The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Chapter 272: Chapter 271: Sent Flying with One Kick

"A hundred catties of Primordial Stones or One Hundred Thousand Gold Coins?"

"That’s right. It’s a rule acknowledged by the Three Great Noble Families of the South Sea Coastline. All vessels passing through Hai Kou must pay a toll of one hundred catties of Primordial Stones," the Silver Armored Warrior said.

Qin Ya nodded. ’It seems these Three Great Noble Families are the local tyrants of the hundred cities along the Celestial Dragon Sea Region’s coastline.’ He didn’t mind parting with a few Primordial Stones, so he casually took out one hundred catties of them and said, "Here are one hundred catties of Primordial Stones. Please, take them."

"Uh..." The Silver Armored Warrior hadn’t expected Qin Ya to be so cooperative.

He could tell this was Qin Ya’s first time in Hai Kou. Most people, upon hearing about the hundred-catty Primordial Stone toll, would inevitably show their dissatisfaction. This was especially true for someone of Qin Ya’s age, an age of youthful recklessness, where some might even start a fight over it. The last time, they had apprehended several young, troublemaking Martial Artists and only managed to make them obediently hand over the hundred catties of Primordial Stones after a brawl.

He never thought Qin Ya would hand them over so readily. This left the Silver Armored Warrior a bit stunned, but he quickly came to his senses, accepted the Primordial Stones into his Storage Ring, and said to Qin Ya, "You may pass, Young Master."

Hearing this, Qin Ya proceeded into Hai Kou.

The Silver Armored Warrior returned to his Profound Vessel and reported to Seventh Young Master Shangguan. The Seventh Young Master stroked his chin, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "A Loose Cultivator? A rich one, at that."

He didn’t seem to care much and went back to lounging on his chair.

Just then, a youth in ornate robes slowly approached. He glanced at the Seventh Young Master lounging in the chair, a hint of contempt in his eyes, and said, "Seventh Brother, your Third Brother has come to see you. Are you just going to let me stand here?"

Seventh Young Master Shangguan raised his eyes to look at the robed youth before him and suddenly shot to his feet, feigning surprise. "Well now, what wind blew you here, Third Brother? Come, come, have a seat! There’s not much to offer, just some leftover tea that my underlings were drinking. Don’t mind it, Third Brother. Make do."

Leftover tea...

The robed youth’s mouth twitched, and a flash of malice crossed his eyes. He snarled in a low, furious voice, "Shangguan Hao! Brawling with the Li Family’s second young master over a woman at Chunfeng Tower was one thing, but Father sent you here to reflect on your actions! How dare you still act so nonchalantly, without a shred of remorse? Do you have any respect for Father at all?"

"Third Brother, don’t be so angry. I haven’t been slacking off here. I’ve been diligently carrying out my duties. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them." Shangguan Hao gestured to the armored warriors around them, then unhurriedly took a sip of his tea.

The surrounding warriors could only force a bitter smile. ’When you young masters fight, why do you have to drag us nobodies into it? One wrong move and our lives could be forfeit.’ The thought filled their hearts with resentment.

"Hmph." Third Young Master Shangguan snorted coldly. He then pointed at Qin Ya’s Profound Vessel in the distance and said, "Fine. You say you’ve been diligent. Then let me ask you, where did that Profound Vessel come from? And what great power does the person on it belong to?"

"A great power?"

Shangguan Hao took a light sip of tea and chuckled. "You must be joking, Third Brother. There’s only one person on that Profound Vessel, and he’s just a Loose Cultivator. What great power could he possibly be from?"

Upon hearing this, Third Young Master Shangguan snorted again. "And you claim to be diligent? Would someone who owns a Profound Vessel of this quality be a mere Loose Cultivator?"

"If you don’t believe me, you can ask him."

Shangguan Hao shrugged, pointing at the Silver Armored Warrior.

"Is what he said true?"

"Everything the Seventh Young Master said is true!" the Silver Armored Warrior replied.

A thoughtful look crossed the Third Young Master Shangguan’s face before he barked coldly at Shangguan Hao, "You idiot! How could a Loose Cultivator possibly possess a Profound Vessel of this caliber? It’s obvious something is fishy! Why haven’t you stopped him yet?"

He directed the last sentence at the Silver Armored Warrior.

"But..." The Silver Armored Warrior hesitated.

"What are you waiting for? Do I have to go stop him myself?"

Seeing the Silver Armored Warrior’s indecision, the Third Young Master Shangguan roared in anger.

"Yes, sir." The Silver Armored Warrior gritted his teeth, then led a group of men toward Qin Ya’s Profound Vessel. Within a few breaths, they had intercepted him.

Third Young Master Shangguan shot Shangguan Hao a cold glare and said, "Uncouth, idle, and now derelict in your duties. I’ll be sure to report this to Father when I get back."

Watching the departing Third Young Master Shangguan, Shangguan Hao’s lips curled into a slight smile. He paid his brother’s words no mind at all. He then got up and also headed toward Qin Ya’s Profound Vessel, muttering softly, "Sigh, honestly. Can’t a guy get a break?"

Qin Ya’s Profound Vessel was just about to leave Hai Kou. In the distance were numerous docks with Profound Vessels moored one after another. He was just thinking about finding a good dock to moor his vessel when he was unexpectedly stopped by the Silver Armored Warrior and his men.

Seeing this, his brow furrowed slightly. He placed his right hand on the hilt of the Ting Xiao Sword at his waist and said to the Silver Armored Warrior, "I wonder what the meaning of this is."

"What’s the meaning? You audacious thief! Surrender at once!"

Before the Silver Armored Warrior could speak, Third Young Master Shangguan strode over with his hands behind his back, radiating arrogance. He glanced at Qin Ya, his eyes full of disdain.

"Thief? What do you mean?" Qin Ya said indifferently.

"I’m asking you, are you a Loose Cultivator?"

"I am."

The disdain in Third Young Master Shangguan’s eyes grew more pronounced. He looked at Qin Ya and said, "How could a mere Loose Cultivator like you possibly own a Profound Vessel like this? It’s clearly stolen! That’s why there are no markings on it—you’re afraid of being recognized! Thief, am I wrong? Now, are you going to obediently confess your crime and accept your punishment, or not?"

The people at the surrounding docks had already noticed the situation and were gathering to watch out of curiosity. Hearing Third Young Master Shangguan’s words, they all turned to look at Qin Ya with contempt.

"Third Young Master Shangguan has a point."

"With my many years of experience in this line of work, I can tell that’s an extremely high-grade Profound Vessel. It must’ve cost at least eighty thousand catties of Primordial Stones to build. How could a Loose Cultivator possibly own one? If he didn’t steal it, did he buy it? Ridiculous."

"Exactly! To think he’d stoop to something like that."

...

The more people who said it, the more it seemed to become fact. Even Third Young Master Shangguan, who had only framed Qin Ya out of greed for the Profound Vessel, started to believe that Qin Ya had actually stolen it. He began to see his own actions as punishing evil and promoting good. At this thought, he took a step forward, his posture suddenly taking on a righteous air.

"Thief, surrender and repent, and I may decide to spare your life. Otherwise..."

SLAP! A crisp, loud slap echoed.

Third Young Master Shangguan’s words were cut short by the slap. His left cheek was red and swollen, and a trickle of fresh blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The suddenness of the attack left him stunned, his gaze vacant. Only the throbbing pain in his face snapped him back to his senses. "Ah! You bastard! You... you actually dared to hit me!"

He shrieked like a shrew in a street fight and lunged madly at Qin Ya. True Essence surged as he unleashed the full power of his Celestial Essence Realm Perfection cultivation, blasting a palm strike toward Qin Ya. But a look of disdain flashed in Qin Ya’s eyes. He casually lifted his right foot. Before the palm strike could even land, Third Young Master Shangguan was sent flying by a single kick.

PTHOO! Third Young Master Shangguan collapsed to the ground, vomiting mouthfuls of blood.

The crowd was utterly astonished. They never imagined this "thief" would be so powerful, effortlessly sending a cultivator at Celestial Essence Realm Perfection like Third Young Master Shangguan flying.