Chapter 20: Is There Any Man Who Is Not Fond of Beauty?

If Zhang Xiaofan had made his move when her swordplay was already waning, she would have been forced into a defensive position. Once someone got too close, even a sword—a weapon meant for close quarters—would be hard to wield to its full potential. She was sent to probe Zhang Xiaofan’s strength, yet now it seemed she couldn't even compel him to show his hand. This glib-tongued youth was truly terrifying!

For the first time, Yuehen felt a deep sense of defeat.

“Can’t you at least fight me?” Yuehen twisted in frustration, her voice taking on an uncharacteristic tenderness. If anyone saw her now, their eyes would surely pop out in disbelief—Yuehen, the cool beauty and sword expert of the Martial Arts Society, acting coquettish!

“Then tell me, what’s in it for me if I fight you?” Zhang Xiaofan was speechless at her antics.

“What do you want?” Yuehen asked on instinct.

“What's in it for me…” Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “If there’s a benefit, let me have a feel. I want to see if it’s soft and bouncy.”

“You… shameless! Despicable!” Yuehen was on the verge of madness. What kind of person was this? He had such skill, yet acted like a street thug.

“So you won’t agree, then? If you won’t, I’ll be on my way.” Zhang Xiaofan leapt off the stone bench, unruffled.

“Hey, young man, why the rush?” At that moment, a voice sounded—not loud, but it struck Zhang Xiaofan’s eardrums and reverberated in his heart.

A master!

Zhang Xiaofan’s expression grew serious, his mind focused.

The newcomer was none other than the old man from the principal’s office earlier.

“Teacher,” Yuehen greeted him with a respectful bow, then pointed at Zhang Xiaofan. “This guy is too shameless!”

Zhang Xiaofan was displeased. He hadn’t even done anything yet.

“Hey, hey, hey, beautiful, how am I shameless? Did I touch you? Did I sleep with you? Did I do anything to you?”

“I’ll… I’ll castrate you!” Yuehen fumed and moved to attack.

“Enough. If you can’t control your emotions, how will you ever achieve greatness?” The old man stopped her, then turned to Zhang Xiaofan with a smile. “Do you know who I am?”

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re the founder of the Martial Arts Society at this school,” Zhang Xiaofan replied after a moment’s thought. There weren’t many with that level of skill here.

“Correct. I am the founder—Feng Qingyang,” the old man said with a smile.

“Feng Qingyang? Don’t tell me you’re the one from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer?” Zhang Xiaofan asked.

“My young friend, you have quite the sense of humor. It’s just the same name, nothing more.” Feng Qingyang stroked his graying beard.

“Well then, Senior Feng, what brings you here? If you’re thinking of introducing this fierce woman to me, forget it. I’m worried for my future happiness,” Zhang Xiaofan said.

“Narcissist! With your rogue’s look, even glancing at you disgusts me,” Yuehen scowled at him, clearly irritated.

“I had originally planned to have her test your strength. But now, it seems you far exceed my expectations, so I must try for myself,” Feng Qingyang said calmly.

“I advise you not to fight. If you use your inner energy, you won’t live more than three days,” Zhang Xiaofan said solemnly.

“Heh… It seems you truly are no ordinary person. In fact, even if I don’t use inner energy, I only have two or three days left,” Feng Qingyang replied, still smiling, life and death apparently meaning little to him.

“Teacher!” Yuehen cried, deeply anxious.

“The Ice Palm of the Venomous Hand Medicine King is indeed formidable, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cure it,” Zhang Xiaofan said, his words sending shockwaves through Feng Qingyang’s heart.

“You say you can heal me?” Feng Qingyang asked.

“I can, but it would drain me greatly and carries risks. I don’t even know you—why should I take the risk?” Zhang Xiaofan replied.

Indeed, he had no ties to Feng Qingyang. Why endanger himself for a stranger?

“You’re right. The poison of the Ice Palm is extremely sinister and has strong backlash. It’s best you don’t take the risk,” Feng Qingyang’s flicker of hope quickly faded.

“I beg you, please save my teacher,” Yuehen pleaded, her slender form trembling.

“I have a grudge with the Venomous Hand Medicine King as well. I’d like to help, but not at risk to myself. If you can find a Spirit Stone, perhaps I can give it a try,” Zhang Xiaofan said.

Spirit Stones—almost no one in the mundane world knows what they truly are. Some might think they’re just precious stones, like jade.

But Feng Qingyang knew: Spirit Stones are a rare treasure for ancient martial cultivators.

To purge the poison of the Ice Palm from Feng Qingyang, Zhang Xiaofan’s spiritual power might barely suffice, but it's risky. Only with the aid of a Spirit Stone could he guarantee his own safety.

“If you manage to find one, come to me,” he said. Having just met Feng Qingyang, there was no sense of friendship. If not for the old man's good attitude, Zhang Xiaofan wouldn’t even bother.

“Teacher, can we really find it?” After Zhang Xiaofan left, Yuehen asked worriedly, “If we can’t, I’ll beg him—even if I have to be his servant, as long as he saves you.”

“Silly child, I’ll find a way,” Feng Qingyang replied with a smile. “But if you truly ended up entangled with that young man, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. He is unfathomable.”

“I don’t want anything to do with that scoundrel!” Yuehen pouted, seemingly forgetting her earlier promise to be his servant.

“All right, all right… I was just saying,” Feng Qingyang chuckled. “Don’t judge by appearances. There’s much you can’t see. That boy has a righteous aura about him—he’s not the kind of person you imagine.”

“Him? All he does is talk nonsense—he’s a lecherous rogue, righteous aura?” Yuehen was unconvinced.

“Are there any men who aren’t a little lustful? At least he’s open about it, not sneaky like those who use underhanded tricks,” Feng Qingyang replied. Had Zhang Xiaofan heard, he would have said, “Only a man knows a man!”

The old man’s eyes grew contemplative. Where was he supposed to find a Spirit Stone? Would he have to resort to government resources? That was the last thing he wanted.

...

“Damn it, what kind of useless assassins are these?”

At the Tan family home, Tan Gang was furious after a phone call. They told him the target was too tough, the assassin dared not take the job, and had abandoned the mission.

He was even warned to be patient and not provoke Zhang Xiaofan.

How could Tan Gang not be angry?

But there was some comfort: an informant had told him that last night, Zhang Xiaofan hadn’t slept with Ouyang Xue. That made Tan Gang feel a glimmer of hope.

Even so, the warning from Boss Lei sobered him. Over the years, Boss Lei had quietly eliminated many of the Tan family’s enemies, but this time, he had not only withdrawn from the task, he’d sounded almost afraid.

Tan Gang realized that Zhang Xiaofan was truly not someone to be trifled with.

Thinking back, Tan Gang recognized that Liu Zifeng had likely exaggerated things last night—maybe he was being used as a pawn.

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. Knowing Liu Zifeng’s temperament, if there were a real vendetta, he’d never let it go. There was only one explanation: the Liu family was afraid to act.

Or perhaps, they had already tried and failed.

Tan Gang decided to drop the matter.

Meanwhile, at the Liu family home, Liu Qiang lay in bed, furious to the point of coughing blood when he learned Zhang Xiaofan hadn’t been expelled. He couldn’t accept it—how could their family’s influence fail to get rid of that boy?

Standing beside him was none other than Liu Zifeng.

“Brother, how did you get involved with that jinx?” Liu Qiang was the son of Liu Zifeng’s aunt. The old master of the Liu family had only one daughter, so he’d taken a son-in-law into the family.

“That bastard provoked me. I only said a few words, and he beat me up,” Liu Qiang complained bitterly. “Grandpa, you must avenge me!”

Beside them, Old Master Liu Xiao’s expression was grim. Liu family’s Chen was almost certainly dead, too.

That was why he restrained his grandsons, but now, seeing another battered and bruised, he could hold back no longer.

In his view, with wealth and influence, a bit of money and effort would surely solve the problem. Hire an even better assassin—he refused to believe he couldn’t kill one person. His pride couldn’t stomach this insult.

For years, no one had dared challenge the Liu family’s authority. Now, a mere boy had beaten his grandsons and killed a trusted bodyguard of many years.

This person must die.

He picked up his phone, found a number in his contacts, and dialed with a serious expression.

“Who is this?” came a commanding voice from the other end.

“Hello, Mr. Hu, this is Liu Xiao from the Liu family,” he said politely, clearly taking the other man seriously.

“What do you want?”

“I’d like to hire you to kill someone.”

“If the Liu family can’t deal with him, he’s not ordinary, is he? Ten million—I’ll take care of it.”

“All right, ten million it is.”

To Liu Xiao, ten million was nothing.

“Name and address.”

“Zhang Xiaofan, a student in Class 2, Senior Three, Jinghai High School.”

There was a pause on the line—hearing it was a student—but only for a moment. “Since he’s a student, it’ll be an extra five million.”

Killing a student was far more troublesome than an adult. Liu Xiao understood and agreed.

“Very well.”

“He’ll be dead within a week,” the voice said, then hung up.

“Grandpa, did you hire Hu Yitian, the boss of No Man’s Street?” Liu Zifeng asked in shock.

No Man’s Street, Hu Yitian—he was one of Dragon Lord Long’s men from the Longteng Group, with a crew of desperate fugitives and skilled assassins. Even business giants like them dared not offend him; a single misstep could mean ruin overnight.

“That’s right. This is for your revenge, and Chen’s as well,” Liu Xiao replied coldly. The Liu family’s dignity would not be trampled.

“Excellent! That brat won’t be so arrogant now!” Liu Zifeng exclaimed.

“Before he’s dead, stay away from him, and don’t spread the word. Learn to be patient—if money can solve it, why risk yourselves? Once he’s dead, you’ll be the winners. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Grandpa. I’ll remember your words,” Liu Zifeng nodded obediently.

“As for the Ye family, you’d better pay attention. If you can bed their little girl, all the better,” Liu Xiao said.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa, I’ll do my best. Once that brat is dead and out of the way, I’ll have that little slut in my hands. After we’ve swallowed up the Ye family, I’ll toss her aside,” Liu Zifeng said viciously.

The failure to poison the Ye family was Liu Xiao’s greatest disappointment; otherwise, he wouldn’t have to go to such lengths now.