Chapter 30: The Majesty of the Venerable

Seeing Qin Guo suddenly leap out, the three Feng brothers did not rush forward at once but instead watched Chen Yuyi warily.

“Where did this reckless brat come from? Can’t you see your elders are busy here? Get lost!” the second Feng brother barked in a deep voice.

The third brother remained silent, but the energy within him surged, ready to strike at any moment.

The eldest, however, fixed his gaze on Chen Yuyi and asked, “Who are you, and what business do you have here?” Among the three, he was the most cautious—first because he hadn’t noticed when Chen Yuyi had arrived, and second, because Qin Guo had just called him by a strange title that piqued his suspicion.

Chen Yuyi didn’t even glance at them. Instead, he cast his eyes over Qin Guo and asked indifferently, “You’re still alive, I see?”

Qin Guo was so moved he nearly burst into tears. “Thank you for arriving just in time, Exalted One!”

Exalted One?

The three Feng brothers exchanged looks, puzzled. Of course, they knew of martial Exalted Ones, but it was hard to imagine this young man having anything to do with such a figure.

“What nonsense—what Exalted One?” The second brother, the most hot-tempered of the three, couldn’t hold back. He hurled a punch at Chen Yuyi.

The third brother followed suit, striking out with a palm from the side.

The eldest wanted to stop them, but it was already too late; he simply joined in with his own attack.

At once, three gusts of force pressed in on Chen Yuyi from different directions.

Chen Yuyi’s lips curved ever so slightly. The clothes on his body began to billow, though there was no wind.

A muffled thud rang out—the three brothers were flung backward simultaneously, blood spurting from the corners of their mouths as they crashed into the grass more than ten meters away.

Even Qin Guo was shocked. He knew Chen Yuyi was powerful, but the display still left him in awe. Thinking back to when he’d been foolish enough to consider killing such a terrifying being, his heart raced in terror. Thank heaven he hadn’t gone through with it.

The three Feng brothers struggled to their feet, their faces pale with terror.

“You really are beyond a Grandmaster—you’re a martial Exalted One!” The eldest’s eyes were wide with disbelief. In the martial world, Grandmasters were already rare; a martial Exalted One was rarer still.

A Grandmaster at the pinnacle of the martial arts could project inner energy, even using leaves or other light objects to harm others, though the lethality was limited. But a martial Exalted One was different—their projected inner force was devastating.

The eldest Feng brother had watched Chen Yuyi, without moving an inch, form a wall of energy that sent them flying over ten meters. Such a feat was beyond any Grandmaster; he had no choice but to believe.

Chen Yuyi couldn’t be bothered to argue. They could call him what they liked. He said coldly, “And if I am?”

At that, the second brother suddenly roared, “I don’t believe it! How could someone this young be an Exalted One?”

Shouting, he lunged at Chen Yuyi again.

“Second Brother!” the eldest shouted, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

Chen Yuyi raised his hand ever so slightly, and an invisible force seized the second brother by the throat, lifting him into the air.

Everyone present felt their pupils contract sharply at the sight.

There was a dreadful crack—the second brother’s neck twisted to one side, not even a cry escaping his lips.

The eldest brother collapsed to the ground, consumed by terror.

The third brother screamed, “Second Brother!” and, eyes bloodshot, charged forward.

With a flick of two fingers, Chen Yuyi drew a line through the air.

A fountain of blood erupted.

A head rolled to the feet of the eldest brother.

Staring at the severed head, the eldest’s face went blank, his eyes empty. Suddenly, his body slumped sideways.

He had died of fright.

It was no wonder—he’d been wounded by Chen Yuyi’s power, his vital energy already blocked. The overwhelming aura Chen Yuyi exuded surpassed the limits of his endurance, and witnessing such brutality had broken his spirit entirely; he simply could not take another breath.

Qin Guo, watching all this, broke out in a cold sweat. “Is this even human?” he wondered to himself.

“Clean this up,” Chen Yuyi said coolly, turning away.

“Exalted Chen, please forgive my earlier offense!” Qin Guo fell to his knees, filled with deep regret over his previous actions. “And, as for who wanted to kill you, it’s actually—”

“That’s enough!” Chen Yuyi cut him off with a wave, sending a palm strike through the air to Qin Guo’s shoulder.

Qin Guo was alarmed, but then felt a warm current flow through his body. His internal injuries began to heal, and his right arm moved freely again. Overjoyed and more respectful than ever, he could only feel awe toward Chen Yuyi.

Chen Yuyi withdrew his hand, his gaze icy. “I know it was Zhang Kangcheng. His son was crippled by me—I expected he wouldn’t let it rest. Clean this up, then come find me at Huang’s Noodle Shop on Old City Street.”

As he spoke, Chen Yuyi vanished.

Qin Guo stared blankly at where Chen Yuyi had disappeared. He had killed more than a few people himself, but never before had he known such fear. So this was the power of an Exalted One!

Huang’s Noodle Shop on Old City Street.

In a corner, Chen Yuyi buried himself in a bowl of noodles. After all that had happened, his stomach was famished, so he’d come to his favorite spot for a meal as soon as his business was done.

At this hour, there weren’t many customers. The young girl at the counter, chin in her hands, gazed idly around the shop.

Eventually, her eyes settled on Chen Yuyi.

“Is this guy interested in me?” she mused. “Every time he comes, he spends forever eating his noodles. He’s not bad looking, has a bit of a presence, but he’s so timid, he’s never even tried to talk to me.”

She gave her delicate face a little shake. “Why am I thinking like this? Even if he looks okay, so what? Even if he tried to chat me up, so what? He can’t afford a bowl of beef noodles, always orders the plain ones. How could someone like that be what I want?”

Just then, a group of punks with dyed yellow hair swaggered in, surrounding a thug with an earring.

“Xiao Li, why’d you run off like that last night? You left your brother heartbroken. Am I not good enough to be your boyfriend?” The earringed thug strutted up to the counter, eyes leering at her chest.

The few other customers in the shop, seeing the gang, quickly gulped down their noodles and slipped away as if fleeing a plague—except for Chen Yuyi.

Xiao Li was the owner’s daughter. After the lunchtime rush, she sometimes went to nightclubs. Last night, she’d met the earringed thug at a bar; he’d taken a fancy to her and insisted she become his girlfriend. She’d managed to slip away, but now he’d found her at work.

“How did you find this place?” Xiao Li asked, a little fearful. She’d only met these people yesterday, so how did they know where she worked? Her father had gone out to play cards, leaving her alone in the shop.

“Tch, just had to ask around. You still don’t know? This whole part of the old city is my brother’s turf. He runs everything. Finding someone is easy,” the earringed thug boasted.

He added, as if fearing she didn’t understand, “You know who my brother answers to? Kun. You know what kind of man Kun is? They call him the Hawk King—he could kill a man with a flick of his finger. And behind Kun? Just a stomp of his foot and Jiangcheng would shake. Eh, forget it, you wouldn’t understand anyway. But being my girlfriend, you wouldn’t lose out!”

He shook his legs triumphantly. “So, I came looking for you today—don’t you want to say yes?”

The yellow-haired punks behind him struck menacing poses. “Girl, if you go with our brother Bao, you’ll live the good life. We’ll protect your shop—no one would dare cause trouble. Otherwise, who knows? Maybe someone will smash the place up.”

Frightened and angry, Xiao Li cast a desperate glance toward Chen Yuyi.

She quickly walked over to his table and said, “Brother Bao, I’m sorry—I already have a boyfriend.”

She sat down beside Chen Yuyi, slipped her arm around his, and asked in a sweet, affected voice, “Darling, how are the noodles?” All the while, she gave Chen Yuyi pleading looks, hoping he wasn’t an idiot.

Chen Yuyi smiled lightly. “Delicious—as if I’d come here so often otherwise!” He played along, affectionately stroking her cheek.

Xiao Li’s eyes widened in disbelief that he’d take such brazen advantage.

“If you want the act to be convincing, it has to be real. Otherwise, they won’t buy it,” Chen Yuyi’s voice sounded in her ear, though his lips didn’t move.

She blinked, then quickly caught on. Fine, she would sacrifice herself for now—she could settle the score later. She smiled sweetly. “That’s good. Why don’t I feed you?” She picked up her chopsticks, twirling a few noodles as if to feed him.

The punks immediately surrounded them.

“Damn brat, get lost!” one of the yellow-haired thugs shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

The earringed thug glared at Chen Yuyi with a hint of menace. “I’ll give you three seconds to disappear.”

Chen Yuyi smiled, set down his chopsticks, and pulled Xiao Li close. “No one’s made me disappear yet. Perhaps you all should get lost—before it’s too late.”

As he finished, his gaze turned icy.

For reasons they couldn’t comprehend, the punks all felt a jolt of terror, stumbling back a few steps.

Xiao Li stared at Chen Yuyi in surprise, unable to understand how he could radiate such intimidating force—one look from him had cowed the gang.

The thugs steadied themselves, their faces a mixture of shock, fear, and anger.

“Hell, you think I scare easily?” the earringed thug sneered, rolling up his sleeves and swinging a fist at Chen Yuyi.