183: The true face of Shaolin

"Presumptuous! How dare you clamor here at the Prince's residence? Men, drive this monk away," Zhu Danchen said coldly.

"amitabha."

Clearly, Xuan Nan had no intention of leaving.

These guards were merely ordinary soldiers, whereas Xuan Nan was a Grandmaster; he didn't fear these soldiers at all.

Upon hearing Zhu Danchen's command, the soldiers immediately drew their blades and surrounded him.

Xuan Nan remained expressionless with lowered eyes, not taking these soldiers seriously at all.

"Monk, come with us."

"To dare act wildly at the Prince's residence, you must be tired of living."

"amitabha. I did not expect that the dignified Prince of Zhennan's Residence would treat guests like this."

"Since that is the case, This old monk can only manifest as a Wrathful Vajra." Xuan Nan's expression suddenly changed, and with a wave of his hand, several soldiers were knocked down.

"How bold, how presumptuous... to dare commit violence at the gates of the Prince's residence! Men, seize him!" Zhu Danchen finished speaking and immediately struck out.

"amitabha, you are not This old monk's match. This old monk does not wish to harm anyone." Xuan Nan shook his head with his palms pressed together.

"Hmph, you don't wish to harm anyone? Then what is the meaning of your aggressive behavior?" Zhu Danchen sneered.

Having received the Prince's orders, he was not afraid of offending the Shaolin Temple.

"This old monk only wishes to confirm a matter with the Prince. If I do not see the Prince today, This old monk will not leave," Xuan Nan said.

"When did the Shaolin Temple become so overbearing? To actually dare be so arrogant at the Prince's residence?"

"Is there something wrong with your ears? Didn't you hear just now? They've come to demand an explanation."

"It seems Shaolin believes the death of an eminent monk is related to the Prince of Zhennan, so they've come to verify it."

"They say 'verify,' but they've actually come to settle scores."

"Is that even possible? Even if Prince Duan is no longer the profligate prince of the past, he still couldn't possibly be a match for an eminent monk of Shaolin, right?"

"Who knows? However, I heard Prince Duan has a divine weapon called the heavenly demon zither. Perhaps he relied on this divine weapon to kill him?"

"Yes, it's indeed possible. Rumor has it that if one is struck by that divine weapon, death is certain unless the weapon's Master actively resolves it; otherwise, it's useless no matter who comes."

"Holy crap, is it really that overpowered?"

"Otherwise, why do you think so many people have come here? On the surface, they're here for sightseeing, but in reality, they're all after the divine weapon."

"Do you think Shaolin is also after the divine weapon?"

"Shhh... kid, keep your voice down. Do you want to die?"

How could Xuan Nan not hear the discussions of the people around him? However, he couldn't say anything at this moment.

He could only wait with a sullen Face for Duan Zhengchun to appear.

However, it seemed he had overthought things; Duan Zhengchun had no intention of appearing at all.

Facing Zhu Danchen's attack, Xuan Nan's Face darkened.

He no longer held back. Seizing an opportunity, he struck Zhu Danchen's chest with a palm, sending him flying.

*Pfft...*

"amitabha, you are not This old monk's match. It is better to stop your futile struggle," Xuan Nan said expressionlessly.

"All of you, attack together..." Zhu Danchen said with a pained expression.

With that single palm strike, his internal organs had been displaced, and he was heavily injured. This bald donkey's strength had likely already reached the Grandmaster level.

As a mere Second-rate Martial Artist, he was simply no match for him.

"Alright, all of you step down..."

Just as Zhu Danchen was about to strike again, a familiar voice rang out.

Hearing this voice, Zhu Danchen immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

If the Prince hadn't appeared, he would have truly been finished.

"My Prince, your subordinate is incompetent and has shamed you." Zhu Danchen endured the pain and knelt on one knee.

"The fault in this matter does not lie with you. Rise!" Duan Zhengchun lightly raised his hand, and a force directly pulled him up.

He simultaneously sent a surge of energy into Zhu Danchen's body.

Instantly, Zhu Danchen felt his injuries heal, and his strength actually broke through from the second-rate to the First-rate Realm.

This change immediately filled him with immense excitement.

"Thank you, my Prince..." Zhu Danchen said excitedly.

"Alright, you all step down first. This is no longer your concern," Duan Zhengchun said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, my Prince..."

Zhu Danchen obediently backed away, though he did not leave the area.

"Xuan Nan, is it? Do you not intend to give this Prince an explanation?" Duan Zhengchun said with a cold expression.

Xuan Nan's expression shifted as his eyes fixed on Duan Zhengchun.

He hadn't expected Duan Zhengchun to take such a confrontational stance from the start. Could it be that he really had nothing to do with that matter?

"Prince Duan, what is the meaning of this?" Xuan Nan frowned.

"What is the meaning?"

After Duan Zhengchun spoke, his eyes narrowed, and a surge of pressure was instantly released.

Before Xuan Nan could even react, he was forced to his knees by this overwhelming pressure.

"Who gave you the courage to dare injure my people at my doorstep?"

"Do you truly think that because you are from Shaolin, this Prince wouldn't dare move against you?" Duan Zhengchun said coldly.

"You... Prince Duan, do you know the consequences of doing this?" Xuan Nan's Face was pale as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"What consequences? This Prince knows nothing of consequences, but I do know yours." As Duan Zhengchun's voice fell, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

*Snap...*

*Pfft...*

Xuan Nan directly spat out a mouthful of blood. His Face instantly turned sallow, and he looked like he had more air going out than coming in.

"You... you actually crippled... crippled my Dantian." Xuan Nan looked at Duan Zhengchun with eyes full of venomous resentment.

"To dare act wildly before this Prince—not killing you is already giving you Face."

"It is also because you did not use lethal force against them just now; otherwise, you would be a dead man by now."

"A mere Grandmaster dares to clamor before this Prince? Who gave you the courage?" Duan Zhengchun said coldly.

"You... good, very good. So you are determined to oppose my Shaolin?" Xuan Nan said coldly.

"Oppose your Shaolin? What a joke... A mere Shaolin is not something this Prince takes seriously."

"Furthermore, you shameless bald donkeys preach benevolence and morality on the surface while being thieves and prostitutes behind the scenes. You failed to steal something and were killed instead, and now you have the Face to come to this Prince for an explanation?"

"This is my explanation. Are you satisfied?" Duan Zhengchun said coldly.

Duan Zhengchun's words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

"Holy crap, what did I just hear? Prince Duan means that someone from Shaolin tried to rob him, but because their strength was lacking, they were killed?"

"And now, Shaolin actually has the nerve to come and demand an explanation? If this is true, then Shaolin is way too shameless!"

"Heh, Prince Duan wasn't wrong about one thing—Shaolin really is full of thieves and prostitutes."

"I've seen many monks doing those kinds of wicked things."

"If that's the case, then what Prince Duan said is true. People from Shaolin really came to rob him and ended up being killed?"

"Heh, if I'm not mistaken, that so-called eminent monk of Shaolin also came to steal Prince Duan's heavenly demon zither, but he underestimated his own strength and was killed instead of getting the treasure."

"However, these bald donkeys really are shameless enough. To do such a thing and then have the Face to come looking for trouble."

"If it were anything else, I might not believe it, but when it comes to stealing things, I truly believe that."