Chapter 86

As Li Xunzhe finished speaking, everyone from the Jin family present drew in a sharp breath. This was clearly an attempt to take the opportunity to retaliate against Xiahou Zhongying, and to humiliate him in public.

Li Xunzhe’s words sounded good, adding a festive atmosphere to the Jin family’s ancestral worship. However, apart from the young children who didn’t understand, and given that the conflict between the two was already public, who couldn’t see that he was looking for an opportunity to beat up Xiahou Zhongying?

During the few days Li Xunzhe had been at the Jin family’s residence, he hadn’t stopped boasting about his achievements in the American college martial arts competition. Almost everyone in the Jin family knew that he was a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

Looking at Xiahou Zhongying’s small frame, since he had just turned 16, his body hadn’t fully developed yet, and he was a full head shorter than Li Xunzhe. How could he possibly be his match?

The girls, who already had no good feelings towards Li Xunzhe, were all worried for Xiahou Zhongying, hoping he would be smart enough to refuse. If he insisted on not participating, although it would make him appear cowardly and a bit shameful, it would save him from a beating.

The young people who had originally admired Li Xunzhe fell silent. After the incident with the ancestral worship, their admiration for Li Xunzhe had disappeared. After all, the elders of their family were sitting there, and Li Xunzhe’s disrespectful behavior towards them made it strange for anyone to still have good feelings towards him.

The elders of the Jin family, without exception, had even less good feelings towards Li Xunzhe. They were secretly annoyed and looked down on his character. To act so rudely first and then seek an opportunity to take revenge on a child was truly uncivilized. How could they possibly agree to let him become a son-in-law of the Jin family? They had to make sure Jin Baoyan would reject him.

Jin Taeyan and Huang Meiyi were also secretly anxious. Although they had heard that Xiahou Zhongying had practiced martial arts, they didn’t know his level. Huang Meiyi knew that Xiahou Zhongying was quite capable, as five or six peers were no match for him, but those were just ordinary students, not like Li Xunzhe, a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo. Naturally, they also thought he couldn’t be Li Xunzhe’s match.

However, since Xiahou Zhongying himself hadn’t spoken yet, they couldn’t speak on his behalf to refuse. They could only secretly worry and pray that Xiahou Zhongying would refuse on his own.

“Not good, today is New Year’s Day. How can there be any fighting, especially in the Jin family’s ancestral hall?” Xiahou Zhongying smiled and said.

The people present immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They were really worried that Xiahou Zhongying might be a hothead and charge up without thinking.

“It’s just a demonstration, not real fighting,” Li Xunzhe said, dying to beat up Xiahou Zhongying. He had already anticipated that Xiahou Zhongying would refuse and was unwilling to let him off so easily. He had already prepared an excuse, “We’re just performing, not really fighting. What are you afraid of?”

“Still not good,” Xiahou Zhongying said with a troubled look, “Even in a performance, there can be accidental bumps and bruises. If someone gets hurt, it would be inauspicious on New Year’s Day.”

The people present couldn’t help but secretly laugh. This kid was really good at finding excuses.

“How could there be any blood? It’s just a performance,” Li Xunzhe said, suppressing his anger and sarcastically, “You’re not even brave enough to perform, are you?”

“What if something happens?” Xiahou Zhongying pressed, “It’s better to be prepared for the worst. This is a famous saying in China, summarized from thousands of years of experience, and it’s very philosophical.”

The corners of the elders’ mouths twitched, and their faces turned strange. Some of the younger generation couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Li Xunzhe was going crazy inside. Xiahou Zhongying was so afraid of dying that he wouldn’t come out, yet his reasons were so well-founded and irrefutable. It made him feel like a dog biting a hedgehog, with no place to start.

“If such a situation really happens, there’s nothing we can do. Accidents can happen in any performance,” Li Xunzhe said helplessly with a dark face, “But accidents can happen in anything we do, right? Even walking can lead to a fall. We can’t stop walking just because of that.”

“You see, I told you. You agree that accidents can happen, right?” Xiahou Zhongying said with a smile, “But you’re right, even drinking water can get stuck in your teeth. So, we’re in the Jin family’s ancestral hall. If an accident happens, it could affect the family’s fortune for the year. Let’s not perform, shall we? Or you can perform alone? That way, the chances of an accident are much smaller.”

“Damn you,” Li Xunzhe almost spat blood. If you don’t come out, what am I supposed to perform for? To make the Jin family watch a monkey show?

“What a gem,” the elders of the Jin family were speechless. Although they didn’t want to see Xiahou Zhongying get beaten, his infuriating arguments were even too much for them, let alone Li Xunzhe.

“Then let’s perform outside, shall we? That way, even if an accident happens, it won’t affect the Jin family’s fortune,” Li Xunzhe said with fire in his eyes.

“Ah, it’s so cold outside, and there’s snow. The ancestral hall is much warmer. Look, if we perform outside, we say it’s to add a festive atmosphere to the Jin family’s ancestral worship, but making the elders and the young ones go out in the cold wind, how can you bear it? What if they catch a cold? Even if they don’t catch a cold, it’s not right to let the elders and children be exposed to the cold wind. And if there’s no audience, what kind of performance is it?” Xiahou Zhongying said.

The people in the Jin family’s ancestral hall almost all fell over. This reason was truly powerful and fresh. It also upheld the principles of respecting the elderly and caring for the young.

Who had taught this gem such a set of reasons, without any repetition? If they were in Li Xunzhe’s shoes, they might have been driven to death by now. They couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Li Xunzhe. Why did he have to provoke such a cowardly yet shrewd kid?

Li Xunzhe was speechless and had no hope of beating up Xiahou Zhongying.

Xiahou Zhongying’s refusal to come out and play left Li Xunzhe helpless. He couldn’t just grab him out. If he did, the Jin family would definitely not let him off, especially since they were in the Jin family’s ancestral hall, their home turf.

Jin’s father and mother were also speechless at Xiahou Zhongying’s shamelessness. They couldn’t tell whether Jin Taeyan’s choice of this boy was right or wrong. He was too shameless and too eloquent, capable of driving anyone to their wits' end.

“Ah, okay, seeing how pitiful you are, I’ll perform with you,” Xiahou Zhongying suddenly said with a smile after teasing Li Xunzhe enough.

The people in the Jin family’s ancestral hall were stunned when Xiahou Zhongying agreed, not understanding how the timid Xiahou Zhongying had suddenly changed his mind.

Jin Taeyan was extremely anxious, grabbing Xiahou Zhongying’s hand and hugging his arm, saying anxiously, “Brother Zhongying, no, you can’t go.”

Li Xunzhe didn’t react at first, but when Jin Taeyan spoke to stop Xiahou Zhongying, he came to his senses and was overjoyed. This was your own doing, not my fault.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you outside. It’s a date, see you there,” Li Xunzhe said, worried that Jin Taeyan might persuade Xiahou Zhongying to change his mind. He quickly said his piece and led the way to the entrance of the ancestral hall.