Chapter 82. I will respectfully escort you.

Hou Gong looked at Qi Bidan Hun.

"So, you mean that if the Nangong family asks me to come, I must come, and if they ask me to go, I must go?"

"Is there a need to take it so sharply? On the contrary, if we look at the facts, isn't it the Tianhua Library that looks down on the Nangong family? If you stay in southern Anhui, the least you could do is come to our family and refuse in person; that's the proper etiquette."

"Hehe... Is the story going to be like that?"

Hou Gong was speechless.

How did it come to this? He had just been standing there, and somehow he had become the one who had done something terribly wrong.

"I will respectfully escort you."

"What if I refuse to go?"

"I will respectfully escort you."

"Are you planning to use force?"

"I will respectfully escort you."

Hou Gong stared at him.

At this point, he was not a person but a wall.

Conversation was impossible.

He knew Qi Bidan Hun was a reckless guy, but he was someone who couldn't even communicate. He immediately stood up.

"I will stand up now. Don't follow me; I'm scared."

***

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock...

On the roof of the galloping carriage, complaints poured out.

"Ha... I never thought the Nangong family would be so frustrating. Seriously, who invites guests like this! Why is the atmosphere so tense! Damn, I thought he had a steel rod in his neck or something."

"The Nangong family is terrible. They're just a bunch of idiots!"

Yin Anggai and Xiao Tiankai's consecutive anger was joined by Miao Bingbing.

"He's an idiot, that's for sure. And the fact that he really doesn't come when told not to shows he lacks the backbone of a man. But that guy has good luck. If the Three Heroes and the Twin Heroes were there, he would have been stripped clean."

"Qi Bidan Hun is not at that level."

Yin Anggai shrugged and added.

"He has skills. He's definitely an idiot, though."

"Is he good at fighting?"

"Probably on par with the Twin Heroes."

"But what if the Three Heroes join in?"

"He would die even if his arms increased from seven to twenty."

"See, that's why he has good luck."

Then Xiao Tiankai whined.

"I got excited for nothing because of that idiot. What am I supposed to do with my excitement? Spit it out, Nangong family! How can you give up so quickly?"

The carriage turned onto a mountain road and entered a winding path.

Yang Xiao, on the driver's seat, slowed down.

And,

'What's this about giving up?'

Hou Gong was aware inside the carriage.

Qi Bidan Hun had been following all along, hiding his presence and waiting for the right opportunity.

'About here, I guess.'

If he appeared, the current entry point seemed suitable.

This place was uninhabited, and there were no signs of human habitation nearby. Even if a commotion arose and the noise grew loud, it wouldn't be a concern.

Sure enough,

Hou Gong's guess was correct.

A powerful aura suddenly rose from behind the carriage.

"What is it?"

"He followed us?"

"Fly over...?"

On the roof, Tiankongdan and the others, with surprised eyes, chased the dark figure flying overhead.

Qi Bidan Hun, who suddenly appeared behind the carriage, leaped onto the roof and landed in front of the carriage with a rustle of his clothes.

"Ah!"

Yang Xiao, on the driver's seat, was startled and grabbed the reins.

Whiiii!

The horses struggled as he tried to stop them abruptly. But because of the speed, they couldn't stop immediately. The carriage turned to the left and collided with the hill, shaking violently before finally coming to a stop.

"What is this nonsense!"

Yang Xiao shouted, unable to contain his anger.

Qi Bidan Hun tilted his head slightly with a faint smile. A chilling aura emanated from him.

"I don't think I did anything special... But what I'm about to do is actually just starting now."

Intimidated by his aura, Yang Xiao and the others on the roof didn't dare ask what he meant and just looked at him with puzzled eyes.

Qi Bidan Hun approached the horses.

He gently stroked the head of a horse that was nervously pawing the ground.

Once, twice, and then a third time.

He paused with his hand on the horse's head.

Suddenly,

Crack.

A scream erupted, and the horse collapsed on the spot.

There wasn't even a brief cry.

Qi Bidan Hun then burst the heads of the other three horses in the same manner. As each horse died and collapsed, the carriage jolted and gradually leaned forward.

Yang Xiao's face turned pale.

The move Qi Bidan Hun had just shown was a level of internal power that he couldn't even fathom.

It didn't seem like he had struck the horses, yet their brains had exploded. There was no external bleeding, and there wasn't even a dent in the horses' heads. It was as if the insides of the horses' heads had cleanly burst.

The others from Tiankongdan were also silent.

The move Qi Bidan Hun had casually revealed was not light, and the cold, indifferent aura he emitted was overwhelming the area.

The inside of the carriage was equally quiet.

Qi Bidan Hun bowed to the carriage.

"Great Young Master, I have committed a grave rudeness."

He was very polite and composed. His attitude was as if the person he was addressing was right in front of him.

The inside of the carriage remained silent.

Qi Bidan Hun continued.

"I suddenly blocked the road, damaged the carriage, and even killed the horses, causing significant damage. This is something I should be severely punished for, so please come with me to our family."

"..."

"You can report what just happened. I will accept the punishment, and you can receive an apology and compensation for the carriage and horses several times over."

There was no more unreasonable demand than this.

Miao Bingbing on the roof opened her eyes fiercely.

He had done something and now wanted to go to the Nangong family to be punished.

"You bastard, you're making a mess all by yourself."

Though she whispered, everyone heard it.

Qi Bidan Hun's gaze shot at Miao Bingbing like a dart. Miao Bingbing quickly looked away.

At that moment, Hou Gong inside the carriage had his eyes tightly closed.

But his posture was far from relaxed.

Due to the carriage leaning forward, Hou Gong, who had been sitting facing the back, was leaning back and almost lying down, which made him look quite awkward.

Song Hua, who was inside the carriage with him, couldn't do anything as her master remained motionless.

Her master's martial arts were at a level that couldn't be compared to hers, so there was no way he was injured. He was probably just organizing his thoughts.

Then Hou Gong moved his lips.

"Song Hua."

"Yes, Master."

"Go outside."

"......Yes."

After Song Hua left, Hou Gong called out to Qi Bidan Hun.

"Come in. I want to talk."

"......"

Qi Bidan Hun frowned.

When asked to come in, he found the state of the carriage ridiculous.

The carriage was leaning forward as if it had crashed. But since he had caused it, he felt awkward suggesting they talk outside.

Qi Bidan Hun first lifted the front of the carriage to level it. Once inside, he was offered a seat by Hou Gong, who was now sitting upright.

"Please sit here."

"Yes."

"Why are you doing this, Qi Bidan Hun?"

"Don't you know?"

Again, a response like a wall.

"This is too much. This isn't right, is it?"

"I think I was quite respectful."

"Do you treat everyone like this?"

"Yes."

"Have you never met anyone scary before?"

"Yes."

"Then you met one today."

Hou Gong said softly.

Qi Bidan Hun was momentarily confused but then burst into laughter, realizing what was meant.

"Haha, Great Young Master, you are a pleasant person, contrary to appearances."

He usually never laughed, but the absurdity of what he just heard was almost like a surprise attack.

"Ahem..."

Hou Gong cleared his throat, showing his discomfort, and spoke.

"This is not a laughing matter. Someone like you can be ended with just a touch of my finger."

As he spoke, Hou Gong extended his index finger and lightly tapped Qi Bidan Hun's body.

It was as if he was playing, light and fleeting.

The issue was that it happened seven times,

Each at a different point.

But Qi Bidan Hun couldn't detect Hou Gong's technique. Hou Gong's technique, which had reached the Fourth Level, was so natural, and the points he touched were not significant acupoints by common standards.

Qi Bidan Hun took it lightly.

"I didn't know Great Young Master was so remarkable."

"You only know the afterlife when you die."

"Am I going to die today?"

"Of course. By my hand."

Hou Gong smiled.

In contrast, Qi Bidan Hun's annoyance was building up. His tolerance for this was reaching its limit.

"I'm curious. How am I going to die?"

"You'll be buried alive. It'll be your first time, won't it?"

The calm tone hurt Qi Bidan Hun's pride.

His eyes flashed with anger.

"Great Young Master..."

"Speak."

"You've crossed the line just now."

"Hehe..."

Hou Gong smiled and continued.

"...When do you show off? Are you excited about the idea of dying unnoticed?"

"You bastard!"

As he was gradually getting irritated, Qi Bidan Hun lost his composure. He immediately extended his hand like a hook to grab Hou Gong's head. Without any preparatory movement, Hou Gong shot forward.

Crack!

He broke through the back of the carriage and escaped.

Bang!

Qi Bidan Hun, who had struck the spot where Hou Gong had been sitting, immediately followed. His anger was indescribable. Today's humiliation was the first of its kind for him. It was not only a personal insult but also a disgrace to the Nangong family.

Hou Gong hadn't gone far.

He had just moved to the back of the carriage and was waiting with his hands behind his back.

"Boss!"

"Brother!"

"Boss Brother!"

From the roof, Yin Anggai and the others shouted worriedly. Understanding the significance, Hou Gong stopped them.

"Stay there quietly."

Meanwhile, Qi Bidan Hun's palm force surged.

'Three!'

Hou Gong detected three streams of palm force.

Left, right, and center.

He had seven arms, so it wasn't a lie. To avoid all three, he would need to use the floating cloud technique or jump up, but Hou Gong decided to take one hit.

His body needed real combat experience. A full-force clash, not just a friendly match, was important to awaken his body.

He lightly moved his steps to the left and right and then returned. It looked as if he was panicking, unsure of where to dodge.

Bang.

The palm force that struck his chest hit Hou Gong directly.

Hou Gong was pushed back several steps.

He only stopped after retreating more than ten steps. Hou Gong adjusted his stance and checked the footprints left on the ground where he had stepped back.

Footprints were only left on the first two steps.

'Good.'

The application of one of the protective techniques, Tong Ji.

Tong Ji involves the penetration and transfer of external force.

Hou Gong was satisfied that the most difficult and meaningful technique among the three major protective techniques had been executed smoothly.

The force of the palm strike had completely dissipated into the ground by the second step.

He had retreated ten steps to avoid revealing his full strength.

But even so, Qi Bidan Hun was amazed.

'How?'

The palm strike had clearly been fatal. He even regretted being too hasty after landing the hit. The internal organs should have been shattered, causing instant death. Yet, the Great Young Master had only been pushed back.

Hou Gong smiled.

"I heard there's a guy who wanders the martial world with a cotton swab. It's you, isn't it?"