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Chapter 1125: Guess What Unfortunately, he was denied the chance. The other man cut him off directly: “I never repeat myself. Since you don’t understand when I’m being polite, I’ll be blunt: get the hell out.” Fortunately, no one witnessed this scene; otherwise, they would have been utterly shocked. The mighty Prince of Wei had been told to get lost outright, yet he dared not utter another word. He could only leave with a cold expression. Staying any longer would have been utterly shameless—he might even have been beaten to a pulp or killed on the spot. As soon as the Prince of Wei left, the innkeeper was about to approach him to say something, but upon seeing the prince’s grim expression, he immediately stopped. As an innkeeper, he was skilled at reading people’s expressions; it was clear the prince was not in his master’s good graces, so naturally, he saw no reason to be friendly. After all, his master was far more important than some Prince of Wei. The Prince of Wei’s men, noticing his displeasure, immediately stepped forward. “Your Highness, what’s wrong? Did they refuse to show you respect? Shall we go up there and take care of him?” The Prince of Wei’s personal guards had no idea who their master was meeting with. Seeing their master so furious, they naturally stepped forward to demonstrate their loyalty. Little did they realize, however, that the man in question was none other than the renowned Young Master Qian; had they known, they would surely have regretted uttering those words. “Smack!” A sharp crack rang out as the speaking guard was slapped across the face. The one who struck him was the shopkeeper himself. As a subordinate of Qian Ruhai, it was utterly unforgivable for anyone to dare insult his master right in front of him. “What did you just say? Who do you think you’re going to take out? Do you think I won’t make sure not a single one of you walks out of here today?” the shopkeeper roared, his fury unleashed. The Prince of Wei’s men were completely dumbfounded; they never imagined a mere shopkeeper would dare strike them. “Are you tired of living? We’re the Prince of Wei’s men, do you understand? Do you think we won’t smash your shop to pieces? Damn it, get down on your knees and kowtow to apologize, then let me slap you a dozen times—no, a hundred times. Otherwise, I’ll slice you open from ear to ear today.” The beaten henchman immediately protested. Usually, they were the ones bullying others; they’d never encountered anyone who dared to stand up to them. The shopkeeper didn’t care. Never mind being the Prince of Wei’s men—even if the Prince of Wei himself dared to speak to his boss like that, he’d beat him just the same. “Absolute loyalty” was their motto, but of course, loyalty alone wasn’t enough. they needed the backing to back it up—and that backing came from power. While others might not know the full extent of their influence, he had a pretty good idea: it was power capable of standing up to the imperial court—no, power sufficient to overthrow it. That’s why the rules at Qian’s Restaurant trumped even those of the imperial palace; even the emperor would have to follow the restaurant’s rules if he came here. Hearing this man’s arrogant remarks, he was thrilled to the core. He’d been waiting for this for a long time; he’d long wanted to teach those bastards in the imperial court a lesson. And now, with the Prince of Wei speaking so insolently today, why not just overthrow the court outright? Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed. The Prince of Wei slapped his subordinate across the face and barked, “I’m right here—do you really need to butt in? Get out of here! You lot are good for nothing but causing trouble. All you know how to do is get me into trouble. Don’t you have any idea where we are?” Recalling the earlier exchange, coupled with his subordinate’s behavior, his anger boiled over. The coldness he’d faced moments ago was clearly due to this group of men. He couldn’t fathom how his subordinates had managed to offend Qian Ruhai so thoroughly that the man couldn’t even bear to look at him. Moreover, it was hard to believe that his breakdown in negotiations with Qian Ruhai was actually caused by his own men. The subordinate was stunned, completely baffled as to what had gotten into his master today. After venting his anger, the Prince of Wei walked forward. Although his men were clueless and deserved a stern reprimand, he wouldn’t do it in front of outsiders. Today had been the greatest farce and humiliation of his life; he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. His men naturally followed close behind. With their master in such an unusual mood today, they dared not make a single move. The Prince of Wei had never been a merciful man; once he was displeased, he truly struck with ruthless force. Just then, however, the innkeeper spoke up: “Are you just going to walk away like this, Prince Wei? Your men have insulted our master—don’t you owe us an explanation?” This was nothing short of provocation. In truth, the Prince of Wei had already shown considerable restraint, and his behavior could be considered passable under the circumstances. But the shopkeeper knew Qian Ruhai’s temperament all too well: it was absolutely his prerogative to insult others, but if anyone dared to insult him, he would make their life a living hell. As a subordinate, it was his duty to uphold Qian Ruhai’s character to the fullest—never mind whether it was reasonable or not, because that was simply the kind of domineering man he was. Prince Wei’s face darkened. He knew this was a provocation, and he could have let it slide—but the other party was merely a lowly shopkeeper under his command. This was simply too brazen. He was seething with frustration, desperate to unleash his wrath, to have this damned shopkeeper beaten to a pulp and the shop torn down to the ground. But upon reflection, he had no choice but to swallow his anger once more. He’d conducted a thorough investigation into this man and knew he was not only domineering but also fiercely protective of his own. He could beat and berate his own subordinates however he pleased—even if he detested them—but no one else was allowed to lay a finger on them. That was Qian Ruhai’s code. If he dared to strike the shopkeeper today, Qian Ruhai would kill him on the spot. The thought made cold sweat break out on his brow; he had come dangerously close to making a grave mistake. So he turned to face the shopkeeper, his expression icy, though his tone remained unyielding. He simply asked, “What kind of explanation does the shopkeeper expect?” “Since this man has insulted our master, he deserves to die.” As the shopkeeper spoke, a murderous aura erupted from him. As a top-tier martial artist, his true prowess had been concealed by his appearance; most people only saw his portly, affable demeanor. But when he unleashed his power, he remained a master capable of killing at any moment. The Prince of Wei’s eyelids twitched violently. Without firsthand experience, it was truly hard to imagine just how formidable this power was. Even within this small shop, the proprietor, the cook in the back, and the waiter were all top-tier martial artists, while the unassuming servants were second-rate at best. As the shopkeeper unleashed his power, everyone followed suit—and this was merely within the inn. At the Qian Family Cloth Store,the Qian Family Grain Store, the Qian Family Money House, and so on—all unleashed astonishing auras of martial prowess in tandem with the proprietor’s outburst. He roughly estimated there were at least thirty first-rate masters. Such strength was more than enough to unleash a bloodbath in the martial world; even the imperial court would need a three-thousand-strong elite force to wipe out this group. And this was only what he had sensed—what of those he hadn’t detected? There were nearly twenty shops of all sizes in Stone City. By this calculation, there were at least a hundred top-tier martial artists. When had martial experts become so commonplace? Such a force was fully capable of wiping out the City Lord’s mansion and the city’s army, making the conquest of Stone City as easy as turning over one’s hand. And this was just Stone City. Yet it was clear that other cities were in much the same situation; after all, the saying that the Qian family’s enterprises spanned the entire realm was no empty boast. Unless one experiences it firsthand, one cannot fully grasp the sheer terror of such power. If they were to overthrow the imperial court, it would likely be a breeze. The man who had just been cursing the Prince of Wei’s men was now stunned, utterly baffled as to how a plump, harmless-looking innkeeper could suddenly turn out to be a martial arts master. He would never get the chance to find out the answer, for at that very moment, the innkeeper had already seized him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, clearly intending to choke him to death. “Prince… Wei, save… me!” he shouted with his last ounce of strength, hoping the Prince of Wei would spare his life. Unfortunately, the Prince of Wei could only watch helplessly. He opened his mouth several times but ultimately said nothing, for he was powerless to intervene. In the end, the man was choked to death, his eyes wide open and his tongue hanging out, clearly dying with a look of disbelief. He simply couldn’t understand it—hadn’t he merely cursed a few people on his master’s behalf? Why had he been killed? He was filled with resentment. According to superstition, someone who died this way would become a vengeful spirit to seek revenge, but unfortunately, the shopkeeper clearly had no such qualms. He, of course, had no such concerns either. Whether it was a vengeful spirit or not was nothing but a joke to him. Needless to say, there wasn’t one, but even if there were, with the strength of his spirit, he could annihilate it in a single breath. Prince Wei turned and walked away; staying any longer would only be a humiliation, making him look even more foolish. Yet the innkeeper had no intention of letting him leave so easily. He spoke directly: “Your Highness Prince Wei, please take your belongings.” With that, he tossed the Prince of Wei’s subordinate—whom he had just strangled to death—back to the prince. The Prince of Wei caught him in one swift motion, flung him to a subordinate standing nearby, and, still saying nothing, turned and walked away. Watching the Prince of Wei’s retreating figure, the innkeeper gloated, “Have a safe journey, Your Highness. We look forward to your next visit.” Then he saw the Prince of Wei’s body visibly tremble—likely from a spasm. Qian Ruhai had not appeared by this point, nor had any word been relayed down. It was clear that he approved of and tacitly endorsed the shopkeeper’s actions. As far as Qian Ruhai was concerned, if the boss didn’t object, it was a reward in itself. Now he could really show off to the other shopkeepers. Qian Ruhai and A Xin were actually on the third floor, hearing every word of the commotion below clearly, but they simply couldn’t be bothered to intervene. A Xin was eager to join the fray, but seeing Qian Ruhai’s indifference, she had no choice but to patiently stay up there with him. However, she had no complaints about his reaction; on the contrary, she found herself growing fonder of him. From the way the manager had just handled the situation, she could see his domineering and assertive nature—what woman wouldn’t be drawn to a man like that? It made her feel so secure. And thinking back to how he’d just humiliated the Prince of Wei—one word: handsome. “Qian Ruhai, so when you said someone was coming to see you, you meant this Prince Wei? Now tell me, how did you know he’d come looking for you?” Axin was very curious about this. Qian Ruhai merely replied indifferently, “I guessed.” Axin was speechless. She wouldn’t believe that for a second. Realizing she wouldn’t get an answer here, she changed the subject: “Now that this is settled, shouldn’t we hit the road? There are only eight days left until the competition.” “No rush. Someone else is coming. Let’s wait a few more days,” Qian Ruhai said casually. “What? More people? Who? It’s not like the Emperor himself is coming next, is it?” A-xin’s eyes lit up instantly. If the Emperor showed up and got humiliated by her husband, that would be absolutely satisfying. But he was quickly met with a sarcastic retort. “Do you know the Emperor has been poisoned? How is he supposed to come? As a ghost?” Qian Ruhai asked. Axin was furious—how could he have forgotten that? But his curiosity was piqued even more, and he pressed on, “So who is it, then?” “Take a guess!” Wan Nian said, as always. Axin wore a look of resentment and couldn’t help but throw herself into his arms. It had been a reflexive action, but the moment she did, her face flushed. Although she’d always called him “husband,” they’d never actually done anything intimate; sleeping in the same bed was merely for rest. Now she was nestled in his arms. Gazing at his handsome, composed face, she didn’t know why, but her thoughts were completely beyond her control. She drew closer and closer to him; it felt as though she could even hear her own heart pounding—so fast—yet she couldn’t stop the sensation surging through her. He was, of course, an old hand at this sort of thing. A girl just discovering love was truly lovely. He knew that A Xin had absolutely no idea what to do next, so... Only after Prince Wei led his men out of Stone City did he finally let out a sigh of relief. The pressure in Stone City had been too much for him; so much so that he had said not a single word the entire journey. Now that they were out of the city, he finally spoke to his men: “Check the surroundings for any signs of trouble.” “Yes, sir!” His men acknowledged the order and set off. Half an hour later, the scout returned and reported, “Your Highness, there is nothing out of the ordinary.” Only then did Prince Wei truly feel at ease. “Prince Wei, we clearly had over ten thousand troops stationed outside the city just now. Why didn’t we capture the proprietor of that Qian’s Inn? He was far too arrogant—he completely disregarded your authority.” The subordinate spoke up. They had felt truly frustrated moments ago, watching helplessly as one of their comrades was killed. Of course, the situation at the time had been difficult to handle—there were too many skilled fighters, and they had no chance of winning. But once they left the city, they had over ten thousand troops as backup; they could have easily fought their way back in. “You know nothing. It’s precisely because I’ve been too lenient with you all this time that I’ve allowed you to develop this arrogant, tyrannical, and contemptuous attitude. Go back and reflect on your actions—starting with you. Anyone who dares to cause trouble out there again, I’ll make sure you die a miserable death.” “You still want to seek revenge? Do you even know what kind of place that is? That’s the Qian Family Restaurant—it belongs to the Number One Young Master of the Realm. Do you really think this prince’s ten thousand troops can take down the Qian Family’s business in Shicheng?” The Prince of Wei snapped. “What’s there to take?” his subordinate didn’t understand. Ten thousand troops—so what if he’s the Number One Young Master? He’s just a figure in the martial arts world with money; he’s not the emperor. How could he possibly stand up to the imperial court? “You deserve to die! Are you trying to drive this prince to my grave? Do you have any idea how many properties the Qian family owns in Stone City? There are no fewer than a hundred top-tier martial artists there. With that kind of strength, relying on just this rag-tag army of ten thousand wouldn’t even be enough for them to slaughter us—and that’s just Stone City. Do you have any idea how many properties they own across the land?”