"Shout all you want. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one is coming to save you. This is my turf!"
Bai Xiao said arrogantly, extending his claws toward Su Wanwan. But the girl was quick-witted; she suddenly dodged and bolted desperately toward the private room's door.
Unfortunately, her hair was too long, and Bai Xiao caught a handful of it, dragging her back by force.
*Slap!*
A heavy blow landed on Su Wanwan's face, sending her crashing onto the sofa. She was left dizzy and disoriented, unable to tell which way was up.
"Damn it, playing hide-and-seek with me?"
Bai Xiao spat on the floor and prepared to make his move.
Right at that moment, a commotion erupted outside the private room—shouts and the sounds of punching and kicking, but a second later, all movement ceased.
"Yang Kai, what the hell are you playing at!"
Bai Xiao yanked the door open and roared in anger, but his expression instantly froze.
The corridor was littered with his lackies, their agonizing groans echoing together.
A youthful and familiar face turned toward him.
"You... you... why are you here?!"
Bai Xiao stared at Ning Chen, who had "come back from the dead," looking as if he had seen a ghost.
"I remember telling you just two days ago not to mess with Li Mei's barbecue restaurant, or I'd smash your dog head open. It seems you didn't take my words to heart, Bai Xiao."
Radiating an overwhelming aura, Ning Chen kicked Yang Kai aside and strode toward him.
"That's impossible! You clearly ate..."
Before Bai Xiao could finish, Ning Chen appeared right in front of him like a teleporting phantom and delivered a punch straight to his stomach.
Of the body's five vital organs, the liver is the softest. Taking a blow like this, it ruptured on the spot. A massive wave of fresh blood surged from Bai Xiao's mouth, and he dropped to his knees, paralyzed by pain and unable to speak.
"Ning... Ning Chen..."
Su Wanwan sat up groggily, staring at Ning Chen in astonishment.
"It's fine now. Go to sleep."
Ning Chen walked over, pressed the back of Su Wanwan's neck with his right hand, and she immediately passed out.
"Don't move!"
Suddenly, Yang Kai burst into the private room followed by two subordinates.
The bastard had somehow managed to get his hands on a handgun!
With a gun in hand, Yang Kai felt much more confident, glaring at Ning Chen with an arrogant expression. He firmly believed that no matter how incredible martial arts were, a single bullet could end a life.
"Oh no, how could I forget that Bai Xiao had a gun!" Wang Yinhua muttered under her breath from outside, sensing disaster.
"A-Hui, A-Qiang, take Brother Xiao to the hospital!" Yang Kai ordered.
"Yes, Brother Kai!"
The two subordinates were just about to move when Ning Chen let out a stern reprimand: "No one is leaving today!"
"Damn it, you little brat, do you think what I'm holding is a toy gun?"
Yang Kai clicked off the safety, took two steps forward, and barked, "Get on your knees!"
"Whose knees are you telling to bend?"
With a flash of movement, Ning Chen vanished like a ghost and reappeared right behind Yang Kai.
"Holy shit!"
Startled out of his wits, Yang Kai spun around in a panic.
Yet Ning Chen had vanished once more.
Yang Kai darted his eyes everywhere, completely unable to find where Ning Chen had gone.
"You think a gun makes you invincible? Foolish mortal, you have no idea how lowly and pathetic you truly are. In my eyes, you're no different from a maggot on a tree—I can crush you to death at any second!"
Ning Chen's calm voice echoed through the private room.
"Ahhh! You little bastard, I'll kill you!"
Yang Kai gripped the gun with both hands and fired wildly in all directions.
*Bang, bang, bang, bang!*
After firing just a few shots, the gunfire abruptly cut off, followed immediately by the crisp snap of breaking bones.
Crying out in agony, Yang Kai collapsed to the floor as the handgun slipped from his grip.
Ning Chen picked it up casually, pistol-whipped him with it, and then fired a shot toward Bai Xiao.
*Boom! Boom!*
"Ah!!" Wang Yinhua and the two lackies shrieked in sheer terror and bolted for the exit.
Ning Chen opened his hand and made a grasping motion in mid-air. All three were instantly yanked back by an invisible force, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Spare us! Spare our lives! Big Brother, we didn't do anything!" The two subordinates scrambled up and kowtowed endlessly.
"Brother Chen, I was just forced into this by that scum Bai Xiao! I'm a victim too, it has nothing to do with me..."
Wang Yinhua pleaded as well.
"Every debt has its debtor; I have no interest in you people."
Ning Chen didn't even spare them a glance, speaking in a low voice.
At that moment, a terrifying thought crossed their minds: *Damn it! Is this really just an ordinary student? When he gets ruthless, he's even more terrifying than they were!*
Even with decades of street experience, Bai Xiao would never have dared to handle things this way!
Yet this young man's gaze remained as detached as if he had merely stepped on a pair of bugs on the roadside.
"You know what to say if anyone asks what happened here tonight, right?"
By this time, Ning Chen had already scooped Su Wanwan up from the sofa.
The two subordinates froze for a moment.
Wang Yinhua blurted out without missing a beat, "Bai Xiao and Yang Kai had a falling out. In a fit of rage, Yang Kai went upstairs to grab a gun, shot Bai Xiao dead, and then committed suicide out of guilt!"
"Yes, exactly!" The two lackies hurriedly chimed in.
"Hn."
Ning Chen nodded, satisfied, and carried Su Wanwan away.
Realistically, even if determined investigators traced it back to him, it wouldn't matter—at worst, he would just waste a shred of spiritual power to cast a couple of memory-wiping spells.
Gazing at Yang Kai and Bai Xiao lying in pools of blood, Wang Yinhua suddenly recalled the warning Ning Chen had left behind earlier:
"Remember, messing with Li Mei's barbecue restaurant is the same as smashing my rice bowl. You better watch out, or I'll blow your dog head off."
"Don't think I'm joking."
*Gulp!*
Wang Yinhua swallowed hard.
***
Ning Chen carried Su Wanwan back to the barbecue restaurant and dumped her with Li Mei before leaving.
Although he wasn't a bloodthirsty killer, having spent two millennia roaming the Little Southern Heaven Realm, the number of lives taken by his hands was easily in the tens of thousands.
Killing a couple of petty thugs like this didn't even amount to a fart to him.
By the time he returned to the Rose Garden villa, it was already 2:30 AM. He took a quick shower and headed straight to bed.
Perhaps because using his spiritual sense the night before had aggravated his primordial spirit's injuries, he slept all the way until 10:00 AM before waking up.
"Big Brother Dali, you're up?"
Since it was the weekend, Xu Shuyan and Jiang Tang were both lounging at home.
The pair of beauties were wearing casual shorts that exposed their slender, graceful legs, and were watching television in the living room.
Seeing him get up, Jiang Tang rushed over eagerly. "Big Brother Dali, why did you wake up so late today? Don't you usually get up around five or six?"
"It's the weekend. I'm just sleeping in."
Ning Chen reached out and patted Jiang Tang's head before heading to the bathroom to wash up.
This sudden, intimate gesture made Jiang Tang's delicate face flush hot. Usually so mischievous and witty, she was suddenly thrown completely off balance.
*Chapter 26: Jiang Tang's Mediation*
For some reason, seeing Ning Chen treat Jiang Tang with such affection stirred an indescribable wave of discomfort in Xu Shuyan's chest.
*Am I really that annoying to people?* she thought bitterly to herself.
In truth, this was simply a habitual reflex for Ning Chen, something he did entirely subconsciously.
In the Little Southern Heaven Realm, he had a junior martial sister who, much like him, possessed mediocre talent yet worked diligently. That junior sister was about Jiang Tang's height and just as playful; every time they met, he would pat her head to show his friendliness, and over time, it had simply become second nature.
That said, while Earth was safe, he also deeply missed the Little Southern Heaven Realm. After all, he had lived there for over two thousand years, leaving behind countless dear friends and memories...
When he finished washing up and came out, Jiang Tang bounced over like a little rabbit and pulled him toward the kitchen.
A lavish breakfast was spread across the table.
"Look, Big Brother Dali! Shuyan had the nanny prepare this for you bright and early: crab roe xiao long bao, rice noodle rolls, shrimp dumplings, and savory douhua..."
"Shuyan wasn't sure if you preferred savory or sweet tofu pudding, so she had the nanny make both!"
Jiang Tang was actively trying to patch things up between Ning Chen and Xu Shuyan.
Yet Xu Shuyan maintained her haughty young-miss persona, refusing to utter a single soft word if it killed her.
Tossing back her fair, exquisitely curved swan neck, she stated coldly, "Ning Chen, thank you for saving us yesterday. From now on, you can live here. You can stay as long as you like."
"I never said I was going to live here permanently."
Ning Chen picked up a shrimp dumpling and tossed it into his mouth.
"You! What do you mean by that? Do you expect me to beg you?"
Xu Shuyan hadn't expected Ning Chen to be so unappreciative. Since she had already put it that way, couldn't he just play along? What an idiot!
"Every time you come downstairs, you stomp your feet, you lock your door every single night without fail, and you even secretly threw away the ingredients I put in the fridge. If not for certain special circumstances, do you think I'd want to live here?"
Ning Chen retorted, glaring at her irritably.
"You!"
Hearing Ning Chen rattle off a whole list of complaints against her, Xu Shuyan was fuming with rage. "Love it or leave it! I wish you'd pack up and move out tonight!"
With that, she turned around in a huff and stormed upstairs.
"Shuyan! Big Brother Dali, you... ugh..."
Jiang Tang had hoped to use this opportunity to mend their relationship, but she hadn't expected Ning Chen to be so brutally blunt.
"Big Brother Dali, do you and Shuyan have incompatible zodiac signs or something? You start bickering the moment you lay eyes on each other," Jiang Tang said with a bitter laugh.
"That's entirely possible," Ning Chen replied with a straight face.
After finishing breakfast, he went out to walk the dog.
The dog, naturally, was Heilong—the German Shepherd with a missing ear that Xu Shuyan kept as a pet.
Originally, the nanny was supposed to walk it, but ever since Ning Chen moved in, the job had fallen entirely onto him.
Through daily interaction, Heilong and Ning Chen had grown quite close, wagging its tail the moment it saw him.
"Big Brother Dali, Shuyan actually has a really kind heart. She's just been spoiled rotten and has a bit of a temper,"
Jiang Tang said as she accompanied Ning Chen on the dog walk, strolling through the picturesque Rose Garden residential community.
Glancing at Heilong, she continued, "We found Heilong on the side of the road during winter break of our freshman year. Its previous owner was a psycho who cut off its ear with scissors. Shuyan took pity on it and brought it home to raise."
Ning Chen nodded blankly.
That evening when they returned, Jiang Tang tried again with the sullen Xu Shuyan:
"Shuyan, why don't you cook breakfast yourself tomorrow morning and make a bowl of noodles for Big Brother Dali?"
"Why on earth should I cook for him?" Xu Shuyan was still harboring a grudge over the morning's incident.
"Big Brother Dali saved our lives after all, not to mention Uncle Xu and Auntie Qiao's lives. That's a life-saving grace," Jiang Tang persuaded.
"He just stumbled into it by accident..." Xu Shuyan muttered.
"Shuyan, I think the reason Big Brother Dali doesn't care for your gestures is that your gratitude lacks sincerity. How much does breakfast even cost, especially when you just had the nanny buy it?" Jiang Tang pointed out.
"Then how else am I supposed to show gratitude? Do you expect me to offer myself in marriage? No way!" Deep down, Xu Shuyan still harbored a sliver of prejudice against this small-town youth.
"Where is your mind wandering? I mean for you to cook breakfast with your own hands. That's bound to touch Big Brother Dali!" Jiang Tang patted her ample chest with confidence.
"Fine, I'll try it tomorrow morning..." Xu Shuyan agreed reluctantly.
As the proud Miss Xu, she had never cooked a meal for anyone in her life.
The next morning, juggling tutorial videos and advice from the nanny, she managed to whip up a bowl of tomato and egg noodles—only to discover that Ning Chen had already left the house, nearly driving her into a fit of rage.
Ning Chen had eaten breakfast at the food street and stopped by the Diamond Club to take a look around.
Because of the homicide, the club had predictably been sealed off, with temporary suspension notices pasted across the front doors.
However, he could hear a series of arguments echoing from within.
"Bai Xiao is dead. Wang Yinhua, do you really think a mere woman like you can hold onto Diamond? Today, you're going to sign whether you want to or not!"
A vicious voice reverberated through the lobby.
A dozen or so thugs stood behind a suit-clad man. Most of them sported tattoos, practically radiating swagger on their faces, clearly marking them as members of the underworld.
"Zheng Yang, your Sihai Gang is overstepping its bounds. Diamond is under my name now, and I'd rather die than sell it to you!"
Wang Yinhua stood near the front desk, glaring at the man in the suit. "If you've got the guts, kill me!"
"You fucking think I won't?"
The man named Zheng Yang strode over, grabbed Wang Yinhua by the throat, and pointed at a contract lying on the front desk. "Sign it for me! Otherwise, I'll have men stationed here twenty-four hours a day, making sure you eat, drink, and shit right here for the rest of your life!"
"Go right ahead. Let's see if you have the patience to waste away here every day." Wang Yinhua remained entirely defiant.
*Slap!*
Zheng Yang sent her flying with a vicious backhand to the face. "Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, I'll let you experience the true power of the Sihai Gang right now!"
"What... what are you people trying to do?"
Wang Yinhua curled inward on the floor, the corner of her mouth split and bleeding bright crimson.
"What do you think?"
Zheng Yang rubbed his chin, letting out a low chuckle. "Wang Yinhua, I heard Bai Xiao used to force himself on you? But since he never swapped you out all these years, you must be pretty decent in bed, huh?"
Gritting her teeth, Wang Yinhua glared at Zheng Yang, trembling with rage!
Just then, the front doors of the Diamond Club lobby slowly swung open.
"What's going on in here?" A curious head poked inside, speaking unconcernedly.
It was none other than Ning Chen.
"It's him!"
Wang Yinhua's pupils constricted violently. As if she had just found her savior, she shrieked at the top of her lungs, "A-Chen, run! Go call the cops! They're going to kill me!"
The Sihai Gang thugs guarding the entrance were just about to chase Ning Chen away.
But hearing Wang Yinhua's shout, they immediately decided against letting him leave.
"This kid is one of Bai's men. Bring him inside!"
Zheng Yang ordered in a deep voice.
*Chapter 27: I Just Want to Study in Peace*
Escorted by four Sihai Gang thugs, Ning Chen stepped into the lobby.
Wang Yinhua didn't dare meet his eyes.
After all, her cry for help a moment ago had been a deliberate attempt to use Ning Chen.
Meanwhile, Zheng Yang could never have imagined that the naive-looking college student with a hint of youthful greenness on his face was the ruthless killer who had taken out the boss of the Bai gang.
"Kid, are you here for Wang Yinhua? What's your relationship with her?" Zheng Yang walked over, asking with amused interest.
"Me and her? What kind of relationship could we possibly have? None," Ning Chen replied truthfully.
Clearly unsatisfied with the answer, Zheng Yang scoffed.
"None? I bet you're just a kept toy she pays to maintain while he's at university!"
Zheng Yang barked a laugh, then shifted his gaze to Wang Yinhua. "Well, well, well, you stinking bitch. Spending a man's money to cradle a younger lover at school—you've really outdone yourself. Bai Xiao must've had a whole pasture of green grass growing on his head, hahaha."
"No, no, that's not it! Stop talking nonsense!"
Wang Yinhua shook her head frantically, then lunged forward to wrap her arms around Zheng Yang's leg.
"Brother Zheng, Brother Zheng, I beg you, let him go! He has nothing to do with this! He's just a college student."
Ning Chen: "..."
This woman really knew how to put on a performance.
The more she pleaded like that, the less likely Zheng Yang was to let Ning Chen go, forcing Ning Chen to step in.
This was a blatant, daylight trap.
"Get lost!"
Zheng Yang kicked Wang Yinhua aside and prepared to teach Ning Chen a lesson as leverage to force Wang Yinhua into signing the contract.
Before he could even wind up his fist, Ning Chen delivered a backhanded slap!
With a cracking sound like a firecracker, Zheng Yang sent two front teeth flying as he was launched backward, slamming hard against the wall and groaning in pain, unable to get back up.
"Holy shit?"
The Sihai Gang thugs jumped in shock, taking a long time to process what had just happened.
How could this kid be so strong? Was he Superman?
Seeing this, Wang Yinhua let out a secret sigh of relief.
Ning Chen, however, stepped directly forward and glared coldly at the gaudy vixen. "You dared to use me?"
"Brother Chen, I... I didn't..."
Naturally, Wang Yinhua wouldn't admit it, putting on an expression of pure bewilderment and innocence instead.
"Beat him to death!!!"
Zheng Yang's roar echoed through the room.
Over a dozen Sihai Gang thugs swarmed forward, some brandishing chairs, others rushing in with bare fists.
"Scram—"
Ning Chen spun around and let out a furious bellow.
Infused with a trace of True Qi, the shout formed a visible shockwave that instantly repelled the charging Sihai Gang thugs.
Fifteen or sixteen men crashed to the ground, blood instantly oozing from their ears as they wailed in agony. Some even passed out on the spot.
Throughout it all, Ning Chen stood there as calm as ever.
Wang Yinhua covered her ears as well, a look of extreme pain crossing her face.
Fortunately, Ning Chen's back was turned to her, otherwise, the shockwave might have killed her outright.
"You... you-you..." Standing the furthest away, Zheng Yang pointed at Ning Chen in sheer terror.
"I told you to scram. Did you not understand?" Ning Chen shot him a sidelong glance.
"Let's go! Move, move, move, hurry up!" Zheng Yang hurriedly fled with his subordinates, even hoisting away the ones who had passed out.
"Thank you, Brother Chen! Thank you for saving my life, Brother Chen!"
Wang Yinhua dropped to her knees before Ning Chen, tears of gratitude streaming down her face. "I'll be your woman from now on..."
"Get lost, in your dreams!"
Ning Chen cursed in annoyance, then surveyed the room. "What's the situation here now? Where are Bai Xiao's lackies?"
"They're... they're all at the hospital," Wang Yinhua whimpered.
"Oh, then I'm leaving." Ning Chen turned on his heel.
"Wait, Brother Chen!"
Suddenly struck by a thought, Wang Yinhua scrambled to her feet and rushed after him. "Brother Chen, why don't... why don't you take over the Bai gang? In our line of work, whoever has the biggest fist is the boss."
"Since Bai Xiao was killed by you—cough, since he passed away, naturally you are the rightful boss of the Bai gang. I'm also ready to hand over my shares in the Diamond Club on a silver platter. What do you think?"
"Not interested." Walking down the food street, Ning Chen replied indifferently.
Wang Yinhua was stunned.
The Diamond Club was one of the largest nightclubs in the West District, pulling in hundreds of thousands in daily revenue. Combined with several food streets near the college town, it was a prize that made countless gangs across Qingzhou turn green with envy.
The Sihai Gang had come specifically to seize the Diamond Club today.
Yet Ning Chen acted completely indifferent.
Assuming Ning Chen didn't understand the stakes, Wang Yinhua proceeded to spell out the benefits of becoming a gang boss.
"Brother Chen, as long as you become the boss of the Bai gang, no one in Qingzhou will ever dare touch Li Mei's barbecue restaurant again," Wang Yinhua said as a final pitch.
"Too much trouble." Ning Chen shook his head. "I just want to study in peace right now."
"..." Wang Yinhua was left speechless.
*Study? Can studying make a million a month?!*
"Why don't you just become the boss yourself," Ning Chen suggested.
"Huh? Me become the boss?" Wang Yinhua froze.
She was just a woman; by what right could she become the boss of the Bai gang? How could the subordinates possibly submit to her?