Chapter 0012: Handprint on the Tree

The Old Master has always been like Mount Tai collapsing before his eyes without changing his expression, but now his face showed such obvious emotions that the girl next to him was startled, following the Old Master's gaze to see where it landed.

She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but she did catch Chu Ge's radiant smile. Before the girl could ask, the old man stepped forward and walked over.

The old man strode forward with a vigor that summoned the winds, showing no signs of frailty. The two bodyguards who were supposed to follow stayed put after the old man waved them off, exchanging glances before standing still.

Passing by Chu Ge, the old man gave a nod. The girl didn't react much, but Chu Ge didn't mind and kept a cheerful gaze as he watched the two approach the tree and inspect the handprint.

"To leave a handprint without breaking the tree or even cracking the bark, but to pulverize the heartwood within, this is the work of a master!" The old man gently touched the handprint, his tone filled with admiration.

The girl was also taken aback by the handprint, turning around to ask, "That... do you know who was here just now?"

Her words were directed at Chu Ge, bluntly, but then again, given the status of the Ouyang Family in Shanghai, there weren't many who deserved her courtesy.

"It was me." Chu Ge smiled.

"I wasn't asking you." The girl rolled her eyes: "I meant to ask who left this handprint on the tree?"

"I told you, it was me."

"You have to consider the context when you boast," the girl scoffed with a laugh, pointing at the handprint, "With that slight frame of yours, you'd struggle to even climb the tree, let alone hit it."

"Believe it or not," Chu Ge glanced at his watch, turning to leave. He planned to visit Mu Bingtong's company that day, at least before work to get familiar with the place, and had no time to engage in nonsense with a little girl.

The girl flared up in anger, accustomed to big bosses treating her with utmost deference; all the more so with the Old Master present today, this guy really didn't know any manners!

Without much thought, aiming to teach the young man a lesson, she stepped forward, her wrist flicking slightly, and her palm turned half a circle in mid-air, aiming straight for Chu Ge's shoulder.

This palm strike was held back, if it landed it would only knock the person over and cause some pain.

"You say this handprint is yours, then I'd like to ask you to demonstrate a few moves!" still the girl gave herself an excuse, after all, the Old Master was watching, and too much arrogance wouldn't look good.

However, when her palm was only half a meter from the shoulder, Chu Ge stopped in his tracks. Without turning around, he swung his right hand behind, without even looking, he extended a finger, precisely pinpointing the girl's wrist artery.

"Hiss—" The girl sucked in a breath of cold air, her right hand tingling and aching. She quickly withdrew it, staggering several steps backward.

The old man now saw some clues, and when the girl looked unconvinced and wanted to try again, he quickly stopped her, "Die'er, do not be impolite!"

As he spoke, Chu Ge had already turned around, his smile gone, his face expressionless as he glanced at Ouyang Die: "This was just a small warning. If you make another move, it won't be easy to walk away unharmed."

"You—" Ouyang Die glared, but Mr. Ouyang glared back at her, "Stop this nonsense! Go back."

Turning around, Mr. Ouyang's face showed a trace of apology: "Young man, I apologize for my granddaughter's lack of proper discipline, causing you trouble."

After braving through numerous tumultuous events over the years, Mr. Ouyang had developed a knack for assessing people, and at first glance, he hadn't noticed anything peculiar about the young man standing before him. However, upon closer examination, he found something extraordinary about him. Especially those eyes—they seemed warm and smiling, yet hid a bone-chilling fierceness.

"Grandpa, why should you apologize to him?" Ouyang Die was not pleased. Staring at Chu Ge, she said, "This guy is obviously bluffing. It was pure luck with that move he pulled earlier. Let me fight him again, and I'll make sure he regrets it!"

The Old Master glanced at Chu Ge but didn't reject the idea.

After all, what kind of situations hadn't he witnessed in his life? Moreover, being in Shanghai, his home turf, it seemed reasonable to let his granddaughter have a try. Besides, it was just a friendly sparring match.

Chu Ge felt a bit annoyed inside. Forget sparring; he had experienced plenty of life-and-death struggles. But the person in front of him was a lovely girl, her skin fair and tender, and with no bad blood between them, he really found it difficult to make a move against her.

"Forget it, just consider that I was bragging earlier. I've got other things to deal with now," Chu Ge was ready to make excuses and leave.

However, his attempt to back out made Ouyang Die even more convinced that his earlier success was just a fluke. The old gentleman also spoke up: "Young man, a simple sparring won't take up much of your time. My granddaughter has been interested in Martial Arts since she was young, and it's not easy to come across this opportunity, so let's have a few rounds."

There was no avoiding it now.

The old man indeed had no ill intentions, and although Ouyang Die might have appeared quite brash, she wasn't malicious and wouldn't strike with full force. It was probably just some dissatisfaction on her part.

But Chu Ge was different; he knew from years of fighting and struggling that his methods had inevitably grown more ruthless. The Old Master before him was observant, and if Chu Ge genuinely struck out, his hidden lethal intent would surely be detected.

After a moment of thought, Chu Ge bent down and picked up a fallen leaf from the ground.

The Old Master was puzzled by his actions and watched without understanding, while Ouyang Die, with little patience, was about to speak up. Suddenly, she saw Chu Ge flick his wrist, and the leaf became a dark shadow that zipped past her ear with a whooshing sound.

"Thud—"

There was a muffled sound, and Ouyang Die felt a slight sting in her earlobe. Whirling around, she was shocked to find that the leaf, now with her earring embedded in it, was stuck in the tree, buried almost halfway.

This left both of them stunned, especially Ouyang Die, who was overtaken by fear.

Had the leaf been aimed directly at her, she might very well have lost her life at this moment. Guns would be useless against such a person—you'd never even draw your gun before a mere leaf ended your life.

"Plucking flowers and picking leaves can both harm?" The old gentleman was unsettled. He had heard of such a thing, yet had never witnessed it first hand; over time, it had become a mere legend to him.

But to his astonishment, he had witnessed such a feat today, and the one who had performed it was a young man!

At this moment, Ouyang Die was silent. Only now did she realize that Chu Ge's earlier refusal to compete wasn't due to fear, but simply because he didn't want to bother with her.

The two bodyguards, who had rushed over at the outbreak of the conflict, were now breaking into a cold sweat after seeing such skill. They stepped forward to protect the old man and faced Chu Ge with an air of facing a formidable enemy.

The old gentleman pushed the two aside and greeted Chu Ge with a fist and palm salute: "Young man, you possess impressive skills indeed! We were presumptuous just now, and I've not disciplined my granddaughter strictly enough…"

While he was speaking, Mr. Ouyang's expression suddenly changed, and he began to cough loudly while clutching his chest.

"Grandpa's illness is acting up, hurry and get some water from the car!" Ouyang Die took out a bottle of medicine from her pocket. It appeared that this was not the first time this had happened, as her movements were exceptionally practiced.