The man who was struck was completely unharmed, while the man who struck him suffered injuries to varying degrees! Wu Ba and his group hastily tried to draw their weapons, but in their pupils, a fist rapidly magnified. All they managed to hear was the sound of bones breaking in quick succession, and they could only feel an intense, body-wracking pain.

When they finally registered that they had been hit again, they were already sprawled on the ground with broken legs, arms, and feet, letting out pained groans. “You really won’t hit us?” Qian Jin looked at Wu Ba’s conflicted expression. “If the Headmaster says I destroyed Can Ju, will you testify for me? That you instigated the fight first, and I was forced into a corner, so I retaliated to avoid getting hurt?” Forced into a corner? To avoid getting hurt? Retaliated despite the pain? Wu Ba stared blankly at Qian Jin. Did this man have any sense of fairness? We were the ones who attacked, yet we ended up injured! Given your physique, what the hell are you afraid of getting hurt for!

“What? You’re not going to testify for me? Then let’s keep fighting…”

“No, no, no, no! We’ll testify.”

“We’ll do more than testify; we’ll proactively explain the situation to the Headmaster later…”

“Exactly, exactly!” “Then…” Qian Jin patted Wu Ba and the others on the shoulder with an expression of gratitude. “I’ll have to trouble you all…”

“No trouble, no trouble…”

“Very well, I’ll trouble you gentlemen then…” Qian Jin stood up, hopped onto the carriage, flicked the reins, and looked back at the five figures on the ground. “You are free to try and lodge a complaint with the Headmaster.”

Wu Ba and his group shook their heads repeatedly. It wasn't that they didn't have the thought, but that the thought was useless. The Headmaster revered the **raw law of the jungle. Even if they complained, the Headmaster would only pay more attention to Qian Jin; at worst, he’d be penalized with some running, but never truly heavily punished.

The carriage rattled forward, its wheels turning. Qian Jin leaned back, looking up at the receding glow of the setting sun, sighing. Having been back in Yongliu for less than a day, a cascade of incidents had already occurred. The most irritating of all was the City Lord’s son—who knew what reaction the City Lord would have if he threw him out of the city?

The last rays of the setting sun were finally devoured by the horizon, and the Zhen Ce Dynasty sank back into darkness once more.

Li Deyue stepped down from the exquisitely decorated carriage, entering the City Lord’s Mansion gate with a faint air of exhaustion. These past few days had been overly taxing. The Torrent Fortress, backed by the Saint-level powerhouse Fabredes from behind, was displaying a sharpness unseen before.

For so long, the Torrent Fortress had been bullied by the other Seven Great Powers. Following the death of the Lei Family Patriarch in the dueling arena three months ago—due to breaking the rules, killed swiftly by Fabredes—the Torrent Fortress used this pretext to launch an all-out assault on the Lei Family.

Having suffered continuous losses in assets and trade routes, the Lei Family was genuinely on the verge of desperation, ready to fight the Torrent Fortress to the bitter end! If such a thing truly transpired, Li Deyue, the City Lord of Yongliu City, would absolutely not escape responsibility. When orders came down from the Divine Capital, the first to fall wouldn't be the Lei Family, nor the Torrent Fortress, but…

Li Deyue rubbed his throbbing temples. The other major powers weren't afraid of the Torrent Fortress getting carried away in their pursuit of victory. After all, special guilds like the Blacksmith’s Guild and the Apothecary’s Guild held some vital leverage over the Torrent Fortress, meaning they didn't need to fear them much.

“No matter how strong the Torrent Fortress is, they still need equipment!” “No matter how reckless the Torrent Fortress gets, they should know that warriors always get injured; potions are something they cannot bypass.”

The various factions were only afraid that the Torrent Fortress and the Lei Family would truly erupt into a full-scale conflict, as the resulting fallout would easily damage everyone’s interests. These days, they had been continuously pressuring the City Lord.

“Why am I so unlucky?” Li Deyue looked up and sighed heavily. The Torrent Fortress finally felt they had gained enough advantage and had agreed today to temporarily cease troubling the Lei Family. However, the Lei Family, for some unknown reason, had sought backing from the Apothecary’s Guild and the Blacksmith’s Guild, insisting that the Torrent Fortress return everything they had taken.

“Being the City Lord…” Li Deyue stepped into the main hall, accepting a towel from a servant to wipe his face. “Can’t someone have just one day of peace?” The main reason the Lei Family could establish themselves as a major power in Yongliu City was that they had two highly capable individuals in the fields of alchemy and smithing; both now held vice-president level positions in their respective guilds.

“Perhaps that brute Mu Gui Wuxin will be pressured by the union of the two major powers into spitting some of it back out…” Li Deyue sank into the sofa, placing the cool white towel over his forehead. “But the Lei Family wants him to return everything this time. I genuinely fear he’ll go mad and cause more trouble. Is the Lei Family truly insane…”

“Father…” A sound bordering on a shriek came from outside the hall door. Li Deyue turned to see his youngest son, Nordeyue, stumbling in, covered in dust with tear streaks marking his face. He exclaimed in shock, “What happened to you?”

“City Lord…” Behind Nordeyue appeared a woman of captivating beauty, who, despite being middle-aged, still possessed an undeniable allure. Her face, too, was marred by tear stains. “Can’t you see? Our son has been beaten.”

“Beaten? Who has the audacity to live long enough?” Li Deyue tossed the ice towel from his forehead and slammed his palm heavily onto the side table, instantly shattering it into a pile of scrap wood. “…Madam, what on earth happened? Doesn’t he know Nord is my son?” “Father, I told him my father is the City Lord.” Nordeyue secretly glanced up at his mother with gratitude. Just as he expected! Mother understands Father best; she knew that appearing this wretched would certainly ignite Father’s anger.

“But… but…” Nordeyue moved closer to Li Deyue, more tears streaming down his face. “But, Father, that person said he only intended to teach me a small lesson, but since I am the City Lord’s son, he decided to teach me a severe one.”

Li Deyue suspected his ears had betrayed him. Was there anyone in Yongliu City so arrogant? Knowing full well that Nordeyue was his son, not only did this person show no deference, but he hit him even harder?

“Who! Who was it!” Li Deyue stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp as spear tips, fixed on Nordeyue. He had been struggling with headaches caused by the major powers lately, and he was just looking for a place to vent his frustration. Now, someone had actively presented themselves as a target for his wrath. Not lashing out today would truly be an insult to this person.

Nordeyue secretly glanced back at his mother who had just entered the hall, a faint smile of successful plotting curving his lips. Mother was absolutely right; Father had been holding in a fire lately with nowhere to direct it. This was the perfect timing.

“He, he said his name was Qian Jin…”

“Qian Jin?” The flames in Li Deyue’s eyes immediately subsided by more than half, his tone carrying a touch of curiosity. “The Qian Jin you speak of, is that the warrior from the Torrent Fortress?”

Nordeyue quickly nodded vigorously. Excellent! Father knew this person; Qian Jin was surely doomed this time!

“Qian Jin is back? Why did he hit you?” Surprisingly, Li Deyue showed no anger, instead staring curiously at Nordeyue. Although he didn't know the young warrior too well, he seemed to have a good temper—the type who wouldn't bother you if you didn't provoke him.

Nordeyue froze. How could this be? Father’s anger had largely vanished upon hearing Qian Jin’s name, and he was even asking for the reason for the beating? His son, the City Lord’s son, had been beaten; did that require an explanation?

“I was pursuing a girl.” Nordeyue noticed Li Deyue’s expression clouding over and quickly added, “I didn’t force her, I didn’t even touch her fingers, nor did I utter any vulgar words of flirtation. I was genuinely pursuing a girl, and Qian Jin saw it and beat me…”

Chasing a woman? Li Deyue was stunned. Qian Jin didn't seem like that kind of person! Didn't I hear that Fabredes’ daughter, Gu Yue Jiaying, was his fiancée? Has that boy lost his mind? Having a woman like Gu Yue Jiaying as a wife wasn't enough? I also heard that Luo Qingqing is Qian Jin’s fiancée as well; that girl is truly stunning…

“Father…” Hong Seyue walked into the hall, a longsword slung diagonally across his waist, his expression stern. He looked at Nordeyue and his mother with a cold sneer. “The girl my brother was pursuing is named Luo Qingqing, and he even publicly invited Luo Qingqing to be his dance partner at your birthday banquet in front of Qian Jin…” Instantly, a fierce wave of anger erupted across Li Deyue’s face again. Just as Nordeyue’s brows lifted into a faint smile, he suddenly saw his father raise his foot high and then stomp it down violently towards him. The sheer brutality kicked his lower abdomen.

Pain! Nordeyue opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of bitter fluid, his body bent like a shrimp as he was sent flying backward, tumbling several times outside the hall before curling up on the ground, unable to believe the treatment he had received.

This sudden, brutal action stunned the servants in the hall, as well as Nordeyue and his mother. What was happening? The City Lord heard the name Qian Jin, and even knowing his son was beaten, why did he then strike his own son?

“Qian Jin? You went to provoke Qian Jin? Why didn't he beat you to death!” Li Deyue stood with his hands behind his back and walked quickly towards Nordeyue outside the door. “You still have the nerve to come here and complain? Do you think I want to die fast enough? Why didn’t Qian Jin just finish you off! And you! Hong Se, wasn't I asking you to explain Qian Jin’s situation to this idiot?” Hong Seyue looked at Li Deyue with an expression of complete innocence, shrugging his shoulders and spreading his hands. “Father, I already explained everything you asked me to, even mentioning the matter with Lei Yueyue.” Li Deyue looked at his youngest son curled up on the ground, wishing he could just raise his hand and kill him. “City Lord, isn't he just some insignificant Qian Jin?”

Li Deyue looked at his wife, who was writhing her voluptuous figure, and all the fondness and affection of the past was replaced only by irritable fury. “Get out! Insignificant Qian Jin? Do you think the troubles I’ve been worrying about these past few days were for nothing? Who could you pick to provoke, but him!” PS: There is a special matter today, only one chapter update. I will certainly make up for it tomorrow, please forgive me, forgive me.