Chapter 7 The Arrogant General

The man with the bushy beard was practically crying as he read that last part. He knew that all the soldiers in the capital were under the jurisdiction of the City Guard General, which naturally included him. He had actually cursed out the City Guard General and threatened to tie him up! How could that end well?

"General… General Zhao, I really didn't know it was you!" the bushy-bearded man said, trembling. He wasn't lying. Although he was a squad leader, he was only the lowest-ranking soldier. He simply wasn't important enough to ever meet Zhao Liang, so he naturally didn't recognize him. Besides, if he *had* recognized Zhao Liang, he wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant, even if you gave him ten thousand guts.

"Hmph, what's your name? Is what they said earlier true?" General Zhao asked angrily, his face stern.

"My name is Wang Er. What they said… what they said…" The bushy-bearded man didn't dare to refute it, tacitly admitting it. However, he still had a shred of sanity left, and he quickly begged Chen Xiao for mercy, "Young Master Chen, it's all my fault! Please, in your generosity, just let me go!"

Chen Xiao pressed his advantage and said playfully, "What are you talking about? I'm the one who was tied up. How can I let you go? You're making things too difficult for me, aren't you?"

The bushy-bearded man immediately wore an expression that said he understood. He stepped forward to untie Chen Xiao. "Young Master Chen, I'll untie you right away!"

But Chen Xiao pulled his hand back and said coldly, "It was easy to tie me up, but untying me won't be so simple."

The bushy-bearded man's face turned pale, and he regretted it immensely. Zhao Liang's expression was also grave. He knew that Chen Xiao was forcing him to take a stand. Of course, dealing with a rogue soldier was a small matter, but Wang Er was working for the Zuo family, and Zhao Liang had to consider things carefully.

However, in front of Old Wang, Zhao Liang would never dare to show any hesitation, so he immediately roared, "Bold Wang Er! Disregarding the law, acting as a lackey! You are hereby stripped of your military rank! You men, take him to prison! I will personally interrogate him later."

As soon as Zhao Liang finished speaking, the other soldiers immediately seized Wang Er. Wang Er shouted wildly in the direction he had been hiding, "Young Master Zuo, save me!"

But no matter how much Wang Er shouted and begged for help, Zuo Youren didn't show his face. At this point, Wang Er was completely despondent. He knew that he had become a pawn, and Zuo Youren would definitely not come to save him.

However, Wang Er was a little delusional. In Zuo Youren's eyes, he wasn't even a pawn, but at most a stepping stone.

In fact, Zuo Youren hadn't left. He had been hiding in the shadows, observing everything that was happening. When he saw Wang Er being arrested, his expression didn't change at all, because everything was within his expectations. He just muttered to himself, "This old Wang is indeed capable. No wonder Grandpa told me not to provoke him easily. But this is just an appetizer. The real show is yet to come. Chen Xiao, just wait for me to slowly play you to death!"

Then, Zuo Youren left with a sinister smile on his face.

After ordering Wang Er to be tied up, Zhao Liang nonchalantly walked up to Chen Xiao and said casually, "You're Chen Xiao, right? Since you're Old Wang's man, just mention my name if you encounter any trouble in the future."

As he spoke, he reached out to untie Chen Xiao, assuming that Chen Xiao was just a junior of Old Wang's. Moreover, he saw that Chen Xiao wasn't young, yet his cultivation was so low, and he couldn't help but feel contemptuous.

Besides, he felt that with his current status and position, there was no need to be polite to Old Wang's junior, so his tone was rather arrogant.

But in reality, Chen Xiao wasn't just a junior of Old Wang's. In fact, it could be said that Old Wang was currently seeking his help. Chen Xiao was very unhappy with Zhao Liang's attitude and said coldly, "I wouldn't dare trouble you."

Then, he exerted force with both hands, and with a "bang," the ropes that bound him shattered into pieces.

You should know that these ropes were made of bull tendon, which was extremely tough. Chen Xiao's move could be said to be a feat of skill that stunned the audience. Achieving this relied not on brute force, but on precise control of strength.

Although Zhao Liang was also shocked by Chen Xiao's skill, he was now a little embarrassed. He was the dignified City Guard General, and he had come to personally untie a young man, but he didn't expect that the young man would not only not appreciate it, but also publicly embarrass him.

Zhao Liang's face changed instantly. If it weren't for Old Wang being present, he would have probably already made a move. He shouted angrily, "Boy, you…"

Before Zhao Liang could finish speaking, Old Wang said angrily, "Shut your mouth!"

Zhao Liang was stunned. He didn't expect that Old Wang would actually get angry at him for a young man. Then Old Wang said, "There's nothing for you to do here. You can leave!"

Zhao Liang only felt a great surge of anger in his chest, but he didn't dare to disobey Old Wang's words. He could only flick his sleeves and leave angrily on his horse.

At this time, Chen Xiao also walked to the entrance of Zheng Yi Pavilion. Old Wang said in a low voice, "Don't blame him. He's just got that kind of temper."

Chen Xiao smiled and replied, "Old Wang, you're overthinking it. We simply have different paths, so we can't work together. I won't blame him."

Then, Chen Xiao turned around and cupped his fist to the crowd who had come to buy talisman arrays and said, "Everyone, you've seen it today. I, Chen, have not yet obtained certification from the Talisman Array Master Association, so I can't sell talisman arrays to you."

A sigh of disappointment immediately came from the crowd.

Chen Xiao quickly continued, "But don't worry, everyone. I'll get that certification tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I guarantee that the top ten registered customers will definitely be able to get the enchanted talisman arrays drawn by my own hand. Thank you all for your hard work today. Please leave now."

Hearing Chen Xiao's guarantee, people cheered up again. Although they didn't buy talisman arrays today, with Chen Xiao's guarantee, they didn't mind waiting a day or two.

Besides, what happened today was exciting enough. Chen Xiao was too awesome. He didn't even give the City Guard General any face. Today was really worth it. They had more bragging material.

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Xiao and the others returned to Zheng Yi Pavilion. After introducing Wang Ke to Old Wang, Old Wang had a good impression of this simple and honest young man, and naturally didn't mind him staying for a few days.

The happiest person at the moment was Xiao Liu Zi. In the past, Zheng Yi Pavilion was lifeless. Old Wang was often drunk and snoring, and when he was sober, he was very serious and rarely spoke. But now, this lively and joyful atmosphere had never existed before.

After dinner, Xiao Liu Zi and Wang Ke went to the ghost market to set up their stall. Chen Xiao didn't go with them. He wanted to seize every opportunity to cultivate and improve his strength.

Before returning to his room, Chen Xiao found Old Wang and said to him, "Forget all the techniques. Break and then establish, and you will naturally form your own style. If you understand this sentence, I believe your talisman array skills will soon have a breakthrough."

Chen Xiao's seemingly ordinary sentence sounded like a thunderbolt to Old Wang, who was so excited that he forgot himself. Without even saying goodbye to Chen Xiao, he plunged into his own special talisman array drawing room.

"He's too impatient, isn't he? He's so old, yet he's still so impetuous!" Chen Xiao looked in astonishment at Old Wang, who had left like a gust of wind. Then he shook his head and returned to his room. There were more important things waiting for him to do.

The big hole in the roof had been repaired. Chen Xiao sat cross-legged on the bed, made hand seals, and began to cultivate the *Shi Shen Jue* (God-Slaying Art).