Guan Shenghai fell to his knees with a thud, bowing his head and pleading with Tang Zhong for mercy.
This scene unfolded, and the expressions of everyone around turned grim.
They never expected such a thing to happen.
General Tang? What does that mean?
What era are we living in? How is the word "General" even relevant anymore?
Many people shivered slightly, almost forgetting that generals apparently still existed. And they were all stationed in the Xuanguan Sea region. Could it be that this man was really a general?
Very quickly, everyone treated it as a joke. Tang Zhong looked to be only in his twenties—how could he possibly be a general?
After all, everyone knew generals were supposed to be older.
Wasn’t it widely known that the youngest general in Xuan Country was over forty?
But as Guan Shenghai knelt there on the ground, it made everyone fall into deep thought.
Guan Jiannan was the first to be utterly stunned. He stared at his son and asked, "Ah Hai, what are you doing?"
Regarding his son, Guan Jiannan had always had a combination of love and frustration. He loved him because he was his only son, but he was frustrated because his son never lived up to expectations. Recently, however, Guan Jiannan had noticed a change in him. After a trip to Kunlun, something seemed to shift. He became more hardworking and focused. Guan Jiannan had thought his son had turned over a new leaf. Yet today, why was he suddenly acting ?
"Ah Hai, what are you doing? Get up now!" Guan Jiannan exclaimed.
With the reputation of the Guan family, they were the ones who received kneeling respect from others—never the other way around.
Qin Liehuo was equally dumbfounded. "Brother Hai, get up already!"
"Shut up!" Guan Shenghai snapped at Qin Liehuo.
Then, turning back to look at his father, he said, "Dad, you should kneel too."
"What?! Why?" Guan Jiannan was clearly displeased. "I am Guan Jiannan of the mighty Guan family! How could I kneel to someone so easily? And besides, kneeling to this kind of person—who does he even think he is—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Guan Shenghai sprang up, slapped a hand over his father’s mouth, and refused to let him speak further. Seeing his son shaking his head so frantically, it was as if his expression begged, *Please, don’t say another word.*
Guan Jiannan felt at a loss. His son was hopeless. Though his mouth was covered, he still tried speaking through muffled grunts.
"What are you doing?"
Qin Liehuo, growing anxious as well, realized the stakes for joining the Crown Prince’s Club were high. He couldn’t let Guan Shenghai ruin everything now.
"I told you to leave!" Guan Shenghai barked at him. How could he speak kindly to Qin Liehuo when the man almost caused the Guan family immense trouble?
"You—" Qin Liehuo gritted his teeth in anger.
If not for Guan Shenghai’s family name, Qin would have exploded at him a long time ago.
Finally, Guan Jiannan managed to push his son’s hand away and said, "What are you doing? He’s just the chairman of some Crown Prince’s Club. Why are you so scared of him?"
Those gathered around regarded the spectacle as if watching some absurd comedy unfold before their eyes.
Guan Shenghai was panicking. "He’s Tang Zhong. He’s Tang Tiansha!"
He couldn’t let Tang Zhong’s true identity be exposed to the entire crowd.
"I don’t care if he’s Tang Zhong. Even if he’s Tang Tiansha, so what?" Guan Jiannan said bluntly. But as the words escaped his mouth, a sense of unease gripped him. Why did the name Tang Tiansha sound so eerily familiar?
A moment later, cold sweat beaded on Guan Jiannan’s forehead as it clicked. He remembered why the name Tang Tiansha struck a chord. Being from Xuanguan Sea, he was deeply attuned to the events unfolding within the Martial Realm.
In recent days, there was no figure more notorious within the entire Martial Realm than Tang Tiansha.
In Yun Country’s Ruida State, he had directly stood against special agents.
To speak the truth, Guan Jiannan had even warned his family repeatedly to steer clear of this Tang Tiansha at all costs during their everyday dealings.
Though he had known the infamous name, he had never discerned who the man actually was.
Then Guan Jiannan turned to look at Tang Zhong, and in a trembling voice asked Guan Shenghai, "He... He is Tang Tiansha?"
Seeing his father finally understand, Guan Shenghai nodded his head repeatedly like a bobblehead doll.
At that moment, Guan Jiannan was truly panicking. Turning to Tang Zhong, his face turned ashen, and he stammered, "I’m sorry, Mr. Tang. I... I was wrong!"
Then, he deeply bowed in apology.
Everyone around was utterly stunned. They could never have imagined such a scene.
The mighty Guan family of Xuanguan Sea, actually kneeling to someone? It was inconceivable.
At that moment, Old Ji, standing nearby, suddenly felt his pupils contract. He finally recalled where he had seen this young man before. It was on a certain forum—The Black List Forum. And Tang Tiansha’s name sat right atop that list at number one.
Realizing this, Ji Ruochen slumped to the ground. He finally understood what this man’s presence signified. No wonder Guan Jiannan was so terrified. Across the entire Central Sea, anyone who encountered this man would tremble in fear. Sprawled out, he reached out his hand and shouted, "Liehuo... Stop!"
But his intervention came too late.
At this very moment, Qin Liehuo, enraged after seeing Guan Jiannan bow, snapped further, "Uncle Guan, how could you bow to this guy? Who does he think he is?"
Tang Zhong only smiled, saying nothing.
Guan Jiannan, head lowered, heard Qin Liehuo’s words and broke into a cold sweat. He deliberately put a little more distance between himself and Qin Liehuo.
Seeing this, Qin Liehuo’s whole being burned with anger. "Uncle Guan, just a mere chairman, and you’re this shaken? It seems the Qin family’s chances of returning to Xuanjing City are now hopeless!"
Though doubt gnawed at Qin Liehuo about whether Tang Zhong might be a significant figure, he dismissed it. Someone capable of subduing Guan Jiannan couldn’t possibly be the chairman of some lowly club.
But hearing Qin Liehuo’s remark, Guan Jiannan roared in outrage, "Apologize to Chairman Tang immediately!"
Guan Jiannan still hoped to lend the Qin family a hand. His only wish now was for Qin Liehuo to show some understanding. Otherwise, not just Qin Liehuo—no one in the entire Xuanbei Qin family would be a match for this man in front of them.
"Apologize? Me, Qin Liehuo, apologize to some lowly club chairman?" Qin Liehuo scoffed.
"Lowly club chairman? You are worlds apart from him. A hundred thousand Qin Liehuos could not hold a candle to this man. Qin Liehuo, listen carefully. From this moment, the Guan family has nothing more to do with the Qin family!" Guan Jiannan declared, bowing his head once again.
Not even a hundred thousand Qin Liehuos could measure up to the man before them.
Qin Liehuo was incredulous, but Guan Jiannan’s declaration of severing ties between the families gave him a jolt of panic.
Turning sharply to Tang Zhong, he shouted, "You! Who the hell are you?!"
Tang Zhong, still smiling faintly, replied, "Didn’t you just say it yourself? We’re people from two different worlds."