The tattooed youth they called "Monkey" cursed.
He raised his fist and swung it towards my face.
It looked like he put quite a bit of power into it.
But, the very instant he threw that punch.
With a "snap," I caught his fist.
No matter how hard he struggled, I didn't budge an inch.
He was shocked, and before he could figure out what to do next.
The next second, I twisted his fist downward with the hand that held it.
With a "crack," his joint popped out.
The kid yelped, "Ah!"
The hand that had been gripping my collar immediately loosened, and he collapsed to his knees in pain.
A fatter man standing nearby had been looking forward to the spectacle.
But he didn't expect me to be so ruthless.
Seeing this, his face contorted in surprise:
"Damn it!"
He cursed and swung a punch at me as well.
As a result, I kicked him, sending him crashing into the elevator wall with a dull thud.
In just two moves, both street thugs were down.
And instantly incapacitated.
One clutched his wrist, groaning in pain.
The other clutched his stomach, sweating profusely from the pain.
At this moment, the elevator reached the fifth floor:
"Get out!"
I yelled.
Subtly, I released a trace of my Dao qi.
The oppressive aura filled them with dread.
How could they dare to linger?
They scrambled out of the elevator, and as the doors were closing.
The youth called Monkey, still clutching his wrist, shouted threats at me:
"Kid, you f— you f— just wait, just you wait…"
I looked at him with a cold expression.
In my heart, I didn't even consider him a threat.
After the elevator doors closed, I turned to face the long-haired beauty.
I found her stunned, staring at me with a look of disbelief.
I smiled faintly:
"Are you alright?"
The long-haired beauty shook her head:
"I-I'm fine, thank you, thank you!"
I shook my head, remaining silent.
The long-haired beauty also seemed a bit awkward, unsure of what to say.
So we stood in the elevator, in an awkward silence.
The elevator continued its doors opening and closing, eventually reaching the ninth floor.
Upon reaching the ninth floor, the beauty thanked me again.
Then, awkwardly, she was the first to step out of the elevator.
I just smiled calmly, not making a big deal of it.
After exiting the elevator, I had no idea where the Peony Pavilion was.
So I had to ask around as I searched.
When I finally found the Peony Pavilion, I could hear a lively atmosphere inside.
There must have been quite a few people.
Besides Zhang Chuyue, I probably didn't know anyone else.
So, I straightened my collar and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
"Come in…"
Zhang Chuyue's voice came from inside.
I took a breath and pushed the door open.
As soon as the door opened, I saw a large round table that could seat twenty people, already occupied by more than a dozen people.
Men and women alike.
At this moment, everyone turned to look at me.
I also spotted Zhang Chuyue in the crowd.
Chuyue was wearing a white dress today, looking incredibly beautiful and poised.
"Qin Ze, come in quickly!"
Chuyue spoke first.
I smiled:
"Chuyue, happy birthday."
After saying that, I walked into the room.
Chuyue immediately pulled out the seat next to her, gesturing for me to sit.
But as I approached, I saw someone else at the large round table.
It was the long-haired woman from the elevator.
She was now sitting next to Chuyue.
We exchanged a glance.
In our eyes, there was a hint of surprise.
Neither of us had expected that we were both invited to Zhang Chuyue's birthday party.
I looked at her and smiled again:
"Beautiful lady, we meet again."
The long-haired beauty nodded and smiled back.
Zhang Chuyue looked curious:
"Shiyao, Qin Ze, do you know each other?"
"Not really, we just met in the elevator a moment ago."
I said with a smile.
There was no way I was going to mention that she was harassed by thugs.
This beauty named Shiyao also nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Chuyue let out an "Oh," and then introduced me to everyone present:
"Everyone, let me introduce you.
This is my good friend, Li Shiyao.
She's an actress, and who knows, she might become a big star in the future!"
Everyone was surprised to hear that this beauty was an actress.
They all started clapping, and one or two men nearby even began asking for her contact information.
Then, Chuyue addressed everyone again:
"This is my elementary school classmate, Qin Ze.
He's a Daoist priest, and a very powerful one!"
Zhang Chuyue introduced me quite seriously.
But the others present heard it with a dismissive attitude.
In fact, one or two even gave me scornful looks.
And one or two even spoke sarcastically:
"A Daoist priest! Can you also cultivate immortality?"
"Hahaha, of course.
Perhaps he rode here on a sword today."
These two were clearly trying to stir up trouble.
But I found it strange. I didn't know them, and why were they targeting me as soon as I arrived?
However, I later learned that these two who were mocking me were indeed hostile towards me.
They were both suitors of Chuyue.
They had intended to sit next to Chuyue.
But Chuyue had reserved that seat for me.
Therefore, they had been harboring animosity towards me since my arrival.
Consequently.
These two took the opportunity to mock me when Chuyue introduced me.
Trying to curb my influence...