Su Rong and Zhang Su’er both clenched their delicate fists, staring intently at the two men locked in tense confrontation. They did not know Pang Shao’s exact strength, but Su Rong had heard her father say that among the younger generation in all of Yao City, no more than five could rival him in martial ability.
And Ye Chu? He was merely a spoiled dandy with no strength to truss a chicken, completely outmatched by Pang Shao.
Su Rong could not help letting out a sigh, uncertain whether it was for Ye Chu or for Zhang Su’er’s fate.
Ye Chu watched Pang Shao on the verge of exploding, rolled his eyes at him, and thought to himself that he was not someone who scared easily. If you really dare to strike, at worst I will copy your grandfather, hang you up, and whip you for three days until you calm down.
“Get out of the way!” Pang Shao roared at Ye Chu, seething with rage, utterly overbearing.
Seeing Pang Shao in fury, Fang Xinyuan was terrified. At that moment, he had only one thought: would Pang Shao blame him because of Ye Chu? If he did, his future days would be unbearable. Even his own father, upon learning he had offended Pang Shao, would surely punish him harshly.
“Bastard! Why provoke this lord for no good reason!” Fang Xinyuan hated Ye Chu intensely, completely forgetting their own earlier cowardice and that everything Ye Chu was doing was to protect their female companion.
Fang Xinyuan shot Fang Xinhu a glance. Fang Xinhu understood, nodded, and quickly stepped forward. “My lord, do not be angry! We will drive this scum off the boat at once. It is not worth getting upset over such a waste.”
“Yes, my lord. There is no need to anger yourself over such a small matter. I will have him removed immediately.” Fang Xinyuan stepped forward to soothe Pang Shao.
Seeing their servile posture, contempt appeared in the eyes of Su Rong and Zhang Su’er. Su Rong felt even more disgusted that she had accepted an invitation from such people to come aboard the flower boat.
Though Ye Chu’s reputation was infamous, bearing countless curses upon his name, he at least still acted like a man. But these others? They could not even compare to someone they themselves called scum, yet still dared to call themselves men.
“Ye Chu! Get out! Otherwise, this young master will personally throw you into Han Lake!” Fang Xinhu dared not strut before Pang Shao, but was exceedingly arrogant towards Ye Chu.
And it was precisely these words that suddenly dispersed Pang Shao’s frenzied rage. He looked at Fang Xinhu with a very odd expression. “This young master did not mishear, did he? This fellow wants to throw Ye Chu into Han Lake? Yao City truly breeds talents! Far more arrogant than this young master!”
Rebuked by Fang Xinhu, Ye Chu was equally stunned. Seeing Pang Shao grinning at him, it was clear Pang Shao greatly enjoyed watching him lose face like this.
Fang Xinhu did not understand the reason. Seeing Pang Shao’s smile, he assumed Pang Shao approved of his actions, which invigorated him further.
“Hurry up and get lost! If this young master acts, do not blame me if you lose an arm or a leg!” Fang Xinhu stared contemptuously at Ye Chu, his manner arrogant, radiating utmost superiority.
Pang Shao’s smile grew broader. His narrow eyes squinted at Fang Xinhu with amusement. Interesting! Truly interesting! Ye Chu had been right: there really are all sorts of people in this world! A dog that has gorged on filth thinks itself a tiger!
“Are you challenging me?” Ye Chu looked at Fang Xinhu, feeling a touch of madness rising within. This time he had lost enormous face before Pang Shao. That fellow would soon spread word that he was reviled in Yao City as scum and waste. With that lead, Pang Shao could investigate and uncover his former reputation there. In future, Pang Shao and his circle would inevitably use it to scorn his character. Until now, Ye Chu had always loftily proclaimed that his moral character far surpassed theirs!
“So what if I am challenging you?” Fang Xinhu was haughty and overbearing, not taking Ye Chu seriously at all. Especially seeing Pang Shao’s smile deepen, he puffed out his chest even more.
“Very well! I accept!” Ye Chu enunciated each word, almost grinding his teeth as he glared at Fang Xinhu. This fellow had ruined his reputation, so he would not let him off easily.
Liang Shan jumped in fright when Ye Chu accepted. Disregarding everything else, he hurried to Ye Chu, seized his arm, and said, “Do not be rash! Fang Xinhu is not weak. Though he cannot match his elder brother, he is still a seventh-stage martial artist! You have no strength to truss a chicken. Accepting his challenge means death or grave injury at best.”
These words made Ye Chu glance involuntarily at Fang Xinhu, surprised that he possessed seventh-stage strength. Seventh-stage power could rival a ferocious bull. In this martial-revering world, it was unremarkable, yet at Fang Xinhu’s age it was still quite respectable. Though he had not yet truly entered the realm of cultivation, he had taken a solid step forward.
In this world, countless people practised martial arts. The path emphasised refining one’s primal spirit, absorbing the essence of sun and moon, seizing the fortunes of heaven and earth. These formed three great realms. Only by reaching primal spirit refinement did one truly enter martial cultivation. Before that lay ten foundational stages.
Almost everyone in this world practised cultivation and could perform a few techniques. Someone like the former Ye Chu, ignorant and unskilled, who never cultivated at all, was truly an exception.
Seventh-stage strength was, relatively speaking, already very strong. For ordinary people, even devoting their entire lives, they might never reach the fifth stage.
Seeing Fang Xinhu glaring fiercely at Ye Chu, Su Rong could not help stepping forward. Beautiful and enchanting, her clear eyes fixed on Fang Xinhu. “What skill is there in bullying him? When facing outsiders, why did I not see any of you speak up!”
Su Rong regarded Fang Xinhu with extreme contempt. Though she did not like Ye Chu as a person, at this moment she loathed Fang Xinyuan’s group even more.
Rebuked by Su Rong, Fang Xinhu also panicked somewhat. He steadied himself and quibbled, “He accepted my challenge himself! I did not force him!”
“You…” Su Rong bit her red lips with pearly teeth. Her face, skin smooth as congealed cream, tender as water, flushed faintly with an evocative blush from anger at his shamelessness, adding several touches of alluring sensuality.
Fang Xinhu dared not look at Su Rong, but shouted at Ye Chu, “Try taking three punches from me!”
One punch blasted forth, carrying tyrannical force, without flourish, straight at Ye Chu’s chest. Seeing it, Zhang Su’er and Liang Shan grew anxious and fearful. Under this blow, Ye Chu would probably lose half his life.
Yet smiles appeared on the faces of Fang Xinyuan and his group. They had long wanted to deal with this scum Ye Chu. Now Fang Xinhu acted on their behalf and could also please Pang Shao. Why not?
“Slap!”
The expected thud against the chest did not come. Instead, there was a crisp slap. Everyone looked at the scene, and their minds struggled to process what they saw.
A red palm print bloomed on Fang Xinhu’s face. His left cheek swelled instantly. Fang Xinhu staggered aside, crashed into a table, and blood appeared on his forehead from the impact.
“This is impossible!” Everyone, including Liang Shan, found it inconceivable. How could Ye Chu slap Fang Xinhu? He possessed seventh-stage power after all. Though he had not truly entered the martial path, he far surpassed ordinary people.
“Your cheek is pretty thick. One slap actually made my hand sting!”
Liang Shan thought Ye Chu utterly shameless. After slapping someone, he still mocked their thick skin. Classic gloating!
Enraged, Fang Xinhu ignored the ringing in his ears and slapped viciously at Ye Chu, even more domineering than his earlier punch. This was his strike in fury, swift and ferocious.
“Slap…”
Amid widespread disbelief, Ye Chu’s slap landed precisely on Fang Xinhu’s face once more. This time Fang Xinhu was less fortunate. Ye Chu slapped him flying. He staggered back, smashed through a window, and with a splash fell into Han Lake.
Silence enveloped the surroundings. All eyes focused on Ye Chu. Everyone, including Su Rong, was shocked by his two slaps, even though they had seen no technique whatsoever in them. Yet to slap flying a seventh-stage cultivator at least proved Ye Chu was no ordinary man.
“Three years ago he had no strength to truss a chicken. Now he can slap flying seventh-stage Fang Xinhu. Could something have happened to him in these three years?”
Su Rong’s cool gaze settled on Ye Chu. Her heart could not remain calm. She knew clearly the character of the man standing there. Calling him a waste would not be excessive. For such a person, let alone slapping flying seventh-stage Fang Xinhu, even an ordinary opponent would send him fleeing. Yet this reputed waste and scum confronted Fang Xinhu with overwhelming force and even dared to provoke Pang Shao.
Su Rong could no longer see through him. Was this still the same Ye Chu who relied only on family status and committed every evil deed imaginable?
