Chapter 30: You Are Blocking the Way

After finishing his words, Shen Xuan took the drop of the Qi-Infused Water in his hand and let it fall onto the back of his own hand. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a small patch of dark yellow indeed appeared on his skin.

Witnessing this extraordinary sight, everyone present widened their eyes in astonishment, then all shifted their gaze toward the young man.

Sure enough, on the back of the youth’s right hand, there was a similar patch of dark yellow. Though small in area, it was enough to prove that Shen Xuan had not lied.

“I…” The young man instinctively tried to hide his hand behind his back. He opened his mouth to say something but found himself speechless.

“I knew Master Shen was falsely accused. How could the skewers at Jun You Lai be anything but delicious?” one onlooker said, taking a bite of the meat skewer in his hand, his expression one of pure enjoyment.

“Hmph! I’ve long suspected something was wrong here. If I had taken charge, it would have been resolved already. But Master Shen is not bad—just a little less clever than I am,” another boasted arrogantly, speaking as if he were a strategist after the fact.

“Are these people sick in the head? They just can’t stand to see others succeed. I bet they’ve done plenty of bad deeds before. We should report them to the authorities!” someone else suggested, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Listening to the jeers and accusations around him, the young man’s face darkened like iron. He shot Shen Xuan a fierce glare and said coldly, “Fine! Shen Xuan, you’re ruthless! This isn’t over; the days ahead are long. Remember the name Ye Tingjie!”

With that, Ye Tingjie turned to leave.

But Shen Xuan’s expression hardened, his voice calm yet grave as he spoke, “You think you can just leave after causing trouble? What do you take Jun You Lai for? Your own backyard?”

“What do you want?” Ye Tingjie’s face turned ugly; his tone was icy and hard.

“Simple. You disrupted our business. You’ll have to compensate for the losses,” Shen Xuan said with a teasing smile.

“How much?” Ye Tingjie spat the words through clenched teeth.

“Twenty taels of silver. That settles this matter,” Shen Xuan replied with a smile, stating the sum outright.

“Why don’t you just rob me for that amount?” one of Ye Tingjie’s underlings exploded in anger, stepping forward.

“Robbery doesn’t pay as well,” Shen Xuan’s expression dripped with sarcasm, his words maddeningly provocative.

Ye Tingjie glanced warily at the surrounding crowd, then sighed inwardly.

He pressed down his underling’s urge to speak further and restored a calm demeanor. His gaze toward Shen Xuan was venomous as he said briefly, “Fine, I’ll pay.”

With that, Ye Tingjie pulled out several large silver notes and slammed them onto the table.

Shen Xuan, unconcerned about losing money, smiled and said, “Welcome to visit us again!”

“Hmph! Let’s go,” Ye Tingjie snorted, leading his group out of Jun You Lai.

“Everyone! Sorry for keeping you so long. Today’s expenses here at Jun You Lai are on us, as a token of thanks for your support,” Shen Xuan said, bowing to the crowd.

“Master Shen is generous!”

“Thank you, Master Shen. Next time I’ll bring a few friends to support your place!”

“Master Shen is truly magnanimous!”

The crowd cheered loudly, voices full of praise after Shen Xuan’s words.

Behind the noise in the tavern, Ye Tingjie and his companions felt a bitter sting in their hearts. Not only had they failed their mission, but they had also lost twenty taels of silver—truly a defeat in every sense.

“Boss, where to now?” one underling whispered.

“Where else? Back to report to the young master. What else could we do?” Ye Tingjie replied irritably.

Silence fell again at the thought of facing their young master’s wrath. The men felt a deep gloom settle over them.

“Excuse me, could you please let us pass?” a gentle voice suddenly interrupted.

The group turned to see a refined-looking scholar pushing a vegetable cart behind them.

The men frowned, still seething with anger, indifferent to whether they were blocking the path. One snapped sharply, “What if I don’t?”

Fang Tangjin was taken aback, puzzled by their hostile expressions. Had he offended them in some way?

Scratching his head, not wanting trouble, Fang Tangjin smiled politely, “No matter; if you won’t move, I’ll just take another route.”

He pushed the cart to pass by.

But his casual demeanor only deepened the scowl on one man’s face as he cursed, “Damn it! Even a nobody like this dares to look down on us? Brothers, teach this blind fool a lesson!”

Without waiting for Ye Tingjie’s orders, the underlings, filled with suppressed rage, lunged at Fang Tangjin.

Damn it! We can’t touch Shen Xuan, but can we not hit this weak-looking scholar?

Fang Tangjin’s expression stiffened, confused why they wanted to attack when he had done nothing.

“Gentlemen, I have no quarrel with you. Why do you do this?” Fang Tangjin asked calmly.

“Why do you need a reason to beat you? We just don’t like you today! What are you going to do about it?” one sneered, throwing a punch at Fang Tangjin’s face.

“Ah!”

A scream rang out. The men’s shock was palpable—not because the scholar cried out, but because their own comrade did.

“Hmph! Since you won’t listen to reason, I’ll show you some real skill!” Fang Tangjin retracted his left leg from a kick, his gaze cold as ice. His voice was sharp and resolute, as if he had transformed into another person.

Seeing their knocked-out companion, the men swallowed hard, exchanging nervous glances. None dared to advance.

“Run!” someone suddenly shouted.

Realizing the danger, the men turned to flee.

Fang Tangjin was no easy target. He immediately gave chase, delivering a punch to one fleeing man.

“Ah!”

“Brother Tai, we were wrong!”

“Stop! Stop! We know we were wrong, sob…”

Amid the screams, Fang Tangjin, with a few precise strikes, knocked them all down.

Yet even then, he was not satisfied and continued to strike the group relentlessly.