Everyone gasped, catching their breath. Even if they did not know the old man's exact identity, the fact that he had frightened Young Master Yan away with a mere appearance suggested that his background was all the more terrifying.
And what kind of formidable figure must the Second Young Master behind him be?
For this teenager to dare offend them meant he was truly fearless.
Tang Moxixi felt a surge of delight, yet at the same time could not help worrying about Ye Wushuang. She feared that offending people from the Cao family like this would make his future days difficult.
"Little brat, just because you have some rudimentary skills, you think you can act so arrogant? That is hardly a good thing."
"You must realize that there are heavens beyond heavens, and people beyond people in this world."
"With the meager skills you have, this old man could finish you off with a single finger."
Elder Wu stared at Ye Wushuang with a sharp, icy gaze.
Anyone with sharp ears could tell that Elder Wu was suppressing a blazing fury in his heart. If the teenager did not take this chance to back down gracefully, he would likely be in grave danger today.
"I was merely speaking the truth. Believe it or not, that is up to you."
Shrugging his shoulders, Ye Wushuang could not be bothered to entertain the man and invited Tang Moxixi to leave with him.
"This..."
Tang Moxixi was stunned for a moment, unconsciously casting a backward glance at Elder Wu.
"You brat, refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! The Second Young Master has taken a fancy to you, which is your honor. Do not be so unappreciative!"
With a flash, Elder Wu instantly blocked Ye Wushuang's path.
"Step aside," Ye Wushuang said expressionlessly.
He had no interest in acting as a beast of burden for anyone.
Without missing a beat, Ye Wushuang changed direction and walked toward exit number two of the shopping mall.
Elder Wu's expression grew chillingly cold; he could no longer contain the fury in his heart.
Curling his five fingers into hooks, he lunged to grab Ye Wushuang by the back.
This was the opening stance of Xingyiquan—the soaring eagle strikes with its talons. While not a fatal technique, its destructive power was astonishing. If an ordinary person were caught by it, they would either die or be crippled.
Seeing Elder Wu launch such a fierce attack, Ye Wushuang's eyes narrowed.
"Stop bothering me and my girl on our date. Get lost!"
Striking out with a punch, Ye Wushuang reached the target first and smashed directly into Elder Wu's chest.
Bang!
Elder Wu was sent flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood as his face turned deathly pale.
"You..."
Elder Wu was shocked by the sheer force of Ye Wushuang's punch, but the intense pain left him unable to utter a complete sentence.
Ye Wushuang turned and walked toward Elder Wu, a hint of murderous intent lingering in his eyes.
"I originally had no intention of coming into conflict with you lot, but you insist on making things difficult for me."
"If I were to back down now, people in this world would think I, Ye Wushuang, am afraid of you."
With those words, Ye Wushuang delivered two heavy thuds, landing consecutive punches that directly gave Elder Wu a pair of black eyes.
The onlookers' mouths twitched, wanting to laugh yet not daring to do so.
Seeing that Ye Wushuang was about to strike again, Tang Moxixi's heart tightened as she hurriedly stepped forward to pull him back.
"Stop hitting him. If you keep going, something terrible will happen."
At that moment, another figure appeared, shouting loudly: "Stop right there!"
Seeing this person, Tang Moxixi was not surprised. She nodded slightly to the newcomer as a greeting.
"Who is he?" Ye Wushuang narrowed his eyes.
Tang Moxixi whispered, "He is Cao Xuan, the Second Young Master of the Cao family."
"Elder Wu has a blunt personality. If there is any way he has offended you, brother, I apologize to you on his behalf."
"He is not a bad person, so I hope you can show mercy and not make things difficult for him."
Cao Xuan spoke with a smile, his tone exceedingly sincere.
Ye Wushuang was inwardly surprised; he had not expected this Cao family Second Young Master to appear so approachable. He just wondered if the man's outward appearance matched his true character.
"Wanting to take me as your master without even checking if you have the qualifications."
Glancing sideways at Elder Wu, Ye Wushuang said with utter disdain.
Immediately afterward, his gaze shifted to Cao Xuan. "And as for you, I hear you wanted to hire me as a bodyguard?"
Cao Xuan froze for a second, then hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. Elder Wu must have misunderstood my intentions."
"Brother here is handsome, dashing, and outstanding in every way. My original intention was simply to invite brother upstairs for a drink so we could all make friends."
"As for bodyguards and masters, it is all nonsense."
At this, Cao Xuan offered an apologetic smile before throwing a subtle hint of a glance toward Elder Wu.
Understanding the cue, Elder Wu suppressed his pain and said, "Right, just now this old man acted on impulse. My apologies, please forgive me."
Giving the two men a long, deep look, Ye Wushuang said proudly, "An apology is fine, but making friends is out of the question—you guys simply aren't qualified yet."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Tang Moxixi's expression shifted drastically, a wave of intense nervousness washing over her. Tearing things apart with the Cao family was no laughing matter.
To her surprise, however, upon hearing Ye Wushuang's words, Cao Xuan did not fly into a rage as she had imagined. Instead, he remained utterly calm, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.
"Since brother thinks so little of me, Cao Xuan, then please forgive my intrusion and discourtesy."
Cao Xuan cupped his fists in a salute, then quickly departed with Elder Wu in tow.
"They... they just left like that?" Tang Moxixi asked, her mouth slightly agape in utter astonishment.
"Well, what else? Should they have stayed here to be beaten half to death by me?" Ye Wushuang said with complete indifference.
The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. "Still, that young man is quite clever—he knows when to bend and when to stretch."
"People from the Cao family have always been domineering. This is the first time I've ever seen them back down of their own accord."
Tang Moxixi sighed softly, then took Ye Wushuang by the hand and led him out of the shopping mall.
"Are we heading back now?" Ye Wushuang inquired.
Shaking her head, Tang Moxixi replied, "It's still early, let's walk around a bit more. We just can't stay in that mall anymore; too many people have their eyes on us."
Retrieving her car from the parking lot, Tang Moxixi drove Ye Wushuang to the food street along the Qinhuai River Bank.
"Holy cow, so much good food!" Ye Wushuang's eyes lit up.
"Well, of course, this is the famous food street." Tang Moxixi put on a look of proud smugness. "Whatever you want to eat, just order it. Big Sister is paying."
Perhaps because of how pleased she was with Ye Wushuang's earlier refusal to be recruited by the Cao family's Second Young Master, Tang Moxixi was in exceptionally high spirits. And whenever she was happy, the penniless Ye Wushuang was in for a treat.
Gazing at the dazzling array of delicious snacks, Ye Wushuang stood on ceremony not a bit, walking from one stall to the next and demanding a portion at every single one.
Accustomed to Ye Wushuang's bottomless appetite, Tang Moxixi was no longer surprised by this outcome. She walked over to a teppanyaki squid stall and ordered two skewers of her favorite grilled squid for herself.
"This is really good." Ye Wushuang was eating with immense gusto.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that life down the mountain was practically blissful—every day came with an endless supply of delicious food.
It was just a pity that without the company of his four beautiful masters, he always felt something was missing deep down.
Stealing a glance at Tang Moxixi from the corner of his eye, Ye Wushuang could not help letting out a soft sigh.
This woman seemed pretty decent too, except that her looks were a tad lacking.
Oh well, once he gathered all those materials and refined a Youth-Preserving Pill for her, it would be a fair return for her hospitality.
The two of them strolled along the food street, eating as they walked.
Suddenly, an anxious voice echoed from deep within one of the side alleys.
Tang Moxixi and Ye Wushuang exchanged glances, then walked over out of sheer curiosity.