59: Chapter 59 Shattered Bones

"Lin Qing, are you willing?"

The Crown Prince's indifferent words drifted down lightly, and the Yanyu Tower hall, which had been filled with fragmented chatter, instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Outside the window, the spring breeze gently brushed by, carrying the newly sprouted willow branches from the Imperial City streets, softly tapping against the carved window frames, making a delicate, soft rustling sound. The wind seeped in through the half-open window crack, bringing with it a refreshing warmth of grass and trees, yet it couldn't disperse the suffocating, stagnant atmosphere in the hall.

On the long tables in the hall, exquisite delicacies were laid out. Crystal platters held chilled fresh fruits, and gilded bronze censers warmed aged fine wine. The rich aroma of wine mingled with the fresh scent of ingredients, permeating the air.

The aristocratic disciples, princesses, and princes sitting around all held their breath, their gazes fixed on Lin Qing in the corner of the hall. They even deliberately lightened their breathing, afraid of disturbing the tense situation before them.

Lin Qing did not immediately respond to the Crown Prince's question. He unhurriedly swallowed the last bite of food in his mouth, then gently raised a finger, picked up the clean silk handkerchief from the table beside him, and calmly wiped his lips.

Having done all this, he slowly rose and walked step by step towards the Crown Prince in the main seat. His steps were steady, each one light, yet it felt as if he was treading on everyone's heartstrings, making the atmosphere in the hall even more tense.

The Crown Prince sat upright in the pear blossom wood armchair, originally with a hint of condescending amusement and control. Seeing that Lin Qing not only didn't kneel, but instead walked straight towards him, his eyes instantly turned cold.

"You don't know your place!"

The Crown Prince reprimanded coldly, his voice carrying the majesty and ruthlessness of someone long in a high position. He then turned his head and sternly ordered the old man standing beside him with hands hanging down:

"Old Mo, go and smash his bones for me. I want to see just how hard his bones are!"

The old man, called Old Mo, responded, standing in front of the Crown Prince. The next second, a powerful and terrifying Aura erupted!

A dense, blood-red Qi mist surged with the old man at its center, instantly enveloping the entire Yanyu Tower, then spreading out through doors and windows, covering several surrounding blocks. That was the terrifying might of Blood Qi Soaring to the Heavens.

The Aura of a top-tier combatant of the Xia Kingdom pressed down on everyone in the hall like a mountain, causing many with weaker cultivation to turn pale and tremble all over.

For a moment, the onlookers in the hall all curled their lips into sneers, their gazes fixed on Lin Qing.

They wanted to see if this number one on the hidden dragon list would be scared into kneeling and begging for mercy under such overwhelming might, or if he would still recklessly strike, ultimately being severely suppressed by Old Mo and meeting a tragic end.

Even the Seventh Prince, sitting on the other side, couldn't help but clench his sleeves, staring nervously at the scene.

The reason why the Crown Prince made such a big fuss and humiliated Lin Qing in public was because from the very beginning, he had never intended to take Lin Qing under his command.

His heart was full of jealousy. Lin Qing's sudden appearance had brutally knocked him off the top spot, which was a great humiliation for him.

What he wanted was never Lin Qing's loyalty, but for Lin Qing to abandon all dignity and become his obedient dog, allowing him to humiliate and trample upon him, thereby washing away the shame of losing the number one spot on the hidden dragon list.

In his view, what if Lin Qing was the new number one on the hidden dragon list? He was ultimately of humble origins, and in front of him, the current Crown Prince, he could only wag his tail and beg for mercy, at his whim.

But seeing Lin Qing still calm, indifferent, and fearless, the Crown Prince's anger and killing intent completely erupted. He no longer had the patience to even make Lin Qing his dog, and urged again with a vicious gaze:

"Old Mo, go!"

Old Mo heard this and no longer held back in the slightest. He stomped his foot fiercely, and his figure shot towards Lin Qing like an arrow released from a bow.

He clenched his right hand into a fist, aiming directly at Lin Qing's vital spot on his chest. His attack was a killing Move, without any reservation.

Only at this moment did Lin Qing stop his forward steps.

He looked up, his eyes calmly fixed on the attacking Old Mo. He raised his right arm and threw a simple punch, without flashy Moves, without surging Blood Qi, only pure, extreme power.

Bang!

The two fists collided fiercely, and a deafening thud exploded, followed by a bone-chilling crackling sound, crisp and piercing. The next second, a thick blood mist suddenly burst forth, staining the surrounding air red.

Old Mo's figure, spinning and flying backward even faster than he had arrived, crashed heavily into a pillar in the corner of the hall with a dull thud, then slid down to the ground.

Hot blood splattered, scattering throughout the hall—on the white walls, in the exquisite dinner plates, on the cheeks and robes of the surrounding crowd. Everywhere was a dazzling crimson, and the previously fresh air was instantly filled with a strong smell of blood.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the corner, the sneers and smiles on their faces frozen, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief.

Old Mo lay on the ground, his entire right arm, including his right shoulder, had completely disappeared. The wound was a bloody mess, bones shattered, and he was covered in blood. At this moment, he was only exhaling, not inhaling, clearly on the verge of death.

The entire hall was silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was frozen in place, eyes wide, staring at Lin Qing, who stood tall and erect in the center. Their minds were blank. That was Old Mo, a Blood Qi Soaring to the Heavens expert, a top master of the Xia Kingdom, yet he was instantly killed by Lin Qing with one punch, without even the power to retaliate?

The Crown Prince could no longer sit still. He suddenly rose, his Aura chaotic, his face filled with disbelief, his voice sharp from extreme shock:

"Impossible! How could you be this strong?!"

In fact, as early as in Yanguī City, Lin Qing had displayed the Blood Qi Soaring to the Heavens phenomenon, but at that time, everyone in the city thought it was Jiang Jiūcí. Only Su Lan and a few others knew the true source of that Blood Qi.

However, before they could inquire about the details, the East Palace eunuch was ordered to take Lin Qing away, and Su Lan and the others tacitly refrained from mentioning the matter again.

At this moment, Lin Qing finally looked at the Crown Prince for the first time. His dark eyes held no emotion, calm as a deep pool.

He did not respond to the Crown Prince's question, but slowly spoke, his voice light, yet carrying an bone-chilling coldness:

"You really like to smash people's bones?"

This short sentence made the Crown Prince's hair stand on end. He clearly felt the undisguised, biting killing intent in Lin Qing's voice. Lin Qing actually wanted to kill him, Lin Qing truly dared to kill him!

The Crown Prince was instantly enveloped by fear. He knew that his meager cultivation was nothing in front of Lin Qing.

Without the slightest hesitation, and not daring to utter another harsh word, he turned and leaped out of the open window, attempting to escape.

He was the current Crown Prince; as long as he could escape back to the East Palace and mobilize his guards, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

The Crown Prince's body fell heavily onto the bustling Imperial City street, his steps faltering. Before he could even steady himself, an immense and unparalleled force suddenly slammed into his back, making him instantly lose balance and fall forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the bluestone road, blood oozing from his mouth and nose, looking utterly pathetic.

With his strength, in front of Lin Qing, he didn't even have the right to escape.

The Crown Prince struggled to roll over on the ground, his face pale, frantically scrambling backward with hands and feet, his eyes filled with terror.

The pedestrians on the street, who had been bustling about, were startled by this sudden turn of events, then reacted, scattering to form a wide circle, watching the commotion with full curiosity.

"Who is that person? How dare they fight on the Imperial City street?"

"No! Look at the person on the ground, it's His Highness, the Crown Prince!"

As these words came out, the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent, everyone holding their breath, their faces filled with horror.

This matter had reached a point where they didn't even dare to discuss it. A few timid ones turned pale and hurried away, afraid of being implicated.

The Crown Prince looked at Lin Qing, both shocked and furious, screaming hysterically:

"Lin Qing! I am the Crown Prince of this dynasty! The future Emperor! If you dare to touch me, there will be no place for you in this vast Xia Kingdom! You are going against the entire Xia Kingdom!"

He tried to use his identity as Crown Prince, and the might of the Xia Kingdom, to force Lin Qing to stop.

But Lin Qing ignored him. He walked to a tea stall by the street, reached out and picked up a solid wooden bench. With a slight force of his palm, with a crack, he forcibly broke off a thick leg of the bench.

Then, holding the cold, hard bench leg, he walked step by step to the Crown Prince, who was slumped on the ground. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand and smashed the bench leg down fiercely!

Again! And again!

An extremely shrill scream instantly echoed throughout the entire street.

Lin Qing's attacks were precise and ruthless. First, the fingers, joint by joint, were brutally smashed, followed by the palm, arm, and shoulder.

The Crown Prince's screams came one after another, interspersed with painful pleas for mercy, completely devoid of his former arrogance.

"Lin Qing, I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Please let me go!"

"I shouldn't have been jealous that your hidden dragon list ranking was above mine, I shouldn't have humiliated you, please spare my life!"

Lin Qing's movements didn't pause in the slightest. The bench leg fell repeatedly, smashing into the Crown Prince's toes, feet, calves, and thighs, crushing all the bones in his legs.

The shrill screams gradually weakened, but Lin Qing still didn't stop. The bench leg fell again, breaking the Crown Prince's ribs, shattering his spine, and finally, with a clever force, smashing heavily onto the Crown Prince's skull.

Finally, the Crown Prince could no longer make any sound, only faint gasps escaping his throat. All his bones were broken, and he lay on the ground like a pile of mud, barely clinging to life.

He stared with wide eyes, fixed on Lin Qing, his gaze filled with venom and unwillingness, but life was rapidly draining from his body, and he knew he was beyond saving.

Lin Qing threw away the broken bench leg, then turned and brought a complete bench from the tea stall. He sat in front of the Crown Prince, quietly looking at him.

The Crown Prince's gaze was venomous and ferocious, full of hatred, while Lin Qing's eyes remained calm and unruffled.

He just watched him quietly, watching this arrogant Crown Prince, die before his eyes.