47: Chapter 47 An Encounter with the Tang Family

This man was the illegitimate second son of the Tang Family, who ran rampant in Yanggu County and whom no one dared to provoke; everyone called him "Second Master Tang."

The waiter beamed, bowed, and replied, "Coming right up! I'll go tell the kitchen immediately."

Just as he turned to call out for the first-grade stewed mountain delicacies, a cook from the kitchen hurried out and whispered a few words into his ear.

The waiter's expression changed abruptly, his smile stiffening, "Second Master Tang, I am sorry, but that dish has just sold out; the last portion was ordered by that customer."

As he spoke, he surreptitiously pointed toward Ye Jing, who was sipping tea at a table, terrified of offending the master before him.

Second Master Tang furrowed his brows, his arrogant Face instantly darkening.

Following the finger, he saw an old man wearing plain, coarse clothing with snow-white hair and beard, slowly sipping tea, looking as ordinary as a rural farmer.

Anger surged within him, and he let out a cold snort, "Where did this old geezer come from, and how dare he compete for food with me?"

Having said that, he lifted his foot and walked toward Ye Jing's table, with his attendants following closely behind.

The diners looked over one after another, whispering amongst themselves.

"Looks like a show is about to start; that old man is in for it!"

"Dressed like a beggar, I don't know how the waiter let him in!"

Seeing this, the waiter's Face turned as pale as paper, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

This Zhenxiu Restaurant was no ordinary place; the owner was a big shot from the capital, someone even the county magistrate had to treat with deference, and its influence far surpassed that of the Tang Family, a local snake.

According to the rules, let alone Second Master Tang, even if the county magistrate came, he would have to follow them.

But the waiter just wanted to earn a living; if this escalated, and the owner blamed him, losing his job would be a small matter, but he feared he would be in deep trouble.

He hurriedly chased after him, smiling apologetically to smooth things over, "Second Master Tang, please calm your anger! It was my incompetence, I failed to serve you well! The dish that old man ordered hasn't been served yet, so please rest for a moment. I will go to the kitchen right now, ask the chef to prepare a better dish for you, and send over a jar of Nuerhong wine as an apology. Does that sound acceptable?"

But Second Master Tang was seething with rage and could not listen to the waiter's words at all. He shoved him away, "Get lost! Do you think I, this Second Master, lack that jar of wine? As for this dish today, I am determined to have it!"

The waiter stumbled and nearly fell. After steadying himself, his smile became even more awkward, but he still braced himself to step forward, lowering his voice urgently, "Second Master, please keep your voice down! You know the rules of Zhenxiu Restaurant; first come, first served. If things turn ugly, it won't do you any good!"

His words were an allusion to the backing of Zhenxiu Restaurant, reminding Second Master Tang not to be too presumptuous.

Second Master Tang's expression stiffened; clearly, he recalled the background of Zhenxiu Restaurant, and his eyes flickered, but he was immediately overwhelmed by anger again.

He was accustomed to behaving arrogantly in this area and could not tolerate a country bumpkin ruining his mood, let alone losing Face in front of so many diners.

With a "bang," Second Master Tang kicked the bench opposite Ye Jing. The bench legs collided with the floor, emitting a harsh sound that made the teacups shake slightly.

Ye Jing raised his eyes to look at this Second Master Tang; he was only a Third-Stage Martial Artist, and the surrounding attendants were just ordinary people, so he did not care much.

His gaze was calm and ripple-less, as if he hadn't taken this sudden provocation to heart, and he continued to slowly sip his tea.

This indifferent demeanor completely infuriated Second Master Tang. He put his hands on his hips, pointed down at Ye Jing, and shouted in a shrill, sharp voice, "Old man! Immediately give the dish you ordered to this young master! Did you hear me?"

Ye Jing sneered, "The dishes are first come, first served. Why should I yield to you?"

"Why?" Second Master Tang seemed to have heard a huge joke and burst into loud laughter, his laughter full of disdain, "Just because my surname is Tang! In this territory, there is nothing that I, Second Master Tang, want that I cannot get!"

As he spoke, he gave a wink to the attendants behind him, "Go, bring that dish over to me! If this old man dares to stop you, then serve him well!"

The two attendants immediately responded, rolled up their sleeves, and started to walk toward the kitchen. Seeing this, the waiter stamped his feet in anxiety, but he didn't dare to confront Second Master Tang head-on. He could only gaze at Ye Jing, hoping that this seemingly ordinary old man would yield and quell this disturbance.

Ye Jing was completely unconcerned; instead, he wanted to take this opportunity to see if Zhenxiu Restaurant really had the ability to suppress the arrogance of the Tang Family.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the teacup in his hand flew out, carrying dozens of pounds of force, and smashed straight toward that attendant.

"Ouch!" The attendant felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, his vision went black, and he immediately screamed and stumbled to the ground.

Ye Jing acted suddenly, and Second Master Tang was instantly furious, pointing at Ye Jing and cursing sharply, "You dare to lay a hand on my people!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped forward and reached out to grab Ye Jing's neck.

In his eyes, this old man had white hair and looked frail, so he could crush him with one hand.

But as soon as his hand reached halfway, Ye Jing's eyes turned slightly cold. With a flip of his wrist, he reached out like lightning and precisely clamped onto his wrist.

"Ugh—" Second Master Tang felt a heart-piercing pain coming from his wrist, as if his bones were about to be crushed. He struggled desperately to pull his hand back, but he couldn't break free.

A Second-Stage Martial Artist!

This old man was actually a Second-Stage Martial Artist!

Second Master Tang's heart skipped a beat, and he panicked instantly; his previous arrogance vanished completely.

"You... you let go of me!"

He was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he was full of regret, wishing he hadn't acted on impulse and started a dispute with this old man.

Upon hearing this, Ye Jing curled his lips into a mocking arc and increased the force in his hand again.

With a soft "crack," Second Master Tang's wrist was directly dislocated.

He trembled all over from the pain and fell to his knees with a "thud." Cold sweat streamed down his cheeks. Where was the prestige he had just a moment ago? He was only focused on crying and begging for mercy, "It hurts! It hurts so much! Please let me go! I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again!"

At this moment, the guests in the hall were all shocked; this old man was actually so powerful!

He had easily restrained a Third-Stage Martial Artist; they had thought Ye Jing would be bullied by Second Master Tang.

"Stop!"

Just at this moment, a dignified voice suddenly rang out, instantly suppressing the chaos in the hall.

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw a middle-aged man in a long gown walking slowly into the hall. His whole body exuded a steady and heavy pressure, making no one dare to underestimate him.

Ye Jing looked up and felt a slight chill in his heart: judging by the demeanor of this middle-aged man, his Realm was at least that of a Second-Stage Martial Artist.

Seeing this, he flung away the hand of Second Master Tang. Having gained his freedom, Second Master Tang hurriedly jumped to the side, but he still kept cursing, "Damn old man! You're dead! Damn it!"

"Manager!" The waiter on the side saw this and hurriedly retreated to the side, his tone full of respect.

The middle-aged manager had a smile on his Face, but his gaze carried a hint of unquestionable dignity as he looked at Second Master Tang on the ground.

When Second Master Tang looked up and saw that it was the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant, his arrogance instantly withered, and he stopped cursing.

He glared fiercely at Ye Jing not far away, clutching his still-aching wrist, and cursed silently in his heart, "Damn old man, you just wait."

He also kicked the attendant trembling beside him and cursed, "Useless thing!"

Having said that, he dared not linger any longer; enduring the pain, he slunk away quickly from Zhenxiu Restaurant.

Ye Jing observed all of this and thought to himself: This middle-aged manager has an extraordinary demeanor; in just a few words, he frightened the arrogant and domineering Second Master Tang into not daring to act up and fleeing in a sorry state.

It seems this Zhenxiu Restaurant is worth cooperating with.

The middle-aged manager turned around and smiled, cupping his hands in a salute to Ye Jing, "Old gentleman, good skills! Thank you for showing mercy just now and not bickering too much with Second Master Tang; otherwise, I fear the shop would have been turned upside down today."

He saw clearly that the teacup Ye Jing threw had plenty of force, but it only caused the attendant to stumble and fall, without dealing a lethal blow.

Subsequently, restraining Second Master Tang was only a dislocation to serve as a warning, without causing fundamental injury, clearly showing consideration that this was Zhenxiu Restaurant's territory and not wanting to cause too much trouble here.

If the two had really fought here, damaging tables and chairs would be a small matter, but ruining the reputation of Zhenxiu Restaurant would be a big deal, and the losses would be immeasurable.

Upon hearing this, Ye Jing slowly put down the teacup in his hand, gave a slight nod in return, and did not say much.

Seeing that he was reticent, the middle-aged manager just assumed he was a man of few words and a martial artist, so he didn't pay much more attention to him. After nodding slightly, he turned and left.