Zu An looked at the jade token in his hands. It was probably equivalent to the placeâs highest VIP status. Reaching such a level was obviously not easy. Meanwhile, his number was 333, meaning that there werenât many others of similar status.
Furthermore, when he heard that from that managerâs tone and how there were other Hub of Freedom locations, he had just been about to sigh in admiration toward their influence and size when he heard the mocking voice ridiculing him.
When Zu An turned around, he saw a group of people standing on the stairs. The one in the lead was a young man with a sneer on his face. It was such a cold day, yet he had a fan in his hands. This man was definitely a culture snob.
The worst part was that he didnât even look all that suave and confident. Even though he had a mask on, Zu An could still see that he had dead fish eyes. They didnât look all that intelligent, and he was leaning on the railing in a sloppy manner, making his character seem even more wretched.
Zu An sensed his aura roughly with ki. The other individualâs cultivation was only around the fifth rank. As such, he didnât pay the snob any more attention after a single glance, and instead looked at the elder behind him. The elderâs presence was steady, and the ki fluctuations he radiated were around the seventh rank. He could barely be considered a powerful cultivator.
As for the followers behind him, they were only around the third or fourth rank, with even some non-cultivators among them. They were clearly servants. These people wouldnât be anything special in a place like the capital, but they were already quite the force in these local areas. They would be enough to even wipe out some smaller scale sects.
When he heard the remark, the manager said politely, âThe esteemed guests of the Hub of Freedom are all of an appraised standard. This young master has satisfied the conditions, so he naturally deserves a jade token.â
The dead fish-eyed man snorted coldly. He was about to say something, but the elder whispered something behind him. Then, perhaps out of fear of the Hub of Freedomâs influence, he didnât say anything else. He turned around and saw Zu An. As if sensing the contempt in Zu Anâs eyes, he felt incredibly annoyed. His dead fish eyes widened and he exclaimed, âWhat are you looking at?â
Zu An laughed inwardly. He hadnât expected someone else to use his own skill against him! As such, he gave the appropriate response without any hesitation. âIâm staring at you, shithead!â
The dead fish-eyed manâs chest rose and fell rapidly; he was clearly furious. âVery good⦠Itâs already been a long time since anyone dared to speak to this young master like that.â
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +222 +222 +222â¦
Sun Ji? Zu An racked his brain, because the name seemed a bit familiar. He said, âHah, I almost thought you were King Yanâs heir or something from how arrogantly you were acting. I wonder where a random beggar like you came from.â
The heir of King Yan would obviously be surnamed Zhao. There was no chance of it being the man in front of him. He had just reflected on his laziness in acquiring Rage points recently. Now was such a good chance, so he obviously had to do some proper farming.
Sure enough, the dead fish-eyed man immediately erupted with rage. âYouâve successfully angered this young master! Youâll soon pay the price.â
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +444 +444 +444â¦
The manager had a surprised look on his face. He gave Zu An another look. How does this person know the young master isnât King Yanâs heir? Everyone is wearing masks! Could it be that heâs close to King Yanâs heir?
But thatâs not right⦠If he really is close to King Yan, thereâs no way he wouldnât recognize the young master!
Zu An gave the other party a mocking look. âDid you make it this far in life just by relying on that mouth of yours?â
âYou!â The dead fish-eyed man pointed at Zu An. The skin around his neck was turning red from anger.
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +682 +682 +682â¦
The elder stepped forward just then as well. He remarked sternly, âYoungster, did your parents not teach you that a loose tongue may cause trouble?â
Zu An said indifferently, âOld man, if youâre old, you should stay home and raise your grandson properly. If you hop around blindly outside, any legacy youâve built up might just get washed away.â
The elder narrowed his eyes. âReaching six ranks of cultivation at your age is quite excellent, and so you must have lived your life quite arrogantly. Unfortunately, this experienced one will offer you some advice. There will always be someone better than you, so it would be best to not behave too pridefully outside. Ever since ancient times, there has been no lack of geniuses who came to a premature end.â
You have successfully trolled Yang Long for +280 +280 +280â¦
He had clearly observed Zu Anâs cultivation beforehand in secret. When he sensed that Zu Anâs cultivation was only at the sixth rank, he immediately relaxed. The threatening implication behind his words was clear.
However, even though he was trying to intimidate Zu An, this youngster had been able to reach the sixth rank at such a young age, so he might have some kind of family background. That was why he held back for the time being, settling for warning him to back out of the awkward situation.
Zu An picked his ear a bit, then flicked the earwax away. âAs expected, if the owner is like this, the dog wonât be much different. Youâre all too scared to fight and only know how to bark.â
The manager watching from off to the side was speechless. This person looked rather refined and cultured just now; why does he now seem as if heâs really good at starting trouble? The other side is probably about to explode from anger, right?
The elder named Yang Long turned away, as if to avoid the intangible verbal attack. His complexion was completely ashen.
Mister dead fish eyes turned around to look at the Hub of Freedomâs manager, asking, âBy what qualification was he able to obtain your businessâ jade token?â
The manager took out a pigeon-sized sapphire. âThis chrysanthemum sapphire is just too rare and preciousâ¦â
He was cut off by the dead fish-eyed man before he even finished his sentence. âHah, and here I thought it was someone crazy influential! So it was just an upstart who relied on a shoddy gemstone. Elder Yang, out of respect for the Hub of Freedom, spare his life. Itâll be enough as long as you cut off his tongue.â
Those who were watching from the surroundings shivered. Having oneâs tongue cut off might even be worse than death⦠The worst part was that the man made it sound as if he were being merciful. Even though that youngsterâs words were harsh, there was no need for such harsh treatment, right?
Of course, they all only cursed a bit silently. No one would step out in the name of justice in this kind of situation.
Zu An was instead a bit surprised. Looks like this dead fish-eyed guy isnât just a completely ignorant spoiled brat after all! At the very least, he asked the manager about my background first.
As for the other partyâs threat, he didnât care in the slightest. What kind of crazy schemes and drama hadnât he experienced before? Small fry like this couldnât even produce the slightest ripple in his emotions. If it werenât because he needed to earn Rage points, he wouldnât have even bothered to say another sentence to them.
The elder named Yang Long nodded. He took a step forward, and all of his ki fluctuations erupted, locking onto Zu An. âYoungster, if you speak randomly outside your clan, you have to pay the price for it.â
The pressure immediately made many people whose cultivations were lower find it hard to breathe. They were all horrified. This was actually a seventh rank expert! It seemed this youngster was done for.
Zu Anâs eyes narrowed. Just then, however, the Hub of Freedom manager stepped forward and stood between the two of them, saying, âYoung master Sun, please cease fighting here.â
The observers began to whisper among themselves.
âYoung master Sun? Which young master Sun?â
âHow many young master Suns can there even be in Yi Commandery?â
âSo it was Sun Xiangâs young master. This youngsterâs future might really be finished.â
â¦
Even though their whispers were soft, Zu Anâs cultivation was already extremely high and he heard everything clearly. He immediately realized who it was.
The Sun Xiang they spoke of wasnât actually named Sun Xiang; rather, they were referring to the âXiang Ministerâ, Sun Xun, who worked under King Yan. These local kings had their own small official courts, and they had all kinds of officials working in them. Of course, they were much smaller than the central court.
The position of âXiang Ministerâ was that of second-in-command under King Yan. Sang Hong had already introduced the important officials underneath King Yan on the ship before they arrived, and this Minister Sun Xun was the one of highest importance. He was King Yanâs greatest trusted aide and possessed tremendous status and authority in the area. No wonder his son was so arrogant.
Mister dead fish eyes spoke up. âWhat, are you trying to help him right now?â
The manager shook his head. âI am not helping anyone. I do not care what you do outside, but our Hub of Freedom has its own rules. Private conflicts are strictly forbidden here, let alone between fellow jade token-holding guests. If something ended up happening to him inside of our building, our reputation would be completely ruined.â
The dead fish-eyed man was about to say something else, but elder Yang Long had already withdrawn. He whispered quietly, âYoung master, the Hub of Freedomâs background is deep and immeasurable. There is no need whatsoever to publicly engage in conflict with him here. Furthermore, the manager is implying that they will not care what we do once we leave. Why donât weâ¦â
Mister dead fish eyes nodded. âFine, then weâll show the Hub of Freedom some respect today.â Then, he turned around to give Zu An a sneer. âWeâll let you live a bit longer then.â
However, once they were outside, it wasnât just going to be a tongue. Even though an ordinary person wouldnât be able to find out the identity of another masked guest, it was a completely different story with his influence.
Zu An replied indifferently, âYou should be the one thankful that you got to keep your life.â He walked straight in afterward. He didnât feel like paying them any more attention.
Mister dead fish eyes and the elder were both speechless.
You have successfully trolled Sun Ji for +666 +666 +666â¦
You have successfully trolled Yang Long for +666 +666 +666â¦
Forget about them, even those in the surroundings began to whisper among themselves.
The Hub of Freedom manager also frowned. Heâs way too arrogant⦠Is this youngster already tired of living? He was fortunate enough to keep his life here. Shouldnât he try to be a bit more low-profile?