Helian Zhaoyu's face distorted rapidly under the impact of the slap, his head violently jerked to the side as a spray of blood droplets flew from his lips.
His white robes, previously pristine and immaculate, were now stained with crimson blood across the chest, and the hair on one side of his head had been knocked into disarray.
A searing, fiery pain burned across Helian Zhaoyu's face. This was a humiliation he had never once experienced in his entire life. Who had ever dared to slap him across the face?
His head remained tilted to the right, not turning back. He stayed completely still and silent. While his expression showed no ripple of emotion, the look in his eyes was terrifyingly frigid.
"Satisfying!" Wu Yaozu shouted, immediately rolling up his sleeves.
Xiang Yiwu's broad, door-like frame approached as well, pressing forward like a wall and casting a vast shadow across the floor.
Qin Ming waved a hand to stop them, saying, "I'll handle this myself!"
He refused to let either of them meddle; it would not be wise for them to become deeply entangled in this matter.
"Brother Ming, what are you saying?" Wu Yaozu asked as he took a step forward.
"Say no more," Qin Ming said, stopping them in a tone that brooked no argument.
In the tea room, the black-robed youth Wei Cheng, lying amid the scattered wreckage on the floor, finally came to his senses. A clear shoe print was stamped across his face.
Qin Ming's earlier kick had been extraordinarily heavy, sending him flying twenty feet through the air, knocking out several teeth, and leaving his mouth filled with bloody foam.
Wei Cheng had nearly blacked out moments before, but was finally lucid again.
"Qin Ming!" he ground out through clenched teeth. His entire life had been smooth sailing; no one had ever dared to treat him like this.
To be able to walk alongside Helian Zhaoyu, he naturally possessed an illustrious background.
*Do you want to die?* Those words nearly burst from his lips, but at the last moment he reined himself in, forcibly suppressing any sound.
He knew that venting his fury right now would most likely only result in suffering an even greater loss.
Yet his gaze was venomous beyond measure as he glared at Qin Ming in utter silence.
"Are you calling for me?" Qin Ming asked upon hearing him, walking toward him.
Qin Ming naturally sensed the black-robed youth's heavy malice. The resentment was practically bursting through the tea room. Since that was the case, delivering one kick was no different from delivering ten kicks; he might as well vent his feelings to his heart's content.
Wei Cheng was unable to get up. Still suppressed and entirely immobilized, he panicked. With freezing cold in his eyes, he looked toward Yu Gensheng and said, "Do you know what you are doing? Release me!"
Qin Ming stepped up and kicked him into the air, followed by planting the sole of his foot directly into the other side of Wei Cheng's face, leaving an identical shoe print behind.
He said calmly, "Now it's symmetrical."
Wei Cheng slammed heavily to the floor, coughing up a mouthful of warm blood mixed with three loose teeth. Fire blazed in his eyes as fury overwhelmed his senses, and he passed out on the spot.
Qin Ming stepped over his body and walked toward the corner ahead. The purple-robed youth over there had not uttered a single word, yet his glare was as rancorous as an evil ghost from the depths of hell.
"Your heart is brimming with murderous intent and boundless spite, wishing you could grind my bones to dust and scatter my ashes, isn't that right?" Qin Ming said as he approached, driving a kick right into his face. The wall behind the youth's head shattered, collapsing to form a massive hole from the shockwave.
Luo Jingxiao's head buzzed with a deafening roar, his mind wiped completely blank. Only after three breaths did he recover, whereupon his entire being felt as if it were on fire with uncontrollable rage. He felt he had been exceedingly restrained, having not spoken a single word.
Even so, the other party had still walked over just to give him an extra kick!
"You might be quiet, but your resentment is so heavy that your murderous intent was practically pricking the space between my brows. Do you take me for a wooden dummy?"
Qin Ming delivered two more kicks to him, adding, "Do you think keeping quiet means you're safe? Next time, putting a warm smile on your face might yield better results."
"You son of a—" Luo Jingxiao could no longer endure it. After being beaten, he was expected to smile at him too?
The rest of his words were choked back as a foot came down, plugging his mouth and loosening several teeth amid a burst of excruciating pain.
Luo Jingxiao felt his entire worldview crumbling, overwhelmed with equal parts shame and fury. Just who was the backgroundless commoner here, and who was the direct descendant of the outer realm's high-level figures?
He trembled with fury, feeling that Qin Ming's methods were even more practiced than those they usually used against others, right down to simple words that pierced straight into the heart.
Unable to mobilize his conscious spiritual light, he could not resist. After taking two more kicks to the head, his gaze scattered, and he finally blacked out as well.
Qin Ming turned around, naturally not forgetting the primary target.
Passing by the black-robed youth, he delivered four more kicks, feeling that he hadn't kicked him enough earlier and that the fellow had merely passed out from rage.
Wei Cheng was jarred awake by the pain. Once he realized what was happening, his lungs nearly burst with indignation.
Not long ago, he and Luo Jingxiao had sneered in disdain, looking down on Qin Ming, Wu Yaozu, and the others. Earlier, they had even openly mocked him, assuming that an abandoned cast-off of the Cui clan wouldn't dare set foot in the territory of the immortal graves.
Yet not only had he come, he was now kicking them with sheer brute strength.
Wei Cheng fainted once more, this time blacking out completely from the sheer agony.
"Brother Ming, take a breather!" Wu Yaozu called out as he and Xiang Yiwu stepped closer.
Qin Ming shook his head and halted before Helian Zhaoyu. This man truly possessed astonishing patience; despite being slapped across the face, he hadn't let out a single groan.
"Fellow Daoist, please release us. This matter is nothing serious; we can sit down and talk."
The two old men pinned to the floor spoke up, struggling against the immense pressure as they tried to raise their heads toward Yu Gensheng.
*Thud!*
However, both their heads were slammed violently into the floor once again, causing the entire tea room to tremble.
Yu Gensheng gave them no face whatsoever, maintaining his silent suppression.
"Our Helian family never actively causes trouble, but we do not fear it either," the two elders forced out through gritted teeth.
Amid rumbling sounds, both their heads were driven into the floor, leaving cracks spreading across the tea room.
Helian Zhaoyu no longer kept his head turned aside. He slowly turned back and looked toward Qin Ming.
Blood was spattered across his white robes, and a violent tide of emotion surged within him. Yet he knew that pointless words held no meaning at a time like this; they would only provoke the other side into dealing harsher blows.
His face remained indifferent, devoid of expression, and he let not the slightest ripple of consciousness spill outward. In his heart, however, he had already written this youth's name onto his death list.
He was a direct descendant of the Helian clan and a premier immortal seed of the Yuxian Sect. Who dared humiliate him like this? He would need to bathe in his opponent's blood to wash away today's disgrace.
Qin Ming wondered: if it weren't for him, and an ordinary person stood in his place, what kind of dark ordeal would they have faced today?
Without a doubt, everything Helian Zhaoyu had said would have come to pass. He possessed both the strength and the means to do so; he had not been uttering empty threats.
He was a high-level immortal seed himself, and had brought along two senior figures of his clan.
Helian Zhaoyu had come prepared. While he might not have taken Qin Ming's life, he had clearly intended to mentally crush and humiliate him.
Anyone else would have truly been forced to their knees on the floor.
Qin Ming's brows furrowed deeply. This man had a black heart and venomous methods; he had sought to destroy his spirit today and leave him half-ruined mentally.
Qin Ming sighed inwardly. If it had been an ordinary person, how hopeless would they have felt in this moment? They would be kneeling here, their face patted by the other party, looked down upon in conversation—or more accurately, in reprimand.
In fact, Helian Zhaoyu had already begun doing just that earlier, only failing to carry it through!
If not for Lu Zizai's high regard and Yu Gensheng following close behind all along, Qin Ming could well imagine that he would have suffered a disastrous fall today, trampled beneath the mud.
Helian Zhaoyu spoke calmly: "Qin Ming, there is no deep hatred between us, only the rash friction of youth. I was somewhat impulsive, and you have struck your blows. How about we put this behind us today?"
He was no sheltered tender sprout from a greenhouse; he had undergone baptism through blood and slaughter. Today, he had misjudged his opponent's backing, unaware that a formidable expert was following right behind him.
He naturally would not act recklessly or indulge in petty verbal disputes. There was no harm in slightly lowering his posture for now to avoid suffering an immediate loss. Once this passed, was there any limit to how he could retaliate later?
Thinking of the dark scenes that "should" have transpired had things proceeded along their ordinary trajectory, Qin Ming's gaze turned thoroughly icy.
Helian Zhaoyu appeared ethereal in his white robes, dashing and refined like a gentle, noble scion of jade-like demeanor. In reality, he was exceedingly brutal and had come bearing malicious intent.
With that in mind, Qin Ming drew back his arm and swung his palm hard across Helian Zhaoyu's face once more.
With a loud crack, the strike landed with even greater force. Helian Zhaoyu was sent flying, crashing through a tea table.
Qin Ming walked over and kicked him into the air, then followed up like lightning, stomping him down violently into the floor.
Outside, many people were startled. Had an earthquake struck? The entire roadside teahouse was shaking.
Earlier, some had spotted Helian Zhaoyu making contact with Qin Ming before entering the teahouse. Sensing the disturbance now, they instantly realized that an intense conflict had erupted inside and blows were being exchanged.
Those who had followed them here naturally possessed considerable standing, including aristocrats of Great Yu and disciples of the immortal path.
They knew full well the weight carried by the Yuxian Sect, and were even more aware of Helian Zhaoyu's immense prowess. He had never been one to take a loss, and whenever his eye fell on something, he never failed to secure it.
Many outside assumed that Qin Ming had likely suffered a terrible beating.
Inside the tea room, the lapis lazuli stone tiles across the floor shattered. Taking a kick squarely to the face, Helian Zhaoyu crashed into the ground once again, causing fissures to spread throughout the room as if the building were on the verge of collapsing.
"You've hit me, and your anger should be vented by now. Let it end here today," Helian Zhaoyu said calmly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"This bastard can really endure!" Wu Yaozu remarked with astonishment.
Xiang Yiwu nodded.
Qin Ming walked over, hauled him up, and drove a fist straight into his face.
This time, Helian Zhaoyu spoke no further, simply spitting out two blood-soaked teeth.
Before today, Qin Ming had exercised restraint and remained composed. But today, the man had blatantly attempted to ride roughshod over him; there was no way this could be settled peacefully.
Evidently, whether Qin Ming yielded or fought back, Helian Zhaoyu would still direct his venom against him.
Since that was the case, he would naturally grant himself satisfaction in the present.
Qin Ming knew that touching a single finger of Helian Zhaoyu's was no different from giving him a savage beating; either way, this man would hold a grudge and seek revenge later.
Therefore, he held nothing back.
"Qin Ming, you had better stop!"
The two elders pinned to the ground grew alarmed, fearful that he might beat Helian Zhaoyu to death.
"Zhaoyu did not lay a finger on you today! Why are you using such vicious hands?"
Hearing this, Wu Yaozu snapped back indignantly, "Why did you come here, and what were you planning to do? Don't you know in your own hearts? No matter what, you were set on targeting Brother Ming! Since a blade falls whether you stretch out your neck or pull it back, we might as well beat you first!"
Xiang Yiwu chimed in, "Your Helian family is indeed overbearing beyond measure. You should know that there is always a mountain beyond a mountain, and a heaven beyond a heaven. Perhaps some long-vanished grandmaster of the Newborn path will suddenly return to the mortal world."
Wu Yaozu added, "Exactly! For instance, that legendary 'Past Rulai'!"
Hearing these words, the two senior figures of the Helian clan visibly started.
As for Qin Ming, he did not halt for a second, continuing to pummel Helian Zhaoyu.
By now, even Helian Zhaoyu, for all his deep calculation and endurance, was beginning to lose his composure. He had avoided inflammatory words and endured up until now, yet... he was still being beaten!
This youth showed no end to it, slapping and kicking without the slightest intention of stopping.
Helian Zhaoyu knew that his two companions, Wei Cheng and Luo Jingxiao, were likely playing along—deliberately letting their fury boil over so that, coupled with the pain, they could seize the chance to black out and escape further humiliation.
For a moment, Helian Zhaoyu considered simply shutting off his five senses and passing out as well.
Yet his unyielding pride refused to let him do so. This was someone he was resolved to kill; how could he display weakness before him?
No matter what he faced, he had never fled.
Helian Zhaoyu was certain that the other party, just like himself, did not dare to truly deliver a lethal blow and was merely tormenting him mentally. He would never bow his head over this.
Qin Ming considered the broader situation. An old monster with one foot in the Seventh Realm would never bother glancing his way, and likely didn't even know someone like him existed.
The upper echelons of the Yuxian Sect would not care about a youth in the Second Realm; he was far too insignificant compared to them. Their sole purpose was to obtain the foundational scripture and guarding treasure of the Luofu Sect.
Perhaps in the course of investigating the scriptures and the Eight Trigrams Furnace, they had come across his name on paper, and any action taken against him would merely be incidental rather than deliberate persecution.
The real danger lay with Helian Zhaoyu before him; this man was the one who genuinely held him in his sights.
Qin Ming sighed inwardly. While he strongly wished to kill Helian Zhaoyu outright to settle things once and for all, doing so would truly blow the matter out of proportion.
In particular, he recalled the grandmaster he had seen in the Dayu imperial capital—Helian Yunji, who seemed to be Helian Zhaoyu's paternal grandfather.
Qin Ming delivered one final kick to Helian Zhaoyu's face, then proceeded to search his body.
"You..." Helian Zhaoyu's nose and mouth spurted blood, his eyes swollen like steamed buns, finally giving way to genuine anger.
To Qin Ming's surprise, all three "corpses" lying on the floor possessed storage pendants. Showing no hesitation, he graciously pocketed them all.
Outside the teahouse, a large crowd had already gathered, having heard of a sudden confrontation involving high-profile figures.
Numerous young aristocrats had arrived, including the fourth princess of the Dayu Imperial Dynasty, Yao Ruoxian. Soon after, several immortal seeds appeared as well, all quietly awaiting the conclusion of the event.
Many guessed that Qin Ming had suffered a catastrophic fall this time and would likely emerge in a wretched state.
With a creak, the doors of the teahouse swung open, and the street outside instantly fell dead silent.
Chapter 298