Although Sam Niu spoke in a low voice, the burly man still caught every word. He shot a cold glance over and sneered viciously, "You little punk, get down and kowtow! Maybe if Grandpa's in a good mood, he'll spare your life!"
Hearing the threat, Sam Niu's legs nearly buckled, ready to kneel, but Ian Song reached out and steadied him, then said calmly, "Even a stray dog dares to act tough in front of me? Get out!"
Bang!
With a casual wave of Ian's hand, the burly man seemed to be struck by a speeding train, screaming as he was flung into the corridor.
Seeing this, Cece could only sigh helplessly and said to Ian, "Young Master, you should leave quickly. Even though you have mid Out-of-Body cultivation, you can't afford to provoke the Duke of Qi Residence."
Earlier, when Ian was moved by Cece's 'Longing Unforgotten,' he lost control and forgot to hide his cultivation, so she had already seen through his true realm.
"Thanks for your concern, Miss Cece, but running away without a fight isn't my style!"
Ian replied calmly. He'd been pondering how to meet Lila Li, and now, with the Duke of Qi's underling barging in, he suddenly thought of a solution.
"A wise man knows when to back down. You should go now—if you wait any longer, it'll be too late!" Cece's face grew more anxious as she kept urging Ian to leave.
"Leave? Where would I go? You think you can just walk away after beating up my people?"
Just then, an arrogant voice rang out, and a young man in red strode in, surrounded by four burly men—including the one Ian had just thrown out.
The newcomer barely glanced at Ian before his gaze settled on Cece, a cruel smile curling his thin lips. "So that's why Miss Cece refused to perform for me—you've taken a liking to some pretty boy!"
Cece frowned slightly. "Young Lord Jiang, please don't misunderstand. This has nothing to do with anyone else. If you don't mind, I can perform for you right now."
Aaron Jiang's face twisted into a mocking grin. "Heh, I sent someone to invite you earlier and you refused. Now, just for a pretty boy, you're begging to perform for me?
What do you take me for?
Besides, who do you think you are? When people flatter you and call you 'Miss Cece,' you act all high and mighty, but without that, you're just a slightly higher-class prostitute. Putting on airs in front of me? You're not qualified!"
Cece's face turned ugly at his words. "Those who insult others will be insulted in turn. Young Lord Jiang, please show some self-respect!"
Aaron Jiang scoffed, "Self-respect, my ass. You're just a prostitute—what makes you think you deserve it?"
"Why does it stink in here? Did someone eat shit and come in here to spout nonsense?"
A sudden voice broke in.
Aaron Jiang's gaze snapped to Ian, his smile turning vicious. He barked, "Courting death! Kill him for me—I'll drink wine from his severed head!"
"Yes, sir!"
At his order, the four burly men behind Aaron Jiang threw their fists at Ian. Instantly, four torrents of force surged toward him.
"Die!"
Whoosh!
A sword cry rang out, and the whole private room suddenly lit up.
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
In an instant, Ian's sword light shattered their combined attack, then with undiminished speed sliced across their necks. Four heads flew—the four men who had charged at Ian were all decapitated.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Four Nascent Souls shot out from their bodies, scrambling behind Aaron Jiang, staring at Ian in terror.
With just one sword strike, Ian had cut them down—clearly his cultivation was far beyond theirs, at least at the Out-of-Body stage or higher.
Aaron Jiang was also stunned. His four subordinates were all top mid-Nascent Soul experts.
Shock quickly turned to fury—someone had dared to kill his people! How outrageous!
He glared at Ian, eyes full of venom. "Do you know who I am?"
"Scram!" Ian said coolly, sword in hand.
"What did you say?"
Aaron Jiang could hardly believe his ears and roared, "You actually told me to scram? Do you know who I am?"
Ian slowly raised his sword, pointing it at Aaron. "I'll give you three breaths. If you don't get out, I'll cut you down."
Aaron shouted, "You bastard—"
"Three!"
"I'm Aaron Jiang, young lord of the Duke of Qi Residence!"
"Two!"
Ian remained unmoved, his gaze sharpening and locking onto Aaron. Aaron's whole body stiffened as a surge of fear rose in his heart. Before Ian could finish counting, Aaron turned and stormed out, his face dark and ugly.
"Young Master, you were too reckless. You need to leave quickly—the Duke of Qi Residence's experts will arrive soon!" Cece sighed.
"Sorry, Miss Cece, for dragging you into this!" Ian cupped his fist to her in apology.
"It's fine. Being able to hear your 'High Mountains, Flowing Waters' is my honor. But you really don't have much time—leave the capital at once!" Cece urged, speaking rapidly. "Aaron Jiang is lawless, a tyrant of the Inner City. Plus, the Duke of Qi is backed by the Sixth Prince, and the calls for him to ascend the throne are strong. As his influence grows, so does the Duke's power—even the other dukes don't dare provoke him lightly!"
"What about you?"
Ian looked at her and asked.
"I've offended Aaron too, but the Immortal Cloud Pavilion will protect me, so you don't need to worry. Young Master, you really have no time left!"
Suddenly, Ian looked up toward the outside—two streaks of light were speeding toward the Immortal Cloud Pavilion. Judging by their auras, both were late Out-of-Body stage experts.
"Young Master!" Cece called out again, her voice full of urgency.
"It's too late—the Duke of Qi Residence's reinforcements are here!" Ian shook his head, feeling a chill inside. He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly, but he never planned to run anyway.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streaks of light landed directly on the fourth floor of the Immortal Cloud Pavilion, transforming into the figures of two middle-aged men. When they saw the four Nascent Souls hovering behind Aaron Jiang, their faces changed dramatically.
One of them shouted angrily, "Who dares to be so bold as to kill people of the Duke of Qi Residence?"
"Guard Shen, Guard Tong—the audacious culprit is in that room! Go capture him. I want to kill him myself to vent my hatred!" Aaron Jiang gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Please wait a moment, Young Lord!" Guard Shen replied, then turned to his companion. "Old Tong, you stay here and protect the young lord. I'll go seize that guy and await your orders!"
"No need to come in—I'll come out myself!"
At that moment, Ian calmly walked out of the private room.
"Mid Out-of-Body stage!"
Guard Shen narrowed his eyes at Ian. "Elsewhere, mid Out-of-Body stage might make you a top expert. But if you think you can challenge the Duke of Qi Residence with just that cultivation, you're sorely mistaken!"
Just then, Cece also stepped out of the private room, her eyes pleading. "Mr. Shen, this is just a misunderstanding—could you possibly..."
She hadn't finished before Aaron Jiang rudely interrupted, "Shut up, you wretched woman! Once I've dealt with this brat, I'll settle accounts with you!"
Ian gave Cece a confident smile:
"Miss Cece, this has nothing to do with you. Step aside—I'll handle it!"
"Ha! Handle it? A mere mid Out-of-Body dares to boast—take this!" As he spoke, Guard Shen produced a fiery red spear. With a flick, it became a streak of red light, stabbing toward Ian.
There are two main ways cultivators fight: using magical treasures for ranged attacks, or wielding them for close combat.
Guard Shen was clearly a cultivator skilled in close-quarters combat.