Xuan Yuan Yiren narrowed her eyes. "Then you pinned my senior brother, Fang Shu, to the stone pillar with four Cloud-Patterned Flying Daggers—two in his calves and two at his shoulders. It took a full two hours before you removed them, and even now, you haven't managed to expel your 'Startling Cloud God-Slaying Sword Intent.' I hear it hurt terribly, and his screams sounded like a slaughtered pig." Zong Shou chuckled inwardly, feeling a secret surge of satisfaction. He always disliked the arrogant disciples from prestigious sects like Fang Shu, those who walked around with their noses high in the air and their tails touching the heavens.

It had been Fang Shu’s words previously that were the most grating. Hearing that he had pinned this man with flying daggers instantly cleared his chest and soothed his mind.

Wait, flying daggers?

Zong Shou patted his sleeve, feeling a wave of despair and heartache. All those Cloud-Patterned Flying Daggers he had painstakingly nurtured for months—gone? Daggers capable of slaying four Martial Sovereigns, wasted on such a scoundrel? A single strike would have sufficed.

His heart clenched, and Zong Shou took a long moment to recover his breath. He tried to console himself: perhaps it was for the best; surely, he must have looked incredibly cool and imposing at that moment.

"What happened after that? What else did I do? Yiren, just tell me everything at once, I'm ready to hear it!"

"After that!" Xuan Yuan Yiren hesitated, her little face set in a stern line. "After that, you beat up my father too!"

Zong Shou, who was taking a sip of tea, couldn't help but let out a sharp Pfft! The tea erupted from his mouth, spreading out like a fan to engulf nearly half the room. Xuan Yuan Yiren seemed to have anticipated this and dodged in advance.

Zong Shou quickly felt something was amiss and thought it over carefully. His expression smoothed out. "Yiren, you've learned bad habits; you don't even draft your lies anymore. My father-in-law is already at the peak of the Earth Wheel Nine Meridians, just half a step away from the Celestial Rank, separated only by a thin veil. Even ten of me wouldn't be his match. How could I possibly beat him? Nonsense."

If two individuals possessed equal skill, superior technique could amplify their combat power several dozen times beyond others. But if the gap in raw ability was too vast, resistance became utterly impossible.

Beating up Tan Tao or Luo Yan was easy enough. Though they belonged to the Black Tortoise Sect, their martial prowess was merely average, perhaps only slightly better than others at the same level. As for Zhu Junhou, if Zong Shou caught him off guard, striking quickly before the opponent could gauge his true strength, he felt he had a fair chance of taking him down.

But against Xuan Yuan Tong, who had spent years immersed at the Nine Meridian peak, Zong Shou’s only option would be to flee as far as possible.

He staunchly refused to believe Yiren’s words, convinced she was trying to scare him. Xuan Yuan Yiren was momentarily speechless, then moved past that point. "You also called my father an old man pretending to be young..."

Zong Shou completely froze. He felt he wasn't far from turning into dust. How could he have uttered such words? If Xuan Yuan Tong was an old man feigning youth, what did that make him? A middle-aged rogue hiding inside the body of a youth?

Pah! Pah! What middle-aged uncle? Back in his previous life, when he was in a coma in the Divine Emperor Game, he was still in his prime, a fresh and spirited young man! How could he possibly be associated with that strange creature known as an 'uncle'?

Indeed, drinking caused trouble. Until the flaw in his World-Shaking Strength was completely resolved, he swore off all alcohol.

While he was in the middle of this internal self-reprimand, Xuan Yuan Yiren shook her head again. "You did all these things after you got drunk. Father said your cultivation technique still has defects, so you shouldn't drink for now. It was his fault; the things he said were too hurtful, provoking you. So I don't blame you. However..."

Her voice suddenly dropped, becoming subdued. "But why did you make Hu Zhongyuan curse so viciously when you charged into the city? Zong Shou, do you truly think that way?"

Zong Shou started slightly, and the internal alarm bells in his mind immediately spiked to the highest level. Almost without thinking, he betrayed Hu Zhongyuan, proclaiming righteously, "That's not true at all! Even though I instructed Hu Zhongyuan to shout and cause a disturbance, I remained completely respectful toward my father-in-law. But the moment that brute entered the city, he went completely out of control, and I couldn't stop him! I’ll go beat him up later to vent your anger for you; I guarantee he won't be able to get up for ten days to half a month!"

"Truly?"

Xuan Yuan Yiren stared at Zong Shou, half-believing, half-skeptical. She scrutinized his eyes, which were filled with such genuine sincerity that she couldn't detect any flaw. Only then did she look away. Then, her eyes suddenly reddened, and a slight mist appeared in them. "Zong Shou, are you bullying me?"

Her look of infinite grievance was, in that instant, achingly beautiful. Zong Shou's heart jumped, followed immediately by a splitting headache. It was that move again. It was utterly unbeatable.

The entire afternoon, Zong Shou accompanied Xuan Yuan Yiren on errands throughout the city. Indeed, she lived up to the reputation of a girl whose name, read backward, meant 'Benevolence and Righteousness.'

First, they sought out all the injured individuals, treating their wounds and offering solace with gentle words. Her talent in Pill Crafting was supreme, and her medical skills were even more profound. No matter how severe the injury, she could bring about miraculous recovery, sometimes even leaving the patient better off. If someone was unfortunate enough to have a vital spot damaged by Zong Yuan and could no longer cultivate, she would either offer substantial monetary gifts or compensate them through other means.

As a result of this tour, every person injured during the incident was overwhelmingly grateful to Xuan Yuan Yiren, harboring not a shred of resentment.

Toward Zong Shou, however, they showed no favorable expressions; instead, they glared with cold eyes, wishing they could flay him alive with their gazes.

Zong Shou didn't pay them much mind; he had been psychologically prepared for this. He stood there like a wooden statue, face stiff, resolutely refusing to utter a single word of apology—it wasn't his fault to begin with.

What surprised him, however, was that afterward, these people still respectfully bowed, calling him 'Young City Lord.' He was momentarily stunned, then broke into a wry smile and accepted it calmly.

Next came the damaged merchants and passersby. This was simpler. Neither Hu Zhongyuan nor Zong Yuan cared to attack ordinary people. Since no lives were lost, compensation was straightforward: simply providing enough money.

This flurry of activity continued until evening. Watching from the side, Zong Shou was amazed. Despite his fiancée constantly speaking of 'Benevolence and Righteousness' and perhaps having her brain slightly warped by Xuan Yuan Tong, she might actually be better suited to be the Demon King of Mount Qiantian than he was.

Her dealings with people were generous and appropriate, entirely devoid of any petulant air. More importantly, she was shrewd and capable. For instance, her compensation wasn't purely monetary. She offered elixirs, suitable martial arts manuals, or arranged for their nephews and nieces to study under renowned masters, or solved their most pressing immediate difficulties—exactly what they needed most.

The outcome was that she had injured them, yet collected a basketful of gratitude. Observing the demeanor of some of them, they had clearly transformed into loyal hounds, ready to die for her. With just one word from Xuan Yuan Yiren, they would fight for her. Consequently, Zong Shou, the piece of cow dung that had stolen their precious flower, was hated to the bone.

With a few soft words, she completely diffused a potential storm of discontent. Zong Shou felt a profound sense of awe. If Xuan Yuan Yiren had lived in a later age, she would undoubtedly be a powerhouse, capable of manipulating political currents. Unlike him, who, in truth, was merely a blunt military man.

The last to see were the three individuals he had personally beaten. Zong Shou was even more reluctant to visit them. His nature was to settle scores swiftly. He had struck them; they had been struck. If they harbored resentment and sought revenge, they should come directly to him. When had Zong Shou ever feared a confrontation?

Yiren insisted that old feuds were best resolved rather than sustained. These men were like uncles who watched her grow up; now they were his subordinates, and they couldn't remain estranged forever, could they?

Zong Shou had no choice but to be forcibly led by Xuan Yuan Yiren to find the trio.

Luo Yan was indeed beaten into a pulp. His head was wrapped tightly in bandages, so thick it looked nearly doubled in size, exposing only a pair of swollen, red eyes.

However, his temperament was remarkably forthright. Before Xuan Yuan Yiren could apologize, he rumbled, "Stop with the phony gestures; I don't want to hear it. Yesterday, it was my fault, Luo Yan's. I shouldn't have cursed you. I was ignorant and foolish, unaware of your power. Old Luo respects ability. Though you beat me, I am convinced. You didn't use tricks or deceit; you won honorably. Anyone who can make the City Lord lose a move—I lost without shame, and I’m not disgraced!"

Hearing this, Zong Shou’s expression flickered. Had he really managed to strike Xuan Yuan Tong? No way—how could he possibly have won with his level of strength?

It must be that Luo Yan was trying to save face for him. Slandering the City Lord for his sake—that kind of character was dangerous. Zong Shou resolved to be more careful of him in the future.

Luo Yan's tone shifted again. "However, I will still keep this score! If my martial path ever succeeds, I will defeat you openly and squarely! I will collect every bit of this debt!"

As he spoke, his head, swollen by half its usual size, drooped, and his voice grew low, betraying his lack of confidence.

Next was Tan Tao. His condition was slightly better than Luo Yan's, but his face was also covered by a cloth mask.

Upon meeting, he said nothing, merely staring fixedly at Zong Shou, whose face remained equally impassive. Xuan Yuan Yiren kept tugging at Zong Shou's sleeve.

Just as Zong Shou was growing impatient, Tan Tao finally spoke faintly. "Young Miss, you need not force the Young Lord, nor is an apology necessary. Yesterday’s events were my fault. In fact, I should be thankful. Had it been anyone else with the Young Lord's skill, the outcome might not have been so mild. Someone acting as I did might have seen bloodshed. I am extremely relieved that the City Lord has gained such a worthy son-in-law; Xuanshan City has an heir. By the way, there is one more thing to tell you: before you met the City Lord, I had already ordered messengers to send word to Blazing Flame Mountain and Cloud Scar Mountain. By the time I regretted it, the message couldn't be recalled. In a few days, the Young Lord will meet their people..."

Zong Shou froze again, thinking this was truly a ruthless man, incredibly sinister and utterly merciless! He thought he had been far too lenient in only striking Tan Tao twice with his swords while drunk. If he had known this earlier, he definitely would have beaten him soundly. Luo Yan, on the other hand, was merely short-tempered and foul-mouthed, but honest in spirit, which made Zong Shou feel a pang of remorse. (To be continued)