A Mage in the Martial Arts World - Chapter 007

While looking at the Proud Building, Li Wei’s expression gradually darkened.

The original owner had been a regular patron here, visiting several times a month. He was generous too, always leaving a hefty tip before he left. Because of that, whenever he arrived—even before his carriage stopped at the door—the owner would rush out to greet him. But today, Li Wei had already been standing there for quite a while, and still, no one had shown up.

Something felt off.

After a moment’s thought, he turned his head and called into the carriage, “Bring me Leisure Travels.”

The maid inside immediately responded, placing the book he hadn’t finished reading on the desk before handing it over to him.

As she passed it to him, Li Wei said quietly, “If Zuo An doesn’t come out in fifteen minutes, report to the family at once and send someone powerful here.”

He was the young master of the Marquis of Xiaoyao’s household—whether it turned out to be a false alarm or not, no one would dare to complain about the effort. And if something truly happened, it could save his life.

Li Wei rolled the book up and tapped it lightly against his palm, nodded at Zuo An, and walked toward the entrance of the Proud Building.

The doorway was eerily empty.

Those who had planned to dine there left immediately upon seeing his carriage, and the ones who were still eating hurriedly dropped money on the tables and slipped away along the walls.

Inside the lobby, a few guests who hadn’t managed to escape yet could only force trembling smiles.
“Hello, Young Marquis!” they greeted, voices shaking.

If they could, they would rather never cross paths with him again. But the former Li Wei was so unpredictable that not greeting him would have meant trouble.

They didn’t know that today’s Li Wei was no longer the same person.

He didn’t even glance their way and went straight upstairs.

Once his figure disappeared around the corner, the remaining guests exchanged looks of relief, quickly tossed down money, and left as fast as they could.

The food in the Proud Building might be excellent, but with that terrifying man around, no one had an appetite.

By the time Li Wei reached the third floor, his legs felt heavy, and he had to stop to rest.

“What a waste,” he muttered to himself. “To have such good conditions and still end up this weak—it really takes talent to be this useless.”

Just then, a large round shape rolled down the stairs toward him, startling him so much that he nearly dodged away—until he realized it wasn’t a ball but a man.

A very fat man.

Li Wei—no, the original Li Wei—knew him well. He was Fei Yuantong, the owner of the Proud Building.

“Young Marquis! Forgive me, forgive me,” Fei Yuantong stammered, panting and bowing repeatedly. “I didn’t know you had arrived. Failing to greet you is my fault—my terrible fault!”

A forced smile squeezed his small eyes into two thin lines.

“Boss Fei, you sure are forgetful,” Zuo An said coldly before Li Wei could speak. “If I remember right, we told you three days ago that the young master would be coming today. How could you forget?”

“Yes, yes, Brother Zuo, it’s my fault!” Fei Yuantong said quickly, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. “You know how it is—old age, bad memory. Please forgive me!”

Everyone in Golden City knew Zuo An was favored by the Young Marquis. Though Fei Yuantong secretly looked down on him, he also knew better than to offend him.

“Old?” Li Wei sneered. “Then maybe it’s time for you to retire. Have you thought about finding someone to replace you so you can enjoy your old age in peace?”

Fei Yuantong’s face drained of color. Sweat trickled down faster. If he didn’t handle this well, the Proud Building might really change hands today. That would destroy everything—the Fei family had spent two generations building it.

As panic set in, a smooth voice interrupted from behind Li Wei:

“Young Marquis, you’re far too noble to bother with a small restaurant owner. Wouldn’t that be beneath your status?”

Li Wei turned. A group of people had arrived, led by another fat man—only slightly smaller than Fei Yuantong.

It was Yu Deshui, the young master of the Four Seas Merchant Guild—one of the largest business families in the Tang Empire. Rumor had it that a powerful noble from the capital stood behind them, though no one knew exactly who.

“Yes, yes,” Yu Deshui added with a laugh. “Young Marquis, someone like you shouldn’t be angry over something so trivial. Everyone’s already waiting upstairs. If we’re late, the dishes will lose their flavor.”

The others behind him—usual drinking buddies of the old Li Wei—chimed in, urging him to go up.

Li Wei snorted. “Hmph.” He shot Fei Yuantong a cold glare. “I hope this is the last time.”

The group went upstairs to the top floor.

As Li Wei stepped in, his frown deepened.

The room looked unusually empty. Most of the tables had been cleared away, leaving only three large round ones to the side. The floor still had traces of food crumbs—something most people wouldn’t notice, but his sharper eyesight caught it easily.

They’d already eaten.

That was strange.

According to the original owner’s memory, these men never began without him—no matter how late he was.

Something was definitely wrong.

And it wasn’t just that. There were two unfamiliar faces in the room: a young man and a hunchbacked old man.

The young one, dressed in luxurious robes and holding a gold-painted fan, looked handsome at first glance—but the arrogance on his face ruined it.

Li Wei’s gaze quickly moved past him and landed on the old man. Instinct told him this one was dangerous.

The moment their eyes met, the old man suddenly raised his head, and a strange light flashed in his eyes—piercing straight into Li Wei’s.

“Not good!” Li Wei thought, but it was already too late.

A thunderclap exploded in his mind. In an instant, he saw a horrifying scene—mountains of corpses, rivers of bl00d, wailing ghosts filling the sky.

Then, those ghosts turned toward him, shrieking as they rushed to devour him.

“Ahhh!” Li Wei screamed, staggering backward.

The young man sneered at his embarrassment, disdain clear in his eyes.

“Old bastard!” Li Wei cursed, pointing at the hunchbacked man. “Do you know who I am? Go ahead—kill me if you dare! Otherwise, you’ll never leave Golden City alive!”

He wasn’t just angry—the old man’s attack had truly been vicious, striking directly at his spirit.

The horror he saw might’ve been an illusion, but the pain and shock were real. If not for the protection of the Dao Word in his consciousness, his mind could’ve been permanently scarred.

Sensing danger, the Dao Word had released a pulse of power that shattered the old man’s spiritual attack instantly. If Li Wei hadn’t stopped it from rebounding, the old man might’ve died on the spot.

“Young Marquis! What happened?” Yu Deshui rushed forward with surprising speed for someone his size.

“Cut the act, Fat Fish,” Li Wei snapped. “You make me sick. So this is your new backer?” He pointed at the young man. “Trying to scare me with him?”

The young man’s face darkened, and the hunchbacked old man behind him glared at Li Wei—but he didn’t dare to strike again. There was fear deep in his eyes.

“Old man, you dare stare at me again? Believe it or not, I’ll gouge your eyes out,” Li Wei said coldly, emboldened by the Dao Word’s protection.

“Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!” Yu Deshui quickly stepped between them. “Young Marquis, please calm down! Let me introduce you—this is Young Master Liu, from the Duke of Zhen Guo’s household…”