Seeing this information, Xu Mu was inwardly shocked.
The Russell Family of Britain had been around for centuries.
Once nobility, they later ventured into commerce, controlling many of Britain’s economic lifelines.
These memories belonged to the original villainous Xu Mu—clearly, even he knew of this powerful family.
However, Xu Mu never expected such a woman to be part of Lin Yang’s harem.
But on second thought, it made sense. A mercenary like Lin Yang, constantly abroad—would he even deserve the title of "King of Soldiers" without a few foreign women by his side?
Isabella Russell did not step onto the stage. Holding a microphone, she stood below it and spoke in flawless Mandarin.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Isabella Russell."
The surrounding businessmen were stunned, including Xu Shou.
They might not have heard of Isabella, but who hadn’t heard of the Russells?
After all, foreign businessmen were different from those in Dragon Country. Take the Russell Family, for example.
They held Britain’s national lifelines in their grasp—oil, natural gas, even arms.
In Dragon Country, all such industries were state-controlled.
"Our family has long focused on Europe, but now we seek change. As your ancient saying goes, 'Man strives upward, water flows downward.'"
"Dragon Country possesses an unimaginably vast market. I’ve come here on behalf of the Russell Family to invest."
After speaking, Isabella handed the microphone to a bodyguard beside her.
Hearing this, the businessmen around them were utterly dumbfounded.
For such a colossal entity to invest in Dragon Country—and to appear at the Feng Family’s event—
The implications were obvious.
No wonder Feng Kang had moved their 30th anniversary up by a year.
This wasn’t just significant for Jiangbei—it would ripple across all of Dragon Country.
The Feng Family was about to rise.
That was the unanimous thought among everyone present.
Dai Xiao smirked. He stood up from Chen Cai’s table and strode toward Isabella’s.
Sure, he’d fooled around with foreign women at clubs before, but this one was breathtaking.
Isabella’s bodyguards immediately stepped forward, blocking Dai Xiao as he approached.
"Feng Kang, tell them who I am!"
Dai Xiao clasped his hands behind his back, glaring at Feng Kang on the stage.
But Feng Kang merely glanced at him indifferently and said calmly, "Miss Isabella requested an empty table. Dai Xiao, find another seat."
"What did you say?"
Dai Xiao’s expression darkened.
Even Chen Cai below the stage couldn’t believe it. Was this the same Feng Kang she knew?
Dai Xiao was from the Dai Family—a man of his standing, publicly humiliated in front of so many?
Just because Feng Kang had the Russell Family backing him?
Didn’t he know that a strong dragon couldn’t suppress a local serpent? The Dai Family was a hidden powerhouse right here in Yang City.
The Russells had come from thousands of miles away.
Crossing the Dai Family—did the Fengs have a death wish?
"My father said not to disturb Miss Isabella."
Feng Ruili rose from another table, his tone icy. "Young Master Dai, this is the Feng Family’s event. We are the hosts. If you’re unhappy, you may leave."
Not only was Dai Xiao stunned, but the surrounding businessmen—including Chen Cai and Feng Jian—were equally bewildered.
What had gotten into the Feng Family?
The Dai Family wasn’t as easygoing as the Nangong Family. Provoking them was practically suicide.
"Feng Ruili! How dare you speak to me like that?"
Dai Xiao let out an angry shout.
Once upon a time—no, just a few days ago—he had greeted him with utmost respect.
Yet today, in front of so many people, he dared to show him no face. Wasn’t this a direct slap to his dignity?
"My attitude has been more than polite. I told you to leave earlier, not to get lost!"
Feng Ruili’s gaze was icy, cutting like frozen steel.
"Hahaha! How amusing. Relying on some foreign family, do you Fengs think you can defy the heavens?"
Dai Xiao sneered repeatedly, his eyes locked onto Feng Kang on the stage. "Do you really believe that with so many people here today, I wouldn’t dare to do anything to you?"
"Dai Xiao! I know you’re impatient, but don’t be in such a hurry."
Feng Kang glanced at him indifferently. "As I said earlier, our family has double blessings to celebrate. Only one has been announced so far. Let me reveal the second before you start making a scene."
Dai Xiao snorted coldly but remained standing where he was, eager to see what tricks Feng Kang still had up his sleeve.
"Aside from the Russell Family, our Feng family has also welcomed several new partners."
As Feng Kang spoke, he turned his head slightly. "Mr. Lin, please come up."
At that moment, a man over six feet tall, his face pockmarked and hidden behind sunglasses, emerged from behind the stage.
Two others followed him—one middle-aged, the other young—both also wearing sunglasses.
Xu Mu frowned at first but soon smiled after observing through his divine eyes.
The leader was none other than Lin Yang.
He must have been wearing something like a skin mask to disguise himself.
"Mr. Lin represents the second blessing for our Feng family."
Feng Kang’s expression grew increasingly haughty. "The friends I’ve invited today are all top-tier business figures in Yang City. I’m sure you’ve all heard of reclusive families, haven’t you?"
Hearing this, the merchants below immediately focused their attention, curiosity burning in their eyes.
"The Dai and Nangong families I’ve invited today are reclusive families. As for why these families are so powerful, I believe everyone here already knows the reason."
Feng Kang held the microphone, his gaze sweeping calmly over the crowd. "It’s because of ancient martial artists."
Just then, Lin Yang on stage raised his hand and abruptly swung it toward an empty white table below.
Boom!
The air trembled violently, and the table shattered into pieces.
The sight left nearly everyone present utterly stunned.
Striking from a distance?
What kind of power was this?
Witnessing this, especially Dai Xiao and Ren Fuhai, their faces darkened with unease.
Coming from reclusive families themselves, they knew exactly what level this was.
Gang Qi!
"Now, I trust no one is confused anymore. This is precisely why I chose our 29th anniversary for this occasion."
Feng Kang’s eyes brimmed with arrogance as he fixed his gaze on Dai Xiao. "From this moment onward, our Feng family shall also be counted among the reclusive families!"
The crowd erupted into murmurs of shock.
Dai Xiao clenched his fists, his expression shifting between anger and hesitation.
"Dai Xiao! Stop standing there. Take a seat."
Feng Ruili now turned to him again. "Otherwise, get lost!"
Dai Xiao let out a cold laugh. "Hah! You think just because you’ve got a few partners—"
"Just because of us, we can make you disappear!"
Feng Ruili cut him off, enunciating each word with chilling clarity.
At this, Dai Xiao’s eyes finally flickered with something deeper—fear.
"Hahaha! Come now, we’re all on the same side. No need for hostility."
Chen Cai stepped in to mediate, pulling Dai Xiao by the arm. "Young Master Dai, don’t be upset. Here, sit with me."
Dai Xiao hesitated for a brief moment. Since Chen Cai had offered him a way out, he decided to take it.
Chen Cai was brimming with excitement. She never imagined Feng Kang had been hiding such a significant secret.
From this moment on, she was now the wife of a hidden aristocratic family.
And that family’s fortune—she was determined to claim it for herself.
"Alright, as we all know, hidden families hold considerable influence," Feng Kang said, his tone measured. "But our Feng family has strong ties with the corporations in Yang City. We have no intention of disrupting anyone’s business."
At this point, his gaze flickered subtly toward Xu Shou in the crowd. "However, for external enterprises—especially those whose operations overlap with ours—I’d advise against collaboration."
No one in the room was a fool. Feng Kang might as well have called out Xu Shou by name.
All eyes turned toward Xu Shou. The Xu family was about to face serious consequences.
With the Feng family newly ascended as a hidden aristocratic clan, backed by formidable ancient martial artists, they needed to make an example.
And the Xu family was their chosen target.
Xu Mu smiled faintly, retrieving a flash drive from his pocket. The Feng family was getting too heated—it was time to cool them down.

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!

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!

+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!