Chapter 243: The Audacity Of Li Xiaofei

The tide of applause vanished in an instant as everyone turned to look toward the entrance. Li Xiaofei's expression darkened with a murderous intent.

An elderly man with snow-white hair entered, leading a group of men and women dressed in black suits, each wearing a mourning band on their arms. A gasp rippled through the crowd. The white-haired man was none other than Du Longshan, the patriarch of the Du family.

Du Longshan was a towering figure in Liuhe Base City and had stood at the pinnacle of power and influence for the last sixty years. He had an overwhelming presence in terms of both authority or experience. His arrival caused the atmosphere in the hall to become instantly tense.

The Du family had come to disrupt the wedding. The white mourning bands and flowers they wore on their arms made their intentions crystal clear. Wearing mourning attire at a wedding was as offensive as defiling someone’s meal. It was a blatant act of disrespect.

The group surged through the doors like a dark, menacing cloud as if they intended to swallow up everything and everyone at the wedding. Miao Youwei trembled slightly. Bai Longfei immediately stepped in front of his wife-to-be to shield her.

"Patriarch Du, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Principal Chen Fei stood up and shouted angrily, "Today is a joyous occasion for my student, and you bring people here to cause trouble? Is this how the Du family, a so-called prestigious family, conducts itself?"

"Miao Youwei is the daughter-in-law of the Du family," Du Longshan said coldly, each word heavy with authority. "Without the Du family's permission... she cannot remarry."

As one of the titans of Liuhe Base City, his words carried immense weight.

"Greetings, Patriarch," Miao Youwei slowly walked to the front of the stage and gracefully curtseyed. She spoke with a calm yet firm voice, "It's been a long time since we last met. I'm glad to see you're still in good health."

Du Longshan's white eyebrows drooped low, and his aged eyes narrowed slightly.

"Girl, I'll say it again. You cannot remarry." His tone was filled with an uncompromising finality.

Miao Youwei straightened slowly and replied, "Indeed, I was once the daughter-in-law of the Du family, but before my father-in-law passed away, he left a notarized will allowing me to remarry. Moreover, the laws of Great Xia do not prohibit widows from remarrying. What you are saying now, Patriarch, not only goes against my father-in-law's wishes but also violates national law."

"You wretch, how dare you speak of such things?" An elder standing beside Du Longshan shouted harshly, "Since you married into the Du family, you belong to the Du family in life and death. If you think you can take our family's wealth and marry an outsider, you'd better abandon that thought!"

This was Du Yuanyang, Du Longshan's second son and Du Hongfei's father. For years, his greed and malicious intent had driven him to push his son, Du Hongfei, to pursue Miao Youwei relentlessly in order to obtain both her and her wealth.

"Watch your mouth," Bai Longfei snapped, his protective instincts for his wife-to-be overriding his restraint. "Don't disgrace your old age with such disrespect."

"How dare you!"

"Audacious!"

Several of the Du family's warriors immediately shouted in anger, ready to act.

"I'd like to see who dares to lay a hand on my student!" Chen Fei bellowed as he slammed his fist onto the table, his hair and beard bristling like an enraged lion.

The other teachers from Red Flag High School stood up as well, positioning themselves between Bai Longfei, Miao Youwei, and the Du family. One thing was clear, they would protect their students at any cost.

"Heh, Red Flag High School has barely had a few decent meals, and now you dare challenge the Du family?" sneered Du Baishan, the third son of the Du family, as he stepped forward with a contemptuous expression. "A bunch of filthy scholars have the nerve to act tough in front of the Du family? I'll tell you now, as public educators, if any of you dare to raise a hand against us, expect to receive your termination notices from the Education Department by tomor-!"

His arrogance was boundless. But before he could finish speaking...

Slap!

A loud slap echoed through the hall. Du Baishan was sent flying backward by the force of the blow, blood spurting from his mouth as he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

The crowd gasped in shock as Li Xiaofei calmly brought his hand down.

"You filthy dog, how dare you insult my teachers?" Li Xiaofei retrieved a handkerchief and casually wiped his hand. "Hitting you has really dirtied my hand."

No one had expected Li Xiaofei to act so boldly.

"You...!" Du Yuanyang stammered in shock and fury. "Li Xiaofei, how dare you strike one of us?"

In an instant, the Du family's elite warriors erupted, their starforce qi surging as they prepared to retaliate.

Li Xiaofei responded calmly, "Do you think being reasonable would work with rabid dogs who show up uninvited?"

"Young man, you've crossed the line," Du Longshan's voice was cold and menacing. "I once admired you at the awards ceremony, but your actions today have deeply disappointed me."

"Old fossil, who do you think you are to even claim to admire me?" Li Xiaofei retorted, "Others may fear you, but I don't. Stop trying to use your age as an excuse to bully people, or you might find your old face getting slapped."

He laughed coldly and continued, enunciating each word clearly, "Today is my brother Bai Longfei's wedding day. I don't want to hurt anyone, but some people just don't know their place. So, let me make myself clear, I don't care about your so-called Du family or even the Ye family. If anyone dares to cause trouble at Qingya Pavilion today, they'll be leaving this hall on a stretcher."

His words sent a shiver down the spines of everyone present.

Such arrogance!

It was sheer audacity.

"Hahahahahaha," Du Longshan suddenly burst into laughter. "Never has anyone dared to speak to me like this in Liuhe Base City. It seems the younger generation has forgotten the methods I used in my prime."

The elder, with his white hair and beard, exuded a terrifying pressure. It was the natural aura of a powerful man in a fury. The atmosphere inside and outside the hall grew tense as countless people felt their hearts pound in fear.

But Li Xiaofei remained unfazed as he said, "Old fossil, who are you trying to impress? Your era is over. Go home and take care of your grandchildren, or you might not live much longer."

Du Longshan’s anger had reached its peak. As one of the titans of the city’s five great families, being repeatedly disrespected by a younger man ignited a murderous intent in his heart.

Everyone else was utterly shocked.

What’s wrong with Li Xiaofei today?

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He had suddenly become utterly brazen. In the past, while he had been arrogant, it was mostly directed at his peers and often during competitions in the league, where he had the skills to back up his arrogance. But today, he was facing the head of the Du family, one of the five great families. This wasn’t school, nor was it the league! This was the real world; the harsh reality of Liuhe Base City, where the true titans of society reigned supreme! How could he possibly have the audacity to confront someone as powerful as Du Longshan?

They didn’t realize that Li Xiaofei intended to trample on the face of the five great families. His combat strength had long since reached the Five Spirits Realm, a level that placed him above most people in the city. What was the Du family to him now? In his eyes, they no longer had the right to negotiate or set terms.

"Patriarch, allow me to teach this insolent brat a lesson." One of the Du family’s retainers, a powerful warrior, stepped forward.

"Break his mouth for me," Du Longshan ordered coldly.