The young man's eyes flashed with rage. The person before him was so casual, as if facing some insignificant nobody, completely dismissing his presence. "Do you have any idea who I am, kid? Don't think you can act so arrogantly in the Mittel Family just because you have Ya Fei backing you! She's just an acting supervising elder!"
"Heh, what a country bumpkin. Thinks he's hot stuff just because he has a few connections. He has no idea he's just a frog in a well."
Listening to the youth's incessant nagging, Zhou Changqing looked at him and asked calmly, "Are you sick in the head?"
"What did you say?!"
The youth's anger flared up again at his words, and he glared viciously at Zhou Changqing.
"I said, are you sick in the head? Are you deaf? Do I even know you? You come in here spouting nonsense. If that's not being sick, what is?"
Zhou Changqing took a slow sip of his tea, not even sparing the youth a glance.
Seeing him remain so composed, the youth became utterly infuriated and roared.
"Seize this pretty boy for me! Today, I'll show him the consequences of offending me in the Mittel Family!"
As his shout faded, several guards burst in from outside and lunged toward Zhou Changqing.
Zhou Changqing sighed. This wasn't the first time he'd encountered such an idiot, but one this brainless was a first.
Just as he was about to make his move, a sharp cry echoed through the room.
"All of you, stop!"
Hearing the voice, the guards froze and turned to look behind them. A beautiful woman in a striking black gown had entered, her charming face now covered in frost as she stared coldly at them.
Upon seeing her, the guards dared not move, a clear look of fear on their faces as they glanced toward the young man for direction.
Ya Fei's gaze fell upon the youth, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust. "Lei Le," she said coldly, "I want a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, even if your grandfather is an elder, I will report this matter to the Council of Elders. You should know the consequences of attacking a distinguished guest!"
Lei Le? The name reminded Zhou Changqing of the first person he had killed in this world, Le Li.
Good grief, he thought, am I cursed to run into morons with 'Le' in their names?
Faced with Ya Fei's threat, Lei Le showed no fear, sneering contemptuously. "An explanation? Since when do I, Lei Le, need to explain my actions to you?"
"Attacking a distinguished guest? Where is this guest? This pretty boy? Or this woman? Them?" He scoffed. "I don't see any guests. I see thieves who have stolen treasures from the Mittel Family!"
"What are you waiting for? Seize them!"
"I'd like to see who dares!"
Hearing this and seeing the guards about to move again, Ya Fei was incensed and cried out once more.
At the same time, she stared coldly at the guards. "If you take one more step, you can get the hell out of the Mittel Family! Don't doubt my words. While you may not be my subordinates, with my status as Ya Fei, it would be a simple matter to have you all expelled!"
The guards were now completely stuck. They couldn't afford to offend either party and were caught in the middle, unable to move forward or retreat.
The flames of jealousy in Lei Le's heart burned even brighter. His face darkened. "Ya Fei, are you trying to protect these two thieves? What, is this pretty boy your lover? No wonder you're always so cold to me. So you like pretty boys like him. He looks so young and frail, though. Can he even satisfy you?"
"Lei Le!"
Ya Fei was furious. Her beautiful eyes locked onto Lei Le, as if she wanted to tear him apart with her gaze alone. She could tolerate him making things difficult for her, but she would not stand for him insulting her young Changqing right in front of her!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So I hit the nail on the head? Ya Fei, oh Ya Fei, I never thought you were such a cheap slut!"
Swish! The instant Lei Le's venomous, jealousy-fueled words left his mouth, a figure blurred before his eyes and appeared directly in front of him.
The next thing he knew, his throat was seized, and his entire body was lifted into the air. A feeling of suffocation slowly crept over him. His eyes widened in shock. He wanted to speak but couldn't make a sound, only able to stare in terror at the young man before him.
"Sister Ya Fei, you can tolerate even this?"
Zhou Changqing held Lei Le aloft with one hand, tilting his head to look at Ya Fei.
You can call me a pretty boy; I'll take it as a compliment. You can say I'm weak; I don't care, because you're the truly pathetic one. But insulting Sister Ya Fei in front of me? You've crossed a line. If I don't make you pay, then I'd be worthless.
"Changqing..." Ya Fei's expression was conflicted. She wanted to teach Lei Le a lesson, but she was also afraid of getting Zhou Changqing into trouble. After all, his grandfather was a family elder, and a powerful one at that.
Zhou Changqing saw her hesitation and understood her dilemma.
The best way to deal with an idiot like this was to kill him. But out of respect for Ya Fei, he would spare him this once. That didn't mean he'd let him off easy, however.
The next second, Zhou Changqing's other hand shot out and slapped Lei Le's dantian! A powerful yet precise burst of energy instantly invaded Lei Le's dantian, slamming violently into his Dou Qi Vortex!
Pfft! Lei Le's face, already red from suffocation, contorted as his eyes bulged. A sound like a leaking balloon came from within his body. Then, streams of faint blue Dou Qi began to seep from his skin, dissipating into the air.
With that done, Zhou Changqing let go.
Lei Le crashed to the floor with a thud. After catching his breath, he ignored the pain, pointed a trembling finger at Zhou Changqing, and shrieked, his eyes practically splitting with rage, "You little bastard! You dared to cripple my Dou Qi!!!"
"What?!" It had all happened too fast for the guards to react. Only when they heard Lei Le's scream did they snap out of it, their faces turning deathly pale as they stared at Zhou Changqing in horror.
Ya Fei's expression tightened, a flash of panic in her eyes.
She rushed forward, grabbed Zhou Changqing's arm, and tried to pull him away. "Changqing, you need to leave, now! You've crippled Lei Le's Dou Qi. His grandfather will go insane! It's too dangerous for you to stay here!"
But no matter how hard she pulled, Zhou Changqing didn't budge.
"Don't worry, Sister Ya Fei. It's fine."
Zhou Changqing chuckled, gently taking her hand and leading her back to her chair.
Then he turned to the guards and said flatly, "Take your master and get lost. I'll be waiting right here. If you want trouble, come find me."
The guards didn't dare to linger. This man had crippled a Dou Shi with ease; he was far beyond their league. Their monthly pay wasn't worth risking their lives for.
They immediately dragged the hysterical Lei Le away.
"You little bastard! My grandfather won't let you go! And you, Ya Fei! You helped an outsider cripple me! Just you wait!"
Zhou Changqing couldn't be bothered to look at the moron. Still spewing threats at a time like this. He was lucky Zhou Changqing didn't just finish him off.
After they left, Ya Fei looked at Zhou Changqing, her expression a mixture of resignation and anxiety. "Changqing, you should still leave. Lei Le's grandfather is a Dou Ling expert. If he comes, you..."
"It's fine. Just a Dou Ling. Is that supposed to be impressive? Let him come."
Forget a Dou Ling; even if a Dou Zong showed up, he wouldn't be worried. Didn't she see Medusa sitting quietly to the side, sipping her tea this whole time? With her here, he could do whatever he wanted in the Jia Ma Empire!
Zhou Changqing smiled nonchalantly. "Instead of worrying about his revenge, I'm more curious how the Mittel Family produced such a fool. And his coming here to bother me seems a bit... deliberate."
"Sister Ya Fei, you must know what's going on, right?"
"It can't be as simple as that idiot having his eyes on you, leading to this cliché 'femme fatale' drama, can it?"
Seeing Zhou Changqing so confident, Ya Fei finally relaxed a little. She nodded slightly. "That's likely only part of the reason."
So it's true? Zhou Changqing thought. I guess the whole 'femme fatale' thing isn't just a saying.
Beautiful women really do attract trouble. Not that it was their fault, of course. Some men just think with their lower half and turn into idiots at the sight of a woman.
"There's another reason?" Zhou Changqing picked up on the implication in her words.
"Yes. The main reason has to do with the Monster Core Armaments you forged."
"Monster Core Armaments?" Hearing this, Zhou Changqing's mind raced, and he quickly began to piece things together.
Ya Fei didn't hide anything, proceeding to tell him everything that had happened over the past two years.