Zhong Li'an's face was ghostly pale, his whole body soaked in blood. Each step was a struggle.

In an instant, the once-bustling banquet hall fell silent as the grave.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

Each step Zhong Li'an took left behind a shocking, fresh red footprint on the floor.

"What on earth happened?"

"How did Elder Zhong get so badly injured?"

After a moment, many people began to ask in confused murmurs, their brows furrowed.

The disciples of the Martial Association hurried over, supporting Zhong Li'an. "Elder, what happened to you?"

"Elder, who did this?"

One by one, the disciples seethed with righteous indignation, their eyes wide with anger.

But Zhong Li'an pushed them away. He stumbled forward a few paces, took a deep breath, and announced, "Everyone, disperse. The Martial Association's plan to establish a branch in Lingjin City is canceled. We will never come here again!"

"Disperse!"

That short sentence seemed to drain all his remaining strength, and he grabbed a nearby table to support himself, panting heavily.

The Martial Association disciples: "..."

The crowd: "..."

Everything was ready, just waiting for the unveiling ceremony, and now it was canceled? Many people were both astonished and furious.

Are they taking us for fools?

To have their decisions change on a whim time and again—when had the prestigious Martial Association become so unreliable?

But as angry as they were, no one dared to say a word. Zhong Li'an was covered in blood, clearly injured by someone. He had only spoken those words because he was under duress. As for who his assailant was, everyone had a good idea. After all, this wasn't the first time.

What baffled them was the attacker's identity. Who was this person who dared to pressure the Martial Association again and again? To injure Zhong Li'an, a Six-Bags Elder, so severely?

Such formidable strength! Such audacity!

Suddenly, a sharp ripping sound tore through the air!

WHOOSH...

A chilling white light traced a dead-straight line as it shot in through the main entrance.

Before anyone could react, the white light pierced Zhong Li'an's body, sending him flying backward until he was pinned gruesomely to a wall more than ten meters away.

THUD!

In an instant, everyone was shocked into silence. Their pupils dilated, and a chill ran down their spines as the hair on their arms stood on end. The scene was simply too visually stunning. As ordinary people, they could hardly imagine what kind of force it would take to blast a person more than ten meters through the air and pin him to a wall.

Everyone gasped, their nerves stretched taut and their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Instinctively, they all looked toward the entrance.

There, they saw the silhouette of a figure lighting a cigarette before slowly turning to leave.

Was it him? It had to be him!

But regrettably, even if they strained their eyes until they burst, they couldn't get a clear look at his face.

Then, the Martial Association's disciples panicked and fell into disarray. Meanwhile, the guests set down their wine glasses and hurriedly left.

「Outside the Hongxing Building.」

Listening to the praise and admiration people had for the Martial Association, Chen Yang drove away, completely unnoticed.

Not long after Chen Yang left, the upper-class citizens of Lingjin City who had been invited by the Martial Association came running out, one after another. They were in a state of utter panic, their faces ashen and their expressions filled with terror—as if they had just seen a ghost.

"What's wrong with them?"

"They're in such a rush. Did something happen inside?"

"Did they see a ghost or something?"

"..."

The onlookers were completely baffled by the sudden, bizarre scene.

They were even more shocked when they saw the Martial Association's disciples taking down the golden sign from the crossbeam above the main gate.

What in the world is happening?

Soon, news swept through all of Lingjin City like a hurricane, landing with the force of a thunderclap: Ye Nantian's Chief Disciple, Zeng Renwang, along with the Six-Bags Elder, Zhong Li'an, had been killed.

It was earth-shattering.

"Does he have to be so domineering, so ruthless? Does this mean that as long as this mysterious person is around, the Martial Association can never establish a branch in our Lingjin City?"

"Incredible! Is he really going to give a live performance of 'one man holds the pass against ten thousand'?"

"Interesting! I'm curious to see how the Martial Association will respond now!"

"..."

The streets and alleys, teahouses, and taverns were all abuzz with heated discussion. In the bleakness of winter, the capital suddenly seemed exceptionally lively. So much so that the deaths of Qi Zhentian and Qi Feng were almost completely forgotten.

As the instigator of these events, Chen Yang drove toward the Qin Corporation while dialing Yang Hu's number, telling him to withdraw his men. Then, he asked, "How long can the money in the account cover the expenses for the national charity hospitals?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but it should be enough for two years, no problem," Yang Hu replied.

Chen Yang mulled it over for a moment. "Take out sixty million and set up a shell company. Transfer it to the Qin Corporation's corporate account via a business-to-business transaction."

Although this method was more cumbersome, it would make it extremely difficult for Qin Qiu to trace the source of the funds.

"Is sixty million enough? I won tens of millions at the underground fighting ring last time and haven't deposited it yet! Should I round it up to a hundred million for sister-in-law?" Yang Hu asked.

"That works too. But be discreet. Don't let my wife trace it back to you."

Yang Hu slapped his chest in assurance. "Don't worry, Boss. No one's better at this kind of thing than I am."

"Right, have your men keep a close watch on the Qin Corporation. Tomorrow, you're coming with me to Tianque City," Chen Yang instructed.

"Tian—Tianque City?"

The words were practically a shout from Yang Hu, making Chen Yang's ears ache.

But just as quickly, Yang Hu's bravado wilted. He asked cautiously, "Boss, you... you aren't planning to visit the Old Master, are you?"

"That's right. It's about time we paid him a visit." Chen Yang had to suppress a laugh; he knew exactly what Yang Hu was afraid of. The Old Master had a penchant for slapping people on the head, and crucially, not even a seventh or eighth-rank Fist Master could withstand one of those blows.

"So, uh, there's a ten-kilometer cross-country training session tonight. I might not make it back by tomorrow! How about you go alone, Boss? I'll personally keep an eye on things with sister-in-law!" Yang Hu suggested with a nervous laugh.

Chen Yang ignored him and stated flatly, "Tomorrow at nine in the morning. Meet at the station."

Ending the call, Chen Yang shook his head with a faint chuckle.

Besides, why insist on dragging Yang Hu along? If there was an extra person around, he could always take a few slaps for him, couldn't he?

When Yang Hu heard the dial tone from his phone, he completely deflated. He truly did respect the Old Master, but the problem was... he would rather face an army of enemies on the battlefield than face that man.

"..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.