The enforcer scanned Jin Yu with narrow eyes and held another orb. “Shatter this again and we’ll take it as a direct assault on Sigil City’s enforcement. You’ll be tried as a hostile cultivator. Understood?”

  Jin Yu leaned back slightly on his saddle, arms folded. “Then try something sturdier. I don’t entertain weak things.”

  The officer’s brow twitched.

  With a gesture, the orb glowed again and floated toward Jin Yu. It hadn’t even reached halfway before—

  Crack!

  It shattered mid-air.

  Gasps rose from the crowd. Even the floating orbs above seemed to blink.

  The enforcer’s eyes turned cold. “You’re deliberately provoking us. Only those from Blackflame Reach dare act so lawless at a City gate.”

  Jin Yu smirked, his eyes like ice. “Congratulations, you got it right. We are from Blackflame Reach.”

  A silence fell.

  The crowd suddenly moved far away as if avoiding a plague and began to murmur, voices laced with disbelief, fear, and disgust.

  “No wonder...”

  “Lawless scum. They let these people near Sigil?”

  “Should’ve sealed the gates when we had the chance...”

  Seer leaned forward lazily on his mount. “Tsk. Look at them tremble. So fragile. Are all City folk this soft?”

  “You arrogant little—” one of the younger enforcers barked, hand on his weapon.

  “Little?” Jin Yu raised a brow. “If I’m little, then what does that make you, an insect with delusions of flight?”

  "Hahaha"

  Seer laughed softly and leaned closer to the officer. “An insect! With wings taped on. How poetic, Friend!”

  The enforcer’s face darkened. “You dare insult a City official—”

  “You call that official?” Jin Yu interrupted, voice calm and vicious. “I’ve seen better posture from scarecrows.”

  Seer chuckled. “And more charm from corpses.”

  The guards trembled from immense anger, and the aura of weapons began to buzz faintly around them.

  “Must be nice,” Jin Yu continued coolly, “to have a job that only requires standing around and getting offended.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Fury)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Killing Intent)

  Ding!

  Influence +8,000 (restrained anger)

  “You Blackflame bastards!”

  Jin Yu casually picked at his ear. “You talk too much. What a loud bitch.”

  The crowd gasped.

  Seer’s head whipped toward him, blinking. “A bitch? My friend, you still haven’t told me what that means. It sounds like a very affectionate word.”

  Jin Yu smirked. “Oh, it is. A bitch is a female dog.”

  Seer nodded sagely, then tilted his head. “What’s a dog?”

  Jin Yu turned, voice louder this time. “A dog is one of the lowest-tier beasts, barks loudly, eats anything, and follows anyone who throws a stick.”

  Seer’s mouth formed a wide ‘O’.

  “Oh my, that’s what it means? That’s… creative, friend!” He turned back to the flustered enforcer and gave a warm, fake-smile. “Did you hear that? He called you a bitch! That means you bark too loud, you eat garbage, and you chase sticks.”

  A choking sound escaped someone in the crowd.

  The enforcer’s hand tightened on the hilt of his weapon. “You dare—”

  “Oh, no need to thank us,” Seer interrupted cheerfully. “He even called you loud. That means your voice is as pleasant as a dying crow!”

  "Ahh!"

  More gasps.

  Jin Yu chuckled. “Or like a mule in labor.”

  Seer grinned wide. “Do mules bark too?”

  “Only the ones that join Sigil’s enforcement.”

  "Pttf"

  Restrained laughter escaped from someone in the crowd.

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 ( Killing Intent)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Killing Intent)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Killing Intent)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Shock)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Jealousy)

  One of the younger guards shouted, “Enough! We should gut these wild beasts right now!”

  Jin Yu turned to him with a cold smile. “What’s this one’s name?”

  “Zhan.” someone murmured.

  Jin Yu nodded slowly. “Zhan. Sounds like a noise a toilet makes when someone drops their dignity in it.”

  "Wooooooo"

  The crowd howled.

  Seer gasped. “Oh, that’s why you asked! Zhan—Zhan! Oh gods, that’s… poetic again. You must teach me these!”

  “I’m collecting curses,” Jin Yu said calmly, arms folded. “Want to contribute?”

  One of the girls in the crowd actually clapped her hands over her mouth, trying to stifle laughter.

  The lead enforcer’s face was red with fury, spiritual energy crackling faintly around his shoulders.

  “You Blackflame filth think this is a game?!”

  Seer gave him a pitying look. “It was fun until your face got so red I thought it might explode.”

  “It’s a symptom,” Jin Yu added coolly. “Too much shit bottled up in the brain. Pressure builds.”

  Seer gasped again. “Friend! That's vile! Say it again!”

  “You really need a hobby,” Jin Yu said, but his lip twitched faintly.

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Slaughtering Will)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Irritation)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Killing Intent)

  Suddenly, a new voice rang out from above the gate tower. Deep, smooth, and rich with amusement.

  “That’s enough.”

  The tension snapped as all heads turned toward the top of the wall, where a figure stood robed in silver and black, flanked by armored guards. His presence was like a moon rising into a chaotic sky, commanding and calm.

  “You two,” he said, pointing at Jin Yu and Seer. “Come with me. The city welcomes entertainment… but it doesn’t tolerate chaos.”

  Seer leaned to Jin Yu and whispered “What do you think? A prison cell or a palace invite?”

  Jin Yu’s lips curled. “Either way, someone’s getting headaches.”

  Then, he pulled the reins slightly, his horse stamping with pride as he cast the enforcers a slow, dismissive glance.

  “You saw that, didn’t you?” His voice was calm but sharp as broken glass. “Even your superior bowed his head to let us through. Yet here you dogs snarl and snap like you're guarding the heavens.”

  He leaned slightly forward in his saddle, chin tilted arrogantly.

  “Shitheads.”

  The insult dropped like a stone in a silent pond.

  Behind him, Seer chuckled lightly and trotted up beside him, his snow-white horse gliding with an effortless grace.

  “Now, now,” Seer said, his voice dripping with mock concern, “don’t blame them, friend. Pressure builds. When your job is barking all day, sometimes the drool slips out.”

  “Hmph!” Jin Yu snorted, flicking an invisible speck off his robe as his stallion continued forward with a dignified strut, head held high. The crowd that had quieted earlier now stared in mixed awe and disbelief.

  Seer’s mask shifted slightly as he looked back, his tone playful. “Though I must ask again, friend... what’s a shithead, exactly?”

  Jin Yu didn’t even glance his way. “Ah. A shithead is the type that barks loudly, sniffs everything, and then gets kicked in the teeth when they try to bite. Think of it as... a disgraced mutt that forgot it’s not a wolf.”

  “Ohoho...” Seer’s laugh was rich with amusement. “That’s wonderfully vivid. Let me remember that, disgraced mutt. Fits nicely.”

  Jin Yu waved lazily at the enforcers, like a bored prince dismissing his jester.

  “Move aside. Your scent offends my horse.”

  The guards bristled, hands twitching near their weapons, but no one moved forward. No one dared. Their faces were red, their pride battered, but the figure had interfered, they had to respect him.

  As the two rode deeper into the City, the murmurs behind them turned into whispers of fear... and curiosity.

  Amongst the crowd, a cloaked figure looked intently at Jin Yu's retreating figure. Then he muttered under his breath.

  "This brat has a crimson bounty on him?"

  His companion chuckled in disdain and replied.

  "This will be easy"