He'd been caught red-handed. How did Wei Zichu have the audacity to curse at him so righteously?
"Bitch, get out of my way!" Mo Zhongyuan roared, a blast of vital energy surging straight toward Lin Tang.
Feeling this power, Wei Zichu's face went pale. "You… you broke through?!"
This is bad! Brother Lin is in danger!
In her eyes, Lin Tang was likely in the late Acquired Stage since he could defeat her. Normally, he wouldn't need to fear Mo Zhongyuan. However, Mo Zhongyuan had also broken through to the late Acquired Stage and brought so many fierce subordinates with him. How could Lin Tang possibly be their match alone?
"Brother Lin, run!" Wei Zichu urged anxiously as she forcefully blocked one of Mo Zhongyuan's attacks. The impact left her face flushed, nearly causing her to vomit blood. She felt Lin Tang's only chance of survival was to escape to her grandfather.
Unfortunately, Lin Tang was already surrounded, with no path of retreat. She could only watch in horror as Mo Zhongyuan's fist shot toward his head.
It's over... I'm the one who harmed him...
Tears welled up in Wei Zichu's eyes, but they suddenly stopped.
What was she seeing?
Mo Zhongyuan's overwhelming punch had been stopped by a single finger!
In the next moment, a bloody hole appeared in Mo Zhongyuan's palm, blood gushing out like a fountain.
BANG!
He had charged in fast, and he flew back even faster. Before he even hit the ground, the men surrounding Lin Tang were sent flying as well, scattering like petals in the wind.
"You bastards, you're paying for my house!" Lin Tang roared, hammering his fists down as if he were playing a game of whack-a-mole. It didn't matter how many of them there were or what moves they used; it was all utterly useless. He effortlessly beat them all to the ground.
"You…" Mo Zhongyuan was completely dumbfounded as he rolled across the ground a few times, only to have Lin Tang step on his chest.
"Are you going to pay or not? Are you?" Lin Tang demanded angrily, grinding his foot down.
Mo Zhongyuan felt as if he were about to be crushed. His anger vanished in his terror. "I'll pay! I'll pay! I was blind not to recognize a great man. Please, spare my life! I'll transfer the money right now!" he pleaded, all his bravado gone.
Lin Tang patted his pockets but couldn't find a bank card. He turned to Wei Zichu and said, "Let me borrow an account number… uh, what's wrong with you?"
He saw Wei Zichu staring blankly, her mouth agape in an 'O' shape.
"Lin… Brother Lin… don't tell me you're already an Innate Master?"
Otherwise, how could he be this strong? Such a young Innate Master... What did that even mean? A true martial arts genius!
Wei Zichu's eyes shone with utter adoration.
Mo Zhongyuan was equally stunned. He felt his own breakthrough was nothing but a joke in front of Lin Tang.
"It's just the Innate realm. What's all the fuss about?" Lin Tang said, speechless.
These people... they really haven't seen much of the world.
After Mo Zhongyuan endured the pain and transferred ten million to Wei Zichu's account, she was about to ask him why he was looking for trouble with Lin Tang, hoping she could mediate the misunderstanding.
But before she could speak, Lin Tang suddenly kicked Mo Zhongyuan squarely in the lower abdomen.
SPURT!
Mo Zhongyuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes looking as if they would burst from their sockets.
His Dantian... it has been destroyed!
"Brother Lin, you…" Wei Zichu gasped in shock.
Lin Tang's expression was matter-of-fact. "He had every intention of killing me just now. Since you two are acquainted, I'll spare his life."
"You… you're ruthless!" Mo Zhongyuan looked up with a venomous glare, his face a mask of madness. He swore he would get his revenge.
"Still thinking about revenge? In that case, I'll just kill you now," Lin Tang said coolly, ready to eliminate the threat completely.
"Don't!" Wei Zichu scrambled to hug him from behind. "Brother Lin, you're in big trouble now…" she said, panicking.
If he had only injured Mo Zhongyuan, her grandfather might have been able to mediate and resolve their animosity. But Lin Tang had crippled his martial arts. The feud was now irreconcilable. Mo Zhongyuan's master was a powerhouse at the peak of the Innate Realm, just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster. He was a major figure in his own right—the kind of person whose stomp could make the entire province tremble.
"Sigh, you were far too impulsive," Wei Zichu lamented, a troubled look on her face as she pulled Lin Tang away to go find Wei Shanhe and figure out a plan.
「Once they left.」
Mo Zhongyuan's subordinates, having recovered slightly, limped over and carried him away. There were several paths leading away from this place, and Lin Tang and Wei Zichu had taken a different one. Mo Zhongyuan's group, meanwhile, went to rendezvous with the men who had been guarding Shen Youling and the others.
Those men were shocked. "What happened? The Young Master… lost?"
The Shen sisters and Wang Shouzhen were also stunned. Mo Zhongyuan had brought so many men, yet they had been beaten this badly. Just how many opponents did they have? And where had they been hiding? Why hadn't they seen a single one?
"Don't ask. We took a huge loss this time," one of the men grumbled. "Quick, get the Young Master to the best hospital around here for emergency treatment!"
"What about these three?"
"Take the prettiest one with us. Ditch the other two. They're trash."
"Got it!"
What the...? Is being beautiful such a terrible sin? Shen Youling thought.
Hearing this, Wang Shouzhen and Shen Jiayue felt both relieved and indignant. They both turned their heads away, refusing to look at Shen Youling.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Second Young Master, what happened?"
Han Jinlong, a retainer of the Wang Family, had arrived. He had a big reputation in Jiangbei, where he was known as the Mighty Iron Fist. His skills were formidable, and he often acted on the Wang Family's behalf.
"Haha, Uncle Han, you're finally here!" The same Wang Shouzhen who had been cowering just moments before instantly became arrogant and belligerent. He pointed at Mo Zhongyuan and yelled, "Quick! Help me teach these guys a lesson! They dared to hit me! I've never been bullied like this in all of Jiangbei!"
Han Jinlong also had a fiery temper. Upon hearing this, he immediately raised his iron fists and charged toward Mo Zhongyuan and his men. If Mo Zhongyuan hadn't been crippled, he wouldn't have given Han Jinlong a second thought. But that was the problem. He was now a cripple, and his men were all injured. The only ones unharmed were the few who had been guarding the three captives, but there weren't nearly enough of them to handle Han Jinlong.
In an instant, they were all knocked to the ground again. The pain woke the unconscious Mo Zhongyuan. He opened his eyes to see Wang Shouzhen grabbing him by the collar.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
A series of hard slaps left his head ringing.
"You son of a bitch, weren't you so arrogant before? Go on, fight back! Motherfucker, you dare fight me over a woman? I'll lay you out flat!" Wang Shouzhen continued to beat him personally to vent his frustration, then turned to Shen Youling and said smugly, "Don't be scared, Sister Youling. With me here, he can't bully you!"
"You… you… you…" Mo Zhongyuan trembled all over, finally understanding what it meant for a tiger stranded in the lowlands to be bullied by dogs. He stared at Wang Shouzhen's ugly face and snarled through clenched teeth, "You'd better kill me right now. If you don't, my family will make sure your entire family is doomed!"
"Oh, still talking tough? You really think I don't have the guts to kill you?" Wang Shouzhen's temper flared. He picked up a knife and lunged at Mo Zhongyuan.
"FUCK!" Mo Zhongyuan finally felt a surge of fear. "I am the young master of the Mo Family from Jinhu City! My master is Yan Renjie, the lord of Sword Casting Manor!"
"I don't care if he's Yan Renjie or Yan the Eunuch…" Wang Shouzhen retorted fearlessly.
"Second Young Master, stop!" Han Jinlong's expression changed drastically. He swiftly snatched the knife away and pulled Wang Shouzhen back.
"Uncle Han, what is it?" Wang Shouzhen asked, confused.
Han Jinlong swallowed hard and whispered something in his ear.
"What?" Wang Shouzhen shivered, and his expression turned to one of terror as he looked back at Mo Zhongyuan. "You… you… Why didn't you say you were such a big shot sooner? This is all a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding! Ignorance is no crime! I… I'll be leaving now. Just pretend I was never here…"
He babbled incoherently, his legs turning to jelly. He had Han Jinlong help him flee, not even sparing Shen Youling a single glance, let alone trying to save her.
"This—"
Shen Jiayue and Shen Youling exchanged a look. They also tried to use the opportunity to slip away but were quickly grabbed again.
"Hey! Weren't you going to throw me away like trash?" Shen Jiayue shrieked, pointing at Shen Youling. "Just take her then! Please, just let me go!"
Shen Youling was speechless.
Is that really something an older sister should say?