Chen Ren froze the instant the attack came. Not because he doubted his ability to dodge.

  But because his mind had already calculated the cost of doing so.

  If he moved aside, the lightning lance would tear straight through the shelves behind him—the ones holding their highest-priced artifacts. They might survive the impact… or they might not. Either way, it was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

  He was already preparing to brace himself and let the [Starlight Armor] take the blow—

  When fire struck first.

  A streak of flame cut across the shop and slammed into the lightning lance mid air. There was a loud crack, followed by sparks that exploded outward when the two forces collided with each other.

  Chen Ren watched, stunned, as the flames immediately wrapped around the lance, gnawing at it relentlessly. Bit by bit, the lance weakened, and the bright light dimmed.

  Within the next few seconds, it dispersed into nothing.

  The fire burned out a heartbeat later, leaving the air humming with residual qi.

  Before Chen Ren could even process what had happened, a figure stepped forward.

  Ruan Minghe.

  His expression was no longer restrained or calculating. It was furious.

  “What the hell are you doing, Yun Zhaotian?” Ruan Minghe barked. “Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea how many precious pills are stored here?”

  Yun Zhaotian’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. He turned sharply toward Ruan Minghe, lightning still crackling faintly around his body. “What the hell are you doing here?” he shot back.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Ruan Minghe said coldly, stepping closer. “What matters is that you nearly destroyed pills worth more than your entire sect’s lives. I knew the Thunder Blade Sect relied more on muscles than brains, but launching an attack inside the city? You’ve got guts.”

  Yun Zhaotian snorted and took a step toward him, qi rolling off his body in waves. “You have no right to interfere. You don’t know what this man did. He’s a thief, and my sect’s creed tells me exactly how to deal with thieves.”

  Ruan Minghe didn’t retreat. If anything, his stance became firmer. “It doesn’t matter,” he said flatly. “I’m already in an agreement with him. You can’t kill him.”

  Yun Zhaotian’s expression darkened, his lips curling into a cold smile. “No one can stop me from taking revenge,” he said. “Not you. Not your pesky sect members.”

  And just then, Chen Ren’s eyes gazed around them.

  Sect members had already surrounded them—Thunder Blade disciples on one side, Emerald Sun disciples on the other. The air inside the shop tightened, blades half-drawn, qi humming like a taut bowstring pulled to its limit.

  His heart sank.

  They were seconds away from an all-out battle.

  Anji panicked in front of the counter, her hand snapping to the gun at her waist, knuckles white.

  Chen Ren glanced around desperately, and his dread deepened. The city guards were gone. Every last of them. By the time someone was summoned back here, these two Guardian sects would have reduced his shop to rubble.

  On its very first day.

  As his mind raced, a familiar, irritated voice clicked its tongue inside his head.

  “You really do get into trouble with every new business.”

  Chen Ren turned sharply.

  Yalan was there. He hadn't seen her walk in, but she sat at one of the tables as if she had been there all along.

  “This isn’t my fault! I didn’t know they’d start fighting. And I definitely didn’t know Yun Zhaotian was dumb enough to attack me inside the city.”

  “Always think of every possibility.” She said and paused, eyes flicking toward the two men radiating killing intent. “Do you want me to stop them?”

  Chen Ren hesitated for a moment.

  Then he shook his head. “No. Stay hidden. Right now you’re at the same level as them. If you show yourself, you’ll just complicate things. But can you get the city guards here? As many as possible.”

  “You’ll need to hold them until then.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Chen Ren said.

  Without wasting another second, Yalan vaulted lightly onto the counter and dropped down the other side, vanishing into the crowd. She slipped between the legs of sect members who were far too busy glaring at one another to notice a thing.

  Chen Ren exhaled slowly and stepped forward.

  He turned his gaze to Yun Zhaotian and Ruan Minghe at the center of the shop, qi already flaring around his fingertips. He didn’t know the full history of the Guardian sect rivalries, but he didn’t need to.

  The hatred between these two was clearly old, and it was radiating outwards. If he was going to stop this, Chen Ren had no choice but to step in himself.

  He pushed qi into his voice until it rang clearly through the shop. “Everyone, why don’t you put your hands down for a moment and hear me out?”

  The pressure in the room shifted. Every gaze turned toward him.

  Yun Zhaotian immediately scowled. “Why are you butting into this?” he snapped. “Just stand back. Once I kill this pill maniac, I’ll deal with you.”

  Ruan Minghe let out a cold snort. “Yes, Chen Ren. Go to the back and stay there until I finish dealing with this brute.”

  Chen Ren forced a smile onto his face, even as his pulse hammered inside. “If you do that,” he said evenly, “both of you won’t just go to jail—you’ll be stuck on this floor. Meanwhile, Soaring Sword Sect and Frostpeak Sect will move ahead. In fact, Han Qingshi already has enough tokens to leave this floor.”

  That finally made them pause.

  The violent qi coiling around their bodies thinned, if only slightly.

  Chen Ren pressed on before either of them could recover. “Do you know how much it costs to get out of the city jail?”

  Yun Zhaotian frowned. “No. And why does that matter?”

  “It’s five thousand tokens,” Chen Ren said. “It matters because if you fight here—in a shop registered under a city resident—you’ll be locked up for a long time. Do either of you really have that kind of money to waste right now?”

  Ruan Minghe’s eyes widened. “That much?”

  “Yes,” Chen Ren replied. “And if you’re jailed, it’ll take you far longer to gather the tokens you need.”

  He didn’t need to say more.

  One look at Ruan Minghe’s expression told Chen Ren everything. The Emerald Sun elder was already calculating the cost, and backing off.

  But Yun Zhaotian was still seething.

  He shot a scornful glance at Ruan Minghe before turning back to Chen Ren, lightning crawling faintly along his robes. “Five thousand tokens might be a lot,” he said coldly, “but it’s worth every single one if I get to finish you for what you did.”

  Chen Ren kept the smile on his face, even though it felt stiff. “I don’t think I did anything wrong,” he replied. “I didn’t steal from you. I only took what was there while you weren’t looking.”

  Yun Zhaotian’s brows drew together. “Whatever I set my eyes on is mine.”

  “You wouldn’t have gotten inside without me anyway,” Chen Ren said evenly, knowing he couldn't reason with the man, and hoping the guards would come fast. “I just took my cut.”

  “You took everything!” Yun Zhaotian snarled and to make his point, qi exploded outward.

  It wasn’t an attack—not yet—but a crushing wave of pressure that slammed into Chen Ren’s body. It felt as if hundreds of invisible boulders dropped onto his shoulders at once. The floor creaked beneath his feet as Yun Zhaotian poured more qi into the pressure, layer after layer, the weight increasing with every heartbeat.

  Chen Ren’s teeth ground together.

  His knees trembled. Pain lanced through his legs and spine, and for a split second his body screamed at him to give in, to bend, to kneel.

  He refused.

  He drove his own qi through his meridians, wrapping it tightly around his body, forcing himself upright. His legs shook violently, but they held. He glared straight at Yun Zhaotian, refusing to look away.

  Yun Zhaotian’s lips curled. “Not bad.”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Another surge of qi crashed into Chen Ren, heavier than the last, aimed to sweep his feet out from under him entirely.

  His balance threatened to snap and his vision darkened at the edges. But he knew every eye in the shop was on him. Everyone was watching.

  Even if no one stepped in. Even if no one saved him. He could not kneel here.

  Not in his own shop when he knew that reputation was everything. If he knelt in front of them—

  Chen Ren tightened his jaw as the pressure increased again. Pain burned through his muscles and his knees shuddered uncontrollably, but he did not fall. He did not bow. He did not give Yun Zhaotian the victory he was looking for.

  Voices rose around him.

  Some were shocked, some panicked, and a few were painfully familiar calling out his name. Chen Ren focused on none of it. His eyes stayed locked on Yun Zhaotian.

  Second by second, the man’s expression shifted. The rage didn’t disappear, but something else crept in beneath it—confusion and disbelief.

  His eyes widened slightly, as if he couldn’t understand how Chen Ren was still standing.

  The pressure never vanished.

  Chen Ren had never felt pain like this, not even during his body cultivation training. Every bone in his legs screamed. His vision swam. For a fleeting, violent moment, all he wanted was to punch Yun Zhaotian in the face.

  Then fate, for once, obliged.

  The shop doors burst open.

  “What the hell is going on here?!”

  At once, city guards stormed in, their shouts cutting through the tension like blades. Yun Zhaotian’s attention snapped toward them, and in that instant, the crushing qi pressure slackened.

  That was all Chen Ren needed.

  Lightning roared around his fist and he moved.

  His legs were shaking, barely holding him upright, but they had enough strength left for one attack. Yun Zhaotian turned back at the worst possible moment, and Chen Ren’s fist slammed straight into the bridge of his nose.

  Yun Zhaotian was sent flying, his body crashing into the far wall as the shop shuddered violently. Blood burst from his nose, splattering across the floor. He yelped in raw, shocked pain, clapping a hand over his face and staring at the red staining his fingers as if he couldn’t believe it was real.

  At the same time, Chen Ren collapsed.

  His legs finally gave out, and he dropped to one knee, then to the floor, chest heaving as the adrenaline drained out of him.

  “You dare hit me, you fucking imbecile!” Yun Zhaotian roared, fury flooding back into his voice.

  He tried to surge forward—

  And was stopped cold.

  Two city guards seized him instantly, iron grips locking around his arms as glowing restraints snapped into place. Yun Zhaotian struggled, a storm flaring wildly around him, but it was useless. Even the lowest-ranked guards in the city were already halfway into the foundation establishment realm, and the ones Yalan had managed to call were clearly beyond that.

  The handcuffs clicked shut.

  From what Chen Ren had learned during his many conversations with the city guards, those handcuffs were made from the same strange material as the puppet he had seen back on the mountain peak. No matter how much qi Yun Zhaotian tried to force out of his body, the metal simply drank it in, swallowing the energy without a ripple.

  With two guards holding him firmly in place, Yun Zhaotian couldn’t do anything.

  The other Thunder Blade Sect disciples stood frozen, their faces pale. None of them dared move with the city guards present. Whatever courage they had vanished the moment the restraints snapped shut.

  Seeing all this, Chen Ren finally let out a slow breath.

  His gaze flicked toward the door, where Yalan stood casually among the crowd. When their eyes met, she gave him a brief nod.

  Only then did he allow himself to move.

  He pushed himself up, his legs still trembling slightly, and walked toward the guards. Bowing his head, he said sincerely, “Thank you for arriving in time. If not for you all, this shop might not have survived.”

  One of the guards looked at him closely. “What happened here, Chen Ren?”

  Chen Ren didn’t hesitate. “Men from the Thunder Blade Sect suddenly barged in and tried to attack me and destroy my shop.” He raised a hand and pointed directly at Yun Zhaotian. “This man even tried to use qi pressure to force me to kneel. Fortunately, you arrived before things escalated further.”

  The guard’s expression darkened. He looked down at Yun Zhaotian coldly. “Is that so? Then you’ll be spending quite a few days in prison.”

  “I did nothing of the sort!” Yun Zhaotian shouted immediately. “He hit me! You saw that! Why are you blaming only me?”

  One of the guards scowled, his gaze sharp and unimpressed. “Because Chen Ren is an honorable man. He wouldn’t lie to us.” His eyes swept over Yun Zhaotian and then the group behind him. “You, on the other hand, look like a scoundrel. He stands alone, while you came with a whole group.” He sneered. “Do you think we don’t understand how you climbers think? I’ll make sure all of you spend several days in jail.”

  Then the man nodded to the other guards, and more restraints were drawn at once.

  Metal clinked through the shop as additional handcuffs came out.

  Two of the Thunder Blade Sect disciples panicked and tried to run, but they barely made it three steps before the guards tackled them to the ground.

  “Wait! You can’t do this!”

  “Owww!”

  The impact rattled the floor, drawing sharp gasps from the surrounding cultivators. In moments, most of the group was restrained, their qi completely sealed, and dragged toward the exit.

  As they were hauled out, Chen Ren noticed Ruan Minghe and the Emerald Sun Sect disciples slowly edging backward. They made themselves as small and inconspicuous as possible, clearly terrified of getting dragged into this mess by association.

  Yun Zhaotian twisted his head back, glaring at Chen Ren. His shoulders sagged as reality finally caught up to him.

  “This isn’t over,” he snarled.

  Chen Ren met his gaze and smiled faintly. “I don’t think it is.”

  One of the guards nodded. “We’ll keep them with us and teach them some manners.”

  Then he hesitated, scratching his head slightly. “By the way… will you have some noodles for us later? The guys have gotten used to eating them in the evening before going home.” He sighed. “Half of our wives cook something closer to rat poison than food.”

  Chen Ren blinked, then nodded immediately. “You got it.”

  With that, the guards escorted the Thunder Blade Sect disciples away. The noise faded quickly, leaving behind a heavy silence.

  Chen Ren exhaled slowly, feeling a weight lift off his chest. He glanced around the shop. Outside, plenty of people had stopped to stare, whispering among themselves. Rumors were already forming—he could feel it.

  If rumors were going to spread, he would have to make sure they moved in the right direction.

  As he was thinking that, Yalan padded up to him. “You handled that well.”

  Chen Ren replied silently through their link, “You got here fast.”

  Yalan snickered. “I just stole the pouch off a guard’s waist. They chased me all the way here. It always works with guards.”

  Chen Ren raised an eyebrow. “You have done that before?”

  She huffed. “I have a long past.” Then she tilted her head. “So, what are you going to do about Yun Zhaotian?”

  Chen Ren thought for a moment before smiling. “To be honest, nothing much. Just make sure he doesn’t get out of prison until I’m ready to move to the sixth floor.” His eyes hardened slightly. “But I know he won't let this go, so I will plan around him. It's much easier to trap a beast you know is coming.”

  ***

  A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter.

  Magus Reborn 3 is OUT NOW. It's a progression fantasy epic featuring a detailed magic system, kingdom building, and plenty of action.