Indeed, a towering figure blocked the thugs' path, his face contorted with rage, radiating murderous intent. He suddenly raised his foot and kicked the thug in the stomach.
Bang!
The kick sent the thug flying, crashing into three or four people behind him. Two more men rushed forward, one wielding a long bench, the other a golf club. Though only three in total, their momentum was overwhelming, fearlessly charging towards the group of thugs, their weapons flashing, causing them to cry out in pain.
These three were true martial arts masters, far superior to the thugs who only knew how to brawl. They were ruthless; in a flash, they snatched a knife from one thug's hand and plunged it into another's thigh, causing him to scream and collapse to the ground, clutching his bleeding leg as if it were a freshly chopped-off pig's leg.
Lu Chen was taken aback, while Liu Li's face lit up with joy after a moment of surprise. She exclaimed excitedly, "Hey? Isn't that Xiao Bei's bodyguard, what's his name... what's his name, Zhong Ji? What's he doing here?"
Lu Chen chuckled, raised his chin, and nodded towards the shop entrance, saying, "I reckon Xiao Bei treats you pretty well! Look, she's actually brought you a big business!"
Liu Li looked up and saw Pang Bei leading six or seven well-dressed, distinguished-looking middle-aged and elderly men, looking into the shop. The hotel managers from before were bowing and scraping respectfully to these men.
Liu Li was overjoyed: "My savior! Xiao Chen, you're alright, that's wonderful!" She was almost crying with joy.
Lu Chen snorted, "How could I be hurt? If they hadn't come, I would have beaten these bastards to a pulp!"
"Alright, alright!" Liu Li flicked Lu Chen's nose, "We know you're tough!"
Meanwhile, Miao Wan didn't notice the people standing at the shop entrance behind him. He was stunned by the three who had just stormed in, and roared, "Who are you? Do you know who I am? I'm Brother Wan from Yunzhou City! You dare hit my men? You're asking for it!"
Zhong Ji glanced at him coldly, then lunged at him with unstoppable force. One of the thugs, showing loyalty, quickly stepped in to block Zhong Ji, stabbing him in the chest with a knife.
Zhong Ji, however, didn't take him or the knife seriously at all. With a twist of his iron rod, he immediately deflected the knife. Then, he slammed the thug's thigh hard.
The thug screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Miao Wan roared, "You dare break his leg? I'll break both yours!"
At that moment, Lu Chen quickly had Liu Li fetch a bottle of Vitality Elixir and drank it himself. Instantly, a surge of energy coursed through his body, filling his previously weak limbs with strength.
He walked towards Zhong Ji, and in that short distance, punched one thug to the ground, snatched the iron rod from his hand, and then chopped down another thug. Next, he went to Zhong Ji's side, grabbed the groaning thug lying on the ground, dragged him to Miao Wan's side, and swung the rod, smashing it down on the thug's other thigh.
Bang!
Ouch!
The scream was like a pig being slaughtered, making Miao Wan shudder. He looked at Lu Chen's face and saw a sinister smile. Lu Chen stared at Miao Wan like a demon, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
He said, enunciating each word clearly, "I broke one of his legs too. I'm really sorry, that's just how I am, it made you suffer. If you're not happy, come and break both of my legs!"
Miao Wan roared. He thought he wouldn't make a move, but seeing nearly twenty of his men about to be defeated, he immediately drew a small military dagger and thrust it fiercely at Lu Chen's chest.
"Xiao Chen, watch out!" Liu Li cried out in alarm.
Lu Chen smiled slightly, completely unfazed. He held the iron bar horizontally in front of his chest, gripping the other end with his other hand.
With a hiss!
The tip of the military dagger pierced the middle of the iron bar, a spark flying, and a small hole was pierced in the bar.
After blocking the fierce thrust, Lu Chen immediately slid to the side, the military dagger he had swung at Miao Wan with the iron bar above him, striking it with a clang and knocking it out of his hand. Next, a knee strike landed squarely on Miao Wan's abdomen, causing him to howl in pain and stumble backward, landing hard on his backside.
This Miao Wan, while possessing some martial arts skills and slightly stronger than his subordinates, was no match for Lu Chen; he was roughly on par with his former self. Lu Chen, however, had undergone considerable training, resulting in a higher level of cultivation, and with the nourishment of the Dragon Elixir, his strength was even greater!
After being knocked down, Miao Wan immediately began screaming hysterically, "Call the other brothers! We'll crush these blind fools to death today!"
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out: "Why are you making such a racket? You're all trash. You've ruined such a nice pastry shop. These pastries… they look so good, they must taste delicious, right?"
Miao Wan turned his head in surprise and saw a plump, white man bending down to pick up a box of grape cakes from the ground. He opened the box, took a slice, and ate a bite.
Then, he revealed an appreciative expression: "Not bad, not bad, it's delicious! As expected of Ah Chen's cake!" He then handed the box of cake to the person next to him: "Come on, everyone, have a taste!"
His demeanor completely disregarded the battlefield.
Miao Wan quickly recognized who it was, and immediately trembled, his face showing fear.
For someone like Miao Wan, that person's existence was practically equivalent to a mafia godfather!
Pang Bei, back in the day, was a mafia kingpin in Yunzhou City! Centered on Yunzhou City, his influence extended to at least two-thirds of Fuhai Province. Whether in the underworld, legitimate society, or legitimate business, just mentioning Pang Bei's name sent chills down everyone's spine.
A former special forces soldier, he was ruthless, eliminating dissidents with lightning speed and without hesitation. And Miao Wan's boss's boss was someone Pang Bei had previously eliminated.
Later, for reasons unknown to outsiders, Pang Bei was subdued by the patriarch of the Shangguan family and became a powerful figure in the Flying Eagle Group. Although he had essentially retired from the underworld, his reputation remained formidable.
Therefore, when Miao Wan saw Pang Bei appear in the pastry shop he had vandalized, picking up cakes from the floor and enjoying them, he was nearly paralyzed with fear.
The several imposing men in suits who had accompanied Miao Wan all took a piece of grape cake from him and began eating. Some even picked up relatively intact packages from the floor and opened them to eat themselves.
"Hmm! Excellent. This waffle is truly unique. I've tasted waffles made by Belgian master pastry chef Bick before; his skills have even been praised by the wives of several heads of state. But compared to this waffle, his lacks a certain pure, refreshing flavor."
"And this egg tart. Egg tarts are relatively simple pastries, but this one has an exceptional texture. How to describe it? The advertising slogan is most fitting: silky smooth!"
"Excellent! Absolutely excellent! The pastries here are unbelievably delicious. From now on, my Ke Tianxia scenic area will exclusively purchase pastries from here. I believe my guests will be extremely satisfied."
"Manager Yang, you're perfect to be here. Regardless of your reason for coming, from now on, all pastries for the hotel will be purchased from Moon's Tooth Pastry Shop. Do as I say!"
"Xiao Hou, Xiao Zhu, the same goes for our other hotels. They'll all use Moon's Tooth pastries. Understand?"
...
Under the commanding tone of the middle-aged and elderly men, the hotel managers brought by Du Chao and Miao Yuemei nodded vigorously and agreed quickly.
But that's not all. The title of "hotel manager" sounds grand, but it's really just the manager of the catering department—a high-level employee. The middle-aged and elderly men, on the other hand, are their bosses, or even their bosses' bosses—hotel general managers, scenic area general managers, and influential figures in the entire Yunzhou City business world.
As for whether Du Chao would cause trouble after using the Moon Fang pastries, the hotel managers didn't care. Compared to these bosses, Du Chao, no matter how powerful, was just a praying mantis. His troubles might be a problem for the hotel managers, but at the level of the bosses, they could dismiss Du Chao like a stink bug.
Meanwhile, one of Miao Wan's subordinates didn't recognize Pang Bei and actually took out his phone to make a call. The call connected, and he yelled, "Bring all the brothers over here right now! Someone's in Wanzi's way! They're blind! Who's blind? I don't know, it's someone who looks like a white pig..."
Miao Wan snapped out of his daze, terrified. He grabbed the kid's phone and slammed it to the ground. Pointing at the kid's nose, he roared, "Damn it! You want to die? Calling people? Call your sister! You don't even recognize Master Pang? You even said he's...is..."
He didn't dare say the adjective aloud. He turned and quickly walked to Pang Bei's side, bowing and scraping, saying, "Master Pang, you...you're here too? It's been years since I've seen you. You're still as dashing as ever!"
Pang Bei's expression was cold, even carrying a hint of murderous intent. Compared to the smiling Buddha he had when he first met Lu Chen, he was a completely different person.
He glanced at Miao Wan and said coldly, "I don't remember you, but since you know me, you should know my rules. I especially dislike being insulted."
"I know, I know..." Miao Wan stammered, gritting his teeth. He drew a dagger from his waist, strode back to the guy who had been on the phone, and plunged the sharp blade into his left cheek!
A loud "thud" echoed—a scream of excruciating pain, yet strangely, like a rooster whose neck had been slit. The dagger had pierced his face, through his mouth, so the guy dared not scream loudly. He was terrified, staring at Miao Wan in utter agony.
Miao Wan gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, who told you to insult Master Pang? I'm sorry!"
He then pulled the dagger out; blood gushed out! The guy collapsed to the ground, clutching his face, howling softly like a dying wild animal.
Liu Li was terrified and dared not look, trembling with fear. Lu Chen reached out and pulled her into his arms. She snuggled closer to him like a little doe. Her two firm, soft breasts were almost squeezed into two large meat patties in his embrace. This petite and dependent state aroused Lu Chen.