Chapter Twenty-Three: Strike When the Time Is Right

The Iron Man Hao was still seven or eight meters away from Ye Xin when Hao Fei moved as well. His figure shot straight toward Iron Man Hao, a faint golden light surging from his rapidly circulating inner force, forming a meteor that streaked ahead, faster than the eye could follow, his sword flashing toward Iron Man Hao’s throat.

The elite wolves and tigers of Heaven’s Sin Battalion were all men who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Especially those at Ye Xin’s core; each had their own unique traits—like Thirteen’s poison, White Rider’s steadiness, Xie En’s speed, and Hao Fei’s ruthlessness. These were the reasons Ye Xin regarded them so highly.

Once Hao Fei’s killing intent was roused, he became a mindless machine of slaughter, advancing relentlessly, unstoppable by anything.

“You—you dare…” Iron Man Hao could never have imagined that Hao Fei would actually make a move against him. But it was already too late to retreat.

As the sword’s radiance enveloped Iron Man Hao, the faces of everyone nearby changed. Even Sun Meifang and Deng Duojie showed looks of shock.

Though Hao Fei had not unleashed his life-bound technique, the sword’s light carried the force of a thousand men. With Iron Man Hao’s abilities, escape was impossible; his life could now be measured in seconds.

Standing at Sun Meifang’s side, Feng Qishan’s beard and hair whipped about as if in a storm. He roared, “Stop!” No longer caring about Sun Meifang’s earlier hints, he sprang into the air. In truth, had Sun Meifang come to her senses at that moment, she would not have tried to stop him.

Feng Qishan darted at lightning speed toward Hao Fei’s flank. Realizing he would never reach in time to block the sword’s light, he struck directly at Hao Fei, hoping to slow the sword’s deadly arc.

“Outrageous!” shrieked Tie Huizhen, who had been staring fixedly at Ye Xin. She swept up her long sleeves, which instantly ignited in roaring flames, and leapt forward to shield Iron Man Hao at the critical moment. From the fire emerged a giant hand, grabbing for Hao Fei’s sword light.

Boom—the sword light shattered. Hao Fei stumbled back several steps before steadying himself, tongues of fire clinging to his body. This fire was strange, difficult to extinguish, and began burning on his clothes.

“Not bad,” Hao Fei said coolly. He summoned his inner force again, the flickering golden shield sweeping over him, and the flames quickly died.

“A life-bound technique? The Seventh Princess has actually refined a life-bound technique?!” The crowd erupted in commotion.

“What kind of technique is that? It’s incredible…” someone else cried.

“No matter how strong, it’s useless. Hao Fei wasn’t even fighting seriously.”

Indeed, Hao Fei had not used his life-bound technique. For a mere Iron Man Hao, he saw no need to go all out. Those with experience could see the truth, and none expected Tie Huizhen to prevail.

Now, Iron Man Hao dared not posture any longer. He staggered back, and the guards behind him drew their swords and rushed forward, shielding him.

“Many against few, is it? Don’t be anxious—count me in.” Xue Baiqi drawled, stepping forward. With just one stride, he passed Hao Fei, his calm gaze settling on the guards.

A faint golden aura shimmered about Xue Baiqi. In that instant, everyone around felt a strange illusion—as if he had become a giant, looming over them.

“Xue Baiqi, Hao Fei, what do you think you’re doing? This is Jiuding City! The Longteng Martial Academy!” Feng Qishan roared. In truth, he had no wish to confront either Xue Baiqi or Hao Fei. When Tie Huizhen unleashed her technique and Hao Fei’s sword light broke, he immediately withdrew.

Tie Huizhen was pale, her body trembling as she slowly retreated. This confrontation was a rare trial for her, making her finally understand why all the noble families of Jiuding City, including her father Tie Xinsheng, valued these men so highly.

She had given her all, even unleashing her life-bound technique, and had merely managed to block Hao Fei’s sword. If Hao Fei had done the same, she would have died on the spot.

Hao Fei paid Feng Qishan no heed. He slowly raised his sword, pointing it at Tie Huizhen. “Again!”

Though Hao Fei was ruthless, he was no fool. The core members of Heaven’s Sin Battalion always worked in perfect harmony. Now that Xue Baiqi had stepped forward and stood before him, their seemingly casual actions were laden with silent messages.

Xue Baiqi was saying, “Are you crazy? The boss wants you to scare them, not actually kill anyone!”

Hao Fei’s answer was, “I’m just playing with them. Why are you so tense?”

He pointed his sword at Tie Huizhen, but made no move to attack—he was inviting her to come forward herself. Tie Huizhen, being clever, would never approach Hao Fei in such a situation.

“White Rider, Hao Fei, you—” Ye Ling screamed. The events before her were simply too wild. Seeing that Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei seemed unmoved, she suddenly realized something and grabbed Ye Xin’s collar. “Brother, make them stop!”

“Hahaha…” Ye Xin let out a wild laugh. “Afraid now, aren’t you? Not so loud anymore? Iron Man Hao, tell me—are you a cur or not? I never provoked you, yet you just had to come bite. Only a beating will teach you sense! Forget it, no use lowering myself to the likes of you. Come back!”

At Ye Xin’s words, Xue Baiqi immediately withdrew his energy, and Hao Fei slowly sheathed his sword. As if nothing had happened, the two strolled back nonchalantly.

Feng Qishan let out a long breath, while Tie Huizhen only now realized that her back was drenched in cold sweat, her whole body chilled.

Iron Man Hao dared not say a word, for fear of provoking Ye Xin’s wrath again. Yet the hatred in his eyes grew even deeper.

Ye Xin, hands clasped arrogantly behind his back, jerked his chin and drawled, “Come on, Little Ling, let’s go inside.”

In truth, Ye Xin never engaged in contests of pride—that was childish play. The problem was that he had made too many enemies; if he didn’t respond with decisive ferocity, swatting down the flies before they could gather, he’d never have peace, and all his schemes would risk exposure.

He had to establish his authority. If he dared threaten even the Fifth Prince Iron Man Hao, others would have to think twice before crossing him.

After a few steps, Ye Xin cast an inconspicuous glance at Feng Qishan. Something was odd.

Ever since his Yuan Mansion had been seized by Zhong Kui, he’d found himself with a new sense of insight—he could roughly gauge a warrior’s strength, perhaps due to a connection to Yuan Spirits. Since Zhong Kui could absorb Yuan Spirits, it made sense that Ye Xin could sense their strength and weakness.

Feng Qishan should have been able to stop Hao Fei in time. If Feng Qishan hadn’t been there, Ye Xin would not have let Hao Fei act. If Hao Fei had truly gone berserk and killed Iron Man Hao, things would have grown complicated.

Yet Feng Qishan hadn’t intervened with his full strength, as if he didn’t really want to stop this tragedy. Why? That made no sense, given his status and allegiance.

Suddenly, a shout sounded from afar: “What’s going on here?!”

Ye Xin turned to look. In the distance, a knight appeared, clad in bright red soft armor, standing out vividly. Ye Xin narrowed his eyes, a trace of a smile on his lips.

Moments later, the knight galloped closer, leapt from his horse, glanced around, and when his gaze fell on Ye Xin, he was struck dumb—then burst out laughing, striding toward Ye Xin. “Xiao Xin? It’s really you… Hahaha!”

“Third Brother, have you been well?” Ye Xin grinned.

“Not at all, not at all. Without you, nothing’s been any fun!” The knight reached Ye Xin and swung a fist at his shoulder.

Ye Xin didn’t move, and just as the fist was about to land, the knight caught himself and patted Ye Xin’s shoulder lightly instead.

“Good man… Third Brother, I thought you were going to step in and teach me a lesson for them.” Ye Xin put on a wry smile.

“For them? Teach you a lesson?” The knight widened his eyes. “Why would I do that? I should be standing up for you! Ha… Because of you, I can’t even count how many times Father has beaten me!”

Since the knight’s arrival, the whole scene had fallen silent. If Ye Xin had any backer in Jiuding City, it was this knight.

Tie Xinsheng had two consorts, Lady Deng and Lady Han. Lady Deng bore him two sons and four daughters—the eldest son was Tie Guantian, the fifth was Iron Man Hao. Tie Guantian was especially talented and favored by his father, but had left early to train in the Azure Cloud Sect, leaving worldly matters behind. Lady Han had only one child: the Third Prince, Tie Shudeng.

Tie Shudeng had been mischievous from youth and was very close to Ye Xin. Along with a few other scions of the great houses, they’d formed their own little clique—always together, whether brawling or drinking or playing. But after Ye Xin was sent to Heaven’s Sin Battalion, Tie Shudeng was also beaten half to death by Tie Xinsheng. After that, he reformed himself, broke through bottlenecks one after another, refined his own life-bound technique, and earned a level-four badge from Longteng Martial Academy, hailed as the top young master of Jiuding City’s younger generation.

Though both were sons of Tie Xinsheng, Tie Shudeng and Iron Man Hao were opposites—Iron Man Hao was fierce and aggressive, while Tie Shudeng was righteous and chivalrous. Especially after his change, he became courteous and generous, gaining widespread affection, and was almost universally recognized as the future heir—though Tie Xinsheng had yet to declare it.

In looks, Tie Shudeng was also far superior to Iron Man Hao, possessing a refined and striking bearing. Standing opposite Ye Xin now, they seemed evenly matched in brilliance. Of course, in people’s eyes, Tie Shudeng was genuine inside and out, while Ye Xin was merely gilded on the surface.

With Tie Shudeng’s arrival, Feng Qishan, Sun Meifang, and the others finally felt at ease. With him here, Iron Man Hao would never be allowed to attack Ye Xin—and Ye Xin would not be allowed to cause a catastrophe.

“Why… is the atmosphere so strange here?” Tie Shudeng scanned the crowd, then turned to Ye Ling. “Little Ling, you don’t look well. Has someone been bullying you?”