A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1885

"But, won't it be too late then? We have no idea when Mr. Chu will come out of his solitary training. I'm afraid Grandpa won't be able to last till then."

Among the crowd, Zhang Zixi was hiding in a corner as tears brimmed in her reddened eyes.

She had always been by her grandpa's side from the moment she learned how to walk.

Hand-to-hand combat training, swordsmanship practice, literature study, and lessons on the ways of the world were some of the things that Zhang Jiuling had taught her.

It could be said that Zhang Jiuling had taught her all the wisdom and skills he had picked up throughout his life.

To Zhang Zixi, the man that was hanging on the cross before her was more than just an elder. He was her mentor and the person she trusted and depended on the most on the planet.

She couldn't accept him dying in front of her.

She had to save him. She couldn't lose the only family

she had left.

"Zixi, calm down. What are you going to do even if you get up there? The Meng family has strong fighters on their side. In fact, they're so strong that even your grandpa didn't last more than a few blows from them. Have you forgotten that?

"If both of us go up there now, we'll only be handing ourselves to him on a silver platter. You know more than I do the reason why Meng Wanjun decided to hold such an elaborate party here at the Westlake. He's trying to bait you. So you have to be patient and keep a cool head. Let's go back and wait for Mr. Chu. If he's not out yet, let's beg him to."

Lu Ziming held onto Zhang Zixi as he tried his best to persuade her.

The night when the Zhang family was attacked, Lu Ziming rushed to the site immediately once he had gotten the news, but he couldn't be of much help due to his limited capabilities.

In the end, Zhang Jiuling was the one who fought with the men in black to stall for time and pleaded with Lu Ziming to escape with the heavily injured Zhang Zixi to protect the last of the Zhang family line. Since Zhang Jiuling had entrusted his granddaughter to Lu Ziming. It was only natural that he would protect the girl with all his might.

Zhang Zixi shook her head at Lu Ziming's suggestion. "It's pointless, Mr. Lu. So what if he does agree to come out of his solitary training? The Zhang family and Mr. Chu are nothing more than strangers. I even offended him before. I'm sure he won't help the Zhang family or me. Besides, the opponent is so powerful. Can Mr. Chu even handle them by himself? How can you be sure that he'll risk his life for people that are practically strangers to him?

Zhang Zixi's eyes were filled with despair as she hung her head.

Lu Ziming couldn't come up with a retort to her desolate remark.

He knew that she was right. Even if Ye Fan appeared right on time, why would he help the Zhang family? Besides, after he narrowly escaped the fight at Eastsea, no one has any idea what his true abilities is

now.

With that thought in mind, the sliver of hope that Lu Ziming was clinging on to was gone.

As he and Zhang Zixi fell into a woeful silence, Meng Wanjun suddenly raised a sword on the stage.

The bright sunlight reflected off the sharp edge of the blade, showcasing its fatality.

He swept his gaze around the area and shouted in a deep baritone, "Zhang Zixi, I know you're here somewhere hiding among the crowd. I'll give you ten seconds to show yourself. If you're one second late, I'll plunge this sword into your grandpa's body."

He continued, "If I still don't see you after I swing my sword ten times, I'll make sure your grandpa will be on his way to the afterlife."

Meng Wanjun's voice echoed loudly across the area.

He pinned his fierce gaze on a specific spot downstage.

Lu Ziming was right.

One of the reasons why Meng Wanjun held the party at Westlake was to declare the Meng family had taken over the reins over Jiangbei to all relevant parties. The other reason was to lure Zhang Zixi out of hiding so that he could eradicate the Zhang family line.

Meng Wanjun was a meticulous man, especially toward his enemies. He would never leave a potential threat that would return and stab him in the back alone.

Furthermore, he had heard much about Zhang Zixi's immense talent.

He was well aware of the consequence of not killing her. I'm sure if I let her off today, her descendants would grow to pose a threat to mine in the future.

Meng Wanjun had promised his son that the feud between the Zhang and the Meng family would end with him. As such, he swore that he would end the Zhang family's lineage once and for all.

Swish!

A second passed, and Meng Wanjun stabbed his sword through Zhang Jiuling's arm.

As a Grandmaster, Zhang Jiuling's integrity was much stronger than others.

Despite being humiliated and tortured, he still wore a smile. "Meng Wanjun, you should stop wasting your time. My granddaughter has already left Jiangbei.

She's not here anymore. She won't show up even if

you kill me today."

Raising his voice, he added, "Of course, that doesn't mean that she won't come back in the future. I believe that she will return one day to take back all the things that the Meng family had taken from the Zhang family."

Meng Wanjun shook his head. "I bet you're saying all these to your granddaughter, right? Well, let me tell you something I did before I annihilated the Zhang family. I've sealed every exit leaving Livingsfill. So, sad to say, your granddaughter is still here in Livingsfill."

"And based on her feelings for you, I'm sure she's among these people here offstage," Meng Wanjun taunted Zhang Jiuling, confidence dripping off his every word. He then stabbed Zhang Jiuling's right arm again.

Fresh blood spewed out from his wound, drenching the large stone column red. Some even ran down along the length of the column, leaving a bloody trail. It was a mortifying scene.

Swish!

Meng Wanjun thrust his sword twice more into Zhang

Jiuling.

When Zhang Jiuling's limbs were riddled with holes, Meng Wanjun spoke again with a chilling voice.

"Zhang Zixi, your grandpa has done so much for you. He even risked his life all so you could escape safely that night. How unfortunate that he isn't as important to you as you to him. Since that is the case, I won't waste my time any further. I'll let you watch your grandpa takes his last breath if that is your wish."

Meng Wanjun had lost his patience and decided to end the farce with the fifth stab.

He pulled back his sword and aimed it at Zhang Jiuling's throat.

"Stop, you b*stard!" A voice rang out from the crowd, filled with hate and anger.

The long table exploded, sending debris flying in every direction. A sword made from energy emerged from the ground.

With lightning speed, it shot toward the stage.

"W-What is that?"

"Is that like a new weapon or something?"

A commotion rose within the crowd at the explosive energy coming from the sword.

They had never seen such a scene before in a technological era where guns and cannons were used in wars.

Some wealthy businessmen even assumed it was a laser fired from a newly developed weapon.

"You finally decided to show yourself, huh?"

Faced with the oncoming sword energy, Meng Wanjun wasn't the slightest bit panicked, instead, a glimmer of triumph shone in his eyes.

With a wave of his arm, numerous armed men revealed themselves from their hiding spots and started shooting at Zhang Zixi, who was dashing forward like a madwoman.

A few thousand rounds of bullets were fired simultaneously, forming a web that was aiming for Zhang Zixi.

Luckily, the woman had already leaped into the air when the armed men fired their shots. Otherwise,

most of the crowd would have sported a hole or two by then.

Anxiety crept up on Lu Ziming when Zhang Zixi launched her surprise attack.

"Zixi, come back! You're digging your own grave!"

Yet, no matter how hard he yelled, Zhang Zixi was still charging toward Meng Wanjun like a bull.

Her gaze was determined and filled with an acceptance that she would die.

It was meaningless for her to go on with her life after her grandpa died, anyway.

"How rash," Lu Ziming sighed.

Without any other options, he dashed to Zhang Zixi's side.

After all, he was already exposed from the moment Zhang Zixi attacked.

He couldn't escape even if he wanted to..

"Leave the armed men to me, and go save your grandpa. Let's finish this quickly before those people get here. Or else, we really might die here," Lu Ziming said in a grave tone.