The burly man before them was Cheng Chang, one of Han Zichen's followers. Although he was only in his mid-twenties, his thick beard and slowly balding head made him look older, like he was in his thirties.
Chen Ruyi didn't care much about his background.
Looking disappointed, she closed her eyes and placed the yellow papers she had selected into a basket.
Then she turned to Cheng Chang and gave him a fierce glare.
"You know who I am, and you still dare to provoke me? Who told you to do this, Han Zichen?"
The guard holding his sword to Cheng Chang's neck pressed it harder, making a thin cut that caused a trickle of blood to flow down.
Cheng Chang didn't seem bothered; he still wore a confident expression.
'Hmm, these guards must be really strong. I'm just half-step into Peak Refined Spirit, and yet his sword can still wound me. He must be at the Early Heavenly Grotto-Spirit stage. I should be careful and make sure not to lose face, or it'll be considered slapping the young lord in the face.'
He shook his head and chuckled, "You, beautiful lady, are the one who knows I am a follower of Young Lord Zichen and still dares to be so arrogant? Even after all the affection my young lord has shown you. Pitiful."
Despite the provocative words, Chen Ruyi was used to such nonsense and maintained her composure. It was almost like a second nature to her.
"CHEN RUYI!"
A voice suddenly called out her name.
Everyone in the trade area looked up and saw a young man standing on the roof, arms behind his back and a mean look on his face.
It was the young lord, Han Zichen.
"Since the day I met you, I've prayed to the gods every day, but it wasn't enough for you to even glance my way. No matter how hard you try to push me away, I won't stop pursuing you until you give me some face.
"I know you're charmed by the beauty of that man, Liu Ming, but you need to understand that he's not honest! Everything he's done, whether in front of you or others, is just an act!
"I've seen his true nature… there's more to him than meets the eye. He's much more terrifying than you might think. Don't be fooled by the kindness on his face or any rumors you've heard. Take it from someone who has seen his true self.
"If you stay close to him any longer, he'll hurt you for his own benefit!"
With every word he said, his anger and desperation became more obvious. Why would Chen Ruyi like someone like Liu Ming instead of him? It was so unfair. He'd been with her longer and had given her everything he could with his wealth, yet she still wouldn't acknowledge him.
Just thinking about it made his mind spin in frustration.
While Chen Ruyi stayed silent, Xiu Meixiang refused to let anyone slander her Senior Brother's name. She marched forward with determined steps and pointed at Han Zichen.
"I won't let you speak ill of my dear Brother Ming! Who do you think you are to come here and make all these wild claims about him? My Senior Brother is the best person in the world, not the monster you're claiming he is!"
Her voice was loud and commanding, and the silence that followed showed just how impactful her words had been.
Han Zichen, the young lord of one of the Sword God School's ruling clans, was enraged by being insulted by this pink-haired girl before him.
He refused to let her stain his face!
With a breath so heavy and so hot that burning steam was escaping between his gritted teeth, he pulled out the sword from its sheath behind his back. He gripped the hilt tightly, as if he wanted to snap it in half.
"FILTHY, COMMONER TRASH LIKE YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR PLACE WHEN NOBLES ARE SPEAKING!"
Han Zichen roared and swung his sword with force, releasing a storm of sword Qi that spread out wildly.
kra────KOOOOOOOM!
The attack destroyed buildings, crushed innocent traders, and caused massive damage to the Commercial District.
Most of the destruction was aimed at Xiu Meixiang, but if he had let it all loose, the entire Commercial District would have been obliterated!
Being the son of Han Wu, who was the hallmaster of the Sword Intent Hall, Han Zichen was dedicated to religiously cultivating sword intent.
This higher form of swordsmanship allowed a swordsman's will to be projected through their sword, making it an extension of their spirit.
Among the 4,000 disciples of the Sword Intent Hall, he ranked in the top 10.
In addition to that, as a Foundation Spirit stage cultivator, he could push the limits of his sword intent by amplifying it with his pocket-body. They were not on his level!
Of Chen Ruyi's four guards, two were badly wounded, one was protecting her, and the last one was crushed into a writhing mass of flesh after shielding Xiu Meixiang. Despite the guard's sacrifice, Xiu Meixiang still sustained minor injuries, with blood on her lips and her fair face turning slightly pale.
Some of the merchants in the Commercial District were injured, and others were dead. Those who could still stand had aching bones and pounding headaches.
While a few claimed to be fine, their goods were a different story, many damaged or destroyed.
"Th-, this is unfair! My cabbages!"
"Even these cultivators would lose half their life if they were hit by such an attack!"
"Does that young lord not have any care in the world?!"
"I can't begin to imagine. What a merciless attack!"
"He's an absolute monster!"
Chen Ruyi had been trying to remain calm to uphold her family's honor, but she had been disrespected far too much. She glared at the corpse of her guard and then shifted her vicious gaze to Han Zichen.
"You bastard!"
Hearing Chen Ruyi call him that and seeing her look at him like he was some kind of monster left Han Zichen shocked.
He took weak steps back, paralyzed by the realization.
Han Zichen had always known Chen Ruyi didn't have any attraction to him, but this was the first time she had ever reacted so violently. It was as if she didn't see him as worth maintaining her composure for──she didn't even care enough to ignore him like she usually would.
This time, she truly hated him.
'Wh-, why are they looking at me like this? Why is my Ruyi speaking to me like I'm some kind of monster?! When that bastard Liu Ming broke my follower's arms and threatened me in my own room, no one was there! This is absolutely unfair… I don't deserve this! The real monster here isn't me, it's that blood demon, Liu Ming!'
… Hrrmmph!
Feeling furious with himself, Han Zichen sheathed his sword and turned away.
"It seems I've crossed a line today, and I apologize. That doesn't mean I'll give up on you. This one setback, this hate of yours, won't discourage me from loving you."
Maybe he wanted to apologize, but his pride wouldn't let him in front of commoners.
Ehehehe ...
Cheng Chang grinned proudly, seeing the chaos his young lord had caused. He loved when Han Zichen showed his strength to lowlives like these.
"Haha, that serves you right!"
Cheng Chang laughed louder, which made Chen Ruyi even angrier. The idea that Han Zichen and his follower could do whatever they wanted and get away with it nearly drove her mad.
Not wanting to provoke Chen Ruyi any further, Han Zichen ordered, "Chang Cheng, shut up. Let's go."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Cheng Chang grinned like a child and jumped up to join his young lord on the building where he stood.
They both vanished into thin air.
Chen Ruyi hurried over to Xiu Meixiang. "A-, are you alright?!" she asked with obvious worry.
The pink-haired beauty coughed hard and answered, "I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry about me."
"I'm so sorry."
The young miss knew that most of this was her fault.
If she had found a better way to handle someone like Han Zichen and made sure he wasn't a problem from the start, Xiu Meixiang wouldn't have been injured, and one of her guards wouldn't have died.
… Sigh~
"This is a disaster."
In the end, her effort to stay calm and not disgrace her family name had been pointless. A guard of the Chen family being killed only highlighted the family's weakness, which was exactly what she wanted to avoid.
"Father really won't be happy to hear this."