Peach Blossom Dual Cultivation

“There’s more than one car following us—there are three in total. Let’s drive to a secluded park, and I’ll deal with them,” Zhou Lang said as he observed the trailing cars clearly through the rearview mirror.

“There are so many of them; we should call the police,” Li Mengxue suggested. She knew Zhou Lang could fight, but with so many pursuers, she was still worried. What if Zhou Lang couldn’t handle all of them? By then, it would be too late.

“Street thugs usually have some connections with the police, so calling them might not solve the problem. If you trust me, I’ll handle this,” Zhou Lang said confidently, remaining calm. The difference between him now and his former self was like night and day. As the saying goes, ‘the skilled are bold.’ His newfound strength had transformed him.

Seeing Zhou Lang’s confident demeanor, Li Mengxue reluctantly decided to trust him. After all, Zhou Lang’s reasoning made sense, and even if they called the police, they might not arrive in time.

About ten minutes later, Li Mengxue drove the car into an abandoned park near the outskirts of town.

It was already after 7 PM, and because of the demolition plans, the park looked desolate and deteriorated in the twilight, with hardly a soul in sight.

After parking the car, Li Mengxue’s heart began to race. A strong sense of unease washed over her. If Zhou Lang couldn’t handle the pursuers, she really would be walking into the lion’s den. In such a remote place, there would be no one to help her if things went wrong. She was truly alone and defenseless.

As soon as Li Mengxue’s car came to a stop, three other cars quickly followed and parked.

The pursuers’ cars had barely stopped when a dozen men jumped out, each wielding steel pipes and wearing menacing expressions. Leading them was none other than Li Qi.

Seeing this from inside the car, Li Mengxue’s face turned pale. She began to regret listening to Zhou Lang and coming to such a deserted place.

“Li Mengxue, get your ass out here! Did you think I wouldn’t find you just because you hid out of town for a few days? Let me tell you, if you don’t come back, I’ll bring people to smash up your bar. If you’re smart, you’ll hand over a million yuan, and I’ll leave you alone in the future!”

Li Qi shouted at the top of his lungs, as he and his men surrounded Zhou Lang and the car. He was wearing a black tank top, and the tattoos on his arms looked even more frightening in the dim light.

“Zhou Lang, we shouldn’t have come here. We’re doomed now,” Li Mengxue trembled with fear. Li Qi had previously only demanded 500,000 yuan, but now he was asking for even more.

“Sister Xue, stay in the car and don’t come out. I’ll handle everything,” Zhou Lang said reassuringly, showing no fear. He calmly instructed Li Mengxue before stepping out of the car. He had deliberately lured Li Qi and his men to this deserted place to make it easier to teach them a lesson. If a fight broke out in a busier area, it would attract too much attention, and Zhou Lang preferred not to showcase his strength to the world.

“Li Qi, you dare to come after Ms. Li again? Did I not teach you a good enough lesson last time?”

Zhou Lang said coolly as he stood in front of the car, giving Li Qi a sidelong glance.

“Zhou Lang, don’t you dare talk big in front of me! Last time was just a fluke. Today, I’ve brought plenty of brothers with me. If Li Mengxue doesn’t pay up, I’ll make sure both of you are dead meat,” Li Qi laughed smugly. He had trapped Zhou Lang and Li Mengxue in this abandoned park, and to him, it felt like catching a turtle in a jar.

“Then come and try. A bunch of rabble dares to act wild in front of me?” Zhou Lang said with a faint smile. In the past, he might have been scared stiff, but now he was a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage. If he couldn’t even handle these small-time thugs, then his training in the Dual Cultivation Manual would have been in vain.

“Guys, cripple him for me!”

Li Qi, enraged by Zhou Lang’s words, raised the iron rod in his hand. Immediately, his gang of thugs surged forward. He wasn’t lying—he did have some influence in Feiyun City, with a bunch of lackeys following him.

“Don’t!”

Li Mengxue rolled down the car window just a crack and shouted from inside the car. Even a hero can’t fight off four enemies at once, let alone when there are over a dozen thugs. She was extremely worried that Zhou Lang would be seriously injured or even killed.

“You stupid woman, what are you screaming for? So, this is why you’ve been refusing to be my woman—you’ve got this pretty boy? You seem to care a lot about him. That makes me want to cripple him even more, so you can watch him get beaten to death! Hahaha!”

Li Qi’s face twisted into a sinister grin, relishing the thought of revenge.

But in the next moment, his smile froze. He witnessed something unbelievable—Zhou Lang moved with the speed of lightning, like a butterfly flitting among the thugs. His men couldn’t even touch Zhou Lang’s clothes before they were tossed aside like toys.

In less than ten seconds, all of the dozen or so men were lying on the ground, battered and bruised. Of course, Zhou Lang had held back—he had no killing intent and didn’t want to cause too much trouble or shock Li Mengxue. Otherwise, he could have easily killed them all in an instant.

Even so, Li Qi was terrified, and Li Mengxue was left dumbfounded. She could never have imagined that someone’s martial skills could be this formidable—it was like something out of a movie.

“Li Qi, now it’s your turn,” Zhou Lang said calmly after dispatching the dozen thugs. He lightly kicked a small stone on the ground, sending it flying toward Li Qi’s abdomen.

The stone was small, but it packed a punch, making Li Qi double over in pain.

“Zhou Lang, Li Mengxue, I’ll let you off today, but next time, I’ll show you what I’m capable of,” Li Qi spat out a threat before turning and fleeing, knowing that his plan for revenge had failed. He didn’t dare make a move against Zhou Lang and ran off, clutching his stomach.

The thugs that Zhou Lang had thrown around earlier scrambled to their feet, stumbling back to their cars, and sped off in a hurry.

These guys had come quickly, and they left just as quickly.

Zhou Lang didn’t bother to chase them. Once Li Qi and his men were gone, he returned to the car.

By this time, Li Mengxue was still trembling slightly, obviously shaken by what had just happened.

“Sister Xue, it’s over now. Let’s go,” Zhou Lang said.

His voice was gentle, like a calming elixir, and as soon as Li Mengxue heard it, she felt much more at ease.

“Zhou Lang, how is your martial arts so powerful? It’s a good thing you were here today; otherwise, Li Qi would have taken me away,” Li Mengxue said, looking at Zhou Lang as if he were some kind of mythical creature. She realized that having Zhou Lang work as a bartender had been a serious underestimation of his abilities. However, thinking about what had just happened, she couldn’t help but feel lingering fear. She had just returned from out of town, and Li Qi had already gathered a group to come after her. He must have been monitoring and following her all along; otherwise, he wouldn’t have found her so quickly.

“My martial arts are passed down from my ancestors. Honestly, I’m not that great—it’s just that I have a bit more strength. To be fair, those thugs were just too weak,” Zhou Lang said with a smile.

His casual remark further eased Li Mengxue’s nerves. She suddenly realized that this slightly tanned college student had such a strong masculine charm. As long as Zhou Lang was by her side, she felt safe.