Chapter 10: Defying Fate with Youthful Valor
1775 Words
The door slammed open with jarring force.
Everyone in the private room frowned instantly. This was the Immortal Guest Tower, Linfeng City’s premier restaurant! Who dared barge in unannounced? Utterly insolent!
Instinctively, all eyes turned towards the intrusion.
Upon seeing the intruder’s face, expressions shifted subtly among the guests, including Li Jingxue and Jiang Feng. Why was hehere?
“Heard my dear Jingxue was celebrating her birthday here, so I thought I’d drop by uninvited! Hahaha! Hope I didn’t startle anyone?” The newcomer was a youth, clad in opulent robes, long hair flowing loosely. Handsome features were marred by the strong scent of liquor and an expression of arrogant, unrestrained mirth.
Zhao Tianhua!
The direct descendant of the Zhao Clan, one of Linfeng City’s three great noble houses. His father was none other than Zhao Haifeng, the current Patriarch of the Zhao Clan.
Zhao Tianhua was notorious for his arrogant, violent, and combative nature. Though only seventeen, his list of transgressions was long and infamous. Shielded by his father’s influence, he remained unscathed, his tyranny only growing bolder.
Recognition dawned, and the initial anger on some of the girls’ faces evaporated, replaced by fearful silence and pale complexions. They knew well the infamy of this scoundrel. Even Li Jingxue and Jiang Feng furrowed their brows, their expressions grim. Among the young nobles, Zhao Tianhua was seen as a lawless, brutal thug, someone best avoided at all costs.
The atmosphere in the room plummeted into oppressive tension.
Only Chen Mo remained composed. He didn’t recognize Zhao Tianhua, but he could see the tension in Li Jingxue’s posture, the subtle panic radiating from her and the others. Their fear of this arrogant intruder was palpable.
“My birthday is none of your concern. You should leave. Now!” Li Jingxue took a deep breath, her voice icy, her beautiful face frosty, radiating undisguised rejection and disgust.
Zhao Tianhua merely grinned wider, his gaze sweeping over Li Jingxue with brazen appraisal. “Tsk, truly worthy of Li Qingyue’s sister. First-class beauty. Only such a gem is worthy of me.”
“You…” Li Jingxue flushed crimson, fury blazing in her eyes.
“Look at her, even angry she’s stunning. What do you think, lads? If I marry her, even the Old Master would approve, right?” Zhao Tianhua laughed boisterously.
His entourage of guards chuckled suggestively behind him.
The seated girls looked on in terror, their eyes instinctively seeking Jiang Feng, pinning their hopes on the son of the City Governor’s Guard Commander.
Jiang Feng drew a sharp breath. He knew he had to step up now; failure would cost him all future respect. “Young Master Zhao,” he began, forcing his voice to sound steady, “this is the Immortal Guest Tower. Please show some respect. Stirring trouble benefits no one.”
Zhao Tianhua’s jovial expression vanished instantly, replaced by a scowl. A violent aura radiated from him as he snarled, “What kind of worthless trash dares lecture me?” Jiang Feng’s face contorted, flushing then paling in rapid succession.
Chen Mo observed this, realizing even Jiang Feng harbored deep apprehension towards this arrogant youth.
“Young Master,” a guard chimed in with a smirk, “this is Jiang Feng, son of Guard Commander Jiang Beishan. Patriarch Zhao does have some dealings with Jiang Beishan. But… how we handle this is entirely up to you.”
Zhao Tianhua drew out an “Oh~,” then suddenly smiled again, though his words dripped venom. “Jiang Feng, is it? I’ll give you one chance. Vanish from my sight right now. Otherwise,” his smile turned predatory, “I won’t hesitate to beat you senseless and toss you out onto the street like a dead dog. Then, you’d be the laughingstock of all Linfeng City, utterly humiliated, never able to hold your head high again!”
Jiang Feng froze. His hands clenched involuntarily, knuckles white, veins bulging on the back of his hands. Shame and impotent rage flooded his heart.
Witnessing this, the girls’ faces turned ashen, their panic deepening. Among the guests, Jiang Feng held the highest status. If even he was powerless, what hope did they have?
At this moment, Li Jingxue’s icy voice cut through the tension. “Zhao Tianhua, what exactly do you want?”
Zhao Tianhua clapped his hands, laughing heartily, his gaze burning as he stared at Li Jingxue. “Excellent question! Simply put, soon, I’ll have my Old Master propose to your Li family. Soon, my dear, we’ll be family!”
His guards immediately joined the chorus:
“The Young Master has excellent taste!”
“Everyone, take note! That lady is our future Mistress!”
“Then we must congratulate the Young Master in advance! Haha!”
Li Jingxue burned with humiliation and fury, her almond eyes wide. “Preposterous! I, Li Jingxue, would rather die than marry a villain like you!”
Chen Mo rose silently. The calm in his eyes deepened, a cold glint flashing within. He stood quietly, his gaze detached. Had any denizen of the Great Wilderness and Nine Provinces who knew Su Xuanjian witnessed this, they would understand: the more detached Chen Mo’s gaze, the calmer his demeanor, the more profound the killing intent brewing within him.
“Don’t be so hasty,” Zhao Tianhua retorted, his tone mocking. “Your sister, Li Qingyue, shone so brightly, yet she still ended up married to trash like him!” He pointed contemptuously at Chen Mo. “I may be arrogant, but even I know that noble marriages are never decided by mere juniors like us!”
He paused, his smile returning, brimming with conceit. “Li Jingxue, I advise you to prepare yourself. Within a month, my Zhao family will ensure your Li family agrees to your marriage to me!”
Li Jingxue’s face drained of color. Her slender frame trembled slightly. Zhao Tianhua’s words struck a deep, painful chord. Her sister had resisted her marriage vehemently, their parents had fiercely opposed it, yet they were ultimately overruled by the Old Matriarch’s will. This reality forced Li Jingxue to confront the terrifying possibility: if Zhao Tianhua truly proposed, would her family subject her to the same fate?
The thought made her bite her lip until it nearly bled. Panic surged within her, her eyes clouding with despair. Would her future… be bound to this notorious scoundrel? If so, death seemed preferable!
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen to you.” A warm hand rested on Li Jingxue’s shoulder. She looked up into Chen Mo’s calm, gentle face.
“Brother-in-law…” The lost and frightened Li Jingxue felt an overwhelming warmth flood her heart, finding an unexpected harbor. Her voice trembled slightly.
“This gathering has lost its charm. Shall I take you home?” Chen Mo asked softly.
“Yes!” Li Jingxue nodded instinctively, but worry immediately resurfaced. “Brother-in-law… they…”
“Leave it to me.” Chen Mo patted her shoulder, his voice reassuring.
He then swept his gaze over Jiang Feng and the other girls. “Are any of you leaving?”
Jiang Feng and the others stared, momentarily dumbfounded. Was Chen Mo insane? Couldn’t he see Zhao Tianhua and his guards blocking the door? How could a cripple, the laughingstock of Linfeng City, dare say such a thing!?
“Ha! What did you just say? You’re taking them away from here?” Zhao Tianhua dug at his ear, laughing uproariously. “Chen Mo, you’re a worthless cripple, yet you spout words wilder than mine! Who… gave you the courage?”
His guards roared with laughter, as if hearing the world’s most ludicrous joke.
“Chen Mo, stop causing trouble!!” Jiang Feng snapped, his face dark and livid. He spoke through gritted teeth, “I’ll handle this. You stay put! If you cause more chaos, don’t blame me if I abandon you!”
His words rang with forceful determination. The girls were visibly moved, seeing Jiang Feng embody a pillar of masculine resolve at this critical moment. In contrast, Chen Mo’s earlier bravado… was utterly infuriating! A cripple thinking he could lead them out with mere words? Ridiculous!
“Since you are young, such fiery spirit is fitting. Only then can you defy fate with youthful valor. At this moment, you haven’t earned my contempt.” Chen Mo glanced at Jiang Feng and nodded slightly.
Jiang Feng blinked, momentarily stunned by the unexpected… authority in Chen Mo’s tone?
Before he could process it, Zhao Tianhua, growing impatient by the door, waved his hand dismissively. “Seize that cripple! I want the whole city to see his shame!”
“Consider it done, Young Master!” A guard, eager for action, lunged forward.
“Let’s play, boy!” The guard was burly and thick-set, his face brutal. His mere presence exuded intimidating pressure. The young ladies nearby paled, frightened by his menacing appearance.
Zhang Qiang!
A trusted guard under Zhao Tianhua, at the Flesh Refining stage of the Blood Moving Realm. His skin was tough as steel, his strength immense, and he was proficient in the Stone-Shattering Palm. A strike from him could shatter bones, leaving victims crippled or dead.
As he spoke, he swung his palm down like a falling monument, the force violent, the palm wind fierce. A direct hit would inflict serious injury.
“Brother-in-law, dodge!” Li Jingxue screamed, her face ashen with terror. She was too far to intervene.
“No need for panic. Such brute force, untempered by true energy, is merely an embroidered pillow—all show, no substance.” Chen Mo’s voice remained calm.
As he spoke, his lean but upright figure moved. He stepped forward, swift as an eagle seizing a rabbit. His hand shot out, precisely grasping Zhang Qiang’s wrist pulse point. Chen Mo’s arm flexed.
A subtle flick of his wrist.
Zhang Qiang’s massive, muscular body lurched violently. His flesh rippled like a shaken bedsheet. All his strength crumbled instantly under the force of that single, devastating Shaking Force Like a Collapse.
It was a supremely skillful application of force. At its pinnacle, an opponent struck by it would have their flesh, bones, and internal organs shaken into dust! Though Zhang Qiang wasn’t killed outright, his internal organs suffered severe trauma.
Immediately following, Chen Mo kicked out.
Thud!
Under the incredulous stares of the onlookers, Zhang Qiang’s body flew through the air and slammed violently against the wall of the private room. He convulsed like a sack of grain, blood streaming from all seven orifices.
Shock filled the room.
- Writer
