Chapter 34 You Want Me to Kneel?

At that moment, a middle-aged man forced his way through the crowd, his face contorting in shock and anger as he saw the injured Kai Chen. “Kai, what happened?”

This was Kai’s father, Bolin Chen, a well-known figure in Shu City.

“Dad, that cripple surnamed Ye hit me! Please, ask President Tang to avenge me!” Kai, pointing at Tianci Ye, wailed to his father.

Bolin Chen’s expression hardened as he turned to Yunhao Tang. “President Tang, this man assaulted my son at your family’s banquet—so brazenly. Surely you won’t just stand by?”

Kai quickly chimed in, “President Tang, this Ye fellow clearly has no respect for the Tang family. If he did, he’d never dare cause trouble here. He’s deliberately making you look bad!”

Spurred on by the father and son, Yunhao Tang’s face darkened as he glared at Tianci Ye.

“You had my daughter punished and confined to the old house, and now you storm into my family’s banquet, starting a fight. Are you trying to provoke the Tang family?”

Tianci Ye’s gaze remained calm. “Yunhao Tang, why don’t you ask me why I did it?”

“There’s no need,” Yunhao Tang cut him off with a wave. “You’re at fault, without question.” He turned to Qiong Tang. “General Qiong, what do you say?”

Qiong replied, “Uncle, as the general manager of Longxiang Grand Hotel, it’s your call. Just resolve this quickly—I don’t want anything delaying my apprenticeship ceremony.”

Yunhao Tang was her second uncle, yet he still sought her approval, which spoke volumes about Qiong Tang’s status as a star general within the family.

“It’ll be taken care of swiftly. Your ceremony won’t be delayed,” Yunhao Tang assured her, then called out sharply, “Li Chong!”

“Present!” came a deep, booming reply as a hulking man, well over six feet tall, strode into the hall.

With the shoulders of a tiger and the build of a bear, Li Chong was a mountain of muscle, radiating explosive strength. Even a mere glance at him made ordinary people feel an oppressive pressure—let alone face him in a fight.

“Isn’t that Elder Tang’s personal bodyguard, Li Chong? The Tang family’s number one fighter!”

“I’ve heard Li Chong can shatter a stone tablet with one slap. For President Tang to use him now—isn’t that overkill?”

“This young man’s finished. If he doesn’t die, he’ll be crippled for sure.”

Guests whispered anxiously, instinctively retreating, terrified that Li Chong’s violence might send blood flying their way.

“Li Chong, teach him a lesson—but mind your strength,” Yunhao Tang instructed, clearly worried that Li Chong might kill Tianci Ye by mistake.

Li Chong looked at Tianci Ye, his voice like a drum. “Kid, if you get down on your knees and apologize, I’ll just throw you out. But if you stay stubborn, I’ll give you a real beating.”

Changli Lin hurried to Tianci Ye’s side, his face tense. “Tianci, just back down.”

Qingqian Lin, however, remained standing quietly behind Tianci Ye. She wanted to see what cards he held.

“Uncle Lin, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” Tianci Ye smiled, his expression serene as he faced Li Chong. “You’re not my match. Stand down.”

He then addressed Yunhao Tang, “Do you remember what I said to you yesterday? There’s still time to pull back from the edge.”

Yunhao Tang had never taken Tianci Ye seriously, so he had no recollection of his words. “Pull back from the edge? Now you’re warning me? Such arrogance!”

“Li Chong, teach him a lesson!”

“With pleasure!”

Li Chong clenched his fists, the sound of popping joints echoing like firecrackers. He stomped the floor, his massive body lunging at Tianci Ye like a charging black bear.

But Tianci Ye neither dodged nor retreated. Calmly, he extended a single finger.

A shockwave burst from the tip of Tianci’s finger as Li Chong’s giant palm struck it—an invisible force radiating outward.

Li Chong’s face changed drastically.

Not only could he not press forward an inch, but with a startled cry, he yanked his hand back as if scalded, stumbling three steps before regaining his balance.

Eyes wide with shock, Li Chong stared at Tianci Ye in disbelief.

“How…how is this possible?!”

Waves of astonishment surged through Li Chong. Though he’d only used thirty percent of his strength, to be repelled by a single finger was terrifying beyond imagination.

“I told you—you’re not my match,” Tianci Ye said, unruffled.

To Li Chong, that look was pure mockery.

Furious, Li Chong was about to attack again when Qiong Tang suddenly spoke. “Stand down. I’ll handle this myself.”

Her gentle words crashed like thunder in everyone’s ears.

“What? General Qiong herself will deal with this young man?”

“Qiong Tang is one of the Great Xia’s ten star generals—the only woman among them. To witness her in action is an honor!”

“Yes, today was worth attending for this alone!”

“If this young man is disciplined by General Qiong herself, that’s fortune, not disgrace!”

The guests grew excited at the prospect of seeing Qiong Tang take the field.

She stepped into the center of the hall, her injuries fully healed, not a trace of weakness about her.

“No wonder you dared to cause trouble at my apprenticeship banquet,” she said coolly. “So you have something to rely on. Unfortunately, you’re too confident—too arrogant.”

“Kneel.”

“Kneel, apologize, admit your fault, and I won’t make things difficult for you. Today is my apprenticeship ceremony, after all.”

Her voice was calm, but from it everyone sensed an undeniable aura of dominance.

When Tianci Ye had treated her injuries, Qiong Tang had been unconscious. She didn’t recognize him. In her eyes, he was just a minor martial artist.

Tianci Ye gazed at her, his voice equally calm. “You want me to kneel?”

“You think kneeling to Qiong Tang is beneath you?” she replied, raising her brows.

His composure surprised her, but it made her angrier still. How dare an ordinary man defy her?

Clearly, she thought, she’d been too low-key and too kind, making this man believe her reputation as a star general was empty, emboldening him to cause trouble at her own banquet. Such people must be taught a lesson.

Suddenly, Qiong Tang unleashed her aura. From her body erupted a powerful shockwave. Her military uniform whipped in the wind; stray hairs and the corners of her lips fluttered, making her appear all the more heroic.

Many guests around her stumbled back, some even falling to the floor.

“What a formidable presence!”

“Her aura alone makes me want to kneel!”

“She truly is General Qiong—so powerful!”

Several guests, despite their disheveled state, deliberately shouted their praise, hoping to catch her attention and perhaps win her favor.

But at the eye of the storm, Tianci Ye stood as steady as a mountain, his expression as calm as ever.

A faint voice drifted from his lips—

“Qiong Tang, the one who should kneel is you.”

His words were like a nuclear bomb dropped into a serene lake, sending waves crashing sky-high.

In an instant, the entire banquet hall erupted into chaos.