At the same moment, Tang Zhong had already made his move, unleashing a surge of Blood Power. He didn’t intend to escalate the matter, just wanted to teach Miao Jingtian and Miao Qing a little lesson.
In an instant, a palm strike exploded, heading directly toward Miao Jingtian.
Miao Jingtian froze, utterly caught off guard by Tang Zhong’s sudden attack, and immediately sneered, "Courting death!"
He pulled a Bone Whip directly from behind his waist and began to swing it.
"Since you want to die, I’ll grant you your wish now!"
The Life-taking Bone Whip slashed toward Tang Zhong’s attacking palm.
"I’ll destroy you first and talk later!" Miao Jingtian roared.
Crackling sounds echoed as the whip whipped through the air, causing the surrounding airflow to spiral.
In an instant, it clashed with Tang Zhong’s palm.
The Bone Whip was forced back instantly.
That was something Miao Jingtian never expected. He was confident that his strike would kill the opponent, but seeing this scene now, his expression drastically changed: "How is this possible?"
The onlookers were equally stunned. They too thought that with one lash, the urban youth would surely be dead. But now, the youth was completely unharmed.
"If you think this is impossible, what happens next will make you feel even more so!" Tang Zhong’s voice rang out.
Upon hearing his voice, Miao Jingtian froze momentarily. Turning around, he saw Tang Zhong attacking again.
Descending from the sky like a streak of lightning!
Miao Jingtian’s face darkened, as he hadn’t even seen clearly how the other party made his move earlier.
He swung the Life-taking Bone Whip again.
"Die! I refuse to believe I can’t cut you down this time!"
But this time, a killing aura began to emanate from the Life-taking Bone Whip.
Yet Tang Zhong simply extended a hand to grab it. As soon as the formidable whip neared Tang Zhong’s hand, its imposing aura dissipated instantly, and it was grasped firmly by Tang Zhong.
"This is impossible!" Miao Jingtian shouted in rage.
"I told you—it’s entirely possible!" Tang Zhong chuckled, channeling his Blood Power into the Bone Whip.
With a loud crack, the entire whip shattered into over a dozen pieces, scattering to the ground.
"My Bone Whip!" Miao Jingtian cried out.
"You’d better worry about yourself first. The lesson I’m giving you is simple—don’t be so arrogant. To some people, your status and position are nothing more than that of ants!" Tang Zhong said coldly before sending out a punch straight toward Miao Jingtian’s abdomen.
There was no chance to defend. Miao Jingtian was sent flying, landing heavily on the ground, creating a deep pit on impact. His hair was disheveled, and he appeared utterly pathetic.
"Father!" Miao Qing cried out in panic, rushing to help Miao Jingtian up. "Father, are you alright?"
Miao Jingtian coughed up blood and quickly waved his hand.
Miao Qing, seething with anger, turned to glare at Tang Zhong. "You’re seeking death, you piece of trash! You must have used some underhanded trick against my father. Just you wait—I’ll gather the best warriors of the Miao Village to deal with you!"
Hearing this, the ordinary villagers of Miao Village were all stunned. Earlier, when Tang Zhong had defeated Miao Jingtian, they were already bewildered, feeling that this youth from the urban world was anything but simple.
Li Chuwen’s parents were dumbfounded as well. They had assumed that with Miao Jingtian’s arrival, the youth from the city was as good as dead. But now, Miao Jingtian had been defeated instead.
Especially Li Chuwen, who was completely stunned. Yet she was even more worried for Tang Zhong. With Miao Jingtian defeated, the other Seventy-Two Villages might soon come for vengeance.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhong, calm and collected, returned to the Taishi Chair. He had no intention of killing anyone; he was merely giving Miao Jingtian a warning.
This was the last warning. If there were a next time, he would undoubtedly kill.
After all, this was Miao Village. Tang Zhong didn’t want trouble. Jiang Weiwei had asked him to help Li Chuwen, and he was determined to handle it beautifully.
Hearing Miao Qing threaten to retaliate against Tang Zhong, Miao Jingtian hurriedly interrupted, "No! You mustn’t!"
Struggling to his feet, Miao Jingtian looked at Tang Zhong with respect: "It is I who was blind and failed to realize that I was facing a Martial Arts Grandmaster!"
Miao Jingtian was utterly shaken. He had genuinely not expected his opponent to be a Grandmaster—such a young Martial Arts Grandmaster! It was nothing short of a miracle. Someone had to have a formidable mentor; otherwise, he’d never have believed it.
So Miao Jingtian decided to temporarily submit and plot later!
"Therefore... Li Chuwen is under my protection!" Tang Zhong declared.
"We withdraw... We will not proceed with the marriage," Miao Jingtian replied.
"No, that’s the woman I’ve taken a liking to, Father!" Miao Qing protested.
"Silence!" Miao Jingtian barked before giving Miao Qing a subtle look—a signal meaning they would discuss it later in private.
Miao Qing initially wanted to argue further but, seeing Miao Jingtian’s expression, hesitated before falling silent.
Their scheme did not escape Tang Zhong’s notice, but he didn’t care to expose it. What mattered to him was avoiding further conflict. If Miao Jingtian dared to act again, Tang Zhong wouldn’t hold back and would execute him without mercy!
"We’ll take our leave now!" Miao Jingtian said.
Tang Zhong said nothing as Miao Jingtian led Miao Qing and the others out of the Li Family compound under countless watchful gazes.
Once outside the Li Family gate, Miao Qing angrily said, "Father, are we really going to let this go?"
"No way!" Miao Jingtian clenched his fist.
"Then why didn’t we attack him with our strongest warriors and kill him?" Miao Qing asked.
"Even our entire Miao Village wouldn’t be enough to defeat him! For now, we must call upon reinforcements from the other villages. I’ll dispatch someone to notify them immediately. If we don’t kill this arrogant punk who dares to act recklessly in our Miao Village, I’ll never rest easy!" Miao Jingtian said furiously.
"Father, do you really think that guy is the disciple of some great master?" Miao Qing asked.
"I don’t know, but it’s likely!"
"Then should we risk killing him? Those masters can be terrifying when they seek revenge!" Miao Qing hesitated.
"What’s there to fear? This is the Southern Border; it’s our domain. Plus, with your grandfather backing us, there’s nothing to worry about. Just notify the others to take action!" Miao Jingtian ordered.
"I’ll send word right away!" Miao Qing replied.
Little did they know, everything they discussed was heard by Tang Zhong. With his Soul Transformation ability, he could detect movements within a twenty-meter radius.
Inside the courtyard, Tang Zhong let out a cold humph. "So, you’re still not convinced? Fine, I’ll wait here quietly."
This was the Southern Border, and while Tang Zhong had shown some leniency, it was limited. Once the limit was crossed, there’d be no more room for negotiation.
The surrounding onlookers, seeing Miao Jingtian defeated so miserably, dared not linger. Even Li Chuwen’s parents left in silence.
Now only Li Chuwen and Tang Zhong remained.
"You’re in big trouble. You must leave now and never come back," Li Chuwen hurriedly said.
"No need. This is a minor issue to me!" Tang Zhong replied. Suddenly, remembering Li Chuwen’s earlier mention of Weiwei, he continued to ask, "By the way, you mentioned Weiwei earlier. What’s going on with her?"
Li Chuwen’s body trembled as she recalled Weiwei’s repeated warnings not to tell Tang Zhong. Yet deep down, she desperately wanted to reveal the truth about Weiwei to him.
After an internal struggle, Li Chuwen sighed and said, "Nothing... Nothing’s wrong with Weiwei."
(Seeing so many people concerned about Jiang Weiwei, all I can tell you is: she’s an incredible woman, truly perfect!)