Peach Blossom Dual Cultivation - Chapter 39: Slap and Kneel

As Duan Wei and Scarface entered the Lover’s Bar, they immediately noticed Li Qi and Zhang Dan in a standoff with Zhou Lang. The steel balls Zhang Dan usually toyed with had been flattened into iron discs, lying on the ground—a shocking display.

Duan Wei had witnessed Zhou Lang’s methods before and knew that such a feat could only have been his doing.

“Zhou Lang, weren’t you going to call Brother Wei?”

Li Qi, having waited for a while and seeing that Duan Wei hadn’t shown up, assumed Zhou Lang was bluffing. His arrogance returned.

“So, you were just bragging, huh? I knew there was no way you could know Brother Wei. Now it’s my turn to make a call. If you’ve got the guts, just wait here. Once Brother Wei arrives, your death is guaranteed. If you don’t want to die, get Li Mengxue out here and compensate my brother. If you do that, we might just let you off.”

Zhang Dan strutted around arrogantly as well.

In truth, when Zhang Dan saw Zhou Lang flatten his steel balls into discs, he knew that even if Duan Wei and Scarface showed up, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Zhou Lang. Still, he put on a brave front, hoping to find a way to escape. These guys weren’t just arrogant and overbearing; they were cunning.

However, this was the first time these two had encountered someone like Zhou Lang, someone capable of flattening steel balls with his bare hands. They were so rattled that they didn’t notice Duan Wei and Scarface had already arrived behind them.

“Li Qi, Zhang Dan, what do you think you’re doing?”

At first, Duan Wei didn’t know why Zhou Lang had called him to Lover’s Bar. But upon seeing the scene before him, he immediately understood and roared in anger.

Hearing Duan Wei’s authoritative voice, Li Qi and Zhang Dan turned around, their expressions changing instantly.

“Brother Wei… you… why are you here?”

Li Qi, sensing things had gone south, approached Duan Wei trembling.

“Brother Wei.”

Zhang Dan, too, lost his bravado. Guilt-ridden, he lowered his head and stayed silent.

Many people at Lover’s Bar recognized Duan Wei as a prominent figure in Feiyun City’s underworld. His appearance heightened the tension, and everyone in the bar, except for Ivanova, became even more frightened.

They knew Zhou Lang could fight, but as the saying goes, a hero can’t fend off too many enemies. If Duan Wei and his men attacked, even Zhou Lang might not withstand it. Besides, underworld figures were ruthless. Even if Zhou Lang fended them off today, Lover’s Bar would struggle to stay in business. Thugs would return to harass them day after day. Customers wouldn’t feel safe and would take their business elsewhere. Why risk it when there were plenty of other bars nearby?

“Master Zhou, did Li Qi and Zhang Dan offend you?”

To everyone’s surprise, Duan Wei ignored Li Qi and Zhang Dan entirely, walking straight over to Zhou Lang and addressing him with respect. The once-feared Brother Wei now seemed like a gentle kitten.

Duan Wei’s attitude stunned everyone.

Zhou Lang was just a college student who had gone from being a bartender to Li Mengxue’s bodyguard. When everyone assumed Zhou Lang was just a pretty boy, he displayed incredible martial prowess, intimidating a group of thugs. And now, even the infamous Duan Wei appeared terrified in front of Zhou Lang. The bar staff couldn’t help but wonder—who exactly was Zhou Lang?

Could he be some underworld prince, venturing out in disguise to experience life?

The staff started to worry that their earlier comments about Zhou Lang being a pretty boy might reach his ears through Ivanova. If Zhou Lang found out, they’d never keep their jobs!

Cao Yushan, who had suggested to Zhang Deyuan the previous day that they had some thugs secretly beat up Zhou Lang to keep him away from Ivanova, felt his heart sink. Zhou Lang could flatten steel balls into iron discs and make a notorious figure like Duan Wei behave so obediently. He no longer dared provoke Zhou Lang.

“Li Qi tried to extort money from the owner of Lover’s Bar, so I taught him a lesson twice. He’s already promised to leave Feiyun City within half a month, but today he brought your subordinate, Zhang Dan, to stir up trouble. He even threatened me, saying that once Brother Wei arrived, he’d kill me,” Zhou Lang said calmly.

“Brother Wei, you wield some impressive influence!”

Zhou Lang’s tone was cold, clearly showing his grievance with Duan Wei. After all, both Li Qi and Zhang Dan were Duan Wei’s subordinates, making Duan Wei partly responsible for their actions.

“Master Zhou, I had no idea this was happening. It’s entirely the fault of these arrogant fools under my command. But since they dared to cause trouble for you, it’s ultimately my responsibility. Please give me a little time, and I will deal with these idiots properly.”

Duan Wei bowed slightly in apology, deeply anxious. He knew that cultivators possessed mysterious and terrifying powers, and feared Zhou Lang might punish him in some inexplicable way.

“Hmph.”

Zhou Lang let out a cold snort without responding.

“You two, get over here! Do you think you can offend Master Zhou?”

Duan Wei, increasingly alarmed, immediately shouted at Li Qi and Zhang Dan. He knew Zhou Lang was giving him a chance—if he punished them to Zhou Lang’s satisfaction, he might avoid further trouble.

“Brother Wei, this has nothing to do with me. Li Qi was the one who called me over,” Zhang Dan, sensing the danger, quickly shifted blame.

“Bastard! Do you still want to argue? You came here, so you’re involved!” With a loud smack, Duan Wei slapped Zhang Dan hard across the face.

Desperate to avoid punishment for failing to control his subordinates, Duan Wei hit Zhang Dan with all his strength, showing no mercy.

Five blood-red marks appeared on Zhang Dan’s face. He shut his mouth and lowered his head, not daring to speak another word.

“Brother Wei, we didn’t know that Zhou Lang had such a close relationship with you. We’re sorry,” Li Qi, quick-witted as always, immediately apologized.

“Sorry? You think you can settle something this serious with just an apology?”

Smack!

Another crisp sound echoed as Duan Wei delivered a slap to Li Qi.

With both Zhang Dan and Li Qi struck, the small-time thugs under their command became terrified, and the entire bar fell into an eerie silence.

“What are you standing there for? Kneel before Master Zhou!”

Duan Wei’s authoritative voice rang out again.

Thud! Thud!

Zhang Dan and Li Qi, having learned their lesson, quickly knelt in front of Zhou Lang, almost as if competing to show their submission.

“Master Zhou, please be magnanimous and forgive me just this once!”

“Master Zhou, I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. I swear I won’t dare to do anything like this again. Please forgive me!”

Not only that, but Li Qi and Zhang Dan began to kowtow vigorously, begging for mercy. They had finally realized that even Duan Wei feared Zhou Lang. If Zhou Lang didn’t forgive them, Duan Wei wouldn’t either—and in that case, even if they didn’t die, they’d be skinned alive.