Free Web NovelChapter 653: Chapter 653: The Red-haired Kid
"What business is it of yours whether I go or not?" Ye Qingchen had no desire to waste words on these nobodies, but they seemed to have a bone to pick with him.
"Heh, do you have any idea who we are? How dare you speak to us like that!" the leader of the group said, walking up to Ye Qingchen with a swagger.
Ye Qingchen looked at the short, red-haired young man before him. A Third-rank Martial Emperor. Where did he get the confidence to block my path?
Without hesitation, Ye Qingchen shot a fierce palm strike toward the red-haired youth’s face. The red-haired youth intended to block the attack, but his expression changed drastically when he felt the pressure emanating from Ye Qingchen. "You!"
He scrambled into a defensive stance out of shock, but in the next second, Ye Qingchen withdrew his hand.
"Get lost if you know what’s good for you." Ye Qingchen didn’t want to let such trivial matters delay him any longer. Otherwise, the people in front of him would have long since ceased to exist.
Seeing this, the red-haired youth scrambled back to his companions. "Go, go, go! Let’s get out of here!" he urged, and they all fled haphazardly toward the east. They didn’t stop until Ye Qingchen was out of sight.
"Hey, Boss, what was that about? We just ran off like that. Isn’t that totally humiliating?" his followers complained indignantly.
The red-haired youth snorted. "That guy has some strength, I just couldn’t be bothered with him! If I had wanted to, he’d already be flat on the ground!"
His followers remained silent.
The red-haired youth cleared his throat. "Hmph! So what if he’s strong? He’s trying to see the Know-It-All? No chance! The best he can do is put on a tough act out here."
The red-haired youth patted his pocket, a look of disdain returning to his face. Seeing this, his followers nodded in agreement.
"Right, the most important thing for us right now is finding our guy. We don’t need to get into fights with shady characters."
"Exactly. That kid doesn’t look like he has anything impressive to offer. Even if he follows us to the Know-It-All, the old man won’t see him."
"Alright, alright, let’s stop dawdling and get a move on."
Soon, Ye Qingchen arrived at the easternmost location mentioned by the Jiang Family. The area was desolate. In the distance, one could only see a few ancient trees and patches of weeds scattered here and there. At the very end of the wasteland, a small adobe house stood amidst a patch of weeds. Anyone who didn’t know better would have mistaken it for a simple mound of earth.
Despite the desolation, quite a few people were present. They stood around the adobe house in small groups, lurking suspiciously. This group, of course, included the red-haired youth and his followers.
Ye Qingchen walked toward the small adobe house. Just as he reached the entrance, someone came flying out from inside. The person crashed violently into the ground, leaving a large crater that caught Ye Qingchen’s eye. Before Ye Qingchen could figure out what was happening, an aged voice echoed from inside the adobe house.
"You dare come to see me with this junk? Get out!"
The red-haired youth and his group gulped. "Whoa... is the old man really that powerful?" freewebnøvel.com
The red-haired youth was about to say more, but one of his companions tapped him. "Hey, hey! Look, isn’t that the guy from before? It looks like he’s about to go in!"
By this time, Ye Qingchen had already reached the doorway of the adobe house.
"Hold it! Get to the back of the line, kid! We were here first!" The red-haired youth and his followers charged forward, blocking Ye Qingchen’s path.
Ye Qingchen narrowed his eyes, looking at them with disdain. "Heh, it seems you didn’t learn your lesson."
The red-haired youth snapped, "What the hell are you talking about? We’re giving you a friendly warning! Don’t come crying when you get thrown out!"
"Ah, forget it. You’ll definitely be thrown out. Someone like you... the Know-It-All inside won’t even spare you a glance."
"If you know what’s good for you, get on your knees and beg me. Maybe I’ll put in a good word for you with the old man!" After speaking, the red-haired youth looked at Ye Qingchen triumphantly. The people with him were his sect brothers. The earlier incident had been a complete loss of face, so this was his chance to get some payback.
However, Ye Qingchen refused to play along. "If you want me to smash your skull with a single palm strike, then by all means, keep blocking my path."
He’d tolerated it once, and then a second time. There would not be a third. Ye Qingchen didn’t want trouble, but if these people insisted on bothering him for no reason, he wouldn’t hold back.
The red-haired youth seemed startled by his words. He couldn’t help but shudder. After glancing back at the adobe house, he snorted coldly.
"Fine! You just wait! I’ll deal with you when I come back out!" With that, he led his group inside without another moment’s hesitation.
Just after the red-haired youth went in, someone approached Ye Qingchen. "Young man, how could you dare to provoke him? He’s the son of the Red-Haired Snake, the local tyrant of this area!"
"If you’ve crossed him, your life is forfeit in the outskirts of the Jiang Ancient Clan’s territory," the person added as a kind warning.
Ye Qingchen just smiled. "This local tyrant... compared to the Jiang Family, who do you think is stronger?"
The person clearly hadn’t expected Ye Qingchen to be so nonchalant. "Of course the Jiang Family is stronger!"
Ye Qingchen nodded. "Then there’s nothing to worry about. I’m not afraid of the Jiang Family, so why would I be afraid of a mere local tyrant?"
The person stared, dumbfounded, looking at Ye Qingchen as if he were an idiot. "Ah, forget it. You’re a lost cause."
"Countless people who came to the Jiang Ancient Clan have died at their hands. You’ll just be the next one." After saying his piece, the man shook his head and stepped aside.
Ye Qingchen suddenly sensed something and casually took two steps to the side. An instant later, several figures shot out from the adobe house.
"Damn it! Calling this trash a treasure? Go eat shit!"
The figures flew out and landed face-first, smashing hard into the ground. The leader, the red-haired youth, had his mouth stuffed with dirt. His entire face was bruised and swollen.
HAHAHA! Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was because the mouthful of dirt the red-haired youth was now eating happened to have fresh bird droppings on it.
The red-haired youth’s face grew dark as he fiercely spat the contents of his mouth onto the ground. He was so furious he wanted to kill someone. "What are you laughing at?! If you’ve got the guts, go on and get the old man to see you!"
Finished laughing, Ye Qingchen ignored him and simply bent down to enter the small door of the adobe house.
"Damn it! Who are you trying to impress? How dare you laugh at me! When you get thrown out, I’ll kill you!" The red-haired youth scrambled up from the ground, cursing loudly in the direction Ye Qingchen had gone.
Ye Qingchen walked inside and couldn’t help but marvel at the sight before him. The inside of the house was a world apart from the outside. It was brightly lit, and further down, it opened up into what looked like a grand palace. At the very front sat an elderly man, meditating with his eyes closed.
