Chapter Three: A Stern Warning

Mu Qingcheng wanted to escape, but Li Wenhao blocked her path, grinning maliciously. “Today, you’re not getting away,” he sneered.

For the first time, Mu Qingcheng felt utterly hopeless. There was nowhere to run. She was just a frail woman—of course she couldn’t outrun him. She could scream for help, but who here would dare provoke the young master of the Li family? At best, people would pretend not to see. No one wanted to get involved in such trouble.

“Already done stretching your legs? Now you want to resort to dirty tricks? Li Wenhao, you really do know how to kick someone when they’re down.” A hearty voice echoed, clear for all to hear.

“You… why are you back? Where are my bodyguards?” Li Wenhao’s confidence collapsed the instant he saw Ling Tian, as if he’d seen a ghost. The ones who should have returned were his bodyguards—not Ling Tian. What was going on? Ling Tian looked perfectly fine: clothes neat, no injuries, no sign of a fight…

Seeing Ling Tian unharmed, Mu Qingcheng was overwhelmed with joy. The numbness in her legs vanished. She had no idea that everything was unfolding just as Ling Tian had planned.

“Are you alright? Where are those men?” Mu Qingcheng rushed to Ling Tian’s side, circling him three times, scrutinizing him for injuries. Only when she saw none did she relax.

Ling Tian sat down, sipped his tea, and spoke slowly, “I had a heart-to-heart with them. Spoke some reason, touched their hearts. They were so ashamed they cried—and went home.”

Mu Qingcheng was speechless. She didn’t buy a word. Those thugs under Li Wenhao—what evil deed hadn’t they done? How could a simple chat send them home? Something was definitely off. But Ling Tian wasn’t supposed to be a match for those four bodyguards. Even if he could fight, there should’ve been some sign of it. And he’d returned far too quickly—barely any time had passed.

A slew of questions spun in Mu Qingcheng’s mind.

She was curious and puzzled, while Li Wenhao was on the verge of panic. He didn’t know what had happened, but one thing was clear: his four bodyguards were finished.

“Young Master Li, your bodyguards have gone home. Now it’s just you and me. I suppose I’ll have a little chat with you.” Ling Tian smiled benignly at the panicked Li Wenhao. “I heard you wanted to buy my fiancée a coffee?”

“It’s a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!” Li Wenhao wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Four bodyguards, all ex-special forces, wiped out without a sound—how could he, weakened by indulgence in wine and women, hope to prevail?

Ling Tian smiled faintly and waved for a waiter to bring coffee. The steaming cup gave off a rich, intoxicating aroma.

“Here, let me buy you a cup,” Ling Tian said, picking up the coffee and, without warning, flinging it at Li Wenhao. Most of the scalding liquid landed on Li Wenhao.

A wail burst forth, somewhere between a ghost’s cry and a pig being slaughtered. Had the coffee not splattered in the air, it might have peeled a layer of skin from him.

“My apologies—how careless of me,” Ling Tian said, his lips curled in a mocking sneer. “Are you alright? Would you like another?”

Li Wenhao, pampered all his life, had never suffered such humiliation. He wanted to curse Ling Tian out, but seeing that half-smile and the coffee pot still in Ling Tian’s hand, he swallowed the words.

“No, thank you. I’m not thirsty,” Li Wenhao said hastily.

Ling Tian hadn’t intended to cause trouble, but this shameless Li Wenhao had gone too far. So, a small lesson was in order. Otherwise, with Ling Tian’s skills, Li Wenhao wouldn’t have stood a chance.

“Really? Not thirsty?” Ling Tian squinted, fixing Li Wenhao with a deadly gaze.

“Thank you, I’m really not thirsty. In fact, today’s on me.” As he spoke, Li Wenhao stood, pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, tossed it onto the table, and continued, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”

Ling Tian rose with a smile, placing a hand on Li Wenhao’s shoulder. “Let me walk you out. You should check in on your lackeys.”

Li Wenhao felt a strange numbness in his shoulder, as if bitten by an ant—quick to come, quick to go. He dismissed it as his imagination. Little did he know, Ling Tian had just used a special technique, leaving a hidden energy in Li Wenhao’s shoulder. From now on, the slightest use of his arms would bring excruciating pain.

“Um… I can see myself out. No need to trouble you,” Li Wenhao said, understanding that discretion was the better part of valor. It was best to swallow his pride for now.

Since he was already involved, Ling Tian decided to see things through. “Qingcheng, wait for me at the entrance. I’ll have a little chat with Li Wenhao and come find you shortly.”

Mu Qingcheng nodded, picked up her bag, and left.

Once she was gone, Ling Tian escorted Li Wenhao downstairs to the rear court, a place for storing odds and ends, shaded by a few crooked trees.

Trembling, Li Wenhao entered. The moment he pushed open the door, he saw his four burly bodyguards hanging from the branches—literally hanging, as if they’d been strung up.

“Young Master Li, would you like to try it? It’s fun—very exciting,” Ling Tian said with a grin. He was quite satisfied with Li Wenhao’s reaction. For now, Li Wenhao would think twice before troubling Mu Qingcheng again. By the time Li Wenhao gathered his courage, Ling Tian’s injuries would be healed—and then, if Li Wenhao dared come, Ling Tian would personally send him to the afterlife.

For now, Ling Tian preferred to keep a low profile.

Li Wenhao’s legs threatened to give out beneath him. Who was this Ling Tian, who could so easily dispatch four ex-special forces bodyguards in the blink of an eye? Was he even human?

“I’m… afraid of heights. I’d rather not,” Li Wenhao stammered, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

Ling Tian grabbed him by the collar with one hand and lifted him effortlessly, as if he were holding a chicken rather than a grown man. At the same time, an overwhelming, tyrannical aura erupted from Ling Tian—majestic, domineering, and edged with killing intent.

An intense suffocation gripped Li Wenhao’s chest. Terror surged through him. Under such pressure, the pampered Li Wenhao couldn’t endure—he lost control and wet himself.

Ling Tian tossed him aside in disgust, eyeing the yellow stain spreading on the ground. “Young Master Li, is it heat stroke, or are your kidneys acting up? I suggest you see a doctor.”

Li Wenhao, half-dead with fright, could think of nothing except escaping in one piece. “Please, I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Please, let me go,” he whimpered, begging like a beaten dog.

Ling Tian’s smile vanished. He glanced at Li Wenhao in contempt. Bullies like him acted tough when they had the upper hand, but the moment the tables turned, they were less than nothing.

After sobbing for a while, Li Wenhao seemed to remember something. He looked up at Ling Tian and said, “I’m from the Li family. You’d better let me go—my family won’t let you off if anything happens to me.”

“Oh? Was that a threat?” Ling Tian crouched down, eyes cold as steel. “I despise threats. And those who threaten me rarely come to a good end. Just like your dear bodyguards.” He gestured at the four bodies hanging from the branches.

“The Li family is one of the four great clans of Yunhai City. Aren’t you afraid?” Family influence and power—this was Li Wenhao’s last card.

Ling Tian snorted dismissively. “If I were afraid, would I have acted at all?”

His last trump card failed—Li Wenhao was utterly lost.

Satisfied that he’d frightened him enough, Ling Tian said casually, “Stay away from Mu Qingcheng from now on, or I’ll send you to the afterlife myself. Now get out.”

Ordinarily, being told to “get lost” would have sent Li Wenhao into a rage, but now the words were sweet music to his ears. He didn’t even bother to tidy his clothes, scrambling to his feet and fleeing the rear courtyard in panic.

Waiting at the entrance of the Grand Dynasty, Mu Qingcheng heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Li Wenhao, who only minutes ago had been the picture of a pampered heir, now looking like a beggar as he stumbled out, dove into his car, and drove away in disgrace.

What on earth had happened?

What had Ling Tian done to him?

Who was this rough-edged man, to dare put even Li Wenhao in his place…?

A thousand questions raced through Mu Qingcheng’s mind.