Passersby and the tavern’s patrons alike gasped at the sight.
After all, it was simply unbelievable that Yi Xiaoyao could so easily defeat Tang Zhuang, whose Cultivation was a full layer higher than his.
Moreover, the Swordsmanship Yi Xiaoyao had just displayed using his fingers as a sword was truly stunning to behold.
THUD!
After the heavy sound of impact, Tang Zhuang curled up on the ground like a shrimp and spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Impossible..."
Tang Zhuang didn’t understand. He had clearly seen with his own eyes that Yi Xiaoyao had failed to communicate with his Immortal Soul, so how could he possibly cultivate?
Not only that, but he simply couldn’t believe his own fourth-layer Qi Condensation Cultivation was so utterly fragile before Yi Xiaoyao, who was only at the third layer!
The sharp pain from his shoulder made Tang Zhuang’s expression turn tense. He had already lost the ability to fight back, and Yi Xiaoyao was slowly approaching him.
That’s right. Tang Zhuang was actually feeling a sense of dread toward the very "waste" he had just been mocking.
Yi Xiaoyao’s lips curved into a playful smile.
"Tell me, should I cripple your Dantian or not?"
"You can’t cripple me!"
Tang Zhuang shouted hastily, his face flushing red. He had just been about to cripple Yi Xiaoyao, but now the tables had turned.
Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Give me a reason not to cripple you. If you can convince me, I might just let you go."
Then he added, "Oh, and a reminder: threats don’t work on me."
Tang Zhuang’s lips moved, his face stiffening. He actually didn’t know how to answer.
But the moment he saw Yi Xiaoyao’s wrist twitch, the words flew out of his mouth as if by reflex.
"The reason is... it doesn’t matter if you cripple me or not! I’ll always be a waste in front of you!"
As Tang Zhuang said this, he wished he could crawl into a hole and die. In his heart, he already hated Tang An to the bone for dragging him into this mess.
Hearing this, Yi Xiaoyao burst out laughing. "That’s a pretty good reason!"
Tang Zhuang silently got to his feet, preparing to leave.
"Did I say you could leave?" Yi Xiaoyao said.
Tang Zhuang froze. He turned, a hint of fury in his eyes, but he couldn’t help but tremble inwardly when he met Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze.
Yi Xiaoyao wasn’t even looking straight at him.
It was a look of profound disdain, of utter contempt; in Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes, it was as if Tang Zhuang didn’t even exist.
The next moment, Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze turned cold.
"Have you forgotten what I said earlier?"
Yi Xiaoyao hadn’t forgotten how this guy had just insulted him and his father.
Tang Zhuang’s face twitched, and he trembled with rage.
Because Yi Xiaoyao had said he would make him kneel and apologize!
Tang Zhuang gritted his teeth and, in front of everyone, slowly knelt before Yi Xiaoyao.
"I have a foul mouth. I shouldn’t have insulted you and your father. I beg the Young Master of the Castle to spare me."
He looked so utterly pathetic, kneeling before Yi Xiaoyao.
The crowd in the tavern erupted in cheers and applause. They had all been disgusted by Tang Zhuang’s earlier arrogance, and Yi Xiaoyao’s actions were incredibly satisfying to watch.
Just then, a girl’s voice, as crisp and ethereal as a nightingale’s song, drifted over.
"So, this is the ’good show’ you wanted me to see? A pity you’re not the star."
Looking up, he saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, with fair skin and shoulder-length hair.
The girl, however, wore a thin veil over her face. It was the same girl in black that Tang Zhuang had tried to cozy up to earlier.
"You!"
Tang Zhuang, his face beet-red, glared at the girl in black.
He had been quite taken with this girl and had planned to impress her by defeating Yi Xiaoyao. But now, he had been utterly and completely humiliated.
The girl in black chuckled softly. "Some people find their own grandstanding so glorious. It’s one thing to be childish and laughable, but it’s another entirely to bring humiliation upon yourself in the end."
Hearing this, Yi Xiaoyao found himself agreeing wholeheartedly.
He looked up and happened to see the girl looking right at him.
Their eyes met, and a strange, wondrous feeling seemed to spark between them.
The girl in black had beautiful eyes like pools of autumn water. Seeing such a lovely pair of eyes, Yi Xiaoyao couldn’t help but let his gaze linger for a moment longer.
Seeing the young man staring at her so intently, a hint of bashfulness, as well as a trace of annoyance, appeared in the girl’s eyes.
Yi Xiaoyao finally snapped out of it, gave a dry cough, and said, "Miss, you seem to be about my age. I’m surprised to find you so insightful."
The girl seemed to smile. She looked at the Bloodthirsty Sword on Yi Xiaoyao’s back, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"If you had used your sword just now, you would have defeated him even more easily. Why use your fingers as a sword instead?"
Yi Xiaoyao’s eyebrows raised slightly, and he glanced at Tang Zhuang again.
"He’s not worthy of me drawing my sword."
His voice was slightly cold as he spoke.
’What an interesting person.’
The veiled girl chuckled softly, brushing past Yi Xiaoyao’s shoulder as she walked away.
A gentle breeze wafted by, leaving the faint, sweet scent of the girl in its wake.
’Yi Xiaoyao!’
Tang Zhuang’s expression was cold as he gritted his teeth and cursed silently.
Obviously, the beautiful woman’s favor toward Yi Xiaoyao had made him jealous.
Yi Xiaoyao seemed to notice the jealousy in Tang Zhuang’s eyes and said coldly, "You have a problem with me?"
Tang Zhuang lowered his head and said nothing. After all, what could he do about it?
Yi Xiaoyao retracted his gaze. When he looked for the veiled girl again, he found that her graceful figure had already vanished, and he felt a surprising pang of disappointment.
Yi Xiaoyao stood stunned for a moment, the image of the girl’s bright, beautiful eyes flashing in his mind. He committed them to memory.
The crowd of onlookers was now gradually dispersing, and Yi Xiaoyao had no desire to waste any more time on Tang Zhuang.
However, there was one more thing he needed to take care of.
Yi Xiaoyao walked into the tavern and shattered one of the tables with a single palm strike.
"Ah! Let me go! Spare me! I know I was wrong!"
From under the shattered table, Tang An scrambled backward like a frightened rat.
When Yi Xiaoyao had defeated Tang Zhuang, he had already noticed this coward hiding under the table as soon as things went south.
He couldn’t believe it. He’d let this guy go yesterday, yet today he had the nerve to bring people to cause more trouble!
"Let you go? You know you were wrong?"
Yi Xiaoyao grabbed Tang An and snorted coldly. "I already let you go once yesterday. It seems to me you’ll never learn your lesson!"
Tang An’s face was a mask of terror. How could he possibly have known that Tang Zhuang would be no match for Yi Xiaoyao at all?
Yi Xiaoyao felt not a shred of pity for such a person. A cruel, cold smile touched his lips.
"It seems the lesson I taught you yesterday wasn’t enough!"
With that, he gathered Dark Spiritual Power in his palm and slammed it into Tang An’s Dantian.
Tang An fainted without even managing to scream.
Yi Xiaoyao kicked him aside indifferently. That one palm strike had already crippled his Dantian, making it impossible for him to ever cultivate again.
Since this guy loved to mock others as "waste," he would let him experience what it felt like to be true waste himself.
Next, Yi Xiaoyao gave the Shopkeeper some money as compensation for the table he had just smashed.
After doing all this, he turned and left the tavern.
The tavern patrons who had witnessed the entire event watched Yi Xiaoyao’s departing figure with amazement, their mouths full of praise.
"I’d also heard the rumors that the Young Master of the Tang Family Castle had become a waste, but seeing him today, I know they were all lies."
"Exactly! His Cultivation might not be high, but his talent in the Sword Dao is exceptional, and his Spiritual Power is incredibly strong. How could anyone call him a waste?"
"Not only that, he even compensated the tavern for the damages before he left. He has an excellent character."