Jiang Chen had just left the alley and was walking along the lakeside park when he saw someone practicing punches beneath a willow tree.
It was a girl, tall and slender, dressed in a flowing white martial arts uniform. Her movements were sharp, powerful, and full of energy. But Jiang Chen didn't stop for long. He just glanced at her a few times before shaking his head slightly and turning away.
"Accuracy is alright, but the speed and strength are lacking."
He muttered this to himself and started walking.
The girl noticed him. She had already seen Jiang Chen watching her—and now he was shaking his head?
Was he mocking her?
Unwilling to let it go, she stepped forward and blocked his path.
"Hey! What's that look for just now? Who exactly are you looking down on?"
Jiang Chen blinked and tilted his head slightly.
Then, pointing to her chest without hesitation, he said, "It's just you and me here. Who else could I be talking about?"
The girl's expression froze. Her name was Mu Xi, a direct descendant of the Jiangnan Mu family, raised in a prestigious martial arts clan since young. She'd always been treated as a prodigy. No one had ever looked down on her, much less said it to her face.
Especially not someone who looked like he was still in high school.
"You… How dare you dislike me?"
Jiang Chen gave a light chuckle. "Liking someone doesn't need a reason. Neither does disliking them."
Mu Xi was stunned. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Her face turned red.
"You're not leaving until you explain that properly!" she snapped, rolling up her sleeves.
Jiang Chen raised a brow and smiled faintly. "The world is so big, yet you're so angry. That's not good. With that kind of temper, it might be hard to get married."
"You—! What does my marriage have to do with you!?"
Her face turned even redder. She clenched her fists and swung one straight toward Jiang Chen's face.
Jiang Chen didn't move. He just calmly reached out and caught her small fist mid-air.
Mu Xi tried to pull back, but she couldn't break free. She lost her balance and tilted backward.
Jiang Chen reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around her waist and catching her before she hit the ground.
Mu Xi froze. She had never been this close to a boy before. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"You pervert, let go of me!"
"Alright," Jiang Chen said simply.
Then he let go.
"Thud!"
Mu Xi fell to the ground, landing hard on her backside.
"Ouch! You jerk! You did that on purpose!"
"You told me to let go," Jiang Chen said innocently, shrugging.
"You…!"
She stammered, unable to respond. Her expression was both furious and flustered.
Jiang Chen glanced at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Can I go now?"
"Hmph! Dream on!"
"I do that a lot."
Mu Xi stared at him, speechless. He was too shameless.
Just then, a loud voice came from not far away.
"Let her go!"
A lean young man, dressed in training gear, dashed toward Jiang Chen with alarming speed.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. From the momentum and footwork, he could tell this man was at least at the peak of the Acquired Realm.
Not bad—but still not enough.
As the man lunged with a powerful strike, Jiang Chen turned his body and raised a palm, using Tai Chi's flowing movement to deflect the blow with ease.
The man stumbled slightly, shocked.
He adjusted quickly and attempted to grab Jiang Chen's shoulder with a grapple move.
Jiang Chen's face turned cold.
"Petty tricks like that, and you're trying to show off?"
The man frowned. "Boy, you've got guts."
"No," Jiang Chen said calmly. "I've got skill."
Then, before the man could react, Jiang Chen's arm shot forward like a snake, wrapping around his attacker's and grabbing his shoulder.
With a swift pivot, Jiang Chen tossed him over his back like throwing a sack of rice.
"Bang!"
The man crashed onto the concrete, groaning in pain.
Mu Xi's eyes went wide.
The man—named Ruifeng—was one of the Mu family's personal bodyguards. He had trained in Muay Thai, had won national championships, and even appeared on martial arts shows.
Yet Jiang Chen had taken him down with a single move.
Jiang Chen dusted off his hands and looked down at Ruifeng. "That's enough, right? If no one else wants to fight, I'll be on my way."
He turned to leave but paused and glanced at Mu Xi one more time.
"Oh, by the way—those punches you were practicing earlier had twenty-two flaws. Four of them are fatal."
Mu Xi looked at him, completely dazed.
"That move set… if you manage to complete the last three forms, it might barely count as third-rate."
Mu Xi almost coughed up blood.
Her technique, "Flowing Willow Style," was an incomplete family heritage. Even without the final three moves, it was enough to make the Mu family one of the strongest in Jiangnan.
Yet Jiang Chen had called it third-rate—and only if completed?
Before she could say anything else, the sound of footsteps approached.
An elderly man with white hair and a straight posture was walking quickly toward them.
"Young man, please wait a moment!"