Upon hearing the news, the proprietor of the Drunken Phoenix Tower's face changed dramatically, and he exclaimed in shock, "Impossible! How could the dishes possibly be poisoned?"
The waiter was also panic-stricken, shaking his head like a rattle-drum, and said, "I don't know, I really don't know, it has nothing to do with me."
The other martial artists in the Drunken Phoenix Tower also had their faces change colors, hastily putting down their chopsticks.
The restaurant proprietor's expression was in utter chaos; as restaurateurs, if word got out that their dishes were poisoned, it would be the end of the Drunken Phoenix Tower.
Moreover, Gu Chen was not only the top-ranked on the Star Ranking but also the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department. If he were to die today from eating the poisoned dishes at the Drunken Phoenix Tower, the entire restaurant, including his family members, would not be able to escape their fate.
Gu Chen's expression was solemn, but he didn't immediately lash out, for he knew that this had nothing to do with the Drunken Phoenix Tower; the proprietor wouldn't be foolish enough to dare to poison a court official.
"I... I'll go get the chef who made this dish right away, just a moment, please."
After finishing this sentence, the proprietor hurriedly scampered towards the kitchen and soon returned with a middle-aged man whose appearance was honest and whose stature was average.
"Did you make this dish?" Gu Chen eyed the middle-aged man before him.
"Yes," the honest-looking middle-aged man nodded.
"During the cooking process, did you see any suspicious people?" Gu Chen asked, frowning.
"No," the honest man shook his head; Gu Chen asked, and he answered succinctly, and it was easy to see that he was a man of few words.
"I see," Gu Chen nodded, signaling to the proprietor that he could take the man away.
The proprietor hastily said, "Lord Gu, as you can see, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with our restaurant. Perhaps it was just an accident?"
Gu Chen was just about to speak, but the next moment, he suddenly felt a strong surge of murderous intent.
Swish!
In the Drunken Phoenix Tower, a gleaming cold light flashed in somebody's eyes. A flying knife, no bigger than a thumb, zipped through the air at an incredible speed, aiming for Gu Chen's throat.
Faced with this sudden danger, Gu Chen's pupils dilated, and the silhouette of the flying knife became clearer in his vision. In the nick of time, with a flick of his expression, Gu Chen extended two fingers and deftly caught the flying knife in his hand.
This seemingly inconspicuous, thumb-sized flying knife was incredibly sharp, barely visible in terms of quality it actually surpassed a low-grade treasure weapon, almost cutting through his skin.
However, its strength and other aspects were far inferior; with a gentle effort, the flying knife in Gu Chen's fingers snapped into two pieces.
It seemed the assailant was quite familiar with Gu Chen's situation, knowing that he was a martial body practitioner, and thus had specifically prepared this specially crafted weapon to deal with Gu Chen.
Seeing Gu Chen attacked in his own restaurant, the proprietor was horrified. He was just about to speak when Gu Chen beat him to it.
"Get out of the way, quick!"
On hearing this, the proprietor was taken aback and suddenly felt a burst of strong wind behind him, causing his body to instinctively shiver.
Bang!
At that moment, Gu Chen appeared behind him, blocking the hit for him.
Gu Chen looked at the honest-faced middle-aged man before him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said, "That was a close call."
If it weren't for that man's move, Gu Chen would have almost failed to notice that this person had martial skills; the way he had concealed his abilities was truly exquisite, well-suited for assassination, assuring near-certain success with few able to react in time.
It was still a throwing knife!
But this time, Gu Chen was ready. His eyesight was exceptionally sharp, and when the knife almost reached him in mid-air, he flicked his finger, producing a "clang." The blade shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.
"Go!"
Gu Chen threw a palm strike, gathering the fragments with his inner breath and incorporating them into his palm wind, directing them toward the Black List assassin.
Expressionless as if suffering from facial paralysis, the Black List assassin did not show any emotion from beginning to end. Seeing Gu Chen's palm wind approaching, he also struck with a palm, his energy robust. The two palm winds collided, and with a loud bang
the inn collapsed in an instant, people screaming as they fled outside.
The assassin showed not the slightest surprise at Gu Chen also being at the External Qi Realm; evidently, all this was within his expectations.
As an assassin, frontal combat was not their way; fleeing thousands of miles after a failed strike was what they should do. Having tested Gu Chen's strength, the Blood Garment Tower's Black List assassin was ready to flee.
"You can't escape!"
Gu Chen coldly shouted, his expression grave, not about to let someone who tried to assassinate him escape so easily.
Hiss!
Gu Chen pointed his finger, and a burst of force with searing heat shot out, aiming for the assassin's back. Sensing the power behind Gu Chen's attack, the Black List assassin's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but without turning back, he released his inner breath to form an air wall behind him, intending to block Gu Chen's strike.
Bang!
The force from the Burning Vein Finger penetrated the air wall and hit the assassin's back, causing his body to tremble, disbelief in his eyes.
He was a late-stage External Qi Realm practitioner; how could he not block an attack from someone in the early stage of the same realm?
The force of Burning Vein Finger exploded inside him, his meridians and internal organs experiencing a burning sensation. Acknowledging Gu Chen's difficulty, he knew he had to leave as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, once Phoenix Sun City's defense forces arrived, he would not be able to escape.
As an assassin, concealing one's presence and escaping were top skills. His footwork was extraordinary, his speed swift, yet suddenly, he felt a gust of wind in his face—it was Gu Chen, who had quickly reached his side.
Boom!
Without a word,
Gu Chen threw a punch, and the assassin felt as if a small mountain had hit him, the force astonishing.
"How can he be so fast?" the Black List assassin wondered, but as a late-stage External Qi Realm practitioner with rich combat experience, he tilted his body backward, almost parallel to the ground, narrowly dodging the punch. Gu Chen's fist wind scratched his cheek, causing stinging pain.
Gu Chen, unfazed as if expecting this, suddenly spread open his gathered fingers and smacked downward fiercely.
"Ahh!"
The Black List assassin cried out in agony, apparently not expecting Gu Chen's change of moves to be so swift. Even with inner breath protection, Gu Chen's palm strike made him feel as if his internal organs were about to shift, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
He had just truly felt Gu Chen's majestic inner breath, a strength far deeper than his own, even though he was an External Qi Realm late-stage martial artist.
Fear flashed in the man's eyes. Even if Gu Chen were a genius, the first on the Stars Ranking, how could he have surpassed him in power right after advancing to the External Qi Realm?
Not caring for the man's thoughts, Gu Chen saw him trying to flee and pointed into the air again, a scorching force leaving a scorched trail in the air as it charged forth.