C5 For the Sake of World Peace

"Hand it over. The charge is ten grand, but since you're really getting on my nerves, I'll cut you a deal—12% off. Cough up twelve thousand and then you can scram," Xiao Ge drawled.

"You'll pay for this. No one's ever had the guts to demand money from me!" The bald man bellowed, launching a punch at Xiao Ge.

"I'm not a fan of violence," Xiao Ge said, shaking his head before landing his own punch. "But you, you bald jerk, are just asking for it!"

Their fists collided with a thunderous "Bang!" followed by the crisp "Crack!" of breaking bones and a scream akin to a pig being slaughtered. "Ahh..."

The white-haired elder and his companions had stepped back but remained close enough to witness the scene. The scream caught them off guard; they'd assumed it was Xiao Ge who'd cried out. But then it hit them—wasn't that the unmistakable wail of Wang Manzi, the bald man?

Looking more closely, they saw Wang Manzi himself, clutching his right hand with his left, drenched in sweat from the agony. The young man they'd been concerned about stood unscathed, not a hair out of place.

Xiao Ge was on the move again, his foot snapping up to strike Wang Manzi's knee, eliciting another scream as the man crumpled to the ground.

"Violence isn't the answer," Xiao Ge muttered to himself, yet his foot found its way to Wang Manzi's waist once more. "But then again, I'm a great man, and great men sometimes make the wrong choices for the right reasons."

Another kick from Xiao Ge: "For social harmony!"

And another: "For world peace!"

He unleashed a barrage of kicks, sending Wang Manzi tumbling across the ground: "And for my twelve thousand!"

Xiao Ge's final move was a foot planted firmly on Wang Manzi's chest. "Ready to pay up now?"

But Wang Manzi was silent, knocked out cold.

The onlookers were agape. Wang Manzi, the local tyrant no one dared cross, was now sprawled out like a lifeless hound.

"He went down that easy?" Xiao Ge felt a tinge of disappointment. The bald man had passed out, and it was clearly impractical to shake down an unconscious man for cash. Reluctantly, Xiao Ge decided to let it go—for now.

Xiao Ge withdrew his foot and turned to leave when he suddenly caught sight of two stunning women. One exuded an air of noble sensuality, while the other radiated innocent charm. Standing side by side, they could have been mistaken for twins, with identical features and facial structures.

They looked like sisters, but Xiao Ge knew better—they were mother and daughter, Qin Ruoxi and Qin Feiya.

"Mom, that's Xiao Ge!" Qin Feiya pointed at him, fuming, "This jerk came to call off our engagement. I'm breaking it off with him right now!"

"Fine, our engagement is off!" Xiao Ge quickly responded, "I'm heading out. Back to school for me!"

He had barely taken a few steps when Qin Ruoxi's melodious voice stopped him in his tracks. "Xiao Ge, wait a moment."

Pivoting on his heel, Xiao Ge faced the approaching Qin Ruoxi and Qin Feiya, a radiant smile spreading across his face. "Ms. Ruoxi, is there something you need?"

Ms. Ruoxi?

Hearing this, Qin Feiya seethed with anger. She glared at Xiao Ge, her voice sharp with irritation, "What are you calling my mom?"

"Ms. Ruoxi," Xiao Ge replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You dare to call my mom 'sister'?" Qin Feiya was livid, itching to throttle Xiao Ge for his insolence.

"Should I be calling her 'little sister' then?" Xiao Ge feigned a look of distress. "But your mom is slightly older than me. It wouldn't be proper, would it?"

"You!" Qin Feiya was on the verge of exploding with rage for the second time that day.

"Xiao Ge, you should address me as 'auntie,'" Qin Ruoxi interjected with a soothing tone that calmed Qin Feiya down. However, her next words stirred the pot once more, "Of course, you could call me as Yaya does, since you are her fiancé."

Qin Feiya was quick to protest, "Mom, our engagement was just annulled!"

"Ms. Ruoxi, Qin Feiya is correct. Our engagement is indeed over," Xiao Ge concurred, finally finding common ground with Qin Feiya.

"Xiao Ge, the engagement between you and Yaya was arranged by your master and me. If it's to be called off, it must be done by us, not you two. So, any talk of canceling the engagement between yourselves is ineffective," Qin Ruoxi said, her voice soft yet imbued with an undeniable authority. "You didn't set up this engagement, and likewise, you don't get to decide whether it's called off."

Xiao Ge felt a wave of frustration wash over him. If he wanted to break the engagement, he'd have to track down the old man who was his master—yet the old man had declared himself dead. Where in the world was he supposed to find him?

Qin Feiya was visibly upset as well. "Mom, how can you do this? What century are we living in? How can you still believe in arranged marriages?"

Before Qin Ruoxi could respond, Qin Feiya turned her frustration on Xiao Ge, unleashing a barrage of complaints. "Mom, he's out of his mind! Today, he announced in front of everyone that he wants to call off our engagement, leaving me completely humiliated. And his speech is all over the place—he even called you 'sister.' But the worst part is, he's an absolute brute. If I end up with him, I'll be facing domestic violence every day. Mom, you can't seriously be considering throwing me into that kind of situation, can you?"

"Hey, Qin Feiya, that's a serious accusation. I'm no brute," Xiao Ge retorted, clearly annoyed. "I have no love for violence, I assure you."

"No love for violence? In less than two hours since school let out, you've been in two brawls!" Qin Feiya retorted with a huff. "You fought with Wang Fei and his crew, and then you went toe-to-toe with a bald guy. And you still claim you're not violent? You're the very definition of a thug!"

Xiao Ge remained unfazed. "My master always said that the most valuable trait for a Tang Men disciple is to remain unassuming. I'm a low-key kind of guy; brawling is too conspicuous for my taste."

"Still claiming to be a Tang Men disciple?" Qin Feiya scoffed in disbelief. "You've been reading too many martial arts novels. You sound more like a member of the Beggar's Sect. What's next? Are you going to tell me you've mastered the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?"

"I've mastered the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms—care to give it a shot?" Xiao Ge teased, grinning at Qin Feiya.

"Eighteen what now..." Qin Feiya began, but then it clicked, and she blushed furiously, shooting Xiao Ge a fierce glare. "You're such a creep!"

"I'm no creep; I'm a disciple of Tang Men. Don't believe me? Ask your mom," Xiao Ge responded earnestly.

Qin Feiya didn't get a chance to question further, as Qin Ruoxi interjected with her ever-soothing voice, "Xiao Ge, how's your master doing?"