Chapter 426: Aura Deterrence

After Kong Lianqing finished his speech, he took a sip of tea and looked at Qin Tuo with a confident smile.

He was confident that Qin Tuo would change his mind after hearing what he had to say!

After all, he had explained the Liu Family's power in great detail. In his view, there was no way Qin Tuo could possibly stand against the Liu Family alone.

Therefore, Qin Tuo's only choice was to join the General Security Pavilion and seek its protection.

Even Chen Man Ni and the others thought that Qin Tuo might choose to accept Kong Lianqing's offer.

But to their surprise, Qin Tuo spoke with a look of utter indifference:

"Pavilion Master Kong, you are mistaken. I have nothing to fear. No matter how powerful the Liu Family is, they are nothing to me!"

Hearing such bold words, Kong Lianqing's expression changed instantly.

As the Pavilion Master of the General Security Pavilion, Kong Lianqing had met countless people and had never misjudged anyone.

But today, when it came to Qin Tuo, he had miscalculated time and time again.

Huo Jianqiang's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped in disbelief.

Kong Lianqing had made everything so clear, yet Qin Tuo had still refused without a moment's hesitation!

Meanwhile, Xiaozhang, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but chime in with another sarcastic remark:

"Kid, you have no idea what a seventh-rank Grandmaster is, do you? And you still dare to say you're not afraid!"

However, Qin Tuo just sneered and said:

"You're weak, so it's only natural for you to fear a seventh-rank Grandmaster. I'm strong enough, so of course I'm not afraid!"

"Kid, you..."

Xiaozhang was livid, his face instantly turning crimson again.

Seeing how Qin Tuo kept belittling him, his arrogant and conceited nature couldn't possibly tolerate such an insult!

"You damn brat, you dare look down on me like this? How about we have a proper match?"

As he spoke, Xiaozhang took two steps forward, ready to start a fight with Qin Tuo.

Kong Lianqing frowned and tried to stop him.

"Xiaozhang, can't you do something about that impulsive nature of yours?"

But by now, the blood had rushed to Xiaozhang's head, and he completely ignored Kong Lianqing's words.

Rolling up his sleeves, he charged straight at Qin Tuo!

Everyone was aghast. 'Things were going so well, how did they start fighting again?'

Seeing Xiaozhang rushing toward him, his face filled with killing intent, Qin Tuo simply placed his hands behind his back, not moving a muscle, his expression one of complete indifference.

Qin Tuo's posture only enraged Xiaozhang further. He was now determined to show Qin Tuo just how formidable he was!

'You little punk, keep pretending! Let's see if I don't knock you to the ground and give you a taste of my power!'

Xiaozhang's eyes were cold as he clenched his fists and charged rapidly toward Qin Tuo.

A powerful aura emanated from his body, a clear sign of his considerable strength!

Kong Lianqing's expression changed; he hadn't expected the situation to spiral out of control so suddenly.

However, just as Xiaozhang was about to reach him, Qin Tuo suddenly gave a cold snort.

The next moment, a ferocious aura erupted from deep within him!

BOOM!

Inside the villa's main hall, the sheer force of this aura sent everyone's hair flying wildly.

Chen Man Ni, Ouyang Feifei, and the others, who weren't as strong, were blown back several steps by the force.

Even Kong Lianqing's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly circulated his Inner Strength and barely managed to withstand the sudden, terrifying pressure.

As the one bearing the brunt of the blast, Xiaozhang was hit head-on by the aura. He felt as if he'd been plunged into a vast, churning ocean, and the world began to spin!

Xiaozhang felt like a lone boat on a stormy sea, in danger of capsizing at any moment.

When he looked at Qin Tuo again, his indifferent eyes seemed as terrifying as those of a primordial beast.

A simple burst of aura from Qin Tuo was enough to leave Xiaozhang frozen in place, scared stiff and unable to move.

After a moment, everyone swallowed hard. The way they looked at Qin Tuo had become extremely complicated.

Kong Lianqing gave Qin Tuo a long, deep look, the shock in his heart beyond words.

Only now did he understand. When Qin Tuo said he wasn't concerned about the Liu Family's retaliation, it wasn't arrogance—it was because he truly had the confidence and power to back it up.

Xiaozhang hung his once-arrogant head low, no longer daring to act as presumptuously as before.

He finally understood just how powerful Qin Tuo was. A person who could create such a terrifying deterrent with his aura alone truly had no reason to fear the Liu Family.

Qin Tuo shot Xiaozhang a cold glance and gave a derisive smile.

Xiaozhang's face turned as red as a beet, and he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

Seeing Qin Tuo's true strength, however, made Kong Lianqing's eyes light up even more!

Unable to contain his excitement, he said with a smile:

"Mr. Qin, I never imagined you were so powerful. We were presumptuous earlier!"

Qin Tuo shook his head but didn't say anything.

Kong Lianqing pressed on:

"Mr. Qin, with your level of power, it would be a terrible waste of talent if you didn't join our General Security Pavilion!"

Qin Tuo gave a helpless, wry smile. He hadn't expected Kong Lianqing to be so persistent.

"Pavilion Master Kong, I truly have no desire to join the General Security Pavilion. Please stop trying to persuade me," Qin Tuo finally said.

However, Kong Lianqing paid no mind to Qin Tuo's attitude. He simply shook his head and said with a smile:

"Mr. Qin, I assure you, joining the General Security Pavilion will not disappoint you. Please, just give it some more thought!"

As he spoke, Kong Lianqing even roped in Huo Jianqiang, Chen Man Ni, and the others, asking them to help convince Qin Tuo.

Huo Jianqiang had no choice but to bite the bullet and join in.

Chen Man Ni and Ouyang Feifei, on the other hand, remained silent. They would, of course, respect Qin Tuo's decision. If he really didn't want to join, they wouldn't pressure him.

Qin Tuo felt a headache coming on. This Kong Lianqing was like a piece of sticky candy, impossible to shake off.

Finally, seeing that he couldn't get out of it, Qin Tuo had no choice but to say:

"Pavilion Master Kong, please stop trying to recruit me. I will definitely not be joining the General Security Pavilion."

Hearing this, Kong Lianqing's face fell with deep disappointment.

But in the next moment, Qin Tuo added:

"However, if the Security Pavilion ever runs into trouble and needs my help, I won't refuse."

Kong Lianqing's sad expression instantly turned to joy, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Excellent, Mr. Qin! With that promise, I can rest easy!"

Kong Lianqing said with a hearty laugh.

He was very satisfied with Qin Tuo's stance and didn't press the matter any further.

Kong Lianqing understood full well that for a man like Qin Tuo, getting such a promise was already more than he could have hoped for.