Chapter 014: The Shield Used as a Tool

Chapter 14: The Pawn Who Was Used

Chu Fei was truly exasperated.

He knew exactly who Liu Fengkai was. Anyone with half a brain could see why he had appeared here. But never in his wildest imagination did he think this fire would burn its way to him.

This Ximen Lu was too cunning. With just a single sentence, she had pushed him squarely into opposition with Shenghe’s princeling…

"You?"

Only now did Liu Fengkai act as if he was noticing Chu Fei for the first time. He shot Chu Fei a disdainful glance, the contempt in his eyes undisguised. "You’re Ximen Lu’s boyfriend?"

—

Chu Fei had just opened his mouth to explain, but Ximen Lu slipped around the desk, sidled up to him, and wrapped herself around his arm. Her delicate figure leaned into his embrace, and their posture could not have been more intimate. She turned to Liu Fengkai and said, “That’s right, he’s my boyfriend. I came back this time to get engaged to him.”

Liu Fengkai’s face turned sullen at once. He hadn’t believed it at first, thinking it was just an excuse Ximen Lu had cooked up. But seeing their intimate behavior now, he couldn’t help but believe it. In his mind, Ximen Lu was the epitome of intellect and aloofness, a goddess with an air of arrogance—she would never act so close with a man unless he truly was her boyfriend.

But the information he’d gathered said she had always been single, rarely even talking to men. How could she suddenly have a boyfriend?

Shenghe’s young master was at a loss.

Chu Fei, on the other hand, was seized by a surge of frustration. Ximen Lu looked sweetly nestled against him, but her little hand was pinching the sensitive flesh at his side, giving a slight twist that made her meaning crystal clear… Chu Fei was sure that if he dared to explain, this woman would twist even harder.

The most venomous creature is a woman’s heart.

The more beautiful a woman, the more likely she is to be a viper. In this moment, Chu Fei understood the truth behind those ancient sayings.

Liu Fengkai’s rapidly darkening expression also made it clear to Chu Fei: even if he tried to explain now that he wasn’t Ximen Lu’s boyfriend, the young master would never believe him.

Just then, Liu Fengkai suddenly smiled, but instead of gazing “longingly” at Ximen Lu, his eyes fixed on Chu Fei, the smile cold and chilling. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re not worthy of Ximen Lu. If I were you, I’d leave right now.”

A threat!

Already in a foul mood, Chu Fei found Liu Fengkai’s words even more vexing. What had he done to deserve this?

“Two million. Leave Kun City,” Liu Fengkai continued, his tone lofty and imperious—like an emperor issuing decrees.

Chu Fei’s face darkened. This Liu Fengkai was too arrogant.

“Five million. That’s my limit. Don’t be greedy,” Liu Fengkai said again, not even giving Chu Fei a chance to reply. The way he said five million made it sound like he was tossing out five bucks.

Chu Fei couldn’t help but laugh in anger.

He was already annoyed at being used by Ximen Lu, and now Liu Fengkai’s arrogance was stoking his fire even further. He glanced up at this so-called prince of Shenghe, sneered, and said, “Is two million a lot? I’ll give you five million—get out of Kun City right now.”

Liu Fengkai stared at Chu Fei in shock, silent for more than ten seconds. This was the first time anyone had ever dared to speak to him that way.

"Good, very good!"

Liu Fengkai suddenly sneered at Chu Fei. “No one in Kun City has ever dared speak to me, Liu Fengkai, like that. You’re the first.”

Chu Fei couldn’t be bothered to respond. He casually pried Ximen Lu’s restless hand from his side. Perhaps because her plot had succeeded, Ximen Lu was surprisingly well-behaved this time, obediently withdrawing her hand like a demure, well-trained little wife.

This scene made Liu Fengkai even angrier!

“Awei, break his leg. Let him understand the cost of provoking me,” Liu Fengkai suddenly barked, stepping back and glaring coldly at Chu Fei. The middle-aged man standing by the door frowned, hesitated for a moment, then strode toward Chu Fei. He didn’t strike immediately, but frowned and said, “Sir, please apologize to Young Master Liu. Don’t force my hand…”

“I don’t want an apology—I want his leg,” Liu Fengkai said from behind, his gaze locked on Chu Fei’s eyes, ruthlessness flashing within. He had never been a forgiving man.

“I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have offended Young Master Liu…”

The middle-aged man sighed, his eyes suddenly sharp. He reached for Chu Fei’s arm—his five fingers extended like talons. If he got hold of Chu Fei’s arm, the next moment would be a violent swing, followed by a thunderous kick to shatter the man’s leg, or maybe even both…

This sequence of moves flowed in one unbroken motion. He’d done this many times and had never failed.

But today, something went wrong.

As the middle-aged man lunged, Chu Fei’s eyes narrowed. From the first moment he’d seen this man, he’d sensed something unusual—there was a special aura about him that only certain people could perceive. Now, as the man moved, Chu Fei was even more certain: not only was this man highly skilled, but he also carried a strong scent of blood and death. When he was calm, it was faint, but in action, it exploded into a powerful, oppressive presence—a presence found only in those who had truly faced life and death.

With a swift motion, Chu Fei pulled Ximen Lu behind him and stepped back, neatly dodging the grasp. In the very next instant, he surged forward—

The retreat and advance seemed slow, but it all happened in a heartbeat.

The man called Awei, surprised when he grasped empty air, barely had time to react before a huge fist loomed before his eyes.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out, like a hammer striking leather.

Awei staggered back several steps, his right arm hanging limply. Chu Fei’s punch had landed squarely on his shoulder, too fast for any response, and so powerful it rendered his arm useless—he couldn’t even lift it now. The pain was so intense that beads of sweat the size of soybeans broke out on his forehead.

Awei looked up at Chu Fei, shock and fear filling his gaze.

Liu Fengkai was startled by this sudden turn. His face paled. No one knew better than he did how strong Awei was—he was famous throughout Kun City. If his father hadn’t saved Awei’s life years ago, someone with his skills would never have settled for being a mere bodyguard.

Awei was the backbone of Liu Fengkai’s arrogance, his ultimate trump card.

But now, the man he’d considered nearly invincible had been disabled by a single punch—the reality was almost impossible to believe.

Liu Fengkai felt as if he were in a dream.

But as Chu Fei approached him, it became all too clear—this was no dream. This was real.

"You… what do you want?"

Liu Fengkai instinctively backed away until he reached the door, a look of unease flickering in his eyes.

“This is your first warning. I won’t make it hard for you. But if you harass my woman again, don’t blame me for being merciless.” Chu Fei’s eyes were icy as he looked at Liu Fengkai, and then he spat out a single word: “Get out!”

Liu Fengkai’s face turned several shades paler, wavering between ashen and livid. No one had ever dared tell him to “get out” before—yet now the word had come from Chu Fei’s lips.

But he didn’t dare talk back. Chu Fei’s seemingly simple punch had shattered all his confidence. He knew Awei’s strength too well—if Awei could be taken out with a single blow, any resistance on his part would be suicide.

“I’ll remember you. Just wait!”

In the end, Liu Fengkai took a deep breath, his face dark and grim, and hurried out of the office. Chu Fei’s calm eyes had sent chills down his spine—he didn’t dare linger another minute. Awei, cradling his limp arm, looked deeply at Chu Fei before quickly following his master out. There was a trace of deep-seated fear in his gaze as he left.

“Awei, what just happened? How did you fail?”

After leaving Feilu Media, Liu Fengkai still couldn’t accept what had happened. He turned to look at Awei, who was still sweating from pain, making Liu Fengkai frown even more.

“Young Master Liu, that man—Chu Fei—is a master,” Awei gritted out, enduring the inhuman pain.

“A master? How strong?” Liu Fengkai asked in a low voice, glancing back in the direction of Feilu Media, his eyes venomous. Awei was his fiercest henchman but not the most formidable person he knew. There was someone even more terrifying by his father’s side. He refused to believe that Chu Fei couldn’t be dealt with.

He was determined to make that bastard repent, or he’d never be able to swallow this humiliation.

“I can’t be sure, but I estimate he’s at least mid-stage Inner Strength,” Awei said bitterly. He couldn’t ascertain Chu Fei’s exact level, but he was certain the man could kill him with one hand. The so-called mid-stage Inner Strength was just his guess based on his injuries—only someone at that level could inflict such devastating harm with a single punch. Only he, as the victim, could truly comprehend the extent of his suffering.

“What?” Liu Fengkai’s expression changed completely, staring in disbelief at the pained Awei. He knew all too well what those three words—Inner Strength—meant.

Among martial artists, there were four realms: Outer Strength, Inner Strength, Merging Strength, and Hidden Strength. Rumor had it there was a higher, Innate Realm, but that existed only in legend. In reality, no one had ever seen it, and even the latter two realms were exceedingly rare. Most so-called experts in the real world were at the Outer Strength level, and reaching that made one a true master. Inner Strength, meanwhile, was unattainable for ordinary people.

His father, Liu Ping, had several genuine super-experts at his side, but all were at the Outer Strength level. Only Fang Tao, who shadowed his father like a ghost, had stepped into Inner Strength, and even then had barely scratched the surface—not even at the novice stage. Each realm was divided into five stages: Novice, Early, Mid, Late, and Mastery. These divisions existed because each minor stage was a tough hurdle to cross, requiring both effort and talent. The difference between each stage was vast, to say nothing of the gap between entire realms.

Mid-stage Inner Strength?

There probably weren’t even a handful of such experts in all of Kun City. Liu Fengkai didn’t know exactly how many, but he doubted he’d need more than two hands to count them.

Chu Fei was actually a master at the Inner Strength level?

And at mid-stage, no less?

And that was the lowest estimate—it might be even higher?

How could this be possible?

Liu Fengkai felt as if he were dreaming—otherwise, how could something so fantastical have happened?