Showdown

Gongshu Key whispered behind Chen Miemie, continuously feeding him intelligence.

"Last Shepherd, the president of the Grazing Society, is known for his immense combat strength. He claims to be a [Mystery] Level 5. He specializes in handling rare animals that are on the verge of death or freshly deceased. He can 'persuade' every part of the animal's body to 'die peacefully' in the most delicious and energy-rich state, rather than rotting away. Anyone who eats this meat temporarily gains some traits of the creature—like the eyesight of an eagle or the strength of a bear—but the price is that they will suffer nightmares all night from the perspective of the animal's death."

In the world of mysteries, battles between mystics often begin with information warfare.

Gongshu Key had no intention of letting Chen Miemie take on President Shepherd head-on; she was merely describing his strength to prevent Chen Miemie from being reckless and offending him too badly with arrogant words.

Du Jun, the vice president of [Shedding Clinic], also stepped forward to block in front of Chen Miemie.

"President Shepherd, this area is under the responsibility of our [Shedding Clinic]. Meddling here isn't quite appropriate, is it?"

Last Shepherd had a booming, robust voice: "Yours? Du Jun, have your Mortar Granny say that to me. You're not qualified to argue with me. This is the border between two societies. This family has already pledged allegiance to us, and now they're all dead. What’s this? You want to let the murderer go over a dozen lives? Either hand over this anomaly, or your [Shedding Clinic] will be held responsible for the killings and punished by law. Your choice."

President Shepherd spoke with a domineering tone, but that's how societies interacted.

What was normally the difference in authority between a president and a vice president of a society?

Under normal circumstances, there was no difference.

So when were the circumstances unusual?

When it involved matters of combat with other mystic organizations, those were the unusual cases.

Mystics were precious. Once a fight broke out, not only could one die, but it could also trigger a full-blown conflict between two societies—a "strike the young, call the old" cycle—leading to mutual destruction over time. Generally, societies in the same city maintained decent relations.

Don't let the rivalry between [Shedding Clinic] and [Burger Workshop] over control of this street fool you; it was just a minor interest. The two could sit down and negotiate at any time. In fact, they had been neighbors for a hundred years and had a fairly good relationship overall.

Just like now: President Shepherd directly pinned the blame on the anomaly called [Water Gaze], without even mentioning the curse set by [Shedding Clinic].

If we wanted to establish the true murderer, who would it be?

[Water Gaze] had no intention of killing. It had no idea these people were cursed; it was only briefly stimulating their potential as a "kind" act.

[Shedding Clinic] also lacked intent to kill. They simply wanted to scare people, but the curse—normally impossible to trigger—encountered a special anomaly.

Strictly speaking, without either [Water Gaze] or [Shedding Clinic], no one would have died. In their uncoordinated actions, they had jointly committed murder, and both were culpable.

Chen Miemie lightly patted Du Jun's shoulder and stepped out from behind him.

"I'll handle my own affairs. President Shepherd, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Chen Miemie. I'm not from [Shedding Clinic]; I come from the [Silver Moon Court] of Sixiang City."

President Shepherd nodded slightly. "I know of [Silver Moon Court]. It's a very powerful society. But this is Fengshu City, and we have our own laws and rules here."

Chen Miemie, seasoned in traveling abroad, knew a deep truth: identity is what you make it.

"Rules? What rules? I'm the successor of [Silver Moon Court], now fully handling all matters. How about we have our two societies discuss the 'rules' President Shepherd mentioned?"

President Shepherd frowned.

He had initially thought Chen Miemie was just a newcomer from [Shedding Clinic]. He hadn't expected him to be the heir of another society.

A successor and a vice president were completely different—in fact, they were opposites.

Under normal circumstances, a successor had absolutely no power because they hadn't taken office yet.

But in unusual circumstances, they could represent the society in external statements because they symbolized the society's future direction.

Chen Miemie knew that using the name of a society from another city wouldn't intimidate a major society president.

He wasn't here just to show off his eloquence.

"President Shepherd, since this is between societies, between mystics, how about we let our [Mystery] ranks do the talking?"

"You mean a sparring match?"

"Yes. Choose any one person from your society. If they can last ten minutes against me, we'll settle it your way. Otherwise, I take [Water Gaze] with me, and no one bothers it again."

"Any one person? Last ten minutes?"

Murmurs instantly spread through the crowd.

What did "any one person" mean? It meant even President Shepherd himself could step up!

And to add the harsh condition that "lasting ten minutes counts as a win."

In everyone's eyes, this young Chen Miemie had a mouth so big it had no bounds.

At this point, even President Shepherd found himself in a bind.

He had far too little intelligence on Chen Miemie. Though the kid seemed ordinary and very young, his arrogance was immense, and as the heir of a society, he surely had some hidden ace.

Accepting was risky; refusing would make him seem cowardly.

After thinking it over, his eyes suddenly flickered as if an idea struck him. He agreed:

"Let's do it your way. Knot, go have a 'discussion' with him."

Gongshu Key quickly shuffled over to Chen Miemie and began whispering again.

"Little intel on Knot. He claims to be [Mystery] Level 4. He can suddenly conjure ropes out of thin air and tie knots that ordinary people can't undo. His attack power is average, but his trapping ability is strong."

Chen Miemie nodded slightly, thanking Gongshu Key for her kindness.

Everyone moved to the backyard garden.

Chen Miemie and Knot walked to the open space in the middle, while the others kept a distance to watch.

Before stepping up, Knot had seemed unsure, almost nervous.

Once in position, he dropped the act and revealed a confident gaze.

He was already [Mystery] 4.99, with deep accumulated experience and ready to break through at any moment. On top of that, he had just eaten one of President Shepherd's special beast dishes before coming here, and its effects were still active, granting him unprecedented strength.

Now, he was confident he could match a full-fledged [Mystery] Level 5. Beat him in ten minutes? Better hope he didn't get beaten himself.

Chen Miemie had no idea about Knot's inner thoughts, and frankly, he didn't care.

He politely asked, "Mr. Knot, are you ready?"

Knot was confident but not arrogant. He worried that answering a question might trigger some kind of word-based skill, so he only nodded without speaking.

Once the start was confirmed, Knot struck first, not waiting for Chen Miemie to act.

He pointed a finger: "Knot!"

Three ropes materialized around Chen Miemie.

Three ropes suddenly tightened, binding Chen Miemie's chest along with his upper arms, his abdomen along with his palms, and his legs firmly together.

The three ropes formed an extremely intricate series of knots on Chen Miemie's body, while the other ends of the ropes were held in the hand of Knot.

Seeing Chen Miemie instantly subdued, neither Knot himself nor the onlookers at Burger Workshop showed any hint of joy. Instead, their expressions were full of solemnity.

"It can't be this easy to win," President Shepherd said, narrowing his eyes.

Sure enough, the tables turned in the next moment.

Chen Miemie, bound and unable to move, softly uttered two words from his mouth: "Porcelain, break."

The three ropes binding him instantly turned to porcelain, and before Knot could react, they shattered into countless fragments.

Chen Miemie looked at Knot's hand.

Because of the sudden shattering of the porcelain ropes, a few small cuts had inevitably opened on Knot's hand.

The cuts were very shallow, not even worth calling light injuries, and they in no way affected his ability to fight.

Chen Miemie said, "You've already lost. Withdraw."

Knot, who had yet to unleash most of his skills, wasn't about to admit defeat just because of one remark. He clasped his hands together, about to pull out an even more formidable technique.

Chen Miemie shook his head. "This is a battle among mystics, not a game of make-believe. If you have a big move, you should have used it from the start."

With that, he reached out a hand toward Knot and clenched it in the empty air.

"Ahhh!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

A jet of blood shot straight up from Knot's mouth like an arrow, spraying several meters into the air.

Chen Miemie no longer paid him any attention. He strode directly toward the front hall.

"As agreed, I'm taking Water Gaze with me.

Don't worry—we have no grudges. He won't die. I've left half the blood in his body."