Whenever Sage was laying it on thick with his flattery and words of praise, he could get a read on the other party and tailor his further words to match. Usually, a frown meant that the person was pretending like they didn’t enjoy such flattery, but in most cases they just didn’t want to be seen as someone who did. In that case, Sage could just be less obvious with his compliments and weave them in among other more normal talk and not just outright praise a person endlessly. Those that looked at him with disappointment were the truly selfless ones and in those cases instead of praising them, he would speak with complete and utter humility. Until now, he’d found that most people could be handled with some combination of a humility and flattery, but it seemed he’d met his match.

Kang Yung didn’t seem to only be superficially angry. There wasn’t that little glint in his eyes that spoke of his appreciation despite an outward disdain. Kang Yung was truly displeased, “It seems you aren’t who I thought you’d be, just a little sycophant.”

The Clan Patriarch turned his gaze to the rest of the people from the Jade Horde and started to study them, seeming to completely disregard Sage and looking for something else from the group that had arrived. Sage was taken aback. The Kang Clan was nothing at all like he’d expected from a power that controlled a whole province. From the young master’s he saw in the Thunder Mountain Bridge competition, he’d expected they were mirrors of their originating clans.

Wait a second… Kang Min. She wasn’t one of those arrogant chosen or foolish silkpants.

Only now did he realize that he had taken things for granted and assumed the Kang Clan to be one of those overly arrogant and overbearing groups. He’d even been given a hint by the appearance of their clan hall and their uniform, but he’d failed to pay attention.

Idiot! Kang Min was shy and cute, but when she picked up that giant saber of hers, she turned into a fierce warrior. I hope I can turn this around…

Kang Yung glanced over at Kang Chin and the Hall Master walked up closer to Sage and lowered his voice, “Please introduce your party… also, our illustrious Patriarch will speak with you later, so please step back.”

It was quite obvious his first greeting had been a huge blunder and they were gracefully trying to get rid of him. On the plus side, he still had a small opportunity in that he had to introduce the rest of his group. If he didn’t seize this chance, he was sure that he would probably never get another chance to speak directly to the Kang Clan Patriarch and would be treated just like a side-character. This moment could change things for himself and Jade Horde completely. The smart choice would be to introduce King and the Seven Stars and allow them to interact with Kang Yung. He could step back and keep a low profile. They didn’t need to form a relationship or impress the Patriarch, they just had to keep from being on their bad side so the Jade Horde could keep doing business unhindered.

Ling Sheng’s face suddenly fell. An indignant gleam coming into his eyes, looking the Kang Clan Patriarch up and down a few times. Then he shook his head and walked over to the side. King followed along with him, and the Seven Stars spread out to reveal themselves better.

“The Seven Stars of the Jade Horde. The Strongfist Brothers. Individually they are fierce, together they are invincible.”

The three brothers he spoke up stepped forward in unison and clasped their fist to salute Kang Yung.

“Bi Hongbing. While her cultivation may not be that high, her skills are unique and overwhelming.”

A fiery redhead stepped forward, she didn’t bother to salute. She just stood there defiantly. She seemed to notice the hostility shown to Sage and didn’t want to be polite to these people in return.

“Abbot Kunga. A true master, wise far beyond his years.”

The bald-headed monk stepped forward and spoke softly with a buddhist mantra, “Amitabha.”

“Whitestaff. Her name was not chosen at random, it was earned through her fighting prowess.”

A very well built woman stepped forward, holding an ivory white staff the same height as she was. She was rippling with corded muscles, such definition that her clothing could do little to hide it. It was like she spent every moment of her life in constant exercise.

“Black Saber. Even though the Blood Saber Gang is no more, Black Saber’s name is still enough to terrify the merchants of Redstone County.”

A dark haired man stepped forward. He had a bit of silver hair at his temples and a large scar across one cheek that ran from the side of his mouth to his ear. From one side he looked like a stately gentleman, but from the other he looked like a wicked killer with a smile shaped scar across his cheek.

“Finally, the vice head of the Jade Horde. The King of the Sky.”

King didn’t even bother to step forward. He just stood there like a statue, with his arms crossed and hands inserted into his sleeves. King’s hair was pulled back, and he wore a golden coronet, as if he was an emperor. He didn’t even let his gaze sit on Kang Yung, staring up at the sky as if he was above a mere Clan Patriarch.

Sage now had a look of boredom on his face, waiting for this little audience of theirs to be over so he could leave. Seeming to be quite disappointed with having been required to show up here. It was a huge gamble.

Kang Yung seemed less and less pleased as the introductions went on. Finally, the arrogance of King and the final look on Sage’s face seemed to enrage him. He released his aura and power crashed down upon the people of the Jade Horde. King and Black Saber started to sweat, but the rest of the Seven Stars stumbled backwards. Sage fell to a knee, Kang Yung’s aura had been focused on him and he had no way to resist. Even as strong as his soul was, he was pretty helpless in front of such strength.

He spit out some blood onto the stone floor and lifted his head to glare at Kang Yung, “The Jade Horde would rather die than capitulate.”

For some reason, Sage was gambling it all. Surprisingly, King and Seven Stars didn’t back down in the least. They stood strong and put on faces of defiance in front the Kang Clan Patriarch. Somehow this simple audience had turned into a show of ferocity. The people not of the Kang Clan could only watch with derision.

“Who gave this little nobody the guts to say such things to Kang Yung?”

“What gall. Doesn’t he know he’s only the leader of a tiny mercenary team? Not even the head of the Black Dog Company would speak to the Kang Clan Patriarch like that.”

The people spoke with low voices, but so many of them were talking that the whispers became like a flood and many of them were heard quite clearly by those in the center of the room. Surprisingly, the members of the Kang Clan didn’t move and were merely watching the proceedings calmly.

Kang Yung took a step forward, his massive frame trembling as he released a bit of his power. The floor of the whole arena shook, and Sage spit up another mouthful of blood. He was hit by invisible shockwaves of force, rupturing some of his internal organs and causing internal damage. Even so, he didn’t give in. Glaring defiantly at the huge man and daring him to go further, “Is that all you’ve got?”

Being a full two ranks below Kang Yung, Sage had no chance of standing up against him. Just the man’s aura was enough to beat him without any effort. After analyzing what he knew about Kang Min and what he saw on his way here, Sage decided to bet it all. He was gambling with his life, the lives of his men, and all the work of the last few years. It was a very stupid idea, and he had no idea why he did it. The disdain he saw on Kang Yung’s face had struck a chord in him and he wasn’t going to let the man overlook him.

The pressure upon him increased again and Sage’s face smashed into the ground, his whole body laid out and bleeding not just internally, but externally. His skin was torn open and multiple bones fractured from the force he felt. Kang Yung’s aura was not normal, the pressure he exerted was enough to smash all the tiles into dust and grind Sage into the ground.

Sage didn’t give in, pressing his hands into the dirt and pushing himself back upwards. Refusing to stand on his knees, he was on all fours with his feet on the ground and trying to lift higher. Despite the ridiculousness of Sage’s pose, Kang Yung continued to watch. Sage rose into an ugly squat, pushing on his knees to try and lift himself higher. Many of the people in the crowd started to the laugh at his idiotic actions.

All of a sudden, the pressure disappeared. Kang Yung spoke something to Kang Chin and then turned around, walking away back to the group of his clan members. Kang Chin waited for Sage to stand back up and recover a bit before he spoke.

“Please join the rest of the crowd, and enjoy the refreshments.”