Chapter 21: A Harsh Slap in the Face

Chapter 21: A Harsh Slap in the Face

The reason Nie Yuanxiong dared to lay a hand on Zhou Lang was twofold: first, he was the CEO of Glory Media Co., Ltd. and the son of Vice Mayor Nie Qingyun; second, he had beaten Zhou Lang before, and Zhou Lang had been easily subdued, giving him a psychological advantage.

He could never have imagined that in just over ten days, Zhou Lang was no longer the same person he used to be.

Aside from Ye Qianqian's family and Nie Yuanxiong, Zhou Lang had never held a grudge against anyone in his life. When Nie Yuanxiong kicked at him, he naturally became angry, causing the True Qi within his body to surge uncontrollably. He had intended to send Nie Yuanxiong flying with a single punch, but at the moment he was about to strike, he calmed down. He nimbly sidestepped, dodging Nie Yuanxiong's kick.

"You damn bastard, you dare to dodge?"

At this, Nie Yuanxiong assumed Zhou Lang was afraid of him and became even more arrogant. After cursing, he swept a high whip kick toward Zhou Lang's head.

Men, especially men like Nie Yuanxiong, love to show off in front of women. Having learned a bit of Taekwondo, he was performing such flashy moves solely out of machismo, wanting to make Ye Qianqian think he was powerful so that she would be more submissive to him in bed.

"Nie Yuanxiong, if you strike again, I will fight back," Zhou Lang warned after dodging another kick from Nie Yuanxiong.

"Fine, I'd like to see how a piece of trash like you can fight back."

Nie Yuanxiong had not realized that Zhou Lang's movements were much more agile than they had been at the restaurant. He raised his leg high for a downward axe kick, aiming at Zhou Lang's face, intending to split Zhou Lang's head open and leave him bleeding.

Ye Qianqian, standing to the side, pushed her sunglasses up onto her forehead. Chewing gum, she watched the scene with a mocking smile. She believed Zhou Lang had followed her into the Nanquan State Guesthouse to confront her about their engagement again. Therefore, she hoped Nie Yuanxiong would teach Zhou Lang a harsh lesson so that he wouldn't dare pester her again.

It had to be said that Nie Yuanxiong did have some rudimentary skills; his downward axe kick was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Zhou Lang.

At the very moment he was about to be struck, Zhou Lang casually reached out, grabbed Nie Yuanxiong's ankle, and gave it a gentle push. Nie Yuanxiong was instantly sent flying backward.

Bang!

The next second, Nie Yuanxiong landed flat on his back, looking utterly disheveled.

Ah!

Ye Qianqian shrieked dramatically in fear. She glanced at Zhou Lang with a hint of trepidation, afraid that he might come over to beat her, because she knew that Zhou Lang's hatred for her far exceeded his hatred for Nie Yuanxiong.

The commotion was quite loud, and several waiters rushed over upon hearing it. However, when they saw that it was Nie Yuanxiong lying on the ground, none of them dared to step forward or speak.

"You… you actually dared to fight back?" Having made a fool of himself in public, Nie Yuanxiong became even more enraged. After scrambling up from the ground, he pointed at Zhou Lang and said.

"You were the one who struck first; I was merely acting in self-defense," Zhou Lang said with a calm, indifferent smile. Then, holding Zhao Xiaorou's hand, he walked past Nie Yuanxiong and Ye Qianqian.

"I'm going to kill you."

Feeling ignored by Zhou Lang, Nie Yuanxiong lunged at him again, even resorting to a move often used in catfights, intending to grab Zhou Lang's hair.

"Empty talk."

Zhou Lang gave a soft huff and unleashed a sweeping kick that landed squarely on the back of Nie Yuanxiong's knee.

Bang!

Although he had used only a tiny bit of force, Nie Yuanxiong couldn't withstand it and was swept to the ground. Even more ridiculous was that he landed on both knees, as if he were begging Zhou Lang for mercy.

The watching waiters wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, making the situation extremely awkward.

Meanwhile, Zhou Lang's pace remained steady as he calmly walked into Private Room No. 1 with Zhao Xiaorou.

"That bastard dared to hit me; I'm going to stab him." Nie Yuanxiong scrambled up, pulled a dagger from his person, and prepared to chase after Zhou Lang to settle the score.

"Young Master Nie, don't be so impulsive. That Zhou Lang seems quite capable of fighting. We can call for backup or get the police to deal with him. There's no need for you to dirty your own hands with such a brute."

Ye Qianqian immediately stopped Nie Yuanxiong. This woman, beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside, actually had some brains.

"Let's go, we're going out to call for backup!" After a moment's thought, Nie Yuanxiong put away the dagger, entered the elevator with Ye Qianqian, and began to head downstairs.

"Young Master Nie, are you alright?"

In the elevator, Ye Qianqian flirtatiously clung to Nie Yuanxiong's arm and said, "How did Zhou Lang and that woman get into Private Room No. 1? Is that a room a poor kid like him can afford? It's truly bizarre!"

"I'm fine. Could that kid be a kept man? I reckon that woman has some money and came to the Nanshan State Guesthouse to show off." Despite the lingering pain in his buttocks and knees, Nie Yuanxiong forced himself to say.

"That must be it. Young Master Nie, should we find some people to teach him a lesson, or should we call the police to arrest him?"

Ye Qianqian asked after thinking for a moment. She knew Zhou Lang was still a university student and couldn't possibly have enough money to spend at such a place, so she also assumed Zhou Lang was working as a gigolo or was being kept by a rich second-generation heir.

This woman never dreamed that Zhou Lang had turned a misfortune into a blessing; he had obtained the ancestral Dual Cultivation Manual, become a Cultivator, met a big shot like General Qin, and was now on brotherly terms with him.

"Call the police and throw him straight into jail. That way, he won't be able to pester you anymore," Nie Yuanxiong said after thinking it over.

…

When Zhou Lang entered Private Room No. 1, General Qin and his grandson, Qin Pojun, had already arrived. Additionally, the old general's four bodyguards were present.

Zhou Lang's mood was slightly unsettled. Ten days ago, when he was humiliated by Ye Qianqian and Nie Yuanxiong, he had sworn to take revenge for the insult. He hadn't even expected that this wish would be fulfilled so quickly.

"Brother Zhou, Little Zhao, you've arrived. Please, sit."

Seeing Zhou Lang and Zhao Xiaorou arrive, General Qin stood up and spoke. His leg was basically healed now, and he could stand up with ease.

Zhou Lang and Zhao Xiaorou sat down side by side, and the old general asked, "It seems you two had a dispute with someone outside just now?"

"It really is a small world," Zhou Lang sighed.

"Brother Lang, what exactly happened? I noticed that arrogant couple seemed to know you," Zhao Xiaorou also asked. Although she was inexperienced in the world, she still had the ability to read the situation.

"They don't just know me. I've never truly held a grudge against anyone in my life, but these two can genuinely be considered my enemies."

Zhou Lang slowly explained, "That woman is named Ye Qianqian, the daughter of Zhongtian Group's boss, Ye Tian. She is also a singer under Glory Media Co., Ltd. and is red-hot in Feiyun City. As for the man, his name is Nie Yuanxiong, the son of Feiyun City's Vice Mayor, Nie Qingyun, and the CEO of Glory Media Co., Ltd. Originally, I had nothing to do with them, but when I was a child, my grandfather and Ye Qianqian's grandfather arranged an engagement between us. Not long ago, I arranged to meet Ye Qianqian. She looked down on my family for being in decline, not only breaking off the engagement but also having Nie Yuanxiong step in. She claimed Nie Yuanxiong was her boyfriend, had people beat me up, and tore up the engagement agreement."

"Brother Lang, you're so powerful, how could you have been beaten?" Zhao Xiaorou exclaimed. Zhou Lang was a great expert in her eyes; how could he have been beaten by anyone?

"At that time, it hadn't been three years since my Master passed away. My sect has a rule that one must observe mourning for the Master for three years before using force. Otherwise, let alone one Nie Yuanxiong, even a hundred of them wouldn't be a match for me."

Zhou Lang had to make up an excuse, saying, "Actually, I don't really need Ye Qianqian to marry me, but the engagement was set by my grandfather. I just wanted to talk to her. If we truly weren't compatible, I definitely would have given up the engagement. Just now, when Nie Yuanxiong saw me here, besides verbally insulting me, he struck first, so I taught him a small lesson."

"Such people deserve to be taught a lesson. Ye Qianqian is shallow and money-grubbing; she is simply not worthy of you."

General Qin said, "If nothing goes wrong, they'll probably come back to cause you trouble later, right? You cured this old brother's leg, and I don't have much to thank you with, so let me handle this trouble for you."

"Then thank you very much, General."

Zhou Lang thought about it and said. To deal with someone like Nie Yuanxiong, he did indeed need to leverage General Qin's power. Although his martial arts were formidable, this was a society ruled by law. If Nie Yuanxiong had the police arrest him, he couldn't really knock all the police officers down; that would cause a bad impact.

"This is just a small matter," General Qin said. "From now on, don't call me General; just call me Old Brother. Today, we're going to have a good drink."

"Old Brother, I will respectfully obey." Zhou Lang was not a shy person and immediately addressed him as such.

"That's right. Having a younger brother like you is my honor," General Qin laughed.

Qin Pojun waved his hand, and the beautiful waitress in a cheongsam standing by the door of the private room walked over and said, "Sir, would you like to start serving the dishes?"

"Everyone is here, go ahead and serve," Qin Pojun said.

"Gentlemen, you had better eat quickly and leave. You have offended Young Master Nie, and I fear the outcome will be ominous," the beautiful waitress hesitated for a moment before whispering a warning.

"Oh? Nie Yuanxiong struck first, why should we hide?" Zhou Lang said indifferently. Now, he also possessed an unshakable temperament, something not typically found in an average university student.

"Young Master Nie bullies men and oppresses women in our Feiyun City; who dares to provoke him? He is the son of Vice Mayor Nie. Even if you are in the right, you will suffer a great loss."

The waitress said in a low voice, not daring to say anything more, and turned to leave.

Soon, the food and drinks were served, but before they had even finished a few glasses, noisy footsteps could be heard outside the private room.

"It seems this Nie Yuanxiong is truly arrogant and domineering; he called for people so quickly," Qin Pojun smiled slightly.

Bang!

Before his words had even faded, the door to the private room was pushed open violently, and seven or eight police officers rushed in.

"Who is Zhou Lang?"

The fat police officer leading them shouted loudly.

"I am."

Zhou Lang glanced slightly at the few police officers who had barged in and said calmly, continuing to pick up food. With General Qin, a founding general, present, let alone these few police officers, even if Vice Mayor Nie came in person, he would only end up humiliated. He had nothing to worry about.

"Officer Liu, he's the one who hit me. Hurry up and arrest him."

At this moment, Nie Yuanxiong and Ye Qianqian also walked in, panting. Nie Yuanxiong pointed at Zhou Lang, his eyes full of mockery. In his view, Zhou Lang was now a turtle in a jar, left to be manipulated by him.