We were just strolling around here when we ran into those hooligans from the Xie family. Sister Lin He wanted to buy something, but those jerks deliberately caused trouble. Sister Lin He got so angry she couldn't help but make a move…”
“But the leader on the Xie family’s side was that wretched woman, Xie Ting. She’s Xie Yingying’s younger sister, and her current cultivation has reached the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering. Plus, there were a lot of them… In the chaos, that woman took the opportunity to slap Sister Lin He.”
The three quickly ran towards the large pavilion deeper inside. Lin Shan then recounted in detail what had happened earlier. After he finished describing the events, his fists clenched tight, clearly indicating his extreme fury.
Lin Dong frowned slightly. The Xie family’s juniors were truly too arrogant. Sister Lin He was a girl, after all. You don’t hit someone in the face. This was probably just them deliberately causing trouble.
“The Xie family people are truly detestable,” Qing Tan said, a little angry herself. No matter what, as members of the Lin family, they now stood on the same side.
“Let’s hurry,” Lin Dong nodded, and his pace quickened considerably.
***
Deep within the pavilion, there was a square paved with crushed stone. Around the square were several bustling shops. All sorts of spiritual herbs, weapons, armor, and even martial arts techniques and demonic beasts could be found here.
This place was considered a relatively high-end area within the Trading District. Most of those who could come here were people of some standing in Qingyang Town. But at this moment, quite a few people were gathered around the square, watching the two groups inside.
The people from both sides weren’t very old, but the tense atmosphere was incredibly thick.
The Xie family and the Lin family were both considered major powers in Qingyang Town. Moreover, most people knew that the Lei and Xie families had been suppressing the Lin family. Therefore, when they saw the juniors from both families clashing so fiercely, they weren’t surprised at all.
“Lin He, hand over that Fox Star Lotus to me, or else, you won’t be leaving here easily today.” Standing proudly at the head of the Xie family juniors was a tall, slender young woman dressed in luxurious brocade. A hint of mockery appeared on her fair, oval face. Her lips seemed a little thin, giving her a somewhat sharp and malicious air.
“Hand it to you?” Facing the young woman, Lin He sneered. On her face was a faint red mark, from when that wretched woman in front of her had secretly struck her while she was being held back.
As her cold laugh faded, Lin He directly ripped apart a snow-white bracelet she held in her hand. In truth, she understood in her heart that this was merely an ornamental item. Given Xie Ting’s status, why would she care so much about such a thing? Today’s incident was simply the other party deliberately causing trouble.
Just as Lin He had expected, when Xie Ting saw her rip the bracelet apart, her delicate eyebrows merely arched. She said with a half-smile, half-sneer: “You certainly have a strong personality, but it seems you intend to defy this young miss today.”
“Xie Ting, don’t go too far!”
Beside Lin He, Lin Hong said angrily. He looked a little disheveled; clearly, he had been in a fight earlier.
“What would you do if you overstepped your bounds? If it weren’t for my Xie family’s magnanimity, would your Lin family even be able to survive in Qingyang Town?” Hearing this, a sneer curled Xie Ting’s lips.
“Heh heh, I say, why don’t we just give them a good beating directly, so that from now on, whenever they see someone from our Xie family, they’ll take a detour to avoid us.” Beside Xie Ting, a youth in yellow clothes said with a weird grin.
“Exactly.” No sooner had the youth in yellow finished speaking than another youth, standing on the other side, also nodded with a smile. Judging by their positions, it seemed they held some status among the Xie family’s younger generation.
Hearing the two speak, Lin Hong’s expression darkened slightly. On their side, only he and Lin He were at the seventh level of Body Tempering, while the opposing side had three people. If they were to fight, they would certainly be at a disadvantage.
“Very well, let’s teach them a lesson, and let them know that my Xie family’s status is not something these outsiders can compare to,” Xie Ting chuckled, staring at Lin He like a little devil, and said.
Seeing Xie Ting agree, the other Xie family juniors couldn’t help but feel excited, staring at Lin He’s group with ill intent.
“Attack!”
The two who had spoken with Xie Ting earlier now erupted with faint glows from their bodies. The three of them pounded the ground, rushing towards Lin Hong and Lin He like arrows. Meanwhile, the remaining Xie family juniors also charged forward, blocking the other Lin family juniors.
Seeing Xie Ting and the two others charge directly at them, Lin He and Lin Hong’s expressions turned slightly grim. Two against three, they would ultimately be at a disadvantage.
“Whoosh!”
However, just as Xie Ting and the two appeared before Lin He and Lin Hong, about to make their move, a sudden whooshing sound came from the side. The three quickly dodged, as three heavy stones slammed into a nearby pillar, emitting dull thudding sounds.
“Who?!”
The sudden appearance of an interloper made Xie Ting and the two raise their eyebrows. Their gazes shifted, and they saw three figures approaching rapidly. The one in front was Lin Shan, who had been beaten so badly he fled earlier.
“Lin Dong!”
Seeing the person behind Lin Shan, Lin He and Lin Hong cried out in surprise. Then, joy flashed in their eyes.
“Are you alright?”
Lin Dong led the two into the crowd, glancing at Lin He. When his eyes caught sight of the red mark on his face, his brows furrowed tightly.
“Lin Dong? Are you that fellow who suddenly rose to prominence in the Lin family?” Xie Ting’s gaze swept over Lin Dong, then her lips curled slightly as she spoke.
“What are you doing here?” Lin He was surprised and delighted for a moment, but then a hint of worry crept in; even with Lin Dong’s arrival, they would at best only be evenly matched with the other side.
“I came to look around a bit, and happened to run into Lin Shan,” Lin Dong said with a smile. From the moment he arrived, he hadn’t even spared a glance at Xie Ting’s tall and slender figure, nor had he paid any attention to her question.
Lin Dong’s actions clearly infuriated Xie Ting. She rarely encountered such blatant disregard, being treated as if she were invisible. And as anger simmered within her, someone beside her whispered something into her ear.
“Hmph, I wondered who it was. Turns out it’s Lin Xiao’s son, that former good-for-nothing of the Lin family,” Xie Ting said with a cold laugh.
After she spoke, Lin Dong’s body clearly paused for a moment. He then turned around, fixing his gaze on Xie Ting’s face for the first time, before finally bursting into laughter and walking towards her.
“Be careful!” Seeing him act like that, Lin He hurriedly warned. Their opponents were three cultivators at the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering.
“Heh heh, let me see just how much substance this recently renowned rising genius of the Lin family truly has.” Seeing Lin Dong walk over, the young man in yellow couldn’t help but sneer. He then took a step forward, a faint light quickly condensing in his palm.
“Bang!”
As the young man in yellow struck towards Lin Dong, a low thud rang out. Then, amidst everyone’s astonished gazes, a figure flew backward, finally landing heavily on the ground in a very sorry state.
Seeing the young man in yellow, who had just rushed out, immediately stumble to the ground in a sorry state, many people’s faces showed surprise. Even the surrounding onlookers turned their astonished gazes towards Lin Dong. Someone who could so easily defeat a Seventh Layer Body Tempering cultivator – it seemed this rising genius of the Lin family truly possessed some skill.
“Xie Zhen!”
Xie Ting and the other Xie family juniors, seeing the young man in yellow directly sent flying back by Lin Dong with a single palm strike, all had their expressions drastically change.
“How dare you hit my Xie family member, you’re asking for death!” Another young man, also at the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering, felt a surge of anger rise in his eyes. He refused to believe it and charged out. However, his figure, without any surprise, was also directly sent flying by Lin Dong with a single palm strike.
“Hiss…”
This time, many people took a sharp intake of breath. The first time might have been luck, but the second time, there was no way it was a coincidence…
“Eighth Layer of Body Tempering…”
Lin He and Lin Hong stared blankly at Lin Dong’s figure. To be able to easily defeat a Seventh Layer Body Tempering opponent like that, Lin Dong’s strength must have certainly reached the Eighth Layer!
“You… What do you want to do? My sisters are nearby. If you don’t want to get beaten, then take your people and scram!”
Seeing Lin Dong easily deal with the two, including Xie Zhen, and then walk up to her, a hint of paleness finally appeared on Xie Ting’s face. Yet, she remained as stubborn as ever, looking coldly at Lin Dong. She truly didn’t believe Lin Dong would dare to lay a hand on her!
Looking at the fair, melon-seed shaped face in front of him, Lin Dong also smiled, a cold glint suddenly flashing in his eyes as he raised his hand.
“Stop!”
The moment Lin Dong raised his hand, a charming, clear, yet urgent voice suddenly rang out. Immediately after, a surge of energy shot directly towards Lin Dong.
“Slap!”
As that charming voice rang out, Lin Dong’s eyes also slightly narrowed. His hand directly slapped down, and finally, amidst countless disbelieving gazes, he fiercely slapped Xie Ting across the face. The sound of the slap rang out, making the entire square fall silent.