The whiskered fellow was nearly in tears as he read on. He knew that all the soldiers in the capital were under the jurisdiction of the city-guarding general, which naturally included him. He had actually cursed the city-guarding general and threatened to tie him up! How could that end well?

"General... General Zhao, I really didn't know it was you!" the whiskered man stammered. He wasn't lying. Although he was a squad leader, he was just a low-ranking soldier. He simply didn't have the status to meet Zhao Liang. Naturally, he didn't recognize him. Besides, if he did recognize Zhao Liang, he wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant even if he had ten thousand guts.

"Hmph, what's your name? Is everything they said true?" General Zhao asked furiously, his face full of authority.

"My name is Wang Er. What they said, what they said..." The whiskered man didn't dare to refute, which was tantamount to admitting it. However, he still had a sliver of reason left, and he quickly begged Chen Xiao for mercy, "Young Master Chen, it's all my fault. Please be magnanimous and let me off like a fart!"

Chen Xiao pressed his advantage and said playfully, "What are you talking about? I'm the one who was tied up. How can you ask me to let you go? You're making things difficult for me."

The whiskered man immediately understood and stepped forward to untie Chen Xiao, "Young Master Chen, I'll untie you right away!"

Chen Xiao pulled his hands back and said coldly, "It's easy to tie me up, but it's not so easy to untie me."

The whiskered man's face turned pale, and he regretted it deeply. Zhao Liang's expression was also grave. He knew that Chen Xiao was forcing him to take a stand. Of course, dealing with a ruffian was a small matter, but Wang Er was working for the Zuo family, and Zhao Liang had to consider it carefully.

However, in front of Elder Wang, Zhao Liang would never dare to show any hesitation, so he immediately roared, "Audacious Wang Er! Disregarding the law, acting as a bully! I hereby strip you of your military post! You lot, take him to the dungeon! I will personally interrogate him later."

As soon as Zhao Liang finished speaking, several other soldiers immediately seized Wang Er hand and foot. Wang Er shouted towards the direction he had been hiding, "Young Master Zuo, save me!"

But no matter how Wang Er shouted for help, Zuo Youren didn't show his face. At this point, Wang Er was completely disheartened. He knew that he had become a pawn and Zuo Youren would definitely not come to save him.

However, Wang Er was a bit presumptuous. In Zuo Youren's eyes, he wasn't even a pawn, at most a stepping stone.

In fact, Zuo Youren hadn't left. He had been hiding in the dark, observing everything that happened. When he saw Wang Er being captured, his expression didn't change at all, because everything was within his expectations. He just muttered to himself, "This old Wang is really a bit powerful. No wonder Grandpa told me not to provoke him easily. But this is just an appetizer. The real show is yet to come. Chen Xiao, just wait to be slowly played to death by me!"

Then, Zuo Youren left with a sinister smile on his face.

After ordering people to tie up Wang Er, Zhao Liang casually walked up to Chen Xiao and said nonchalantly, "You're called Chen Xiao, right? Since you're Elder Wang's man, mention my name if you encounter anything in the future."

As he spoke, he was about to untie Chen Xiao. He thought Chen Xiao was just a junior of Elder Wang, and he also saw that Chen Xiao was not young but his cultivation was so low, so he couldn’t help but look down on him.

Moreover, he felt that with his current status, there was no need to be polite to Elder Wang's junior, so his tone was a bit arrogant.

But in fact, Chen Xiao was not only not Elder Wang's junior, but it could even be said that Elder Wang was now asking him for help. Chen Xiao was very unhappy with Zhao Liang's attitude and said coldly, "I wouldn't dare trouble you."

Then, with a forceful tug of both hands, the ropes binding him were torn to pieces with a "bang."

These ropes were made of cow tendons, which were extremely tough. Chen Xiao's move could be said to be a show of skill that stunned the audience. Achieving this required not brute force, but precise control of strength.

Although Zhao Liang was also shocked by Chen Xiao's skills, he felt a little embarrassed at the moment. He, the dignified city-guarding general, had come to untie a mere brat in person, but he didn't expect that not only would the other party not appreciate it, but he would also embarrass him in public.

Zhao Liang's face changed instantly. If it weren't for Elder Wang's presence, he probably would have already made a move. He shouted angrily, "Boy, you..."

Before Zhao Liang could finish speaking, Elder Wang roared, "Shut your mouth!"

Zhao Liang was stunned. He didn't expect that Elder Wang would actually get angry at him for the sake of a brat. Then, Elder Wang continued, "This is none of your business. You can leave!"

Zhao Liang only felt a great wave of anger welling up in his chest, but he didn't dare to disobey Elder Wang's words. He could only flick his sleeves and leave angrily on his horse.

At this time, Chen Xiao also walked to the entrance of Zheng Yi Pavilion. Elder Wang said in a low voice, "Don't blame him. He's just got that kind of temper."

Chen Xiao smiled and replied, "Elder Wang, you're overthinking it. We just have different paths, that's all. I won't blame him."

Then, Chen Xiao turned around, clasped his fist, and said to the crowd who had come to buy talisman arrays, "Everyone has seen it today. I, Chen, have not yet obtained certification from the Talisman Array Master Guild, so I cannot sell talisman arrays to you."

A sigh of disappointment immediately came from the crowd.

Chen Xiao quickly continued, "But don't worry, everyone. I will get that certification tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I guarantee that the top ten registered customers will be able to obtain talisman arrays enchanted by my own hand. Thank you all for your hard work today. Please disperse for now."

Hearing Chen Xiao's guarantee, people became excited again. Although they didn't buy talisman arrays today, with Chen Xiao's guarantee, they weren't lacking these one or two days.

Moreover, what happened today was exciting enough. Chen Xiao was too awesome. He didn't even give the city-guarding general any face. Today was really not a wasted trip, and they had more stories to brag about.

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Xiao and the others returned to Zheng Yi Pavilion. After introducing Wang Ke to Elder Wang, Elder Wang also had a good impression of this simple and honest young man, so staying for a few days was naturally not a problem.

At this moment, the happiest person was Xiao Liu Zi. In the past, Zheng Yi Pavilion was lifeless. Elder Wang was often drunk and snoring, and when he was sober, he was very serious and rarely spoke. But now, this lively and joyful atmosphere had never existed before.

After dinner, Xiao Liu Zi and Wang Ke went to the Ghost Market to set up a stall. Chen Xiao didn't go with them. He now had to seize every opportunity to cultivate and improve his strength.

Before returning to his room, Chen Xiao found Elder Wang and said to him, "Forget all techniques. Self-reliance will lead to perfection. If you can understand this sentence, I believe your talisman array skills will soon make a breakthrough."