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025 - Breaking the Formation
🕑 Added 2024-07-11 14:24:29 +0000 UTCWhen she heard those words, Qin Yun's young tour guide stepped back as a flurry of guards encircled him and his wife. The guards wore golden armours reminiscent of the one Qin Yun had seen as his stepmother confronted him. This was the official armour of those belonging to the Ma Clan.
Qin Yun couldn't help but shake his head at this blatant display of abuse of power. This establishment belonged to the Lian Clan; as such, the Ma Clan had no jurisdiction to enforce its rules even if the Ma Clan were hired to guard the perimeter.
“What makes you think this is a forgery?” Qin Yun asked the young man calmly as the guards pointed their spears toward him, limiting the available space.
"Trash like you can't possibly be in possession of such a coveted item," the man said, sneering wildly. "It's obvious this is a fake, and you are trying to defraud this establishment."
“I see,” Qin Yun replied dismissively.
Seeing Qin Yun's nonchalant attitude, the young man couldn't help but frown, as this reaction was wholly unexpected. He assumed that Qin Yun would have panicked and grovelled before him in a futile attempt to garner his mercy. Yet, he seemed to not take his authority seriously. He was on the verge of ordering his guards to apprehend Qin Yun when Qin Yun spoke first.
"And on whose authority can you make such claims? Are you part of the Lian Clan?" Qin Yun asked in a deep and weighty tone.
The man scoffed. He knew full well that Qin Yun's question was rhetorical, as his clan's emblem was fully displayed on a golden plaque hanging by his waist. While he wasn't part of the Lian Clan, most guards here were part of his family and would obey his every order. Even if a member of the Lian Clan was here, they wouldn't dare override him.
“What if the black token is real?” Qin Yun added when he didn’t receive an answer to his earlier query. “Can you take responsibility for it?”
“Ha! Do you think anyone will dare defy me in order to protect a nobody like you?”
Qin Yun sighed. Talking to this man was akin to speaking to a slick brick wall. Whatever sound argument you throw at it, nothing sticks. Qin Yun contemplated teaching the young man a lesson, but would it be worth it? He highly doubted so. Even if he were to beat them all, it would only further confirm that he was in the wrong. Righteousness was so overrated.
Still, Qin Yun wondered why the young man took no further action. He had already ordered his man to arrest him, but now they only stood around as if they were waiting for something.
As Qin Yun heard footsteps rushing through the stairs, the young man's motives finally dawned on him. While the man's plan was crude, to say the least, Qin Yun didn't have much ability to resist short of killing them all.
A short while later, another group of guards emerged from the stairs leading to the second floor. At the head of the group was a large and tall man wearing the same type of armour, yet it was even more magnificent. Qin Yun assumed this man to be the one responsible for the security of the whole building.
The large man glanced at Qin Yun and his wife before showing an extremely eerie smile. Then he turned to the young man and bowed deeply.
“What can I do for you, Young Master Ma?” the man said in a respectful tone, which made Qin Yun sigh once again. Why couldn’t he just shop in peace without all this drama?
“This man is in possession of a forged Black Token," the young man said, obviously enjoying the situation and the power he possessed. "I want him dealt with, and the token brought to me for safekeeping."
There it was... plain daylight robbery. Qin Yun wondered how they could spew such self-righteous words with a straight face. At this time, he strongly considered just slapping the young man’s face, but he had something much more fun in mind. Unfortunately, Yun Jingfei was at her breaking point. She couldn’t stand this oppression any longer. Noticing this, Qin Yun took action.
“Excuse me, Young Lady,” Qin Yun said to the young woman who had desperately tried to escape this conflict. Hearing her being addressed, she raised her head and sheepishly pointed to herself, unsure if he was addressing her. Qin Yun nodded, then added, "I seem to recall having purchased this blade behind us. Am I right to assume the transaction was successful?"
All eyes turned to her, and she felt her legs grow weak. Yet, she still nodded lightly and uttered, "Indeed," barely audibly.
While all Qin Yun had said was to put the bill on the token, this was enough as the token offered many special privileges. He could even buy all the items on this floor without the Lian Clan seeing a single Spirit Crystal out of him. Such was the power of the Black Token.
This was obviously the reason Young Master Ma wished to acquire it. As for its authenticity, it was evident that it was real, as no one in the Lian Clan would be foolish enough to not recognize it. Just the fact that Qin Yun was allowed free roam onto this floor was proof that it was genuine.
With confirmation from the young woman, Yun Jingfei knew precisely what to do. She spun slightly and used her elbow to break the glass container next to her. The glass cracked and shattered, revealing the blade within. In the same motion, Yun Jingfei took both sword and scabbard in her hands and went on a rampage.
She swatted away all the spears pointed at her, slicing through their shafts until they became mere metal poles. The patrons in the audience gasped in astonishment as the spears weren't mere mortal weapons but genuine High-Grade Common Rank Artifacts. While they were mass-produced models, they weren't something a Mid-Grade Common Rank Artifact could contend with.
Yun Jingfei was stunned that this blade was as sharp as it was. She expected it to be just another pretty blade without substance, yet she stood corrected. Somehow, she felt invincible, holding the knife as if her mind was clearer than it was, and her opponents moved in slow motion.
She leapt forward, showering her enemy in her cold fury. The blows rained, ripping her opponents' weapons to pieces. Fortunately, she knew better than to start a bloodbath in the middle of the city; they couldn't withstand it if the older generation involved themselves in these petty conflicts.
Unfortunately, her rampage was cut short as the man in charge of security raised a gloved hand and activated the floor's formation. Chains of light appeared from the several pillars scattered around the room, barring Yun Jingfei’s path.
Her blade struck the chains with all the force she could muster, and she managed to cut two of them before being overwhelmed by superior numbers. Chains wrapped around her body, preventing further movement. She could feel them digging into her flesh, controlling the flow of her Qi. Fortunately, she no longer relied on that Qi; therefore, this seal offered little restriction except a physical one.
The same happened to Qin Yun. He could feel those chains of light burrowing into his flesh, seeking to reach his Qi Centre. The feeling of those inscriptions worming their way into his body was novel, albeit annoying.
Although those chains restricted his movements, Qin Yun could still move if he wanted to. In his curiosity, he raised his hand to check the skin under his sleeve, only to see black chains printed on it. As he offered resistance, the pillars glowed, then trembled slightly, shaking the whole building.
Ceiling tiles cracked as the building shifted, dispensing dust in the air as broken tiles fell to the floor. The patrons watched in astonishment as Qin Yun examined his arms while the building itself seemed to want to disintegrate. The pillars shook once more, producing a second flurry of chains, all headed to Qin Yun.
They bound him once again. Still, Qin Yun could feel that the restrictive force wasn't much more potent than before. He could still move if he wanted to, yet he resisted the urge. He wanted to know what Young Master Ma's next step would be.
“This token is mine," the young man said, sneering, which seemed to be his default expression.
Qin Yun expected the man to order his lackeys to find that token, yet he approached his wife first. Qin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, but he chose to bide his time. Still, he wouldn't let anything untoward happen to her.
Young Master Ma looked at Yun Jingfei with some curiosity. He had heard of this bride, yet the rumours were much different than he expected. She was supposed to have become a cripple, yet her earlier display of swordsmanship proved otherwise.
Despite being bound and at his mercy, Yun Jingfei’s gaze remained steadfast and unyielding. She only possessed disdain in her heart for this stain of a human being. While her heart was ablaze with fury, her eyes only reflected the coldness of winter. If she were able to move, she would slaughter this pig where he stood.
Intrigued by her defiant attitude, the man sought to look under her mask, yet that only prompted Yun Jingfei to feel even more disgust toward him. She would never allow a man other than her husband to touch her. It wasn't some sort of romantic ideal, but only something she thought was proper.
Fortunately, before the man could make contact, frantic footsteps could be heard rising from the staircase. It seemed the commotion had alerted the Lian Clan present in the building. Indeed, the young man Qin Yun had seen in the market was the first to emerge from those stairs.
He looked around, completely stunned, unable to understand what he saw. Alas, to Qin Yun's dismay, the man chose the worst person to ask for answers.
“Ma Zhiqiang, what happened here?” the man asked.
As you might expect, all that spewed from Ma Zhiqiang's mouth was pure bullshit, painting himself as the hero trying to apprehend Qin Yun for attempting to steal from their store. Qin Yun could only roll his eyes as this fool's acting was so forced that nobody in their right mind would believe him.
As expected the young man from the Lian Clan did not believe it, yet found himself unable to not believe him. He simply couldn't offend Ma Zhiqiang for someone like Qin Yun, whom he had never interacted with. The truth was irrelevant in most cases.
Qin Yun knew as much, and that was why he didn't say anything. He had no reason to explain himself to these sycophants. After a loud and prolonged sigh that brought all the room’s attention to him, Qin Yun decided to change tactics.
He chose to take a step—just a single, innocuous step, yet the ramifications would be ground-shattering. As his foot left the ground, the pillars scattered around the room shook as if an earthquake had originated right below them. Runes appeared on their surface, producing countless new chains of light that flew toward Qin Yun, wanting to restrain him. Yet, he could not be stopped.
As his foot rejoined the ground, a pillar cracked, splitting along its height before dulling and becoming inert. Yet Qin Yun wasn't finished. The whole building shook as he took another step. The remaining pillars grew ever brighter, trying to fight against the tyrannical strength of this step, but all of it was futile. They broke one by one until all that remained was rubble.
Fortunately, the building's construction was immaculate, and those pillars weren't load-bearing. Otherwise, the structure would have collapsed under the strain.
To the audience's bewilderment, Qin Yun walked as if nothing had happened. His face was a mask of indifference, as if the ridicule and mockery he bore were dust in the wind. He took out his black token and threw it to the young man from the Lian Clan. The man was so stunned by what had happened that he didn't react in time. The token hit him in the chest and then fell to the ground.
Now free from the pillars' hold, Yun Jingfei followed Qin Yun out of the hall, relishing their dumbfoundedness. Nobody tried to stop them, as they still couldn't believe what had happened despite being witnesses to it from start to end.
"It seems the Lian Clan is overrated," Qin Yun said in a low but calm voice as he passed the young man. "I guess it is too much to hope for people to have integrity. I hope you enjoy being a sycophant.”
Qin Yun then left without looking back as Yun Jingfei replayed their ugly, pale expressions in her mind, smiling slightly.
Comments
lenkite
Well, I guess that's his last purchase from the Lian Clan, unless the person who gave him the token intervenes. I mean if a black token could be easily stolen and is not Qi-locked to its assigned berarer, then it would be of no use.
