Chapter 25

"Who dares to hit my Brother Long?"

Suddenly, a roar like a thunderclap echoed, making everyone's eardrums ring. A fist glowing with a bloody light, carrying surging power, smashed towards the scar-faced man.

The man suddenly felt a chill to the bone, as if he were being targeted by a prehistoric beast.

Without a second thought, the scar-faced man changed the direction of his punch, which was originally aimed at Long Chen, to meet the fist that was even larger than a plate.

"Bang"

A loud explosion shook the entire tavern. Everyone was stunned to see a huge figure blocking in front of Long Chen. It was Ah Man.

At that moment, Ah Man looked like a giant war god, his eyes blazing like fire, and a strange red layer appeared on his skin, actually blocking the scar-faced man's punch.

The scar-faced man was shocked. He never imagined that the big guy could block his punch with just his physical strength.

However, although he blocked the scar-faced man's punch, Ah Man was pushed back several steps, almost sitting on the ground, and was caught by Long Chen.

The scar-faced man's expression changed several times. Long Chen and Ah Man did not show any cultivation, yet they managed to stop him, a Blood Condensation Realm expert. Shocked, his eyes were filled with killing intent.

Seeing the scar-faced man's murderous intent, Long Chen was alarmed. His Fengfu Star was not yet fully developed, and he could not deal with him.

Most importantly, although the scar-faced man was furious, he was very calculating and had not used any combat techniques, clearly not using his true strength.

Now, Ah Man had suddenly become much stronger, but even if the two of them worked together, they could not stop the scar-faced man's killing move.

Long Chen secretly touched his ring, and a fiery red pill slowly appeared in his hand. He coldly looked at the scar-faced man.

"Stop!"

Just as the scar-faced man was about to make a move, a cold voice echoed, and a group of people appeared on the tavern.

There were over ten people, all dressed in guard uniforms. However, the two men in front were wearing yellow robes, looking very noble.

"Pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Seeing the man, everyone was shocked and quickly knelt to pay respects.

The man was none other than the current crown prince, Chu Yang, who looked about 27 or 28 years old, with a straight nose and a square mouth, exuding authority.

The man beside him looked slightly younger than Chu Yang, with a fair complexion and a handsome face, but gave off a somewhat effeminate vibe.

"Brother Chu Yang, is this how your Fengming Empire treats guests?" the man said with a somewhat sinister tone.

At that moment, Chu Yang's expression was somewhat unpleasant. Looking at the man lying on the ground, he angrily shouted, "What's going on? Are your eyes blind? Don't you know they are honored guests from Daxia?"

Chu Yang's gaze swept over everyone, and Fatso and the others were sweating, their hearts pounding.

They also realized that the man who could speak to the crown prince in such a manner and with his distinctive hairstyle must be a prince from the Daxia Empire.

The Daxia Empire had similar national strength to the Fengming Empire and had once been mortal enemies. However, in recent decades, their relationship had improved, and they had established friendly relations.

However, unlike the emperor of the Fengming Empire, the Daxia Empire had only two princes, and they did not know if this man was the first or second prince.

"It's not that my eyes are blind, but this guy with the eight-character eyebrows is blind. So I had to teach him a lesson on behalf of my master."

Long Chen stepped forward, looking at Chu Yang with a nonchalant expression.

"Who are you?" Crown Prince Chu Yang, seeing a young man dare to speak to him in such a manner, was secretly angry, but he remained calm and did not order his subordinates to arrest him.

"Long Chen."

Chu Yang was taken aback. If he didn't know Long Chen's name before, now in the imperial capital's noble circles, there were few who didn't know it.

Originally a waste, Long Chen had defeated a Qi Gathering Realm expert twice in a row on the arena, and later, through a twist of fate, became a pill apprentice, adding a layer of mystery to his persona.

"Why did you beat up the guard of Crown Prince Changfeng?" Chu Yang was taken aback, as the matter involved the Alchemist Guild, which was extremely difficult to handle even for him as the crown prince.

"For no reason, just felt he deserved it today, acting on behalf of heaven." Long Chen shrugged.

"You..." Chu Yang was choked with anger. He had hoped Long Chen would give a reason, so he could mediate and mention the Alchemist Guild, thus resolving the matter.

However, Long Chen seemed to miss his point and said something that made his face turn green with anger.

"Are you Long Chen? I've heard of you, seems you've been quite impressive lately?" the Daxia prince, Xia Changfeng, suddenly interjected.

"Hehe, impressive, a bit, but compared to your Daxia people, it's like a dwarf standing next to a giant."

Long Chen pointed at the man lying on the ground, his face full of mockery. "Driving a demon beast, driving a carriage, recklessly running through the city, disregarding the lives of others, how impressive is that?

A dog is so impressive, I can't even imagine how impressive its owner must be!"

Xia Changfeng's face darkened slightly, and he said sternly, "Is this true?"

Long Chen coldly snorted, "Don't ask me, ask your dog."

"Lu Luo, is this true?" Xia Changfeng's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness, but he quickly suppressed it, and asked the man on the ground.

"Sir, I was in a hurry, who knew the commoners here wouldn't get out of the way. It's not my fault," the man, slightly recovered, replied through the pain.

"Rubbish, this is not Daxia, who would recognize the royal steed? Take him away," Xia Changfeng scolded, and two men in Daxia attire took the man away.

Xia Changfeng turned to Chu Yang and said apologetically, "I apologize for my lack of discipline. I will discipline him properly. I hope Brother Chu Yang will forgive me."

"Not at all, Brother Changfeng, I hope this small matter doesn't affect the relations between our two countries," Chu Yang quickly replied.

"Brother Chu Yang, you worry too much. Let's let this matter pass," Xia Changfeng said, then turned to Long Chen, "I apologize for my lack of discipline. Thank you for the reminder."

Everyone was stunned, no one expected the Daxia prince to be so reasonable and apologize to Long Chen, earning admiration for his noble demeanor.

If Long Chen didn't have powerful soul force and perception, he might have believed it, but Xia Changfeng's fleeting killing intent did not escape his keen senses.

"Your Highness, you're too kind. Dogs not listening is normal. You should often tighten their leashes, so they don't keep barking and showing their claws in public, that's not good," Long Chen laughed, giving a helpful reminder.

Hearing this, the scar-faced man's face darkened, as Long Chen's words insulted all the guards.

Xia Changfeng smiled slightly, as if not noticing the hidden meaning, "Just arrived in the capital, and I've heard a lot about you.

I thought you were a noble alchemist, but it seems everyone was wrong. You are both a martial and alchemical practitioner, your combat strength is impressive. Among the younger generation, you are truly a standout."

Long Chen looked at Xia Changfeng, not quite understanding his words, and just smiled without responding.

"Would you like to join me and Brother Chu for a few drinks?" Xia Changfeng smiled.

The smile was pleasant, but Long Chen's intuition told him it hid the fangs of a venomous snake, making him very uncomfortable.

"Sorry, I've had too much to drink and can't handle more. Otherwise, I wouldn't have argued with two dogs. I'll take my leave," Long Chen smiled, ignoring Xia Changfeng's darkening face and the scar-faced man's murderous intent, and left with Ah Man.

After Long Chen left, Shi Feng and the others hurriedly apologized to Chu Yang and ran away, truly frightened by the events of the day.

...

"Master, why didn't you let me kill that kid? Lu Luo's life is ruined, and this kid is too arrogant."

Now back at their residence, the scar-faced man beside the Daxia prince said resentfully.

"That kid is from the Alchemist Guild. Although not from our empire's guild, if you kill him, I'll have to hand you over to the Alchemist Guild for punishment," Xia Changfeng sipped his tea and said calmly.

"But that kid is too arrogant, I can't swallow this."

"Killing requires skill. You need to ensure the target is dead while you remain alive," Xia Changfeng shook his head.

"Do you have a plan, Master?" the scar-faced man asked hopefully.

"Of course, otherwise why would I be so friendly to him? Everyone I've been friendly to seems to have died," Xia Changfeng's lips curled into a sinister smile, making the scar-faced man shudder.

"Don't forget our purpose here. We can't lose the big picture over small matters. Let that kid live a few more days.

The Fengming Lantern Festival, the biggest festival in the Fengming Empire, is coming soon. There will be the annual martial arts competition.

Do you think I praised him for nothing? When his reputation reaches a certain level, you can challenge him during the lantern festival. Do you think he can refuse?" Xia Changfeng leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes, a cold smile on his lips.

The scar-faced man finally understood. This move was ruthless. At that time, countless people would be looking forward to it, and Long Chen would have no choice but to participate.

If he dared not, the public backlash would drown him, let alone the fact that Long Chen was just a young, hot-blooded guy.

"However, be careful. As my guard, you cannot reveal too much of your true strength. I don't need to remind you, do I?"

"Yes, Master, I've never revealed my true cards," the scar-faced man quickly replied.

Xia Changfeng nodded, his eyes looking at the night sky, as dark as his own, making it impossible to fathom.