Witnessing the staggering combat prowess displayed by Chu Xuan, the guests present were dumbfounded, feeling as if they were looking upon a supernatural being. After all, the Chu Xuan of the past had been nothing more than a frail, pampered young master of a wealthy family. If he had possessed even a fraction of this ability back then, he would never have been driven to a dead end by Zhao Qian and Wei Yiqun.
However, Zhao Qian was not one to be easily intimidated. Though a flicker of shock crossed her eyes, she quickly regained her composure.
"No wonder you dared to come and cause trouble on my turf. So, after all this time, you finally think you’ve picked up a few tricks and can make a name for yourself?" she sneered. "But aren't you being a bit shortsighted? You’ve improved, but do you really think the Zhao Family of today is the same as the one you remember? Open your eyes and go look around—the Zhao Family now holds a position of power not just in Jinling, but across the entire province!"
There was not a hint of panic in Zhao Qian’s tone. Even if Chu Xuan could fight, he was only one man; he couldn't possibly wipe out the entire Zhao Family on his own.
"What are you all standing around for? Throw this guy into the backyard to feed the dogs!"
At Zhao Tai’s command, the Zhao Family’s experts emerged. A dozen burly men stepped forward, their veins bulging, with faint currents of energy surging around them—every one of them was an Internal Force Expert. Jinling was not a massive city, and such experts were rare; usually, it was a mark of deep-rooted prestige for a wealthy family to recruit even two. Yet, with a simple shout from Zhao Tai, over a dozen appeared. Zhao Qian had not been exaggerating; the Zhao Family was truly not what it once was.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The Internal Force Experts fanned out, surrounding Chu Xuan. An invisible pressure seemed to congeal in the air.
"Is this it?"
Chu Xuan, encircled in the center, curled his lips into a disdainful smirk, a flash of cold light dancing in his dark eyes. He flexed his wrists, his knuckles cracking sharply, and his True Qi began to surge.
*Swish!*
In the next second, Chu Xuan moved like lightning. His right fist, encased in a massive surge of True Qi, struck out with such force that the air let out a sharp, explosive crack. The Internal Force Expert in the front row didn't even have time to react before the terrifying power struck him, causing his body to instantly disintegrate into a mist of blood.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing Chu Xuan obliterate a master with a single punch and turn him into nothingness, the guests were paralyzed with fear, their screams echoing one after another. The young master of the Chu Family had truly come back with the resolve to wipe out the Zhao Family!
The crowd's frantic shrieking did not slow Chu Xuan down. He wove through the crowd, leaving nothing but afterimages in his wake.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Muffled impacts resounded continuously. In the blink of an eye, the dozen figures were all gone, leaving only a lingering, faint scent of blood in the air. There were no corpses on the floor; those arrogant, high-and-mighty Internal Force Experts had been ground into dust beneath Chu Xuan’s fists, scattering into the wind.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Zhao Tai’s eyes went wide, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. A dozen Internal Force Experts, wiped out in a single breath? Had Chu Xuan’s combat power really reached such a terrifying level in just five years?
"Your turn." Chu Xuan’s gaze shifted to Zhao Qian.
"You... what are you trying to do?!" Zhao Qian retreated a step.
Chu Xuan closed in, his voice ringing like a temple bell. "Zhao Qian, I treated you with deep affection back then, yet you, a poisonous woman, destroyed my family. Today, I am going to kill you to comfort the spirits of my loved ones!"
Seeing this, Zhao Tai rushed to stand between them, and more Zhao Family experts appeared. But against Chu Xuan’s unstoppable might, the arrival of more men only meant more would be reduced to ash. Amidst the chaos and panic, Chu Xuan leaped onto the stage.
"Brother Qun, help me!" Zhao Qian had lost one of her high heels in the scramble and was cowering behind Wei Yiqun. Having just seen her own relatives turned into pulp by Chu Xuan’s fist, she was truly trembling with terror. If she fell into Chu Xuan’s hands, she knew it would be far worse than simply going to hell.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here!" Wei Yiqun gripped Zhao Qian’s hand and turned to the old man beside him. "Master Hu, I'll have to trouble you. Please, do not show any mercy. Let everyone here see exactly whose world this Jinling is!"
With that, Wei Yiqun shot a mocking look at Chu Xuan. "Chu Xuan, don't think that just because you've learned a few parlor tricks you can stand on our heads! I destroyed your Chu Family years ago, and I can do it again today!"
As Wei Yiqun finished speaking, the old man stepped forward. He wore coarse cloth garments, his frame hunched, his face a map of deep wrinkles, and his cloudy eyes half-closed—at a glance, he looked like any ordinary old beggar from the street. Yet, with every step he took, the floorboards trembled slightly, and a subtle, tidal pressure radiated from him, causing the lights inside the restaurant to flicker. His thin, withered hands were particularly striking: the knuckles were abnormally large, the skin a dark brown, and his fingernails were sharp like hooks, gleaming with a cold, metallic luster—like a pair of iron claws!
"This... this is Hu Lai!" someone in the crowd gasped.
"The notorious 'Eagle Claw Hu' of Jinling! His Eagle Claw technique is divine; they say he can tear through steel plates from a hundred meters away. Combined with his cultivation at the level of Internal Force Great Success, he can crush boulders in an instant!"
Another man nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling with fear. "Exactly! They say he once single-handedly stormed a bandit den; thirty-plus hardened thugs couldn't even touch his hem before he ripped their hearts out. He is ruthless to the extreme. I’m afraid Chu Xuan is in serious trouble this time..."
As the whispers intensified, Hu Lai stood before Chu Xuan, his cloudy eyes snapping open to reveal a piercing, brilliant light.
"Boy, to have killed a dozen Zhao Family experts, you certainly have some skill. But unfortunately, you met me today, and that marks the end of your life!"
With that, he moved like a phantom. His iron claws, shrouded in a bloody wind, struck directly at Chu Xuan’s chest. Before the claws could even land, the razor-sharp wind had already carved bloody streaks across Chu Xuan’s chest—his speed was so fast that his movements were invisible to the naked eye.
"Seeking your own death!" Chu Xuan scoffed. Instead of dodging, his right hand lashed out like lightning, precisely gripping Hu Lai’s wrist.
With a crisp *crack*, Hu Lai’s wrist instantly twisted and deformed. Before the old man could react, Chu Xuan struck with his left fist, the force rolling out like a tidal wave of destruction, instantly swallowing Hu Lai. With a thunderous *boom*, Hu Lai’s body was sent flying like a broken kite, exploding into a mist of blood mid-air.
Wei Yiqun and Zhao Qian were caught in the spray, their faces splattered with blood. They froze in place, the gore dripping from their skin, their eyes wide with sheer terror as their legs gave way and they collapsed to the floor.
"Hiss!!!"
The sight of Hu Lai’s gruesome death turned the faces of the onlookers deathly pale; their legs shook, and those with weaker stomachs began to vomit on the spot.
Chu Xuan ignored the spectators. Wrapped in a chilling aura of death, he walked slowly toward Zhao Qian. With every step, the pressure in the air grew heavier. Zhao Qian felt as if a massive boulder were pressing down on her chest, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Realizing the gravity of the situation, she scrambled backward, sobbing, "Chu Xuan, please, spare me! I... I know I was wrong!"
Zhao Tai tried to step in, but his legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground; he couldn't take a single step. He could only watch in horror as Chu Xuan approached, sweat pouring down his forehead, his lips trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't believe it—not only had Chu Xuan returned alive, but he had returned like a demon from the afterlife, stronger than anyone could have imagined.
"Realized you should beg for mercy now? Isn't it a bit too late?" Chu Xuan’s laughter was cold.
"It’s not! It’s not too late! Chu Xuan, please, let me live!" Zhao Qian sobbed as she knelt, pressing her hands together in a continuous gesture of supplication. "Back then... back then, I was forced into it... You and your family were so kind to me. Do you know how much it broke my heart to watch them die in front of me?"
"But I was weak and insignificant in the Zhao Family back then; I had no voice, I couldn't help them. Seeing you return like a king today, no one is happier than I am! Chu Xuan, now that you have the power, and since I have always had you in my heart, why don't we put the past behind us and be together again?"
As she pleaded, Zhao Qian’s trembling hands frantically clawed at the zipper of her dress. The sound of the metal slider against her spine was chillingly clear in the dead silence of the room. As the zipper slid down, her snow-white skin was gradually revealed. With a forceful tug, the silk gown slipped from her shoulders, revealing perfect neck and shoulder lines. Her waist was slender, devoid of an ounce of fat, and her cleavage was barely concealed by black lace, rising and falling with her ragged, desperate breaths.
"This..." The guests gasped, their eyes bulging as if they might pop out of their sockets. Some swallowed hard, their Adam's apples bobbing; others rubbed their eyes in disbelief; some of the women turned away, yet couldn't resist peeking back.
They could not fathom it—the arrogant, cold, and glamorous daughter of the Zhao Family, who usually ruled over Jinling, was now, in front of everyone, debasing herself like a bitch in a desperate bid to save her own life.