Chapter 99: Taking an Apprentice

At this moment, there was no time to think too much. Two men approached, and she stepped back step by step. Lin Ru Nan shouted at her, “Run!”

Lu Xiang Feng was blocked outside, pulling at his hair in anxiety, shouting loudly, “Young Master! Young Master, don’t be rude! I’ve already sent someone to report to the authorities!”

Someone laughed loudly: “Report to the authorities? Let’s see where you can report to!”

Meinang seized the opportunity, gritted her teeth, and suddenly unleashed all her strength, executing a spinning roundhouse kick. She knocked down the man in front of her. The men behind her were caught off guard, but Meinang did not stop. Her strong fighting instinct triggered her body’s coordination, and as she landed, she didn’t even get up but instead rolled forward quickly, launching continuous strikes, knocking the man standing to Lin Ru Nan’s left into the corner of a table. He let out a painful scream, bent over the table, and didn’t move. The man on the right saw this and charged forward. This time, Meinang didn’t retreat but met him head on, performing a front kick followed by a shoulder throw, using his momentum to throw him to the ground. She didn’t want to land on him but quickly grabbed a four-legged chair, slamming it down on top of him to pin him down.

The man tried to get up but it was easy to tell he couldn’t. Meinang was out of energy and couldn’t handle anyone else.

Xu Yu Nu didn’t see it that way. She ran over and tossed a sword to Meinang: “Take this, it’ll stop them from getting too close.”

Apparently, she thought she was skilled with the sword as well. Meinang didn’t care much, taking it to pose with it. It was surprisingly effective. When she felt someone closing in, Meinang sidestepped, swinging the sword though it wasn’t aimed precisely, it pointed straight at someone’s throat.

“How bold!”

“Stop!”

The loud shouts filled the air. When Meinang saw that the person was Qi Wang, her heart sank. Her hand trembled, causing the sword to waver, but Qi Wang smirked, grabbed the sword, and pressed it against her neck, forcing her to retreat to the edge of the stage, unable to go any further.

In the face of life and death, Meinang wasn’t afraid. She locked eyes with Qi Wang, who said, “Speak. Talk.”

But instead of speaking, Meinang closed her mouth tightly.

Qi Wang signaled: “Bring her over.”

Lin Ru Nan was pushed forward by two guards. Meinang shouted, “Get your filthy hands off her!”

Qi Wang sneered: “Now you’ll talk, good. We’ll let him go in a moment. Bring me a bowl of wine.”

A fragrant bowl of apricot flower wine was brought to her, and Qi Wang teasingly looked at Meinang: “Is this wine for you to drink, or for me to wash your face with?”

Meinang bit her lip, glaring at the wine and then at him: “Do you dare?”

Qi Wang raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, why wouldn’t I dare?”

Meinang couldn’t think of a reason, but still retorted: “A gentleman can be humiliated but not killed. Even if I die, I won’t forgive you.”

The people around her froze, then burst into laughter. Qi Wang laughed so much he nearly lost composure, while Lin Ru Nan anxiously said, “You’re wrong. A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated.”

Meinang blushed with shame and anger, feeling utterly humiliated. Her eyes reddened, and without regard for her image, she yelled, “Zhao Bao, aren’t you just a bunch of men bullying a helpless woman? What’s the point? If you want to kill me, just do it. No one’s afraid of you.”

A guard shouted, “Shut your mouth, you little brat. Who are you cursing?”

Qi Wang and his guards were dressed casually, so being called out like this was a bit embarrassing. He stopped laughing but couldn’t resist another chuckle when he saw Meinang’s flushed, awkward face. He glanced at Xu Yu Nu, who was hiding behind Meinang, trying to help but unable to, and threw the sword at her feet with a loud thud.

“That girl, earlier it was just men fighting. Did anyone bully you? If you can’t kill anyone, don’t pull out a sword. You might hurt yourself and end up being a joke.”

Meinang was speechless. His words weren’t just directed at the two of them, everyone in Xian Ke Lai had been silenced. The fight was just a man-to-man conflict, not a woman’s issue. Qi Wang, Zhao Bao, was not the kind of person who would bully women.

With the sword no longer pointed at her, Qi Wang stepped back, reducing the pressure. Meinang sighed in relief. Lin Ru Nan was released and rushed over to grab her hand, asking, “Are you okay?”

Meinang shook her head, patting her shoulder where the guards had grabbed her, and asked with concern, “Does it hurt?”

Lin Ru Nan answered, “I’ve practiced since I was little, I’m fine. I was worried you couldn’t handle it…”

Meanwhile, Li Qiu Ge, Xu Yu Lang, and others, along with the chefs and waiters from Xian Ke Lai who had been controlled, were all released. Lu Xiang Feng finally managed to get in, looking at Qi Wang, then at Meinang. He walked over to her first.

“Young… Young Master, are you alright? I’ve sent someone to report to the authorities, but they…”

Meinang glanced at Qi Wang and calmly replied, “Don’t report it. Look at who they are and who we are. They’re too strong for us to handle. Right now, I’m fine, but I can’t guarantee that tomorrow I’ll still be alive. The injured, whether from the store or outside, make sure they get proper medical attention and that all their expenses are covered. Xian Ke Lai… seems like it’s time to close down…”

Lu Xiang Feng lowered his head in sadness, quickly raising it again to bow to Meinang. “I’ll arrange it immediately.”

“Wait, what are you saying? I am Qi Wang, not Yama. No one is going to take your life. Your Xian Ke Lai won’t close either.”

Qi Wang leisurely sat down in a chair, casually picking a yellow bean from a plate and chewing it. His personal servant quickly brought out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, saying:

“Master, please spit it out.”

Qi Wang glared at him. “What’s wrong? Is it poisoned?”

The servant lowered his head. “Young Master Zhang said you can’t eat beans yet.”

Qi Wang turned his attention back to the plate. “I thought it was peanuts. How is it beans? Manager Lu, do you have any other dishes at Xian Ke Lai? Why are you selling fried beans?”

Lu Xiang Feng responded, bowing, “This dish is called Yellow Beans Braised with Fish, perfect with wine and very popular with guests.”

Qi Wang looked at Meinang, who quickly averted her gaze. Qi Wang snorted, waving his hand. “Go ahead and eat the beans. Swallow them quickly.”

Before the servant could leave, Qi Wang called him back. “How much silver did you bring?”

The servant replied, “Five thousand taels in silver notes, and five hundred taels in pure silver.”

Qi Wang addressed Lu Xiang Feng. “Manager Lu, will five hundred taels cover the cost of the tables, chairs, and the injuries of the people?”

Lu Xiang Feng paused and quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare to accept without providing a service.”

Qi Wang was irritated. “Who said anything about rewarding you? Don’t pretend. If you’re good at talking, I’ll give you the silver notes as well.”

Lu Xiang Feng, sweating nervously, glanced at Meinang, who thought for a moment before saying, “Take it. It’s compensation for the tables and chairs, and the rest should be distributed among the injured.”

Only then did Lu Xiang Feng take the silver and silver notes without further objection.

Qi Wang looked at Meinang with a sideways glance, reaching for the table again, but this time finding nothing. He turned to look at the servant who had taken the plate away.

“Well then, is this how we settle the bill with Xian Ke Lai? Now, it’s time to settle another account.”

He approached Meinang, “How do we settle it?”

Meinang replied, “I don’t remember owing you anything.”

Qi Wang, somewhat annoyed, said, “Didn’t you promise to visit my residence in three days? Have you come yet? Xian Ke Lai is your family’s business. I’m here all the time for tea and meals. You know this very well. Why didn’t you come? Now you’re trying to avoid me, but it’s too late. Even if you’re wearing a different disguise, I would still recognize you. Do you believe me?”

Meinang raised her eyes to meet his. Qi Wang pointed at her. “What are you looking at? Just because you put on a disguise, you think you can fool me? Maybe if you change your eyes too, it’ll work.”

Lin Ru Nan slapped his hand away. “That hand just touched oil and salt. If it touches her eyes, it will really change.”

Qi Wang glared at Lin Ru Nan, then turned back to Meinang. “Who is he? Is he like you.