Chapter 117 Zhangcheng is the Peak, Su Changqing's Daily Protectiveness

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow over the dilapidated gate of the Taiji Hall.

Su Changqing, carrying Xiao Nuomi, stepped across the threshold with unhurried pace.

His blue robe was spotless, as if he hadn't just finished a long journey, but had simply taken a stroll in the back garden.

The three people following behind him, however, had completely different styles.

Xiao Se remained as languid as ever, his hands tucked into his sleeves, but his eyes were even more profound and reserved than before he left.

He glanced indifferently at the mess in the main hall, especially at the unconscious Angry Sword Immortal, and a faint, cold smile appeared on his lips.

Lei Wujie, on the other hand, was as excited as a husky just released from its cage. He looked around, his eyes gleaming as he saw the sword marks on the wall and the broken bricks on the ground: "Wow! Wushuang, you're amazing! You actually managed to take down the Angry Sword Immortal? This has truly made our Changqing Tower's reputation shine!"

In contrast, Wushuang, who had just been so imposing and whose "Carved Radish Sword" move had astonished everyone, now looked like a wilted eggplant. He dragged his heavy steps, pitifully watching Su Changqing's retreating figure, muttering, "Two hundred pounds of radish... sir, that'll kill someone..."

"Not enough? Then three hundred catties it is." Su Changqing said without turning his head.

"That's enough! Two hundred catties is just right! I'm going right now!" Wushuang was startled and ran to the backyard with the sword box in her arms, afraid that Su Changqing would add more weight.

Inside the main hall, the diners who were trembling with fear breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Su Changqing and his group appear, as if they had seen saviors.

"Mr. Su is back! We're saved!"

"That was terrifying. I thought I was going to die here today."

"What kind of magical place is this Changqing Tower? Even a casual cook chopping vegetables could cripple the Angry Sword Immortal. Just how powerful must the owner be?"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, and their gazes toward Su Changqing held not only awe but also an almost blind admiration.

"Brother Su! You're finally back!"

Like a wronged young wife, Sikong Changfeng hurried to greet her, tears welling up in her eyes. "If you hadn't come back, the Taiji Hall would have been demolished! You have no idea how dangerous it was just now..."

"Alright, stop wailing here."

Su Changqing interrupted him with disdain, his gaze falling on Yan Zhantian lying on the ground. "How did you deal with this old guy? Is he dead?"

"He's not dead, but his heart meridian was injured by Wushuang's sword energy. He'll probably need to recuperate for at least half a year," Sikong Changfeng explained. "Brother Su, Yan Zhantian is, after all, one of the Five Great Sword Immortals and the master of Prince Bai. What do you think about this..."

"What happened to the White King's master?"

Su Changqing sneered, handed Xiao Nuomi to Li Hanyi, and then slowly walked up to Yan Zhantian.

He stretched out his foot and casually kicked Yan Zhantian's burly body.

"He came to my territory to cause trouble and even tried to smash my shop. If it weren't for the fact that Xiao Chong's attitude was relatively upright, I should have had Wushuang slice him up and roast him."

"Desolate!"

Su Changqing turned around and called out.

"What are your orders, sir?" Xiao Se stepped forward.

Let's do the math.

Su Changqing pointed to the damaged tables, chairs, and pillars inside the main hall.

"This old guy damaged so much of our property and ruined so much of our business. He owes me a full calculation of the emotional distress, lost wages, and site repair costs."

Xiao Se understood immediately, took out his signature little golden abacus from his sleeve, and his fingers flew across the page, producing a series of crisp "clattering" sounds.

"Sir, the Taiji Hall is a royal site, and these golden nanmu pillars and rosewood tables and chairs are priceless treasures. Furthermore, startling our distinguished guest has damaged the reputation of Changqing Tower..."

Xiao Se stopped what he was doing and solemnly announced a number: "Total: 100,000 taels of gold."

hiss--!

The entire audience gasped again.

One hundred thousand taels of gold! Did you completely renovate the Taiji Hall and even gild it?!

Sikong Changfeng's eyes twitched. He now understood that not only was the owner of Changqing Tower a ruthless person, but even this seemingly refined accountant was black-hearted!

"Only 100,000 taels? That's too cheap for him."

Su Changqing seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but didn't say anything more. He squatted down, took out a shiny black pill from his pocket, and roughly stuffed it into Yan Zhantian's mouth.

"Gulp."

Yan Zhantian, who was in a coma, was forced to swallow the pills.

"Cough cough cough!"

A moment later, Yan Zhantian coughed violently and suddenly opened his eyes. He felt that the tearing pain in his chest had lessened considerably, and a warm current was repairing his meridians.

"What...what did you feed me?" Yan Zhantian looked at Su Changqing in shock and anger.

"Don't worry, it's not poison, it's a 'life-saving pill'." Su Changqing stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "I'm a man who values ​​rules in business. You smashed my shop, and I saved your life. That's a matter of keeping things separate."

"Now that you're alive, let's talk about compensation."

Su Changqing pointed at Xiao Se, "Ten thousand taels of gold, cash or IOU?"

Yan Zhantian was stunned.

He, the mighty Angry Sword Immortal, came to cause trouble but was instead humiliated by a junior, and now he's being extorted for 100,000 taels of gold?!

"Don't even think about it!" Yan Zhantian roared, struggling to stand up, but found that his whole body was weak and he couldn't muster any internal strength at all.

"You won't give it to me?"

Su Changqing's eyes instantly turned cold.

He didn't waste any more words, but simply raised his right hand and made a grasping motion in mid-air.

"Buzz—!"

An indescribable, terrifying suction force erupted instantly!

Yan Zhantian felt his body fly up uncontrollably, and then his neck tightened as Su Changqing grabbed him and held him in mid-air!

A feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed me!

Yan Zhantian's legs kicked helplessly in the air, and extreme fear finally showed in his bloodshot eyes.

In front of this man, he felt like an ant, his life and death hanging in the balance!

"I'll ask one last time. To give it to you, or not?"

Su Changqing's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth, as if it came from the deepest hell.

"Give...I'll give..."

Yan Zhantian forced out those words with difficulty. He knew that if he dared to utter even half a "no," this man would crush his throat without hesitation!

"Wouldn't it have been better to just be decisive like this sooner?"

Su Changqing released his grip, and Yan Zhantian collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, panting heavily.

"Xiao Se, bring me paper and pen, and have him sign this. He has three days to deliver the money to Changqing Tower. If he's short even a tael, I'll go to his Muliang City and tear down its walls for firewood."

"Yes." Xiao Se deftly took out paper and pen and threw them in front of Yan Zhantian.

The mighty Furious Sword Immortal, in front of all the diners, humiliatingly signed this exorbitantly priced IOU.

After doing all this, Su Changqing acted as if he had only dealt with a trivial matter. He turned to look at the diners who were still in a daze, and his face returned to its usual warm smile.

"Dear guests, there was a slight mishap just now, and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience. To express our apologies, all items today are 10% off!"

Upon hearing this, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the hall.

"Boss Su is so generous!"

"Mr. Su is awesome!"

A 10% discount! This is the first time ever since Changqinglou opened! For these wealthy diners, saving even a tenth of their meal cost is a huge sum!

Looking at the lobby, which had instantly returned to its lively atmosphere, Su Changqing nodded in satisfaction.

"Lei Wujie, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and clean up this mess, get ready to serve the food! Can't you see the guests are hungry?"

"Okay! Coming right away!"

Lei Wujie cheerfully agreed and immediately transformed into a "super cleaner" and "chief waiter," bustling about in the main hall.

……

Night falls.

The hustle and bustle of Tianqi City gradually subsided, but the Changqing Tower (Taiji Hall) remained brightly lit.

Inside the private room on the second floor.

The Su family of three, along with Xiao Se, Lei Wujie, and Wushuang, whose hands were trembling from cutting two hundred pounds of radishes, sat around a huge round table, enjoying a sumptuous "welcome feast".

"Mmm... Brother-in-law's braised lion's head meatballs are still the best!" Lei Wujie mumbled a praise as he stuffed meat into his mouth.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Li Hanyi shook her head helplessly and picked up a piece of fish meat with the bones removed for Xiao Nuomi.

"Daddy, why is Brother Wushuang shaking?" Little Nuomi asked curiously, looking at Wushuang sitting opposite her, who couldn't even hold his chopsticks properly.

"He was practicing the highest level of 'Shaking Hand Sword Technique'," Su Changqing said with a straight face, spouting nonsense.

Wushuang wanted to cry but had no tears.

What kind of shaky swordsmanship is that?! It's like his muscles cramped up from cutting a radish!

"By the way, Xiao Se."

Su Changqing put down his wine glass, looked at Xiao Se sitting opposite him, and his tone became somewhat serious.

"I've already dealt with that 'ancestor' from Outer Heaven. Wuxin is probably busy reorganizing the Demonic Sect right now, so he shouldn't be coming to Tianqi City to cause trouble anytime soon."

"As for you..."

Su Changqing's gaze swept over Xiao Se.

"Although your hidden meridians have been reshaped, and you have even benefited from the misfortune to step into the half-step Divine Realm, the Imperial Dragon Qi within you is still not refined enough."

"To truly control this power, it's not enough to sit on the dragon throne and be an emperor issuing orders. You need to experience the true baptism of blood and fire, and to understand the rise and fall of this world."

Xiao Se put down his chopsticks and nodded solemnly.

"What you mean, sir..."

"Let's go to the border."

Su Changqing said calmly, "Although I have crippled one of Nan Jue's national advisors and his navy has suffered heavy losses this time, their wolfish ambitions will not be extinguished. A major battle will inevitably break out on the border sooner or later."

"Go there, go see the soldiers who bled and sacrificed their lives to protect this land, go see the civilians who struggled to survive in the flames of war."

"Only when you truly understand the weight of the word 'all under heaven' can your imperial dragon aura truly awaken. Only then can you become a true king."

These words struck Xiao Se's heart like a resounding bell.

He remained silent for a long time.

Countless images flashed through my mind. There was the prosperity of Tianqi City, the intrigue and backstabbing in the imperial court, but even more so, the resolute faces of the soldiers guarding the frontier in the wind and snow.

"Xiao Se... understands."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Su Changqing.

"Tomorrow morning, I will bid farewell to my second brother and head to the southern border. I swear I will not return to the court until the Southern Cult is defeated!"

"good!"

Lei Wujie slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Xiao Se, I'll go with you! Let's brothers go to the Southern Border and have a good time!"

"I'm going too!" Wushuang shouted excitedly. "I want to use those masters from the Southern Manual to hone my Great Ming Vermilion Bird!"