Seeing Jiang Hai walk straight toward them, the two men blocking his path exchanged a glance.
Even through their sunglasses, they could sense the ridicule in each other's eyes.
This Jiang Hai was truly arrogant—actually daring to push through them head-on. Did he really think he could overpower them?
These two were no ordinary men. Both were former special forces soldiers, skilled practitioners of hard qigong. Even if they fought foreigners over two meters tall, they would not be at a disadvantage—let alone someone like Jiang Hai.
Watching Jiang Hai approach without slowing, the two braced themselves, deciding they would have to teach him a lesson.
Seeing that they still refused to move, Jiang Hai smiled. Underestimating him was a grave mistake. With a casual, "Excuse me," he closed the remaining distance. He slightly rolled his shoulders and rammed into them. The instant contact was made—
Their expressions shifted dramatically. The surge of force that hit them was terrifying.
How could Jiang Hai's strength be so overwhelming? The moment his shoulders collided with theirs, it felt as though they had been struck by a charging bull. The sheer power behind it was completely beyond anything human.
Still, they were elite fighters. Although the impact was monstrous, they reacted quickly, shifting their bodies and stepping back to dissipate the force. Even so, the collision left their shoulders throbbing painfully.
"Sorry!" Jiang Hai said lightly, effortlessly pushing past them as if brushing aside two pedestrians. Then he continued walking away from the crowd. Since no real fight had broken out, the surrounding onlookers clicked their tongues in disappointment, and those farther back started to disperse.
But just as Jiang Hai stepped past them, the two men—enduring the pain—hurried forward again. One of them reached out and grabbed Jiang Hai's shoulder. The moment the hand touched him, Jiang Hai stopped.
"What is it? Trying to extort me?" Jiang Hai turned his head slightly, looking at them with complete calm.
"Our young master wants to see you." The man forced the words out despite the ache in his arm.
"If he wants to see me, he should come himself. What's the point of sending two dogs?" Jiang Hai sneered without turning around.
The two men stiffened instantly.
They weren't fools—they clearly understood he was calling them dogs. Rage surged through them.
"Since Mr. Jiang refuses to cooperate," the other man growled, "don't blame us for taking action."
His eyes flashed with anger as he stepped forward and punched directly at Jiang Hai's stomach.
There are three universally vulnerable points on the human body.
The first is the nose—one strike causes sharp pain, tears, and disorientation.
The second is the vital area—no explanation needed; regardless of gender, a blow there causes unbearable agony.
The third is the stomach—a punch can trigger cramps, weakness, nausea, and instantly destroy combat ability.
Judging from the attack, he intended to subdue Jiang Hai without causing lasting harm.
But did he actually think this would work on Jiang Hai? Far too naïve.
Seeing the fist come toward him, Jiang Hai didn't dodge. He simply stood there, smiling.
A dull bang rang out as the man's fist struck Jiang Hai's abdomen. The attacker lifted his chin proudly.
So what if Jiang Hai was strong? Without professional training, how could he compete with veterans who had seen blood and death?
But as the man looked up, his confidence froze. Jiang Hai didn't double over or collapse. He simply stood there, casually picking his nose, staring at him with open disdain.
"You hit me first. This counts as self-defense," Jiang Hai said with a grin.
The two men's pupils contracted sharply. They tried to retreat on instinct, but Jiang Hai's speed and strength were far beyond their ability to react.
Before the first man could take a full step back, Jiang Hai appeared before him and drove a punch straight into his stomach.
He had already held back, but the force was still far beyond what normal humans could endure.
These men hadn't even reached the limit of human physical strength. Facing Jiang Hai—who possessed eight times that limit—was suicidal.
With a muffled thud, Jiang Hai's fist connected solidly.
Just like a scene from a movie, the man flew backward, crashing into a cluster of onlookers. The bystanders stumbled and fell in a chain reaction, groaning in confusion.
Those who weren't hit scrambled backward instinctively—they had no desire to get caught in the next collision.
While the onlookers only suffered minor bumps, the man who took the punch was in far worse condition. He hit the ground, curled up, and began retching violently, vomiting not only his lunch but also bile and stomach acid. All combat ability vanished instantly.
Jiang Hai's punch was simply too much.
Seeing his companion knocked out in one hit, the second man froze. Instinct urged him to help or take revenge, but reason screamed that doing so would be suicide.
But did he think standing still would save him?
Too naïve.
Just as Jiang Hai finished dealing with the first man, he stamped his foot lightly, using the recoil to spring sideways like a gust of wind. In an instant, he appeared beside the second man and punched him in the gut as well.
The man collapsed immediately, vomiting uncontrollably.
Looking at the two incapacitated men, Jiang Hai chuckled softly.
Then his gaze shifted toward an antique-style building in the distance. He had sensed a pair of eyes watching him from there. If he wasn't mistaken, the people inside were connected to all this.
Now that he held the upper hand, he was no longer concerned. After dealing with the two men, he walked straight toward the building.
He feared death, yes—but when he felt safe, he could be incredibly bold.
He reasoned that he had no enemies in the capital. The only ones who might harbor grudges were Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong's families. But just as they acknowledged Qi Li as kin, they wouldn't risk sending people to attack him. If they crossed the line, Qi Li could crush them effortlessly.
That was the rule of the game.
So anyone daring to stop him today—and calling themselves a "young master"—was almost certainly connected to Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong, likely tied to his beef or hay supply.
Since they came looking for him, and since they wouldn't dare to truly harm him, why wouldn't Jiang Hai pay them a visit?
He needed to know who was stirring up trouble.
A few strides later, Jiang Hai reached the small building.
It wasn't tall—just two stories—but it carried an antique flair. Above the entrance hung a plaque with three large characters: Guangde Building. There were smaller characters beside it, but Jiang Hai couldn't be bothered to read them.
As he approached, a man dressed identically to the previous two stood waiting at the door.
Seeing Jiang Hai, the man clenched his fist briefly but forced himself to relax, gesturing for Jiang Hai to enter.
He knew very well what had happened to his two companions. If he fought now, he'd end up on the ground as well. He wasn't afraid of injury—but he had orders from his master, and failing them was not an option.
Jiang Hai didn't care about his inner turmoil and walked straight inside, heading up to the second floor.
A loud commotion echoed throughout the building—some kind of performance was underway. After a short walk, Jiang Hai spotted a private room guarded by another man in black. Without doubt, this was the place.
Seeing Jiang Hai, the guard opened the door and signaled for him to enter.
Jiang Hai strolled in casually.
Inside, a young man—about twenty-five or twenty-six—sat at a tea table. Another table across from him was empty. Jiang Hai took a glance, walked over, and sat down.
"Mr. Jiang, hello." The young man smiled, taking a sip of tea without even looking directly at him.
"Just say what you want. I'm planning to take a stroll this afternoon." Jiang Hai replied casually, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and cracking them open one by one as he looked toward the stage outside. So the noise was from a crosstalk performance. Jiang Hai didn't recognize the performers, and judging by the audience's lukewarm reaction, they weren't particularly impressive.
"I heard Mr. Jiang enjoys crosstalk, so I chose this place. This is the Deyun Society's youth team—not top-tier, but fitting for the occasion. I invited you mainly to discuss a business matter." The young man chuckled as he spoke…