C9 He Made a Move

The girl stopped speaking and stood up, her movements unsteady, likely due to the numbness from kneeling for too long. She almost stumbled and fell back to her knees.

"That's better," Lee Guangyin said with a self-satisfied smirk.

Unexpectedly, the girl turned to leave without another word.

"She's trying to run! Stop her!" Lee Guangyin commanded, his voice thundering with anger. As the distinguished young master of the Lee family, he was infuriated by her lack of respect. He was set on teaching her a harsh lesson.

Several servants quickly intercepted the girl as she attempted to flee.

Lee Guangyin stepped forward, his hand raised to strike.

The girl squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the hit that was sure to come.

Suddenly, a pale hand grabbed Lee Guangyin's arm, halting his attack.

"Picking on a powerless girl, are we, young master Lee? You're bringing shame to your family name," Ling Xiao said with a contemptuous smile. He had been watching from the sidelines for a while. If the girl had been sold to a wealthy merchant by mutual agreement, he wouldn't have stepped in. After all, it was legal, and none of his business. He didn't feel compelled to play the hero and alter someone's fate out of pity.

However, Ling Xiao couldn't stand bullies like Lee Guangyin, not in this life or any past ones. If Lee Guangyin had been willing to pay for the girl's mother's funeral, it would have been a different story. But Lee Guangyin's attempt to take the girl without paying a cent was too much for Ling Xiao to ignore, prompting him to intervene.

Irritated at being blocked, Lee Guangyin turned around, initially startled, then he laughed loudly. "Look who it is—the 'prodigy' of Meteor City. What, you want to compete with me for the girl?"

Ling Xiao had reached the rank of Low Rank Profound Master at the age of fifteen, a significant milestone in the Profound Warrior Rank, celebrated as a rare talent in Meteor City. But his reputation was tarnished when he was framed and his cultivation base ruined, reducing him to a mere shell of his former glory. His story was well-known throughout Meteor City.

Unfazed, Ling Xiao retorted, "Someone just paid 200 gold coins for this young woman. If you want her, it'll cost you 500 gold coins, unless you want to tarnish the Lee family's reputation even further."

Lee Guangyin shook off Ling Xiao's hand with disdain. "Ling, you imbecile, did a donkey kick you in the head? I might have given Ling Rui some face, but you? A worthless non-entity who's not even a Martial Disciple thinks he can school me? Beat it, or you'll regret my lack of manners."

"You're not planning to pay up, then?" A sharp glint passed through Ling Xiao's eyes.

"I'll kill her right in the middle of the street. Let's see what you can do about it," Lee Guangyin threatened as he readied himself to assault the girl.

Despite being the least formidable of the three evil young masters, with only average talent and little interest in martial training, Lee Guangyin was still a Level Eight Martial Disciple. He didn't consider Ling Xiao, whom he deemed trash, a threat, especially with his numerous servants at hand, each a Level Three or Four Martial Disciple.

"You've brought this on yourself. Don't blame me," Ling Xiao murmured, stepping with the Cloud Trace Phantom technique to instantly position himself behind Lee Guangyin.

He struck with Flowing Water Cloud, targeting Lee Guangyin's head with a palm strike.

Lee Guangyin's reflexes were sharp; he dodged the sneak attack, but his shoulder absorbed a firm blow from Ling Xiao, causing him to stagger and grimace in pain.

"Looking for death!" Lee Guangyin whirled around, his fist flying towards Ling Xiao's face with rapid speed.

But Ling Xiao was a changed man, now possessing the strength of a Sixth Grade Martial Disciple, halfway to being a warrior. His speed, enhanced by the Cloud Trace Phantom, far surpassed Lee Guangyin's.

Drawing on his extensive combat experience from a previous life, Ling Xiao skillfully redirected the powerful attack with a gentle, strategic move.

He tilted his head, grabbed Lee Guangyin's arm, and with a fluid motion, pulled him forward while simultaneously kicking his leg out from under him.

Lee Guangyin hit the ground with a thud.

"Young Master!" The servants exclaimed in shock, rushing to assist him.

Feeling the thrill of battle, Ling Xiao was ready to put his reflexes to the test. He glided with the Cloud Trace Phantom's agility and struck at the lead servant with a double palm attack.

"Flowing Water, Drifting Clouds."

The servant, caught off guard, was met with a palm strike from Ling Xiao, sending him stumbling backward before collapsing to the ground.

At that moment, two more servants lunged at Ling Xiao. One threw a heavy punch while the other launched into an aerial kick, attempting to catch Ling Xiao off guard from both high and low.

Yet Ling Xiao remained undeterred, a hint of a smirk on his face. He moved with a fluid grace, weaving around their attacks and slipping behind one to land the opening move of the Heavenly Frost Fist, "Frosty Wind," squarely on the man's back. In a seamless motion, he took to the air, legs lashing out in a series of swift kicks, the hallmark of the Wind God Kick, "Catching Wind and Shadow."

Within seconds, Ling Xiao had both servants sprawled on the ground.

Now, the last three servants advanced, but Ling Xiao's fighting spirit was indomitable. He became a series of fleeting shadows, preemptively striking each one down with uncanny precision before they could mount an offense.

From a short distance, Lee Guangyin watched Ling Xiao's impressive display, his eyes wide, a chill coursing through him. "Could he have regained his ability to cultivate profound strength?"

As Ling Xiao felled the final attacker, Lee Guangyin's hesitation vanished. He turned tail and fled.

"Escape? I think not!" Ling Xiao grunted, chasing after Lee Guangyin with the swiftness of a darting swallow and landing a solid kick to his back.

Lee Guangyin cried out in agony as he tumbled to the ground again.

Standing over him, Ling Xiao pressed his foot onto Lee Guangyin's face, his voice laced with disdain, "What's wrong, Young Master Lee? Not running now?" Savoring the feeling of supremacy, Ling Xiao made a silent oath to himself to swiftly build his strength. With enough power, he would rule once more.

"Young Master Ling, I implore you, have mercy. I'll give up the woman, okay?" Lee Guangyin's face ground into the dirt as he begged pathetically. He hadn't expected that after hitting that man with the potbelly, he'd be the one taking a beating. Indeed, the biter bit!

"Hmph, I don't parade around arrogantly like you. Hand over five hundred gold coins, and you might walk away from this," Ling Xiao said with a cold sneer.

"Is Gui still among the living? If not, then swiftly follow Young Master Ling's orders and deliver five hundred gold coins to him," Lee Guangyin thundered.

A servant hurriedly rose, a heavy pouch of gold coins in hand, and respectfully presented it to the outstretched hands of Ling Xiao.