Chapter 115: A World of Difference

Chapter 115: A Chasm of Difference

By the time Shan Jiahao finished moving all the fresh vegetables, Xu Yun had already come downstairs. Xu Yun glanced at the goji berries Shan had purchased and tossed them directly to Liang Shan. "Shan, use these to make some pork rib soup for him."

Liang Shan grinned and accepted the order; he no longer disliked this stubborn, willful kid. Ruan Qingshuang was genuinely surprised, as she had expected Xu Yun to continue suppressing the guy. In truth, Shan Jiahao’s performance was worthy of praise, though she wondered if he would become arrogant because of it.

Shan Jiahao froze for a moment, then instantly lit up with excitement. "Brother Yun, does this mean... you’re willing to teach me?"

Xu Yun felt a headache coming on. This kid really did bloom as soon as he was given a sliver of sunlight. "I’m just afraid you’ll die on my watch, and then your brother will come to me asking for a person."

Shan Jiahao’s swelling heart shriveled back down. He shuffled toward the restroom in a dejected state. Two minutes later, he emerged with a cleaned mop and began mopping the floor, making his stance clear: he was willing to endure any hardship, and he refused to believe Xu Yun wouldn't eventually soften.

"Xiao Hao, take a rest." Ruan Qingshuang was truly afraid he would exhaust himself; she was simply too kind-hearted.

"This just shows he still has plenty of energy. Let him work," Xu Yun said, showing no sign of relenting. "I’ve seen plenty of people who can work; only those who can persist have real talent."

Without a word, Shan Jiahao threw himself into mopping. To his ears, Xu Yun’s words were a form of encouragement.

Just as Liang Shan emerged from the kitchen with the goji berry and pork rib soup, a Mercedes S350 abruptly cut across the entrance of the medicinal restaurant. Xu Yun glanced at it, feeling puzzled. Why had Jin Biao, that grandson, come here? When Liu Tianyi stepped out of the vehicle, Xu Yun understood. It seemed that scoundrel Jin Biao was up to no good again. Since he wouldn't behave, Xu Yun decided he wouldn't let him leave.

After Jin Biao and the father-son duo of the Liu family stepped out, their faces were filled with the arrogance of those who believed victory was assured. Liu Sheng frowned, feeling that this place looked somewhat familiar. Because he had been so agitated the night he rescued Red Scorpion, and because he had witnessed a heart-stopping duel between masters from a distance, he didn't realize this was the very place where he had rescued Red Scorpion. Had he known, even if his son had died, he wouldn't have come here to seek such a fatal revenge.

Liu Tianyi didn't care about the confusion on his father's face. Despite the sharp pain throughout his body, he stepped forward aggressively.

"Troublemakers are here," Xu Yun said with a faint smile.

Liang Shan didn't even put down the soup; he walked straight toward the entrance, radiating the aura of a man who could hold a pass against ten thousand foes. If anyone wanted to touch Xu Yun, they would have to step over his corpse! Shan Jiahao was even faster; he dropped his mop and charged ahead of Liang Shan with a desperate, fighting spirit.

Liu Tianyi, even in his diminished state, was still a third-rate expert whose basic meridians had been opened by Red Scorpion. Seeing Shan Jiahao charge, he didn't hesitate, delivering a whip kick that sent Shan flying through the air! Because his leg had been injured by Xu Yun the previous day, the blow wasn't enough to cause Shan Jiahao severe injury.

Seeing the opponent strike, Liang Shan didn't care who he was—he slammed the piping hot bowl of pork rib soup directly onto Liu Tianyi’s head! As Liu Tianyi roared from the intense burn, Liang Shan delivered a heavy kick, like a cannonball firing, sending Liu Tianyi flying out the door!

Xu Yun’s eyes brightened. Shan was indeed a fierce man. Although he hadn't mastered internal arts, being able to kick Liu Tianyi away with his raw physical strength and aptitude was impressive. It was a pity; if he had received guidance from a young age, he would have reached the level of a second-rate expert by now.

Liu Sheng had barely been out of the car for a blink of an eye before his son was scalded and kicked out. A wave of fury surged to his head. All prior hesitations vanished, and he immediately concluded that the person who kicked his son out must be Xu Yun. A murderous aura flared up.

"Xu Yun! Today, I will take your life!" Liu Sheng roared, slamming his palm toward Liang Shan’s face.

Even though Liu Sheng was over fifty, his speed and momentum were beyond anything Liang Shan could have anticipated. Xu Yun felt a shock; this man’s palm strike actually contained a powerful hidden force! Xu Yun knew very well that only second-rate experts could cultivate such stacked internal energy. Even with Liang Shan’s extraordinary physical condition, he could never withstand a full-force strike from a second-rate expert. If that palm landed on Liang Shan’s face, he would either die on the spot or be left a vegetable.

In the nick of time, Xu Yun lunged forward, grabbed Liang Shan’s shoulder with his left hand to pull him back, and met Liu Sheng’s palm with his own right hand!

*Boom!* The two palms collided.

Jin Biao’s shock quickly turned into hidden joy. In his eyes, Xu Yun, who had caused him so much humiliation, was finally meeting his end! After all, he had personally seen Liu Sheng punch through a load-bearing wall. Regardless, the humiliation he had endured was not in vain.

However, Jin Biao’s joy lasted only a second. What was a mere second-rate expert like Liu Sheng in the eyes of Xu Yun, who had become a super-expert? With just one strike, Liu Sheng felt all his stacked energy neutralized by an invisible true qi. Then, a force that even a hundred of him could not withstand surged into his heart and lungs!

*Pfft!*

Liu Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood. His once-imposing momentum vanished, and he fell heavily outside the restaurant, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. Jin Biao’s eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks; the fear in his heart was beyond words!

Liang Shan broke into a cold sweat behind his back. Liu Sheng’s aura had completely overwhelmed him; had Xu Yun not intervened, he would not have escaped unscathed. He looked at Xu Yun with profound gratitude. Shan Jiahao, having been kicked by Liu Tianyi, stood up shakily, grimacing in pain. Xu Yun gave a wry smile; the kid’s resilience was actually quite good. If Liu Tianyi hadn't been injured, Shan Jiahao would have surely broken a few ribs.

Everything happened too quickly for Ruan Qingshuang to react. She stood there, dumbfounded. Although Lü Wenyi had seen thugs fighting before, she had never witnessed a cinematic-level confrontation like this, so she could only stare in a stupor alongside Ruan Qingshuang.

"Jin Biao, what’s going on? Aren't you going to explain?" Xu Yun clenched his hands, the knuckles cracking.

Jin Biao was completely broken. He shook his head vigorously, but the scene before him was an undeniable reality. Shan Jiahao, who had dreamed of being a gangster since elementary school, had heard of Jin Biao’s fearsome reputation, but seeing the "big boss" cowering like a stray dog before Xu Yun only solidified his resolve to become Xu Yun’s disciple.

Jin Biao looked panicked, stammering, not knowing where to begin. "Brother... Brother Yun, I was forced! They made me come!"

Xu Yun had no time for his nonsense. Yesterday, he had taken Liu Tianyi to the Tuoshan District police station and explicitly told Jin Biao to have his nephew keep a close watch. If this grandson could show up at the restaurant today to cause trouble, it meant either Jin Biao had played some tricks, or Xu Yun had been dreaming.

"Who are these people that have such influence? They can even force you, the boss of the East, to move?" Xu Yun frowned. "Speak clearly, and I might just give you a way to live."

To save his life, Jin Biao didn't hold back. "Brother Yun, the guy you beat yesterday is this Liu Sheng’s son. He’s the owner of the Hedong International Hotel. No one in Hedong City dares to touch him..."

Oh, the owner of the Hedong International Hotel. Xu Yun sneered inwardly. I haven't even gone to find you regarding the medicinal food incident, and you’ve come knocking on my door instead. That’s fine; it saves me the trouble. Today, I’ll settle both the old and new scores.

"So you took the person I told you to watch closely yesterday and handed him over to his father?" Xu Yun said with a soft laugh. "Jin Biao, you really are a weathercock. Did you think this old ghost was powerful enough that you could use him to deal with me, and then sit back and reap the rewards?"

"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!" Terrified by having his thoughts exposed, Jin Biao waved his hands frantically. "Brother Yun, I originally just wanted to do a favor... how was I to know... I..." Jin Biao suddenly had an idea. "How was I to know that after I went there, this guy was actually harboring that wanted criminal! They forced me to bring them here!"

"Wanted criminal?" Xu Yun stared at Jin Biao. "That S-class wanted criminal?"

Seeing Xu Yun’s focus shift, Jin Biao nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! That’s the one! That man is a devil. I didn't dare disobey them. If I didn't listen, he would have killed me!"

"Where is that wanted criminal?" Xu Yun no longer cared about their petty drama; finding Red Scorpion was the priority. "Jin Biao, I warn you, if you dare say a single word of lie, I have ways to make you wish you were dead."

Jin Biao shuddered, knowing full well what a "fierce man" meant. He dared not speak falsely. "That man... he ran away!"

"Ran away?" Xu Yun’s brow furrowed. "Jin Biao, are you trying to play me?"

Jin Biao almost knelt. "Brother Yun, even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare lie to you! I’m really not lying! That man promised last night to come with them to deal with you today... er, no, to come see you! But he vanished early this morning!"

Xu Yun stepped forward and grabbed Liu Sheng by the collar, showing no respect for his age. "Tell me, where is Red Scorpion?"

Liu Sheng coughed twice. He knew his time was up and realized that he had rescued Red Scorpion from this very place that night, and the person who had beaten Red Scorpion to that state was the young man before him.

"I never imagined that Hedong City held such hidden talents... *cough!*" Liu Sheng coughed while speaking slowly. "It seems Red Scorpion knew he would come here and was scared away... *cough*... It seems I truly misjudged the situation..."

Xu Yun was stunned. "So you were the one who rescued him that night."

"Indeed, but my eyes were dim, and I didn't recognize that this was the site of that battle... *cough, cough, cough!*" Liu Sheng was struggling to breathe. "My life has been worth it; to fall at the hands of a super-expert today can be considered bringing honor to my ancestors... *cough, cough*... Considering my age, just make it quick!"

Upon learning that Red Scorpion had already left, Xu Yun tossed him to the ground. "Kill you? You think quite highly of yourself. Wait for the police."

Hearing this, Ruan Qingshuang quickly called Qin Wan'er.