "Second Master (Zheng Finley), this is the kid!"
"Zheng Finley, it's been a while," Qi Oliver looked up and said calmly.
Zheng Finley now got a clear look at Qi Oliver's face. His expression changed slightly, then he sneered: "So it's you, you little brat!"
"What are you doing at the Zheng family?"
Though Zheng Finley knew the reason, he pretended to be ignorant and snorted.
A cold light flashed in Qi Oliver's eyes, and he said icily: "Since I've come to the Zheng family, do you still want to play dumb? Those traitors have already been killed. But your Zheng family dared to order them to steal my Spirit Stones—you must give me an explanation!"
Zheng Finley laughed loudly: "An explanation? What explanation do you want from me? I have no idea what you're talking about! You can't even manage your own people, yet you come to pick a fight with the Zheng family—do you think we're made of clay?"
Qi Oliver said indifferently: "The Zheng family is certainly not made of clay—it's made of shit."
"Pfft—" Wang Jacob and Liu Isaiah, who had been nervous just moments before, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You! How dare you insult the Zheng family! Qi Oliver, you're courting death!" Zheng Finley's face turned livid, and murderous intent surged from him as he roared.
Qi Oliver said coldly: "The one courting death isn't me—it's your Zheng family. If Zheng Matthew doesn't come out to see me right now, blood will soon be shed at the Zheng family."
Zheng Finley laughed angrily: "Do you think I was raised on fear? Daring to be so arrogant at the gate of my Zheng family—I'll cripple you first!"
Swish!
Zheng Finley charged forward in a rage and threw a punch at Qi Oliver. Wang Jacob and Liu Isaiah were about to step forward to block, but Qi Oliver had already moved. He threw a punch of his own to meet Zheng Finley's. Zheng Finley was at the Sixth Rank of the Master Realm—Wang Jacob and Liu Isaiah were no match for him. So Qi Oliver didn't want them to make unnecessary sacrifices; moreover, he needed the Zheng family to see the consequences of angering him.
Boom!
The two fists collided like thunderclaps. But the outcome was immediately clear!
"Ah!"
The moment their fists met, Zheng Finley let out a scream. As his body flew backward, he felt a terrifying force surge into his entire right arm, causing an unbearable throbbing pain!
Bang!
Before Zheng Finley could steady himself after being sent flying, his entire right arm suddenly exploded with a loud "bang"!
"Ah—"
Zheng Finley's heart-wrenching scream and the horrifying sight of his arm blowing up into a mist of blood left all the Zheng family attendants stunned. The Second Master (Zheng Finley), a Sixth Rank Master, had not only been defeated but had also lost an arm in such a gruesome way!
"How dare you injure our Second Master (Zheng Finley)!"
"Hurry and report to the Master (Zheng Matthew) and the Elder (Zheng Riley)!"
The Zheng family attendants panicked instantly. Some rushed to support Zheng Finley, while others, their faces as white as paper and legs shaking, stood in front of him, fearing Qi Oliver would strike again.
Qi Oliver did not attack further. Killing Zheng Finley would have been as easy as lifting a hand, but his purpose in coming to the Zheng family today was not to kill.
"Qi... Qi Oliver! You dare to cripple one of my arms—the Zheng family will never let you go!" Zheng Finley trembled with anger, his voice fierce but lacking conviction.
Originally, when the Zheng family heard that Meng Christopher had been killed by Qi Oliver, they had assumed Qi Oliver had used underhanded tactics to trick Meng Christopher. That was why the Zheng family and the Hong family (Hong Theo) had dared to brazenly incite the workers at the Spirit Mines to betray Qi Oliver. But embezzling that small amount of stolen Spirit Stones was not their ultimate goal—those traitors were just pawns. Their real plan was to use the traitors to escalate tensions; once Qi Oliver lost his temper and came to seek trouble, the Zheng and Hong families could take the opportunity to eliminate him. In that case, the Meng family's (Meng Christopher) Spirit Mines would belong entirely to them. But Zheng Finley had never imagined Qi Oliver would be so powerful—one punch had crippled his arm!
Qi Oliver glanced at Zheng Finley and said calmly: "If you dare to bark again, I'll cripple your other arm too."
"You!" Zheng Finley was furious, but he couldn't help stepping back. Qi Oliver's strength was clearly above his own. If Qi Oliver really charged forward, these useless guards around him would never be able to protect him...
"Master is truly formidable!" Wang Jacob and Liu Isaiah were both shocked inwardly. Normally, when families had conflicts, fights were common, but they rarely went too far—for fear of forging an irreconcilable blood feud. But now Qi Oliver had crippled Zheng Finley's arm; this enmity was already no different from a life-or-death grudge.
"Qi Oliver! You've got balls of steel—daring to injure my second brother right at the gate of the Zheng family!"
In a fit of rage, Zheng Matthew and Zheng Riley, accompanied by more than a dozen guest elders of the Zheng family, came rushing over.
"Why waste words with him? Surround this scoundrel at once!"
The moment Zheng Riley saw Zheng Finley's injury, he roared.
Swish, swish, swish—
The Zheng family's guest elders charged forward quickly, surrounding Qi Oliver and his two companions. Wang Jacob and Liu Isaiah felt their hearts sink. Being surrounded by twelve Master Realm cultivators was something they had never experienced before.
Ignoring the encirclement, Qi Oliver looked calmly at the furious Zheng Matthew and asked indifferently: "You ordered the people at my mines to betray the Qi family and embezzle my Spirit Stones—Zheng Matthew, do you admit it?"
Zheng Matthew laughed angrily: "What does it matter if I admit it or not? You broke my brother's arm—you'll never leave Yuanwu City alive today!"
Qi Oliver said indifferently: "It seems I didn't hit hard enough to teach your Zheng family a lesson. Since that's the case, let more blood be shed at your gate!"