Why did you provoke that old man? He's a reincarnation of a deity!

Yu Hu laughed wildly. In this Mizhou City, was there anyone he couldn't afford to offend? He wasn't afraid of even the son of the prefect, so why would he be afraid of this eighty-year-old man? It was simply a huge joke.

"Just because of what you said, you're not leaving today!" Yu Hu waved his hand, and four or five burly men beside him rushed forward at the same time, their fists and feet flying, each of them at the level of martial arts body tempering realm.

"We're doomed." Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom. This madman wanted to die and dragged us down with him.

Despite the blows and kicks from the group, Xiao Nian's expression didn't even change.

He slightly shifted his body to the side, dodging the first man's fist. With a flick of his right hand, he grabbed the man's wrist, and with a gentle shake, the bones in the man's arm cracked and he let out a scream before collapsing to the ground.

When the second person came with a flying kick, Xiao Nian delivered a knee strike to the shin. The man's leg bone made a cracking sound, and he rolled away, clutching his leg and howling in pain.

The third, fourth, and fifth men—it only took two or three breaths for all five burly men to lie on the ground, groaning in pain.

From beginning to end, Xiao Nian's feet barely moved. He stood still, not even a speck of dust touching the hem of his clothes.

Yu Hu's pupils suddenly contracted.

That old man was incredibly fast. So fast that he didn't even see how he made his move before everyone was down.

Moreover, his attacks were extremely precise, always hitting joints and vital points, injuring but not killing the opponent, but quickly and completely rendering them unable to fight.

He couldn't even tell which school or sect this technique belonged to.

"Good lad," Yu Hu sneered, "I misjudged you. But even if you're a good fighter, how many can you take on?"

"Yu Biao, you get him!"

A burly, tiger-shaped man emerged from behind Yu Hu, twisting his neck.

He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, his arms were as thick as Xiao Nian's thighs, and he had a scar on his face. The imposing aura he exuded sent a chill down the spines of Li Jun's side present.

Meridian Opening Realm! Martial artists at the second level of martial arts are completely different from those at the Body Tempering Realm. All their meridians have been opened, giving them a hundred times the power of those at the Body Tempering Realm.

Only the most outstanding third-year graduates of the martial arts academy could possibly reach such a level of cultivation.

Yu Biao, also Yu Hu's younger brother, was supposedly bailed out of prison and was known for his ruthlessness.

Yu Biao's twelve main meridians were all connected, his qi and blood surged and flowed throughout his body along the meridians.

"Drink! Old man, you don't know your place. Today I'll show you what the true supreme martial arts palm technique is!" Yu Biao said in a deep voice.

Yu Biao lowered his waist and assumed a horse stance, his dantian surging with qi and blood, which flowed into his arms through the opened meridians. Suddenly, his palm wind was accompanied by a deep, piercing sound, and the air was torn apart by the force of his palm, creating a series of booming sounds.

"Is this the Dragon Subduing Palm?" Li Mingmei's face turned pale. The Dragon Subduing Palm is a top-tier move in Chinese martial arts classics, and it is practically invincible for someone at the Opening Meridian Realm to use it.

Yu Biao slapped at the old man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and everyone could see Xiao Nian being sent flying in the next second.

However, Xiao Nian calmly dodged the fierce attack by turning to the side. His palm struck the cedar tree behind him, and with a "bang," the tree instantly snapped in two.

Xiao Nian commented: "Martial arts are ultimately just martial arts, merely mundane martial arts built from qi and blood. No matter how domineering the moves are, their essence is still the circulation of energy through the meridians."

His attack missed, and Yu Biao's anger intensified. He changed his moves in quick succession, unleashing two more strikes while shouting:

"What the hell are you pretending for! A dragon soaring in the sky!"

His body leaped into the air, his palms pressing down from mid-air, the whistling sound growing louder and louder, the palm energy transforming into a faint dragon-shaped phantom, enveloping the entire area and sealing off all evasive positions;

Dragons battle in the wild!

He pounded his palms together, the violent force compounding, blasting deep craters into the ground, and sand and gravel filled the air, obscuring his vision.

"The moves are good, but too flashy." Xiao Nian dodged all the moves, and then finally slowly raised his hand, gently lifting one palm, and a wisp of restrained spiritual power instantly collided with the core of Yu Biao's palm force.

In an instant, Yu Biao felt his meridians, which ran through his entire body, suddenly become sluggish and blocked. His circulating blood and qi suddenly reversed, and his dragon-shaped palm force collapsed instantly. His proud palm technique was thus abruptly interrupted.

He was violently shaken, staggered back several steps, his tiger's mouth went numb, his arms were weak and powerless, and he could no longer muster any palm force.

"Dragon Subduing Palm is more like subduing insects." Xiao Nian smiled contemptuously.

Yu Biao stood there, stunned, looking at his slightly trembling hand, his heart filled with shock. He had the cultivation of the Opening Meridian Realm and the Dragon Subduing Palm, yet he had been defeated by an eighty-year-old man.

Yu Hu's facial muscles twitched slightly. If he couldn't even handle an old man who was about to die, how would he face people in Mizhou City after word got out?

He suddenly waved his hand and roared, "Old man, times have changed! No matter how good you are at fighting, can you dodge my bullets?!"

With a whoosh, the thirty-odd people behind him scattered at the same time. Those in the front row grabbed sticks and short knives, while those in the back row raised their cold muskets, all pointing their guns at Xiao Nian.

"Release it!"

Before Yu Hu could finish speaking, a loud shout suddenly came from the entrance of the woodland.

"Stop it, all of you!"

The voice was deep and resonant, making everyone dizzy. Only a master at the lowest level of the Meridian Opening Realm could have such a penetrating voice.

There's another expert! Everyone turned to look.

A towering figure strode into the forest, standing at least two meters tall with broad shoulders and a thick back; his bulging muscles seemed to burst through his clothes.

The man, his face contorted with rage, stormed into the arena. His gaze swept across the crowd, and when it landed on Xiao Nian, it instantly became incredibly respectful.

"Mr. Meng! You really are here!"

Xiao Fei.

Xiao Nian glanced at him and nodded slightly. The Zeng family's arrival was quite timely.

Yu Hu's face darkened: "Who are you? How dare you interfere in the affairs of my Tiger Head Gang? Do you know that my brother-in-law's surname is Yehenara?"

Li Jun gasped in shock.

Yehenara is the royal surname of the Xia people. No wonder Yu Hu can disregard Prefect Li. With this connection, he can act with impunity in Jiangbei Province.

Xiao Fei turned around, looking completely unconcerned, and pulled out an iron token from his pocket, showing it off. The iron token was jet black, with the character "Zeng" engraved on it, next to a five-petaled plum blossom pattern; it was the token of the Zeng family of Huxi.

Yu Hu's face turned deathly pale instantly.

It's true that he could act with impunity in Mizhou City because of his relationship with the Xia people. But what is the background of the Zeng family in Huxi?

It was a behemoth that had produced the Governor-General of Liangjiang and renowned ministers who had helped restore the dynasty. Its students and former associates were spread throughout the military and political circles, and even high-ranking officials in the Xia dynasty court had to give it some face.

Not to mention Zeng Gunfa, the old master of the Zeng family. Although he has retired, half of the generals of the Great Xia would obey his orders.

The burly man in front of them held a token belonging to the Zeng family's personal guards. This meant that he was someone close to a key figure in the Zeng family.

"The Zeng family?" Yu Hu's voice trembled slightly.

Xiao Fei ignored him, quickly walked up to Xiao Nian, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "Mr. Meng, Master Zeng sent me to search for you everywhere."

"Looking for me? Isn't that too early? Didn't you say a month from now?"

He lowered his voice: "Master Zeng said that tomorrow afternoon, he has prepared a small gift and will personally visit the Meng family, requesting that you do him the honor of attending."

These words shocked everyone present.

Yu Hu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The head of the Zeng family in Huxi was going to personally pay a visit to this old man?! And even "please do me the honor of gracing him with your presence"? Was this Master Zeng Zeng Gun? Or someone else? Whoever in the Zeng family was, their mere presence could shake the entire Jiangbei province!

Li Jun's eyes widened, his mind went completely blank.

He watched as Xiao Fei stood respectfully before Xiao Nian, bowing and scraping. Then he remembered how he had forced Xiao Nian to kneel down and apologize. He felt his cheeks burning as he was slapped several times.

Xiao Nian glanced at Yu Hu, then at the group of burly men groaning on the ground, before returning his gaze to Xiao Fei's face and saying calmly:

"I don't have time tomorrow."

He refused! He actually refused!

Everyone's mind went completely blank.

Xiao Fei looked somewhat troubled: "Mr. Meng, I'm in a difficult position to explain this to you!"

"There's no time like the present, let's do it today." Xiao Nian paused, her gaze sweeping across Yu Hu's face, sending a chill down Yu Hu's spine:

"As for this place, this Mr. Yu just said he wanted my friend to stay for a few days. Xiao Fei, do you think I can leave?"

Xiao Fei turned around, looking down at Yu Hu, grinning and revealing a set of white teeth. That smile was chilling to Yu Hu.

"Yu Hu, is it? Mr. Meng's friend? You dare to mess with him? Should I go and put in a good word for that Xia man behind you?"

Yu Hu trembled. Although he had a brother-in-law from the Yehenara clan, he was still just one of many brothers-in-law. Why would the Yehenara clan offend the Zeng family for his sake?

Without hesitation, Yu Hu knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Sir, spare my life! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! I deserve to die!"