Chapter 179

Chapter 179: Don’t Be Afraid

This method had a prerequisite: you had to be able to afford it.

It devoured wealth, devoured time—and devoured you.

Yet it fit Wang Jie perfectly.

If he fought Wu Yun again now, she might not even be able to scratch him.

At the very least, the Thunder Pattern could buy him the time he needed to retreat and evade.

His strength had risen as well, though the increase would slow from here—his materials were running out.

Wang Jie stepped out of his residence, refreshed.

After four months of being struck by lightning, even ordinary air felt like a gift.

In the distance, a familiar figure hurried past.

“Mu Ran?” Wang Jie called.

Mu Ran sped up without even turning his head.

Wang Jie frowned. Bold.

He took one step and appeared in front of Mu Ran, cutting him off.

Mu Ran jolted back, then hurriedly saluted. “Master… so you’ve left seclusion. Congratulations on your improvement.”

He forced a smile. “Um—Master, someone outside is looking for me. I’ll go now.”

“Stop.”

Mu Ran tried to dart around him.

Wang Jie blocked him again.

“Where did the injury on your face come from?” Wang Jie asked.

A slap mark was bright on Mu Ran’s cheek.

Cultivators could disperse bruises easily. The fact that this mark remained meant it wasn’t just swelling—the strike had damaged bone.

Mu Ran’s eyes flickered. “I fell. Master doesn’t need to mind it.”

Wang Jie’s voice dropped. “I asked you. Where did it come from?”

Mu Ran hesitated, jaw tight, clearly unwilling to answer.

At that moment, another person passed by.

Almost everyone living here belonged to Shuanghua Sect—disciples Wang Jie had brought over.

Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed.

That person had the same slap mark.

His expression turned cold.

“Stop. Come here.” Wang Jie’s gaze pinned him. “How did you get that injury?”

The disciple glanced at Mu Ran.

Mu Ran gave a tiny shake of his head.

Wang Jie’s patience snapped. He stared at Mu Ran, eyes like ice. “Don’t play this with me.”

“If I were afraid of being implicated, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“I, Wang Jie, fought my way out of Lock Line. I can stand my ground in the Zhi Academy.”

He leaned in. “Who hit you? Speak.”

Mu Ran’s fists clenched. “It was the attendant of Yun Ju, the young master.”

Wang Jie’s eyes flashed.

Yun Ju.

Before, he wouldn’t have known the name—but after buying intelligence from Du Xian, he did.

Yun Ju was one of the disciples under the White Realm Lord.

Why was he here?

The disciple beside Mu Ran spoke quickly, voice bitter. “That attendant sealed our gate and said we aren’t allowed to go out until Miss Su Le returns. He said we’re… thieves. That he needs to watch us.”

Wang Jie’s jaw tightened.

“Lead the way,” he said.

Mu Ran’s face went pale. “Master, forget it. Yun Ju’s background is terrifying, and he’s a Roaming-Star Realm expert. Even his attendant is Full-Star Realm.”

“We got beaten, but we’re alive. We can just avoid them.”

Wang Jie’s eyes cut to him. “Lead the way.”

Mu Ran had no choice.

He walked. The Shuanghua Sect disciples followed, one after another, their anger building with every step.

By the time they reached the front gate of Glazed Courtyard, nearly three hundred stood behind Wang Jie.

Even that was a crowd.

The Glazed Courtyard’s guard maids watched silently. None of them stepped in.

At the gate, a middle-aged man leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.

As Wang Jie’s group approached, he opened his eyes and swept them with contempt.

“A bunch of little thieves,” he sneered. “What, you think you can rob people because you have numbers?”

Wang Jie stepped forward until he stood directly in front of him. “You hit my people?”

The man sneered harder. “I did.”

“Trash, the lot of them.”

“You’re Yun Ju’s man?” Wang Jie asked.

The man’s eyes widened, killing intent flaring. “Insolent! You dare speak Young Master Yun Ju’s name directly?”

He lifted a hand.

Wang Jie moved first.

Smack.

His slap cracked like thunder and sent the man flying ten meters.

The entire crowd froze.

The Shuanghua Sect disciples stared, stunned.

He… hit Young Master Yun Ju’s attendant?

Mu Ran closed his eyes. It was over.

Even the guard maids were shocked. Wang Jie had actually dared strike.

Yun Ju’s man.

How many in all of Black-White Heaven dared offend Yun Ju?

The middle-aged man lay dazed on the ground, staring as if reality had broken.

Then he looked up—and his expression twisted from confusion into rage and murderous frenzy.

“You dare hit me?” he screamed.

Wang Jie walked toward him, calm and cold. “A dog hiding behind its master.”

The man roared and charged, swinging a palm.

Wang Jie caught his wrist, snapped his arm, and forced the broken limb to slap its owner across the face.

Bone punched through flesh.

The scream that followed made people flinch.

Wang Jie kicked him away and looked down. “Now who’s trash?”

The man clutched his mangled arm, eyes red. “Young Master Yun Ju won’t let you go! No matter who you are, you’re dead!”

Wang Jie’s expression didn’t change. “Go back and tell Yun Ju.”

“If he wants trouble, he can come himself.”

“Don’t send a dog to bark at me.”

His eyes hardened. “Otherwise, I’ll skin him alive.”

“Get out.”

The man staggered up and ran, biting back pain.

Wang Jie watched him go.

Behind him, the Shuanghua Sect disciples felt years of pressure finally vent.

Mu Ran, however, looked sick. “Master… we’ve offended Young Master Yun Ju. Our road is going to be even harder.”

The Glazed Courtyard’s people scattered, avoiding Wang Jie’s gaze.

The Shuanghua Sect disciples calmed from their brief exhilaration and turned to Wang Jie, waiting for his orders.

Wang Jie waved a hand. “All of you—hit the streets. Buy Thunder-Seal Pills for Full-Star Realm.”

“And if you see lockforce materials, buy them all. Every last bit.”

“Yes!” voices answered.

They scattered into the Four-Dao Market.

Mu Ran swallowed hard. “Master… we should hide.”

Wang Jie turned and walked back into Glazed Courtyard. “Wait here.”

“If Yun Ju comes, tell me.”

Mu Ran watched him leave, heart pounding. He had no idea how this would end.

Wang Jie had been inside for less than half an hour when the message came.

Yun Ju had arrived.

Wang Jie stepped out at once and headed for the front gate.

Mu Ran’s fear was visible. He retreated step by step.

A group approached, and at their head was Yun Ju—Young Master Yun Ju.

He was handsome and striking, the kind of presence that stood out even without an entourage.

And he had an entourage.

Behind him were cultivators almost all above Star-Breaking Realm. Several were Full-Star Realm. There was also a woman whose aura felt deep and sealed, impossible to read—likely Roaming-Star Realm.

The beaten attendant limped among them, eyes full of venom.

Mu Ran backed up too far and almost fell.

Wang Jie lifted a hand and steadied him. “Don’t be afraid.”

Mu Ran swallowed. “Master… don’t fight them head-on.”

Wang Jie patted his shoulder once and walked out of Glazed Courtyard, stopping several steps ahead.

The group opposite stopped as well.

“Young Master!” the beaten attendant shrieked, pointing at Wang Jie. “It’s him!”

Yun Ju’s people surged forward, forming a loose circle around Wang Jie.

Mu Ran started forward, panicked. “Master—”

Wang Jie raised a hand, stopping him without looking back.

His eyes locked on Yun Ju. “Four-Dao Market has rules.”

“You plan to fight here?”

Yun Ju sneered. “Rules?”

“My words are the rules.”

His gaze turned sharp. “You dared hit my man. Who gave you the courage?”

“Kill him.”

Wang Jie’s fingers loosened, preparing to move.

“Stop!”

A voice rang out from the distance.

Everyone turned.

Su Le strode in, fury blazing.

Wang Jie blinked, genuinely surprised. She’d returned at the exact moment it mattered.

Mu Ran nearly sagged with relief.

In truth, it wasn’t coincidence. The moment Wang Jie beat the attendant, Mu Ran had immediately contacted Su Le and told her everything.

When they were being beaten, they’d been too afraid to reach out. But once it involved Wang Jie, they had no choice.

Wang Jie let his fingers relax.

Yun Ju frowned, then gave a faint chuckle. “Junior Sister Su is back.”

Su Le forced Yun Ju’s people to part with a sharp command, then planted herself in front of Wang Jie, staring Yun Ju down.

Yun Ju’s expression darkened.

“Yun Ju,” Su Le demanded, “what are you doing?”

The beaten attendant stepped forward, face twisted into a wronged mask. “Greetings, Miss Su. It’s like this—this man is arrogant and unreasonable. I was guarding the door for Miss, and he struck me. Young Master only meant to teach him a lesson.”

Su Le’s eyes turned icy. “Shut up.”

The attendant flinched and fell silent.

Su Le’s gaze didn’t leave Yun Ju. “Do you think I’m three years old?”

“I know exactly what happened. Yun Ju, my home doesn’t need you watching it.”

“Why would your people guard my gate?”

Yun Ju’s tone softened, feigning gentleness. “Junior Sister misunderstands. It’s only because these people aren’t clean.”

“They’ve even stolen Master Bian’s tools.”

He smiled. “Junior Sister might not know that. I worried they might steal something important from you—some valuable pills. So I had my people keep an eye on them.”

“Master Bian can testify,” Yun Ju added smoothly. “Junior Sister can ask him anytime.”

Su Le drew in a breath to answer.

Wang Jie spoke first.

“Miss Su,” he said, voice calm, “it seems this Young Master Yun Ju isn’t much of a thinker.”

Yun Ju’s eyes snapped to him, killing intent flaring. “What did you say?”

Su Le leaned in, whispering urgently, “Don’t offend him. He’s narrow-minded. He’ll retaliate.”

Wang Jie didn’t even blink. “I’ve offended plenty of people. I’m not afraid of one more—especially a brainless one.”

He lifted his chin and met Yun Ju’s stare. “Congratulations.”

“You’ve just involved yourself directly in the internal struggle of Zhi Upper Realm.”

Yun Ju’s brow furrowed.

Internal struggle?

How did this have anything to do with Zhi Upper Realm?

He’d come here because he wanted Su Le. He’d heard a young man was living in Glazed Courtyard, treated with unusual courtesy, and his jealousy had boiled over.

What did that have to do with Zhi Upper Realm politics?

Wang Jie saw the confusion and knew he’d guessed right.

Yun Ju wasn’t Zhi Qing’s knife.

Which meant Zhi Qing hadn’t dragged him into this.

That made sense. Zhi Qing had already set Star-Devourer in motion. There was no reason to stir up extra chaos by pulling unrelated factions in too early.

Su Le frowned, still trying to follow. She looked at Yun Ju. “You weren’t sent by Zhi Upper Realm to deal with Wang Jie?”

Yun Ju looked from Wang Jie to Su Le, baffled. “Junior Sister, what do you mean?”

“He’s only Star-Breaking Realm,” Yun Ju said, incredulous. “How could he be connected to Zhi Upper Realm?”

Su Le didn’t know how to explain it.