Chapter 39: You Owe This Highness Another Favour
Following, a series of soft Elemental Energy fell from the sky and enveloped the scattered pieces of stone caused by the black-clothed old man’s sword aura and slowly pieced together one by one. In just a moment, the bluestone1 flooring’s cracks slowly closed and was restored to its original state.
Upon seeing this, Lou Mu Yan retracted the Secret Skill she was about to use, and the spider-thread-like Mental Energy also dispersed into nothingness, submerged in her Sea of Consciousness, as if it had never appeared before.
“Woman, you owe This Highness another favour.” A male voice with a sense of magnetic maturity brushed past Lou Mu Yan’s ears like a spring breeze.
The coldness in Lou Mu Yan’s eyes was replaced by a faint smile—it was indeed Ming Xiu, that devilish man, that acted.
When the giant blazing palm struck, she felt the Elemental Energy fluctuation belonged to Ming Xiu, and an inexplicable sense of trust rose in her heart.
Lou Mu Yan turned around upon sensing something and raised her eyes to see the valiant, tall, and imposing man, wearing a silver mask, elegantly walk over.
His red robe danced flamboyantly with the wind, and a domineering aura naturally exuded from him, defeating all the men present. Others were like his foil, just like how the light of fireflies could never compete with the bright moon.
“Monarch Ming!” The black-clothed old man clutched his chest, his face extremely ugly, while his eyes revealed slight fear. He was afraid of this man that walked towards him from the bottom of his heart.
Monarch Ming, the Highness of the Nine-Layer Hall2 that the Ming Alliance of Merchants was subordinate to. His identity and strength were mysterious and unfathomable, while he acted on whatever he felt like doing, and even had the nickname ‘God of Murder’. Amongst the Sword Monarchs, he was unmatched, and even Sword Sovereigns didn’t dare provoke him.
Ming Xiu looked askance at him, his voice as cold as water: “You recognise This Highness?”
“The name of Monarch Ming has long resounded throughout Tian’ling Continent. Although this old man has never met Your Highness, but I have already heard of Your Highness’s deeds.” The black-clothed old man barely managed a smile while his posture remained very low.
Rumour had it that Monarch Ming always wore a flamboyant red robe with a silver, dark-patterned mask, was arbitrary, arrogant, and tyrannical, and upon first glance, it was indeed as such.
Seeing the complete reversal of attitude by the black-clothed old man, treating the red-clothed man with respect, the crowd of onlookers wondered: who was this man who had a noble and impressive temperament?
It was no wonder that the people present didn’t know the name of Monarch Ming. Although he had long become famous throughout Tian’ling Continent, but that was mainly limited to the high-level Sword Masters. Those Sword Masters beneath Sword Monarch Stage had no way of engaging in many of the land’s secrets.
“Humph, you’ve heard of This Highness’s name and yet you still dare be so impudent at the entrance to the Ming Alliance of Merchants. Aren’t you very good!” Ming Xiu’s voice carried a chill and people couldn’t help but shudder.
“I did not indent to offend Monarch Ming. I simply had some disputes with a junior, so I do hope that Monarch Ming does not blame me.” The black-clothed old man bent slightly. He could only bow his head in front of formidable strength.
Towards Monarch Ming, the black-clothed old man couldn’t afford to resist or disrespect him. This man’s power was unfathomable, his behaviour was devilish and cold, and his temperament was even more capricious than those from the Ghost Sects. Regardless of who provoked him, they’d end up worse than death.
Ming Xiu looked askance at Lou Mu Yan and a rare expression of a smile rose in his narrow phoenix eyes. With a flip of his hand, a medicine bottle appeared in his palm.
“It is the negligence of my Ming Alliance of Merchants to allow Young Miss Lou to have been threatened the moment you stepped out of the entrance, right after participating in our auction. Consider this bottle of medicine as an apology.” Ming Xiu’s voice was cold and indifferent, and one couldn’t hear any emotions. He handed the bottle in his palm to Lou Mu Yan, “This Highness will give Young Miss Lou an explanation.”
Lou Mu Yan rolled her eyes inwardly—he sure could act. But she was close to being in the limelight because of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, so if this devilish man displayed any hint that they recognised each other, then that’d be an even bigger problem.
“Thank you Monarch Ming!” Lou Mu Yan respectfully reached out her hand and took the medicine bottle, pulled off its cap then and there and shook the light-yellow medicinal powder onto her wound.
As soon as the wound on the wrist came into contact with the medicinal powder, the blood naturally stopped. The burning sensation also vanished and was replaced by a refreshing sensation. As expected, she knew this devil’s items would be extraordinary. He just casually took out a bottle and it was powder from crushed Grade 3 healing pills.
The black-clothed old man’s heart thumped erratically, and the strong sense of unease grew even stronger. He secretly regretted attacking Lou Mu Yan at the entrance to the Ming Alliance of Merchants and should’ve snuck into the Lou Mansion at night, kidnap the beast and kill her.
“As a Sword Monarch, even if you aren’t ashamed of attacking a kid at the Great Sword Master Stage, This Highness feels it to be irksome.”
Ming Xiu stretched out his hand lazily and clapped twice. Two masked men in black exuding the pressure of an expert suddenly appeared from the shadows, carrying a dangerous aura. Their cultivation base was also above the old man.
“Master!” The two knelt respectfully and awaited Ming Xiu’s order.
“Give him to the Law Enforcement Unit. Those who dared provoke the Alliance must be punished according to the law.”
The Ming Alliance of Merchants had announced several rules of theirs long ago, and even organised a special Law Enforcement Unit that specifically punished those that dared provoke the Alliance, or those that had malicious intents towards the Alliance. After being arrested, they wouldn’t be killed, but they definitely wouldn’t end up nice.
Upon hearing Monarch Ming’s plan to give him to the Law Enforcement Unit, terror rose in the black-clothed old man’s heart. He knew about that place, and heard that after entering, living was worse than death, and no one would be able to exit without peeling a few layers of skin3
.“Please be merciful, Monarch Ming! I am the Outer Elder of our Yin Sect and plead of Your Highness to not bother with this matter considering our sect. I will never offend the Ming Alliance of Merchants next time.” The black-clothed old man’s posture was very low. Even though he was a Sword Monarch, but in front of Monarch Ming, he was nothing. He didn’t dare provoke this arrogant and domineering man at all.
Ming Xiu squinted at the black-clothed old man—greedy for life and fearful of death, it truly was a waste of his cultivation as a Sword Monarch. Normally he’d be too lazy to take action, but this time this person hurt Lou Mu Yan, which made him exceptionally displeased. He was unforgivable.
“Take him away.” Ming Xiu waved his hand casually at his two subordinates.
“Monarch Ming, you cannot treat me like this! I am a member of the Yin Sect, don’t you push people too far.” The black-clothed man was essentially a Sword Monarch. He was already disgraced enough from acting so lowly before, yet Monarch Ming still didn’t give him any face.
“So what about the Ying Sect? It has never entered This Highness’s eyes.” Ming Xiu huffed coldly. He had long been displeased with the Yin Sect. So what if he killed him in public, let alone just throwing him to the law Enforcement Unit?
The black-clothed old man’s heart sank. He mobilised all the Elemental Energy he had and gathered it in his palm, then bit his fingertip until it bled and quickly chanted an incantation. He’d attempt to escape using the Yin Sect’s escape skill, the Blood Elusion Method. If he could successfully escape, then he wouldn’t be forcefully captured by the Ming Alliance of Merchant’s Law Enforcement Unit. As for how to deal with the arrest order given by the Ming Alliance of Merchants, he would think of it later.
A ray of blood-red light slowly emerged from the black-clothed old man. Just when it was about to envelop him whole, a golden chain flew out from each of the hands of Ming Xiu’s two black-clothed subordinate, locking him in place. It even interrupted the secret hand-seals he was performing to use to escape.
The black-clothed old man’s eyes were full of dismay and attempted to use his sword skills to resist. However, he couldn’t utilise any of his Elemental Energy as they were forcefully suppressed by the golden chains, and it was then that horror rose in his eyes.
As he was being taken away be the two, the black-clothed old man turned his head and glared at Lou Mu Yan with hostility and killing intent. It was all that little girl’s fault today. If he could come out alive from the Ming Alliance of Merchant’s Law Enforcement Unit’s control, then he must refine her into a mummy to dispel his hatred.
Lou Mu Yan sneered—this damned old bastard even had killing intent towards her now, but who knew who’d kill who in the future.
The black-clothed Sword Monarch expert being locked by the golden chain, then disappearing with the two men in black caused everyone present to look at Ming Xiu with horror and fear—just who was this man?
Translated product by May Our 梦 Come True
1minor change from limestone to bluestone.
2pretty sure the name of his Hall is a reference to the nine-layers of Heaven in Chinese mythology.
3they’d be put through a lot of agony and wouldn’t come out unscathed.