"Li... Li Chonglou, it's... it's you!" In mere seconds, Fan Liang's expression morphed from arrogance to shock, then to hatred, a truly spectacular display.
He never imagined he would encounter this sworn enemy, the one he wished he could devour raw, again here.
The incident at Jiutian Zhongya last time had turned him into a laughingstock within his circles.
His attempt at revenge had failed, leaving him with a bitter loss.
His father had sent word to Chen Rong yesterday, expecting swift retribution. He hadn't anticipated running into Li Chonglou again.
And Li Chonglou was only accompanied by two bodyguards.
This...
"Of course, it's me."
Li Chonglou watched his expression shift, then calmly stated, "It seems the last incident didn't teach you a lesson."
"I heard you surrounded Jiutian Zhongya with your men. Quite the display."
"Now that you've seen me, do you want revenge?"
He said this while walking towards Fan Liang.
Each step, the sound echoing on the ground, sent a tremor through Fan Liang's heart, his blood surging.
He also hadn't expected Fan Liang to come bothering Qi Yu. This young dandy's narrow-mindedness was evident.
Even more so, he hadn't expected to stumble upon it again.
And with Fan Meng stepping forward first, he knew exactly why she was doing it.
Given that, how could he stand by idly? With his senior sister present, he would let her handle the confrontation.
His own identity wouldn't be exposed.
"You goddamn... you goddamn, don't come any closer! I warn you, don't come any closer..." Fan Liang gritted his teeth, his body tensing, his voice shouting fiercely, but his body's actions were honest, involuntarily retreating.
Seeing this, the two bodyguards immediately blocked Li Chonglou's path.
Qi Yu, witnessing this, couldn't help but feel gratitude and shock well up in her beautiful eyes.
The incident at the nightclub last time had been shocking, directly leading to her losing her job. Fortunately, a friend had recommended her to this place.
She hadn't expected to be unable to escape after all.
Nor had she expected Li Chonglou to appear again, and that the wicked dandy Fan Liang seemed to fear him so much.
What was his background?
"Get lost immediately. Disturbing our young master will be your death..." One of the bodyguards, seeing Li Chonglou approach, shouted and reached out to push him.
*Bang!*
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Ying, transforming into a streak of light, instantly crossed five to six meters and appeared before him.
A high kick landed directly on the speaking bodyguard's face.
This kick used subtle force, not shattering the bodyguard's facial bones, but sending him rolling over three meters on the ground.
He fell to the ground, his expression filled with utter horror.
The entire process was faster than lightning. Only after the bodyguard landed did everyone react to the beautiful, skilled woman accompanying Li Chonglou.
"You want to die..." Seeing his companion sent flying, the other bodyguard's eyes bulged. With a怪叫, he lunged forward and delivered a front kick towards Lin Ying's abdomen.
Lin Ying's previously gentle gaze suddenly turned cold and sharp.
She turned her left hand, lightly blocking the bodyguard's leg.
Then, with a smooth motion, she scooped his leg up in an arc and brought her right hand down with great force.
*Crack!*
A bone-grinding crack echoed, accompanied by the bodyguard's piercing scream. His lower leg bone had snapped at an unbelievable angle, causing him to immediately lose balance and fall to the ground.
Tears and snot streamed down his face from the pain, and he curled into a ball, trembling all over.
Lin Ying was not a violent person. Her intention was a minor punishment, to scare these two bodyguards.
Thus, the first one, though sent flying, was not seriously injured. After all, they were just taking money to do a job, and there was no need for that.
However, this bodyguard's intentions were truly malicious.
He had actually kicked her abdomen. One had to know what a woman's abdomen signified – the uterus.
A strong blow there could potentially cause uterine prolapse, a lifelong regret.
This was why the two bodyguards were treated differently.
Those who harm others will be harmed themselves.
Lin Ying would not hold back against such a despicable person.
Everyone was stunned.
Who could have imagined that a delicate woman, who looked incapable of even lifting a chicken, could break the leg of a professionally trained bodyguard with her bare hands?
This...
Was this even human?
Fan Meng and Qi Yu's eyes widened. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed such a formidable woman existed.
So, Li Chonglou's senior sister was this incredibly powerful. No wonder he was so audacious.
Fan Liang was petrified by the scene, his face filled with terror as he continuously retreated. He only stopped when he bumped into the large table behind him.
Regaining his composure, he threatened with feigned ferocity, "Li Chonglou, this isn't over between us!"
"If you dare touch me, I'll mobilize the entire might of the Fan family to make your life worse than death."
Fan Meng couldn't help but cover her forehead upon hearing this.
Her useless younger cousin, apart from bullying people with his father's influence, was a mama's boy.
He didn't even know how to come up with a new threat, resorting to such cliché tactics.
It lacked any deterrent whatsoever.
If even she wasn't afraid, why would Li Chonglou care?
"Young Master Fan, are you still not weaned? Truly spoiled since childhood. It seems I need to educate you on behalf of your father." Li Chonglou slowly walked up to Fan Liang and patted him lightly on the face.
Fan Liang was instantly scared out of his wits. If it weren't for the large table supporting him, he would have likely collapsed to the ground.
In his eyes now, Li Chonglou was a terrifying demon.
Both bodyguards were top-tier fighters, yet they couldn't even defeat one woman beside him.
What could he do?
Call the police? Li Chonglou wouldn't give him that chance.
He could only hope that the Fan family's name could still intimidate someone, but he had misjudged his opponent's mindset.
In Li Chonglou's eyes, the Fan family was merely a paper tiger, their members disunited and lacking harmony.
Song Yi had met them, so why would he care about Fan Liang?
Li Chonglou decided to scare this dandy a bit, to instill some fear in him so that he wouldn't dare seek him out again in the future.
So, he reached out, grabbed Fan Liang's hair, and pulled his head back, forcing him to look up.
He was about to intimidate him with his gaze.
Suddenly, the restaurant door was pushed open, and a voice called out, "Young Master Fan, how come you're being bullied? It seems I've arrived late. My apologies, my apologies."
The speaker had a scar above his left eyebrow. Despite wearing a suit, he exuded a sharp aura that made it impossible to look directly at him.
He was none other than Chen Rong, a renowned figure in Zhonghai's underworld.
Behind him followed eight men. Though not exceptionally bulky, they were all lean and composed, clearly trained martial artists.
"Boss Chen, Boss Chen, save me!" Fan Liang, on the verge of being scared to death, cried out with a sob upon hearing the voice, his face lighting up with joy.
At the same time, Lin Ying and the others' gazes fell on Chen Rong.
Fan Meng's expression turned grim.
Her eyes flashed with hatred as she quietly explained, "Sister Lin, he is Chen Rong, a prominent figure in Zhonghai's underworld and legal circles. He is very close to Fan Keli, and he played a significant role in my father's imprisonment."
She spoke through gritted teeth, as if she wished she could devour Chen Rong alive.
Lin Ying nodded, her eyes showing a hint of gravity.
The layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the skill.
She immediately recognized that Chen Rong himself was a master, and the eight men accompanying him were all skilled fighters.
In terms of martial prowess, they might rival Li Hanlong from back then.
It was no wonder he could establish such a vast power base and network in a bustling metropolis like Zhonghai; without formidable abilities, it would be nearly impossible.
Especially in the chaotic era of thirty to twenty years ago, fighting was common, and those without strong martial arts skills would have long been beaten to death.
Li Chonglou also released Fan Liang and looked towards Chen Rong.
His pupils contracted slightly.
He recognized this person. Not only did he know him, but they also had past grievances in his previous life, naturally stemming from his involvement in Fan Meng's struggle for family inheritance.
At that time, he had been pushed to the brink of despair by Chen Rong, and had ultimately resorted to cunning to win.
Chen Rong's influence and methods were terrifying, a fact he vividly remembered.
Of course, in his previous life, he had no martial abilities, so he couldn't gauge how strong Chen Rong truly was.
As their eyes met, unseen sparks of electricity flashed and exploded, instantly filling the front hall of the restaurant with a sense of unseen blades and drawn swords, making one's hair stand on end and sending chills down their spine.
Fan Meng and Qi Yu involuntarily shivered.
Lin Ying remained composed, shielding Fan Meng behind her.
"Young Master Fan, I am truly sorry. Your father visited me yesterday, and I was held up with some personal matters. I didn't expect such a situation to arise today, causing you distress," Chen Rong withdrew his gaze, walked to Fan Liang's side, and said with a smile.
With his arrival, the fear on Fan Liang's face vanished, replaced by smugness and schadenfreude.
He hid behind Chen Rong and pointed at Li Chonglou, shouting, "It's good you're here. Deal with him for me, beat this little bastard to death."
"I will reward you handsomely!"
Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Chen Rong's eyes, and he coldly sneered, instructing, "What are you standing around for? Haven't you heard Young Master Fan?"
"If you want to eat and drink, you need to put in some effort. Capture him, but don't injure his internal organs. I've promised a friend."
"Yes!" The eight men following Chen Rong responded in unison and advanced towards Li Chonglou.
Their coordination was flawless, their steps firm.
One could tell they were rigorously trained, specialized combatants.
Seeing this, Lin Ying leaped forward, positioning herself in front of Li Chonglou, wagging her finger. "An eight-on-one, what kind of skill is that? Bring on a few more, and I'll teach you a lesson."
With that, she twisted her slender waist, shifted her stance, and plunged into the group of eight. Her hands moved like whips, and her legs like steel cables.
*Pa pa pa...*
After exchanging seven or eight blows, she broke free from the crowd.
She called out, "Junior Brother, be careful yourself."
Her pretty face flushed slightly, her breathing quickened, but she had managed to draw four of them aside.
Only four remained to deal with Li Chonglou.
The restaurant's waiters, manager, and owner, seeing the commotion, didn't dare to intervene, all hiding outside the door for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
They also dared not call the police; they couldn't afford to offend any of the people involved.
They could only silently pray that no one would be killed.
Li Chonglou's expression also turned serious. He had seen his senior sister fight less than ten times.
She could usually handle opponents with ease. Only on a few occasions, when facing Li Hanlong, had the match been even.
And now, she seemed to be struggling, drawing four away meant she could only handle four.
It was likely that he wouldn't be a match either, as his strength still lagged behind his senior sister's.
Just as he was thinking this, the four men surged forward.
The wind from their fists swept towards him, emanating a fierce aura. This was not the demeanor of ordinary bodyguards or thugs; it was quite similar to someone.
Xu Lie!
These men were veterans of underground fighting rings. No wonder his senior sister was showing signs of strain fighting four at once.
Li Chonglou raised his hand to block a punch. His heart thudded, feeling as if he'd been hit by a motorcycle, and his arm ached.
He used the momentum to shift sideways, but immediately, more fists and kicks came at him, forcing him to retreat.
He inwardly lamented.
If it were about perception, he wouldn't fear any number of opponents.
But martial strength had never been his forte. Although he had the secret art from the sheepskin scroll as a trump card, he lacked practical combat experience.
He could handle ordinary people, but facing such masters, he immediately appeared to be struggling to cope.