How About You Personally Throw a Few Punches at Me? (Please Keep Reading!)

Half an hour later, the banquet was nearing its end. Just as Lu Jue's father was about to rise and say goodbye, several neighbors in the courtyard, red-faced from drinking, suddenly got into an argument with a few unfamiliar diners at the next table.

"It was obviously you who splashed oil onto me!"

"Nonsense! When you toasted just now, you secretly poured out your drink and got it all over my shoes!"

"Looking at you lot, you must be from the eastern slums, right? No class at all, just as expected!"

Amid the shoving, one red-faced neighbor uncle lost control and violently shoved one of them to the ground, knocking over an entire table of cups and dishes. Soup and food splattered everywhere, leaving a complete mess.

"You dare lay hands on us?!"

"Beat them up!"

The conflict escalated in an instant. The two groups cursed and brawled, while the sounds of shattering bowls, crashing tables and chairs, and women's screams blended into one. The scene spiraled completely out of control.

In the midst of the chaos, a young man in East City Martial School Training Clothes suddenly rose from the neighboring table. He had a lean, capable build, sharp brows and eyes, and slightly bulging temples. Clearly, his cultivation of qi and blood was not weak.

With a cold snort, he sprang into the melee like a leopard, his attacks swift and vicious.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the blink of an eye, several of Lu Jue's neighbors were knocked to the ground like sandbags, clutching their arms or ribs and groaning in agony.

"Hmph, a bunch of trash, and you dare run wild here?"

The young student shook out his wrist, his voice dripping with disdain as his gaze swept over those sprawled on the ground.

"Stop!"

Zhang Lu, who had just seen off a group of guests, returned in time to witness the scene. Seeing the young man dressed in martial school Training Clothes, she could not help looking down on him a little. With alcohol in her system as well, she stepped forward, intending to reclaim some face.

The neighbors who had been beaten down acted as though they had seen their savior and immediately began shouting.

"Xiao Lu! They were the ones who started it!"

"The Kirin Girl of our courtyard is here to back us up!"

"Show them what we're made of! A martial school student dares act so arrogant!"

As a martial arts hall disciple, Zhang Lu naturally possessed some imposing presence. She stepped forward and launched the first attack, her fist cutting through the air as it shot straight for the young man's face.

"Good!"

The young man barked low. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead meeting her head-on with an even fiercer punch. He intended to clash with force against force!

Bang!

Their fists collided with a dull thud.

Zhang Lu felt a tremendous force surge toward her. Her knuckles went numb, and her body involuntarily swayed. Her heart filled with shock.

She had thought that, with the martial arts hall's inheritance and her higher-grade cultivation technique, she would be able to crush this martial school student. She had not expected his foundation to be so solid.

One exchange was enough to determine who stood above whom, yet the watching neighbors could not see it. Their cheers had not stopped.

Zhang Lu gritted her silver teeth. She knew that today was the day her family was meant to hold its head high. She absolutely could not back down now, or all the glory she had built up before would go down the drain.

With a sharp cry, she changed her fist into a palm. Palm shadows fluttered through the air as she unleashed an exquisite palm technique, like butterflies weaving through flowers, attempting to overcome strength with skill by targeting his joints and vital points.

Yet, to everyone's utter disbelief, after only a few moves, Zhang Lu was sent flying backward by a single elbow strike. She crashed through two tables in succession, all color draining from her face in an instant.

She had lost!

The neighbors fell into dead silence.

The pride of their courtyard, Zhang Lu, a dignified martial arts hall disciple, had been defeated so cleanly by a martial school student in a direct clash!

The young student withdrew his stance and stood still. He patted the corner of his clothes where Zhang Lu's palm wind had brushed it, the contempt on his face growing even thicker. "Hmph, nothing but flashy moves! Other than knowing a few pretty techniques, what else can you do? Is this what you relied on to cause trouble?"

Those words were unbearably scornful. Zhang Lu's father's face turned livid, while her mother was so anxious she was nearly in tears. The neighbors who had been shouting about the "Kirin Girl backing them up" silently retreated to the back.

Zhang Lu clutched her abdomen, a trace of blood even seeping from the corner of her lips. Her eyes as she looked at the young man were filled with humiliation. The image of herself as a "Prodigy Daughter," which she had painstakingly cultivated, shattered into pieces at that moment.

Just then, Lu Jue's uncle suddenly recognized the young man. He hurriedly patted Lu Guowei's hand beside him and asked, "Guowei, that person looks familiar. Isn't he one of your classmates?"

"Looking at him, he might still be looking for more trouble. Why don't you go talk to him?"

Lu Guowei's heart tightened. That young man was called Liu Dong, a well-known commoner genius in their class. He was arrogant by nature, and Lu Guowei had only exchanged a few words with him by borrowing Guo Chun's influence.

He had originally wanted to pretend not to know him, but under the questioning gazes of his father and the surrounding neighbors, he could only force himself to walk over.

"Brother Liu... Liu Dong, about what happened today..." He squeezed forward to make friendly overtures, intending to invoke Guo Chun's name and ask Liu Dong to show some consideration.

But Liu Dong merely cast him an impatient glance, not even bothering to acknowledge him. He made as though to go forward and teach the neighbor who had shoved someone first another lesson.

Just then, one of Liu Dong's companions seemed to recognize something and hurriedly leaned close to whisper a few words into his ear.

Liu Dong's arrogant air instantly vanished. He abruptly raised his head, his gaze passing over Lu Guowei before locking precisely onto Lu Jue, who was still seated calmly in his chair. His expression changed sharply.

He hurriedly nodded in that direction, then returned to his seat without saying a word.

This abrupt shift left everyone stunned.

In their eyes, Lu Guowei had clearly gone up and said a few words, and that fierce martial school student who had defeated even Zhang Lu had immediately lowered his banner and beaten his drums.

In an instant, all kinds of admiration and praise surged toward Lu Guowei.

"Guowei, you've been hiding your talents!"

"Incredible! Even an expert like that gives you face!"

"Good heavens! I knew from the time he was little that Guowei would amount to something!"

Lu Guowei himself was dumbfounded. He returned to his seat in a muddle, wild joy mixed with immense confusion in his heart, but that did not stop him from straightening his back beneath the surrounding looks of worship.

"Everyone, eat and drink! As long as I'm here, nothing will happen!"

This was his moment in the spotlight!

His uncle, Lu Minghui, was even more beaming with pride. With a glowing face, he heavily patted his son on the shoulder before Lu Jue's father and praised him.

"This is the true Kirin child of our Lu family. Six years at martial school, and he has not fallen behind in either martial arts or connections!"

Zhang Lu's family looked even worse. Their limelight had been stolen, their dignity utterly lost, and they were instantly reduced to foils for Lu Guowei.

However, this dramatic scene was not over yet.

Liu Dong, who had left, returned, carrying a cup of wine as he walked straight over.

Everyone had been frightened by his earlier display, and they instantly became nervous again.

Lu Guowei's confidence swelled. He rose once more, even straightening his spine. "Brother Liu Dong, what is this—"

Who knew that Liu Dong would not even spare him a glance? He walked straight past him and, under the astonished gazes of the entire gathering, stopped before the silent Lu Jue.

He raised his wine cup, his expression carrying a measure of respect. He drained it in one gulp, then said in a deep voice.

"Brother Lu Jue, I, Liu Dong, admire you! That dog Li Zhanting has bullied plenty of people by relying on his background. You crippled him, and that counts as letting a lot of people vent their anger!"

"I didn't know they were your people just now. I acted offensively. I originally wanted to pay the bill for you as an apology, but when I saw the check..."

At this point, he paused and puffed out his chest.

"I'm poor and don't have much money. How about you personally throw a few punches at me?"