Chapter 123

After delivering these words, Xu Haokun swept his gaze across the room with an air of dominance, thinly veiled with a clear sense of menace.

Throughout the bar, every man present withered at that moment; not a single soul dared to meet Xu Haokun’s eyes. They all knew full well that the Xu family were prominent figures in the provincial capital, wielding power so vast they could practically blot out the sky. Even certain financial conglomerates from the capital gave the Xu family a degree of respect. Naturally, no one dared to provoke a second-generation scion like Xu Haokun.

"Try touching the man I have my eye on, and see what happens!"

However, Blue Phoenix was not one to be trifled with. Having been slapped just moments ago, she was already seething with resentment. Seeing Xu Haokun prepare to strike at Chu Tianhe again, she exploded into action. Without a second thought, she reached behind the bar, snatched up a gleaming machete, and held it firmly against Xu Haokun’s throat.

The stance was pure boss-lady energy; she truly lived up to her reputation as the queen of the bar district.

*Shing!*

The moment the blade touched his neck, the ancient martial arts bodyguards standing behind Xu Haokun tensed instantly. The internal energy within them surged, and in a heartbeat, over a dozen killing auras locked onto Blue Phoenix, ready to strike at any second.

"Lan Yu, do you have any idea what you are doing?"

Facing the blade, Xu Haokun’s brow furrowed, his face twisted in fury. He was likely the first man in history to have a machete held to his throat by his own fiancée.

"Take one more step forward, and I’ll slaughter you, you bastard!"

Blue Phoenix’s words were sharp, her beautiful eyes burning with a rage that made it clear she was not joking in the slightest.

"Xu Haokun, your Xu family may have influence in the provincial capital, but don’t think for a second that the Lan family is weak!"

At her sharp command, several burly men rushed out from the bar’s lounge. Each was covered in tattoos and possessed the aura of an ancient martial artist, their presence even more formidable than that of the men Xu Haokun had brought with him.

"Lan Yu, you dare raise a hand against me?!"

Seeing Blue Phoenix take such a stance, Xu Haokun’s eyes widened in fury, his entire body trembling with rage. Imagine it: his own fiancée defending another man right in front of him, even going so far as to draw a blade. It was a humiliation that no man, let alone someone like Xu Haokun, could ever endure.

To make matters worse, the man Blue Phoenix was protecting sat right there before him, sipping his drink as if nothing were happening, completely unbothered. Even as everyone else in the bar was stunned by the escalating confrontation, this man remained indifferent and composed, as if the entire scene had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Take another step forward and see if I dare to cut you."

Faced with his challenge, Blue Phoenix did not retreat in the slightest. She arched her willow-leaf eyebrows and retorted directly.

"You..."

At that, Xu Haokun faltered.

No one understood the foundation of the Lan family better than Xu Haokun. The Lan family of the capital, like the Mu family, was one of the ten wealthiest households in the Great Xia Kingdom. The only difference was that the Lan family’s roots were not clean; they had built their fortune through illicit, underground dealings. Although they had been working to legitimize themselves for years, the truth of their dark origins remained an undeniable fact.

This was one of the reasons Xu Haokun backed down in the face of the machete. Because of the Lan family’s checkered past, Blue Phoenix possessed a heavy aura of the underworld. Xu Haokun knew deep down that if he truly pushed her too far, she would not hesitate to use that blade.

"Blue Phoenix, don't forget—your Lan family is currently relying on our Xu family to scrub your reputation clean!"

Seeing that she had no intention of saving face for him, Xu Haokun felt a stabbing pain in his liver from pure rage. He gritted his teeth and whispered a cold, threatening warning into her ear.

*Slap!*