Chapter 136: Are the Chus Cowards?

Chapter 136: Are the Chu Family Cowards?

The entire Shui Ting fell into a deathly silence as all eyes turned toward the smallest table in the plaza outside the door.

Chu Zangxuan sat at his seat without responding, his face growing grim. He had anticipated such a situation but had no choice but to come. Yet, the circumstances were far worse than he had imagined—someone had directly pointed the finger at him.

“Is Fu Ziqing already betrothed? Since when? How come I didn’t know?” Elder Lin looked at the middle-aged man in shock, as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world.

“Don’t you know if Fu Ziqing is betrothed?”

The middle-aged man stepped forward, his face full of arrogance and defiance, showing no respect for the elder of the Lin family. He sneered, “Old Lin, you really don’t remember Fu Ziqing’s engagement? Then I guess you’ve also forgotten about your son getting slapped, haven’t you?”

Elder Lin’s expression darkened. He frowned at the man but didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Fu Lao, seated in the purple sandalwood chair. “Brother Fu, is it true that Xiao Qing is already engaged?” His voice was filled with doubt.

“I—”

Fu Lao suddenly felt an urge to curse and slap that shameless old man right across the face. How could he not know? What nonsense was this?

But given the current situation, he couldn’t lose his temper. He merely forced a bitter smile and remained silent.

Elder Lin, seeing Fu Lao’s reaction, grew even more irritated. He had anticipated everything, even predicting that the proposal wouldn’t go smoothly. Fu Ziqing herself might not agree. Yet he still went ahead with it because he had secretly struck a deal with Fu Lao, who had already consented to the marriage. As for Fu Ziqing’s unwillingness… as long as Fu Lao agreed, what did it matter if she didn’t?

In other words, even if this engagement failed, once the Lin family made the proposal, no one else would dare to try.

But Elder Lin hadn’t expected Fu Ziqing not to show up—this was a complete surprise. Helpless, he had to pressure his grandson, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, Fu Lao wouldn’t refuse unless he was foolish. Yet unexpectedly, right at the start, someone reckless and lawless jumped in to stir trouble, boldly dragging the matter into the open.

“Ling Tianhu, this is no place for your rowdiness. Shut your mouth!”

At that moment, a deep voice rang out. From the outer hall, another man stood up—one of the second-generation members of the Lin family, in his forties or fifties, tall and imposing, glaring fiercely at the man from Central South as if ready to devour him.

“Lin Chengze, I’m talking to your old man here. What right do you have to butt in?” The middle-aged man was none other than Ling Tianhu, the commander of the Kun City Garrison. Seeing the Lin family rise, he sneered arrogantly, showing utter disdain.

“Ling Tianhu, this is Fu Lao’s birthday banquet, not your playground. Believe me, if you don’t behave, I’ll cripple you,” growled a burly man—the Lin family’s fifth son, known for his hot temper—his eyes blazing.

“Just you?” Ling Tianhu looked down on the big man with contempt. “When I was reaching out to your eldest and second brothers, you were still wearing diapers. And now you dare to mouth off to me? Don’t think because you’re Lin family you’re untouchable. I’ll crush your balls and end your bloodline—”

Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant!

His words made every guest look on in astonishment. That’s what a real bully looks like: threatening to crush the son of Lin Lao in front of the old man himself. It was beyond audacity.

Beside Ling Tianhu, a young man also gaped in surprise at his outburst, thinking to himself he now understood why he had been so unruly since childhood. Everyone accused him of being lawless and ungrateful, but the root cause was clear now.

“Ling Tianhu, I’ll cripple you!” Lin Chengze’s face turned ashen with fury, and he charged at Ling Tianhu.

Ling Tianhu remained unmoved, looking down on him with utter disdain, as if not even seeing him.

Then, a deep voice filled with authority suddenly sounded.

“Lin Xiao Wu, stop right there.”

From the corner of the outer hall, another tall middle-aged man stood up, also in his forties or fifties, his expression cold and his gaze icy as he looked down on Lin Chengze with unmistakable superiority.

“Donghai, when did you start acting up? Huh?”

“Xiao Feilong, you want to stop me?” Lin Chengze’s steps faltered as he looked at the man who had just appeared. His face was complex—this was his superior officer, but at a time involving family honor and interests, he showed no respect and was prepared to act. Still, deep down, he feared this man for his reputation.

Xiao Feilong, the second son of the Xiao family—one of the six great families of Donghai—is known as a reckless madman. In recent years, he had somewhat restrained himself with age, but his fearsome reputation remained untarnished.

“Stop you? Do you deserve it?” Xiao Feilong sneered. “I won’t use my official rank to suppress you today, just brute force. If you dare take another step, I’ll break your leg. Believe it or not?”

“You—”

Lin Chengze’s face darkened, twisted in anger, but he dared not advance. He knew this madman was no joke—and more importantly, he couldn’t beat him. In the entire Donghai military district, this man was one of the top three most terrifying figures. Fighting him would be pure masochism. Lin Chengze was impulsive, yes, but not stupid.

“Old Xiao, I thought you’d keep playing the submissive card and not step forward,” teased Ling Tianhu.

“You’re a sickly wimp and yet you dare show your face. If I didn’t come out, wouldn’t even you look down on me?” Xiao Feilong snorted, though without anger.

“Who are you calling sickly? I’ll fight you one-on-one,” Ling Tianhu growled.

“Just you?” Xiao Feilong sneered. “You never had it, and now I’m going to break one arm of yours—”

“Damn it!”

Ling Tianhu was about to lose it but was cut off by Xiao Feilong’s cold voice: “Are you crazy? I don’t have time to fight you now. I have more important things to do.”

“Right, right. Important things. Almost forgot,” Ling Tianhu calmed down instantly.

Though brief, their exchange stunned everyone who heard it. Few in Donghai knew Ling Tianhu, but no one failed to recognize Xiao Feilong, the second son of the Xiao family. Not only did he know Ling Tianhu, but they clearly had a close relationship based on their casual banter.

“Chu Zangxuan, are you really going to stay seated at a time like this?” Xiao Feilong turned to the Chu family members in the plaza and asked sternly.

Chu Zangxuan’s face shifted repeatedly, yet he remained seated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to act, but he dared not. This matter was beyond his level.

At this moment, everyone was watching Chu Zangxuan. Whether they knew the backstory or not, all now understood: Fu Ziqing was indeed betrothed to the Chu family.

This revelation shocked many. Fu Ziqing was no ordinary person—she was a true favored daughter of heaven and a business prodigy, the brightest jewel of the Fu family. Meanwhile, the Chu family was a minor, almost insignificant clan in Xi City. How could these two families be entangled?

It made no sense!

Yet, no matter how unreasonable, it was the truth.

People could only accept it.

Instead, the current situation stirred excitement and tension. Few believed the Lin family truly didn’t know about Fu Ziqing’s engagement. Knowing it, they still made the proposal publicly, even inviting the Chu family to be present. The sheer arrogance was palpable.

Moreover, what was the Fu family’s intention? Having already promised the Chu family, why this sudden turmoil? Were they seeking to break the engagement?

All sorts of thoughts and speculations raced through the guests’ minds.

“Chu Zangxuan, do you really want to be a coward today?” Xiao Feilong frowned again, and Ling Tianhu, now acting as his follower, also frowned at Chu Zangxuan.

“I’m sorry, I truly don’t understand what Young Master Xiao means,” Chu Zangxuan finally forced himself to stand, wearing a confused expression as he faced the two men.

Everyone who saw this shook their heads, and some even muttered quietly, “Damn it, the Chu family really has no guts…”

The voice was low, but as soon as it was spoken, the speaker’s expression changed. He realized someone had appeared right in front of him: it was Ling Tianhu, the first to provoke the Lin family, glaring fiercely.

“What do you want?”

The man was a senior executive of a state-owned group. Though he couldn’t enter the inner hall, he was a rare, high-ranking figure among the guests. His status had given him the courage to mutter, but now, facing Ling Tianhu’s gaze, he trembled instinctively, even trembling as he spoke.

“What did you just say?” Ling Tianhu asked in a low voice.

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything,” the executive’s face shifted, denying weakly.

“Really? I clearly heard you say the Chu family has no guts.”

Ling Tianhu’s gaze grew colder still.

“I didn’t—ah—”

The man’s words were cut off by a sharp slap from Ling Tianhu, burning pain shooting through his face. Blood sprayed from his nose, and the corner of his mouth split open.

“You hit me—”

The man clutched his swollen cheek, glaring angrily. He hadn’t expected such lawlessness, especially since of all people, he was of high status.

“Ling Tianhu, how can you hit someone like this? Don’t you have any decency?”

At that moment, a deep voice came from nearby. Xiao Feilong appeared next to them. Actually, Ling Tianhu was only two steps away from the executive, which was why he had heard the muttering and acted immediately.

“Sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have hit you,” Ling Tianhu apologized like a misbehaving schoolboy, then obediently stepped aside. But if one looked closely, Ling Tianhu’s eyes held a trace of pity—yes, absolute pity, even stronger than sympathy.

“Ling Tianhu is a madman. Don’t take him seriously,” Xiao Feilong smiled at the executive.

“It’s—it’s nothing,” the executive immediately lost his temper, shaking his head, feeling wronged. That slap was meaningless; given Ling Tianhu’s relationship with Xiao Feilong, he dared not argue.

“But—”

Xiao Feilong’s smile vanished. The next moment he delivered a sudden kick to the executive’s stomach.

*Bang! Crash! Thud!*

A series of loud noises followed with brutal force. The man and his chair were sent flying seven or eight meters, landing unconscious. Whether from pain or shock, no one knew.

The shocking scene caused many nearby guests to jump up and step aside, their expressions complex as they stared at Xiao Feilong.

Just now they called Ling Tianhu a madman, but damn, *he* was the real lunatic!

One moment apologizing, the next kicking someone away—none of the onlookers had time to react.

By the time they did, the poor executive was already lying on the ground, motionless.

“Who else just said the Chu family has no guts? Step forward now!” Xiao Feilong scanned the crowd coldly, his eyes fierce like a raging beast.

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