Chapter 648: A Sound Beating
Chapter 648: Chapter 646: A Sound Beating
Faced with Luo Quan’s aggressive pressure, Jiang Chen showed no intention of backing down.
His gaze sharpened.
Although he had heard about the Artifact Refiner Guild’s rules, he was unwilling to shut down now. Chenxi Pavilion had just started to catch the eye of Xingyuan City’s Martial Cultivators, and this was his chance to build a reputation.
Jiang Chen also knew that the Artifact Refiner Guild’s power was not to be underestimated.
More importantly, the Artifact Refiner Guild had deep ties to the Zuo Family, an Artifact Refining Family in Xingyuan City.
In fact, the Artifact Refiner Guild was now almost entirely under the Zuo Family’s control.
Luo Quan could see that Jiang Chen and his companions possessed some real strength, so he didn’t want to resort to brute force.
Still, he said, “Today, no matter what, you’re shutting down.”
“You can only reopen after you’ve obtained a permit from our Artifact Refiner Guild.”
“This is the rule. No one can defy it.”
With that, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and he tossed a paper covered in text to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen glanced at it. They were the rules of the Artifact Refiner Guild, and sure enough, one article stated that opening a shop without the guild’s permission was forbidden.
Just then, a few more people walked into the shop.
It was Zuo Tu, who strolled in with a smug grin, followed by several attendants.
Upon seeing Zuo Tu, even Luo Quan hurriedly bowed his head. “Greetings, Eighth Young Master.”
Zuo Tu nodded at Luo Quan.
Then, with a wicked grin, he turned to Jiang Chen. “Well, kid? Are you starting to understand the power of our Zuo Family?”
“Hahahaha! Just close up shop. I don’t need a cut of your profits anymore.”
Zuo Tu was delighted to see Jiang Chen being intimidated by the men from the Artifact Refiner Guild.
Jiang Chen had rejected him before, and now, it was finally his turn to put Jiang Chen in his place.
“You’re a bad man! A really bad man!”
Little Xixi immediately pointed at Zuo Tu, shouting her accusation.
Despite being small and looking only about three years old, she had a sharp tongue and let Zuo Tu have it.
Being yelled at by a little girl, Zuo Tu naturally paid her no mind.
He said to Jiang Chen, “Kid, beg me. If you beg me, I’ll let you keep your shop open.”
“Right now, just get on your knees and beg me. I’ll be merciful and let you stay open. Go on, beg me.”
Jiang Chen finally snapped. He was furious.
He shot forward in a sudden blur of motion.
He appeared before Zuo Tu like a phantom.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, he had Zuo Tu by the throat.
Zuo Tu froze, taking a long moment to process what had happened. When he finally did, he realized Jiang Chen was holding him aloft with a single hand.
Zuo Tu glared furiously at Jiang Chen.
“You bastard! How dare you treat me like this?”
“You’re dead! You’re so dead!”
SLAP!
The response he received was a sharp slap from Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen slapped Zuo Tu hard across the face and said coldly, “If that’s how you want to play it, then let me tell you something: no one is going to stop me from keeping my shop open.”
“Anyone who dares try to shut my doors, I’ll take their life.”
“Not you. Not the Zuo Family.”
SLAP!
He viciously slapped Zuo Tu again.
Both Zuo Tu’s attendants and Luo Quan’s men stood frozen in shock.
Before they could even react, Jiang Chen had already struck Zuo Tu, landing several vicious slaps.
After all, Zuo Tu was a member of the Zuo Family. Even if he wasn’t from the main line, he belonged to a branch family and had always handled business on their behalf.
It was safe to say he was highly valued by the family.
With the Zuo Family’s reputation in Xingyuan City, who would ever dare lay a hand on Zuo Tu?
But what was happening now was beyond their wildest imaginations. Not only had Jiang Chen attacked Zuo Tu, but he had slapped him multiple times.
Zuo Tu himself was dazed from the blows.
All he could feel was the fiery sting on his cheeks.
“You…”
“You actually hit me?”
Meanwhile, Luo Quan and his men began shouting frantically at Jiang Chen.
“Bastard! Let go of the Eighth Young Master!”
“Let him go, or you’re dead!”
“The Zuo Family won’t let you get away with treating the Eighth Young Master like this!”
Furious, they began to threaten Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen completely ignored Luo Quan and Zuo Tu’s attendants. His cold, indifferent gaze remained fixed on Zuo Tu.
He raised his hand again.
SLAP!
He brought his hand down hard on Zuo Tu’s face again, declaring, “When it comes to trash like you, I never hold back.”
SLAP!
Slap after slap rained down, making Zuo Tu see stars and spit blood.
Jiang Chen had beaten Zuo Tu into a daze.
“Aaargh…”
“Damn it! Get him! Kill him!”
Zuo Tu’s attendants were the first to act, brandishing their Magical Treasures as they charged toward Jiang Chen.
But Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao were faster.
FWOOSH!
The pair appeared before Zuo Tu’s attendants and struck without hesitation.
Both of them were Martial King Experts, while Zuo Tu’s attendants were mere Martial Artists. They were no match for Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao.
Within a few breaths, Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao had struck them all down, leaving them twitching on the floor.
Sensing the cultivation auras radiating from Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao, Luo Quan’s expression changed dramatically.
For they finally realized that Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao were both Martial King Experts.
‘Martial King Experts?’
‘They never imagined that a humble little place like Chenxi Pavilion would have Martial King Experts—two of them, no less.’
‘And of course, there was Jiang Chen himself. The way he was manhandling Zuo Tu, he was clearly an expert with a Martial King Cultivation at the very least.’
‘Otherwise, with Zuo Tu’s own Martial King Cultivation, an ordinary person would have been no match for him.’
Luo Quan and his men didn’t dare to step forward and help.
Jiang Chen lowered his hand, his gaze on Zuo Tu cold and detached.
He said flatly, “I don’t care who you are. I’m warning you: do not cross my bottom line.”
“Now, get out.”
With that, Jiang Chen violently hurled Zuo Tu out the doors of Chenxi Pavilion.
CRASH!
Zuo Tu slammed into the ground, landing face-first with such force that all his front teeth were knocked out.
He nearly passed out from the impact.
Luo Quan rushed out of Chenxi Pavilion to help Zuo Tu up.
“Eighth Young Master! Eighth Young Master, are you all right?”
The others scrambled out of Chenxi Pavilion in a sorry state.
Zuo Tu’s face was a bloody mess, swollen beyond recognition.
He was trembling with sheer rage.
He turned, his eyes fixed on Chenxi Pavilion with a venomous glare.
His reputation as the Eighth Young Master meant everything in Xingyuan City, yet this man had just given him a brutal thrashing.
He hated Jiang Chen with every fiber of his being.
He had indeed been the one to bring Luo Quan here to vent his anger. He never expected it to backfire so spectacularly.
He snarled, “Chenxi Pavilion, you will regret this.”
He roared.
Beside him, Luo Quan said cautiously, “Eighth Young Master, I’ve confirmed it. Chenxi Pavilion did indeed open without the Artifact Refiner Guild’s permission.”
“We can definitely force them to close.”
“They’ve broken the rules of our Artifact Refiner Guild.”
Zuo Tu’s voice was frigid. “In that case, force him to shut down.”
“Make them shut down today.”
“Of course, I’m not just going to let them off that easily.”
“He dared to hit me. I want him dead.”
Zuo Tu practically spat each word through clenched teeth.