Chapter 112: Taking Care Of Pests
Liam smiled wryly as he leaned back in his chair. It hadn’t even been five minutes since he sat down, yet already trouble had found him. But he wasn’t surprised. Not even in the slightest.
With his eagle-sharp hearing, he caught the whispers, as the customers murmured to each other in low tones, words like "Third Young Master" and "top five family" slipping out.
He didn’t even need to piece it together. Their whispers had already told him the entire story.
The arrogant youth standing before him, dressed in embroidered robes of gold-threaded cranes, was none other than the third young master of the Xuan family — one of Blackstone City’s top five families.
And apparently, Liam was the unlucky target of the young master’s "entertainment" for today.
The nearby customers weren’t subtle about their pity either.
"Poor man. The young master never lets things go... He should’ve sat anywhere but here. I almost pity that foreigner," muttered one merchant with a shake of his head.
Almost pity?
Liam chuckled inwardly when he heard that. Almost pitying him because he had caught the eye of a spoiled brat? How amusing.
Top family or not, he had no intention of bowing his head to nonsense. But neither did he wish to stir trouble needlessly.
"What do you want? What can I help you with?" he asked with a calm and casual tone, looking up at the smirking youth.
The young master smiled in disdain, before glancing at his attendants. Both men mirrored his sharp-toothed and humorless grin.
One of the attendants, a burly man with a shaved head and arms like tree trunks, stepped forward.
"Stand up. You’re occupying our young master’s table," he said flatly, his tone carried the kind of false politeness that was worse than outright hostility.
As though that wasn’t enough, the young master himself chimed in, his smirk deepening. "And while you’re at it, take off your clothes and shoes. Leave them behind."
The restaurant fell into near silence. Chopsticks paused mid-air and conversations paused. Everyone knew this routine. First the humiliation, then the beating.
Liam’s eyes widened slightly, then he let out a brief, genuine laugh.
When he looked back up at the young master, his face had turned serious.
"No. And before you get any ideas, I don’t swing that way," he said, with his voice was edged with dry sarcasm.
The mocking calmness of his tone made the attendant’s expression harden. The man leaned forward, lowering his face until it was inches from Liam’s.
"You must be deaf. I said: take off your clothes and shoes... and scram. Now, he growled, his voice dripping with false patience. His breath was hot and foul, and his eyes flashed with menace
He clenched his fists tightly, but restrained himself from striking just yet. After all, his young master wanted those clothes intact.
Liam’s expression soured. He pinched his nose with exaggerated disgust.
"Your mouth and everything coming out of it stinks far worse than a garbage dumpsite. Step back. Stop ruining the atmosphere for me," Liam said coldly, with a sharp voice.
The attendant’s lips twitched. His eyes burned with fury.
He turned to glance at the young master, who gave him the faintest of nods. Permission.
"Make sure his clothes and shoes don’t get stained," the young master ordered casually, as though this was nothing more than a theatrical display.
The attendant grinned, sharp and viciously. He turned back to Liam, with a gleeful look on his face.
"Blame your damn mouth and your stupidity. You brought this on yourself," he said with a sneer.
Liam raised an eyebrow, looking very unimpressed. Everything has been lame so far. Just a boring repetition of the same thing he has read more than a few times.
"Blame myself?" he muttered, almost amused. "No. I’ll blame your idiocy."
The attendant’s sneer twisted into a snarl, and he lunged forward.
But before his fist could even descend, Liam’s hand flicked casually through the air and a sharp crack of displaced wind followed.
The next thing the attendant knew, his body was hurtling backward, flying through the wooden window.
The entire restaurant gasped in unison. Dozens of eyes widened, staring at the calm youth still seated at the table.
Even the young master and his second attendant froze in disbelief.
The silence lasted only a heartbeat before the second attendant roared in fury, his blade flashing as he lunged.
"Die!"
Liam sighed, shaking his head with exasperation and muttered in a low voice, "Stupid. I really don’t understand the thing with some characters charging at someone when they saw that their colleague was easily defeated."
And he waved his hand twice, in quick successions.
The second attendant was thrown off his feet, flying through the same window, followed immediately by the arrogant young master himself.
The three of them landed in a heap outside, groaning in pain. The street erupted with startled cries as passersby stumbled away from the sudden scene.
Liam stood slowly, walked toward the window, and looked down at them.
The young master’s robe was ruffled, his jeweled sash hanging loose. His attendants scrambled to their feet, clutching slightly bruised arms and gasping.
All three glared up at Liam, their eyes burning with humiliation and hatred.
Liam only smiled faintly and lifted his hand and waved again, three times in quick succession.
The trio were lifted off their feet and flung like ragdolls down the cobbled street. Cries of alarm echoed as the three tumbled further and further until they were nothing but specks in the distance.
Liam dusted his hands together lightly and returned to his seat. His voice was calm, almost casual.
"The best way to deal with pests... is to throw them out."
The restaurant remained hushed but every gaze lingered on him. It was no longer dismissive but filled with raw curiosity, awe, and fear.
Liam ignored them all, as he leaned back and waited for his order.
He would have loved to restrain the three idiots instead of throwing them out, but his telekinesis wasn’t refined enough yet. Throwing the three of them still drained him but not as much as when he was trying to restrain and slow down the Ironblood Bear.
"Sir, won’t this action bring trouble to you?" Lucy asked, worried.
Liam smiled and replied, "Of course it will. Trouble always comes but I’m not scared of it."
"Please be careful, sir."
"I will," Liam replied, with a warm tone.
***
Moments later, the waitress returned, carefully placing the dishes on his table, as her hands trembled slightly.
"Your River Cloud Fish and Spirit Grain Rice, sir. Please enjoy," she said, respectfully.
"Thank you." Liam smiled, nodding.
He looked down at the meal before him and even without touching or tasting it, his World-Class Culinary Arts skill told him everything about it.
The River Cloud Fish glistened under a light glaze of lotus herb sauce. Its scales shimmered faintly with a natural iridescence, steamed to perfection so the flesh beneath was soft white and flaky.
The fragrant herbs crowned the fish like a halo, their scent mingling with the delicate aroma of the broth it rested in.
Beside it sat a small porcelain bowl of Spirit Grain Rice, each grain gleaming faintly, translucent, as though tiny pearls had been cooked and steamed to fluff. A faint, almost glowing warmth radiated from it.
Liam picked up the chopsticks laid neatly at the side, his World-Class Etiquette skill guiding his hands effortlessly, as he angled them properly. His movements were precise and elegant, without a trace of awkwardness.
First, he took a small portion of the rice.
The moment it touched his tongue, his eyes widened slightly.
The taste was unlike any grain on Earth. Soft yet springy, each grain carried a faint sweetness that melted into a warmth that spread down his throat.
He nodded in satisfaction, savoring the sensation, before turning to the fish.
He picked a tender slice from its side and brought it to his mouth, and the flavor exploded instantly.
Delicate, buttery flesh infused with the lotus herbs that gave it a refreshing fragrance. The fish was light yet rich, dissolving on his tongue like velvet.
Liam exhaled softly and smiled in satisfaction.
"This... is really good," he muttered.
And so he continued to eat, unbothered by the stares that still lingered on him.