WHOOSH!
Tang Yi activated Meteor Flying Fire, streaking through the sky like a bolt of lightning, leaving a brilliant trail of flames in his wake. He cut a very impressive figure.
After landing, he swept his gaze over everyone present with immense majesty. Putting on a cool act, he asked again, "Who is it? Who was bullying my woman?"
"Tang Yi, you’re back!"
Seeing that it was Tang Yi, Liuu Tian was overjoyed. At that moment, she was like a young wife who, having been wronged, was filled with delight at her husband’s return.
Tang Yi’s words made Liuu Tian’s face flush red with shyness. ’Did Tang Yi get back a while ago?’ she wondered. ’Did he hear our conversation?’
"Yeah, I’m back. We can talk later," Tang Yi said, nodding to Liuu Tian.
"Okay." Liuu Tian obediently moved to stand behind Tang Yi.
Nearby, the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps also showed their delight upon seeing Tang Yi’s return. A sense of calm settled over them. They all knew that with the return of a great expert like Tang Yi, their situation was now safe. Qiu Wenguang could no longer threaten them.
"Hm?"
Qiu Wenguang frowned as he watched Tang Yi descend from the sky. He hadn’t expected Liuu Tian to actually have a man.
Moreover, this person had just flown down from the sky, which meant he was a Martial Artist at or above the Battle King rank.
But...
...this person before him was far too young.
How old could he be?
Although he had a sturdy build, his face still held a hint of youthful immaturity. He was clearly a teenager of sixteen or seventeen!
’This is Liuu Tian’s man? And a Battle King Powerhouse?’
Most importantly, Qiu Wenguang couldn’t gauge the depths of the young man before him at all!
He had clearly descended from the sky, possessing the power of a Battle King. Yet, Qiu Wenguang couldn’t sense any Battle King aura from him at all. He couldn’t even detect the aura of a Martial Artist. It was as if the person before him wasn’t a Martial Artist, but merely an ordinary man.
’What’s going on?’
"Speak. Who was bullying my woman?" Seeing that no one answered, Tang Yi asked again.
As he spoke, however, his eyes were fixed on Qiu Wenguang. Clearly, his words were directed at him.
Hearing Tang Yi call her "his woman" again, Liuu Tian’s face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
But Tang Yi didn’t notice Liuu Tian’s expression and thought nothing of it. His focus was on Qiu Wenguang and his men. He was currently trying to figure out how to punish this group of villains.
"Ahem, young man, perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding. We weren’t bullying Leader Liuu Tian." Seeing Tang Yi’s intense gaze fixed on him, Qiu Wenguang quickly averted his eyes from Liuu Tian and explained to Tang Yi with a smile.
Right now, he couldn’t see through Tang Yi and didn’t know the true extent of his power. Therefore, he didn’t dare to offend him rashly. Instead, he decided to play along and probe Tang Yi’s actual strength.
If he were asked to give up on Liuu Tian, he might have done so before. But after seeing her shy and bashful appearance just now, he found himself hesitating, unwilling to let go.
’How could I just give up on such a beauty?’
So, Qiu Wenguang decided to maneuver around Tang Yi for a bit to test his capabilities.
If Tang Yi was the real deal, then of course he would have to give up. But if Tang Yi was all show and no substance, heh...
"Is that so? I could have sworn I just heard you say you were going to take my woman away. Did I mishear?"
Tang Yi dug a finger in his ear, pretending he had just returned to the canyon and had only happened to overhear something.
Of course, Tang Yi had actually returned to the canyon long ago. He had heard every word of their conversation with perfect clarity. He knew exactly what had happened.
However, Tang Yi wasn’t about to admit that. After all, if Liuu Tian and the others found out he had been hiding above the canyon and hadn’t immediately intervened, they might just beat him to a pulp. It could also create a rift between them.
When Wang Dali was being beaten and injured just now, Tang Yi could have actually saved him. The reason he didn’t act was that he was playing a little trick, wanting some petty revenge for Wang Dali’s insolent words.
Who told Wang Dali to speak ill of him?
If Wang Dali found out that Tang Yi had deliberately chosen not to save him, he would probably hate Tang Yi’s guts.
So Tang Yi certainly wasn’t going to let anyone know that he had returned long ago and had witnessed the whole show...
The reason Tang Yi did this, besides getting a little revenge on Wang Dali, was that he also wanted to use the opportunity to see what kind of person Liuu Tian was and whether she was worth befriending. After all, they had only met twice. If he rashly made friends with her, he wouldn’t even know it if he was sold out one day.
You had to understand, people who were beasts in human guise were everywhere in this world. Everyone had selfish desires. For the sake of those desires, they could sell out anything and everything, including their family and friends.
Tang Yi had no desire to make friends like that.
Therefore, Tang Yi wanted to see how Liuu Tian would handle the pressure from the Qianxi Mercenary Corps.
In the end, however, Liuu Tian’s response left Tang Yi very satisfied. In his eyes, her character was impeccable. She was upright, dared to act, and was a good woman with great courage and a strong sense of responsibility.
It was no wonder that a woman like her could become the leader of a Mercenary Corps and have so many people who were loyal to her.
If it weren’t for the limitations of her strength, her personality might have allowed her to achieve even greater things...
"Young man, there must be some misunderstanding here," Qiu Wenguang continued to argue, forcing a smile.
"A misunderstanding? Fine, we’ll call it a misunderstanding if you say so. But you’re the ones who injured that member of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps over there, right? Let me be straight with you, the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps is under my protection. Since you injured one of their people, you’ll have to compensate them and apologize!"
Tang Yi said, looking as if he were being exceptionally reasonable.
"Oh? Compensation? An apology? That’s right, we did injure him. But I wonder, young man, what kind of compensation and apology did you have in mind?" Hearing that compensation and an apology would settle the matter, Qiu Wenguang immediately asked.
"It’s very simple."
Tang Yi snapped his fingers and said with a grin, "All of you will kowtow ten times to the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps as an apology. Then, each of you will offer one Earth Tier item as compensation. That should do it. It can be a Cultivation Technique, Equipment, or a Weapon. We’re not picky."
"What!?"