“Are you talking to me?” Jiang Chen blinked. He really wasn’t sure, since the newcomer didn't seem to want to look in his direction.

“Are you messing with me, kid? I told you to get your ass over here, so what are you blabbing on about?” The proud youth glared at Jiang Chen.

Oh, so the words had been directed at him after all.

Jiang Chen grew mildly upset. He had tried to keep as low a profile as possible, yet trouble had come to find him after all.

He was used to killing multiple ruffians like these in a single day back on Divine Abyss. Though he was on Crimsonwaters now, he nevertheless furrowed his brow in displeasure.

“I don’t understand an animal’s words. Would you care to demonstrate?”

The youth didn't expect Jiang Chen to respond in that kind of tone. He cackled. “Brat, you have some guts to you, don’t you! Do you know who you’re talking to?!”

“I sure don’t.” Jiang Chen smiled.

The youth sputtered. Blood rushed in and out of his face. His robes were prominently marked with the insignia of his sect, which was why he typically wore them on outings to impress the populace.

He lorded over countless people with these clothes. Every wandering cultivator who saw him always treated him with simpering respect. How could this kid be so blind and cheeky?

“You haven’t been back here for a while, have you, friend? The White Drake Sect is one of the top three on Crimsonwaters,” helpfully advised a neighboring diner.

“If someone from the White Drake Sect wants to see you, it can only mean good things for you.”

Jiang Chen wasn’t sure what the correct reaction was. He appreciated the counsel from his neighbors, but the sect’s name almost caused him to spit out his drink.

The hell? The White Drake Sect? More like the White Dimwit Sect. No wonder this person was so irredeemably idiotic.

“You scared now, huh, kid? Get down on your knees and kowtow to me three times. Beg me to forgive you!” The new youth was smug indeed.

He relished the reverent manner in which others spoke of his sect. It filled him with elation.

Jiang Chen shook his head. “I should’ve checked my almanac before coming out today. I would’ve learned then that I would meet an idiot.”

He was speaking to himself without looking at the other young man, but his words and actions pierced the young man’s skin deeply. This bumpkin was ignoring someone from the mighty White Drake Sect, and calling him an idiot while he was at it!

How could this be tolerated?

The scornful youth stalked forward in order to hit Jiang Chen, but the latter turned and cast a potent look into the youth’s eyes.

The youth felt a deep terror pass through him, as if he’d seen the most horrifying thing in the world.

Jiang Chen had held back from making his attack lethal. Otherwise, his Evil Golden Eye would’ve turned his target into a statue.

“Looking for a fight?” He smiled as he scrutinized the fool opposite him.

Large beads of sweat trickled from the other youth’s forehead. The sharpness of the look directed at him had sent him on a tour of hell.

The young man was haughty, but he was no fool. He instantly realized that the stranger before him was hard to deal with and dropped his raised arms back down to his sides.

“You… just you wait!” The young man headed back to his private room, leaving only a feeble threat. Before he could reach it, a group of people emerged.

A woman stood at their head, clad in exotic garments that bared her arms, shoulders, and elongated legs. There was more of her that was uncovered than covered.

She cut a wild and provocative figure.

“Mistress,” the person who had threatened Jiang Chen knelt and howled. “That guy rudely insulted both the White Drake Sect and myself! He deserves to die a thousand times over…”

Crack!

The woman delivered a resounding slap to her subordinate’s face. “Throw him out and feed him to the dogs,” she said to her other followers.

Her tone was airy and detached, as if she was speaking about some common stray dog.

Jiang Chen remained strangely silent. The proud youth didn't deserve his respect, but this firebrand of a woman wasn’t going to be easy to shake off, either.

The woman considered him for a long while, then laughed suddenly. “Your name is Zhen Shi? I heard everything just now.”

Jiang Chen grunted noncommittally.

“That buffoon from the Fiendstar Sect was trying to recruit you, hmm? A word of advice: they’re not reliable. It’ll be hard for them to make their way into the top ten, much less top five.” The woman seemed to be taking an interest in Jiang Chen, hence her profusion of words.

Jiang Chen chuckled. “Thank you for your concern, miss. I’ll definitely take it in mind.”

Was that all?

The answer was clearly unsatisfactory. The woman brushed her bangs aside, then smiled in the most alluring way she could. Her silver armlets rang pleasantly, adding to the charisma she radiated.

The woman was dressed in an intentionally seductive way that accentuated her figure and showed a lot of skin.

Jiang Chen wasn’t much interested though. She was lascivious and untamed, but also dangerous. He was never the kind of young man to let lust control his mind. The woman’s wiles were useless on him.

“A wooden blockhead, I see. I’ll get to the point, then. Are you interested in coming with me? The Fiendstar Sect can’t possibly compare to the White Drake Sect, and I am the daughter and heir of the sect head. You’ll have a much better chance at rising to the top if you join us.” Seeing the futility of her suggestive gestures, the woman made a clearer offer.

The information that she was the White Drake Sect head’s daughter astounded many. Most of the diners around her quietly stood up and went to pay their bills.

Evidently, she was a well-known public figure.