"BWAHAHAHA!" The giant laughed maniacally, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Once he'd had his fill, his eyes turned cold and contemptuous as he stared at Tang Ming. "Brat, don't think being a Great Sword Master gives you the right to meddle in other people's business. Get lost! I don't want to say it a second time!"
Just then, the giant's two friends also stood up. They walked over slowly, looking hostile.
Ling Xiao had also stood up by now. "Tang Ming, step aside," he said softly.
"No." Tang Ming stubbornly spat out a single word. He knew that if he stepped aside, the giant would truly swing his sword and kill Ling Xiao. 'With Ling Xiao's cultivation, not even at the level of a Sword Master, it wouldn't matter if he were holding a Tier Two Enchanted Sword—even a top-grade Tier Five or higher Enchanted Sword wouldn't save him!'
The giant also appeared to be a Tier Two Great Sword Master, making the two of them evenly matched. Tang Ming, in particular, despite being much shorter than the giant, didn't lose out to him in presence one bit. A sharp light flared in his eyes. "He is my partner. Big guy, do you have a habit of abandoning your partners?"
The giant's expression turned serious, and he started to see the young man in a new light. Still, when had he, "Rock" Shenke, ever shown anyone deference? The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the bar's blinds only made the interior seem darker, as if shrouded in a layer of thin smoke. A savage look spread across Shenke's face as he laughed wildly. "Then you can die together!"
"White Wave Slash!" Shenke roared, swinging his greatsword once more. A misty white blast of Sword Qi, over a foot long, erupted from the blade and slashed viciously toward Tang Ming's head. Shenke's two companions stood back to provide support, their faces relaxed and free of worry, clearly confident in their friend's ability.
A powerful presence erupted from Tang Ming as well, his eyes shining with an unyielding light. However, his sword technique was of a much lower grade than Shenke's. Tang Ming's technique was only at the Middle Tier of the Human Level, not even as advanced as the skills practiced by the Protectors of great noble families.
In a short time, the two had already exchanged six or seven blows. Tang Ming had identified Shenke's weakness: his body was too massive and lacked agility. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been toyed with by that small man in black. The sword techniques he used were all wide, sweeping, and powerful moves. Though they weren't very agile, getting hit by one meant certain death or grievous injury.
Ling Xiao stood to the side, watching, and gained a whole new understanding of this world's sword techniques. 'After tens of millions of years of development and the wisdom of countless generations, the sword techniques on the Canglan Continent are not to be underestimated. It seems that with my Nine Swords of Dugu, I can only handle opponents below the level of Great Sword Master. If I were to face someone like this giant, I'm afraid my only option would be to feign weakness and make him lower his guard, then I'd have just one chance to strike. If that one strike misses, I'd have to flee immediately. Otherwise, I would be no match for him at all.'
'If a battle-hardened Great Sword Master is already like this, then what about the Mad Sword Masters above them, and the Demon Sword Masters even higher up...' The thought of Demon Sword Masters suddenly filled Ling Xiao's eyes with a fervent battle lust!
'Only through challenges can one improve more quickly in life!'
As if sensing the fighting spirit radiating from Ling Xiao, Rock Shenke's two friends stared at him with cold, sinister expressions. They were both inwardly puzzled. 'This kid's strength doesn't seem like much, but his presence... it's not the least bit weaker than a Great Sword Master's. It might even be stronger!'
Just as Rock Shenke and Tang Ming were locked in a stalemate, a voice suddenly rang out—one so sickly sweet it could give a person goosebumps.
"Well now, my good sirs, what is all this about? Could it be that my humble establishment has been inhospitable in some way?" The words were so deferential, yet everyone who heard them couldn't help but shiver. Even the fighting Tang Ming and Rock Shenke instantly broke apart, as if they were mice who had just heard a cat. They both retreated several steps and then stood still.
Rock Shenke gave a nervous chuckle. "Uh, hehe, we were just playing around... sparring, yes, just a bit of sparring. Isn't that right, kid?" Shenke's eyes were like a wolf's as he glared at Tang Ming, looking as if he would pounce the moment a single "no" left the other's lips.
Tang Ming didn't even look at him. He bowed toward the source of the voice. "Miss Huangpu, we were just sparring. I apologize for accidentally damaging your property. I will compensate for any and all losses. Would that be satisfactory?"
The onlookers in the distance, who had been enjoying the show, all fell silent as cicadas in winter. They meekly sat back down and returned to their drinks, seemingly not even daring to speak loudly.
This made Ling Xiao extremely curious. Using the pathetic amount of sunlight filtering in through the blinds, he peered into the depths of the room. A woman with a graceful figure stood in the shadows, her form hazy and indistinct. He couldn't see her face clearly, but she exuded an extremely bewitching aura. As if sensing his gaze, the voice let out a soft chuckle. "Hehe, it's been a while since I've seen a new face here. This little one is quite interesting, and quite bold!"
Beside him, Tang Ming was desperately trying to shoot Ling Xiao a warning look. The adventurers who were now sitting meekly all had expressions of schadenfreude, and even Rock Shenke and his two friends wore mocking sneers.
'Little one? From the sound of your voice, you can't be that old yourself!' Ling Xiao wondered. 'I only glanced at you, and I couldn't even see you clearly. How is that "bold"?'
"Sigh, you men really have too much time on your hands. Forget it. The two of you who were fighting, one hundred gold coins each, and I'll let you off this once," the woman said, her voice turning languid as if she were bored.
'One hundred gold coins!' Although Ling Xiao didn't have much of a concept of money, he knew this was no small sum. Today, he and Tang Ming had drunk their fill, and it hadn't even cost half a gold coin. Yet this woman demanded one hundred gold coins just by opening her mouth. And judging by the expressions on the faces of those around them, it was as if she were granting them a great mercy.
The moment the woman's words fell, Rock Shenke, as if terrified she would go back on her word, hastily pulled a bag of gold coins from his pocket. It looked like it contained more than a hundred coins. Without even counting, he placed it on the table, then immediately turned and beat a hasty retreat with his two companions.
As he passed by Tang Ming and Ling Xiao, Rock Shenke lowered his voice and snorted, "You're lucky today. The Madman Mercenary Corps will remember your faces! We'll meet again!"
Tang Ming, meanwhile, obediently took out a large money pouch from his waist, a pained expression on his face. Ling Xiao stopped him. "I'll pay for it!"
"Hee hee, what an interesting little fellow." The woman in the shadows suddenly let out a coquettish laugh. "Forget it. I saw everything. It had nothing to do with you two. Just go on and keep drinking." With that, she retreated back into the shadows.
Only after the woman had completely departed did all the adventurers in the bar seem to spring back to life. The pin-drop silence was suddenly broken by a buzz of conversation as everyone began whispering to each other. Many looked at Ling Xiao and Tang Ming, two handsome young men, with faces full of envy, likely unable to understand why Miss Huangpu had let them off.
'Miss Huangpu must be in a good mood today.' This was the thought in nearly every adventurer's mind, and it helped them feel much more at ease.
A trace of astonishment also appeared on Tang Ming's face. He took out a gold coin and placed it on the table to pay for their drinks, then immediately pulled Ling Xiao toward the exit.
Under the envious gazes of the crowd of adventurers, the two walked out the door. The giant wasn't waiting to block their path as Ling Xiao had expected. Tang Ming glanced left and right before quickly pulling Ling Xiao back to their inn.
He shut the door, let out a long sigh of relief, and said, "Heavens, that scared me to death. To think that I, the handsome Great Sword Master Tang Ming, almost met my end back there..."
"Huh?" Ling Xiao was a little speechless. So Tang Ming was more dramatic than he let on. He was still completely confused. 'Isn't she just a woman with a nice-sounding voice? Even if she's a Demon Sword Master... that's not enough to make everyone so afraid of her, is it?'
Having calmed down, Tang Ming took the initiative to explain. "Ling Xiao, you don't understand. Miss Huangpu's background is immense! Forget about us—even our captain would have to step aside if he met her. We were lucky she was in a good mood today. Otherwise, we all might have been 'taken care of' back there!"
"Is it that serious?" Ling Xiao was somewhat skeptical. 'I might not know much about business, but I know the principle of harmony bringing wealth. If she takes people's lives just because she's unhappy... would anyone still go to her bar? Besides, does she really have that kind of power? The world of adventurers is full of hidden masters. Great Sword Masters, who are a rare sight in the Imperial Capital, were all over the place today. I could sense that many people there had cultivations at or above the Great Sword Master level! There were probably even stronger ones. What could a mere woman do?'
"Serious! Very serious!" Tang Ming said in a firm tone. "Have you never heard of the Huangpu Clan? Oh, you're too young and haven't been on any adventures, so it's normal not to know. The Huangpu Clan is the largest buyer of Crystal Cores in the entire Lanyue Empire! They're also the largest producer of Enchanted Swords! All of us, whether we're adventurers or part of a large Mercenary Corps, who doesn't rely on their business to survive? It's not clear what Miss Huangpu's own strength is, but she has four Demon Sword Master guards at her side. Four of them! I heard the strongest one has already reached Tier Five! Brother, a Tier Five Demon Sword Master! Do you think there's anyone among those adventurers who could stand up to a Tier Five Demon Sword Master?"
Tang Ming continued, "Now do you understand why no one dares to cause trouble at her place? Miss Huangpu has a terrible temper. If she's unhappy, she'll find an excuse to have someone beaten half to death and thrown out. If someone is truly foolish enough to cross her, she'll just have them killed, and that's that..."
"Ah, have you seen it happen? And no one has ever done anything about it?" Ling Xiao looked at Tang Ming, speechless. 'This is too violent,' he thought. 'I just thought that giant was violent, but I never expected that woman with the sweet, delicate voice to be so vicious!'
"I haven't seen it myself, but that's what everyone says! Do something about it? Don't be ridiculous. Did you know that Miss Huangpu is also the fiancée of the son of the Wulan Clan's Leader in the Imperial Capital? The Wulan Clan, Brother Ling, you must have heard of them, right?" Tang Ming looked at Ling Xiao as if he were an idiot. 'You look like a noble yourself,' he thought. 'If you haven't even heard of the Wulan Clan, you must be a real simpleton!'
Ling Xiao was stunned for a moment, then he nodded. 'The Wulan Clan? The Clan Leader's son's fiancée? Wulan Tuo? Heh, interesting!'