Chapter 6: Going Too Far

“Everyone, hands up and don’t move.”

Li Yunan looked at the people before her, seeing that they actually intended to attack Feng Xu, and a flicker of anger flared in her eyes.

Feng Xu had endured humiliation for the sake of the nation, swallowing his pride and lying low. In the shadows, he had made countless contributions to the Dragon Kingdom, but now he found himself under siege like this. This was utterly unfair to him; Li Yunan’s heart twisted with pain as if a blade were stirring within it.

A talent like Feng Xu ought to be admired by all. Yet now, he was surrounded and cornered, caught in this perilous trap.

“Little girl, let me tell you—we’re sent by the Qi family. In this area, nobody dares disrespect Scarred Tiger,” growled Scarred Tiger, a deep purple, centipede-like scar twisting at the corner of his eye. His arms were lined with knife wounds, and his powerful hands gripped a red baseball bat as he coolly surveyed the group that had burst in.

“You truly are blind to the mountain before you,” Li Yunan said coldly, shooting Scarred Tiger a steely glare. These men were nothing, just a handful of street thugs. She turned to check on Feng Xu, and upon seeing he was unharmed, she quietly sighed in relief.

“What brings you here?” Feng Xu smiled calmly. In his eyes, these people were nothing but ants, unworthy of attention, but he hadn’t expected Li Yunan to rush in so anxiously.

“We were worried something might happen to you. Besides, I heard you were picking up your daughter today. How could a man like you take care of a child? I thought it over and decided it would be best for her to come to the Li family.” A gentle hint of joy appeared on Li Yunan’s face. Since the truth was to be revealed today, she might as well take custody of the child—keeping her with the Li family would let her grow closer to Feng Xiaoxiao. If Feng Xu understood her intentions, perhaps he would also draw nearer to her.

“Hey!” A chilling voice rang out as Scarred Tiger’s ghastly scar twitched at his eye.

“Did you not hear what I just said? I’m Scarred Tiger! Brothers, get them! That guy—he’s nothing but a traitorous dog from Ye Country,” Scarred Tiger sneered. With a wave of his arm, a crowd of tattooed gangsters sprang into action. They seized their knives, clubs, and staves, surging toward Feng Xu with fierce, predatory light in their eyes.

“Bad luck for you, kid. Breaking your arm is worth a million or so.”

“We’re men of the Qi family—how dare you act wild in our presence? You’re looking for death.”

“This little girl is quite something—a real beauty. Time for us brothers to have some fun.”

The thugs hurled vulgar taunts as they closed in on Feng Xu.

“Go! These fools have no idea who they’re dealing with!” Li Yunan, hearing the gangsters’ arrogant words, waved her hand disdainfully. In her eyes, they were nothing but trash. Behind her, a group of sturdy, cold-eyed plainclothes men sprang into action.

“Ah!” The first scream rang out as a plainclothes man drove his fist forward, slamming a thug into the wall, blood spurting from his mouth. Another leaped nimbly onto a pillar, then spun and launched a powerful kick at Scarred Tiger’s forehead.

With a dull thud, Scarred Tiger was sent flying back, crashing into a glass door, his body streaked with beads of blood.

Scarred Tiger shrieked, wiping blood from his brow, his gaze icy and murderous. “If not for the Buddha, then at least for the monk—who are you people? We're here to deal with Feng Xu, that traitorous dog.”

He glared at the group of enforcers, shaken to the core. His underlings had all been laid out in less than twenty seconds. These men radiated a killing intent, their hands swift and deadly. For the first time, a tremor of fear crept into his heart. Yet, with the Qi family backing him, he took solace.

The plainclothes men only stared coldly, offering no reply.

“Still mouthing off? Teach them a lesson—make them shut up,” Li Yunan said, teeth clenched, her heart filled with indignation at the treatment Feng Xu received in his own country. She balled her fists, unable to suppress her frustration.

A moment later, Scarred Tiger and his crew were howling and wailing, scrambling out of the hall in utter defeat.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’re making an enemy of the Qi family!” Pang Shuyi’s eyes brimmed with hatred. This was supposed to be the day Feng Xu would learn he could never take his daughter’s custody so easily. But with Li Yunan’s sudden arrival, if anyone was to protect Feng Xu now, it could only be an outside agent. And Li Yunan, it seemed, could only be a foreign spy.

She’d heard of foreign spies—their methods were ruthless, their actions without scruple.

Li Yunan looked at Pang Shuyi, still speaking for the Qi family, and felt a surge of pity for Feng Xu.

“You!”

“Enough,” Feng Xu interrupted calmly. “There’s no need for further argument. I’m here for one reason only—to reclaim my daughter.”

He shook his head slowly. There was no need for him to take the lead in this matter, which suited him just fine. If he argued with Pang Shuyi, it would only delay him from seeing his beloved daughter. He was impatient to bring her home, unconcerned with any other matter. Even if the Qi family’s thugs had targeted him, he would restrain himself—for now.

Everything else could wait until after he’d taken his daughter.

“Hmph! You still think you’ll get your daughter? Dream on. You’ve brought shame to our family. Our daughter has been disgraced because of you. Traitor to our nation—you’ll never see her again,” Pang Shuyi spat, her face twisted with contempt and mockery.

“I must have been blind to marry a man like you. Do you have any idea how much your betrayal has scarred me? I—”

“Enough!” Li Yunan bit her lip, tears glinting in her eyes as she glared coldly at Pang Shuyi.

This was simply too much.