Chapter 32: Those Who Offend Mr. Chen Shall Die!

Qian Liang was momentarily stunned, but quickly put on a look of astonished gratitude. He hadn’t expected Brother Kun to show up in person without even waiting for a phone call—his speed was almost supernatural, and Qian Liang was so moved he nearly fell to his knees right there.

Qian Xiaobao, upon seeing the bald man with the eagle tattoo, instantly recognized him. He looked as though he was ready to abase himself at any moment. Usually, he wasn’t qualified to meet Jiang Kun, but he had often heard tales from his brother’s associates of the “Bald Eagle King’s” fearsome prowess and had long since come to idolize him.

Xiao Li, suddenly confronted with this imposing newcomer, was utterly terrified. The man’s presence was more frightening than the crowd of a hundred who had come before.

“Brother Kun, you’re here!” Qian Liang bowed obsequiously and hurried forward, then pointed at Chen Yuyi’s group and shouted, “Brother Kun, it was them who injured our brothers!”

But Jiang Kun didn’t even glance at him; instead, he walked straight toward Chen Yuyi.

Chen Yuyi smiled faintly, a slight curve at his lips.

Qin Guo simply watched Jiang Kun quietly. He didn’t know the man, but he could sense his formidable strength. Though he himself was still wounded, he would give his all—he would never allow Chen, the Venerable, to take action personally.

Seeing Jiang Kun head straight for Chen Yuyi, the Qian brothers exchanged smug looks, as if to say, “You’re finished now!”

Xiao Li turned even paler than before, her face as white as paper, and her fear deepened.

“Mr. Chen, this was entrusted to me by Master Shan for you,” Jiang Kun said unexpectedly. He produced an exquisite long box and presented it with both hands before Chen Yuyi.

Everyone present was stunned by this scene.

Especially the Qian brothers, who had expected Jiang Kun to strike immediately. They were utterly baffled and felt a creeping sense of unease.

Qin Guo was surprised as well, but it made sense—after all, the man before them was a Venerable.

Xiao Li’s mouth fell open in astonishment. So they knew each other after all.

Chen Yuyi smiled lightly, already guessing that the box contained the thousand-year-old ginseng king from the auction. “Very well, set it down.”

After Jiang Kun put down the ginseng, his gaze turned icy as he fixed it on the Qian brothers.

Qian Liang was so unnerved by that glare that he began to panic, fearing Jiang Kun had forgotten him. “Brother Kun, it’s me, Liangzi from Old City Street. You once brought me to see Master Shan, remember?”

As he spoke, he edged backward, realizing things had spiraled far beyond his expectations. It felt as if he’d kicked not just an iron plate, but a steel spike.

Qian Xiaobao, seeing his brother’s reaction, was so frightened his legs began to tremble. What on earth was happening?

“How dare you offend Mr. Chen!” Jiang Kun’s hand shot out in a claw shape, a shadow flickering as he gave Qian Liang no chance to speak further.

Qian Xiaobao tried to run, but he was no match for the speed of Jiang Kun’s eagle’s claw.

In the blink of an eye, two corpses lay on the ground.

The hired thugs, who had been groaning and writhing moments ago, held their breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of being the next to die.

Jiang Kun’s men had been waiting outside; now two of them entered and dragged away the bodies.

Xiao Li stood rooted to the spot, having witnessed two living men killed before her eyes. Was this a dream?

She bit her lip, felt pain, and realized it was all real. Darkness swept over her vision and she nearly fainted.

“Get up!” Jiang Kun barked at the men still lying on the floor.

None of them cared about their pain anymore; they scrambled to their feet as quickly as possible.

“Remember this: anyone who offends Mr. Chen will die!” Jiang Kun’s final word crashed over them like thunder.

The men shuddered, forcing themselves to memorize Chen Yuyi’s face.

Xiao Li stared at Chen Yuyi in disbelief—was this truly the unremarkable, penniless young man who often came here for vegetarian noodles?

Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed her mind: since these people dared kill in front of her, would they silence her as well, just like on TV?

Indeed, the bald man began to walk toward her; terror rooted her to the spot, pressing her against the wall.

“Make me a bowl of noodles—beef, with cilantro,” Jiang Kun said expressionlessly.

Xiao Li was momentarily stunned. Did that mean they weren’t planning to kill her? Or were they just waiting until after their meal?

Chen Yuyi glanced at her and shook his head, then said to Jiang Kun, “Let everyone go.”

Jiang Kun gestured, and the others vanished as if granted a general pardon. Of course, none of them would dare speak a word about what had happened tonight; they could imagine the consequences.

Jiang Kun ate a few bites of noodles, paying little attention to Qin Guo, and then addressed Chen Yuyi: “Miss Zuo has been taken.”

Chen Yuyi’s brows immediately drew together. “Who did it?”

“Mo Chengkong,” Jiang Kun replied, then briefly explained the feud between Mo Chengkong and Zuo Hongshan.

Qin Guo’s expression flickered as he asked, “Is Mo Chengkong the man whose face is half-burned?”

Jiang Kun had not seen Mo Chengkong in person that night, but knew he had been burned in a fire twenty years ago. “I’m not certain if his face is scarred, but he was burned in a fire twenty years ago, so it’s possible.”

Qin Guo fell silent.

Jiang Kun glanced at him. “You’ve seen him?”

“I’m not sure. I was badly injured by someone before, and that man had burns on half his face.”

“So you haven’t found out where Miss Zuo is being held?” Chen Yuyi seemed to understand.

“No. Master Shan has sent men to search everywhere, but there’s been no news.”

“There’s no need to send anyone else. By tomorrow morning, Miss Zuo will return home safely,” Chen Yuyi said with a gentle smile.

Jiang Kun was taken aback. “Mo Chengkong may already be at the Grandmaster level. Are you confident, Mr. Chen?”

Qin Guo couldn’t help but smile, almost blurting out, “So what if he’s a Grandmaster? To the Venerable Chen, he’s no more than a dog!”

Chen Yuyi remained silent.

Seeing their expressions, Jiang Kun said no more.

“The noodles here are excellent. Make sure this shop doesn’t disappear,” Chen Yuyi said, picking up the thousand-year-old ginseng king before rising to leave.

Qin Guo hurried after him.

Jiang Kun watched the two of them go, pondering Chen Yuyi’s final words. Then he looked at Xiao Li.

She was uneasy seeing them leave, and became even more frightened when Jiang Kun looked her way.

But Jiang Kun said nothing more and stood up as well. At the door, he suddenly said, “The noodles are indeed good. I’ll be coming here often.”

Xiao Li stared blankly as everyone left. The terror she’d felt earlier overwhelmed her, and she collapsed to the floor.

Looking at the wreckage around her, she felt as if she’d awoken from a dream.

“Xiao Li!” The noodle shop owner suddenly rushed in, brimming with excitement.

He didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the state of his shop. “We’re rich! Did you know? Someone just bought our shop for five million! I heard it was someone from the Zuo Group. But they don’t want us to move—they want us to keep running the place, just like before. Only now, you’re the boss!”

The owner beamed with pride. “It’s as good as being given five million for nothing. You’re my daughter, and whether you or I am the boss, what’s the difference? Daughter, just what kind of friends do you have? How did such good fortune come our way?”

Xiao Li just sat there, dazed, replaying Chen Yuyi’s words in her mind: “The noodles here are excellent. Make sure this shop doesn’t disappear.”

...

Chen Yuyi returned home.

He told Qin Guo to find somewhere to settle down on his own.

“Dragon King, the thousand-year-old ginseng king is back. Can you help me break through my cultivation now?” As soon as he got home, Chen Yuyi locked himself in his room and called out to the Dragon King.

“Your current cultivation isn’t so easily advanced. Two old ginseng roots are far from enough!” The Dragon King’s voice finally sounded, much more energetic after several days of recuperation.

“So what should I do? I’ve only managed to gather two roots. Why not let me absorb them first, and we’ll see?” Chen Yuyi was at a loss. Such ancient medicinal herbs were rare finds; he truly had no idea where to get more.

“So be it. These two ginsengs can’t help you break through, but they can stabilize your current cultivation. And now that my energy has recovered somewhat... Fine, take out the other ginseng as well.”

Chen Yuyi promptly fetched the eight-hundred-year-old ginseng, placing both roots together.

At that, the Dragon King flew out from within him, circling above the ginsengs.

A mist quickly enveloped the two roots.

“Chen Yuyi, others use fire for alchemy. Do you know what I use?” The Dragon King laughed proudly.

Chen Yuyi rolled his eyes; he knew nothing of alchemy, let alone what the Dragon King used.

“Done!” the Dragon King suddenly shouted.

The mist dispersed, and the ginsengs had vanished—leaving behind eight pills of various colors.

“Dragon King, what are these pills? Why are they all different?”

“These are spirit elixirs!” the Dragon King puffed a stream of white breath.

“What do they do?” Chen Yuyi asked doubtfully.

“Don’t worry—you won’t die from them!”

Chen Yuyi was momentarily speechless.

“Too bad there weren’t enough ingredients. These are just low-grade pills,” the Dragon King sighed, clearly dissatisfied.

“Low-grade?”

“Enough talk. These are water-refined pills. In my eyes, they’re inferior, but in the mortal world, any one of them would be revered as an immortal elixir. Take the four black-gold pills—they’re the most potent. Do as you wish with the rest: give them away, sell them—they’ll make you famous in the world!”

Chen Yuyi nodded, hesitated no longer, and swallowed one of the black-gold pills.

A sweet, smooth taste melted in his mouth instantly.

But suddenly, a tightness seized his chest; the energy within him surged like a breached dam, threatening to tear his body apart.

He was alarmed. “Dragon King, I’m about to explode!”