"Let’s eat first. I’ll tell you what’s going on in a bit."

Aunt Zhang moved quickly, and the barbecue arrived in no time, along with a pitcher of beer.

Grilled lamb kidneys, grilled cicadas, and grilled silkworm pupae—they were quite the specialty. Yang Qi had never eaten such things before, but after trying them, he found the taste wasn’t bad at all.

Just then, two sports cars, which appeared to be modified, came roaring down the street. The sound of their engines was incredibly unpleasant; perhaps this was what they called "blasting the streets." The sports cars stopped at the edge of the barbecue street.

"Hey, Young Master Wang, you’re not actually going to eat that peasant food, are you?" someone shouted.

Wang Teng shook his head. "I saw someone I know."

"Ye Qianqian!" another person exclaimed. "Wow, that little girl has really grown up. She’s gorgeous!"

"I’m not talking about her," Wang Teng said, shaking his head again. "But you’re not wrong. I heard the Tang Family from Sea City has already proposed to the Zhao Family, intending to form a marriage alliance."

"Right, I heard that too," the other person chimed in with a laugh. "The Zhao Family already married off one granddaughter, so now it’s this maternal granddaughter, Ye Qianqian. She’s really something else. I bet the young master of the Tang Family has already seen her."

"You don’t get it," Wang Teng said, shaking his head. "The Tang Family has huge ambitions. Now that the Thunder Sect, Heavenly Dog Society, Hanfang Association, and the Kong Family are all in trouble, a huge piece of Thunder City’s pie is up for grabs. The Tang Family wants a slice, but they can’t make a direct move since they aren’t from Jingnan Prefecture. That’s why they want to form a marriage alliance with the Zhao Family—to use them to seize market share in Thunder City and maybe even the entire Jingnan Prefecture."

"I don’t care about their ambitions," the other man, Yan Duo, said excitedly. "All I know is, if we don’t make a move now, it’ll be too late. Why don’t we have our fun with Ye Qianqian tonight? Once she marries into the Tang Family, she’ll be off-limits to us."

"Yan Duo, you’re really impatient," Wang Teng reminded him. "But we’ll need to call more people. That Yang Qi who’s with Ye Qianqian is a tough fighter."

"Alright, I’ll call for backup right now!" Yan Duo chuckled and pulled out his phone.

At the barbecue stall, Ye Qianqian was a little tipsy after a few beers. Wiping away tears, she said, "Brother Qi, Grandma suddenly asked me to come to the Provincial City. I thought it might be for something good, since her family has always looked down on ours. But I never expected she’d want me to marry some good-for-nothing heir."

Hearing this, Yang Qi finally understood why Ye Qianqian was so downcast. Ye Qianqian’s mother, Zhao Huan, was the daughter of the Zhao Family matriarch. However, because she married Ye Zuisheng, Ye Fei’s father, she became the most looked-down-upon daughter in her family. Every time she went home, she was met with scorn and criticism from her relatives. Over time, the two families drifted apart. Ye Qianqian had thought it was a good sign when her grandmother took the initiative to invite her over, but it turned out she was just being used as a pawn in a marriage alliance.

The Tang Family from Sea City? What a coincidence. Yang Qi frowned. Back in Three Prefectures Town, he had just so happened to offend them, and now he was running into this.

"Don’t worry. As long as you don’t want to, no one can force you," Yang Qi comforted her. "Leave this to me."

As they were talking, the roar of engines suddenly erupted. More than a dozen modified motorcycles tore into the barbecue street, sending everyone scattering and causing chaos as the riders laughed excitedly. Each motorcycle carried three people, making a total of several dozen oddly dressed youths. They pulled up and surrounded Yang Qi and Ye Qianqian’s table.

"Hey, beauty, come for a ride with your big brother!" one of them whistled, shouting lewdly at Ye Qianqian.

The rest of them started to hoot and jeer. Ye Qianqian was the very picture of youthful beauty. Beneath her light makeup, her delicate, vibrant face stirred the excitement of the young men.

"Damn, this girl is incredible! She’s totally drool-worthy!"

"You don’t see girls this pure anymore!"

"She’s the perfect mix of innocent and sultry!"

"Guys, stop talking and do something!"

"Nobody move! I’ll do it!" a man at the front shouted. He had a head of blue hair that made him look like a freak, and a nose ring for some unknown reason.

"Hehe, Brother Blue Hair, you gotta let us brothers get a taste too!" one of the others yelled.

"No problem. After I’m done with her, you can all have your share!" Blue Hair smiled. Thinking himself suave, he blew a stray strand of hair from his face, got off his bike, and sauntered over to Ye Qianqian.

"Go get ’em, Brother Blue Hair!"

"What’s there to cheer for? Brother Blue Hair has so much charm, what woman wouldn’t throw herself at him?"

As the crowd roared with laughter, Blue Hair reached Ye Qianqian. He dropped to one knee in what he imagined was a suave, gentlemanly gesture. Extending his right hand, he produced a rose from seemingly nowhere, winked, and smiled. "Exquisite beauty, please accept this token of my affection!"

"I’m sorry, I don’t know you," Ye Qianqian said, shaking her head.

Blue Hair chuckled. "No problem. We can get to know each other now. You can call me Brother Blue Hair, and I can take you for a nice joyride!"

"I don’t like joyrides. Please leave," Ye Qianqian insisted, shaking her head again.

Blue Hair’s expression darkened. He shot to his feet, slammed his hand on the table, and snarled, "Look, pretty girl, you can do this the easy way or the hard way. Don’t make me lose face in front of my boys, or I can’t promise what’ll happen!"

"Get lost!"

Yang Qi, who had been silent until now, let out a low growl. These guys are just too despicable. As a Cultivator, I normally wouldn’t bother with common thugs. But they’re bullying my sister right in front of me. That, I can’t allow.

Blue Hair glanced coldly at Yang Qi and cursed, "Kid, who the hell are you telling to get lost? I’m talking to the pretty girl here, it’s none of your damn business! Now you, get the hell out of here before I waste you!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Get lost!"

"Get lost!"

The youths behind Blue Hair began to chant, telling Yang Qi to scram.

"He’s my brother!" Ye Qianqian said coldly. "Don’t bother us while we’re eating. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police!"

Blue Hair chuckled. "Her brother, huh? Good, I thought he was your boyfriend. Since you’re her brother, listen up. I’m making your sister my girlfriend. You don’t have the right to refuse. In a bit, I’m taking her for a ride, and then we’re getting a hotel room. You can just go home by yourself. Wish us well!"

"HAHAHA!"

Blue Hair’s companions exploded with laughter. "Yeah, as her brother, you should be wishing her well! You should be happy to have a great brother-in-law like Brother Blue Hair!"

"I told you to get lost. Didn’t you hear me?" Yang Qi’s voice grew even colder.

"You son of a bitch, you’re really pushing it, aren’t you? You still dare to tell me to get lost!" Blue Hair pointed a finger at Ye Qianqian and said viciously, "You little wench, you’re coming for a ride with me right now. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never see your brother again!"