“But a guest?”
A middle-aged gatekeeper stepped forward, a cultivator at the fourth realm. He cupped his fists and smiled at the man in the green shirt, "Our Zhao family mansion is currently hosting a very important distinguished guest. If you are a guest, please state your name. If not..."
The man in the green shirt shook his head. "No."
"In that case, please leave."
The middle-aged gatekeeper smirked. "If you're looking to cause trouble for our Zhao family mansion, you've picked a very bad day. The esteemed guest we are hosting today is the chief disciple of the Qinglan Sect. Offending him is equivalent to offending the entire Qinglan Sect..."
"Oh, the chief disciple..."
The man in the green shirt smiled faintly. "It's alright, I'll just retrieve something and leave."
"Can't you understand human speech?"
The middle-aged gatekeeper suddenly shouted sternly, "Are you forcing me to act?"
The man in the green shirt couldn't help but chuckle. "See, when you speak like that, I understand much better."
"Seeking death?"
With a roar, the middle-aged gatekeeper unleashed both fists, like a raging dragon emerging from the sea.
Nearby, several other gatekeepers were about to cheer. This middle-aged gatekeeper's boxing techniques were second to none among the guards, and no one dared to question him. They assumed this pretty boy in the green shirt was tired of living. However, in an instant, without the man in the green shirt even making a move, the middle-aged gatekeeper let out a pained cry, spat blood, and was sent flying, crashing heavily against the nearby courtyard wall.
"You..."
A group of gatekeepers stared in horror. "Who exactly are you?"
"Move aside."
The man in the green shirt slowly strode forward. "This doesn't concern you."
...
The gatekeepers were stunned into silence. No one dared to stop him. They watched as the man in the green shirt crossed the threshold and entered the Zhao family mansion. In the main hall, five banquet tables were set. The Zhao family disciples seated near the entrance all stood up. Zhao Jin was among them, but unfortunately, one of his arms had been severed by Lin Zhao, leaving him a one-armed cultivator at the first realm.
"My friend."
A middle-aged man walked out, exuding the aura of an eighth-realm Golden Core cultivator. He cupped his fists and smiled, "I am Zhao Qian, the head of the Zhao family. May I ask where our Zhao family has offended you?"
The man in the green shirt's face remained expressionless. He said calmly, "I am not looking for you. Call Qin Ruo out to speak."
"What do you mean?"
Qin Ruo, seated at the main table in the inner part of the hall, suddenly stood up, frowning. "Is this person here for me?"
"Young Hero Qin!"
Beside him, an elder, looking frail with age, raised his hand and gestured. "Please remain calm. Our Zhao family has been established in Tianchi Ridge for decades, and we can handle this matter ourselves. Guards, please escort this person out and prevent him from disturbing Young Hero Qin's enjoyment of the wine."
The elder was none other than the Zhao family's ancestor, Zhao Qianye, a Star River realm cultivator.
"That's right!"
Zhao Yan smiled. "Great Ancestor is right. Father should be more than capable of handling this."
Qin Ruo frowned and slowly sat back down.
...
Outside the main hall, Zhao Qian's expression turned cold. He sneered, "If you don't leave, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Oh."
The man in the green shirt continued to step forward.
"Seeking death?"
Zhao Qian let out a low growl, instantly unleashing his Golden Core realm aura. He gently opened his five fingers, and streams of flames spun rapidly. He immediately struck out with a palm filled with scorching spiritual energy towards the man in the green shirt. A Golden Core's palm strike was incredibly powerful; an ordinary person would be unable to resist it.
The man in the green shirt merely took another step forward and casually threw out a punch.
"Bang!"
His fist instantly pierced through Zhao Qian's scorching spiritual energy palm print, and with a heavy thud, Zhao Qian was sent flying backward, spitting blood, and crashed into the depths of the main hall.
"Presumptuous!"
In the main hall, the Zhao family's ancestor, Zhao Qianye, let out a fierce roar. As he abruptly stood up, a faint fiery red dharma image seemed to materialize behind him. In a flash, he appeared at the front of the hall, his gaze cold as he looked at the man in the green shirt. "Fellow Daoist, who exactly are you?"
"I've already told you."
The man in the green shirt said helplessly, "I'm looking for Qin Ruo, and, of course, for Zhao Yan of your Zhao family, whose heart is as venomous as a scorpion."
"Why?"
Zhao Qianye sneered. "There must be a reason."
"Naturally."
The man in the green shirt said calmly, "Several months ago, when Zhao Yan first returned to Tianchi Town, a Lightning Summoning Talisman destroyed the ancestral home of the Lin family's date tree, and a Sword Illumination Talisman cleaved the stone lion that Lin Zhengxi used to protect his wife and children. Now, she has returned again, using the fake Qinglan Sect's Qin Ruo, and with three gentle pats on the shoulder, severed my junior brother Lin Zhao's Celestial Origin spiritual脉. Should this debt not be settled?"
"So, you're here to stick up for that little beast Lin Zhao."
Qin Ruo laughed heartily, his face filled with arrogance. "Good! Come on! With the Zhao family's Star River realm ancestor here today, and I, Qin Ruo, am also a Star River realm sword cultivator. Who do you think you are, daring to be so audacious here? Are you tired of living, like an old man drinking arsenic?"
The man in the green shirt raised his right fist, and streams of military armor aura began to flow.
"The Military School?"
Zhao Qianye said coldly, "Your Military School has always stayed out of the affairs of Xueyu Tianchi, haven't they? Now you dare to intentionally injure someone in Xueyu Tianchi. If this matter reaches the ancestral court of the Military School, let's see how they deal with you."
"The ancestral court of the Military School has decided to intervene in the affairs of Xueyu Tianchi." The man in the green shirt said.
"When?" Zhao Qianye pressed.
"Just now."
The man in the green shirt smiled faintly, retracted and then extended his fist. "Zhao Yan, take this punch. Qin Ruo, take this punch. Two punches to settle things. As for you, Zhao Qianye, if you wish to stop me, then abandon this old, brittle Star River realm body. Anyway, you have no chance of glimpsing the higher realms in this lifetime, so living has no meaning."
"You're seeking death!?"
Zhao Qianye roared, his palms opening wide. He produced an inkstone, from which fierce flames erupted. It was likely his refined natal artifact. Wreathed in roaring flames, he charged forward. For a moment, all the Zhao family members in the main hall felt a burning heat they could not endure.
The man in the green shirt smiled faintly and threw out a punch. Instantly, a storm rippled outwards from him.
"Bang!"
The inkstone Zhao Qianye produced was directly shattered by the punch. Following that, the intent of his fist, piercing through the flames, landed on Zhao Qianye's chest. Instantly, the sound of cracking ribs echoed. The Zhao family ancestor spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body flew backward. Before he even landed, he had fallen from the Star River realm to the Nascent Soul realm. When he slumped to the ground, he was already a precarious Golden Core realm cultivator.
"Ancestor!"
"Ancestor, how are you?"
"My heavens..."
...
A group of Zhao family disciples' scalps tingled, and their livers and gallbladders split with fear. Zhao Qianye, their ancestor, was a Star River realm cultivator who had lived for over a thousand years. He was practically the totem of the Zhao family. When Zhao family members traveled the world, people would always give them some respect, all thanks to this ancestor. But who would have thought that this ancestor would be defeated by a single punch in public and directly fall in realm? The lifespan limit for the Golden Core realm was just over 800 years, so this ancestor would likely be gone in a day or two.
"How ruthless!"
Qin Ruo gritted his teeth and said, "Who exactly are you? A cultivator of the Military School? Eleventh realm Celestial Origin, or Twelfth realm Rebirth?"
The man in the green shirt said indifferently, "What business is it of yours?"
Zhao Yan trembled with rage and stepped forward, her voice filled with anger. "Who exactly are you? All for that Lin Zhao, for that cockroach that can't be trampled to death in the mud? Where has our Zhao family offended you?"
"Are the lives of your Zhao family cultivators less valuable than Lin Zhao's? What kind of logic is that?"
The man in the green shirt's gaze turned icy. "Well said, vixen. Take this punch!"
The intent of his fist surged, and the man in the green shirt threw another punch, straight and true.
Zhao Yan let out a pained cry and staggered back, covered in blood. Her form faltered, and her face rapidly aged, even more so than the ancestor's. With a single punch from the man in the green shirt, she was reduced from the sixth realm to no realm at all. Her spiritual sea had completely collapsed, and her youthful appearance instantly transformed into that of a woman in her fifties or sixties, her face covered in wrinkles.
"Ah..."
Zhao Yan glanced at her reflection in a nearby mirror and scrambled madly towards the backyard.
...
"You're so ruthless..."
Qin Ruo's brows were tightly furrowed. The two flying swords in his acupoints had already silently emerged. A sinister smile curled on his lips. "It seems this matter cannot be resolved peacefully today."
"Naturally."
The man in the green shirt smiled faintly. "So what if you're a Star River realm sword cultivator? For you, it's still one punch."
"Dream on!"
Qin Ruo let out a low cry, raising the sword in his hand and unleashing a streak of sword light. Immediately, two flying swords surged from the Sword Lake, splitting into two paths and piercing towards the vital points of the man in the green shirt's head from both sides.
"Clang! Clang!"
With two crisp sounds, the man in the green shirt raised his hands, catching the tips of both flying swords. At the same time, he stomped down with his foot, forcibly driving a streak of Qin Ruo's sword energy into the ground. In the next moment, the man in the green shirt's military armor aura erupted. With two cracking sounds, the two flying swords instantly shattered. These were Qin Ruo's natal artifacts, which he relied on to reach the Star River realm!
"Don't be so arrogant in the future. You might lose your life!"
The man in the green shirt let out a low roar. After discarding the two natal flying swords, he sent out a punch. Instantly, the chief disciple of the Qinglan Sect flew out like a kite. A spray of blood splattered in the air. By the time he crashed heavily to the ground, he was already only at the Nascent Soul realm, his face filled with resentment. He roared, "Who exactly are you? State your name! My Qinglan Sect will surely reward you handsomely!"
"Qinglan Sect, huh..."
The man in the green shirt smiled faintly. "I almost forgot you mentioned it. It seems I need to pay a visit to the Qinglan Sect as well."
Saying this, he reached out and retrieved the fiery red fruit from Qin Ruo's embrace. Then, he turned and left, his figure disappearing into the night. He left behind the chaotic Zhao family.
...
The next day, early in the morning.
Lin Zhao woke up early and brewed a pot of wild boar meat and a pot of clear congee. The congee was for Xiao Jiuer; girls should eat lighter in the morning. The wild boar meat was for himself and Xiao Shitou. Martial cultivators needed to eat more meat when practicing their punches, otherwise, their stamina would not keep up.
Once everything was ready, Lin Zhao walked to the front of the side room and said, "Friend, would you like to join us for breakfast? After eating, you should be on your way. The weather is nice today."
"Thank you!"
The man in the green shirt emerged from the side room, cupped his fists towards Lin Zhao, and smiled. "I can already smell the wild boar meat. This aroma... it's so familiar. It smells like star anise and Sichuan pepper. I never expected to smell a taste of home here."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao was stunned. "You... where exactly are you from? Do you use star anise and Sichuan pepper as seasonings where you come from?"
"Mhm."
The man in the green shirt smiled and said, "This morning, I might have to eat a bit more."
"It's fine, I've cooked plenty!"
"Mhm, good!"
And so, the four of them gathered around the dining table. Apart from Xiao Jiuer, who was sipping her congee, the other three ate with gusto. Soon, the large basin of wild boar meat was almost gone. The man in the green shirt had an exceptionally good appetite, comparable even to Lin Zhao, a fourth-realm martial cultivator.
"Lin Zhao."
The man in the green shirt glanced at Lin Zhao and said with a smile, "I'm afraid I'll have to stay here for another day to handle some matters. Can I leave tomorrow? I'll pay you more for the accommodation."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "No need, we're not short of money. Feel free to stay."
"Mhm!"
The man in the green shirt stood up and, competing to wash everyone's bowls and chopsticks, wiped his hands. He looked at the sky and said, "It's about time. I'm going out for a bit. I should be back around dusk. Don't wait for me for lunch. Please cook more meat for dinner, and if possible, another basin of sour fish. Be sure to wait for my return before eating..."
Lin Zhao was speechless. "Then hurry back. Xiao Shitou and Xiao Jiuer are still young and can't go hungry for long."
"Mhm!"
The man in the green shirt turned and left, his figure disappearing at the edge of the small town.
...
"Hoo..."
From afar, Chu Huaixi and Huang Tingyu sat on the old banyan tree above the Marshal's mansion. After watching the man in the green shirt depart, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The matter with the Zhao family is just left like this..." Huang Tingyu asked.
"Otherwise, what can we do?"
Chu Huaixi grinned. "You want me, a tenth-realm martial cultivator, to spar with the legendary Martial Saint, divinely appointed by heaven and earth?"
"That's really unnecessary."
Old Huang chuckled. "If it's a death wish, I'll go. Besides, Marshal Chu, do you really think he's just a martial cultivator because his punches are like thunder?"
Chu Huaixi was surprised. "Otherwise?"
"He's carrying a sword sheath..."
Old Huang sighed. "It's just that the sword in the sheath is temporarily residing in the mortal world."