A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1146 Undeserving

"You flatter me. I'm just an ordinary man. I hardly deserve such praise, much less this title," said Ye Fan mildly and expressionlessly and, with a hint of frostiness in his tone. "Heavens, Mr Chu, please be mindful of what you say. Don't you have any idea who you're speaking to right now?"

Li Er and the others nearly peed themselves when they heard the hint of disrespect in Ye Fan's words.

What was wrong with Mr Chu?

Did he truly not know who Li Hong-Ze was?

Had he gone out of his mind?

Had he no regard for the second most powerful man in China at all?

Li Er and the others nearly died from fright. The Mr Chu before them was becoming more of a mystery by the moment.

Any ordinary man who had been conferred a title by the country through a great man like Li Hong-Ze, would have been overcome with gratitude and excitement. He would have been beside himself.

But not Ye Fan.

In fact, he seemed extraordinarily calm.

It was unbelievable.

Li Er and the others wouldn't know that what others saw as utmost prestige and honor was something that Ye Fan could do without and cared nothing for.

A truly powerful martial artist didn't care for titles and accolades.

His strength spoke for itself.

Even if China had not conferred the title upon him, he still possessed the undeniable power and strength of a supreme grandmaster.

The title was of no use to Ye Fan at all.

The only advantages it conferred were upon the nation.

In fact, the country was requesting Ye Fan to accept the title.

That explained why Li Hong-Ze did not seem angry but instead appeared slightly anxious when he heard how calm Ye Fan was. He was wondering if he had committed any slight against the young man and angered him.

The international political situation was unstable and everchanging. China's road to resuming its former glory was filled with obstacles and dangers. With the United States at their helm, the western countries kept a close eye on China while trying to contain the latter's development.

China desperately needed powerful men like Ye Fan to protect their country's integrity.

Every supreme grandmaster was a weapon that China could use to assert its authority and dominance.

Li Hong-Ze naturally got nervous when Ye

Fan appeared uninterested in the title.

"Mr Chu, you're too modest. The God of War spoke highly of you and advocated strongly for you. The Heavenly Grandmaster holds you in high regard as well. You deserve the title of supreme grandmaster. How can you say otherwise?"

"If you're troubled by how hastily we've conferred the title upon you, please don't. We initially planned to host a grand ceremony on Mount Yan and have our head of the state knight you personally."

"But you must have heard of a young and powerful Chinese martial artist who recently perished. He was as young as you are. The God of War suspects that his death is an assassination carried out by a foreign country in an attempt to weaken our martial arts circle. For the sake of your safety, the God of War decided to keep your conferment a secret."

"When Mr Chu has reached his full strength, we will host a grand ceremony to celebrate your knighthood. The head of

China will grace the ceremony and extend his congratulations to you personally."

Li Hong-Ze's words were filled with sincerity and warmth. The well-respected man did not show any hint of arrogance or condescension when speaking to Ye Fan. In fact, he was nothing but polite and respectful.

His speech sent waves of shock and disbelief surging in everyone's minds.

Was the head of state really going to personally extend his congratulations to Ye Fan?

Shock had Shen Fei cursing out loud.

His Brother Fan was simply incredible!

"Damn! I bet no one else gets that kind of privileged treatment," laughed Shen Fei out loud after he whistled and let loose a string of curses.

Shen Jiu-Yi slapped his son instantly.

"You rascal, keep your mouth shut! Who do you think you are, talking right now? Do you want to meet your maker?"

His son was going to drive him to an early grave.

These were powerful men speaking. Lowly nobodies like them should keep their mouth shut and try not to draw any attention to themselves.

Talking too much was only going to get them into trouble.

A misspoken word could get them killed.

Shen Fei's sudden laugh had nearly given Shen Jiu-Yi a heart attack.

But Ye Fan didn't appear to be interested in the title despite what Li Hong-Ze had said. He did not accept the document that the man had tried to hand to him.

Tve told you. I'm a nobody who can't do anything and whom anyone could do anything to. Anyone can destroy my home and try to kill my family. Any old fool and any silly clown can speak condescendingly to

me and call me a ruffian and a hooligan. They can label me as a pest and a criminal and get their men to shoot me like a dog. I'm a sinner and a criminal. I don't deserve the praises that the country has given me and I certainly don't deserve the mighty title of the Unrivalled," said Ye Fan icily. The mirthless smile on his lips was sharp with self-mockery.

Wu Wei-Tao and He Lan-Shan grew cold as they listened to what Ye Fan had said. Their backs were drenched in cold sweat.

Despair and regret swelled within them.

Ye Fan had clearly been talking about them.

This scoundrel was trying to get them killed.

Wu Wei-Tao's heart filled with bitterness.

Li Hong-Ze soon caught what Ye Fan was trying to tell him.

"Did someone try to harm you? What's this about burning your home, threatening the safety of your family and trying to shoot you? Mr Chu, what's going on? I'm not sure

I know what you're talking about. Did someone cause you any offense?"

Li Hong-Ze appeared confused.

It was then that he noticed the hundreds of police vehicles around him and the army of soldiers on their knees.

He reeled back slightly with startlement, then frowned. "Are these the hostile forces that you were talking about, Mr Chu?"

"What else could they be?" Li Zi-Yang barked out a rude laugh then. "You want my instructor to protect this country and its lands, but you've gotten your soldiers and police officers cornering him and trying to kill him. The Chinese government works in mysterious ways indeed."

"Zi-Yang, hold your tongue! You shouldn't be respectful to Mr Li!" Li Er yelled frantically. His son's words had nearly given him a heart attack.

"Why should I hold my tongue? Not saying something doesn't make it untrue," scoffed Li Zi-Yang. He was furious at the injustice that Ye Fan had been made to suffer.

Li Hong-Ze was no ordinary man. It didn't take him long to realize what was going on.

He turned and spoke to one of his colleagues. "Find the contact details of the official in charge of Yunzhou. Call him. I want the government officials in charge of the Jiangdong province summoned as well. Tell them to be here within half an hour and tell them that I, Li Hong-Ze, am waiting forthem. I'm going to question them personally and find out what's going on. I want to know which fool is bold enough to cause trouble for Mr Chu."

Li Hong-Ze's voice sounded calm but those who knew him knew that underneath the veneer of composure was an intense fury. The calmer he appeared to be, the more furious he truly was.