The afternoon sun was at its most intense.
Qian Yuelong, who had been watching Xue Qinghe leave from the window of the private room, turned her gaze away and pressed the call button on the wall covered with floral wallpaper.
A moment later, a waiter with a polite smile stood before her and bowed respectfully.
"Miss."
This upscale hotel, located within the imperial city of the Heaven Dou Empire, is also secretly controlled by the Spirit Hall.
Qian Yuelong turned around and asked, "Is there anything interesting in Tiandou City?"
The waiter thought for two seconds and replied, "If you'd like to visit, Miss, the area around Tiandou South Street is beautiful. There's a musical fountain there, and you can also see the Tiandou Imperial Palace. It's perfect for a spring outing."
"If you're looking for fun, West Street has a variety of entertainment options, street vendors, and street art. It also has jewelry and clothing stores that girls your age like. Many disciples from other sects or visiting Soul Masters who are based in Tiandou City also like to go there."
Qian Yuelong's eyes lit up: "That sounds good. How do we get there after leaving the restaurant?"
The waiter strode to the window and carefully pointed the way for Qian Yuelong.
The wide streets were teeming with people. Groups of two or three young people could often be seen walking together, dressed in different styles of Soul Master robes or fine clothes, chatting and laughing. It was easy to tell which factions were represented.
Unlike Wuhun City, where everyone is a Soul Master, even in Tiandou City, the most prosperous power center of the Tiandou Empire, Soul Masters are sparsely distributed, and most people are ordinary people with no Soul Power at all.
The knight squads that maintain order on the streets are made up of seven people. They patrol among the bustling crowds. Occasionally, there will be clashes between ordinary people and soul masters. If the conflict escalates, it will be time for them to step in.
"How do you walk?! Can't you see I'm standing right here?!"
The angry female voice was not noticeable amidst the loud hawking.
Many Soul Masters with keen hearing noticed the minor commotion and turned to look. They saw a middle-aged man dressed in simple clothes sweating profusely as he bowed and apologized to a black-haired girl in a light blue dress.
The middle-aged man had a gray cloth tied around his waist, suggesting he was doing some kind of physical labor. Although he lacked soul power, he had dark skin and well-developed muscles.
The sleeve of the person he was apologizing to had a smudged stain, like a drop of ink spreading on white paper, which had been smeared and ruined the original cleanliness. No wonder the black-haired girl was so angry.
Some people frowned, slowed their pace, and resumed their steps, deciding to ignore the scene.
Some people stopped or walked closer to the scene of the accident where the friction had occurred.
To Qian Yuelong's surprise, the patrolling knights not far from them merely glanced in their direction before continuing on their way without looking back.
The black-haired girl was still angrily berating the middle-aged man, but among her three companions, the boy with short chestnut hair frowned at the sweaty middle-aged man, a look of disgust flashing in his eyes. He tugged at the black-haired girl's arm and said calmly:
"Never mind, Sisi, you weren't watching where you were going and you were talking to Xiaolu. We can just go to the clothing store and buy a new one later."
Upon hearing this, the black-haired girl's anger subsided, and she looked at the chestnut-haired boy with resentment: "But, this is the dress you gave me."
Her eyes reddened, and glistening tears instantly welled up in them. She sobbed softly and said, with a wronged expression, "It's my favorite dress."
The chestnut-haired boy looked at the black-haired girl's aggrieved expression, a look of heartache flashing in his eyes. His voice softened considerably: "Don't cry, Qianqian. I'll buy you two more things. Don't shed tears for such a lowly person. It will break my heart."
The black-haired girl looked at him, moved, and gazed at him affectionately: "Brother Anyang."
The others, completely taken aback by the display of power: "."
Qian Yuelong, who was observing from within the circle of tiny figures: "."
Hearing her tone instantly turn into a coquettish and aggrieved one, both she and 886 shuddered involuntarily.
Among their companions, a young girl named Xiaolu's pretty face twisted in a grimace. Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she defended the middle-aged man, whose face was flushed red, saying, "Gu Qianqian, An Yang is telling the truth. You bumped into him because you weren't watching where you were going. Uncle apologized, and An Yang promised to buy you double the dress. What more do you want?"
Gu Qianqian bit her lip, looking at her beloved with a wronged expression: "Brother Anyang, I'm just very angry."
Lin Anyang looked understanding, but when he turned to Xiaolu, he had a different disapproving expression: "Xiaolu, Qianqian didn't mean to make things difficult for him, she was just a little upset."
Xiaolu: "."
She was about to roll her eyes.
But no, she couldn't afford to mess with those two.
Qian Yuelong: "."
So what they were seeing was all an illusion?
The other onlookers were also speechless, only glancing with pity at the middle-aged man who had offended these two oddballs and was sweating profusely, knowing that things were probably not going to end well today.
After calming Gu Qianqian down, Lin Anyang turned his head indifferently, his cold gaze falling on the middle-aged man. In a lenient tone, he said condescendingly, "How about this, I won't make things difficult for you by making you pay back the soul coins. To show your sincerity in apologizing, just kneel down and sincerely apologize to Qianqian."
The middle-aged man's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and his lips moved slightly: "Wh-what?"
Lin Anyang patiently repeated himself, explaining, "I said, kneel down and apologize to Qianqian. Since it's an apology, sincerity is paramount. And the most sincere way is naturally to kneel, isn't it?"
The middle-aged man's pupils suddenly contracted.
Despite being bathed in the scorching sun, a chill permeated my limbs and bones.
Not only Lin Anyang and Gu Qianqian's gaze, but also the gazes of other onlookers made him feel extremely uncomfortable, almost to the point that he wanted to hide in a crack in the ground and never appear again.
But he couldn't burrow underground; he could only stand there like a weathered sculpture, his eyes brimming with anger and helplessness.
Qian Yuelong's gaze darkened slightly, and the young man standing beside her frowned and said, "This is too much." He wanted to step out of the crowd of onlookers and help the middle-aged man.
But he had barely taken a step when his companion swiftly grabbed him and whispered, "Don't go! That girl named 'XiXi' is from the Heavenly Dou noble family, backed by the Heavenly Eagle Sect, and is currently at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. It's said she's close to the Third Prince. We can't afford to offend her."
The boy, who wanted to leave, suddenly looked troubled and could no longer walk out.
The middle-aged man, under the gaze of several eyes, stiffly moved his fingers, his numb gaze slowly shifting to the ground, his knees sinking slightly.
In this world, ordinary people like them, who lack power and connections, will only survive longer if they lack self-respect.
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