Meanwhile.
Villa Number 8 on Mount Yun Ding.
The hunchbacked old man rushed back and said respectfully to another white-haired but still vigorous old man dressed in Tang costume: "I gave him a choice, but he insisted on doing things his own way and crippled Jiang Feiyu's group as well."
"What do you think about this matter?" asked the old man in Tang costume.
"Too young, too aggressive, easy to break," said the hunchbacked old man.
"Ha ha ha."
The old man in Tang costume burst out laughing. "How could a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? If you knew this young man a little better, you wouldn't say things like that."
"Wha...what do you mean?"
"Clinging to the powerful is something that the weak dream about for a lifetime, but for the strong, why would they want to be controlled by you when they have the confidence and are set on avenging their grudges?"
The old man in Tang costume clasped his hands behind his back and raised his sword-like eyebrows, "I've seen his sixth martial aunt. Although she was a woman with no martial power, she still struck me with utmost terror. Her young martial nephew will surely rise to prominence in the future, absolutely no less than her, or perhaps...even greater!"
The hunchbacked old man's heart shuddered violently.
It had been decades since he last saw the old man in Tang costume praise a young man like this.
Could it be that he had misjudged?
Recalling Qin Xuan's composure when he rejected him just now, as well as the indifference in his eyes, the hunchbacked old man heaved a long sigh: "Then tonight he offended so many powerful figures, should we get involved?"
"No need."
The old man in Tang costume said lightly: "Don't forget, he is also a martial arts grandmaster who is about to attain the great perfection of dissolving vigor. Even if he is alone in this Cloud City, who could make him yield!"
About to attain grand perfection!
The hunchbacked old man was shocked again.
How old was Qin Xuan?
Of the eight top-notch grandmasters whose names shook Jiangnan, the youngest was already over fifty. Even an aberration like Liu Qingyan had approached thirty before attaining the perfection of dissolving vigor...
"You're surprised?"
The old man in Tang costume continued, "His sixth martial aunt said that he had just embarked on the martial arts path three years ago. Before that, other than laying foundations, what he studied was something else."
"..."
The hunchbacked old man was stunned speechless, his knees suddenly going weak with the inexplicable urge to kneel!
...
At the club.
Qin Xuan brought Xia Wanying into the VIP lounge.
At this time, the VIP lounge was empty.
The hostess greeted respectfully, "Mr. Qin, please take a seat and rest first. At 8 pm, after gambling starts in the main hall outside, the VIP guests will come in here successively."
"What kind of people get invited to this VIP lounge?" Qin Xuan asked.
"They are mostly important figures from out of town, such as playboy Meng Xuekun from Yang City, gangster Wang Kaitai from Jin City, underworld boss Guan Pengcheng from Jinling...and so on. As for the local big shots of Cloud City, they probably won't come because of what happened just now with you, Sir."
The hostess said politely, "Our President Zhu arranged for you to sit in the head seat, which shows how much weight he places on you, more so than the other bosses."
The fawning meaning was obvious.
Qin Xuan was a little puzzled though.
At this subtle juncture, even Chu Qingqiu was probably reconsidering whether to continue getting along well with him.
Yet the host today, this Zhu person, was actively reaching out at this moment?
It was rather interesting.
Qin Xuan smiled without saying more.
Around 8 pm, a group of people were invited in.
"Mr. Meng, Mr. Wang, Mr. Guan..."
The hostess greeted them one by one, about seven or eight out-of-town bigshots, and arranged for them to sit at the oval table.
Just then, the one named Meng Xuekun frowned deeply, pointing at Qin Xuan, "Who's that punk sitting in the head seat?"
"This is Mr. Qin, an esteemed guest of our President Zhu," the hostess replied.
"An esteemed guest?"
Meng Xuekun was full of suspicion.
He often came to Cloud City to play around, and knew the most powerful ones here were the four big families.
But this kid surnamed Qin clearly wasn't one of the four big families. Even if he was remotely associated with them, he wouldn't be sitting in that seat!
Meng Xuekun wanted Qin Xuan to sit somewhere else right then, but his gaze suddenly fell on Xia Wanying and became fixed there.
He had been with countless women, and rarely saw one so beautiful!
"Hey," Meng Xuekun called out to Qin Xuan with a leering smile. "Later, use this beauty as a betting stake. Let's gamble one round, just you and me, anything you want.
I'll put up 50 million as the stake. If you win, the 50 million is yours. If I win, this beauty is mine.
But before we start betting, let me inspect the goods first. Let me feel how soft this beauty's little hand is, hehe..."
Meng Xuekun revealed a lewd smile as he approached Xia Wanying.
It was over.
The hostess wanted to dissuade him but didn't dare speak up. She had already foreseen Meng Xuekun's tragic outcome.
The local big shots were unable to handle Qin Xuan.
Let alone this country bumpkin from out of town.
The moment Meng Xuekun reached out his filthy hands, Qin Xuan picked up a fruit knife from the table.
The knife flashed.
His hand rose and fell.
Meng Xuekun's right hand was sliced clean off, spewing blood onto the door. Then a hand fell from the sky!
"Ahhhh—!"
Meng Xuekun collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming in agony. The screams made everyone present feel their scalps tingle!
Wang Kaitai and Guan Pengcheng exchanged a look, both in utter shock.
That young man sitting at the head seat...
Was truly ruthless and laconic!
"You looking to die?"
Meng Xuekun's few subordinates rushed up, glaring at Qin Xuan.
"Get lost if you don't want to die," Qin Xuan said indifferently.
The few were enraged beyond endurance, instantly reaching to pull out their guns.
But at this moment, the host Zhu Chenglei hurried over.
He was a middle-aged fat man who usually laughed like Mile Buddha. But now he was drenched in cold sweat. "Don't make trouble, Mr. Qin isn't someone you can provoke. If you want to live, leave immediately!"
"What do you mean, Zhu? You're trying to protect him?" Meng Xuekun yelled in pain.
"Protect him? I don't have that standing yet," Zhu Chenglei frowned.
"Just half an hour ago, Lu Jinghong and Jiang Feiyu of the four big families were both crippled by Mr. Qin. Although your Meng family has good odds of dominating the East of Yangtze River, compared to Lu Jinghong and Jiang Feiyu right now, what's so special about you? Besides, this is Cloud City, not your Yang City!!"
"..."
Meng Xuekun was livid with bulging eyes.
He didn't expect to kick an iron plate as soon as he arrived tonight.
No wonder this brat got to sit in the head seat!
Meng Xuekun conceded for now, but left with a threat as his men took him away: "If you have the guts, don't ever step foot in Yang City again your whole life. If I catch sight of you in Yang City, I'll have you die without a whole corpse!"
Qin Xuan paid no mind to the other's impotent rage.
It was just that his mood had been disrupted again and again tonight. Plus Xia Wanying was clearly very uncomfortable. Qin Xuan didn't plan to stay any longer either.
After Qin Xuan and Xia Wanying's departure.
Wang Kaitai looked at Zhu Chenglei and smiled faintly, "This kid is ruthless. If I'm not mistaken, you invited him to the VIP lounge not because of his background, but because you valued his skills, right?"
Zhu Chenglei didn't respond.
He and the others present were all of one kind, the heads of underground forces.
The underground landscape of the provinces along the East of Yangtze River would soon undergo a reshuffle.
Who didn't want to dominate the East of Yangtze River?
Tonight, Zhu Chenglei inadvertently discovered that when Qin Xuan had dozens of guns pointed at him, he was actually able to instantly turn the tables and pin Lu Jinghong. This wasn't something ordinary masters could do.
If he could successfully curry favor, it would add to the odds of victory during the upcoming turmoil.
It was a pity Qin Xuan's mood was ruined by that moron Meng Xuekun. Otherwise, if Qin Xuan had stayed to gamble, Zhu Chenglei would've had more chances to get closer to him!
"We'll be competitors soon. Talking about this stuff would be crossing the line. Why don't we just have a good time tonight?" Zhu Chenglei said.
"Alright, let's not talk about that for now. But I see you have no hope left, having to rely on a young man for your hopes, hahaha." Wang Kaitai couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Guan Pengcheng was the same.
Tonight they had come to participate in this grand event with probing intentions, wanting to see if Zhu Chenglei had any hidden cards.
Now it looked like.
Zhu Chenglei had absolutely no hope of competing for dominance in the East of Yangtze River. He posed no threat to them!
...
Originally, tonight would definitely not have been a peaceful night.
But the news that Meng Xuekun had a palm chopped off quickly faded away.
Like a bombshell, this news suddenly deterred some of the people with ulterior motives!
They all knew that the underground world of the East of Yangtze River provinces was about to undergo an earth-shattering change.
And the Meng Family of Yang City was undoubtedly in its prime, with great potential to become the underground king of the East of Yangtze River.
Now, even Meng Xuekun dared to deal with Qin Xuan, whether it was due to great confidence or the impetuosity of a nouveau riche, it was enough to make people fearful.
Even a powerful family like the Lu Family had forcibly suppressed the urge to counterattack at this enraged time.
But the Lu Family did not want to give up so easily!
At midnight.
Lu Zhan Tu, father of Lu Jinghong, gathered the other three of the four major families, as well as the families of Dai Yunze, Shi Fan, Wen Zilin and others, including Zhu Chenglei and Qian Chenghu. Everyone convened together!
In the reception room.
Lu Zhan Tu sat at the head with a gloomy expression, glancing over everyone, and said coldly, "The situation is unclear now, it's not suitable to make a move against Qin Xuan right away, but I need to know where you all stand!"
Everyone knew.
This was asking them to openly declare their stance.
The families of those who were disabled by Qin Xuan naturally didn't need much convincing, they already harbored towering rage.
The Jiang, Dai, Shi, Wen, Ma and Cao families.
These six families directly expressed that they would stand together with the Lu Family.
But the attitudes of the Chu and Qi families were relatively ambiguous. Even Qian Chenghu and Zhu Chenglei remained silent.
Lu Zhan Tu suddenly looked at Chu Zhenxiong, "Old Master Chu, are you afraid of offending that person from Cloud Peak Mountain? He has clearly stated that he will no longer help that brat in the future, yet you still want to rely on him?"
Chu Zhenxiong's expression was unpredictable.
Rather than taking sides, this was a gamble concerning future glory and wealth, or life and death!
If they stood with Qin Xuan now, and if Qin Xuan somehow ended up dead after the situation became clear, the Chu Family would have no room for survival under the joint suppression of so many families.
But.
What if the outcome was reversed?
At that time, with the Lu Family at the lead, this group of families would become the losers, and the Chu Family would rocket to prominence, rising straight into the clouds!!