The sky grew darker and darker. Li Ancheng was helped to his feet, his nose and tears mingling, a mixture of shock and anger.
He could never have imagined that Xu Mu would dare to hit him in front of Liang Chen.
And this fellow's strength was still the same as it was back then.
When his collar was grabbed, he had practiced many moves in the academy, and he had tried to resist just now, but it was of no use at all. Xu Mu had completely suppressed him!
Thus, a trace of anger faded from Li Ancheng's face, replaced by a hint of fear.
“Quick, look, Brother Liang Chen is about to make his move!”
A student who had followed Li Ancheng back to Fengqing Village exclaimed. He saw Liang Chen’s bulging arm.
As a fellow student, he clearly recognized that it was Liang Chen's awakened ability, earth element stimulating his muscles, capable of punching through rock with a single blow!
Seeing this, the emotions that had been accumulating in Li Ancheng’s heart burst forth.
He couldn’t win, but he had Liang Chen backing him.
Why should he fear a mere Xu Mu?
So Li Ancheng clutched his left cheek, opened his mouth full of blood and broken teeth, and screamed with utmost venom:
“Xu Mu, if you kneel down and kowtow to me now, perhaps I can still beg for you.”
“If we’re in a good mood then, maybe we’ll just let you go like a fart!”
Xu Mu remained unmoved. He needed to focus his attention on Liang Chen.
Although he was confident he could defeat the other party, he would not underestimate his opponent, for he was a hunter, meticulous and skilled in hunting and combat.
Seeing Xu Mu’s silence, Li Ancheng's mocking laughter grew louder:
“Don’t be ungrateful. Kneel, and perhaps I can really let you go!”
The person beside him had a different opinion, with a smirk on his face:
“Alas, letting him go is unlikely. This kid has offended Brother Chen. I think the most he can hope for is to spare his dog’s life.”
“A dog’s life?” Li Ancheng feigned an exaggerated laugh, “One is too much, half a life will do!”
“Hahahaha…”
The conversation between the two drew a few chuckles, and Zhao Dayong’s face turned ashen.
Even Wu Peihuan stepped forward:
“You are going too far!”
Li Ancheng, covering his face, sneered coldly:
“He killed my father, and then he hit me!”
“I can see it too, Wu Peihuan. You’ve been bewitched by this kid. You’re still speaking up for him now. Where am I inferior to him!” kuAiδugg
Li Ancheng roared in pain, and his classmates quickly pulled him to Liang Chen's side.
They could feel that the villagers' gazes were becoming hostile, as if they were about to make a move against them.
Xu Mu still had many supporters in the village, so it was safer to stay by Liang Chen's side.
…
The group approached Liang Chen, their faces full of disdain and arrogance, a provocative aura of “come and hit me,” almost making Zhao Dayong lose control and act.
But he knew he couldn't make the first move.
At this moment, Liang Chen was immersed in extreme fear and regret. The words of Li Ancheng and the others pulled him back to reality, and his face instantly turned ashen.
“A bunch of scoundrels!”
Liang Chen’s facial muscles twitched slightly. He had originally just wanted to evade the mandatory conscription in Xishan to fight the alien creatures on the front lines, and seeing that Wu Peihuan was also present, he had agreed to return to the village with them.
He hadn’t expected to run into such trouble.
How to resolve this now?
“Brother Chen has been building up his power for so long, it seems he’s holding back a big move.”
Li Ancheng saw that Liang Chen on the side was hesitant to act and maintained his original posture. He couldn't help but feel a little confused.
But he quickly reassured himself, thinking that his Brother Liang Chen was about to do something big, something that would cripple Xu Mu in one go.
“Heh heh, Brother Chen, I support you. Don’t go easy on this kid!”
Another friend of Li Ancheng added fuel to the fire.
But he clearly didn’t realize that Liang Chen no longer wanted to act.
—Far from not wanting to act, Liang Chen wished he could find a hole to hide in right now, or for time to rewind so he had never met Xu Mu!
“To dare to commit violence in broad daylight, are you not afraid of the laws of Great Xia?”
Seeing his continued inaction, Xu Mu lost his patience.
He hadn’t intended to bother with these people, but after a slap, Li Ancheng had become even more audacious.
“Hahaha, what bullshit law!” Li Ancheng thought Xu Mu was struggling for survival and laughed even more wildly.
“Are your ears stuffed with donkey hair? My Brother Liang Chen’s father is a distinguished guest of the branch of the Jin Yin Merchant House.”
“If he wants to kill you, it’s like crushing an ant!”
“Jin Yin Merchant House, even a little trickle of profit from them is enough for you to earn decades of salary. Crushing you is like crushing an ant, hahahaha…”
“Shut your mouth!”
“What the hell are you talking about!”
Liang Chen’s heart pounded with fear and panic as he heard Li Ancheng mention the Jin Yin Merchant House’s name again, as if afraid Xu Mu wouldn’t remember.
In his fury, he slapped Li Ancheng across the face.
“Slap!”
The crisp sound echoed throughout the space. The two men supporting Li Ancheng stumbled, their smiles frozen on their faces.
“Chen… Brother Chen, did you hit the wrong person…”
One of them swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked dryly. Before he could finish speaking, Liang Chen slapped him across the face again.
“Slap!”
“Slap, slap, slap, slap!”
His hands did not stop. The fear and anger in his heart, along with the earth element energy in his hands, were all directed at the faces of the three of them, the sounds crisp and rhythmic.
In a short while, three pig heads appeared.
Xu Mu was stunned. What was going on?
“Cheng’er!”
Seeing his grandson being beaten so viciously, Li Fengtian immediately threw down his cane and rushed over, pulling Li Ancheng behind him.
Tears welled up in the old man’s eyes. No matter how much of a scoundrel Li Ancheng was, he was still his grandson!
“Old geezer, get out of the way!”
Seeing Li Fengtian, Liang Chen’s anger intensified.
If it weren’t for him giving birth to such a nuisance, how would he have offended Xu Mu? Thus, he put even more force into his blows.
“Stop!”
Seeing Li Fengtian step in front of Li Ancheng, and the old man’s fragile body about to take a heavy blow, Xu Mu reacted immediately, grabbing Liang Chen’s wrist.
“Regardless of the reason, but, that’s enough!”
With a slight chill in his eyes, Xu Mu met Liang Chen’s gaze.
Feeling the iron-like grip on his right wrist, Liang Chen was on the verge of tears.
With one hand, pure physical strength, no ability used.
How could he be so strong!
…
“Old village chief, take him home first. There might be trouble later.”
Holding Liang Chen’s wrist, Xu Mu turned to the old man and said, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Among the Li family members, the only one he respected was Li Fengtian. He was a truly kind and simple old man who had treated him very well.
Already at the twilight of his life, he had also suffered the pain of losing a son. His current condition required rest and he could not endure any more blows. Otherwise, how could he have let Li Ancheng off so easily?
“Alas…”
Li Fengtian silently wiped away his tears with his sleeve, standing in place like a withered tree ready to be blown down by the wind.
Xu Mu turned his head and looked at Liang Chen.
He did not release his hand.
“Make a move?”
Xu Mu asked.
Liang Chen looked into his eyes, his heart beginning to pound. His ability sensed danger and automatically surged onto his body.
The air solidified, and the two faced each other. To the other villagers, it looked like these two were about to fight.
So everyone held their breath, very curious.
When these ability users from the city got angry, they could be so ruthless to their own friends, so what would they do to Xu Mu?
Wu Peihuan clasped her hands tightly, closed her eyes, and prayed devoutly.
Zhao Dayong found a brick, ready to act at any moment.
Liang Chen’s facial expression contorted. After a fierce struggle, he finally made a move.
“I have offended you before. I did not know you were an ability user from the Demon Extermination Division.”
Liang Chen lowered his head and bowed:
“I did not know you were an ability user from the Demon Extermination Division and that I have offended you. I beg for your forgiveness.”
“Please, Lord Xu, forgive me!”
…