"Eh?"

Tang Xuan seemed extremely surprised. "I didn’t expect you to block my Flying Knife. You appear to be just a Second Rank Overlord, yet you’re this strong. My Flying Knife has never been blocked by a Martial Artist below my realm. It always hits its mark. You’re truly impressive, very impressive indeed."

"Give you another three or four years, and I’m afraid you would surpass this Elder. Unfortunately, since I’ve found you today, I won’t let you leave here alive. When you cut down weeds, you must pull out the roots!"

Initially, Tang Xuan hadn’t felt a strong killing intent toward Yang Qi. Although he was there to avenge the Tang Family of Sea City, it was just a mission, and he hadn’t taken it too seriously.

But now, he had to be serious. Yang Qi must die, or I won’t be able to rest easy.

"Are the people of the Tang Sect causing trouble in my hotel?"

Just as a life-and-death battle was about to erupt, a voice rang out.

Jia Mengxue appeared, followed by an elderly man. Since her last brush with danger, the bodyguards around her seemed to have grown even stronger.

Tang Xuan frowned and glanced at Jia Mengxue.

"Ah, President Jia. What, are you planning to meddle in this?" Tang Xuan asked, looking at her coolly. "This is a personal grudge between him and me. The Jia Family has no need to get involved."

"Hasn’t your Family Head told you not to offend the Tang Sect? The Jia Family cannot afford to provoke us!"

Jia Mengxue was not intimidated by his presence; she had faced far more terrifying auras. She looked at Tang Xuan and said flatly, "Mr. Yang is my friend and my business partner. I cannot stand by and watch you disrespect him."

Tang Xuan’s frown deepened. "Jia Mengxue, think this through. Protecting him means you are choosing to make an enemy of our Tang Sect. You should be well aware of the consequences. Do you think your business in the southwest could exist without the Tang Sect’s protection? Are you planning to abandon your business there?"

"All for a friend? For a boy who’s still wet behind the ears? Is it worth it?"

Jia Mengxue smiled. "Of course, it is!"

She answered without a shred of hesitation. Lately, doing business had become increasingly difficult. For her operations in the southwest, she had to hand over seventy percent of her profits to the Tang Sect. Could that even be considered a business anymore? But she had no choice. If she needed the Tang Sect’s protection, she had to pay the price. Of course, even with only thirty percent of the profits, she could still make money smoothly under their wing.

But for Yang Qi, she was willing to give it all up. He had just saved her life not long ago. There was another reason, too: she believed that for her business to truly become her own, she had to collaborate with Yang Qi.

Tang Xuan frowned. He couldn’t understand why this woman had such immense faith in Yang Qi. But if Jia Mengxue was determined to protect him, he was in a truly difficult position. Although Jia Mengxue was an ordinary person, she was connected to nearly half of the Tang Sect’s financial interests. If she were to die, the Tang Sect would suffer a catastrophic loss.

No matter how strong a Martial Artist is, they still need to eat. He truly couldn’t understand what Jia Mengxue was thinking. She was completely muddled!

He took a deep breath, looked at Jia Mengxue, and said, "Fine. I’ll make an exception for you today and spare him. But you can protect him for a moment; can you protect him for a lifetime?"

He then turned his cold gaze back to Yang Qi. "Kid, count yourself lucky. You’d better stay right under Jia Mengxue’s protection. Otherwise, you’re still a dead man!"

With that, he turned to leave. But just as he lifted his foot, a voice rang out.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Tang Xuan froze, turning his head to stare at Yang Qi, from whose mouth the words had come.

He couldn’t believe it. What kind of idiot was this? Jia Mengxue had just risked offending the Tang Sect to give him a chance to live, and this fool just threw it away? Does he have a death wish? Is he tired of living? I don’t get it. I really don’t get it!

Jia Mengxue was also stunned. Was I being too meddlesome? Perhaps Yang Qi never needed my help at all.

Tang Xuan let out a cold laugh. "If it weren’t for Jia Mengxue, I would have killed you long ago. Do you really think you’re so formidable?"

Yang Qi said calmly, "Today, out of respect for President Jia, I won’t fight here. How about a battle on the Life and Death Platform in Thunder City, tomorrow at noon?"

"Of course, if you’re too afraid to accept, you can just get out of Thunder City. I won’t object."

Jia Mengxue had gone to great lengths to plead for him, and Yang Qi decided to honor that gesture. However, he still had to deal with Tang Xuan; he couldn’t let this man stalk him indefinitely. A duel on the Life and Death Platform was the perfect solution. It would prevent the Tang Sect from concocting excuses later, claiming he had assassinated Tang Xuan through treachery. These prestigious sects valued their face above all else. If he killed Tang Xuan in a fair fight on the Life and Death Platform, they would have nothing to say.

Jia Mengxue’s brows furrowed. Li Qingyan’s did as well. But both women wisely remained silent. This was an agreement between men, and it was best for them not to interfere.

"Hahahaha!" Tang Xuan suddenly roared with laughter, looking at Jia Mengxue. "You see? He’s the one seeking death; I’m not forcing him. A fair duel on the Life and Death Platform. You can’t protect him now, can you?"

Jia Mengxue didn’t speak. She didn’t know what Yang Qi was thinking, nor did she know the true extent of his power. But since he had made his decision, she wouldn’t object, though she felt a tinge of regret. If Yang Qi had let her help, she could have guaranteed his safety, at least within Thunder City.

However, she didn’t realize that threatening the Tang Sect with their business interests wasn’t a wise long-term strategy. Such a method might work temporarily, but they wouldn’t let her have them by the throat forever. They would inevitably seek a way to break free. This was why Yang Qi proposed a duel to the death—it was also a way to avoid bringing trouble to Jia Mengxue.

"So, you agree?" Yang Qi asked, looking at Tang Xuan coolly.

"Of course, I agree! You’ve handed me a perfect opportunity to kill you. Why wouldn’t I? See you on the Life and Death Platform tomorrow at noon!"

Tang Xuan smirked, turned, and left. I’ll let Yang Qi live a little longer. I’m not in a hurry.

Jia Mengxue sighed. "Mr. Yang, do you understand your current situation? You just killed Jin Xing, offending the Tianhai Association! You crippled Gu Baiyi, offending both the Su Mansion and the Gu Family! And now, you want to offend the Tang Sect as well? I believe you might be confident you can kill Tang Xuan, but what about the consequences?"

"You can’t be so reckless. Making so many enemies at once will lead to immense trouble. If they all join forces against you, can you truly stand against them?"

Yang Qi chuckled. "You’re wrong about one thing. It’s not me who goes looking to offend people; it’s people who come looking for trouble with me. Did I have a choice but to kill Jin Xing?"

"Gu Baiyi had it coming!"

"And as for this Tang Xuan, do you really think he would have left me alone if I hadn’t confronted him? Do you honestly believe that?"