Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Five minutes later, when Zhao Dong withdrew his palm, Tang Xue still lay on the couch, her eyes glazed over. Strange sounds escaped her lips, and her body, flushed bright red, was too numb for her to stand.

"All right, you can get up now."

"Ah... is it... is it over?" Startled by Zhao Dong's words, Tang Xue quickly grabbed her clothes to cover her chest. She looked nervously at Zhao Dong, but seeing his calm expression, she breathed a sigh of relief.

As she quickly dressed, she couldn't stop recalling what had just happened.

That feeling... it was so... comfortable...

Lost in the aftertaste, the thought that she wanted to experience it again surfaced. Tang Xue was shocked and quickly shook her head, casting the terrifying idea away.

Tang Xue! What are you thinking? That was a medical treatment!

While Tang Xue was lost in her wild thoughts, Zhao Dong had already stepped out to call Tang Yuntian back in. Seeing Tang Xue was unharmed, the mayor was overjoyed and showered Zhao Dong with gratitude.

Zhao Dong waved it off. "There's no need for thanks. The poison in Miss Tang's body wasn't natural; someone poisoned her deliberately. Have you offended anyone recently?"

"What!?" Tang Yuntian's expression changed. "Who would dare poison my daughter?"

After a few seconds of silence, Tang Yuntian spoke gravely. "As the mayor of East Sea City, I deal with far too many people and have offended countless numbers of them. Trying to identify the poisoner from that list would be difficult."

Zhao Dong nodded slightly. "Fair enough. Since the culprit has made a move once, they'll surely try again. Just be more careful."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the mayor, Zhao Dong left the tea room. Once he was gone, Tang Xue stared at the empty doorway, looking utterly lost. Seeing this, Tang Yuntian frowned deeply. She had been embarrassingly silent since he'd entered, and now that Zhao Dong had left, she looked completely dejected.

Could something unspeakable have happened in here?

「...」

Meanwhile, Zhao Dong had just left the tea room when his phone rang. It was Lin Qingyun.

Surprised, Zhao Dong answered. The moment the call connected, he heard Lin Qingyun's voice, fraught with urgency. "Zhao Dong, something terrible has happened!"

Zhao Dong chuckled. "Darling, don't panic. Tell me slowly."

Lin Qingyun's face flushed slightly as she rushed to explain, "It's the Dragon Restraint Bureau! The East Sea Dragon Restraint Bureau just updated its martial arts ranking. You've been ranked second, just behind Kou Hongmin!"

Dragon Restraint Bureau?

Zhao Dong frowned. "It's just an updated ranking. There's no need to be so anxious."

"It's not just that!" Lin Qingyun's tone was filled with worry. "Besides that, Kou Hongmin used the Bureau to issue a formal challenge to you! He wants a duel to the death tomorrow at noon in the East Sea Sports Stadium! You can see it on their official notice! The rules state that anyone on the list can challenge someone within three ranks of them. The Dragon Restraint Bureau is clearly doing this on purpose!"

Lin Qingyun was only halfway through her explanation when a commotion erupted on her end of the line, followed by Ling Feng's irritated voice. "You, Zhao. This is Ling Feng."

Zhao Dong paused, then frowned. "Cousin Ling Feng, what's wrong?"

Ling Feng practically spat his words out. "Listen to me, Zhao! You're a complete loser! How did you get yourself into such a huge mess? How did you manage to offend Kou Hongmin? Now everyone in East Sea knows about it! I'm telling you, either go get yourself killed or get the hell out of East Sea! Don't you dare drag my sister into this!"

"Brother! What are you doing? Give me back my phone!" Lin Qingyun's voice cried out as she struggled for the phone.

Ling Feng glared at her, his voice dripping with disappointment. "Qingyun! How can you still defend this loser at a time like this? This Zhao Dong is trash, but you? You're the esteemed CEO of the Lin Corporation, the pride of the Lin Family from the Provincial City! If this loser wasn't holding you back, your future would be so much brighter."

"Ling Feng! If you have a problem, take it up with me. You dare shout at Lin Qingyun again, and you and I are not finished!" Zhao Dong roared into the phone.

"Not finished?" Ling Feng laughed. "I'm a third-level Great Grandmaster, and you're just a Grandmaster. You dare say we're not finished? And who do you think you are?"

Zhao Dong couldn't help but laugh back, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Oh? Being a third-level Great Grandmaster has already gone to your head? Is that the limit of your ambition?"

Ling Feng sneered coldly. "All talk, you loser. That's all you've got left. I could crush you with one hand, yet you still managed to offend Kou Hongmin. Just you wait for death!"

"Kou Hongmin?" Zhao Dong said calmly. "I don't fear him in the slightest."

Ling Feng laughed so hard he sounded like he was choking. "Zhao Dong, I thought you were just a loser, but it turns out you're an idiot, too! You don't fear a sixth-level Great Grandmaster? Who do you think you are?"

"Who I am has nothing to do with you. Mind your own damn business," Zhao Dong retorted, his own patience wearing thin after the repeated insults.

Hearing this, Ling Feng saw red. "You, Zhao! If you have the guts, say that to my face! Don't just run your mouth over the phone!"

Zhao Dong narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Wait for me. I was planning to see Qingyun anyway."

"Good, I'll be waiting! Since you're going to die at Kou Hongmin's hands tomorrow anyway, I might as well kill you myself today!" Ling Feng snorted and hung up.

Listening to the dial tone, Zhao Dong's eyes narrowed. He hailed a cab and headed for Lin Qingyun's villa. Of course, he wasn't so provoked by Ling Feng's pathetic taunts that he was actively looking for a fight. That was the behavior of a reckless brute. He was rushing over because he knew Lin Qingyun would be defending him, only to be ridiculed by Ling Feng for her efforts. Zhao Dong wasn't about to sit by and let that happen.

About ten minutes later, Zhao Dong pushed open the gate to Lin Qingyun's villa. As expected, Lin Qingyun was arguing heatedly with Ling Feng. She was desperately trying to get her phone back to call Zhao Dong, but Ling Feng stubbornly refused to give it to her.

"Give the phone back to Qingyun!"

Zhao Dong's thunderous shout made them both jump and notice his arrival.

Lin Qingyun was shocked. She frowned and said, "Zhao Dong, are you crazy? You actually came?"

"If I didn't, he wouldn't stop bullying you, would he?" Zhao Dong offered a faint smile before his gaze turned piercingly cold and landed on Ling Feng.

Ling Feng shot Zhao Dong a look and sneered with disdain. "You little punk, you really dared to show up? Are you looking for death?"

He eyed Zhao Dong askance, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes. He had assumed Zhao Dong was all bluster and never expected him to actually come.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhao Dong returned, his own eyes full of contempt.

"Fine, fine! Since you dared to come, you've saved me the trouble of hunting you down!" Ling Feng took a step forward, and the oppressive aura of a third-level Great Grandmaster instantly erupted from him. "Kid, do you see this? This is the power of a true master! Even I wouldn't dare to fight Kou Hongmin, and you have the nerve to look down on him!?"

The violent pressure rampaged through the room, making Lin Qingyun gasp for breath. But Zhao Dong's expression remained placid, completely unaffected.

"Is that all?"

Those three simple words sent a tremor through Ling Feng's heart.

How can a mere Grandmaster like him remain unfazed by my aura?

"Ling Feng, if this is all you've got, you should just save your energy."

"Don't give me that crap, Zhao Dong! You must have cultivated some Secret Technique that lets you ignore auras, right? I've seen tricks like that before!" Ling Feng was itching to attack but hesitated, worried about upsetting Lin Qingyun.

Instead, he turned to her and pressed, "Qingyun, I'm your cousin! This loser isn't just weak, he's insulting me like this. Surely you know who to side with?"

"I..." Lin Qingyun was suddenly trapped. Although Ling Feng was prejudiced against Zhao Dong, his actions came from a place of concern for her. How could she disappoint him? She looked helplessly at Zhao Dong, but he was also staring at her silently, as if demanding an answer. In an instant, Lin Qingyun was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Zhao Dong, I know you're very strong, but my cousin has a bad temper, and he really is incredibly powerful," she pleaded. "You'll be at a disadvantage if you stay. Please, just leave for now."

"If I leave, what about you?" Zhao Dong shook his head, refusing to go.

His words infuriated Ling Feng once more. He took another step forward, his voice a low threat. "You won't leave? Are you determined to drag my sister down with you? Fine! You don't have to leave, but you must publicly announce that you are breaking up with my sister for good!"

"Impossible!" Zhao Dong's tone was ice-cold.

"Boy! You're courting death!"

Ling Feng's rage finally overwhelmed his reason. True Qi gathered in his right hand, and the temperature in the room plummeted instantly. He had been wary of attacking rashly for fear of upsetting Lin Qingyun, but Zhao Dong's relentless defiance had forced his hand.

"Today, I'll teach you what humility means!" Ling Feng roared, and his iron-hard fist, howling as it flew, drove straight for Zhao Dong's face.

He put fifty percent of his power into this punch.

"Cousin, no!" Lin Qingyun cried out.

With a gentle push, Zhao Dong sent Lin Qingyun stumbling to a safe distance. He himself didn't move an inch, allowing Ling Feng's fist to close in, a mocking sneer slowly spreading across his face.

I've been looked down on by this guy for days. It's time to give him a little shock.

Zhao Dong's own aura began to climb, skyrocketing in an instant.