Lin Beichen was also sizing up Huo Ziyan, feeling a sliver of surprise in his heart. He had assumed Huo Ziyan would be one of those so-called tomboys or a girl with an ordinary appearance, but upon seeing her now, he found she possessed a unique charm.

She appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in a white short skirt, yet she looked exceptionally efficient, exuding an indescribable mature woman's intellectual beauty.

"Interesting, this woman indeed has a certain allure." Lin Beichen's lips curled up into a smile. Standing by the side, Lan Zihe noticed Lin Beichen's gaze and shook her head silently in her heart.

"Men, oh men, always falling for one person after another, it's truly an unchangeable fact," Lan Zihe thought to herself.

Just then, someone suddenly exclaimed loudly.

"You...aren't you Mr. Lin Beichen? I really didn't expect to see you here!"

Behind Huo Ziyan, a young man quickly stepped forward, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at Lin Beichen. Huo Ziyan was also taken aback, turning to look at her cousin.

Lin Beichen glanced at him indifferently, then nodded slightly.

"If I remember correctly, you should be Huo Yongtao."

"What? What does he mean by that? Could it be this man knows him? This is trouble..." Huo Ziyan furrowed her brows, and she stared intently at her cousin as Huo Yongtao walked directly to Lin Beichen, his demeanor respectful to the point of reverence.

Then suddenly, Huo Yongtao knelt down with a thud, kowtowing five or six times. The crowd instantly erupted. What kind of respect and admiration could lead a person to such a grand ceremony in this day and age?

Lin Beichen smiled slightly, looking at Huo Yongtao, and spoke slowly.

"You may rise, there's no need for this. The past is the past, it's over. I've heard about your changes afterward as well."

Lin Beichen's words carried a hint of detachment. Hearing this, Huo Yongtao was overwhelmingly moved. This was almost a scar deep in his heart; he had nearly become a waste due to that incident. Fortunately, Lin Beichen gave him a chance to redeem himself, and his father had been strictly disciplining him ever since, not letting him run amok.

After that incident, Huo Yongtao also grew indifferent to worldly desires. He understood well that as the young master of his family, he had many proper duties to fulfill, and bullying others served no real purpose.

Thus, Huo Yongtao cupped his hands toward Lin Beichen, his face full of enthusiasm and reverence as he said.

"I owe it all to Mr. Lin Beichen's kindness that I have what I have today."

"I really didn't expect to meet you here. Are you in any trouble? Or is someone daring to challenge you? Tell me, and I'll handle it immediately!"

Huo Yongtao spoke excitedly, as if the insult was suffered not by Lin Beichen, but by his father or himself.

Seeing Huo Yongtao like this, Lin Beichen understood a bit more. This person's admiration and fear of him had reached an extreme; in future matters that might be inconvenient for him to handle personally, delegating them to him might prove useful.

He then extended his finger, pointing at Huangmao in front of him, speaking in a tone that was calm yet carried authority.

"It's this person, he challenged me. My friends and I came here for a few drinks, just for fun, but he insisted that my friends drink with him."

"You know what that implies, right?" Lin Beichen spoke meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Huo Yongtao was nearly outraged. This Huangmao must have eaten a bear's heart and leopard's gall to dare offend Mr. Lin Beichen like this. Huo Yongtao himself spoke to Lin Beichen with utmost care and respect, how dare this Huangmao challenge Mr. Lin Beichen's companion!

Thus, Huo Yongtao lunged forward like an arrow, grabbing Huangmao. Although Huangmao knew Huo Yongtao and recognized him as Huo Ziyan's cousin, he never imagined he had such a deep connection with Lin Beichen now.

Huangmao wanted to argue, but Huo Yongtao mercilessly slapped him several times.

"Ouch! Brother, take it easy! Take it easy!" Huangmao cried out in pain, pleading Huo Yongtao for mercy.

But how could Huo Yongtao give face to someone like him? He directly knocked out Huangmao's teeth and then kicked him to the ground. Huangmao spit out blood and rolled in agony on the floor.

Seeing Huangmao in such a miserable state, Huo Yongtao still felt unsatisfied and wanted to continue beating him.

At this moment, Huo Ziyan spoke.

"Huo Yongtao! What are you doing?"

"I am your cousin! We are all family! Facing the enemy now, we should unite! What exactly are you doing this for?" Huo Ziyan reprimanded sternly.

Although Huo Yongtao had brought seven or eight subordinates, Huo Ziyan had brought her most valued expert. He was a middle-aged elder in his fifties, with hair so sparse that only a few strands remained. He walked forward slowly, extending one palm.

A powerful aura suddenly erupted in the air. Huo Yongtao, who wanted to grab Huangmao, suddenly felt his body sway and was involuntarily pushed back seven or eight steps.

"This old man knows inner strength! He's an expert! Quite a tricky situation! My cousin really has capable people under her!" Huo Yongtao thought to himself, immediately ceasing his provocative behavior.

Knowing well he was no match for this old man, at this moment, only Lin Beichen taking action could suppress this elder.

Lin Beichen smiled calmly. The moment the elder made a move, Lin Beichen had already discerned his technique.

"If I'm not mistaken, this old man's practice should be the Purple Mist Divine Skill, a school from the North." Lin Beichen speculated to himself and then walked over slowly.

The elder stood in front of Lin Beichen, extending his palm, speaking domineeringly.

"Stop right there! I will not let you harm my lady! If you dare harm her, I will make you pay with your life!"

The elder shouted at Lin Beichen. Lin Beichen chuckled, then spoke to the elder.

"Then have your lady ask herself, how much wrongdoing has this person done? If she can forgive this guy, then I will let it go. Otherwise, today's matter will not end easily."

Upon hearing Lin Beichen's words, the elder furrowed his brows. Being a grandmaster, he had the utmost detest for Huangmao's evil deeds. So he turned to Huo Ziyan and then spoke.

"Miss, how should this be handled? I await your command."

Hearing the elder's words, Huo Ziyan furrowed her brows, then sneered.

"No matter what, this Huangmao is my person. If there's punishment, I'm the one to administer it! What is this man? What gives him the right to discipline my person? I will not allow him to do so!"

"Elder, go ahead and teach him a lesson! Just don't kill him, but cripple him if you must! Just give him a lesson, let him know how to spell 'respect'!"

She spoke coldly to the elder. The elder nodded, then slowly walked toward Lin Beichen...

"My lady doesn't wish to let you go, so young man, I apologize this time."

"Oh really? Then I would like to see, old man, what you're made of. In my view, I only need about five or six moves to beat you." Lin Beichen mocked.

"What?! Young man, how dare you be so arrogant! You look down on me too much! How much hardship have I endured, how many years have I cultivated to achieve today's success! How can you young folks even imagine?"

The elder instantly burned with rage. Although he discerned Lin Beichen as a formidable figure, one that seemed calm and not easy to deal with. But Lin Beichen's taunt was something he could not tolerate, having cultivated for forty or fifty years, how could he be belittled like this...

Thus the elder shouted angrily, extending his fist,