Chapter Twenty-Eight: Fame Spreads Across the Capital! (Part One)

The woman who had been beaten by Long Xiaoqing was not only beautiful but also carried herself with a certain grace, clearly someone of significant background.

“Miss Li, are you alright? Is everything okay?”

“Miss Li, shall we call an ambulance and take you to the hospital?”

Several female shop assistants hurried forward to help the woman who had been thrashed by Long Xiaoqing, their voices filled with anxiety.

Miss Li was a regular customer here, and all the staff were well aware of her powerful connections. If she were to blame them for anything, a single word from her could cost them their jobs.

While nervously attending to Miss Li, the saleswomen also cast worried glances at Yang Ye. He, too, possessed an extraordinary air, obviously not an ordinary person.

What should they do now?

“Hmph!” The woman surnamed Li snorted coldly, abruptly shoving aside the two shop assistants supporting her. She then pulled out her phone from her purse and dialed a number.

“Jiang the Blind, I’ve just been assaulted in the Huashang Boutique,” she said through gritted teeth as the line quickly connected.

“What?! Who dares lay a hand on you?” came the voice of a young man from the other end.

“They’re quite aggressive, probably people like you. Bring your men here right now. If you’re not here in five minutes, don’t bother coming to see me again!”

With that, she angrily hung up.

After ending the call, the woman fixed her gaze on Yang Ye and Long Xiaoqing, sneering, “Let’s see how tough you are. Don’t even think about running. Wait and see what I’ll do to you!”

Yang Ye and Long Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, then Yang Ye smiled, “Rest assured, Miss Li. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll wait for Jiang the Blind right here.”

The woman looked at them with disdain. “You seem so fearless, but I bet you have no idea who I’ve called. He’s Jiang Ming, the third young master of the Jiang family, one of the Four Young Lords of Xiajing. In this city, the Jiang family is among the most powerful clans of cultivators—no one dares cross them. I know you two have some skills, but compared to the Jiangs, you’re like—”

She didn’t finish. Long Xiaoqing raised her fist, causing the woman to shut her mouth in fright and retreat several steps.

Sensing that a conflict was imminent, the customers began to trickle out of the shop, and the staff retreated to a safe distance. The spacious boutique suddenly fell silent.

Yang Ye simply pulled out two chairs and sat down to wait patiently. He was curious to see what sort of person this Jiang Ming was.

Less than five minutes later, the screech of brakes sounded outside. A silver sports car and two black SUVs pulled up in front of the shop. A young man in a white suit stepped out of the sports car, and from each SUV emerged four burly men in black.

With a loud bang, the man in white kicked open the shop door and swaggered inside, followed by his eight subordinates.

This was clearly Jiang Ming, the third son of the Jiang family.

The moment Jiang Ming entered, Yang Ye understood why the woman had called him “Jiang the Blind.” His left eye was missing, replaced by a red artificial one that lent his face a menacing look.

Yang Ye glanced at Jiang Ming, sensing the fluctuations of star power within him. In his mind’s eye, he saw the image of a loosely structured planetary-class star.

Early planetary stage.

The eight bodyguards trailing Jiang Ming were also cultivators: four early planetary stage, three mid-stage, and one late-stage planetary stage.

Nine planetary-level cultivators arriving at once—no wonder Xiajing was famed as the capital of cultivation.

Yang Ye couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

As soon as Jiang Ming entered, the woman ran up to him, clinging to his arm and pointing at Yang Ye and Long Xiaoqing. “They’re the ones who hit me!”

From the moment he entered, Jiang Ming’s gaze had been fixed on Long Xiaoqing. Only when the woman spoke did he snap back to attention.

Sizing up Yang Ye’s cultivation, Jiang Ming curled his lips into a sneer and pointed at Yang Ye. “Break your own leg and crawl out of here, and I’ll let you off.”

“And her too!” the woman added.

Jiang Ming chuckled, “Such a delicate girl—how could she have beaten you?”

As he spoke, his eyes flashed with a ruthless glint as he glanced at the woman.

She was startled, realizing that the lecherous Jiang Ming had his eye on Long Xiaoqing. Quickly, she shifted the blame, pointing at Yang Ye. “Yes, yes! He’s the one who hit me.”

Jiang Ming nodded in satisfaction.

Yang Ye couldn’t help but laugh. He’d already sized up Jiang Ming’s character.

Seeing Yang Ye laugh, Jiang Ming sneered, “What are you waiting for? Do it now! If my men have to act, it’ll be much worse than just a broken leg.”

Yang Ye turned and glanced at the frightened shop assistants huddled in a corner. He said calmly, “It’s not convenient to fight here. Let’s not smash up their shop—why don’t we settle this outside?”

Jiang Ming smirked, “Fine by me.”

With that, he led his men out of the shop, unconcerned that Yang Ye might try to escape on his own turf.

Once Jiang Ming and his group exited, Yang Ye took Long Xiaoqing’s hand and followed.

As word spread of a fight about to break out, passersby began to gather at a safe distance to watch.

“Husband, this is all my fault. Let me handle it,” Long Xiaoqing said quietly, casting a cold glance at Jiang Ming’s group as they left the shop.

Yang Ye shook his head. “No need. I can deal with them in a few moves.”

He knew that if Long Xiaoqing acted, there would almost certainly be fatalities. After swallowing a late-stage stellar beast core, her power now far surpassed his own. Outwardly she appeared an ordinary young woman, as her body emitted no fluctuations of star power, but within she harbored terrifying strength. Her appearance was certainly deceptive.

“Get him! Break his arms and legs and toss him in the trash!” Jiang Ming barked impatiently as soon as Yang Ye stepped outside.

The eight bodyguards immediately surrounded Yang Ye. Though they could tell he might be at the peak of the planetary stage, their own side was by no means weak.

Jiang Ming was completely confident.

Yang Ye, dressed in a white shirt and black suit, calmly undid the top button of his shirt as the eight men closed in.

A whistling sound cut through the air.

One of the black-clad enforcers swung a fist at Yang Ye’s chest. Yang Ye raised his hand and punched back. He didn’t use his spiral force—otherwise, the man would have been killed on the spot.

A dull thud rang out.

The black-clad guard grunted as his heavy body was sent flying, crashing into one of the SUVs and flipping the several-ton vehicle onto its side.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the onlookers.

Amid the clash of fists, there was the unmistakable sound of bones breaking. The star power the guard had gathered in his fist was dispersed by Yang Ye’s strength; Yang Ye’s own energy surged into the man’s arm, shattering it instantly.

After bringing down the SUV, the guard clutched his ruined arm, beads of sweat as large as peas standing out on his forehead as he grimaced in pain.

The remaining seven guards were stunned, frozen in place.

The man whose arm Yang Ye had just destroyed was their captain—a late planetary stage cultivator! In Xiajing’s circle of cultivators, he was considered the strongest below the stellar rank. How could such a formidable figure be defeated in a single blow?

“Go on! All of you, get him! You know what happens if you disobey me!” Jiang Ming roared, flailing his arms in anger as his men hesitated.

The seven remaining guards exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth and charged at Yang Ye.

A series of heavy thuds echoed across the square.

Within a minute, all seven were down—some with broken arms, others with fractured legs. Yang Ye had held back; otherwise, there would have been eight corpses lying there.

Just as Yang Ye finished, he caught sight of Jiang Ming turning to flee.

Smart move.

Yang Ye flashed forward, appearing behind Jiang Ming, and with a swift kick knocked him to the ground. He raised his foot and stomped hard on Jiang Ming’s shin.

A sickening crack sounded.

Jiang Ming’s eyes bulged and his mouth opened in a scream so shrill it sounded almost inhuman.