Chapter 196: This Man is Called Xun Min

With a loud bang, lightning exploded into a spray of purple sparks against the shield. Electric currents crackled up and down along the shield, threatening to surge downward.

The burly man’s expression changed. He twisted his wrist, and silvery metallic lines flashed across the shield before vanishing into thin air. With nothing left to conduct it, the electric sparks gradually dissipated.

As this wave of attacks erupted, the conflict between the two sides became irreconcilable. The atmosphere grew tense, and a fight seemed imminent. At that moment, the “Young Master Xun” the short man had shouted for earlier stepped out.

He wore a white dress shirt and black suit pants. He looked handsome and refined, but his face was a bit pale, giving him a cold, sinister edge.

Unlike Yi Beimeng, whose evil charm was laced with malice, or Mr. Kui Hai, whose scholarly elegance put people at ease, this man’s hidden chill was enough to make anyone instinctively wary. When his eyes landed on you, it felt as if a venomous snake had you in its sights—a chill ran down your spine.

In short, one look and you could tell he was a scheming, ruthless type.

Zhong Teng glanced at him, his handsome brows furrowing as he confidently identified him. “Xun Min from Mercenary City.”

“Mr. Zhong, you have a sharp eye. You actually recognized me.” Xun Min’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. He strolled over to stand opposite Zhong Teng and the others, his voice icy and disdainful. “Since you already know who I am, why don’t you step aside? I have business with those two women.”

Zhong Teng’s brows drew together, but his calm, handsome face didn’t waver. His deep voice was firm and unyielding. “This is Longteng’s territory. Mercenary City has no right to throw its weight around here. If you dare cause trouble today, Longteng will never let it go.”

A flash of menace flickered in Xun Min’s eyes, his tone turning dangerous. “Zhong Teng, don’t mistake my patience for weakness. Longteng is nothing but a bunch of old, sick, and weak fools. Do you really think you can stand against Mercenary City?”

Yun Qimu turned to Pei Yu, who was watching the drama unfold with great interest, and asked, “Who is this guy, anyway? Why is he so arrogant? He doesn’t even seem that strong to me.”

Ever since Yun Qimu awakened her mental powers, she’d become very sensitive to people’s auras. She couldn’t gauge his exact ability level, but she could get a general sense.

This Xun Min, for all his sinister airs and bluster, was clearly not as strong as Zhong Teng. So where did his confidence come from?

Pei Yu was happy to explain. Leaning in close, she whispered, “His name is Xun Min, an S-rank ability user, ranked fourth on the Mercenary City leaderboard. He’s notorious for his snake-controlling powers—hard to guard against, and a truly devious character. But that’s not where his confidence comes from. It’s because of Mercenary City’s leader, Poison Dragon.”

“Poison Dragon took over Mercenary City years ago, wiping out the old powers and becoming the new city lord. He’s cunning and ruthless. He didn’t kill off all the old forces, though—instead, he won many over with persuasion and eventually brought everyone under his command.”

“It’s said Poison Dragon fell for the daughter of the former city lord, Dongfang Yuan. After her fiancé died, he seized the chance to marry her. But that’s not all—he even tolerated Dongfang Yuan giving birth to her late fiancé’s son. Sadly, Dongfang Yuan died not long after childbirth, and Poison Dragon, to prove his devotion, never remarried.”

“As for Xun Min, he suddenly appeared at Poison Dragon’s side later on. His abilities are exactly like Poison Dragon’s, and he’s clearly favored—Poison Dragon is grooming him as his successor. So everyone suspects Xun Min is Poison Dragon’s illegitimate son from before he married Dongfang Yuan. He’s even older than Dongfang Yuan’s son, Dongfang Ji.”

“Oh.” Yun Qimu nodded in understanding. No wonder he was so bold in challenging Longteng—he had all of Mercenary City backing him.

In the end, though, a fight didn’t break out, because Yi Beimeng from Red Lotus Stronghold and Lin Qiu from Bloodthirst arrived.

Lin Qiu was a pretentious sort—outwardly gentle and refined, but always playing the good guy. He stepped forward to mediate. “Young Master Xun, let’s not lose our tempers. Zhong Teng, you too—why act without knowing the full story? I’m sure Young Master Xun really does have business with those two women. Why not just let him ask his questions?”

Xun Min clearly enjoyed being addressed so deferentially, and his anger subsided a little.

With Lin Qiu’s prompt, he lifted his chin and explained why he was after Weiwei and the other woman.

“My subordinate has excellent hearing and overheard those two women discussing a potion that can heal any injury. We lost track of them in the crowd earlier, but now that we’ve found them again, of course I want to ask about it. Mr. Lin, you know as well as I do—people like us, who live by the sword, need these potions more than anyone. Mercenary City isn’t short on energy credits, but we do lack these medicines. Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding with that old lady just now.”

“Hmph!” Granny Cuihua was having none of it. Her not-so-young eyes glared at Wen Lang as she snapped, “Nonsense! That kid was grabbing the girl’s wrist, sniffing and squeezing—clearly taking advantage! I may be old, but I’m not blind. Don’t you dare spout such rubbish!”

Amei, cheeks flushed, chimed in to back Granny Cuihua up. “That’s right! Granny’s right! That man was totally harassing me. I already have a man, and he was still getting handsy—trying to steal me right in front of my boyfriend! If that’s not being a creep, what is?”

Weiwei didn’t speak, but she nodded vigorously, shooting a hateful glare at the short man who had grabbed her.

Xun Min’s face darkened as he shot Wen Lang a look.

Wen Lang quickly raised his hands in surrender, rubbing his nose awkwardly. It was just a force of habit—back in Mercenary City, the girls would have been thrilled if he flirted with them. Who’d have thought he’d run into two blind ones here in Chaos City, who’d rather stick with those ugly guys than give him a chance?

“How about I offer some compensation for the misunderstanding? A thousand energy credits. And if you two ladies can tell me where to buy that healing potion, I’ll throw in another thousand.”

Weiwei and Amei’s eyes lit up, and they instinctively glanced at Yun Qimu.

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow—so they were after her potions, huh?

She glanced at the short, skinny man trying to blend into the background—he was probably Xun Min’s hearing-ability subordinate.

She nodded to the two girls. The news about the potion was spreading a bit faster than she’d hoped, but it would be foolish not to make some money.

With her approval, the girls’ faces lit up. Amei, the bolder one, said to Wen Lang, “Two thousand each.”

“Tsk, little beauty, you really drive a hard bargain. Two thousand each it is—I can afford it.” Wen Lang rubbed his palm, unconcerned."