C6 A Pair of Second-hand Shoes

"Of course, Miss!" The butler responded with a smile. Without further inquiry, he prepared to take his leave.

"Hold on!" Lau Qingmei called out to him suddenly, her smile brightening, "Never mind. I believe they'll be quite astonished when they lay eyes on Xiao Qiufeng at the banquet!"

The butler looked slightly puzzled.

"Please add two more invitations for the banquet," Lau Qingmei instructed, "One for Zhou Ruoxue and one for Xiao Qiufeng."

"Certainly, Miss," the butler replied with a respectful bow.

The following morning, Xiao Qiufeng emerged from his deep meditation. He had spent the night practicing the cultivation techniques his father had imparted to him. Far from feeling the exhaustion of an all-nighter, he was brimming with energy. He even entertained the fanciful notion that he could punch a cow to death.

Testing his newfound strength, Xiao Qiufeng threw a punch at the nearby tea table. The impact sent it shattering into fragments. A thrill of excitement flashed in his eyes. Though he was only at the outset of his cultivation journey and hadn't even reached Qi Refining Layer One, his physical power had already transformed significantly.

"Now I can heal my mother," he declared, rising to his feet. His Dantian was swirling with enough Spiritual Energy to tend to her.

After freshening up, he took the bank card Lau Qingmei had given him and headed to a traditional Chinese medicine shop. He purchased several herbs, a purple clay pot, and a set of silver needles. With his supplies in hand, he returned to the villa to craft the herbs into a healing pill. Then he planned to administer it to his mother at the hospital.

Lau Qingmei had provided him with accommodations in the Tulip Villa, nestled in an upscale neighborhood of J City. The area boasted not just villas but also apartment buildings.

As Xiao Qiufeng made his way back to the community, a BMW X6 crept along in front of him. His mind was preoccupied with his mother's condition, so the car barely registered. But then, the BMW abruptly halted before him. Confused, he watched as the door swung open.

Zhou Ruoxue stepped out with a fierce determination, closely followed by Lu Xiaochuan.

As soon as Zhou Ruoxue stepped out of the car, she wasted no time in berating Xiao Qiufeng, jabbing a finger at his nose. "Xiao Qiufeng, you're worthless. You had the nerve to slap me yesterday, and I haven't even had my payback. And now you're skulking around, following me? You're repulsive. Hounding me like this is utterly shameless."

Xiao Qiufeng's brow furrowed as he retorted icily, "I'm simply heading home. I wasn't following you. You're reading too much into it."

"You live here? Do you have any idea how much these houses cost? Millions of yuan each. Even if you took out a loan, you couldn't afford the down payment."

With a look of disdain, Zhou Ruoxue scoffed, "Next time, try not to come up with such a pathetic excuse. It's laughable."

Lu Xiaochuan stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Zhou Ruoxue's waist, and sneered at Xiao Qiufeng, "Listen, Ruoxue is with me now. Get it out of your head that you can still bother her. If I catch you pestering her again, I'll make sure you won't walk away unscathed, got it?"

Xiao Qiufeng, feeling a wave of revulsion at the sight of them, shot back coldly, "To me, she's nothing more than a pair of unwanted second-hand shoes. You're the only one who sees her as a prize. Sorry, but I'm not in the business of taking back used goods!"

Zhou Ruoxue's fury erupted, and she hissed, "You jerk, who are you calling second-hand shoes?"

"What's with the outburst? Feeling guilty?" Xiao Qiufeng countered without missing a beat, "Clearly, you know exactly what you are."

Zhou Ruoxue trembled with rage, her face turning a mottled purple, but she was at a loss for words to counter his accusation.

Lu Xiaochuan wouldn't stand idly by as his woman was insulted. He stepped up to Xiao Qiufeng, jabbing a finger at his nose, and threatened, "I'm giving you one chance. Kneel and apologize to my wife right now, or else you'll regret it!"

A flash of anger crossed Xiao Qiufeng's eyes as he clenched his teeth and offered his own ultimatum, "Fine, I'll give you a chance too. Kneel and apologize to me, and I might just spare you today."

"What did you say?"

Lu Xiaochuan was incredulous upon hearing Xiao Qiufeng's words. He thought he must have misheard.

Xiao Qiufeng's voice was icy, "If you're going to kneel, do it quickly. I'm pressed for time and have none to waste on you."

"Are you out of your mind?"

Lu Xiaochuan burst into derisive laughter. "Just yesterday, you took a beating from me. Have you already forgotten?"

Zhou Ruoxue chimed in with scorn, "Xiao Qiufeng, have you lost your senses? How can you talk to Brother Xiaochuan like that? You must have a death wish."

Without warmth, Xiao Qiufeng stated, "I'll count to three. One, two..."

"I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Lu Xiaochuan cut him off, his face twisted with rage as he launched a punch towards Xiao Qiufeng's face.

A savage grin spread across his face, imagining Xiao Qiufeng's bloodied visage after his punch. He pictured Xiao Qiufeng yelping and writhing in agony like a beaten dog.

But in the blink of an eye, his grin vanished.

Xiao Qiufeng's fist connected squarely with Lu Xiaochuan's chest!

The impact felt like a cannonball hit, sending Lu Xiaochuan screaming through the air, crashing into his car, and tumbling to the ground.

"Brother Xiaochuan!"

Zhou Ruoxue cried out in shock at the sight, her mind reeling, unable to process the scene before her.

Was this the same Xiao Qiufeng she remembered as utterly ineffectual?

"I'll make you pay!"

Lu Xiaochuan was in disbelief, feeling an intense humiliation. He scrambled to his feet, teeth clenched, and lunged at Xiao Qiufeng once more.

Without a moment's pause, Xiao Qiufeng delivered a swift kick to Lu Xiaochuan's stomach. Lu Xiaochuan doubled over like a lobster, his face flushing a deep crimson.

"Is this the transformation that comes from cultivating?"

Xiao Qiufeng was elated. After just one night of cultivation, he was already able to defeat Lu Xiaochuan, who had previously bested him.

If he kept at his cultivation, there was no limit to how strong he could become.

"Garbage!"

With that thought, he dismissed any further concern for the two individuals before him. Xiao Qiufeng had said his piece and walked away with determined strides.

Zhou Ruoxue was seething with anger, yet she didn't dare confront Xiao Qiufeng. Instead, she feigned ignorance and hurried to assist Lu Xiaochuan to his feet.

"Brother Xiaochuan, are you okay?" Zhou Ruoxue inquired.

Lu Xiaochuan dabbed at the fresh blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his gaze fixed bitterly on Xiao Qiufeng's retreating figure. With a furious growl, he vowed, "I'm going to kill him. I swear he'll pay dearly for this!"