Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Zhao Dong's gaze shifted toward the entrance, and his brow furrowed.

The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man was tall and handsome, though his face was marred by an arrogant sneer. Beside him, the woman carried herself with an air of superiority. She wore a casual leather jacket, tight pants, and long boots. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, contributing to an aloof and proud aura. Her features were exquisite, almost perfect: skin as pale as snow, long eyelashes, thin red lips, and a small beauty mark between her eyebrows. Her beauty was stunning, the kind that could bring ruin, but the coldness in her eyes created a sense of unbridgeable distance.

The crowd stared, surprised by the pair at the door.

The expressions on the faces of the Gu family members changed. Just then, the man at the door snorted coldly. "Where are the people from the Gu family? Show yourselves!"

As his words fell, Gu Moning bit her lip, stepped forward, and asked, "Who are you two, and what is the meaning of this?"

Gu Qihui and his son, Gu Zhou, also moved forward, flanked by a group of the Gu family's security personnel who quickly surrounded the area.

The man at the door tilted his head up, looking at Gu Moning and the others with a cold smile. "Do you have any idea who we are?"

Unable to restrain himself, Gu Qihui frowned. "I don't care who you are. I'm warning you, this is the Gu family's exhibition. No one is allowed to cause trouble here."

The man sneered. "Such arrogance from the Gu family! You must be the family head, Gu Qihui, right? My name is Xu Yongnian, from the Xu family of the neighboring Silver Sea! This is my elder sister, Xu Qingyue!"

Hearing that they were from the Xu family, Gu Qihui's expression soured, and Gu Moning's face paled. The Xu family was the largest jeweler and gem dealer in Silver Sea, a powerhouse far stronger than their Gu family. They were no match for the Xus, who also held significantly more sway in the industry association.

Seeing their expressions, Xu Yongnian sneered. "What happened to all that bravado? Where's that arrogance from a moment ago?"

Gu Qihui clenched his teeth, then forced a smile. "So, you are from the Xu family. Young Master Xu, Miss Xu, we were not aware you would be gracing us with your presence. Please, come inside."

Although Gu Qihui was furious, he could only grin and bear it. He hoped this de-escalation would earn them some face, but Xu Yongnian instead cursed directly at him.

"So your eyes aren't blind yet; you can still recognize us! Let me tell you something, Gu family. I've had it with you lot for a long time! This exhibition should have been hosted by our family. What right does your worthless family have to do it? The more I think about it, the angrier I get."

At these words, the members of the Gu family flushed with anger, clenching their fists, wanting nothing more than to rip Xu Yongnian's mouth off his face.

Xu Qingyue glanced at Gu Qihui and added coldly, "Patriarch Gu, to be honest, your family hosting this exhibition is a complete waste of resources. The Xu family surpasses yours in every respect, yet you were chosen to host before us. You may call it good luck, but we of the Xu family are not convinced."

Gu Qihui's teeth ground together in frustration, but he could only maintain his smile. "You are both correct. The Gu family certainly cannot compare to the Xu family. The honor of hosting should indeed belong to you. However, since the Gu family has already begun, what exactly do you intend to do now?"

Xu Yongnian snorted. "Why we're here is none of your business. Can't we just take a look? What, are you going to stop us from entering?"

Gu Qihui replied with a bitter smile, "Of course not, Young Master Xu. If you wish to look, please come in."

"That's more like it! Sister, let's go!"

With that, Xu Yongnian strode into the exhibition hall, a few of his subordinates trailing behind him. Xu Qingyue's gaze swept across the faces of the Gu family before she followed him inside.

Gu Qihui clenched his jaw. Beside him, Gu Zhou balled his fists, his face tight with anger. "Dad, the Xu family is so full of themselves! Just because they're stronger, they think they can bully us like this? I won't accept it! I want them to give us an explanation!"

Gu Qihui took a deep breath. "Zhou, calm down! We can't afford to offend the Xu family. I'll tell you the truth. Some time ago, the Xu family lost out to us in a bid for a batch of jade resources, and they've held a grudge ever since. They're just using this as a pretext. They want us to start a fight, to blow this out of proportion and make it public so our Gu family becomes a laughingstock."

Gu Zhou gritted his teeth. "So we're just supposed to watch them strut around like this? I can't stand it!"

Gu Moning sighed. "Zhou, Dad is right. Calm down for now. Let's see what they're really planning to do."

Gu Qihui nodded. "Exactly. We must remain calm. As long as they don't go too far today, we'll turn a blind eye. We absolutely cannot afford to make an enemy of the Xu family. We are not their opponents."

Gu Moning nodded in agreement. Gu Zhou bit his lip and, finally, said no more.

The three of them returned to the exhibition hall, trailing the Xu family members to observe what they were up to.

Xu Yongnian and Xu Qingyue swaggered through the hall with their subordinates, shoving aside anyone who got in their way. Many of the guests were seething but dared not speak out. Xu Yongnian scanned their angry faces and taunted, "What are you all glaring at? Unhappy? If you're unhappy, then get the hell out! I love seeing that look on your faces—the one where you can't stand me but can't do a damn thing about it."

With that, he forcefully pushed several more guests aside.

The lively atmosphere of the exhibition hall quickly soured. Some guests left in a huff, and the hall grew quiet. Following behind, Gu Moning bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, her face flushed with suppressed anger, but she kept herself in check. Gu Zhou's eyes burned with a fire so intense that if looks could kill, he would have slain them all a hundred times over.

Just then, Xu Yongnian stopped in front of a jeweled ring on display. He sneered and kicked the protective glass cover.

The glass case toppled to the floor and shattered, sending shards scattering everywhere. A piercing crash echoed through the hall.

Gu Moning couldn't hold back any longer. "Xu Yongnian, what are you doing?" she demanded angrily.

Xu Yongnian turned to her with a chuckle. "Not much. I just think all this stuff from your Gu family is trash. It's not fit for public display. Kicking it over was doing you a favor, saving you the embarrassment!"

Gu Moning retorted, "This is the Gu family's exhibition! These are our exhibits! You came here to cause trouble just because you're resentful that we're hosting. Don't you think you're going too far?"

Xu Yongnian sneered. "Too far? So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?" Pointing at her nose, he enunciated each word, "I, Xu Yongnian, am making it clear today: your Gu family is trash! You're no match for the Xu family! So what? You got a problem with that? Are you unhappy?"

Gu Moning trembled with rage, her face scarlet and her lips quivering.

Xu Yongnian smirked and delivered another kick, this time to a nearby mirrored display. The mirror crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

He smiled smugly. "It's all garbage anyway. What does it matter if I smash it? At worst, I'll just pay for it."

Her voice trembling with anger, Gu Moning said, "Xu Yongnian, don't push it. This is Gu family territory!"

"Get lost! Your Gu family is worth shit!" Xu Yongnian shot back. Then, with a wicked grin, he reached out to touch Gu Moning's cheek. "You're the young lady of the Gu family, aren't you? Tsk, tsk. You're quite pretty, but you're just a decorative vase. Let me have a feel."

A wave of disgust washed over Gu Moning. She slapped his hand away, tears of rage welling in her eyes.

Seeing this, Gu Zhou could no longer contain himself. He lunged forward, roaring, "Xu Yongnian, fuck your mother! You bastard son of a bitch, I'll kill you!"

Gu Zhou threw a kick at Xu Yongnian, but Yongnian was a cultivator, while Zhou was an ordinary person. How could he possibly be a match?

As Gu Zhou's leg shot out, Xu Yongnian countered with a vicious kick of his own, striking him squarely in the chest. Gu Zhou's body flew backward, crashing into several display stands before collapsing to the ground. He lay there, bruised and battered with two broken bones, howling in pain.

Xu Yongnian sneered in disdain. "Trash. Your entire Gu family is nothing but trash!"

Gu Moning screamed and rushed to her brother's side, helping him up. "Zhou, what's wrong? Zhou?" she asked, her voice trembling.

With his face bruised and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Gu Zhou looked up resentfully. "Sis... I can't accept this... I can't accept being bullied by the Xu family! I'll kill them!"

Xu Yongnian gave him a dismissive glance. "Pathetic weakling. You? That's hilarious! I'm at the peak of the Inner Strength Stage, you worthless piece of trash! What the hell are you? I could kill you with one hand!"

Gu Zhou roared in fury, but the pain was so intense he couldn't even straighten his body. He could only slam his fists against the floor in helpless frustration.

At that moment, Gu Moning rose to her feet. She stared fixedly at Xu Yongnian and said, word by word, "Xu Yongnian, you... you bastard! What can you do besides preying on the weak?"

"I can take you, too."

A lecherous smile spread across Xu Yongnian's face as he walked straight toward her, reaching out to pull her into his arms. "Come on, little beauty. Sleep with me for one night, and I'll stop causing trouble today."

"You bastard!"

Infuriated, Gu Moning swung her hand.

SMACK!

Caught by surprise, Xu Yongnian staggered back, a red handprint blooming on his cheek. He was stunned. A second later, he erupted.

"You bitch! You dare hit me? I'll fucking kill you!" he bellowed, raising his own hand, which crackled with formidable power as he swung it toward Gu Moning's face.

Gu Moning closed her eyes, her face a mask of pale, desperate resignation. Her family was no match for Xu Yongnian. Who could possibly help her now?

A few seconds passed, but the expected slap never landed.

Gu Moning slowly opened her eyes, her mouth falling agape in shock at the scene unfolding before her.