Liu Zheng’an came from a small place and had always believed that the strong ruled.
Being insulted for the first time by someone who had not even reached the Spirit Manifestation Realm, even if that person was a Royal Prince, left him unable to suppress his anger.
At this moment, seeing that Qin Hengyu had a secret treasure protecting him, he actually tried to crush the protective barrier and force Qin Hengyu to kneel.
“Do you not understand that you must show respect to the strong?”
Liu Zheng’an’s tone was icy. After being insulted, it was no longer about standing up for Liu Ruyan. It was about regaining his own dignity.
“You, a mere Emperor Realm cultivator, dare call yourself strong? Calling you a dog would be praising you.”
“And what kind of trash is your Liu family to dare show such disrespect to this Royal Prince within the Great Qin Empire?”
Qin Hengyu swept his gaze across the hall, widening the scope of his attack.
Not a single one of them could see the situation clearly.
Soon after, the Liu family’s words confirmed his judgment.
“Hmph! Even if the Royal Prince has come to annul the engagement, he should show a bit of respect in the Liu family!”
“Are you so enraged by being rejected? What kind of conduct is this for a Royal Prince?”
“No matter what, this is first the Liu family, then the Great Qin Empire. You bullied Ruyan and insulted the family. You owe an apology.”
“If the engagement is annulled, it’s understandable. But you are such trash, unworthy of the Royal Prince’s identity!”
The Liu family’s direct descendants sneered repeatedly, showing utter disdain toward Qin Hengyu, who had come alone.
This was only natural.
In the original novel, Qin Hengyu had always brought heaps of gifts to the Liu family to curry favor with Liu Ruyan. He had even tried to please these direct descendants, hoping they would speak well of him.
However, such a low posture only bred entitlement.
At first, they had been somewhat wary of his identity as Royal Prince. Later, when they realized that even a word from them would make him flatter them like a simp, their attitude grew increasingly condescending.
In the eyes of the entire Liu family, Liu Ruyan’s treatment of Qin Hengyu was only natural.
And now he dared to come here to annul the engagement, and alone at that. Did he really think anyone still regarded him as Royal Prince?
A small kindness earns gratitude; too much breeds resentment.
When the head is crooked, how can the body be upright?
At this moment, Ye Xingchen saw that Qin Hengyu had done nothing but hurl insults, angering Liu Zheng’an and drawing everyone’s condemnation. Thinking everything aligned with Liu Ruyan’s predictions, he stood up and rebuked him. “Does being Royal Prince exempt you from the law of the strong preying on the weak? Look at yourself. Your realm is weaker than everyone here. What right do you have to speak such nonsense?”
“Uncle Liu is Ruyan’s father. Even if you want to annul the engagement, you should maintain basic courtesy. Acting like this, how are you worthy of the Royal Prince’s identity, worthy of Ruyan? In the end, you will only fall on the path of the strong.”
Ye Xingchen had seen too many powerful figures freely humiliating the weak. His entire cultivation journey had been about growing stronger step by step so he could become one of those who dominated others.
The weak had no right to speak. Only the strong could speak.
If one relied on family power yet remained weak, it was an insult to that status. Only someone as hungry for strength as he was deserved to become Royal Prince.
Deep down, Ye Xingchen was resentful of Qin Hengyu, but his pride would not allow him to admit that he, too, wished to be Royal Prince.
Thus, he could only belittle Qin Hengyu himself.
Liu Ruyan also felt that everything was unfolding exactly as she had expected. With disgust in her eyes, she said, “Qin Hengyu, apologize, and then we can dissolve the engagement. You can go back to being your useless Royal Prince.”
“I want nothing to do with you. Or are you trying to go back on your word and staging this farce to humiliate yourself? Yesterday I showed you face. Today, in my Liu family, it is simply tit for tat.”
After speaking, Liu Ruyan took out a marriage contract. Spiritual energy surged from her hand like blades, shredding the document in front of Qin Hengyu.
As the contract was torn apart, the invisible net binding her seemed to shatter as well.
Back then, she had lived carefree on the frontier. Qin Hengyu had brought her to the Great Qin Empire, where she saw all the splendor and felt inferior.
Her father and relatives, hungry for benefits, had pushed her step by step toward Qin Hengyu.
But what use was Qin Hengyu?
If he had brought her to the Great Qin Empire and given so many resources, why had he not made the Liu family unrivaled, allowing her to stand completely above others?
In the end, he had only offered minor favors to win her over and satisfy his own vanity.
Seeing the contract destroyed, Qin Hengyu calmly took out his own copy. Black flames appeared in his palm, reducing the document to ashes.
“So the old dog of the Liu family agrees? Judging from the looks of you mongrels, you all think the same.”
Qin Hengyu scanned the hall with disdain.
“I’ll show you who’s an old dog!”
Liu Zheng’an, enraged by repeated insults, turned grim. His face was like rotting wood. With force, the originally transparent giant palm imprint he had formed began to glow with golden patterns.
“Bang!”
In an instant, the protective barrier shattered.
Just as the attack was about to strike Qin Hengyu, another barrier formed around him. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Let me finish speaking. You can annul the engagement. This Royal Prince is pleased about that. But you ingrates disgust me. And when this Royal Prince is angry, the consequences are severe. You don’t think this matter ends here, do you?”
The smile on Qin Hengyu’s face vanished, replaced by solemn coldness. He clapped his hands lightly.
From the entrance of the hall, a long spear shot inward, piercing directly into Liu Zheng’an’s vital gate and nailing him firmly to the throne.
Liu Zheng’an spat out a mouthful of blood. The palm imprint he had condensed shattered instantly.
Jiang Zhan entered wearing armor, followed by his sons and soldiers. A faint fury could be seen on his face.
He had seen shamelessness before, but never shamelessness like this.
To Jiang Zhan, as long as Qin Hengyu remained Royal Prince, he could not be insulted in such a manner.
Nonsense about the strong preying on the weak.
The Great Qin Empire had risen to its current height by relying on rules and unity.
“Jiang Zhan!”
The moment Liu Zheng’an saw Jiang Zhan, his face turned pale with shock. His body trembled uncontrollably, like a mouse seeing a cat.
Previously, when the Liu family had replaced the Jiang family and taken its position within the Great Qin Empire, Jiang Zhan had casually struck down a thousand-meter peak. His overwhelming presence had rendered everyone immobile.
After learning of Jiang Zhan’s battle record, the Liu family had not slept peacefully for an entire year.
“The engagement is over. Now we settle the accounts one by one. You tried to pressure me into apologizing the moment I arrived. I would also like to know what wrong I committed.”
“Yesterday, Liu Ruyan slapped me. I intended to overlook it, but it seems my kindness was misplaced.”
“Since that’s the case, return a slap first.”
“Uncle Jiang, release the Liu family Patriarch. I believe he will uphold justice.”
Qin Hengyu spoke lightly.
He found even striking someone himself beneath him. He wanted to see whether Liu Zheng’an could maintain his arrogance.
Though he now wore the face of a villain, he had yet to see any virtue in the Liu family.
At this moment, it was simply a matter of letting evil grind against evil.