Watching the bodyguard spit blood and fly backward, Jiang Chuan's heart suddenly trembled.
He instinctively leaped from his seat.
"This, how is this possible?"
He covered his mouth and exclaimed, his face full of disbelief.
He had brought three bodyguards with him this time, each one a top-tier master.
Now, all of them had fallen to Song Qiao.
This made him, who had always been confident in his strength, utterly terrified.
"How about it, Mr. Jiang, looks like you lost."
After slowly circulating his true qi within his body, Song Qiao exhaled a light breath.
He glanced at Jiang Chuan with a half-smile.
At this moment, without his bodyguards backing him, Jiang Chuan wisely restrained his arrogance.
He stood there with a cold expression, as if he hadn't heard Song Qiao's question.
"According to our bet, you now have to kneel and kowtow to apologize."
Song Qiao calmly sat down.
He poured himself a drink, raised his head, and downed it in one gulp, saying lightly:
"Remember, this is your last chance."
"If your performance doesn't satisfy me, you know the consequences."
Jiang Chuan's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.
After a full half-minute of stunned silence, he slowly spoke:
"Song Qiao, we all have to live in this martial world. I advise you not to push it too far."
"I, Jiang Chuan, come from the Tongmen. No matter what, I will not kowtow and apologize to you."
"Well said, truly a formidable figure. You've got guts!"
Before he could finish, Song Qiao interrupted him.
"However, since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for being impolite."
"I hope you can still be as tough as you are now later."
Song Qiao sneered, grabbed the wine bottle from the table, and walked towards him.
"Mr. Song, calm down."
Sister Wan, quick as lightning, grabbed his sleeve.
With an anxious look, she shook her head at him and pleaded earnestly:
"Mr. Song, the Demonic Sect has countless experts. These two bodyguards are just outer members."
"If you act rashly now, you'll suffer greatly later."
Upon hearing his sect mentioned, Jiang Chuan immediately regained some of his defiance and yelled at Song Qiao:
"Exactly! If you lay a hand on me here today, the Tongmen will issue a martial world bounty on you."
"By then, no matter where you flee, our people will find you and kill you."
Song Qiao calmly pulled Sister Wan aside.
He looked at Jiang Chuan, who was stubbornly holding his ground, raised an eyebrow, and responded with disdain:
"Is that so? The Tongmen is that formidable?"
"But unfortunately, Mr. Jiang, you probably won't live to see that day."
As he spoke, the wine bottle in his hand suddenly flew out, its target directly at Jiang Chuan's head.
This strike had a wisp of true qi infused by Song Qiao.
If it hit, Jiang Chuan would likely die on the spot.
However, in the next second.
A black shadow flashed by.
The bottle, which had been flying in a straight line, shattered in mid-air, turning into dust.
"Ancient martial arts master?"
Song Qiao frowned, shifting his attention to the black-clad figure.
"Indeed, to encounter a master in this small Yang City."
The black-clad figure sneered, slowly removing his mask.
"Kid, you've got some nerve, daring to attack someone from my Tongmen."
"Considering your cultivation, you'd better scram. I can let this slide."
The black-clad figure appeared young, even younger than Song Qiao, but his tone was incredibly arrogant.
"Ding Kaidong!"
"How could it be you?"
Before Song Qiao could respond, Liu Dong in the corner suddenly exclaimed.
He quickly rushed to Song Qiao's side.
"Brother Song, please don't act rashly. He was the champion of last year's National Ancient Martial Arts Competition. It's said his internal qi has reached the third level."
"If you act rashly, you might be at a disadvantage."
Liu Dong's words were tactful, subtly urging Song Qiao to cut his losses.
"Ancient martial arts champion?"
Song Qiao frowned.
He had heard of this competition. It was one of the truly prestigious events for Chinese martial arts.
He hadn't expected Ding Kaidong to possess such strength.
"Kid, since you also practice ancient martial arts, you should have heard of my reputation, Master Ding. Why aren't you kneeling and begging for mercy?"
Ding Kaidong, hearing his name but receiving no immediate response, assumed his reputation had intimidated the other party. He immediately escalated his demands.
"Heh, no wonder people say ancient martial arts in China is in decline."
"Even a nobody like you can win the ancient martial arts championship. The prestige of this competition is truly laughably low."
Song Qiao smiled faintly, instantly assuming a defensive stance, and beckoned Ding Kaidong with his little finger.
His eyes were filled with provocation.
"Overconfident brat, daring to challenge a respected master of our Tongmen."
"I hope to see your intact corpse later."
Jiang Chuan deliberately sighed from the side, his face filled with schadenfreude.
He turned and gave Ding Kaidong a fawning look.
"Master Ding, please teach this kid a harsh lesson for me."
"Shut up. A branch leader of your standing is being pushed to this extent. I'll deal with you later."
Ding Kaidong glanced at him, his tone chilling as he swung his fist and attacked Song Qiao.
His internal true qi surged, multiplying the power of his punch severalfold.
"Good, bring it on."
Song Qiao also threw out his fist, meeting Ding Kaidong's punch head-on with a brute force confrontation.
*Puff*
In the fleeting moment their fists collided, Ding Kaidong felt a tremor run through his entire body. He was sent flying back like a kite with a broken string.
One move.
Two renowned masters clashed.
Song Qiao, with a single punch, had knocked his opponent to the ground.
At this moment, ancient martial arts champion, demonic sect master – all these flashy titles were shattered by Song Qiao.
Everyone present watched the scene unfold, almost dropping their jaws in shock.
Jiang Chuan, having lost all his bargaining chips, slumped onto his chair in despair.
"Xiantian master?"
Ding Kaidong, lying on the ground, exclaimed, looking at Song Qiao with utter horror.
With a strength he didn't know he had, he managed to get up from the ground.
With a *thump*, he knelt before Song Qiao.
"Please accept me as your disciple! This disciple is willing to serve you day and night."
As he spoke, he repeatedly and loudly kowtowed to Song Qiao.
"Taking disciples, I'm not interested."
Song Qiao glanced at him indifferently, showing no interest in the man.
"Damn, Mr. Song is too fierce!"
Sister Wan actually swore, excitedly clutching her brother-in-law Liu Dong's clothes.
A man as outstanding as Song Qiao was exactly the idol she had always dreamed of.
"Mr. Song, thank you for your help."
Teng Haibo finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Song Qiao with more affection than he had for his own father.
"Now, let's see how Jiang Chuan dares to oppose me in the future."
Before he could finish his thanks, Song Qiao's phone suddenly rang.
"It's Zhou Zhou again?"
Song Qiao glanced at his phone, frowned, and quickly walked out of the bar booth.