Chapter 19: The Date and The Trouble

Suddenly, Zen's smile faded, and he remarked, "Seems like pests have a GPS set to our coordinates." Initially, Evelyn didn't grasp what Zen meant, but then she noticed a group of boys approaching. Her face flushed with anger, particularly at the one walking in the middle.

Sensing Evelyn's anger, Zen clasped her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. As Evelyn met Zen's gaze, the realization dawned that she wasn't alone. Almost instantly, her turmoil lessened. She was thankful to Zen for being with her at this time. She can't handle her anger in front of the group.

Noticing their intimacy the boy leading the group .was fuming with anger.

"Boy, get the fuck out of here and I will spare you." The boy said with disdain.

Zen remained seated, casually sipping his soda, blatantly ignoring the approaching group. This nonchalant act further fueled the group's anger, and the boy shouted,

"Boy, you have some guts to take my woman out on a date and then ignore me. Do you even know who am I?

Zen turned towards the group, taking a deliberate sip before responding,

"Chestnut hairs, 3rd outer ring, most probably a 2nd year brat from Clayton family."

"Pffttt… Zen, although he is from Clayton family, he is in third year. His name is Raymond Clayton."

"PHOOOOOO," Zen spewed out all the soda in his mouth, coughing. He stood up, glaring at Raymond from head to toe with disgust.

"You come here with four dogs to intimidate a commoner, and you call me a boy? You ruin someone's happy date, and you have the nerve to call me a boy? You, in your third year, boasting all the resources one could dream of, yet stuck in the 3rd outer ring, and you still have the audacity to call me a boy?"

Raymond's face was red with shame and anger. It was true that he was not powerful enough as his cultivation was low, but nobody ever dared to put this fact in front of his face because he had a very high position in his family, being the son of the brother of Clayton head. It wasn't a lack of talent; he simply wasted most of his time on alcohol and parties instead of cultivation.

"You lowly commoner..." One of Raymond's lackeys started to bark, but Zen cut him off.

"Yes, yes, I know the drill. How dare you, our young master, blah, blah, blah..."

...

…

"Hahhahaha," Evelyn burst into laughter. Zen had a knack for putting people in their place.

Seeing the situation spiraling, Raymond declared, "Commoner, one last chance. Vanish from here and never come near my fiancée again.",

"Bullshit. I never agreed for the marriage, Raymond. Do you even think you're worthy of being called my fiancé? All you do is drown in booze and play around with girls."

"Heh you are just a slut, what right do you have to question our young master." A lackey shouted.

"Yeah, you're merely a decorative piece joining our esteemed family. Your father agreed, and that's the end of it. Do you think you are capable of anything? Count it as an honor that our young master is willing to take you."

These words pierced through Evelyn's heart, bringing tears to her eyes. Yet, before she could delve into the depair, a desperation welled up to ensure Zen didn't misunderstand her. She didn't want Zen to distance himself from her because of her complicated situation. She couldn't fathom why, but the thought of Zen misunderstanding and going away tore her heart. Gazing at Zen, she was taken aback; his eyes sparkled, and the aura he emanated was entirely unfamiliar, unlike anything she had witnessed before..

Before she could understand what was going on, Zen vanished from his spot and was in front of the lackey who called Evelyn slut.

He seized the guy's neck, a sinister tone to his voice, "What did you call her? A slut? Who gave you the courage to speak to my girl like this?" With this, Zen delivered a swift, powerful kick to the groin of the lackey,

"AArrrggghhhh" The boy couldn't believe what just happened. But Zen didn't stop here. He immediately showered the boy's face with relentless punches.

"How dare you disrespect my girl?" Zen finally let him crumple. The lackey's face now had the aftermath of at least ten merciless blows, and the only thing visible was an unrecognizable and swollen face soaked in tears and mucus.

"You like having fun with girls, right?" Zen's wrath knew no bounds as he stomped on the lackey's crotch repeatedly, ensuring nightmares in every bathroom visit.

But the punishment didn't end there. Zen, in a burst of unimaginable speed, turned his attention to another lackey. Mind you, Zen was very fast right now. Even Zen wasn't sure how he was able to muster this speed. So the people were not able to fathom what was going on. A commoner was hurting them? The prestigious Clayton family, known for their military might.

Zen swiftly grabbed the second lackey's head from behind, his voice dripping with menace,

"What did you say? Evelyn is a decorative piece? A 1st outer ring joke dares to insult her? Don't worry, I'll transform you into an art masterpiece."

A bad premonition came into lackey's mind but before he could say anything, with a resounding BAMM, the lackey's head met the ground. Dizziness overwhelmed him,

"URGHHHH. Please please…." He begged but Zen's grip remained unyielding. A gut-wrenching CRACKKK followed as Zen twisted and snapped the lackey's fingers, leaving them insanely disfigured. Zen's relentless assault continued as he shattered both hands and every finger, leaving them pointing in different angles.

"This is called a perfect decorative ART," Zen proclaimed with satisfaction. "Listen, Clayton. I don't care about the future, but if you or your lackeys dare insult my girl again, I'll end you right here." The palpable killing intent was felt by everyone, heavy in the air, leaving Raymond bewildered. It wasn't the first time he'd encountered such hostility, but he couldn't fathom how Zen emanated such killing intent.

While everyone was silent after this, Evelyn opened her mouth,

"Who the hell is your girl? Shut up!" She pouted while stomping her foot. Although she said this, anyone could see happiness on her face.

Seeing Evelyn acting like this 'How can she be so cute.' was all Zen could think of.

But these flirty actions didn't help Raymond at all. He couldn't back down. His pride wouldn't allow him to. He mustered courage and summoned ice at his both hands. The Clayton family boasted the some of the best ice users on Earth, but before he could unleash his powers, a fiery wall surrounded him.

"Don't even try to use your powers in front of me. You know it's useless, right?" Evelyn, despite having the same the 3rd outer ring cultivation as Raymond, had undergone significantly more training.

Realizing the futility of his situation, Raymond gritted his teeth,

"How dare you interfere with the actions of another great noble family. I think you need to learn some manners." He backed off while taking his lackeys on the ground, adding, "Don't regret today's actions, commoner."

As they departed, Zen snorted and turned to Evelyn. She didn't say a word, but after a moment, she leaped and embraced Zen tightly. In any possible scenario, Zen hadn't expected an event like this. Before he could say anything, he noticed Evelyn trembling, so he hugged her back and started patting Evelyn's head from behind.

After Evelyn calmed down, she said in a soft voice,

"Thank you, Zen. Thank you so much." She snuggled into his chest more.

"Why are you thanking me, Evelyn?" Zen was puzzled considering she could easily defeat the entire group.

"For that, I want to tell you about my parents. Will you listen to me?" She asked pleadingly.

"Of course. You're my girl, so I should know about my in-laws, don't you think?"

Evelyn blushed, slapping his chest a few times. "Who is your in-laws? Shut up and listen to me."