When Zhou Yufei arrived arm in arm with Chen Yang, the chattering crowd fell silent, eyeing Chen Yang with keen interest.

Under Zhou Yufei's lead, Chen Yang politely and modestly greeted each person.

"This is my eldest uncle, and next to him is my aunt," Zhou Yufei finally said, pointing to a middle-aged man with a square face.

"Hello, Eldest Uncle. Hello, Aunt!"

"Hmph!" The middle-aged man snorted and said sternly, "A friendly match is a friendly match. Why did you have to strike so hard? Or are you deliberately taking this opportunity to establish your authority in the Zhou Family?"

He was, of course, referring to the incident where Zhou Songyang was injured by Chen Yang.

At the dining table, the expressions of the others grew animated. They stifled their snickers, waiting to see how Chen Yang would respond.

Zhou Yufei spoke up first, defending him. "Eldest Uncle, it was Second Brother who suddenly jumped out to provoke Chen Yang! Besides, Second Brother never said it was a friendly match. He came at him with a threatening demeanor; who wouldn't use their full strength in that situation? Moreover, Second Brother is a Sixth Grade Fist Master. How could Chen Yang dare to be careless?"

Her defense was well-reasoned, but it earned her a harsh rebuke from the middle-aged man. "I wasn't asking you. Why are you butting in? Have you forgotten the family rules after spending some time away?"

"I..." Zhou Yufei started to say more but was stopped by Chen Yang. He smiled and said, "It seems Eldest Uncle is quite indignant. No matter. You can find someone to spar with me anytime you wish. I'll accept any challenge."

"As long as they're skilled enough, they can certainly get revenge for your son!"

Chen Yang's smile was warm, but his words made everyone's heart skip a beat. His statement wasn't just arrogant; it was utterly defiant.

As the eldest son of the Zhou Family, Zhou Yingqiang's status was self-evident. Ever since his son, Zhou Songquan, had risen rapidly through the ranks of the Martial Department to become a Sixth Grade Military General, his own standing in the family had reached its zenith, second only to Zhou Jingyuan. Who among them didn't treat him with the utmost respect and deference?

Zhou Yufei's expression changed. She tugged on Chen Yang's sleeve under the table and whispered, "What are you saying?"

Nearby, Zhou Yinghao and Peng Ya's expressions also became extremely unnatural. Chen Yang's words were simply too audacious.

SLAP!

Zhou Yingqiang slammed his palm on the table, pointing at Chen Yang as he roared, "Insolent whelp! Is this how your family taught you to speak to your elders?"

"They only taught me to be reasonable," Chen Yang replied with a smile. "Since you already know your son was the one who provoked me first and forced my hand—even after I warned him—what grounds do you have to question me now that he's been injured?

"Or is it, in your view, Eldest Uncle, that I should have just stood there and taken a beating? Your son getting injured is an injustice, but if I had been killed, it would have been what I deserved?"

Zhou Yingqiang fell silent.

Chen Yang pressed on, "If that's really how you see it, that says a lot about your character."

"You..." Zhou Yingqiang was so enraged he was speechless, unable to muster a single rebuttal.

The surrounding crowd secretly clicked their tongues in amazement. Chen Yang's eloquence was flawless. Without a single curse word, his words were tearing Zhou Yingqiang's pride to shreds.

A faint smile touched the lips of Zhou Yinghao and Peng Ya, who felt an indescribable thrill.

"Good!" Zhou Yingqiang sneered. "Since you said I could pick anyone, then I'll have my eldest son spar with you!"

Zhou Yinghao's expression changed. "Brother, Songquan is a Sixth Grade Military General! How could Chen Yang possibly be his match?"

"What does being a Sixth Grade Military General have to do with anything? They're both young men. It's a testament to his own ability that Songquan became a Sixth Grade Military General! If certain other people are so capable, they can go strive for it themselves. What's so impressive about throwing your weight around in the Zhou household?"

The remark was utterly sinister, simultaneously bragging about his eldest son's exceptional talent while belittling Chen Yang as worthless.

Zhou Yinghao's face turned livid, and he clenched his jaw in anger. He instinctively glanced toward Zhou Jingyuan at the head of the table, but the old patriarch appeared to be dozing, his eyes tightly shut.

All at once, everyone's gaze returned to Chen Yang. He was the one who made the offer, and now someone has accepted. That's a Sixth Grade Military General, the pride of the Zhou Family! Surely he has to back down now, right?

However, Chen Yang's next words left them stunned and incredulous.

"It would be an honor to spar with a Sixth Grade Military General."

Chen Yang bowed slightly, a faint smile still on his face.

"Good! Very good!" Zhou Yingqiang clapped, shot Chen Yang a malevolent grin, and then sat back down.

Anxious, Zhou Yufei tugged on Chen Yang's arm and whispered, "What's wrong with you? Do you have any idea what a Sixth Grade Military General is? Do you know how formidable my older brother is?"

"I don't," Chen Yang said, picking up a silk napkin to wipe his hands. "But someone who's always relying on connections to get promoted can't be all that great."

"You..." Zhou Yufei was about to lose her mind with anger. How could he still be in the mood to joke at a time like this?

"Don't worry," Chen Yang assured her. "I'll be sure to hold back this time."

Zhou Yufei felt like she was going crazy. Where on earth was this guy getting his confidence from?!

Zhou Jingyuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke. "Since you have both agreed, you will have your match when Songquan returns."

A sinister, chilling laugh escaped Zhou Yingqiang's lips. The patriarch's words were like an imperial edict; no one could defy them.

Zhou Yufei's face turned deathly pale. She sat there in stunned silence, unable to utter a word.

With the matter settled, the conversation at the table returned to the death of the Martial Association's Three-Bag Elder.

"To dare kill someone on the Martial Association's territory, and even have the Martial Department clean up the mess, shows this person has extraordinary abilities, possibly on par with my Songquan. When he returns, I'll have to ask him about it in detail," Zhou Yingqiang stated nonchalantly.

「At the same time.」

Wang Qingze walked in from outside, his face pale and his spirit listless. This was clearly the result of a severe shock.

The gruesome sight of Cao Hua's death wasn't what had rattled him so deeply. What truly terrified him was a phrase inadvertently let slip by the Martial Department officials who came to handle the scene.

"On the orders of the Zhennan Prince..."

The Zhennan Prince!

At first, he thought he'd misheard. But then he recalled that the Zhennan Prince's real name was Chen Yang, and he was about the same age. When he connected that to the memory of his Wang Family being surrounded by the Martial Guard Squad, the man's identity became terrifyingly clear.

I've offended the Zhennan Prince!

At that thought, life seemed to lose all meaning. How could he possibly keep his composure?

"Qingze, tell us what happened at the Martial Association today. Who was the person involved?" Zhou Yingqiang asked.

Wang Qingze forced a bitter smile. "A truly tremendous figure! You might not believe me, but he is..."

Just as he spoke, a face entered his peripheral vision—a face from a nightmare.

He instinctively whipped his head around. Upon seeing Chen Yang, his pupils constricted violently, and he collapsed to the ground.

"AH!!!" he shrieked.

He... How could he be in my family's home?!

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