NOVEL NEXT Chapter 112: Evidence
Chapter 112: Evidence
“Zhaoxi.”
Xu Lian called out as he stepped forward.
Hearing her name, Pei Zhaoxi turned around while wiping off her sweat. Seeing him, her face lit up with surprise.
Xu Lian set down the food carrier and opened his arms.
Pei Zhaoxi understood immediately. She guessed that Xu Lian had seen Chen Xuan talking to her earlier and was feeling a bit uneasy. Now, he wanted to publicly display their intimate relationship to make a point.
“Husband!”
Without hesitation, Pei Zhaoxi called out and ran toward Xu Lian, jumping into his arms. She wrapped her hands around his neck.
Xu Lian happily spun her around a few times before gently setting her down, though he still kept his arm around her slender waist. He leaned down slightly, pressing his forehead against hers. “My Zhaoxi, did you miss me?”
Normally, Pei Zhaoxi would have teased him or argued back, but now she knew she needed to show some affection. She immediately replied, “Yes, I did!”
As expected, her public display of affection immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
However, the focus wasn’t on the couple, but on Chen Xuan, whose pursuit of Pei Zhaoxi was no secret. Now that her husband had arrived, and he seemed rather assertive, the crowd was eager to see how this would play out.
Chen Xuan’s face darkened. He could tell that this young man was deliberately trying to embarrass him by publicly showing affection for Pei Zhaoxi.
He wasn’t going to back down. Striding forward, he glared at Xu Lian. “So, you’re the man from the countryside of Green Bamboo Town? Zhaoxi’s husband?”
“That’s right,” Xu Lian replied calmly, his gaze steady. He didn’t let go of Pei Zhaoxi, clearly asserting his claim over her.
Pei Zhaoxi, unusually docile, leaned against him, showing her support and standing by his side. This made Xu Lian feel quite satisfied. Since their marriage, Little Pepper had indeed matured. Her fiery personality had more layers to it now.
Pei Heng, who was watching from the side, didn’t linger. He picked up a towel to wipe off his sweat. Based on his understanding of Xu Lian, he knew that the calmer Xu Lian appeared, the angrier he was likely feeling. This Chen Xuan was probably about to receive a beating.
As for whether Xu Lian could actually defeat Chen Xuan, Pei Heng wasn’t worried. Xu Lian had already been a martial artist earlier, and his current strength was difficult to gauge. Meanwhile, Chen Xuan was merely at the Skin Refining Stage.
Besides, even if Xu Lian were to defeat Chen Xuan, Pei Heng wasn’t worried about how Xu Lian would deal with the aftermath. Xu Lian was a very stable and cautious person who rarely acted without a plan. If he was provoking Chen Xuan, then he must have a strategy in place.
“I have a piece of advice for you,” Chen Xuan began, speaking with confidence. “A person must know his place in order to live a long life. Zhaoxi is a rare beauty, and for her to have been ‘picked up’ by someone like you in a remote place like Green Bamboo Town, you should be grateful. Now that she’s in Pingyang County, where the world is much broader, she deserves to be with a better, stronger man. You should let go now before you lose your life and drag your family down with you.”
Xu Lian chuckled. “So the ‘better, stronger man’ you are referring to is you?”
Chen Xuan replied, “While I may not be a big deal in Pingyang County, I’m certainly stronger than someone like you from a remote place like Green Bamboo Town. I’ll take Zhaoxi from you, enjoy her for a while, and if a better, stronger man comes along, I’ll let her go. What’s wrong with that?”
The way people think in this world is truly bizarre… Xu Lian thought. He said, “You’re right, but how are you going to prove that you’re stronger than me?”
Chen Xuan smiled. “Isn’t it obvious? Even Pei Heng, the direct descendant of the Pei family, one of the three major families of Green Bamboo Town, has to come to the county’s martial arts academy to train. Even if you’re from one of the other two families, you’re no better than Pei Heng. Any man with a decent background in the county is stronger than someone like you, a so-called “big shot from the countryside. Don’t tell me you don’t understand such a simple truth?”
Pei Heng’s expression darkened. This Chen Xuan had previously ignored his warnings and persisted in getting close to Pei Zhaoxi. Now, he was openly speaking such words, clearly showing his disdain for someone like him-a direct descendant of a rural “big shot” family.
“Brother-in-law, this Chen Xuan’s family runs a small underground gambling den. He doesn’t have any real background or power,” Pei Heng revealed Chen Xuan’s true nature to Xu Lian.
Xu Lian didn’t really care whether he knew this or not.
Even if Chen Xuan was the direct descendant of a powerful noble family, what would it matter?
Even if Chen Xuan were the son of the Town Guard Commander, what difference would it make?
Xu Lian had already guessed that someone with real connections wouldn’t be training in a martial arts academy like this.
“Your family runs a small gambling den, right? You’ve probably cheated a lot of ordinary people. And now you’ve developed a sense of superiority from it? Do you really think you’re stronger than most people?” Xu Lian slowly raised his hand, gently stroking Pei Zhaoxi’s hair as if she were a cat he had raised.
Pei Zhaoxi was indeed giving him face at this moment, though she quietly rolled her eyes at him before obediently staying still.
Chen Xuan coldly replied, “Stop wasting my time with your words. Let’s see who is stronger with our fists.”
Xu Lian still had one arm around Pei Zhaoxi, occasionally leaning down to gently touch his forehead to hers, showing their intimacy. “I’m already standing here. You can make your move whenever you’re ready.”
Seeing that Xu Lian didn’t take him seriously, Chen Xuan was furious. He clenched his fists, ready to strike.
Just as he was about to attack, a middle-aged martial arts instructor walked over.
He glanced at Xu Lian who was still holding Pei Zhaoxi, then frowned at Chen Xuan. “This is a place for training, not for fighting over women. I don’t care what you do outside, but it’s absolutely not allowed here. If you start taking away the wives of people who send their wives to train here, who would dare to send their female relatives to our academy? How would we continue to run this place?”
To Xu Lian’s surprise, the academy actually had some principles. He turned to Chen Xuan and said, “Since it’s inconvenient to fight here, let’s take it outside.”
The middle-aged martial arts instructor was stunned for a moment. He had come over to mediate, hoping to help Xu Lian avoid trouble, but it seemed that the young man didn’t understand his intentions. He shook his head slightly, and then walked outside. Whether or not they fought to the death, it was no longer his concern.
Xu Lian led Pei Zhaoxi outside, holding her hand.
Chen Xuan naturally followed.
The students, eager for excitement, all flocked outside to watch.
The martial arts instructors tried to stop them, but eventually gave up and followed them outside to watch the fight. They also wanted to see how effective their teachings had been.
“Huff!”
Chen Xuan threw a punch.
The strike was powerful, creating a gust of wind with its force.
And then… Chen Xuan took flight.
His fist and entire arm exploded, a deep palm print was left on his chest, blood spurted out of his mouth, and his whole body flew far away like a kite and fell heavily across the street.
He was dead.
Everyone present froze, their eyes wide as they stared at Xu Lian’s slightly raised hand and the qi resembling white flames dancing on it.
Eight words appeared in their minds: Qi Projection, High-Level Bright Force!
Chen Xuan was only at the Skin Refining Stage, and he still had to go through Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, Marrow Refining, Bright Strength Stage (1st layer), Bright Strength Stage (2nd layer)… at least ten more stages before reaching the high level of Bright Strength.
This wasn’t a battle, it was suicide.
Even Pei Zhaoxi and Pei Heng, who were familiar with Xu Lian, were shocked. This was the first time they truly understood his strength, and it was far beyond their expectations.
“Zhaoxi, come with me. We need to settle this matter once and for all to avoid any future trouble,” Xu Lian said, mounting his horse and extending a hand to Pei Zhaoxi.
Without hesitation, Pei Zhaoxi took his hand and climbed onto the horse, sitting behind him.
Xu Lian casually reached out with his hand, and Chen Xuan’s corpse flew over from across the street, landing in his grasp. He turned to Pei Zhaoxi and asked, “Do you know where the underground gambling den is?
Pei Zhaoxi hugged him and chuckled. “Chen Xuan bragged about it once. Apparently, it’s in the alley under the maple tree two blocks away.”
Holding the reins with one hand and the corpse with the other, Xu Lian galloped towards the maple tree.
When the people on the street saw this, they quickly cleared the way out of fear.
Those standing in front of the martial arts school, who had been stunned by the scene, now felt a chill run down their spines. This young man who seemed so gentle could be so ruthless when provoked. Killing someone in broad daylight and then destroying their hideout was truly terrifying.