Demonic King of the Metropolis

“That’s strange. Why did he leave as soon as he saw us?”

Wang Qianya also noticed the man who seemed to flee at the sight of them. She looked at Tang Jie, whose face was full of puzzlement. After thinking for a moment, Tang Jie speculated, If that was really Du Yu, why would he not want to meet me? Or… could I have mistaken him for someone else?

“Qianya, you two come here for a moment.” At that moment, Wang Qianya’s third granduncle called out. Tang Jie and Wang Qianya quickly turned around and walked over.

“Let me introduce someone to you. This is Mr. Feng Lun, the leader of the Feng family.” Standing beside Qianya’s third granduncle was an elder with a white beard and bright, penetrating eyes. When Tang Jie approached, the older man’s eyes lit up briefly. “So, this is the young man you were speaking of?” Mr. Feng studied Tang Jie with a look of admiration, nodding repeatedly as he spoke.

“Yes, this is Tang Jie. What do you think?” Wang Qianya’s third granduncle turned to Mr. Feng, eager to hear his evaluation.

“Hmm, impressive. A natural talent-truly rare, truly rare!” Mr. Feng couldn’t stop praising Tang Jie. From his expression and tone, it was clear he meant every word. Tang Jie, slightly embarrassed, lowered his head.

“But he’s recently encountered some troubles. Do you have any ideas on how to help him? I was hoping you might be able to assist him in overcoming this challenge.” Wang Qianya’s third granduncle looked at Mr. Feng as he brought up the matter of Tang Jie dropping from the Heaven-Man Realm back to the Innate Great Perfection stage.

After listening, Mr. Feng stared at Tang Jie in thoughtful silence for quite some time before finally speaking. “It seems to be a case of stagnant true qi. The stagnant flow must be unblocked. If I’m not mistaken, this likely happened because he progressed too rapidly before. That caused his true qi to become overly volatile, and as the saying goes, ‘extremes lead to reversals.’ When the backlash occurred, his true qi likely became completely immobile.”

Tang Jie listened to Mr. Feng’s explanation but was still a bit confused. He spoke for so long, but he still hasn’t explained the key issue-how exactly do I unblock stagnant true qi?

“Do you have any methods to help him?” Wang Qianya’s third granduncle finally got straight to the point-addressing the issue that had been weighing heavily on Tang Jie’s mind. Tang Jie now fully understood why Wang Qianya had brought him to this banquet: to help him find a way to restore and enhance his true qi.

“There is a method, though I can’t guarantee it will work. However, it’s worth trying,” Mr. Feng said. Upon hearing this, Tang Jie felt a surge of excitement-he seemed to have come to the right place after all.

“Then let’s move somewhere quieter to discuss,” Qianya’s third granduncle quickly suggested, eager to leave the noisy banquet hall for a more suitable place to talk.

The group entered a presidential suite in the hotel. Feng Lun had someone deliver an item, and once inside the room, he instructed Tang Jie to take off his upper clothing. Tang Jie removed his suit, but when Feng Lun then asked him to take off his shirt as well, Tang Jie hesitated, glancing awkwardly at Wang Qianya. Sensing his discomfort, Wang Qianya let out a light laugh and said, “What are you being shy about? This is for your treatment-there’s nothing to feel embarrassed about.”

Hearing Wang Qianya’s words, Tang Jie thought to himself, If even she’s unbothered, then what am I hesitating for? Resolving himself, he swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, revealing his lean and toned upper body.

Feng Lun carefully examined Tang Jie’s key vital gates, his gaze eventually fixating on Tang Jie’s dantian. After a moment, he retrieved something from the bag that had just been delivered. When he opened it, it revealed a neatly arranged row of silver needles.

Tang Jie froze the moment he saw them, a chill running down his spine. Despite being fearless of almost everything since childhood, he had always been deathly afraid of needles. As a child, even when he had a high fever of 104 degrees, he stubbornly refused to get an injection, forcing the old man of his household to cradle him with an ice pack under the blankets all night to bring his fever down.

Wang Qianya immediately noticed Tang Jie’s expression and could tell what he was thinking. Stifling her laughter, she walked over to his side and teased, “Tang Jie, don’t tell me you’re scared.” She intentionally used a goading tone. Tang Jie looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then steeled himself. No way can I admit fear in front of a beauty, especially one I like.

“Not at all. I’m just curious-I’ve never seen these things before. Just wanted to take a closer look,” Tang Jie replied stiffly, though inwardly he was trembling.

Feng Lun explained, “Let me try. If I can adjust your true qi with the silver needles, you should be able to immediately return to the Heaven-Man Realm.” As he spoke, he picked out the thickest silver needle from the set. Tang Jie mentally cursed his luck-it seemed like the more he feared needles, the more they became a source of torment.

Wang Qianya observed Tang Jie’s forced composure and barely restrained her laughter, turning away to suppress her amusement.

“Alright, now regulate your breathing,” Feng Lun instructed. “Follow my guidance exactly. Remember not to condense your true qi, or it will disrupt the process when I administer the needles.”

With that, Feng Lun moved behind Tang Jie. As Tang Jie closed his eyes, his whole body involuntarily began to tremble. A sharp, bone-deep ache suddenly radiated from his back as the first needle pierced his skin. Tang Jie nearly cried out, but seeing Wang Qianya standing nearby, he forced himself to endure the pain.

Yet it wasn’t over. After inserting the silver needle into Tang Jie’s acupoint, Feng Lun started twisting it. The sensation made Tang Jie break into a cold sweat. Feng Lun frowned slightly, retrieving a second needle and then a third.

Before long, Tang Jie’s entire upper body was covered in silver needles. By this point, sweat was pouring down his face like rain. Seeing him in such a state, Wang Qianya couldn’t bear it any longer. Feeling sorry for him, she brought over a towel and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. Seeing how concerned Wang Qianya was for him, Tang Jie felt a sense of comfort, and despite the pain, his mood lifted.

“How are you feeling now?” Feng Lun asked, looking at Tang Jie with concern.

Tang Jie tried to sense his condition, but apart from the dull pain and numbness, he felt nothing. He shook his head silently.

Feng Lun frowned, puzzled. How could this be? There wasn’t even the slightest improvement. Could his previous diagnosis have been wrong?

As Feng Lun began removing the silver needles, Tang Jie went through another round of torment. By the time the last needle was pulled out, he was utterly drained. It wasn’t from any internal exhaustion-it was simply the result of enduring so much pain.

“Well? Did it work?” Wang Qianya’s third granduncle, who had been observing from the side, asked with concern as soon as the needles were removed.

“Try focusing your true qi now,” Feng Lun suggested, his expression one of hopeful anticipation.

Tang Jie closed his eyes, suppressing the lingering pain as he attempted to circulate his true qi. To his surprise, the flow was noticeably smoother than before. However, it didn’t feel more powerful-it seemed to have returned to its previous state, without any noticeable enhancement. He relayed his observations to Feng Lun and Wang Qianya’s third granduncle.

Feng Lun shook his head and sighed. “It seems I’ve done all I can. While your previously stagnant true qi appears to be unblocked, it’s still at the same level as before. There’s been no improvement.”

Hearing this, neither Wang Qianya nor her granduncle said anything more. In the end, Tang Jie expressed heartfelt thanks to Feng Lun. After all, Feng Lun, an ancient martial arts master, had spent a great deal of time toiling away on his behalf, even perspiring from the effort. Tang Jie couldn’t help but feel grateful, especially since there was at least some progress-his true qi was no longer chaotically scattering.

“Alright, it’s getting late. I need to head back. The rest will be up to you. But don’t worry-with your natural talent, reaching a level above ours, even achieving the highest realm, is only a matter of time. It’s not a question of if, but when,” Feng Lun said as he prepared to leave. These parting words struck a chord with Tang Jie, filling him with a mix of hope and determination.

Wang Qianya and her third granduncle walked Feng Lun to the door. Tang Jie moved to put his shirt back on, but Wang Qianya quickly stopped him.

“Wait, let me help you clean up first,” she said. Bringing over a towel she’d dampened with warm water in the restroom, she carefully wiped the small beads of blood off his back. Tang Jie watched her attentively, seeing the care and concern in her every movement. In that moment, he thought to himself that all the pain from earlier was worth it.

“Alright, Qianya, since this is the situation, why don’t you both head back for now,” her third granduncle said thoughtfully. There was a note of regret in his voice. The ancient martial arts tournament was fast approaching, and he had hoped Tang Jie could represent the Wang family and bring them victory.

Tang Jie finished putting on his clothes and left the hotel with Wang Qianya. They took a car back to the Wang family villa. Once in his room, Tang Jie found himself unable to sleep for a long time. His thoughts kept drifting to the matter of Lifedeath Cliff. He took out the iron piece and rubbed it between his fingers for what felt like forever, but nothing came to him. Could it really hold no secrets?

As he studied the iron piece, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it still concealed something-something that could help him improve. Yet, he had no idea how to reveal it. What could the key to unlocking its mystery be?

After a while, Wang Qianya came into the room and asked Tang Jie to join her for a late-night snack. Tang Jie, who was beginning to feel hungry, quickly agreed. After all, the “old man” had put him through so much earlier-he’d lost quite a bit of blood and sweat during the treatment. A meal sounded like the perfect chance to replenish some energy.

With that thought, Tang Jie followed Wang Qianya downstairs to the dining room. Her parents had already gone to bed. The servants brought out the late-night snack, and once everything was arranged, Wang Qianya dismissed them for the night, leaving just the two of them alone.

As they ate, Wang Qianya suddenly suggested something. “What do you think? Should we go to Lifedeath Cliff tomorrow?” she asked, looking up at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie froze for a moment, considering her words. He thought about it briefly and realized he probably should visit the place. However, he didn’t want to bring Wang Qianya along. He couldn’t guarantee what might happen, and the risks weighed heavily on his mind.

Recently, word had once again spread throughout the ancient martial arts world about treasures at Lifedeath Cliff. It was inevitable that others with the same idea as Tang Jie would go there before the ancient martial arts tournament, hoping to uncover something to boost their abilities.

“Don’t worry,” Wang Qianya said, seemingly reading his thoughts. Her gaze was resolute as she continued. “My parents will definitely agree. As long as you win the competition, I’m not afraid of how dangerous it might be.”

“You seriously want to join me?” Tang Jie looked at her with a mixture of reluctance and hesitation. Compared to Chen Shuran, he had an indescribable feeling toward Wang Qianya, something deeper, something harder to put into words. Because of that, he couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her. More than anything, he didn’t want her to get hurt because of him.

“Did you forget? I’m a master too, and right now, I’m not below your level. Or what-do you not even want to surpass me?” Wang Qianya teased with a playful glint in her eye.

Her words struck a chord with Tang Jie. She was right-how could he not even overcome her? If he couldn’t, how could he ever hope to stand by her side in the future? Wouldn’t he be unworthy of her?

“Alright, but you have to make sure to explain everything to your parents. If they agree, then I’ll take you with me,” Tang Jie said at last, laying out his final concern.

Wang Qianya beamed and nodded enthusiastically, her face lighting up with delight. “Leave that to me!” she said confidently.