"You... what did you say?"
The look of mockery on Song Ren's Face instantly froze.
"I said, I f*ck your mother!"
Chen Tong fully drew his waist saber, the fat on his Face trembling: "What the hell are you? How dare you gossip about our Lord behind her back?"
For Chen Tong and the others, who came from the Jianghu, they were already looked down upon within the Demon Suppression Division.
Normally, when facing someone like Song Ren, they would never dare to be so presumptuous.
But upon hearing him speak of their superior in such a manner, a surge of nameless anger shot up from their hearts.
Although Jiang Yuechu had just joined the Demon Suppression Division and was a woman, she dared to draw her saber and confront a behemoth like Precious Temple, showing them no Face whatsoever.
In contrast, this Captain Song in front of them acted high and mighty and looked impressive, but if he were truly asked to challenge Baosha Temple, he probably wouldn't even dare to fart.
Yet this spineless coward, after Captain Jiang earned her position through genuine skill, dared to gossip behind her back, claiming she relied on her body to get ahead.
Just as Chen Tong was about to draw his saber, a thick, fleshy palm gently pressed down on his wrist.
It was Monk No Abstinence.
"Amitabha, we brothers are just rough men, and our words were a bit blunt. Please be generous and do not take offense at us."
As he spoke, he pulled Chen Tong back, then clasped his hands together and bowed slightly toward Song Ren.
"However, Captain Jiang is now our direct superior, and furthermore, she is the Vanguard Captain of the Xuan Battalion, personally appointed by Lord Xu."
"If word gets out about you criticizing her behind her back like this, wouldn't it sound rather unpleasant?"
Liu Ke also stepped forward, his Face cold.
"We respect you as a Captain, but please withdraw your previous words and offer an apology to Lord Jiang."
Song Ren's expression completely darkened.
He hadn't expected this group to dare contradict him Face-to-Face.
Especially that fat monk, who seemed respectful, yet used Lord Xu to pressure him in every word.
Apologize?
Apologize to that damn woman?
If Jiang Yuechu were present, he might show some restraint.
After all, she was now also a Captain and a new favorite in front of Lord Xu; he had to give her some Face.
But since when did a bunch of low-level Demon Suppression Guardss dare to bark in front of him?
"I'm standing right here. What are you going to do about it?"
Song Ren stood with his hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, glancing sideways at Chen Tong, his eyes full of disdain.
"What am I going to do?"
Chen Tong sneered, stopped talking nonsense, stomped his foot, and the waist saber in his hand drew an arc, slashing straight towards Song Ren's Face!
"Seeking death!"
Song Ren gave a cold shout, yet he neither dodged nor avoided the strike.
Just as the blade was about to hit him, he slowly reached out his hand.
Clang!
A crisp sound.
That powerful, heavy saber strike was casually clamped between his two fingers!
Chen Tong's pupils contracted sharply. He felt a huge force transmit from the blade, his tiger's mouth aching intensely, making him almost unable to hold the saber.
A cruel smile appeared on Song Ren's lips as he slightly twisted his fingers.
Crack!
The waist saber, forged from fine steel, snapped instantly!
Immediately after, he used the back of his hand to deliver a solid slap across Chen Tong's Face.
Slap!
A dull thud.
Chen Tong's sturdy body flew backward, rolling several times on the ground. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, mixed with several broken teeth.
"Chen Tong!"
Seeing this, Liu Ke and Monk No Abstinence both changed color drastically.
Song Ren dusted off the creases in his robe, looking down at the three men condescendingly.
"A pack of dogs who don't know their place."
Humiliation, anger, resentment... all sorts of emotions appeared on Chen Tong's Face.
But more than anything, there was the helplessness of facing an absolute gap in strength.
Just at this moment.
A clear, cold voice sounded behind everyone without warning.
"What are you all doing here? Roll call is imminent, why are you still wandering around?"
Everyone was startled by the sound and subconsciously turned their heads to look.
At the courtyard entrance, the young woman wore a brand new black uniform, the scarlet cloud patterns particularly dazzling under the sunlight.
Jiang Yuechu looked at everyone with slight confusion.
Especially when her gaze fell upon Chen Tong, who was struggling to get up from the ground with blood all over his mouth, her brows furrowed slightly.
"You are..."
Chen Tong quickly scrambled up, his fat-covered Face turning liver-colored. He truly didn't have the Face to explain the whole situation.
He picked up the broken half of his saber from the ground and stammered, "N-nothing, just now... just now I was sparring with someone, and accidentally... lost."
Jiang Yuechu nodded. Seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't press further, merely saying lightly, "Losing a fight isn't shameful. If your skills aren't up to par, go back and practice more. Why are you acting so timid and petty, like a woman?"
"..."
"Alright, quickly clean yourselves up and follow me to the barracks. I have something to discuss with you."
"Yes!"
The three men felt as if they had received a great pardon and were about to turn and leave.
Just then, Song Ren, who had been watching coldly, chuckled and spoke in a sarcastic, Yin and Yang tone.
"Captain Jiang, your subordinate is quite something."
He slowly strolled forward. "Just now, they even dared to ask me what kind of thing I was."
Jiang Yuechu paused her steps, frowned, and turned to look at him: "Who are you?"
"I am Song Ren, humbly serving as a Captain in the Xuan Battalion."
Song Ren wore a smile, but his tone carried a hint of arrogance. "My father is the Patriarch of the Song Clan of Region 隴右..."
The Song Clan of Region 隴右!
That was a major clan that had been entrenched in Liangzhou Prefecture for over a hundred years!
Powerlessness and regret surged in the hearts of the three men.
They had intended to earn Face in front of their new superior by suppressing the rumors for her, but instead, they were publicly humiliated and utterly defenseless.
Lord Jiang had just taken office and was already receiving heavy criticism due to her rapid promotion.
Not only did they fail to help, but they also caused such a huge problem for her at this critical moment.
After all, the opponent was a veteran Captain with deep qualifications.
Reasonably and emotionally, she would probably have to give him Face first, bow her head, and apologize... Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow, glanced at her three subordinates who looked like quails, and then looked at the arrogant, effeminate young man in front of her. She already had a few suspicions.
"Is that so..."
Seeing her calm expression, Song Ren assumed she was about to back down. His smile deepened, and he said politely, "I am not an unreasonable person. It's inevitable that Captain Jiang's subordinates don't know the rules since she's new here."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of a lecture: "It's just that The Department, ultimately, must respect seniority and hierarchy. Today, I am in a good mood and won't hold it against them, but if it were someone else..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
Jiang Yuechu had already walked up beside him.
The next second.
Everyone just felt a blur before their eyes.
Bang!
A dull thud, like a heavy hammer striking a drum!
Song Ren's entire body bent into a ball and flew backward!
With a loud crash, he slammed heavily into the courtyard wall, knocking an enormous human-shaped pit into the hard blue bricks, sending rubble flying!
"Pfft—"
Song Ren slid to the ground, violently spitting out a large mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He looked in horror at the slender figure.
The young woman had retracted her leg without him noticing, and was now looking down at him, a trace of mockery on her Face.
"So..."
"What are you?"