...
On the deck, He Mingyun returned with doubts lingering in his heart.
Li Jiaquan and a group of wealthy young men from the provincial capital were drinking and chatting.
For this birthday party, He Mingyun hadn't invited many people. Not counting Qin Ning and his group, there was only Li Jiaquan's circle, making it less than ten people in total.
"Young Master He, where is your cousin and his friends?"
Seeing He Mingyun walk over, Li Jiaquan couldn't help but ask.
At this moment, the yacht had already started its engines and was preparing to head out to sea. Obviously, Zheng Xingyan and his so-called friends must have already boarded.
"They're in the private room downstairs," He Mingyun replied.
"In a private room?"
Hearing this, Li Jiaquan frowned. "What? Are they just going to play by themselves?"
"Sigh, just ignore them," He Mingyun waved his hand.
"How can we do that?"
Li Jiaquan stood up. "Young Master He, today is your birthday. Since they came, how can they just hide away and entertain themselves? This is clearly showing you no respect."
"That's right, Young Master He. What's the deal with your cousin? It's one thing to bring people over and hide away to play by themselves, but you are the host today, and he isn't giving you any face at all."
"Besides, Young Master Li is here today too. We've all drank together in the past, but your cousin hasn't shown his face since last night. Isn't he acting a bit too arrogant?"
The others also chimed in to stir the pot.
"Maybe the friends he brought... have somewhat special identities..."
He Mingyun didn't want to cause trouble, so he could only keep making excuses for Zheng Xingyan, though he still somewhat blamed him in his heart.
Regardless, Li Jiaquan was here today. His cousin should have at least come over to offer a toast, right?
"Let's go. We'll go over and take a look together. I really want to know what kind of big shots your cousin's friends are."
With that, Li Jiaquan stood up directly and walked toward the lower deck.
Seeing this, the others also followed closely behind.
He Mingyun wanted to say something, but ultimately chose to remain silent and followed them as well.
In the private room downstairs, Qin Ning and the others were having a good time when suddenly someone pushed the door open and walked in.
"Oh? Isn't this Young Master Zheng? Young Master Zhu is here too."
Li Jiaquan, taking the lead, spoke with a sarcastic tone as his gaze swept over everyone in the room. "So many distinguished guests? Aren't you going to introduce us?"
Zheng Xingyan frowned, glanced at Li Jiaquan, and then turned to He Mingyun. "What's going on with you? Didn't I tell you not to let anyone disturb us?"
"I..."
He Mingyun smiled bitterly; he hadn't wanted this either.
But who was Li Jiaquan?
Could he actually stop him?
"Hehe, Young Master Zheng, it hasn't been that long since we last met. How did you suddenly become so arrogant?" Li Jiaquan sneered dismissively.
Zhu Weicheng stepped forward. "Young Master Li, I advise you all to get out right now, lest you bring disaster upon yourselves."
"I won't leave. What can you actually do to me?" Li Jiaquan glared back.
"Kid, who are you?"
At this moment, Wang Er and a few others also stood up. "Did anyone let you in? How dare you just barge in like this."
"This is Young Master Li from the provincial capital. You'd better watch your mouths." Behind Li Jiaquan, the others couldn't hold back anymore.
These guys were seriously too arrogant.
"I don't care if you're Young Master Li or whoever. Are you leaving or not?"
Zhou Ping'an took a step forward.
"Oh ho? Are you trying to start a fight with us?" Li Jiaquan sneered.
"Looks like you're really itching for a beating."
Zhou Ping'an wasn't angry. Instead, he cracked his knuckles, producing a series of crisp pops, and walked toward them.
"Kid, I think you're..."
Several people behind Li Jiaquan also stepped forward, rolling up their sleeves.
But in the next moment, Zhou Ping'an made his move. In just a few swift strikes, he knocked everyone to the ground, including Li Jiaquan.
"What kind of trash dares to bark here? If it weren't for Young Master Zheng's cousin's birthday today, I would have thrown you all into the sea to feed the sharks." Zhou Ping'an clapped his hands to dust them off.
With his current cultivation level, dealing with small fries like Li Jiaquan required absolutely no effort.
"You, you... you dare to hit me?"
Li Jiaquan finally snapped back to his senses. Scrambling up from the floor with a furious expression, he spat, "So what if you can fight? What use is fighting? Believe it or not, with just one phone call, I can make you all suffer the consequences!"
"Oh? I really don't believe that." Zhou Ping'an looked at him.
"Fine, fine, fine! Just you wait!"
With that said, Li Jiaquan angrily led his group out of the private room. He was genuinely afraid that the other party would continue beating him up if he stayed.
At the same time, he was deeply shocked. This guy didn't look like a tough fighter at all, so how did he take them all down so easily in just a few moves?
"Cousin, this..."
He Mingyun had not left the room with them. With an equally surprised look on his face, he glanced at Zhou Ping'an, then at Zheng Xingyan.
"It's fine. If he wants to make a call, let him." Zheng Xingyan waved his hand nonchalantly.
If this were in the past, he certainly wouldn't dare offend Li Jiaquan. After all, he was the son of the provincial top official, the top-tier young master in Dan Province.
But things were different now. Having clung to Qin Ning's coattails, what did a mere Li Jiaquan amount to?
"I'll make a call too," Lin Yuting spoke up at this moment. She then took out her phone and dialed her grandfather, Lin Tiannan.
...
Meanwhile, out on the deck, Li Jiaquan and the others had returned, all sporting bruised and swollen faces.
He directly dialed his father, Li Jianheng's number, and recounted the entire incident exactly as it happened.
On the other end of the line, Li Jianheng, who was processing some documents in his office, couldn't help but frown after hearing his son's account. He then said, "No matter the reason, resorting to violence is always wrong. Don't worry, I'll give He Wenyuan a call right now and have him handle it."
He Wenyuan was He Mingyun's father, the top official of Lingyang City, and also Zheng Xingyan's eldest uncle.
"Okay, Dad," Li Jiaquan replied.
The call was then hung up. Just as Li Jianheng was scrolling through his contacts to find He Wenyuan's number, a call suddenly came through.
It was an unknown number, and the caller location showed Jianghai City.
Curious, he answered, "Hello, this is Li Jianheng of Dan Province. Who is this?"
"Hello, Secretary Li. I am Lin Tiannan from Jianghai City."
Lin Tiannan's voice came through the phone, sounding quite serious.
"Lin Tiannan?"
Hearing this, Li Jianheng was slightly taken aback, but he quickly realized who it was.
Although he had never met Lin Tiannan, sitting in his position allowed him to be privy to certain things. Li Jianheng understood that the Lin family of Jianghai City was somewhat special.
On the surface, they appeared to be nothing more than wealthy merchants, but in reality, they were a cultivation family with a legacy spanning many years.
Why would Lin Tiannan suddenly call him?
Could the Lin family also be involved in this matter?
Curious, he asked, "Elder Lin, I have heard much about you. Is there something you need from me?"
"I will keep it brief. Your son just offended a very important senior of mine. You had better make him go over and apologize right now. Otherwise, if this escalates, it will not end well," Lin Tiannan's slightly grave voice came through the phone.
"Your senior?"
Hearing this, Li Jianheng was slightly startled.
The existence of people like Lin Tiannan was rather unique; even someone like him had to be somewhat wary of them.
But now, the other party was claiming that his son had offended his senior?
Li Jianheng frowned. "That cannot be right, Elder Lin. Jiaquan just called me, and everyone on that yacht is a young person..."
"So what if they are young? Can a young person not be my senior?"
Lin Tiannan continued, "The senior I am referring to is Young Master Qin. Your son should have mentioned him to you on the phone. You better hurry up and have him apologize. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that Elder Wu will not come looking for trouble with you later."
"Elder Wu? Which Elder Wu?"
Li Jianheng froze for a moment before a wave of shock washed over him. He shot up from his seat in an instant. "Are you talking about... the State Lord?"
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
