"AHH! My Dantian! You shattered my Dantian! Ye Fan! How dare you?! I'll kill you!!"
Lin Mufei's shriek dripped with venom.
Ye Fan drew Lingxu Sword, pressing its edge against Lin Mufei's throat. "Who are you?" His voice froze the air. "A first-rate clan's spoiled heir, daring to insult a Prince? If I execute you now, what can your Lin Clan do?"
The blade twitched. Unfazed, Lin Mufei spat, "Prince?! Hah! You stumbled into that title by luck! How did you learn the Loong Roar Fist? Did you steal my clan's technique?"
"Steal?" Ye Fan's laugh was icy. "Your clan's version is a broken manual—flawed. My strike carried the true Loong's roar. Would I steal garbage?" His boot ground Lin Mufei's face into the dirt. "Waste like you doesn't deserve to bark. Call me 'bastard' again, and you die."
Shink!
Lingxu Sword flashed. Tendons in Lin Mufei's right wrist severed. Ye Fan sheathed the blade.
"AAAAARGH!" Lin Mufei writhed, eyes wild. "Ye Fan! Bastard! Trash! Fatherless scum! Kill me if you dare!"
Ye Fan's foot lifted—then slammed down like a mountain. "Seeking death!"
"HALT!" A voice boomed from the estate.
Crunch.
Ye Fan's energy erupted. Ribs splintered. Lin Mufei's heart shattered. His eyes bulged, disbelief etching his final breath.
Beigong Qingtian stormed out, face thunderous. Onlookers murmured, unfazed—Lin Mufei's Qi Refining Stage Five made him the weakest here. Ye Fan's brutality, however, chilled them.
"I killed Lin Mucheng." Ye Fan's voice cut through whispers. "One more Lin flea changes nothing." He kicked the corpse toward Lin retainers. "Let's see if your clan dares touch me."
Guards scrambled to catch the body, blades half-drawn.
"I am a Prince of Chu!" Ye Fan's gaze swept the crowd. "Draw steel, and I exterminate your nine generations!"
Silence. Despite the rumors, only the Third Prince outranked him here. Guards lowered their weapons, retrieving the body.
The captain glared. "Prince Ye. This butchery won't go unanswered."
"Tell Lin Teng to find me." Ye Fan turned away. "I destroyed the Ye Clan. The Lin Clan is next."
"Quite the spectacle."
Beigong Qingtian approached, lips tight. Beigong Xue trailed him, disgust in her eyes. Brutal. Shameless. A villain reveling in power. What does Father see in him?
Ye Fan faced the Third Prince. "Invited me to humiliate me? Was this farce your script?"
Beigong Qingtian stiffened. Yes, he'd planned to mock Ye Fan—but admitting it? That insulted the Emperor himself.
"I was detained in the rear courtyard." The Prince's smile strained. "Yet you kill at my gates? Do you scorn my title?"
"He called me 'bastard' to my face." Ye Fan's stare was flint. "Should I have endured it?"
"Of course not!" Beigong Qingtian laughed hollowly. "Lin Mufei earned his fate. Come! Tonight's star is you, Prince Ye." He raised his voice, dripping honeyed malice. "All of you! Prince Ye isn't just nobility—he's my sister's new martial tutor! Appointed by the Emperor himself!"
He paused, letting the words sink in. "Day and night together. Hands-on guidance. Such imperial favor!"
A collective intake of breath. Four young men stepped forward, eyes blazing:
Qian Hong: Prime Minister's son. Heaven-Grade Two Stars. A prodigy who mastered obscure techniques.Ding Chunqiu: Minister's heir. Alchemy grandmaster. Revered across the continent.Donghuang Yu: Heir to the Donghuang Clan. Peerless movement arts. Fiercest suitor.Shangguan Feidu: Donghuang Yu's rival. Two perfected martial techniques. Unmatched comprehension.
The Five Princes of Chu—Beigong Qingtian and these four. Beigong Xue, the realm's foremost beauty, was their ultimate prize. Now this... upstart would touch her daily?
Hatred thickened the air. Ye Fan was a fly on their feast—insignificant, yet repulsive.
Beigong Qingtian beamed, ushering them inside. "Sit! Sit!"
Ye Fan found himself placed beside Beigong Xue. She stared at her lap, radiating wronged innocence. Donghuang Yu's knuckles whitened.
The Third Prince raised his cup. "To Prince Ye! My sister's mentor! Let's call you Brother Ye!"
As Ye Fan lifted his wine—
"STOP!"
Qian Hong's voice cracked like a whip. He rose, eyes cold. "Not just anyone is worthy to teach Her Highness."