Chapter 1002 — Failing to Play It Cool

"Hey, kid — you're their man?" Lei Zhenyu took the "male companion" Feng Xiaoxiao had mentioned to mean boyfriend, so the moment he opened his mouth he was asking whether Xie Yufeng was their man.

Xie Yufeng was overjoyed. He's got a good eye, this one, he thought. On the strength of that one remark, I'll go a little easier on you when the time comes. I was going to leave you crippled for life, but now I'll settle for putting you in the hospital for six months.

"Who are you? Xiaoxiao, Xiaoshu — has he been pestering you?" Xie Yufeng did not deny it. He accepted Lei Zhenyu's label with evident pleasure.

"Kid, there's nothing for you here anymore. Our Brother Lei has taken a fancy to your girls, so you can get lost!" The bald man took one look at Xie Yufeng and laughed. A typical pretty-boy — the sort who could only ever seduce young girls. In a real fight he wouldn't last a second. I could take three or four of him with one punch!

"Xiaoxiao, Xiaoshu, you two get behind me. Leave this to me!" Xie Yufeng was genuinely afraid that the sight of him might send these three scurrying off, and then giving chase to beat them would just look ridiculous — it wouldn't show off his abilities at all.

But the three of them seemed to be deliberately playing along with his act. Not only did they not leave, they kept saying things that begged for a beating, until Xie Yufeng nearly laughed out loud. You three picked just the right moment to show up. But since you've decided to stay, do me one more favor, will you?

"Kid, you're really set on not leaving?" Lei Zhenyu saw that Xie Yufeng, facing three men, still dared to stay, and was visibly taken aback.

"Running off and abandoning your woman is the act of a coward!" Xie Yufeng said with a faint smile. "You three pieces of trash — if you don't want to spend the rest of your lives in wheelchairs, get the hell out of here now!"

"Oh-ho?" Hearing the tone in Xie Yufeng's voice, Lei Zhenyu was instantly amused. "Kid, are you out of your mind? You're threatening me? Why don't you go and ask around about the fearsome name of Lei Zhenyu! I'm in a hurry to have some fun with these two, so I can't be bothered with you — and you've got the nerve to get cocky?"

"Enough talk. All three of you, come at me at once!" Xie Yufeng said coolly.

Without using his true qi, Xie Yufeng really was no match for these three. His practical fighting experience was, after all, not extensive; he relied entirely on his internal cultivation. But these three were clearly nothing more than ordinary street thugs. Even if Xie Yufeng used his true qi, they would have no idea what was happening. That was why he dared to boast and tell all three to come at him together.

Feng Xiaoxiao and Shen Yushu, however, both frowned and exchanged a glance, then looked at Xie Yufeng with a touch of disbelief. Xie Yufeng had come over of his own accord to stand up for them, and calmly invited all three opponents to attack together — which left Feng Xiaoxiao and Shen Yushu faintly puzzled.

What was Xie Yufeng relying on? Was he really a seasoned fighter? If so, then their plan had failed completely: not only had they not driven Xie Yufeng away, they had given him a chance to show off.

"Brother Lei, since this kid's asking to die, let's deal with him first!" The bald man glanced at Lei Zhenyu and said.

"Fine. All together — kill him, then we'll go to the private room and play with the girls!" Lei Zhenyu nodded. He had not taken Xie Yufeng seriously in the slightest. He swaggered straight toward him and reached out to grab Xie Yufeng's hair.

"Scram!" Xie Yufeng spat out the single word "scram" in a flat tone and drove a kick straight into Lei Zhenyu's chest, sending him flying through the air. Of course, Xie Yufeng had used only a tiny bit of true qi; he did not plan to cripple Lei Zhenyu outright — that would have carried no visual impact at all. He wanted to torment Lei Zhenyu bit by bit, so as to build up his image as a heroic warrior in front of Shen Yushu and Feng Xiaoxiao.

If he knocked Lei Zhenyu out cold with a single blow, it would be far too dull. Shen Yushu and Feng Xiaoxiao knew nothing about fighting; if they saw him defeat his opponent so effortlessly, they would hardly be impressed by his skill.

After all, it wasn't often that thugs like this came along and gave him a chance to display his prowess. So Xie Yufeng meant to seize the opportunity and put on a proper show for Shen Yushu and Feng Xiaoxiao.

"Damn! This kid's a fighter — get him all together!" Lei Zhenyu, his blood surging and his chest aching from the kick, scrambled up from the ground in a fury, pointed at Xie Yufeng, and ordered the bald man and the hook-nosed man into action.

Wei Zhao, still in the private room, saw Xie Yufeng leave and noticed that Feng Xiaoxiao and Shen Yushu had not yet returned. Naturally, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Wei Zhao still had not figured out Xie Yufeng's background, so he dared not let his guard down. Though it seemed for now that Xie Yufeng, in pursuing Feng Xiaoxiao and Shen Yushu, would not do them any harm, who could say whether something unforeseen might happen?

So after Xie Yufeng left the private room, Wei Zhao pondered for a moment and then turned and followed him out. He could not let Feng Xiaoxiao and Shen Yushu out of his sight for too long — especially with an unstable element like Xie Yufeng in the picture.

Wei Zhao emerged from the private room just in time to see Xie Yufeng kick Lei Zhenyu flying through the air, with Shen Yushu and Feng Xiaoxiao standing behind Xie Yufeng.

At the sight, Wei Zhao immediately frowned. Had Shen Yushu and Feng Xiaoxiao stirred up some trouble, and this Xie Yufeng was standing up for them?

"Xiaoxiao! Xiaoshu!" Wei Zhao called out to them as he walked over.

"Wei Zhao!" Feng Xiaoxiao cried out in delighted surprise. She had only been out here a short while, and already Wei Zhao had come looking for her — clearly he had been worried something had happened to her, and her heart swelled with happiness.

"Brother Arrow!" Shen Yushu's thoughts ran much along the same lines as Feng Xiaoxiao's. It seemed Brother Arrow really did worry about his little wife's safety!

"Huh?" Xie Yufeng alone was stunned the moment he heard Wei Zhao's voice.

What was Wei Zhao doing out here? And why now of all times — not sooner, not later, but precisely when he himself was in the middle of giving the villains a good thrashing and was about to establish his heroic image before Shen Yushu and Feng Xiaoxiao? Was the man trying to steal his credit?

At that thought, Xie Yufeng rather regretted having wasted a few extra words on this "Lei Zhenyu" fellow, and regretted not having crippled him in a single move. If he had simply laid them out without a word, would things have come to this pass?

No — he had to finish off these three things as quickly as possible, and not let Wei Zhao interfere!

By this time, Lei Zhenyu, the bald man, and the hook-nosed man had already closed in on him. Xie Yufeng dropped into a stance and was just about to settle the three of them with one move, but at the very instant he struck, he stopped himself dead.

His true qi — he could not use his true qi! He had nearly exposed his real strength in front of Wei Zhao!