81: Do you want me to help you put your hat in?

Clap, clap, clap—

A sudden burst of applause rang out from inside the car.

It was unhurried, one clap after another, sounding particularly piercing on the deathly silent street.

Immediately after, the rear door of that black sedan, which had never been turned off, was pushed open.

An old man wearing a black top hat and a dark-patterned Tang suit slowly leaned out.

He was tall and thin, with deep wrinkles on his face like they had been carved by a chisel. His eye sockets were sunken, yet his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, pinning directly onto Ye Chen's face.

The old man leaned on an ebony cane with a hideous ghost head carved at the top.

The corners of his mouth pulled into a smile that barely had any curvature, and his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing over rough wood.

"The youth are to be feared."

"No wonder that trash Zheng Hu fell into your hands, and that fool Zhao Yuan crawled his way out."

"However, their stupidity is their own business."

"Since I have come, I must get the job done."

He raised a withered finger and pointed through the air at the four people Ye Chen was protecting behind him: Yi Yue, Sophie, and the others.

"That trash just gave you two choices. Instead of picking one, you added a third."

"Now, I shall give you a fourth choice..."

"Kneel down, kowtow three times, break both your arms, and then obediently follow me back to the provincial capital to await your sentence."

"Otherwise..."

A cold light flashed in his eyes. "I will first kill those four burdens behind you, then shatter every bone in your body and drag you back like a dead dog."

As soon as these words were spoken, a few brave passersby who hadn't run far yet couldn't help but whisper to each other with strange expressions.

"Holy crap! These lines... has he watched too many gangster movies?"

"Filming a movie with such dedication? Did they clear the area? Where are the cameras hidden?"

"That old man's look is quite unique. Top hat and Tang suit—the props department really put in some effort!"

...Clearly, Ye Chen's miraculous kick earlier, combined with the old man's villainous entrance and lines, led the passersby to completely misunderstand that some large-scale martial arts or crime film was being shot... Hearing this, Ye Chen suddenly laughed.

Instead of retreating, he took two steps forward, increasing the distance between himself and Yi Yue's group to face the top-hatted old man alone.

Then.

He beckoned with his finger toward the old man.

"That's a pretty tall hat, old man. Aren't you afraid the wind will snap your neck?"

"Come on, I'm standing right here."

"Why don't you try touching them?"

He tilted his head slightly, but his gaze suddenly turned cold, like an ice-sealed blade.

"Let's see if you touch a single hair of theirs first..."

"Or if I stuff that pretentious hat of yours into your mouth first."

When these words came out, the onlookers weren't scared away; instead, they got even more excited.

"Haha, fight! Hurry up and fight!"

"The villain's look is spot on! Where did the director find him?"

"That guy's kick earlier was awesome! He's definitely the male lead!"

...More and more people stopped, some even holding up their phones to record, discussing it fervently as if they were watching a live-action street blockbuster.

The corner of the top-hatted old man's eye twitched slightly.

He had run rampant in the provincial capital for years; everyone fell silent wherever he went. When had he ever been watched and critiqued like an actor?

Fury!

A sinister fire surged from his heart!

"How bold!!!"

He laughed out of extreme anger, his hoarse voice sounding like a night owl. "Since you seek death, then I... shall grant your wish!"

Before his voice had even faded, he slammed the ebony cane onto the ground!

Crack!

A small pit was actually poked into the hard concrete floor!

And with that thrust, his withered frame vanished from the spot like a ghost!

He didn't vanish!

His speed was so fast that he left afterimages in the eyes of ordinary people!

A dark streak of light bypassed Ye Chen at an extremely tricky angle and pounced straight toward Yi Yue, who was not far behind him!

A thin sword was drawn from the cane, tracing a cold flash through the air as it lunged forward!

"Watch out!"

Sophie screamed in terror.

Yi Yue felt a chill instantly envelop her whole body. Her pupils shrank; she wanted to dodge, but her body was as stiff as if it were frozen.

Aunt Zhang was so scared she closed her eyes, shielding Yi Zhengtian tightly.

Too fast!

The old man's speed was ten times more terrifying than all those men in black combined!

The onlookers only saw a blur before the old man 'teleported' behind the beauty, his sword already at her neck. A wave of gasps erupted!

"Holy crap! What kind of speed is that? Are they using wires?"

"Special effects, right? Were those afterimages just now?"

"The beauty is in danger! Handsome guy, save her!"

...However—

Just an instant before the sword tip could touch Yi Yue's skin!

Ye Chen moved!

Clack!

A soft sound rang out, eerily crisp.

The surroundings fell into an instant deathly silence.

Everyone's eyes widened, including the passersby who originally thought they were 'filming a movie'.

They saw... Ye Chen flash in front of Yi Yue, reaching out his right hand to grab the blade of the thin sword pointing at her back!

The sword tip was only half an inch away from Yi Yue's clothes.

But the blade was pinched by his bare hand, motionless. Forget about cutting his palm—there wasn't even a trace of blood!

Yi Yue hadn't even fully realized what had happened; she only felt a cold wind from behind, and then everything went still.

She turned around blankly and saw Ye Chen's tall back and the flash of cold light held in his hand.

"This..."

For the first time, shock appeared in the top-hatted old man's eyes. His withered wrist instinctively applied force, but the thin sword was like it had been welded into Ye Chen's palm—it could neither advance nor retreat!

"Old man."

Ye Chen slowly raised his head to look at the old man close at hand, his gaze so cold it lacked any warmth.

His fingers, which were pinching the sword tip, applied a bit of pressure.

"I said..."

"You can't touch them."

His wrist gave a sudden twist!

Crack—Snap!

A tooth-aching crunching sound!

That thin sword blade, forged from a special alloy and sharp enough to cut a hair, was actually snapped in half by his bare hands!

He let go.

The broken sword tip fell to the ground, bounced twice, and became still.

The top-hatted old man: "..."

The men in black: "..."

The onlookers: "...Holy shit?!"

After a brief silence, an even more heated discussion broke out.

"I... did I see that right? Catching a blade with bare hands? And he snapped it?"

"That has to be a prop, right? Otherwise, how is that possible?"

"No... both of them were so fast. Is movie-making technology this incredible now?"

...The passersby were completely thrilled. Many even took out their phones to start filming, treating this entirely as a spectacular street movie performance.

The top-hatted old man's face turned from green to white, and his hand holding the half-broken hilt trembled slightly.

It wasn't fear; it was rage, and even more so, shock!

This 'Ghost Head Piercer' of his had accompanied him for most of his life and had tasted countless lives. He never imagined that one day it would be destroyed in such a manner!

What a great humiliation!

"Good! Good! Good!"

He laughed out of extreme anger, saying 'good' three times. His eyes were boiling with killing intent, no longer possessing his previous composure.

"Junior, you have completely enraged me!"

He slammed the broken hilt onto the ground and quickly formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest. His aura suddenly became cold and eerie, and his top hat moved even without wind!

"To be able to die under my, Ghost Old Man's, 'Yin Fiend Palm' is your honor!"

He gave a low roar, and his figure blurred again, floating toward Ye Chen like a ghost. His withered palm carried a bone-chilling, foul wind as it struck directly at Ye Chen's chest!

The momentum of this palm was far beyond anything before!

As the palm wind passed, the air made a hissing sound, as if it were poisonous!

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes.

This old man was indeed not an ordinary martial artist but a true practitioner who had cultivated 'Qi,' and he followed an evil path at that!

"Everyone, get back!"

Ye Chen gave a low shout, pushing Yi Yue and the others back. Instead of retreating, he advanced. The inheritance power within him surged as he stepped out in the profound patterns of the Tiangang Step. He clenched his right fist, and a faint, almost imperceptible golden glow appeared on its surface.

The Layered Wave Strength was activated once more!

This time, he held nothing back!

"First Wave!"

Fist met palm!

Bang!

The dull sound of the collision rang out like muffled thunder!

A wave of air exploded outward from the two of them, blowing dust and fallen leaves into the air. Several nearby men in black were blown back, stumbling.

Ghost Old Man's body swayed, the shock in his eyes deepening.

Ye Chen used the momentum to spin, his second punch following like a shadow!

"Second Wave!"

"Third Wave!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of fist and palm colliding were continuous, each one heavier than the last!

Ghost Old Man could manage to take them at first, but the more they fought, the more alarmed he became!

Ye Chen's fist force was too strange. Not only was it incomparably fierce, but it also carried a scorching, pure Yang aura that perfectly countered his Yin Fiend internal energy!

Furthermore, that overlapping force seemed to have no end!

"Eighth Wave!"

Ye Chen shouted again. His punch was like a dragon, crashing heavily into Ghost Old Man's crossed arms!

Crack!

The sound of a slight bone fracture rang out!

Ghost Old Man let out a muffled groan and retreated seven or eight steps. Each step left a clear footprint on the concrete. A trail of dark red blood even leaked from the corner of his mouth.

His arms hung limply at his sides, the pain piercing his heart. His gaze toward Ye Chen was filled with horror and disbelief.

This kid... just what kind of monster is he?

To actually grow stronger as he fights, with such unstoppable momentum!?

Ye Chen stood still, withdrawing his stance, and glanced coldly at him. "That hat—do you still want me to help you stuff it in?"