Jiang Linxu was trembling all over with rage. With reddened eyes, he looked at the old patriarch, Jiang Huonian, and cried out in despair, "Dad!"
Ever since Zhang Ming stepped through the doors, Jiang Huonian had known this crisis would not be easily resolved.
He had remained silent, wanting to see how Jiang Linxu and the others would handle it. If they could swiftly dispatch Zhang Ming, he could rest easy even if he had to make some sacrifices—after all, the Jiang Family still had an heir.
But...
With a gloomy expression, Jiang Huonian gave a slight cupped-fist salute to the middle-aged man beside him. "Commander Wu, I leave this in your hands."
This Wu Xieting was a commander of the eighty thousand elite troops under the Marquis of the Northwest, a man of formidable martial arts and ruthless methods.
"A trivial matter." Wu Xieting took a gentle sip of his tea and swept a calm glance over Zhang Ming. "Young man, if you leave now, you still have time. Otherwise..."
"Cut the crap!" With a cold snort, Zhang Ming waved his hand abruptly, and a massive palm instantly materialized in the air.
Wu Xieting, whose face had moments before worn an expression of utter disdain, instantly turned ashen.
"Oh no!" he cried out in a panic, hastily throwing up his fists to parry.
With a deafening crash, the chair beneath Wu Xieting shattered into splinters. Yet, strangely enough, Wu Xieting remained firmly seated as if nothing had happened at all.
"Commander Wu truly lives up to his legendary reputation!"
"How could someone who commands eighty thousand elite troops be an ordinary man?"
"Incredible! Now that is a true powerhouse!"
Praises rose one after another from the surrounding onlookers. Jiang Huonian's tense expression relaxed slightly, and he was just about to step forward to praise the commander—
Before the words could even leave his mouth, a sudden breeze swept through, and Commander Wu, who had moments before been as steady as a mountain, vanished into thin air, carried away by the wind.
This abrupt and bizarre turn of events stunned everyone present.
"Wu... Commander Wu is just... gone?"
"Could this be the legendary vaporization?"
"In-incredible!"
"How could someone like that be a weakling?"
Everyone in the grand hall drew in a sharp breath simultaneously. They looked at Zhang Ming with eyes filled with awe, as if gazing upon some terrifying monster. Jiang Huonian's pupils contracted sharply, and his hands, hidden within his sleeves, began to tremble involuntarily.
Disaster had struck without warning!
The rest of the Jiang Family were frozen in shock as well. Jiang Yanyao, in particular, widened her eyes and said with a trembling voice, "How is this possible? No, it can't be! This isn't real!"
Having eliminated the commander with a single palm strike and cowed everyone present, Zhang Ming slowly began to walk toward Jiang Yanyao. Every step he took felt as though he were treading directly upon her heart. Jiang Yanyao's face turned as pale as paper. "Don't come near me! I'm begging you, stay away!"
With a blank expression, Zhang Ming fixed her with a gaze as cold as ice. "Tell me, who is responsible?"
"It wasn't me..." Jiang Yanyao shook her head frantically, trying to defend herself. "Zhang Ming, please don't... Ah..."
With a sudden leap, Zhang Ming seized Jiang Yanyao's slender neck in both hands and demanded harshly, "Speak!"
Terrified out of her wits, Jiang Yanyao wept in panic, "It was my brother! He sent people to crash into your family! It has nothing to do with me, I'm innocent, please don't kill me..."
"Good, at least I've found the right person." Zhang Ming sneered, tossing Jiang Yanyao aside like a dirty rag. Then, with eyes burning red with fury, he turned his gaze toward Jiang Linxu and Jiang Haoran.
At that moment, the hatred in Zhang Ming's heart erupted like a volcano, radiating an intensely chilling aura that made him seem like a vengeful ghost crawled straight up from the abyss.
"Stay back!" Jiang Linxu clutched Jiang Haoran tightly, his face a mask of terror, yet he still attempted to issue a threat. "Brat, this is Imperial Capital Villa! If you dare to kill anyone here, the Marquis of the Northwest will never let you go!"
"The Marquis of the Northwest?" Zhang Ming let out a disdainful sneer. "If he has the guts, let him come find me! Prepare to die!"
Before his voice had even faded, he raised his hand and brought it down toward the top of Jiang Linxu's head.
At that very instant, a hand as white and flawless as jade materialized out of nowhere, colliding with his palm in a thunderous boom.
The entire grand hall collapsed instantly. The surviving guests wept in each other's arms, trembling violently and bitterly regretting that they had stayed behind to watch this calamity unfold.
"Impressive, truly impressive! To think that someone so young possesses such formidable martial arts. Remarkable, truly remarkable."
As the voice faded, a lean elderly man appeared before them.
Zhang Ming narrowed his eyes and demanded, "Who are you? Why are you trying to stop me from getting my revenge?"
Wearing a genial smile, the old man answered calmly, "I am Xiang Ya, serving the Marquis of the Northwest. I have no intention of obstructing your vengeance, but I cannot permit you to slaughter the innocent within Imperial Capital Villa. That would be an act of disrespect toward the Marquis."
With a furious snort, Zhang Ming blazed with anger. "Who the hell does the Marquis think he is? I will have my revenge today, and if he sticks his nose into this, I'll kill him too!"
"Insolence!" Xiang Ya roared in rage, throwing a punch straight at Zhang Ming.
"Just in time!" Zhang Ming shouted, meeting the blow with a punch of his own.
A deafening explosion echoed as shattered stone flew in all directions.
Xiang Ya felt a turbulent surge of blood within his chest, nearly causing him to vomit. Forcing down the discomfort, he stumbled back several steps. When he finally steadied himself, he was shocked to find Zhang Ming standing with his arms crossed, watching him with complete composure.
That utter ease made it painfully obvious that the previous blow had left no impact on him whatsoever. A chill ran through Xiang Ya's heart as he realized he had grossly misjudged his opponent.
The martial artists of the Xia State were divided into four tiers: Human, Earth, Heaven, and Master. Xiang Ya had already reached the peak of the Earth-tier, whereas Zhang Ming... this young man was at least a Heaven-tier expert!
At this realization, Xiang Ya glared viciously at the members of the Jiang Family, cursing them inwardly for bringing such a disaster upon their heads. Though he longed to wash his hands of the matter and retreat, this was Imperial Capital Villa; he could not simply stand by and do nothing. Yet, he truly had no desire to make an enemy of Zhang Ming.
After a moment of deliberation, Xiang Ya tried once more to reason with him. "Little brother, you are so young and talented, with a boundless future ahead of you. Why ruin your life over this? Is it really worth it?"
"It's worth it!" Zhang Ming's eyes turned bloodshot as he gritted his teeth. "The suffering my family of three endured—today, I am going to settle every single debt! Every last member of the Jiang Family will pay the price!"
Seeing how obstinate Zhang Ming was, Xiang Ya could no longer suppress his rising temper.
He shouted a stern warning, "Brat, don't push your luck! Do you have any idea what the consequences are of crossing the Marquis of the Northwest?"
Zhang Ming sneered, refusing to yield an inch. "I've already said it: whoever tries to stop me from getting my revenge, I will kill! The Marquis of the Northwest is no exception!"
"You've truly lost your mind!"
Blazing with fury, Xiang Ya waved a hand and commanded his subordinates, "Take him down! Dead or alive!"
Before the order had even finished echoing, a dozen guards behind him surged forward like wild horses breaking free from their reins, charging straight at Zhang Ming.
Yet Zhang Ming was far faster than them!
In the blink of an eye, a dark blur flashed across the room, followed by a flurry of violent clashes and resounding blows. One by one, the guards were sent flying through the air, shrieking in agony.
The guests present were so terrified their legs turned to jelly. They wanted to run, but didn't dare move a muscle, fearing that any careless action would provoke Zhang Ming and cost them their lives on the spot.
"Damn it!" Xiang Ya's face turned livid.
Hum!
Having disposed of the guards, Zhang Ming reappeared before everyone. He swept a cold gaze across the room and slowly spoke, "I'll say it again: I am here today to exact my revenge."
A few of the smarter guests grasped the implication behind his words and summoned the courage to ask, "As long as we don't interfere, will we be allowed to live?"
Zhang Ming cast a cold glance at the speaker, a look so terrifying it nearly made the man wet himself.