Chapter 119: The Imperial City

The Imperial City, the most prosperous hub of the Great Jiang Ancient Kingdom. After days of arduous travel, Li Jiansan and Zhang Dabao finally arrived before its gates. The walls of the Imperial City were constructed from a specialized red brick, possessing a terrifying degree of defensive power; even a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage could not breach them. Beyond its formidable defense, the city walls radiated a sense of history—ancient, majestic, and profound.

"It truly lives up to its reputation as the Imperial City; even the very air is permeated with the scent of history," Zhang Dabao remarked with a sigh of admiration.

"Hmph, a bunch of bumpkins who have never seen the world."

Just as Zhang Dabao finished speaking, a young man clad in luxurious robes brushed past them. Watching the youth walk away, Zhang Dabao said indignantly, "Damn it, I’ve lived this long and never seen someone so arrogant. Brother Li, let’s hurry up and catch up to him—let’s give him a sound thrashing."

With that, Li Jiansan and Zhang Dabao headed toward the city gates.

"Hey, hey, hey! You two brats, stop right there!"

"You two aren't allowed in!"

However, as they attempted to pass through, the guards intercepted them.

"Not allowed in? Why not?" Li Jiansan asked, turning to face the guard.

The guard who blocked their path replied coldly, "What kind of place do you think the Imperial City is? You can't just walk in whenever you please. You must pay the entrance fee—one hundred spirit stones!"

It was an unwritten rule of the Imperial City that any martial artist wishing to enter must pay one hundred spirit stones as a fee. With over a hundred thousand people passing through daily, the revenue from the entrance fees alone amounted to hundreds of millions, which explained why the Imperial City was so obscenely wealthy.

Li Jiansan said calmly, "That young man in the fine robes who just went through—why didn't you collect an entrance fee from him?"

"Can't you tell by his fine robes? Do you have any idea who he is?" the guard sneered. "That is Young Master Xu Lin. Don't compare yourself to him; look at your own status."

Li Jiansan’s brows furrowed slightly at the guard's words. Seeing this, Zhang Dabao hurriedly stepped in, saying, "It's fine, it's fine. We're first-timers here and don't know the rules. Our apologies. Here is the entrance fee."

After handing over the spirit stones, Zhang Dabao turned to leave.

"Wait." The guard blocked them once more.

"Big Brother Guard, is there something else?" Zhang Dabao asked with a forced smile.

The guard held out his hand and tapped his fingers. "You're still short one hundred spirit stones."

"The entrance fee—didn't we already pay it?"

The guard sneered, "I said, you are still short one hundred spirit stones!"

Guarding the gate and collecting fees was a lucrative position for skimming off the top. The rules stated the fee was one hundred, but the actual amount collected was entirely up to the guards. Consequently, some guards relished this task, becoming experts at reading people—identifying who was a soft target and who was a hard nut to crack. Currently, Li Jiansan and Zhang Dabao were being treated as targets for extortion.

Li Jiansan’s expression shifted. "We have already paid the entrance fee. According to the regulations, we are permitted to enter."

"Regulations?" The guard scoffed. "You want to talk to me about regulations? Fine, then we shall handle things strictly by the book!"

"It's over, those two are doomed. They actually provoked 'Scoundrel Huang'."

"They’re in for a miserable time. Scoundrel Huang specializes in bullying newcomers by overcharging them. He’s made a fortune here recently."

"They're new to the city and have no backing, so they’re easy targets. Sigh... it’s a pity they don't even understand how things work here, and now they're talking back to him."

"I still remember the last hothead who pointed a finger at Scoundrel Huang's nose to curse him—he was beaten within an inch of his life..."

Seeing Scoundrel Huang’s aggressive posturing, the surrounding martial artists watched with eager interest.

"Brat, I'll say it one more time: this is a protection fee. Are you sure you're not going to pay?" Scoundrel Huang stared coldly at Li Jiansan.

Seeing the guard’s fury, Zhang Dabao whispered, "Forget it, forget it. Let's just pay him."

Seeing Zhang Dabao reach for his pouch, Scoundrel Huang smiled with satisfaction. "That's more like—"

Before he could finish, Li Jiansan stopped Zhang Dabao. "Collect a protection fee from me? You aren't worthy!"

*Heh, I am a supreme villain,* Li Jiansan thought. *If I let you collect a protection fee from me, where does that leave my dignity as a villain? If I pay this money today, how am I supposed to keep walking the path of a grand villain?*

"Heh, it seems I haven't taken action in a while, and you've forgotten the methods of Scoundrel Huang."

"Very well. Today, I'll teach you a lesson so you and your friend can learn to remember your place."

The guard sneered and threw a punch, a fierce blast of energy surging toward Li Jiansan. Li Jiansan didn't even look at the guard, merely flicking his palm out casually.

"To be so brazen in front of us? You're courting death!" Seeing Li Jiansan's dismissive attitude, the guard flew into a rage, pouring even more power into his fist.

"Boom!"

But the moment his blow met the force from Li Jiansan, he was instantly overwhelmed by a terrifying surge of energy. He had no defense against such overwhelming power and was sent flying through the air.

"Brat, you... how could you possibly possess such strength?" Scoundrel Huang landed heavily on the ground, spitting up a mouthful of blood, his face full of disbelief.

"Damn you, you little bastard! How dare you injure my subordinate on my turf!"

In the distance, a man in uniform approached with a look of fury.

"A man of such low character—hitting him is just hitting him. Do I need a reason for that?" Li Jiansan replied.

The man was incensed. "Brat, you are looking for death!"

Seeing the man, the onlookers were shocked, and whispers rippled through the crowd:

"It’s... it’s Commander Zhu Hua."

"Heavens, why is he here?"

"He possesses the terrifying strength of the Foundation Establishment stage. Scoundrel Huang is only so arrogant because he has Commander Zhu Hua backing him."

"Now those two brats have really angered Commander Zhu Hua. They are truly finished."

Zhu Hua drew the great blade at his waist and swung it fiercely toward Li Jiansan. A ferocious beam of light, imbued with massive spiritual power, tore through the air, leaving a trail of sonic booms in its wake.