Stranger Danger

"I'm going to repeat myself one more time, Jin Qianshan. Don't get in my way!"

Jin Wanliang glared at him angrily. "There is an urgent matter I need to speak with them about!"

However, Jin Qianshan remained unmoved. "I'm sorry, but orders are orders. They specifically said that they won't see anyone during their seclusion."

"Are you really going to go against me, Jin Qianshan?"

Jin Wanliang exploded, "Who the fuck do you think you are to stop me?"

Jin Wanliang walked away and around Jin Qianshan in an attempt to bypass the young man, but the guards guarding the entrance stepped forward and blocked his way. At the same time, a group of guards in golden armor rushed out and barred the entrance completely.

"I will meet my parents today! Let's see who dares to stop me!"

Jin Wanliang yelled and walked toward the guards in gold armor, but as soon as he moved a muscle, the guards all unsheathed their weapons and watched him closely. It looked like they would kill him if he took a single step.

"This is foster father and foster mother's order. Anyone who enters the Peaceful Garden without permission will die!"

Jin Qianshan stared at Jin Wanliang with cold, unfeeling eyes. "Please, reconsider your decision!"

"You dare treat me like this!" Jin Wanliang's face contorted with fury, and his eyes grew bloodshot. "I'll make sure to ask mother and father to kill all of you when I see them!"

It was at this moment Ye Qing stepped forward and clapped Jin Wanliang on the shoulder. "You can drop the act. Your threats are useless as they've all been infected."

"Hmm? Infected?" Jin Wanliang's angry expression abruptly disappeared like it never was. Instead, it was replaced by severity and puzzlement.

Yes, he was putting on an act just now. He was hoping to abuse his position to bring Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou to his parents and deal with the problem without alerting anyone. However, he was barred from entry.

This had never happened before. Although he had pretended to be an incompetent, ignorant, and hedonistic son for the past couple years, his parents weren't his parents for nothing. They had an inkling what he was doing and really doted on him despite their outward disappointment toward him.

This was especially true for his mother. Every time he visited the island, she would always squeeze out some time to meet him no matter how busy she was. She would never push him away from her, much less order someone to kill him.

Besides that, Jin Qianshan and the guards' behavior were strange as well.

Jin Qianshan was one thing. The guy's status was as big as his temper was hot, not to mention that he had always looked down on him. The only ones he listened to were his parents. These golden guards were a different story though. No matter how horribly he acted, they would never dare to disrespect him. But not only were they disrespecting now, they were even showing killing intent. This obviously wasn't normal.

Ye Qing's response was what he needed to hear to confirm his suspicions.

His heart grew heavy. He was worried about this situation and his parents.

"Who are you people? How dare you enter this residence without permission?"

It was only now Jin Qianshan seemed to notice Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou's presence. Before this, they acted as if they hadn't noticed them at all. More accurately, they were ignoring the duo even though they were accompanying Jin Wanshan.

Jin Qianshan immediately reacted like he was facing a formidable foe.

"Your saviors."

Ye Qing smiled and walked toward him.

"Stay right there!"

Jin Qianshan shouted while unleashing his energies in full. The golden guards also raised their sabers and connected their energies to the surrounding arrays. Images began taking form in the air.

Ye Qing was unmoved, however. He continued to stride toward the group as if nothing was wrong.

His footsteps seemed to contain some sort of magic or cadence. Every time he lifted a foot, the images in the air would grow a little more transparent. Every time he took a step, Jin Qianshan's energies would diminish a little more. The guards' eyes were becoming more and more unfocused as well.

By the time Ye Qing reached Jin Qianshan, his energies had reached rock bottom, and he just stood there like he was a puppet.

When Ye Qing crossed the threshold, the images in the air had disappeared entirely.

And When Ye Qing stepped into the courtyard, the golden armors automatically opened up a path for him with empty, unfocused eyes. It was as if he had robbed them of their souls.

Jin Wanliang's eyes were widened like saucers. He looked like he was witnessing a miracle.

Jin Qianshan was a young warrior enjoying the same level of fame as Yu Hongluan. Although his cultivation was slightly inferior to Yu Hongluan's, that did not mean he was weak at all. The people would not put him on the same pedestal as Yu Hongluan otherwise. Even he did not dare to say that he had a one hundred percent chance of defeating Jin Qianshan.

The guards in golden armor were not your ordinary guards either. They were elite warriors the Jin Clan had invested a lot of time and resources to nurture. They were named the Golden God Guards, and even the weakest among them was a peak Spirit Master.

This wasn't the important part though. The important part was that these Golden God Guards were experts in fighting together and combining their strength with the surrounding arrays. This allowed them to fight at a level that was several times, even a dozen of times greater than their individual strength. They could have gone toe-to-toe against a Half-Sage.

This was also why he pretended to be stupid and tried to negotiate with Jin Qianshan earlier. If he could kick the guy's ass, he would have done so already. He wouldn't bother to waste his breath on the man.

However, neither Jin Qianshan nor the Golden God Guards proved to be a match for Ye Qing. They were like ants trying to topple a giant.

The most terrifying part was that the young man had not lifted a finger. It looked as if he suppressed Jin Qianshan, severed the Golden God Guards' connection to the great array, and took control of everyone just by walking forward. He looked so confident and relaxed that it chilled him to the core.

Not even a Sage could do much better than Ye Qing, could they?

"What are you waiting for? Let's go."

It was at this moment Feng Qingyou pulled Jin Wanliang back to reality.

"Oh! Right!" Jin Wanliang hurriedly caught up to them and said, "My parents are practicing at—"

Before he could finish, he saw Ye Qing walking straight for the secret room his parents were practicing in.

Well, he should have known better.

"Who dares to enter Gold Island without permission?!"

He had just reached the entrance of the secret room when pair of powerful spirits and energies washed out of the room like tidal waves.

Jin Wanliang let out a muffled groan and turned deathly pale. He staggered backward.

Ye Qing was at the forefront of the outburst, but it was like he couldn't even feel it. With the casual wave of a hand, he dispelled the vast and terrible power like nothing.

A pair of muffled groans came from inside the room. The next moment, a man and a woman leaped out of the building and hovered in the sky. They looked down on Ye Qing with grave expressions on their faces.

The man replaced his grave expression with a friendly smile and asked, "Who are you, friend? Why have you come to Gold Island?"

The man was tall and slightly plump. When he smiled, his face squeezed together into a kind, jovial smile that slightly diluted the tension in the air.

"Are you Jin Manshan?"

Ye Qing asked him while examining him with a casual expression.

"That's right. I am Jin Manshan, island lord of Gold Island."

Jin Manshan asked smilingly, "Has my son offended you somehow, my friend? If that is true, then I apologize on behalf of him. I hope you can forgive him."