The crisp sound of the slap, coupled with Mo Wangchen's cold words, plunged the surrounding crowd into a brief silence.
Nearly everyone's face displayed an utmost astonishment.
They must be dreaming, they thought. The typically indulgent and neglectful Young Master of the Mo Family, who never bothered with proper affairs, had actually struck someone?
"You actually..."
With the stinging sensation on his face and being slapped hard by Mo Wangchen under the scrutiny of all, that collateral disciple of the Mo Family immediately boiled with rage.
In the past, he had not refrained from ridiculing the other, but because he was a person by Mo Cheng's side, Mo Wangchen had always chosen to ignore him, unwilling to provoke a conflict.
Yet unexpectedly, this time, Mo Wangchen, for some unknown reason, dared to raise his hand against him under everyone's watchful eyes, and the words he had just uttered seemed to contain a certain momentum, as if the useless Young Master before him had become a different person.
Slap!
However, just as he was furiously about to retaliate, Mo Wangchen struck with another slap, showing no mercy at all.
"What?! You still want to strike me?!" Mo Wangchen squinted his eyes, his gaze icy, and his voice came out very faint, seemingly suppressing that collateral disciple completely.
In fact, with Mo Wangchen's current strength at the ninth level of the Body Refinement Realm, if the other party indeed retaliated, he would not be a match for this collateral disciple.
After all, the other's cultivation had reached the first level of the Vein Condensation Realm, someone who had condensed a Spirit Vein within their body, capable of injuring people with Spiritual Power from a distance, no longer merely possessing the Power of the Body as those in the Body Refinement Realm did!
But Mo Wangchen was very clear that here in Fangtian City, under the public gaze, as long as the other party was not foolish, he would definitely not dare to strike him.
After all, although he indulged in excess, no matter what, he was still the son of Mo Xiaotian, the present Young Master Mo!
Even if the collateral disciple was infuriated and senselessly decided to attack, Mo Cheng by his side would certainly not allow it.
"Mo Wangchen, what is this supposed to mean?!"
The scene briefly fell silent, and soon, everyone heard Mo Cheng's voice entering their ears.
At the moment, he was squinting his eyes, his voice somewhat grave, his glance unwaveringly fixed on Mo Wangchen.
Regarding Mo Wangchen's usual behavior, Mo Cheng had some understanding; although the other was Mo Xiaotian's son, he never dared to conflict with him because he knew that if there was any conflict, his father, Mo Xiaofan, stood behind him!
Out of respect for his father, Uncle Mo Xiaotian would definitely not dare to treat him poorly!
However, Mo Wangchen's actions today had thoroughly overturned Mo Cheng's past perceptions. Although he often mocked the other in everyday life, the two had never actually come to blows.
Now, Mo Wangchen had struck his own man under everyone's gaze, wasn't this akin to slapping Mo Cheng's own face!
How could he endure this?!
Hearing Mo Cheng's words, Mo Wangchen then turned his gaze over, his face nevertheless displaying an indifferent tone, "To see my cousin and not greet him is one thing, but to keep calling me 'Mo Wangchen'—it seems like you, this cousin, are also asking to be hit…"
"I must be hearing things? This worthless Young Master is actually confronting Mo Cheng?!"
"Daring to speak to Mo Cheng like that, could Mo Wangchen have gone mad?"
The crowd around them gasped in shock. Mo Wangchen's reputation as a profligate was unmatched in Fangtian City, and they had heard somewhat of his past behavior.
A prodigal, a good-for-nothing, some cowardice, and also known for bullying the weak and fearing the strong...
Yet now, could this truly be the behavior of someone who was cowardly and only picked on the weaker?
You must realize that the one standing before him was Fangtian City's number one genius, Mo Cheng!
There's a saying that's quite fitting, when you beat a dog, you must look at its owner. Not only had Mo Wangchen hit someone close to Mo Cheng, but now he was even taking it upon himself to lecture Mo Cheng under the guise of being his older cousin...
Could this really be the same useless waste of a Young Master from the past?!
"A few days apart, and it seems you've changed quite a bit, cousin..."
Hearing Mo Wangchen's words, Mo Cheng's expression turned gloomy. Indeed, within the Mo Family, Mo Wangchen was older by three months, so from a certain perspective, he was his older cousin.
"The Jun Family approached today, seeking to dissolve their engagement with you, cousin. Could it be you've suffered some blow?" Mo Cheng sneered cruelly, piercing right through Mo Wangchen's vulnerable spot in front of everyone.
"What? The Jun Family went to Mo Wangchen today to dissolve their engagement?"
Hearing Mo Cheng's words, the crowd around them exchanged glances, obviously not having heard of this development.
Though the marriage contract between Mo Wangchen and Jun Muqing was no secret in Fangtian City.
"No wonder Mo Wangchen seemed so angry today, as if he had become a completely different person. So, this happened today..."
"I've heard that Jun Muqing is now a disciple of the Yun Chu Academy's headmaster, a noble status indeed. Even though Mo Wangchen is the Young Master of the Mo Family, he's nothing but a cripple and certainly cannot compare to her. For them to come and break off the engagement in such a manner, Mo Wangchen has truly lost all face..."
"Ha ha, I really want to know what kind of face this useless Young Master had in front of Jun Muqing today?"
"Of course, he must've been unwilling to agree, crying and making a scene, hahaha..."
A wave of cold ridicule spread through the crowd, yet Mo Wangchen seemed as if he hadn't heard a word, calmly keeping his gaze fixed on Mo Cheng.
After a moment, he suddenly said, "If you weren't named Mo, just for what you said earlier, there would come a day when I would kill you..."
"Hm?!"
In Mo Wangchen's eyes, Mo Cheng saw a fleeting chill, and coupled with the latter's indifferent words, Mo Cheng felt a strange shudder in his heart, for some unknown reason.
But soon enough, he scoffed, disdain flashing in his eyes again as he said, "I'm afraid you'll never have that chance in your life. In a month, I will become a disciple of Yun Chu Academy, destined to be in a different world than you. And it's not that I don't give you a chance. In one month, before I'm chosen and go to Yun Chu Academy to cultivate, I'll give you an opportunity to challenge me, though I'm afraid you won't dare..."
Mo Cheng's words were full of scorn, and everyone knew that Mo Wangchen was a waste, incapable of storing Spiritual Power. He could never step into the Vein Condensation Realm in his lifetime. Not in a month, not even in ten years, or a hundred years, could he possibly be a match for Mo Cheng.
"You really are confident, aren't you..." To the surprise of many, a sly smile suddenly crept across Mo Wangchen's face, "So sure that I can't condense the Spirit Vein?"
After speaking, he shook his head, no longer bothering to waste his words with the other party. He turned and stepped away, not looking back as he said, "Although it's not very nice to hear, I'll still advise you, times change. I, Mo Wangchen, never really took you seriously. But since you insist on prancing around in front of me, I don't mind indulging you. Just wait for a month..."