Ying Chen's words, however, only intensified the woman's hostility.
"You think I'm not your match?"
"A weakling like you, hollowed out by wine and women, I could easily take down ten or even twenty of you!"
"If you dare, take a step forward! Don't say I didn't warn you, if you die here today, no one will avenge you!"
"Your death would be in vain!"
The woman's voice was sharp as she spoke.
Meanwhile, the crowd of onlookers grew, quickly surrounding the area like a dense wall.
Min Ziqiong was no exception.
She was startled to see Ying Chen confronting a woman.
She naturally knew Ying Chen's capabilities. Even if this woman didn't look like an expert, even an expert would likely not survive a single move from Ying Chen!
She was about to intervene.
Unexpectedly, she heard whispers around her, all about how Ying Chen had lewdly propositioned this woman.
Although Min Ziqiong didn't want to believe it, an inexplicable feeling inevitably welled up in her heart.
She unconsciously withdrew her forward step, and the words of mediation she had planned to speak were swallowed back.
For the first time, she actually had a thought: she wanted to see Ying Chen rejected by this woman, wanted to see Ying Chen make a fool of himself!
She knew this thought was wrong, knew it was shameful, yet she couldn't control it!
At this moment, conversations reached Min Ziqiong's ears.
"This chick is hot! I like it!"
"Heh, you have to be qualified to like her! Do you know who she is? Her background? It'll scare you to death!"
"Ah? So this chick isn't from Jianghai, but has a powerful background?"
"Of course! Otherwise, why would she dare to say 'your death would be in vain'? Her name is Qu Jianping! Her father is Qu Fengchun, her grandfather is Qu Xiangying! Their family has a nickname: the Iron Hat Qu Family!"
Hiss!
Upon hearing this, not only did the person who inquired about the woman's identity turn pale, but everyone around was also aghast.
It was the Iron Hat Qu Family!
A noble family of the Dragon Kingdom that had once achieved remarkable military feats!
Three generations of their family had served in the military, each generation forging a great reputation and performing meritorious deeds.
To the point where a certain big shot had publicly praised them with the words "Iron Hat Qu Family."
On one hand, it meant the Qu family's valiant and tenacious spirit was like an iron hat welded to their heads, impossible to remove or defeat;
On the other hand, it was an implicit acknowledgment of the Qu family's contributions and status, akin to the Iron Hat Princes of old dynasties, supremely noble!
No one had expected a scion of such a renowned family to appear in Jianghai City!
Although the name Qu Jianping sounded somewhat unfamiliar, anyone present who wasn't foolish could tell that this woman must have already joined the military and held an important position!
Instantly, the previously noisy scene became deathly silent.
No one dared to speak ill of Qu Jianping anymore.
And the way people looked at Ying Chen was filled with sympathy and pity.
Having offended the Iron Hat Qu Family, Ying Chen likely faced only one outcome today: death!
"Ying Chen..." Min Ziqiong suddenly became nervous.
She naturally knew the formidable power of the Qu family.
Her initial thought of seeing Ying Chen embarrassed vanished completely, and she hastily tried to step forward to pull Ying Chen away.
However, before she could make a move, Ying Chen acted first!
It seemed Ying Chen hadn't heard the surrounding discussions at all, or perhaps he was brazenly bold, discarding everything when he saw a beautiful woman. Regardless, he walked forward fearlessly.
And he extended his right hand, reaching for Qu Jianping's neck!
"Seeking death!"
Seeing this, Qu Jianping's anger could no longer be contained.
Blazing fury, accompanied by chilling killing intent, erupted together.
Her arm formed a standard killing posture, slashing towards Ying Chen's throat bone!
With this strike, Ying Chen was certain to die!
As the onlookers gasped in shock, they all let out a collective sigh.
Good advice is hard to persuade a man bent on death; they had made Qu Jianping's identity so clear, yet Ying Chen, blinded by lust, refused to repent. No one could blame him.
But just as everyone thought Ying Chen was doomed, they saw Qu Jianping's hand, about to strike Ying Chen's throat bone, suddenly freeze.
As if someone had pressed the pause button, or cast a spell of immobilization.
Yet Ying Chen was unaffected, his fingers reaching for Qu Jianping's neck continued to advance.
Qu Jianping, unsure of what was happening, turned pale with horror. But the more anxious she became, the stiffer her body grew, refusing to obey her commands.
She could only watch helplessly as Ying Chen's fingers reached her neck, a mere centimeter away from touching her skin!
Just as Qu Jianping was filled with shame and rage, something happened that astonished her and the surrounding crowd.
Ying Chen's fingers did not touch Qu Jianping's skin at all!
Instead, he actually picked up the pendant around Qu Jianping's neck and began to examine it carefully!
"What's going on?"
"Holy cow, this guy's target was really just the necklace?"
"This... why does it feel like buying a case and returning the pearl? A pearl so beautiful and captivating, yet he's only focused on the box, ignoring the pearl?"
The crowd was utterly bewildered.
Qu Jianping was equally perplexed.
And Min Ziqiong, who hadn't managed to stop Ying Chen, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Where did you get this Six-Character Golden Tablet?" Ying Chen asked, holding the pendant from Qu Jianping's neck.
Qu Jianping's pendant wasn't a traditional necklace. It was a string of six golden tablets, each composed of one character.
The golden tablets were small, each no larger than a thumbnail.
When strung together, they formed a shape resembling a smiling face.
From a distance, it looked like a new necklace from a famous luxury brand.
However, it possessed an indescribable mystical and mysterious aura, far beyond that of the luxury brand's new necklace.
The six characters, "Tian, Fa, Dao, Zhang, Xu, Du," further enhanced a unique textual beauty belonging to the Dragon Kingdom.
"I found it by chance when I was on my first mission after enlisting. I was lurking in a mountain for three days and three nights. I thought it looked nice, so I wore it as a pendant. It also serves as a memento of my first mission."
Qu Jianping answered instinctively.
Although she was still angry with Ying Chen, her killing intent had disappeared.
Ying Chen didn't seem like the lecherous scoundrel she had assumed, and seemed genuinely interested in her necklace.
Of course, it was also possible that Ying Chen was a highly skilled scumbag, playing hard to get and deliberately using this method to attract her attention.
"Oh," Ying Chen nodded, saying nothing further. He then placed the Six-Character Golden Tablet back around Qu Jianping's neck.
After Ying Chen retreated, Qu Jianping's feeling of physical stiffness and loss of control vanished.
"Name your price!"
"I really like this pendant. Name a price, and I'll buy it."
Ying Chen gazed at Qu Jianping and said calmly.
Qu Jianping, whose anger had just begun to subside, felt it surge back as soon as she heard Ying Chen's words.
How arrogant!
Ying Chen was unbelievably arrogant!
Setting aside the sentimental value the necklace held for Qu Jianping, even if it were just a trinket bought from a two-yuan shop, Qu Jianping would absolutely refuse to sell it!
"Do you think you're very rich?" Qu Jianping asked, looking at Ying Chen with mockery.
"Do you think that whatever you fancy, others must hand it over, willing or not?"
"Do you think money can solve everything?"
"Fine! No problem! Since you want it so badly..."
"Then use this to exchange for it!"
Saying this, Qu Jianping suddenly pointed her finger towards an item scrolling on the large screen.