“What?!” Meng Ren’s heart trembled violently, and his face showed an expression of disbelief. This young man was actually Meng Ying’s friend? What was going on?
It was important to note that within the royal family, there were constant power struggles and hidden threats. With just one word from Meng Ying, he could disappear from this world. If he had truly offended Meng Ying’s friend, there was no telling what she might do to him.
But how could this seemingly ordinary young man, who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, be Meng Ying’s friend?
“Meng Ying, I… I didn’t know he was your friend. If I had known earlier, even if you gave me ten thousand guts, I wouldn’t have dared!” Meng Ren lowered his head and spoke repeatedly, his tone pleading for mercy.
“This time, I’ll let it slide. But if you dare to retaliate against him again, you know the consequences,” Meng Ying continued.
“Of course, of course! This young brother is Meng Ying’s friend, which means he’s also a friend of the royal family and my friend. From now on, whenever I see him, I’ll treat him with respect. There’s no question of retaliation,” Meng Ren said repeatedly.
“Remember your words. Take your people and leave,” Meng Ying said, her tone still polite, but everyone could tell that her words essentially meant “get lost.”
Feeling a sense of relief in his heart, Meng Ren nodded repeatedly. “I’ll leave right now, I’ll leave right now.”
With that, he shot a furious and confused glance at Chen Tong.
Chen Tong’s heart was also trembling. Who exactly was this young man? Not only did Chen Qing’er step in for him, but even Meng Ying was speaking up for him.
Only now did Chen Tong realize what kind of big shot he had provoked. He was starting to regret his actions.
If this person didn’t have a powerful background, there was no way these two would act like this.
“Chen Tong, you can get lost too!” At this moment, Chen Qing’er also shouted.
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving!” Chen Tong turned around and walked out with Meng Ren and his group.
However, before they had taken more than a few steps, a loud voice rang out from afar: “Which bastard is Heimu?!”
Everyone was stunned. Just as they had dealt with two, another one showed up?
As everyone looked on in shock, they saw a burly, fierce-looking young man storming over with an angry expression.
When they recognized the face of this young man, they were all taken aback, and then they turned their gleeful gazes toward Lin Xiao, who was standing beside Chen Qing’er.
It was clear that they all recognized who this young man was.
This person was none other than Xiong Han, one of the four young masters of the imperial city, the young master of the Zhou family—Zhou Xiong.
Seeing Zhou Xiong’s figure, Chen Qing’er’s brows immediately furrowed, and a look of distress appeared on her face.
Even Meng Ying frowned slightly.
“Zhou Xiong is here! This kid is done for!” Chen Tong and the others, who were about to leave, stopped in their tracks, their faces filled with excitement as they cast sinister glances toward Lin Xiao.
Zhou Xiong didn’t care about anyone’s background. Let’s see how he gets out of this one.
Seeing Zhou Xiong charging toward him with a fierce expression, Lin Xiao’s face also turned cold. One after another, people kept coming to provoke him. Did they really think he was easy to bully?
“Are you Heimu?” Zhou Xiong stopped a few feet away, staring directly at Lin Xiao, his tone domineering.
“What do you want?” Lin Xiao responded without any warmth.
“You refused to shake hands with the woman I love?” Zhou Xiong got straight to the point.
“You lunatic!”
Chen Qing’er’s face turned red with anger. Zhou Xiong was a brute, and he could say such things directly.
Moreover, his words not only implied that she was the object of his affection but also revealed that Lin Xiao had refused to shake hands with her. To those who didn’t know the full story, it sounded like something else entirely.
This was pure nonsense!
“If you think so, then so be it!” Lin Xiao’s tone was neither cold nor warm. No wonder Zhou Xiong wasn’t well-liked by Chen Qing’er—he didn’t think before he spoke.
“…” Chen Qing’er was momentarily stunned. Zhou Xiong was clearly looking for an excuse to pick a fight, but she hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to confront him directly. Remembering Zhou Xiong’s strength, she quickly whispered a warning to Lin Xiao, “Heimu, Zhou Xiong is at the fourth level of the Tianwu realm. You’re no match for him. Don’t provoke him.”
“Good, very good! Her hand—a woman I can’t even touch—and you dared to refuse her… Today, I’ll make you understand, kid, that there are some people you can’t ignore!”
As he spoke, Zhou Xiong unleashed the aura of a fourth-level Tianwu expert. Clenching his fist, he charged at Lin Xiao like a raging beast.
“Zhou Xiong, stop!” At that moment, Meng Ying’s sharp voice rang out, and immediately, a figure appeared in front of Lin Xiao, casually extending a hand to block Zhou Xiong’s advance.
“Whoosh!” A soft sound echoed as the black-haired old man’s hand firmly gripped Zhou Xiong’s fist, rendering him immobile.
“Young Master Zhou, the princess has ordered you to stop,” the black-haired old man said indifferently.
Zhou Xiong was slightly startled. He knew very well that Meng Ying’s personal guard was a Martial King-level expert. If he intervened, there was no way Zhou Xiong could touch Lin Xiao.
But Zhou Xiong wasn’t one to back down easily. His furious gaze turned toward Meng Ying as he shouted, “Meng Ying, are you really going to interfere in this?”
“My apologies, Young Master Zhou. Heimu is my friend. Please calm down. Another day, I will personally visit your residence to apologize,” Meng Ying said politely, her tone calm and composed.
Within the royal family, she could handle any prince, but as the young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Xiong’s status was on par with hers. Moreover, during this sensitive period, the royal family needed to cooperate with the Zhou family, so she wouldn’t openly offend them.
Of course, given Zhou Xiong’s brutish nature, even the Zhou family patriarch knew that as long as they didn’t go too far, the Zhou family wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.
This was something Meng Ying understood very well.
“Hmph, Meng Ying, you’re something else. Daring to interfere in my affairs—this debt will be settled with your royal family sooner or later!” Zhou Xiong threatened angrily.
Hearing Zhou Xiong’s words, Prince Meng Ren’s heart skipped a beat. They all knew how unreasonable Zhou Xiong could be. Every time Meng Ying offended him, he would take it out on the other princes!
This time would likely be no exception.
After finishing his threat, Zhou Xiong glared at Lin Xiao like a wolf and said, “Kid, if you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one. Hiding behind women—what kind of man are you?”
“Heimu, don’t fall for his provocation!” Chen Qing’er quickly warned Lin Xiao, fearing that this simple taunt might provoke him.
However, Lin Xiao shook his head and stepped forward, facing Zhou Xiong directly. “Zhou Xiong, right? Let me remind you of something. The woman you admire is not your woman. Whether I touch her or not has nothing to do with you. Stop being so self-important and going around proclaiming others as your woman. People only tolerate you because of your family’s influence, not because they want to deal with you.”
Hearing this, Chen Qing’er felt a slight stir in her heart. This cold and indifferent Heimu was actually standing up for her?
But then she shook her head slightly. Heimu was just speaking up for himself. She was being too sensitive.
“Also, among the four young masters of the imperial city, you’re the only one who’s all brawn and no brains. Your so-called talent, in the eyes of those who see clearly, is nothing more than blind arrogance. It seems you’re in need of a lesson, and I’ll be the one to give it to you!” Lin Xiao’s words were sharp and cutting.
“What? He’s going to teach Zhou Xiong a lesson?” The crowd was in an uproar. Was this kid serious? He was going to fight Zhou Xiong? What a joke!
Zhou Xiong’s situation was indeed as Lin Xiao described—he was simple-minded, reckless, and arrogant. But he had the capital to be arrogant. What did Lin Xiao have to challenge him? Calling Zhou Xiong a fool—wasn’t Lin Xiao the real fool here?
