Chapter 53

"Completely wrong? Hmph, if you have the guts, repeat what I just did, and I'll admit to the police." Zhuang Sheng said proudly.

"There's no need for that!" Ferren waved his hand, "Zhuang Sheng, although the Li family should avoid fighting these two days, we can still have a literary contest!" As he said this, he smiled, but the corners of his mouth, slightly curled upward, revealed a hint of cruelty.

Ferren had never been a good-tempered person. After returning to reality, he only pretended to be a lamb, unsure of the influence of the main god. In fact, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, or rather, a demon in sheep's clothing.

If it were any other time, Ferren might have let Zhuang Sheng off the hook for the sake of the Li family, but now, with Zhuang Yue Ming on his mind, his true nature inadvertently showed through.

Li Zhe Kai vaguely sensed that Ferren was truly angry and immediately scolded Zhuang Sheng, "Still not apologizing to Alen!" When these words were spoken, all the young people were taken aback. They didn't understand why Little Li would be so stern with his own brother.

Zhuang Sheng, living up to his reputation as a martial arts enthusiast, was indeed a bit stubborn and didn't listen to Li Zhe Kai's advice. He stiffened his neck and said, "A literary contest? How do we do it?"

"You have strong hands, don't you? You've trained, haven't you? We can shake hands!" Saying this, Ferren extended his hand to Zhuang Sheng across the few people in between.

Zhuang Sheng smiled and said, "Oh~~ So it's a hand strength contest, you're bound to lose!" As he spoke, he extended his pale right hand and took the initiative to shake Ferren's hand.

It must be said that hands trained in the Iron Sand Palm technique, when they turn pale, are already at about 70-80% proficiency. Why is this so? Because those who practice the Iron Sand Palm, although their hands gradually darken during the training process (not black), to prevent their hands from becoming crippled after the age of forty (①), they must soak their hands in medicinal water for a long time. Therefore, their hands are not black but very pale and softer than ordinary people's hands.

Zhuang Sheng's hands were quite pale, not as dark as those of the noblewomen who apply baby cream every day, so it was clear that he had mastered the Iron Sand Palm and was quite proficient. However, when he gripped Ferren's hand, he immediately knew something was wrong.

Ferren's hand was like gold and iron. Zhuang Sheng almost used all his strength, but there was no sign of any bone displacement.

At this moment, Ferren sneered, "Zhuang Sheng, are you done using your strength? Now it's my turn."

Zhuang Sheng was taken aback and then felt intense pain in his hand. He tried hard not to cry out, even the muscles on his face twitched. He desperately channeled all his strength to his right palm, trying to resist.

"You have some strength!" Ferren's lips curled into a sinister smile as he began to tighten his grip.

"Crack, crack, crack... Snap!"

After a series of bone-cracking sounds, Zhuang Sheng's hand turned into a mushy mess. Ferren casually let go, and Zhuang Sheng, who had just endured the intense pain, rolled his eyes and fell backward.

Others quickly supported him, but Ferren wiped his hand on the shoulder of a man he didn't remember and smiled at Li Zhe Kai, "Little Li, your cousin has a good tolerance, I like it!"

Li Zhe Kai's face was not good. After all, Zhuang Sheng was his cousin. Now that his hand was crippled, the relatives would eventually find out. Therefore, he was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, the young people, who had been stunned by the brief confrontation between Ferren and Zhuang Sheng, finally came to their senses. After looking at each other, someone led the charge, "Sir, what do you mean? You came to the birthday party and injured our Li family member. Is there no law?"

"Exactly, you randomly hurt people, we will complain about you!"

"Right, complain about him!"

The young people spoke one after another, seemingly indignant, but none of them dared to step forward, fearing Ferren's martial arts. Ferren sneered continuously. The young masters and misses of wealthy families were different; when they started to stir up trouble, none of them mentioned Zhuang Sheng's provocation. Fortunately, their voices, though loud, were drowned out by the noise in the hall, and since their table was in an inconspicuous corner, no one came to check on them.

Ferren didn't bother to argue; he was waiting for Li Zhe Kai's attitude. If Little Li sided with Zhuang Sheng, he had nothing to say. After all, they were relatives, and it was normal to help family over reason. In this world, people who sacrifice family for justice were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. But if Li Zhe Kai spoke up for him, Ferren would have to reassess his relationship with Little Li.

Initially, the relationship between Li and Ferren was just that of acquaintances who got along well. Later, Ferren helped Little Li and Old Li make a lot of money, and the relationship between the Li family and Ferren became closer due to the money. However, they were still outsiders. If Li Zhe Kai stood by Ferren at this moment, it was likely that he was 20% for justice, 30% for friendship, and 50% for the money. This suited Ferren's taste, and he would inevitably become closer to Little Li in the future.

At this moment, Little Li scolded, "Shut up! Zhuang Sheng provoked first, and he deserved it. I'll spend five million dollars to treat his hand, and that's it."

The young people, upon hearing this, immediately felt envy and jealousy. After all, although they were relatives of the Li family, Old Li only helped them when their businesses were in trouble. Each family had to fend for themselves, and they only received a few thousand dollars a month. Zhuang Sheng, who had only lost a hand, not necessarily completely, received five million dollars from Li Er Shao. This was like a pie falling from the sky! Moreover, since Li Er Shao was so protective of Ferren, Ferren's identity was definitely not just a small police officer.

However, among these young people, there were still some who disliked Ferren. One of them pinched Zhuang Sheng's philtrum to wake him up, planning to make a big fuss to attract the attention of the elders. At that time, no matter what Ferren's identity was, he would probably not be able to stay.

Ferren did not stop the young people from waking Zhuang Sheng; he wanted to test Little Li again. Unexpectedly, after waking up, Zhuang Sheng first looked around, then, holding his injured hand, crawled to Ferren, knelt down, and bowed, "Sir Ferren, please take me as your disciple!"

What was going on? Not only were the young people at the table stunned, but even Ferren was taken aback. He was speechless for a second before he came to his senses, thinking, "Is our aura so powerful?"

Seeing Ferren's silence, Zhuang Sheng, drenched in cold sweat, began to kowtow, "Big Brother Ferren, Master, please take me as your disciple!" This time, his voice was louder, and many people at the nearby tables heard it. Someone even shouted, "What are you playing? Why are you kneeling?"

Ferren and the others at his table, including Li Zhe Kai and the kneeling Zhuang Sheng, turned to glare at the person who asked. The person was taken aback and quickly turned back to eat quietly, not daring to meddle further.

Turning back, Zhuang Sheng wanted to plead again. Ferren touched his nose and said, "You've already lost a hand. Do you think you can still practice martial arts?"

"My second master once said that the essence of martial arts lies in the heart. A weak heart leads to weak martial arts, and a strong heart leads to strong martial arts! Diligence comes second, and the innate physical condition is the least important!" Zhuang Sheng said, "Master, I still have one hand left. Please take me as your disciple!"

Ferren, upon hearing this, avoided the topic of taking a disciple and instead smiled and asked, "Your master's theory goes against traditional Chinese martial arts, but it's quite interesting. I would like to meet him in person. Is that possible?"

Zhuang Sheng's eyes instantly dimmed. Li Zhe Kai, however, suddenly remembered something, his face changed, and he whispered, "Alen, my cousin is very tough. I think you should not consider his request."

Ferren was puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

"He has had two masters, both of whom died saving him. One died seven years ago, and the other just two years ago..." Li Zhe Kai continued to whisper, "Also, when he was seven, my uncle died in a traffic accident to protect him. As for my aunt, she died a few months ago in a non-natural way! If it weren't for our relatives and a few million dollars in inheritance, he wouldn't know how to live."

"Oh? So tough?" Ferren raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I like it!"

Zhuang Sheng, who had been trying to eavesdrop on Li Zhe Kai and Ferren's conversation, quickly said, "Big Brother Ferren, since you like me, take me as your disciple!"

Ferren shook his finger and said, "Liking someone doesn't mean you have to take them in. Go treat your hand first, and come to my place tonight, and we'll talk!"

"Okay, I'll go treat my hand right away!" Zhuang Sheng nodded repeatedly and, holding his injured hand, planned to leave the hall.

Ferren, seeing this, made a gesture to Little Li. Li Zhe Kai understood and called two servants to support Zhuang Sheng and take him away.

Not long after, Old Li received the news and came to check on Ferren, but he didn't mention Zhuang Sheng's injury at all. This made the young people at the table even more convinced of Ferren's extraordinary background.

Actually, Old Li didn't mention it because the situation was already like this, and Little Li had made a decision. He didn't want to complicate things further. Moreover, the young people in the family were often arrogant, and after seeing Zhuang Sheng's miserable state, they would likely be more restrained.

When the second round of dishes came, the young people at Ferren's table had already forgotten the unpleasantness. They chatted and drank, making the atmosphere lively.

After a few rounds of drinks, Ferren was looking for an excuse to leave when Xie Yi Xin's call came in.

"Hello!"

"Halfway up the mountain, a body was found. The higher-ups ordered us to go to the scene immediately." After saying this, the girl on the other end hung up, clearly still angry.

Ferren was a bit puzzled and muttered into the phone, "Wow, what's the matter? Halfway up the mountain is so big, where exactly is the body?"

"Alen, what's wrong? Do you have something to do?" Li Zhe Kai asked.

"There's a case, I have to go check it out."

"Then I'll take you!"

Ferren nodded, went to say goodbye to Old Li and Zhuang Yue Hua, and left the villa with Li Zhe Kai.

Before getting into the car, Ferren smiled, "Little Li, thanks for helping me out today. When we have time, I'll take you to make a small fortune!"

Li Zhe Kai blinked and asked, "A small fortune? How small?"

Ferren smiled but didn't answer, and drove off in a puff of smoke.

(①: Practicing the Iron Sand Palm is a very painful process. The tendons, muscles, bones, and blood in the palms undergo a subtle and dense rearrangement, which actually lays the foundation for potential disability. Therefore, it is necessary to soak the hands in medicinal water to eliminate this risk.)