Liang Wu, with Li Li under his arm and Daiyu close behind, strode through the grand archway of the Qian Manor, leaving groaning guards in their wake.

As they stepped into the heart of the manor, grand courtyards sprawled out before them, their walls adorned with intricate carvings. Lanterns cast a warm, flickering glow that danced along the stone, but the atmosphere was far from welcoming. Though the guards who followed them believed they were unseen, even Li Li and Daiyu could sense their presence.

Liang Wu navigated the winding pathways with ease, as if he had lived here all his life. Every twist and turn had been committed to memory during his infiltration.

“There are guards following us,” Li Li murmured, worry creeping into her voice as she glanced over her shoulder.

“Let them. They won't hinder us,” Liang Wu replied with a confident smirk. He knew the guards were only there to keep them from leaving—not that they could stop him if he chose to. Li Li stared at him for a moment, unsettled by his casual dismissal. She wondered if he was overconfident or truly unbothered by the danger.

After a lengthy walk, they arrived at the center of the Qian Manor, where a grand feast was being set up atop a raised pavilion. Servants bustled about, arranging platters of food on long tables, while guards stood vigilant at every entrance. Despite the feast's appearance, the tension in the air was palpable, every eye in the manor seemingly fixed on the newcomers.

This was meant to be the celebratory feast to welcome Chen Li Li. Now, it would serve as a welcome for these unexpected guests.

Atop the raised pavilion, Qian Pang rose from his custom-made chair, the legs creaking in protest under his massive frame. “Welcome to the Qian family. I am Qian Pang. How may I address you?” His booming voice matched his elephantine size. He was wearing an even more ostentatious golden robe than the first time Liang Wu had seen him. The robe, with its masterfully embroidered dragons, would have looked fit for an emperor—if it weren't being stretched to the point of nearly bursting by the obese young man, making the dragons look like fat worms.

Liang Wu and the girls ascended the steps of the pavilion, standing before the hulking figure of Qian Pang. He wasn't just wide; he was tall—a rotund giant who towered over most.

Liang Wu sneered, his form visibly expanding as he grew taller than Qian Pang. “So, you’re the toad lusting after my swan’s meat?” His voice dripped with disdain as he glared down at Qian Pang.

The sudden transformation left Qian Pang reeling. He tried to remain calm, but as Liang Wu leaned over to glance down at him, he stumbled back, knocking into his oversized chair, causing it to collapse with a bang, startling the nearby servants. “W-what did you say?!”

Liang Wu dismissed him with a glance as his body returned to its original form. Without another word, he picked a chair at random and seated himself. Li Li tried to sit next to him, but he grabbed her, seating her in his lap.

Her face gained an intense shade of red, yet she didn't protest. Is he taking this too far? she wondered, but the tension in the air froze her from acting out. She allowed Liang Wu to dictate the flow, not wanting to mess up his plans.

As they settled, the head of the Qian family, Qian Xì, entered the pavilion. In contrast to his son, Qian Xì was a slender man with a shrewd, calculating gaze. His thin 八-shaped mustache twitched as he sized up the guests, his eyes lingering on Liang Wu with barely disguised curiosity.

His brow twitched in irritation, seeing the seat Liang Wu had picked was the one reserved for the clan head.

Following behind Qian Xì were various elders of the clan, including Shun Hanpo.

Seeing the old man who'd injured her father, which led to his death, Li Li’s face took on an even deeper shade of red, this time out of fury instead of embarrassment. She trembled in Liang Wu's lap, her eyes fixed on the man.

Qian Pang gave Shun Hanpo a glance, signaling him to follow their act. He was still blissfully unaware that Li Li already knew their plan thanks to Liang Wu.

Shun Hanpo stepped forward from behind Qian Xì. “You must be Young Miss Chen. I don't know if you recall me; I had a friendly spar with your father before his unfortunate passing.” He bowed slightly as he spoke. “I had heard news that some people have the errant idea that it was the injuries that I had accidentally inflicted that led to his passing. However, I can assure you that was definitely not the case!”

His act would almost have been convincing, if they hadn't already learned of its inception earlier.

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Li Li was shaking in Liang Wu’s embrace with barely suppressed fury. “Would you like me to kill this old codger?” Liang Wu asked aloud for all to hear, his voice oozing with disdain.

His calm but supremely arrogant remark stunned everyone in the pavilion. Some of the servants dropped the dishes in their hands, and Shun Hanpo had a brief hint of anger flash past his old, wrinkled face.

“What did you just say, young man?!” Shun Hanpo demanded, his voice filled with venom. As a lofty soul cultivator, he had never been subject to such disrespect.

“I wasn't talking to you, old bastard. So shut up for me.” Liang Wu said without sparing the old man a single glance, continuing to stare at Li Li. His tone was so casual, it made the threat feel all the more real. “What do you say, Li Li? Would you like to see him die?” he asked again, his fingers lightly tracing her hand.

Li Li, too flustered to understand what he was truly asking, nodded absently. What is he planning? she thought, her mind swirling with worry.

“Very well. My sweet Li Li has declared your death, old man.” Liang Wu stood from his seat, carefully placing Li Li down as if he were preparing for a leisurely stroll. “I haven't fought a soul cultivator in such a long time. You see, where I'm from, soul cultivators are a dime-a-dozen. You can only run rampant in a backwater place like this.”

He strode forward, stopping in front of the hunched-over old man, who had begun to shake with suppressed rage.

“Please try your hardest to survive; otherwise, it won't be fun for me,” Liang Wu added with a haughty laugh, drawing more shocked gasps from the surrounding crowd.

“If you take back what you said and apologize, I'll consider letting this go, young man.” Shun Hanpo growled, clearly holding back his fury. He wasn’t sure what this young man’s background was, so he hesitated.

“You will let it go?” Liang Wu mocked. “Too bad I, Young Master Liang, don't take back the things I've said so easily.” He raised his hand and pressed a finger against Shun Hanpo’s forehead. “While I enjoy hearing the screams of women more, I'll make do with hearing your screams as you die, old fart.” Liang Wu pressed his finger harder against Shun Hanpo's head, pushing the old man down, his voice filled with amusement.

Li Li’s fury had subsided, now replaced with anxiety. Both she and Daiyu exchanged worried glances. He’s getting carried away… Daiyu thought, her hands clenching tightly from anxiety. They knew Liang Wu was only at the 3rd stage of the Qi Forming Realm, and his one technique wouldn't likely help him against a 9th stage Core Building Realm soul cultivator.

Most of the elders that had followed Qian Xì into the pavilion were snickering amongst themselves, imagining this arrogant young man's death.

But Qian Pang and Qian Xì felt something gnawing at their confidence. Could he really fight Shun Hanpo? Their instincts screamed something was wrong, but they couldn't pinpoint what.

“If you could, just teach him a small lesson, Master Hanpo,” Qian Xì politely advised. Surely a young man no older than his twenties couldn't really put up a fight against a soul cultivator. There's no way. He reassured himself.

Shun Hanpo neither agreed nor disagreed, raising his cane to knock Liang Wu’s hand away.

“You’ve played around too much, youngster. It’s time you learned to respect your elders,” Shun Hanpo’s robes began to billow with an invisible force, signaling the activation of his soul domain technique. With this technique he could draw the souls of his victims into a special space allowing for an infinite time to pass without affecting the real world. He planned to slowly torture this arrogant little boy until he begged for mercy.

“If you want to live a little longer, I wouldn’t use that soul domain if I were you,” Liang Wu advised seriously, his tone so assured it grated on the old man’s nerves.

“Hmph… We’ll see who survives or not soon,” Shun Hanpo sneered, dismissing the arrogant youth’s warning.

The surroundings fell into a deathly silence. The Qian family waited, eager to see the arrogant youth crumble in despair. Meanwhile, Li Li and Daiyu exchanged anxious glances. Though they believed Liang Wu wouldn’t die, doubt gnawed at the edges of their certainty. Could he truly walk away unscathed?

Tension peaked as the invisible force of Shun Hanpo's soul domain began to distort the air around them, when suddenly, a booming voice echoed through the pavilion, shattering the oppressive stillness.

“Haha! Qian Xì, why didn't you invite me to witness such a grand spectacle?”

All heads turned toward the entrance, where a towering, muscular figure strode confidently into the pavilion.

“Xu Min?” Qian Xì blinked in surprise. “What brings you here?”

The newcomer was none other than Xu Min, the patriarch of the Xu Clan—Skycloud City's most powerful family.

With his arrival, the thick tension that had hung in the air seemed to ease, the servants releasing quiet sighs of relief. Li Li and Daiyu relaxed slightly, believing that the situation had diffused with Xu Min’s entrance.

Yet as the heavy atmosphere lightened, Liang Wu’s eyes never left Shun Hanpo. His gaze held a predatory gleam, and the quiet confidence radiating from him felt more ominous than ever. Little did anyone know, the most shocking event of the evening had yet to unfold.