Chapter 102: A True Gentleman

Chapter 102: True Manliness

“Dad, are you coming or not?” Guoguo issued an ultimatum.

“On my way.” Xu Yun finally made up his mind. He wasn’t worried about Su Xiaoran—after all, that scoundrel Liu Tianyi wouldn’t dare act outrageously in public.

His concern was for Qiu Yan, who wouldn’t be able to endure that sleazy man’s relentless harassment. If she intervened, someone would surely get hurt. After all, Qiu Yan was still burning with anger inside.

Xu Yun hailed a taxi and headed to the address Guoguo had given him—a barbecue buffet, likely her choice. Recently, Xu Yun had been cooking light meals to accommodate Qiu Yan’s health; she had just detoxed from scorpion venom, and greasy food would not do her any favors. Meanwhile, carnivore Feng Guoguo simply couldn’t go two days without meat.

Minutes later, Guoguo finally caught sight of the long-awaited Xu Yun. They were nearly at their wit’s end with the man who had been clinging to their table.

Most tables in the buffet were for four, so naturally, an empty seat appeared beside Su Xiaoran as they sat down.

The bold and shameless Liu Tianyi, ever the persistent suitor, promptly slid into the seat, feigning coincidence though he had been tailing them all along.

Liu Tianyi’s intentions were clear: to pursue Su Xiaoran brazenly, while constantly sneaking glances at Qiu Yan’s alluring figure and cold, stunning face.

Guoguo and Su Xiaoran had warned him dozens of times that the seat was taken, but Liu Tianyi refused to believe them. He said only one thing: “If that person arrives, I’ll leave immediately.”

Qiu Yan had had enough of this persistent pest. She was on the verge of taking action.

“Oh, what a lively gathering,” Xu Yun said with a cheerful smile as he approached.

Guoguo breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the shameless Liu Tianyi. “Alright, the person we’re waiting for is here. You can leave now.”

Liu Tianyi never expected the bastard to show up again. His fists clenched with a sharp crack—he was barely restraining himself from attacking the man who dared to compete for Su Xiaoran’s affections.

Having had his meridians fully opened, Liu Tianyi brimmed with newfound confidence. Now a legitimately upgraded expert, he felt no pressure. Today, he would show Su Xiaoran what true masculine dominance meant!

With a sneer, Liu Tianyi stood, eager to demonstrate the difference between himself and Xu Yun. Known for his love of designer brands, he looked to outshine Xu Yun in every way.

Liu Tianyi wore an Armani short-sleeved shirt, casual trousers, and Gucci leather shoes, spritzed with Dior cologne. Xu Yun, by contrast, sported a black skull-print T-shirt, colorful beach shorts, and flip-flops—pure rugged masculinity.

“You’re not worthy of Teacher Su,” Liu Tianyi scoffed. “I don’t want to resort to violence, but you’d better back off. If you keep bothering Teacher Su, I can’t guarantee I won’t lose control.”

The man was quick to cast blame. Xu Yun was speechless. “You’re the one harassing Teacher Su, aren’t you? I warned you yesterday—are you out of your mind?”

Seeing Xu Yun take the bait, Liu Tianyi snorted heavily. “We’ll see who’s really out of their mind. I warned you too—if I see you again, I won’t be polite.”

Su Xiaoran watched the tense standoff nervously, while Qiu Yan sipped her juice expressionlessly, as if the two men were completely irrelevant to her.

“Come on, Dad!” Guoguo, ever the troublemaker, was brimming with excitement. Standing on her chair with a bottle of milk in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, she was completely confident her father would triumph.

The buffet filled with an intense atmosphere thick with tension.

Suddenly, Liu Tianyi exploded with a thunderous strike, his single-footed chop toppling a dining table with a crash that startled nearby diners. Some hurriedly left, unwilling to witness further chaos.

Su Xiaoran’s eyes nearly popped out in shock. She hadn’t imagined Liu Tianyi was so formidable.

The restaurant owner swiftly intervened, threatening, “If you don’t stop, I’ll call the police!”

Liu Tianyi sneered and tossed his wallet to the owner. “No need to call the cops. I’ll pay double for any damages today. Open your eyes and look inside—there’s a gold card. Don’t worry about whether I can afford it.”

The owner, unaccustomed to such brazen displays of wealth, reluctantly opened the wallet. Inside were just a few thousand yuan in cash, but the numerous gold cards from major banks were unquestionably genuine—some requiring fixed deposits of over ten million yuan to obtain.

Now convinced that Liu Tianyi was indeed flush with cash, the owner’s attitude changed.

“If you dare call the police, I’ll make sure you regret it,” Liu Tianyi threatened coldly. Today, he intended to teach this insolent man who dared to steal his woman a harsh lesson.

The restaurant owner’s expression flipped instantly. He quickly took the wallet back and ordered all the staff to ask the customers to leave immediately, refunding all expenses for the day.

Such a deal—losing double what was damaged—was hardly a loss. In fact, the owner welcomed it, hoping this wealthy troublemaker would tear the place apart and save him the trouble and cost of renovations.

Liu Tianyi’s mind was already clouded. All he cared about was displaying his masculine dominance in front of Su Xiaoran. He didn’t care if the restaurant was destroyed or how much it cost.

Suddenly, he launched a furious assault. Earlier that morning, with his father’s company, the Red Scorpion had opened all his meridians, unleashing a constant surge of power in his dantian. The Red Scorpion advised him to vent this energy when the chance arose to aid his mental growth.

Originally, Liu Tianyi’s father wanted him to target some troublesome thugs at their hotel, but Liu Tianyi had restrained himself, saving this pent-up energy for such an opportunity.

He hadn’t expected it to come so quickly—and he was secretly delighted.

A thunderous strike came crashing down, but Xu Yun easily sidestepped it. Liu Tianyi’s punch shattered a glass partition with a loud crash, sending shards scattering across the floor.

Before, such a blow would have left Liu Tianyi’s fist bloodied and throbbing with pain. But now, not only was his fist unscathed, he didn’t feel any pain at all.

Anyone who had just crossed into the ranks of an expert wouldn’t be so easily hurt unless struck by a force greater than their own. Liu Tianyi was no longer the worthless wretch he once was.

Qiu Yan furrowed her brow slightly. She hadn’t expected this man to be a third-tier expert; strangely, he gave off no expert aura at all.

Xu Yun turned, casting a cold smile at Liu Tianyi. “Those who take shortcuts will never reach their destination.”

From Liu Tianyi’s first strike, Xu Yun had already concluded he was a fake expert—someone who might possess the level of a third-tier expert but lacked the true presence. Xu Yun knew exactly how such a person came to be.

“I don’t have time to reason with you today. I want Xiaoran to see what a real man looks like!” Liu Tianyi suddenly tore off his expensive shirt, tossing it aside to reveal a robust, muscular physique sculpted at the gym. Before this morning, his muscles were mere showmanship; now, they were different.

Xu Yun didn’t know which top-tier expert had fully opened this man’s meridians, but he pitied him. Liu Tianyi had essentially shortened his life by ten years.

True advancement comes only through one’s own breakthrough and realization. Experts above first-tier understood this. The mental state must correspond to one’s true strength; forcibly elevating it beyond one’s ability causes great harm.

The method of forcibly opening all meridians to reach third-tier expert status was never recognized—akin to using banned performance-enhancing drugs that instantly boost one’s level.

But judging by Liu Tianyi’s excitement, he had no idea of the heavy price he was paying.

No one had told him about the side effects.

Fueled by a wild, uncontrollable fire, Liu Tianyi rampaged like a mad beast, turning the buffet into a scene of utter destruction—from chairs to ceiling, partitions to floor—there was hardly an inch left unscathed.

The restaurant owner was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe someone could smash floor tiles with their fists! His hand holding the wallet trembled; he began to question his very life for daring to swipe those credit cards.

Yet, despite Liu Tianyi’s furious assault, none of his blows truly landed on Xu Yun, who never even lifted a foot off the ground. His casual dodges effortlessly neutralized every attack.

After all, Xu Yun, now a high-level expert, was in a completely different league from Liu Tianyi, the counterfeit third-tier expert. The gap was as vast as heaven and earth.

Exhausted after a wild barrage, Liu Tianyi finally sensed something was wrong. The man before him hadn’t even retaliated, while he himself had drained a great deal of energy.

In that moment of hesitation, Xu Yun struck.

Suddenly, Xu Yun grabbed Liu Tianyi’s shoulders with both hands and violently hurled him against the wall! The impact sent a sharp, bone-cracking pain through Liu Tianyi’s back. He marveled that his 180-pound frame could be thrown so effortlessly.

Liu Tianyi, newly confident as an expert, wasn’t about to admit defeat. He jumped up and swung a punch at Xu Yun’s left cheek. Xu Yun smoothly lowered his left arm to block the blow, then followed with three thunderous punches to Liu Tianyi’s jaw.

Liu Tianyi’s head buzzed. Before he could retaliate, Xu Yun executed a fierce over-the-shoulder throw, smashing a dining table to splinters.

Without pause, Xu Yun lifted Liu Tianyi and slammed him into the ceiling. Since the man had openly declared he’d pay for damages, Xu Yun saw no reason to hold back.

Liu Tianyi’s heavy body crashed through two LED light panels in the ceiling before falling hard to the floor. His swagger from a minute ago was gone—he lay crumpled in the corner like a beaten, broken dog, gasping for breath.

That was true manliness, undeniable for all to see.

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