Chapter 294: Chapter 290: Piercing the Sky

Lin Bing erupted in fury, his killing intent palpable.

He didn’t even need to act; the other two youths made their move.

The two youths charged forward, shattering tables and chairs in their wake as teacups and wine vessels burst apart.

They struck with lethal intent from the very start, aiming to kill Lin Hao.

"Hey, get lost!" To Lin Hao’s surprise, the chubby kid actually stood in front of him, blocking the two.

The moment Wenren Feiming appeared, the two youths froze in place.

Although they were also from prominent families, their clans’ power was nothing compared to the four great families of Imperial City.

Wenren Feiming was a disciple of one of the four great families. They didn’t dare act recklessly, or they would bring disaster upon their own families.

"Wenren Feiming, what are you doing?! Your Wenren family might not care about its reputation, but we, the Lin family, do! He dared to publicly slander the four great beauties of the capital. He dies today!" Lin Bing berated Wenren Feiming, then fixed a deathly stare on Lin Hao.

"Lin Xinran of the Lin family is also one of the capital’s four great beauties. Rumor has it that two years ago, a Lin family elder arranged for her to be betrothed to Lin Wu. Lin Bing is just using this as a pretext to throw his weight around," someone behind Lin Hao whispered.

"Ever since the news broke that Lin Wu was going to join the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, Lin Bing has gotten bolder and bolder. In the last few days alone, several Martial Artists have died at his hands."

"I hear Lin Bing is at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer. He’s only sixteen, so even without Lin Wu, that cultivation level puts him in the top twenty of Imperial City’s younger generation. A shame he’s so domineering."

"Shh! Quiet!"

Lin Hao heard every single word of this.

Lin Hao naturally understood their intent. They were warning him not to provoke Lin Bing and to leave quickly.

Lin Hao turned and smiled at the two middle-aged men behind him.

They were the ones who had just spoken.

’To dare discuss Lin Bing like that, they’re probably from one of the four great families. Maybe even the Wenren family.’

"Trying to leave? Stay right... urk..." Lin Bing thought Lin Hao was about to flee and roared, but before he could finish his sentence, his voice died in his throat as if someone was strangling him.

And in fact, someone was indeed strangling him!

The one who had acted was none other than Lin Hao!

This was completely unexpected.

Ling Xiao and Yang Peng in the crowd hadn’t expected it. The middle-aged men behind Lin Hao hadn’t expected it. The chubby Wenren Feiming hadn’t expected it...

Even the Madam, who was closest to Lin Bing, never imagined Lin Hao would make a move—that he would *dare* to make a move!

"Are you insane?! Let him go, now!" The Madam’s face paled, her eyes wide with terror as if she’d seen a ghost.

Wenren Feiming also stared at Lin Hao, dumbfounded. It took him a long moment to snap out of it. He looked at the two middle-aged men behind him and asked, "Tell me, is this a fucking illusion?"

The two middle-aged men were also scared witless and shook their heads in unison.

’He’s only at the Sixth Layer of Elemental Realm, yet he dares to lay a hand on someone from the four great families. Has he lost his mind?’

Ling Xiao and Yang Peng glanced at each other and said in unison, "He’s really gone and done it now!"

They were right. Lin Hao’s intention was to do exactly that.

"The Lin family cares about its reputation, right?" Lin Hao asked with a grin.

Of course, Lin Bing couldn’t answer. Not only did Lin Hao have him by the throat, but a terrifying aura had also locked onto him completely.

SLAP!

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the air.

Lin Hao had struck out, smacking Lin Bing across the face.

The slap made everyone’s heart tremble.

He was slapping the Lin family in the face!

That single slap had pierced the heavens!

"Do me a favor and let Young Master Lin go. He’s a valued guest of my Mist Rain Tower!" The Madam’s expression was grim, but she had no choice but to suppress her anger.

At this point, the situation had spiraled far beyond her control.

Lin Hao was just too lawless. If this wasn’t handled properly, the entire Mist Rain Tower could be dragged down with him.

"Don’t worry, the four great families won’t bother with a small place like the Mist Rain Tower. Besides, everyone saw you trying to protect him. If I were from the Lin family, I’d definitely thank you. I’ll be commandeering this room for tonight," Lin Hao said with a smile, glancing at the room across the hall.

Lin Hao was telling the Madam that he wouldn’t implicate the Mist Rain Tower.

"No, you must release Young Master Lin!" A hint of viciousness flashed in the Madam’s eyes.

Lin Hao’s eyes turned cold. "You move, and I’ll snap his neck without hesitation!"

"Mmmph, mmmph..." Lin Bing whimpered, signaling the Madam with his eyes.

"Young Master Lin, just wait, I’ll go notify the Lin family right away!" The Madam said anxiously, turning to leave.

She was in such a hurry that she even stumbled on her way out.

’Life is a play, and it’s all about the acting! This woman’s skills are off the charts!’ Lin Hao complained inwardly, forced to admire her.

"You, stop!" Lin Hao suddenly ordered in a cold voice.

The young master with the surname Hu had been about to slip away, but he froze at Lin Hao’s shout, not daring to move.

Right now, Lin Hao seemed like a desperate man, and he didn’t dare provoke someone like that.

"Consider yourself lucky today. I don’t plan on settling things with you. However, your words just now... they frightened me," Lin Hao said, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then they remembered. Just now, this Young Master Hu had roared at him: "Insolence! How dare you cause trouble in Imperial City!"

The young master surnamed Hu also recalled it and couldn’t help but feel a secret sense of relief. At least he hadn’t called the man a dog like Lin Bing had.

He was quick on the uptake. He immediately fumbled for a thick stack of silver banknotes.

"Is that all? I heard the Hu family is related to the imperial clan. Isn’t this a bit shabby?" Lin Hao said, clearly unsatisfied.

Everyone felt like coughing up blood.

That stack of silver banknotes was worth at least tens of thousands of taels. If that was "shabby," then weren’t they all worse than beggars?

At the same time, countless people were stunned.

’Where did this madman come from? Not only has he captured a disciple of the Lin family, but he even dares to extort the Hu family.’

"You two bastards, get all your silver banknotes out now!" Young Master Hu’s expression changed drastically as he yelled at the two who had been about to attack earlier.

The two didn’t dare resist. They quickly took out their silver banknotes and handed them over, trembling.

By now, their legs were shaking. They couldn’t help but feel secretly grateful that Wenren Feiming had blocked them. Otherwise, they would surely be two corpses right now.

"Scram!" After glancing at the thick stack of silver banknotes, Lin Hao’s voice boomed like thunder.

The three of them scrambled away in a sorry state, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Just then, a voice drifted back from the distance: "How dare you extort me! You’re finished!"

Needless to say, it was the voice of the young man from the Hu family.

But back in the Mist Rain Tower, Lin Hao’s expression didn’t change upon hearing it; he even smiled faintly.

"You’re not bad. These silver banknotes are for you," Lin Hao said to Wenren Feiming with a laugh.

Wenren Feiming was stunned for a moment, then his chubby face broke into a wide grin. He lunged forward, hugging the silver banknotes to his chest, his eyes shining.

"You’ve got real guts. If you manage to survive this, I’ll treat you to a drink," Wenren Feiming said, stashing the banknotes. He looked at Lin Hao with fiery eyes.

Lin Hao roared with laughter. "Don’t you worry about that. A man as brilliant and mighty as myself won’t die in a small place like Imperial City."

His heroic spirit soared to the clouds!

Amidst the laughter, Lin Hao dragged Lin Bing straight into a room on the second floor, leaving the crowd with nothing but the sight of his imposing back.

The entire Mist Rain Tower was silent as a tomb.

"We need to get out of the Mist Rain Tower, now! The Lin and Hu families will surround this place any minute."

"Right, the Lin and Hu families are definitely going to be furious!"

With someone starting the exodus, the Gold-dissolving Cave that was Mist Rain Tower instantly felt like Hell on earth. Countless people began to surge toward the exit.

In the crowd, Yang Peng wanted to stay but was pulled back by Ling Xiao.

’Since Lin Hao dared to do this, he must have a plan. We absolutely cannot act recklessly.’

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

Just then, those who hadn’t managed to leave yet heard a whistling sound. They looked up to see a large table and a chair spinning down onto the central high platform of the Mist Rain Tower.

Not a single drop of wine or morsel of food on the table was spilled.

Then, that audacious man landed on the high platform, still holding Lin Bing, and sat down with domineering arrogance.

He pinned Lin Bing under his foot like a dead dog.

Was he planning to fight them all alone?!

Arrogant!

Too damn arrogant!

At the entrance of the Mist Rain Tower, the chubby Wenren Feiming watched this scene unfold. His fists were clenched and his face was flushed, overcome with an urge to fight alongside him.

"Damn it, a true man should be like that!" In the end, the chubby kid resisted the temptation and turned to leave.

In moments, apart from Lin Hao and his captive, the vast Mist Rain Tower was completely empty.

The news that someone had taken Lin Bing hostage swept through Imperial City like a hurricane.

After learning the details of what had transpired, every Martial Artist was shaken.

This was Imperial City. To offend both the Lin and Hu families at the same time... forget a Martial Artist at the Elemental Realm, even an expert at the Spirit Transformation Realm would have to think twice.

Yet now, a Martial Artist at the Elemental Realm had actually done such a thing. It was simply mind-blowing!

「In a magnificent complex of buildings in the southern part of Imperial City.」

"For what purpose have you summoned us?!"

Over a dozen people were seated in a spacious hall. But the voice that now boomed like thunder did not come from any of them.

"Reporting to the esteemed elders, a major incident has occurred. I fear someone is plotting against our Lin family," an old man standing near the head seat said respectfully, his gaze directed at the empty air.

"Plotting? What makes you say that?" The voice thundered from the void, its speaker unseen.

"Reporting to the elder, a Martial Artist at the Sixth Layer of Elemental Realm has taken a Lin family disciple hostage and is openly challenging us. He would never dare do this if he didn’t have someone backing him," the old man reported.

There was a moment of silence from the void, then the voice spoke again. "Your concern is not without reason. Dispatch several Lin family disciples around the Sixth Layer of Elemental Realm to go and meet him."

"Yes, Elder."

A similar scene was playing out in the Hu family’s estate.

However, the Hu family’s upper echelon did not disturb their elders. After a quick meeting, they swiftly reached a consensus: dispatch two disciples at the Sixth Layer of Elemental Realm.

After all, they weren’t the primary target. Sending two people to regain their prestige would be enough.

If that guy really did have a major power behind him, it would be troublesome.

Not to mention, some of the older generation still vividly remembered the scene of Cang Yan causing chaos in the capital forty years ago.

A single Spirit Transformation Realm expert could cause such a massive uproar; if this person had a major power backing him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The reason the four great families became the four great families was that they took every step with caution and prudence.

In comparison, the atmosphere in the Wenren and Chen families was relatively relaxed. In the end, both families issued the same concise command: Wait and see.