Jiang Mengxin quickly leaned back, avoiding the man's forceful kiss. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Though Jiang Mengxin was usually strong-willed, she was quite traditional when it came to chastity. It was more important to her than anything else. If she were publicly shamed, she feared she would lose the courage to live.
However.
Shi Hengxiao enjoyed seeing women suffer.
He was twisted.
The more a woman screamed and cried, the more it satisfied his perverted desires and brought him immense pleasure.
In an instant, a figure strode onto the stage.
It was Lu Ming!
Seeing his fiancée publicly humiliated, he couldn't stand by.
The problem was, Shi Hengxiao had been prepared from the start.
Before Shi Hengxiao made his move, he had already instructed his bodyguards to keep an eye on Lu Ming. Meanwhile, Qiao Da secretly produced a handgun, ready to shoot Lu Ming if he caused too much trouble.
Shi Hengxiao wanted to anger Lu Ming, humiliate Jiang Mengxin in front of everyone, and make an example of them, so that everyone in Jinling would know the consequences of offending the Moon Emissary!
"Stop!"
"What do you think you're doing, kid?"
"Is the lotus pedestal something you can just walk onto?"
The bodyguards stepped forward, blocking Lu Ming's path, forbidding him from taking another step. They clenched their fists, ready to punch Lu Ming if he moved.
Beat Lu Ming while humiliating Jiang Mengxin.
Haha.
This was Shi Hengxiao's plan.
But to everyone's surprise, Lu Ming walked forward without even looking at the bodyguards, silent.
Just as the bodyguards were about to attack, they suddenly felt a tightness in their throats, as if something had cut them. At first, they felt nothing, but after 0.1 seconds, they felt immense pain.
Their necks were bleeding.
In a flash, Lu Ming had already dealt with the seven or eight bodyguards in front of him. The crowd hadn't even seen how Lu Ming attacked before they saw all the bodyguards collapse, clutching their throats.
This…
Shi Hengxiao on the stage was startled, his mind going blank.
According to his plan, Lu Ming should have been restrained by the bodyguards and beaten to the ground. But he never expected all the bodyguards to be eliminated in the blink of an eye.
What kind of skill was this?
It was terrifying!
Seizing Shi Hengxiao's momentary daze, Jiang Mengxin pushed him away forcefully and ran off the lotus pedestal, hiding behind Lu Ming.
The entire venue fell silent.
Awkward.
Extremely awkward.
Everyone looked at Shi Hengxiao, then at Lu Ming, and finally at the bodyguards writhing on the ground, falling into silence.
They all understood Lu Ming's feelings. How could a man tolerate his fiancée being teased like that?
However, everyone thought Lu Ming would stop there.
After all, Jiang Mengxin had been rescued, and if the matter ended here, both sides could save face and avoid a complete breakdown.
Yet, Lu Ming's next action shocked everyone.
He strode onto the lotus platform, arriving before Shi Hengxiao. His eyes, like a tiger's, fixed on Shi Hengxiao, filled with majesty, fury, and kingly presence!
Shi Hengxiao's legs went weak with fear, and he couldn't even stand steady.
For the first time, Shi Hengxiao understood what true fear was.
He, who had always acted with impunity, was trembling with fear from another man for the first time. It was then he realized that Lu Ming was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
He swallowed and said timidly, "Wh-what do you want?"
Lu Ming said nothing, just raised his hand slightly.
Shi Hengxiao panicked completely and cursed, "Don't do anything rash! I am the Moon Emissary of the White Lotus Sect. If you dare to touch me, the White Lotus Sect will not let you go. If I lose even a single hair, you and the Jiang family will be annihilated!"
Lu Ming ignored him.
*Slap!*
A resounding slap landed hard on Shi Hengxiao's face.
Shi Hengxiao felt as if his face had been hit by a car. The pain made him lose sensation, and even his teeth were knocked out, his mouth filled with blood.
Whoa!
The crowd below was so astonished they couldn't speak.
The Moon Emissary, who they held in such high regard, was struck by a mere grave keeper, left with a bloody mouth. It shattered their worldview.
It wasn't over.
Lu Ming raised his palm again.
Was he going for a second strike?
Shi Hengxiao finally panicked and conceded. He quickly tried to defend himself, "No, Lu Ming, listen to me. I was just following normal procedure; I didn't intend to take advantage of your wife. If you're not comfortable, I won't proceed. How about this? The ritual ends here. Master Jiang officially becomes a member of the White Lotus Sect, even a high-ranking disciple, entitled to two portions of the sacred medicine. What do you say?"
What do you say?
Heh.
Lu Ming completely ignored him. The second palm arrived as promised.
*Slap!*
Another loud crack. Shi Hengxiao was sent flying, crashing into the lotus statue.
Pain, excruciating pain.
But what filled him with despair was that Lu Ming raised his palm once more.
Was this the rhythm for a third strike?
"No, no."
Shi Hengxiao was terrified. If he kept getting slapped like this, when would it end? Lu Ming's strength was immense; one wrong move and he could be beaten to death.
At this moment, Shi Hengxiao's most loyal lackey, Qiao Da, quietly stepped forward.
Qiao Da, holding a gun, ran up in two strides and positioned himself behind Lu Ming.
He then raised the gun and aimed it at the back of Lu Ming's head.
Shi Hengxiao was delighted.
At such close range, Lu Ming couldn't see what was behind him. He would surely be shot dead! After Lu Ming died, he would desecrate his corpse and then forcibly take Jiang Mengxin and defile her thoroughly!
Jiang Mengxin saw Qiao Da run up and was momentarily stunned. When she saw him raise the handgun, it was too late to warn Lu Ming.
As Jiang Mengxin cried out, Qiao Da pulled the trigger.
"Die!" Qiao Da sneered.
"Lu Ming, watch out behind you!!!" Jiang Mengxin shouted with all her might, but the gunshot rang out before she could finish.
Qiao Da was indeed faster than Jiang Mengxin.
A shot from behind.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Ming would have been dead.
But the formidable power of the Dragon Warlord was beyond ordinary mortals' comprehension. The moment Qiao Da ran over, Lu Ming had already detected the enemy behind him.
He intentionally remained still, luring the enemy to strike.
Thus.
The instant Qiao Da fired, Lu Ming's body moved like a phantom, instantly shifting half a meter to the side, barely evading the shot!
Then, Qiao Da's bullet missed, flying past Lu Ming's side.
Unfortunately, Shi Hengxiao was standing directly opposite Lu Ming.
Lu Ming dodged and was unharmed, but Shi Hengxiao was not so lucky. The bullet sliced through the air and flew directly towards his face!
*Thwack!*
The bullet squarely hit Shi Hengxiao, burying itself in the center of his forehead.
Karma.
The Moon Emissary was bizarrely shot dead by his loyal lackey, in front of everyone!