Fang Chen strode forward with a dark, iron expression.
Damn it, this was practically going to kill him!
Meanwhile, in the grand lobby of Xingbao Pavilion, Jiang Lang was already blocked by the pavilion guards, along with Li Muxian and Lin Yayin.
"Jiang Lang, you call this a Seven-Color Star Treasure Token? Even the people at Xingbao Pavilion don't recognize it. You're holding a fake token and delusional enough to try to enter Xingbao Pavilion—simply ridiculous! Get lost right now and stop making a fool of the Lin Family here!"
Lin Yayin's voice was cold and aloof, her chin slightly raised as she adopted a condescending, aggressive posture.
Jiang Lang didn't even want to look at her. He merely glanced down at the Seven-Color Star Treasure Token in his hand, frowning slightly with a lingering sense of bewilderment.
The people at Xingbao Pavilion didn't even recognize the Seven-Color Star Treasure Token? Wasn't this awkward?
Could that fat man Jin Can be playing a trick on him?
On second thought, though, that seemed unlikely.
After all, he was the Mortal Realm Envoy, the representative of Empress Yaochi in the Mortal Realm, wielding supreme authority over life and death. Jin Can would be desperate to suck up to him; how could he possibly play tricks on him for no reason?
The only possibility was that the level of this Seven-Color Star Treasure Token was simply too high—so high that the people at the bottom had never even laid eyes on it.
At this thought, Jiang Lang wasn't panicked in the least. He spoke up, "Didn't you already go call a Xingbao Pavilion Deacon? Once he gets here, whether this token is real or fake will be cleared up in no time."
Li Muxian glanced sideways at Jiang Lang with a sneer, "Jiang Lang, you really refuse to give up until you hit a brick wall. Star Treasure Tokens only come in four grades: Dark Iron, Spirit Copper, Fine Gold, and Primordial Jade. Where did you dig up a piece of junk like that? If you're going to forge something, at least do a decent job. That token of yours looks like cheap trash."
Lin Yayin chuckled. "Young Master Li, show this bumpkin your Dark Iron Star Treasure Token so he can open his eyes."
Li Muxian immediately pulled a pitch-black token from his chest, held it high in front of Jiang Lang, and spoke with arrogance, "Look closely, this is a Dark Iron Star Treasure Token."
Jiang Lang took a look and couldn't help curling his lip. "You're actually bragging about Dark Iron?"
With a haughty expression, Li Muxian let out a cold laugh. "You really are a country bumpkin who knows nothing. A Dark Iron token can only be obtained by spending at least one million at Xingbao Pavilion. Even though it's just Dark Iron, it's still something a bumpkin like you will never reach in a lifetime."
Seeing this, Lin Yayin wore a look of adoration. "As expected of the Holy Son of the Tianyan Sacred Sect, Young Master Li is truly wealthy and generous. I certainly didn't choose the wrong person!"
She turned her head to look at Jiang Lang with an expression of extreme disgust. "Are you still not going to get lost? Do you really have to wait until we call someone to break both your legs and throw you out before you're satisfied?"
Jiang Lang looked at the two of them, his brow furrowing deeply. "Are you two suffering from some kind of major mental illness?"
"Xingbao Pavilion isn't your family business. You can come here to spend money, and so can I. What right do you have to chase me away? Do your faces just happen to be extra thick, or what?"
Lin Yayin laughed upon hearing this, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing so hard she leaned back and forth. "You? Spending money? At Xingbao Pavilion?"
"Jiang Lang, you really know how to brag."
"It's one thing if strangers don't know you, but how could I not understand you?"
"If you really had the ability to spend money at Xingbao Pavilion, you wouldn't have ended up being kicked out by me."
Instead of getting angry, Jiang Lang offered a slight smile. "By that logic, if one day Young Master Li also loses his ability to spend money at Xingbao Pavilion, will you kick him out too?"
With that, he shifted his gaze to Li Muxian, a look of faint sympathy on his face. "Tsk tsk, Young Master Li, for all your dignity as the Holy Son of the Tianyan Sacred Sect, it turns out she simply treats you as a sucker."
Hearing this, Lin Yayin's expression shifted slightly, and she hurriedly explained to Li Muxian, "Young Master Li, I absolutely did not mean that! Don't listen to his provocation! My feelings for you are genuine."
Jiang Lang smiled. "Haha... You said those exact same words to me once upon a time. Unfortunately, everyone saw how things ended up for me in the end. Your sincerity is truly like a dog's—it just depends on who tosses you a bone."
Lin Yayin flew into a rage. "Jiang Lang, you're looking for death!"
She stepped forward, a biting, bone-chilling intent to kill bursting from her body.
Jiang Lang didn't show the slightest bit of fear, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
Li Muxian spoke indifferently, "Come on, break this trash's legs for me and throw him out!"
A burly man in tight martial attire immediately stepped out from among the Xingbao Pavilion guards.
With a fierce, scarred face, the man said unkindly, "Kid, you still have a chance. Get lost right now, or don't blame us for not being polite."
Jiang Lang paused. "Are you people from Xingbao Pavilion, or are you Li Muxian's lapdogs?"
The man replied, "Young Master Li is a friend of our Deacon Fang. Showing disrespect to him is showing disrespect to Xingbao Pavilion. Get lost!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly splayed his fingers into an eagle-claw strike and viciously slammed them down toward Jiang Lang's shoulder.
Just as those eagle-like fingers were about to grab Jiang Lang's shoulder, a sharp glint flashed across Jiang Lang's eyes. He slightly sidestepped, effortlessly dodging the attack, and then threw a punch that landed squarely in the man's lower abdomen.
The man instantly felt as though he had been rammed by a ferocious beast, his entire body's bones and internal organs feeling as though they were shattering. His torso bent like a shrimp, intense agony twisting his facial features into a knot.
Yet the moment he doubled over, what awaited him was Jiang Lang's raised knee.
Bang!
Boom—
That immensely robust man was instantly sent flying off the ground, tumbling backward several yards flat on his back. His facial features were almost completely crushed, blood pouring out as he passed out cold, unconscious and with his fate unknown.
Seeing this, everyone present in Xingbao Pavilion was struck dumb with astonishment!
"Who is this guy? Such incredible nerve, daring to start a fight inside Xingbao Pavilion!"
"Simply lawless!"
"Xingbao Pavilion is a power that even the City Lord's Estate doesn't dare provoke, yet he actually dared to injure someone from the pavilion. Has he grown tired of living?"
"I know this guy. Isn't he just Jiang Lang, the useless son-in-law of the Lin Family? He used to be a prodigy back in the day, but now that his cultivation is completely gone, how can he still dare to be this arrogant?"
"No way? His cultivation is gone, and he's still this strong? Simply unbelievable."
"As the saying goes, 'a tiger may fall, but its might remains.' After all, he used time-honored genius status; no matter how bad off he is now, he's probably still stronger than ordinary martial artists."
"So what? Even when he was a genius, he couldn't possibly go toe-to-toe with Xingbao Pavilion, let alone now that he's a cripple. Daring to start a fight here is simply courting death."
While everyone buzzed with discussion, Jiang Lang remained utterly calm, not taking the matter to heart at all.
In the past, he indeed wouldn't have dared to provoke Xingbao Pavilion.
But times had changed.
At worst, he could just call fat man Jin Can over to sort it out.
Seeing this, however, Lin Yayin panicked and immediately shouted in anger, "Jiang Lang, what do you think you're doing?! How dare you injure someone from Xingbao Pavilion? If the Lin Family gets implicated because of you, dying ten thousand times wouldn't be enough to vent the hatred!"
Jiang Lang raised his eyelids slightly. "What, you wanted me to just stand there and let him manhandle me?"
"You!" Lin Yayin choked with anger. Worried only that the Lin Family might be dragged into this, she immediately said to Li Muxian, "Young Master Li, when Deacon Fang arrives later, you must uphold justice for the Lin Family! Jiang Lang and the Lin Family have absolutely nothing to do with each other!"
Li Muxian hadn't expected Jiang Lang to be so unyielding either, so he said, "Don't worry, Yayin. Every debt has its debtor; Deacon Fang will naturally handle this fairly."
With that, he looked at Jiang Lang, a sinister sneer curling the corner of his mouth, and then gave a thumbs-up as he taunted, "Jiang Lang, to dare lay hands on a Xingbao Pavilion employee inside Xingbao Pavilion—you really are something else."
Jiang Lang said with a totally nonchalant expression, "I'm super brave."
Li Muxian gave a cold laugh. "I hope you stay this brave a moment longer. Deacon Fang will be here immediately, so make sure you don't run off."
Jiang Lang's expression remained tranquil. "Which of your dog eyes saw me running off? On the contrary, it's you—if you don't leave soon, I'll be the one tossing you out later, and I'm afraid you won't look very good then."
Li Muxian paused, then let out an incredulous laugh. "You're going to toss me out?"
Jiang Lang said with utter seriousness, "My backing in Xingbao Pavilion is a lot thicker than yours."
Li Muxian laughed. "How thick is it?"
Jiang Lang thought about it. "Very thick, very thick."
Li Muxian mocked, "Just based on that fake Star Treasure Token of yours?"
Jiang Lang asked, "If this Star Treasure Token turns out not to be fake, what do you say?"
Li Muxian replied, "If it's not fake, I'll eat my own token right on the spot. How about that?"
Jiang Lang smiled slightly. "Deal."
Li Muxian wore a warm smile, but his expression was gloomy. "And if yours *is* fake?"
Jiang Lang thought for a moment. "What do you want?"
Li Muxian said, "Bow three times, then get lost. And remember, you have to roll your way out."
Jiang Lang nodded. "Done."
Seeing Jiang Lang looking so full of confidence, Lin Yayin felt a pang of worry instead. "Young Master Li, looking at him, he seems awfully certain. Could his token actually be real?"
Li Muxian said, "Impossible. Xingbao Pavilion only has four grades of tokens. No one understands Xingbao Pavilion better than I do; there's no way I'm wrong. He's just putting on a bluff. Let's see how long he can keep up the act!"
The moment his voice fell, Fang Chen strode forward with a dark, iron expression.
To the onlookers, Fang Chen practically radiated a murderous aura.
"Deacon Fang looks furious."
"Everyone knows Deacon Fang has a fiery temper. For Jiang Lang to injure someone from Xingbao Pavilion is a direct slap to Deacon Fang's face. Jiang Lang is dead for sure!"
"There's a good chance even the Lin Family will be dragged down. What bad luck."
Hearing these whispers, Lin Yayin looked panicked. "Young Master Li, you must explain things clearly to Deacon Fang."
Li Muxian comforted her, "Don't worry. Deacon Fang and I are old friends on very close terms. He'll at least give me this much face. Come, come with me to greet Deacon Fang, and by the way, I'll introduce you to him."
Joy welled up in Lin Yayin's heart. If she could establish a connection with a Xingbao Pavilion Deacon, perhaps the Lin Family's business would reach new heights in the future.
At that moment, Li Muxian walked up to meet Fang Chen, cupped his fists, and said, "Brother Fang..."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Fang Chen spoke up, "Who the hell are you? Are we that close?"
"??????"
Li Muxian was left utterly dumbfounded, standing frozen in place as if turned to stone on the spot.