Chapter 586: Nie Qingyu’s Public Confrontation

Bai Zihan looked at the young girl before him with faint amusement in his crimson eyes.

He had already guessed her identity the moment she approached.

And Patriarch Xue’s words had only confirmed it further.

(She must be Nie Qingyu.)

The younger sister of Nie Fengzhuo!

With Kong Zhanhong constantly investigating matters related to Nie Fengzhuo, how could he forget to investigate someone like her?

He had already read detailed reports about her long ago.

According to the reports, she was arrogant, prideful, and quick-tempered on the surface.

But inwardly, she was actually soft-hearted and fiercely protective of those she cared about.

More importantly, she was one of the very few people who had supported Nie Fengzhuo during his darkest years.

When the entire world mocked him...

When even members of the Nie Clan looked down upon him...

Nie Qingyu had remained by his side.

The bond between the siblings was extremely deep.

And because of that, Bai Zihan had long since remembered her name.

(If Nie Fengzhuo truly rises further in the future and seeks revenge...)

Bai Zihan’s lips curved slightly.

(Then I can make use of her.)

The thought passed calmly through his mind.

Nie Qingyu was clearly one of Nie Fengzhuo’s biggest weaknesses.

A weakness that might prove very useful one day.

Thinking this, the smile on Bai Zihan’s face deepened slightly.

However, that very smile caused countless people nearby to misunderstand instantly.

Especially those local factions previously suppressed by the Nie Clan.

Their hearts nearly burst with excitement.

(He’s angry!)

(Bai Zihan is definitely angry!)

(Someone is about to suffer!)

Many people almost laughed out loud.

In their eyes, Nie Qingyu’s actions were simply suicidal.

Pointing at Bai Zihan arrogantly in public?

Questioning him in such an aggressive tone?

She was practically dragging the Nie Clan toward destruction herself!

Even Patriarch Xue’s face turned pale.

His heart pounded violently.

He was here with the hope that the Bai Clan and Nie Clan could put aside their previous grievances and work together for a better future.

But before that plan even began, someone was already ruining it.

Meanwhile, Nie Qingyu herself remained completely unaware of the atmosphere around her.

She only frowned at Bai Zihan’s smile.

For some reason, that calm expression irritated her greatly.

Then Bai Zihan finally spoke.

"None of your business!"

His voice was calm, yet the arrogance within those four words was even greater than Nie Qingyu’s.

Bai Zihan’s crimson eyes looked directly into hers.

"Who are you to question me?"

His tone was indifferent, as though her questioning him was something utterly ridiculous.

The moment those words entered her ears, Nie Qingyu’s expression froze.

Indeed, while she hated the Bai Clan, and hated Bai Zihan, who was she to question him?

Still, the moment she thought about her brother and the Bai Clan, the anger in her heart immediately surged again.

Nie Qingyu gritted her teeth tightly.

Her eyes became even sharper as she glared at Bai Zihan.

"If you came here to cause trouble for my brother..."

Her voice rose slightly.

"Then I’ll make you pay for it!"

The moment those words fell, the entire surroundings became deathly silent.

Then—

Many people almost burst out laughing, especially those local clans that had long been suppressed by the Nie Clan.

Their expressions became extremely strange.

"She is threatening Bai Zihan?"

"Does she even know what she’s saying?"

To them, the scene was almost absurd.

Nie Qingyu might indeed be an untouchable figure within Cloudcrane City.

But before Bai Zihan?

Her status meant absolutely nothing.

The difference between them was like the difference between a local city official and the emperor himself.

One commanded a city.

The other could decide the fate of the entire Empire with a single sentence.

Even some cultivators nearby silently lowered their heads, fearing they might accidentally laugh aloud and attract Bai Zihan’s attention.

Meanwhile, Patriarch Xue nearly fainted on the spot. His scalp tingled violently.

He had already been nervous enough.

Now Nie Qingyu was directly threatening Bai Zihan in public.

If this continued, forget the alliance, the Nie Clan might truly offend Bai Zihan completely before discussions even began.

Patriarch Xue could no longer remain silent.

"Young Miss Nie!"

He hurriedly stepped forward slightly and lowered his voice.

"My little ancestor, please calm down!"

His tone carried both panic and helplessness.

"Do you even know who he is?"

He almost wanted to beg her to stop talking.

Unfortunately, Nie Qingyu only became more displeased after hearing him.

Of course she knew who Bai Zihan was.

That was precisely why she disliked him.

Meanwhile, Bai Zihan merely watched the scene with amusement.

Then, as though suddenly curious, he glanced toward Patriarch Xue.

"Patriarch Xue."

His tone was calm.

"Who is this brazen child?"

"Brazen child?!"

Nie Qingyu was instantly angered at being called brazen.

Patriarch Xue’s forehead immediately became covered in sweat.

Still, he forced out an awkward cough.

"Ahem! She is Mrs. Nie Qingyu, the daughter of the Nie Clan Leader and the younger sister of Nie Fengzhuo."

Patriarch Xue hid nothing, fearing Bai Zihan might get angry if he found out later.

"Oh?"

Bai Zihan raised his brows slightly as though finally enlightened.

"So she’s from the Nie Clan."

His gaze swept casually over Nie Qingyu again.

"No wonder!"

Those simple words instantly caused Nie Qingyu’s face to darken.

"What do you mean by that?!"

Bai Zihan smiled faintly.

"Nothing much."

His tone remained leisurely.

"I merely found it surprising."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"A small clan from a small city has managed to produce people with such confidence."

Nie Qingyu’s face instantly flushed with anger.

"You—!"

Her chest rose and fell violently.

"What right do you have to look down on the Nie Clan?!"

Bai Zihan tilted his head slightly.

"What right?"

His crimson eyes stared calmly at her.

Then a terrifying pressure suddenly spread invisibly from his body.

Not even directed at her.

And yet the surrounding crowd instantly felt their breathing stagnate.

Several weaker cultivators nearly collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Bai Zihan simply looked at her indifferently.

"The fact that I am Bai Zihan!"

Silence!

Absolute silence descended across the streets.

Even Nie Qingyu froze momentarily beneath that overwhelming presence.

Nie Qingyu’s body stiffened beneath the invisible pressure.

For the first time, she truly understood why the entire empire feared the man before her.

Just standing there casually, Bai Zihan already made the surroundings feel suffocating.

Still, the more pressure she felt, the more unwilling she became to lower her head, especially in front of someone from the Bai Clan.

Nie Qingyu bit her lip tightly before raising her chin once more.

"Hmph!"

Her voice was noticeably less steady than before, yet she still forced herself to speak.

"So what if you’re Bai Zihan? You think just because you’re from the Powerful Clan, you can look down on everyone else?"

The surrounding crowd immediately became alarmed again.

(Even now she still dares to talk?!)

Several people felt their hearts trembling.

Meanwhile, Bai Zihan merely looked at her calmly.

There was no anger in his eyes.

No irritation.

Only faint amusement and even a bit of admiration.

By all logic, someone weak like Nie Qingyu shouldn’t even be able to stand under such pressure, yet she can still talk back with such arrogance.

(Even a Heaven Chosen’s sister is not ordinary.)

"You’re mistaken. I’m not looking down on everyone."

His crimson eyes swept lightly across her.

"I’m only looking down on you."

Nie Qingyu’s face instantly reddened with fury.

"You—!"

She pointed at Bai Zihan again.

"You Bai Clan people really are arrogant!"

Bai Zihan raised a brow slightly.

"And?"

His tone was calm.

"Should I pretend otherwise?"

Nie Qingyu froze briefly. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Bai Zihan continued leisurely.

"From the moment you approached me, you pointed your finger at me, questioned me aggressively, and even threatened me."

His tone remained calm and composed.

"Compared to Miss Nie, I’ve been quite humble."

Nie Qingyu was taken aback by Bai Zihan’s rebuttal as she knew that he was telling the truth.

But despite that, she couldn’t back down because before her was the brother of the woman who humiliated her brother.

Which only made her angrier.

Nie Qingyu clenched her fists tightly.

She continued bickering with Bai Zihan.

The more Nie Qingyu argued, the more powerless she felt.

Meanwhile, Bai Zihan remained calm from beginning to end.

Not once did he lose composure.

Not once did anger appear on his face.

Compared to Nie Qingyu’s emotional outbursts, his calmness only made the difference between them even clearer.

The surrounding crowd gradually became more stunned, especially Nie Qingyu’s friends.

At first, they had been terrified that Bai Zihan would kill her on the spot.

After all, according to the rumors, Bai Zihan was supposed to be a ruthless person.

Someone who would not tolerate even the slightest offense.

Yet now?

Despite Nie Qingyu repeatedly challenging him...

Despite her insults and hostility...

Bai Zihan still remained completely calm and hasn’t taken any action.

He was even casually replying to her as though entertaining a child throwing a tantrum.

This strange scene left many people deeply confused.

"Is this really Bai Zihan?"

"Why isn’t he angry?"

"Someone else would’ve died ten times already..."

Even Patriarch Xue became increasingly bewildered.

The Bai Zihan before him seemed entirely different from the ruthless figure described in countless rumors.

Meanwhile, Nie Qingyu herself was reaching her limit.

Every sentence she threw out was calmly dismantled by Bai Zihan.

Every argument ended with her unable to reply.

Finally, she could only stand there fuming silently.

Her face flushed red with anger, yet she did not know what else to say.

Seeing her speechless expression, Bai Zihan’s lips curved slightly once more.

And somehow, that faint smile irritated her more than anything else he had said.