"You're threatening me?" Shen Lang's smile vanished as Lin Tianxiong spoke.
"Little sir, I am merely the old master's vicious hound. You have no need to be angry with me."
Lin Tianxiong's voice remained calm. "What I just said was not a threat, merely a kind reminder."
"In Nanling, no one can refuse the old master's invitation. Not Yang Ce, the Nanling King who strikes fear into the hearts of both the righteous and wicked, nor Ye Shishi, the rising star. And neither can you."
Lin Tianxiong smiled. "What I said earlier was merely to let you know the consequences of refusing the old master's invitation. Whether you go or not is your decision. I will not force you."
Shen Lang's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Lin Tianxiong. "Some say a dog that bites never bares its teeth, it only waits for the opportune moment to snatch a piece of flesh from you, leaving you bleeding profusely."
"Lin Tianxiong, I must say, you are a good dog, a loyal dog to your master."
Lin Tianxiong beamed with pleasure at the compliment. "Thank you for your praise, little sir. I am indeed the old master's loyal hound. He often says the same thing."
"Do you think being praised by me is a good thing?"
Shen Lang let out a cold huff. "Do you believe that in the next second, I can turn this loyal dog into a dead dog, and your so-called old master will die because of you?"
Since Shen Lang could remember, he had been begging in Nanling. During that time, he had been threatened by thugs and hooligans, forced to play various roles of an orphan to gain sympathy.
Whenever Shen Lang showed the slightest defiance, those thugs and hooligans would beat him severely, and he had nearly died countless times.
Therefore, Shen Lang hated being threatened more than anything in his life.
And Lin Tianxiong had accidentally touched his deepest taboo.
Seeing Shen Lang truly angered, Lin Tianxiong's face remained as calm as still water. "Little sir is joking. Although I am a loyal dog, I am a battle-hardened loyal dog. There are probably not many people in this world who can kill me."
"Is that so?"
Shen Lang flicked his wrist, and a Taiyi Divine Needle slid out from his sleeve, caught between two fingers.
Shen Lang slowly raised his right hand and said to Lin Tianxiong, "Do you believe that in the next second, this golden needle in my hand will pierce your throat?"
Shen Lang's true energy was only at one-tenth of its capacity, but the Taiyi Divine Needle in his hand could still kill.
Lin Tianxiong carefully observed the Taiyi Divine Needle in Shen Lang's hand for two seconds, a confident smile appearing on his face. "This needle, as fine as a hair, might be able to heal, but it cannot kill. And killing me is even more impossible."
"Is that so?"
Shen Lang chuckled upon hearing this. "In that case, shall we try?"
"Alright,"
Lin Tianxiong made a gesture of invitation and said, "Little sir, how about a bet?"
"If I die, then so be it. But if I am lucky enough to survive your needle, which is as fine as a hair, you will come with me to treat the old master."
Lin Tianxiong's voice was always calm, as if nothing in this world could shock him.
This was because he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Lin Tianxiong was forty-five years old, but his martial arts cultivation had already reached the peak of the Yellow Realm. Even in the entire Mingjiang, or even the entire Dragon Country, there were few masters like him.
Over the years, he had experienced countless gunfights and battles, yet he had always emerged unscathed.
Therefore, he did not believe that the golden needle in Shen Lang's hand could take his life.
"Good, I accept."
Hearing Lin Tianxiong's words, Shen Lang laughed heartily. "Open your eyes wide, because you will only have one chance."
As he spoke, Shen Lang flicked his wrist, and the Taiyi Divine Needle flew out.
"Whoosh—"
This time, Shen Lang's needle was very slow, so slow that it was visible to the naked eye.
The golden needle advanced towards Lin Tianxiong bit by bit, its speed like that of a dying old man walking towards him.
Three seconds later, the needle reached Lin Tianxiong's face. Lin Tianxiong's right hand moved swiftly.
The needle flew very slowly, and Lin Tianxiong's hand moved ten times faster than the needle.
Lin Tianxiong was 100% certain that he could catch the needle.
But what Lin Tianxiong never expected was that just as his right hand moved, the needle was suddenly infused with a terrifying force, and its speed increased by a thousandfold.
Fast, so fast.
Lin Tianxiong could not describe the speed at which the needle shot out, nor could he evade it.
In the next second, the needle hit Lin Tianxiong.
However, the needle did not pierce Lin Tianxiong's throat. Instead, it accurately struck Lin Tianxiong's right eye, blinding it.
For an ordinary person, being blinded in the right eye would have caused unbearable pain and cries.
But Lin Tianxiong gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a single scream.
Five seconds later, Lin Tianxiong pulled the needle from his right eye and held it in his hand.
Even at this point, Lin Tianxiong's face remained as calm as ever. He said to Shen Lang, "Little sir, I am still alive. I have won this bet."
"Yes, you have won."
Shen Lang raised his right hand, and his palm, like a giant magnet, instantly sucked the needle back into his hand. He spoke.
Lin Tianxiong covered his blinded right eye with his hand, in immense pain, but his composure remained. "I thought guns and cannons were the most terrifying weapons in this world, followed by swords and knives. I never expected a needle as fine as a hair to be the most terrifying weapon."
He looked at Shen Lang, utterly bewildered. "There is one thing I don't understand. Why, when the needle in your hand could have easily pierced my throat, did it suddenly change direction and shoot for my right eye?"
"Because I changed my mind."
Shen Lang slowly retracted the Taiyi Divine Needle into his sleeve. "Although you are a dog, you are indeed a polite, non-barking, and non-offensive dog."
"Killing you would be easy, but your master will surely send another dog later. What if it's a mad dog that acts recklessly? That would be a headache for me."
"Since the trouble is unavoidable, I will take the initiative and resolve the problem."
"Didn't you want me to come and treat your master? Fine, I agree. I will go with you now."
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Lin Tianxiong endured the intense pain and smiled. "Since that is the case, I will trouble you, little sir."
"Although you are smiling, you must be filled with resentment and confusion in your heart, right?"
Looking at Lin Tianxiong's smiling face, Shen Lang said indifferently, "You hate me for blinding your right eye, but you don't understand why, at the critical moment, when I decided to come and treat your master, I still had to blind one of your eyes."
"Do you know why?"
Shen Lang heavily patted Lin Tianxiong's shoulder and delivered the final answer: "Because I will not allow anyone to threaten me. Losing an eye is the price you pay for threatening me."