Bodyguards rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Long Xiao scanned them with his five-element qi and found that they all appeared as complete individuals in his mind, not just amorphous masses of qi.
This was strange. While invisible to the naked eye, their qi should have manifested as human-shaped qi in his mind. He couldn't ascertain if they were truly human.
If they weren't human, what kind of invisible humanoid creature could they be? And if they were human, why did their qi appear as formless masses instead of human shapes?
Hearing the noise, Huo Tianyi and Luan Jiping hurried down from upstairs. Luan Jiping asked, "Little brother, did someone come?"
Long Xiao nodded and shook his head. He recounted the situation to them, admitting he couldn't determine what had entered.
By the roadside not far from the Huo family villa, a blond Nordic man took out a bag from his pocket. He opened it, and a mass of yellow qi flew into the bag.
Standing behind the Nordic man was a middle-aged European with blond hair and blue eyes. He looked at the Nordic man and said, "Lawrence, who exactly is this Long Xiao? He detected us?"
The Nordic man, Lawrence, put away the bag and sighed. "The ancient arts of China are profound and extensive. Our divine arts may be rampant in Europe, but we must be cautious in China."
"Are you really prepared to give up the Holy Sword just like that?"
"We must retrieve the Holy Sword, but there can be no mistakes. If the Chinese learn the secret of the Holy Sword, it will be difficult for us to reclaim it later," Lawrence said.
"Then how do you plan to get it?" the middle-aged European asked.
"Let's leave Hong Kong City first. We'll return in a few months. Long Xiao can't stay in Hong Kong City forever," Lawrence replied.
Long Xiao remained in the living room all night. The mass of qi did not reappear, and nothing else happened.
In the morning, Qian Luo called, informing him that the Martial Alliance was preparing to take over the dojos in South Bang Country and hoped Long Xiao would attend the handover ceremony as an elder of the Martial Alliance.
Long Xiao knew why Qian Luo wanted him there. The strength of the Hong Kong City Martial Alliance was far inferior to that of the South Bang Country martial artists, and Qian Luo was worried that South Bang Country would not relinquish the dojos.
Long Xiao felt it was his obligation to help the Hong Kong City Martial Alliance reclaim the South Bang Country dojos, as they should honor their agreement after losing.
Long Xiao found a secluded spot, disguised himself as Hu Lei, rented a car from a hotel, and then drove to a Martial Alliance dojo.
Qian Luo, along with several Martial Alliance experts, was already waiting for Long Xiao. Upon his arrival, everyone got into the cars together and headed for the South Bang Country hall.
South Bang Country had established five dojos in Hong Kong City. According to the agreement signed before the arena match, all five dojos were to be taken over by the Martial Alliance.
The South Bang Country hall's gates were wide open. Over a hundred South Bang Country experts stood by the roadside, all wearing training uniforms and looking at Long Xiao and his group with blank expressions.
As Long Xiao and his companions alighted from the cars, Qian Luo, seeing the formidable presence, reached for his phone to call for reinforcements.
"President Qian, there's no need to call for help. The few of us are enough."
Long Xiao and his group walked into the South Bang Country hall. The mediators from Japan and other countries also began to arrive.
In the courtyard of the South Bang Country hall, several tables were pushed together, on which lay a document, some fruit, and teacups.
As Long Xiao and his group entered the courtyard, more than a dozen South Bang Country individuals stood by the tables, glaring at them with ill intentions.
When Long Xiao approached the tables, Kameda Shō, standing among the crowd, winked at him and smiled, a gesture of greeting.
"I won't waste time with pleasantries. How shall we proceed with the handover?" Long Xiao asked.
The young man responsible for the handover in South Bang Country wore an arrogant smile. He pointed to the document on the table and said, "The documents are ready. A signature will complete the handover."
Qian Luo stepped forward, picked up the document, and his expression changed slightly. "Why is it only one dojo? Before the arena match, we agreed on all of South Bang Country's dojos."
"Our dojos all went bankrupt yesterday. We only have one left. Take it or leave it," the South Bang Country youth said defiantly, his head held high.
Long Xiao snatched the document, tore it into pieces in a few swift motions, and threw them on the ground. "President Qian, we don't want South Bang Country's dojos anymore. Starting today, within four days, I will personally send every South Bang Country person in Hong Kong City to the hospital."
"Hahaha, Elder Hu, you're too funny. How dare you make such a boast."
The experts from various countries, acting as mediators, rushed forward to dissuade Long Xiao when they saw him about to act. They all urged him to let the matter go and prioritize peace.
Long Xiao waved them away. "Stop talking. The South Bang Country people have broken the agreement. They've treated your faces as their backsides, and you still have the nerve to advise me?"
The foreign experts who had tried to persuade Long Xiao retreated. Qian Luo was also enraged. "Elder Hu, stop wasting words with them. Let's take action now."
Long Xiao nodded. "Good. Today, we shall bathe the South Bang Country hall in blood."
Just as Long Xiao and his group were about to make their move, the little girl whose backside Xiao Ming had spanked rushed out. "Where is the boy who hit me that day?"
Long Xiao couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the little girl. "I don't know him well, so I don't know."
"You don't know? You helped him a lot that day, so you must know him."
Qian Luo quickly stepped forward. "Elder Hu truly doesn't know that boy. He was introduced by a friend and is not part of our Martial Alliance."
"President Qian, why are you also talking nonsense? I heard from someone that they knew each other long ago."
Long Xiao knew that the human skin mask Xiao Ming used for disguise was new, so anyone who claimed to know him would only be guessing.
"Who told you that? Don't spout nonsense without evidence," Long Xiao said, scanning all the eager South Bang Country experts.
"During the competition in Beijing, wasn't there a boy named Xiao Ming present? I'm asking you, is that boy Xiao Ming?"
Long Xiao shook his head. "No, Xiao Ming is a friend of Long Xiao and I get along well with him. I don't know this boy."
"The footwork you used, this boy also knows how to use it."
"What does that prove? We are using 'Gui Xuan' Steps. 'Gui Xuan' Steps are the corpse-herding steps of the Luo family, and many people know them."
"I don't care. You have to find that boy for me, or I'm not done with you."
Long Xiao felt a headache coming on. What a mess. He came to take over dojos, but instead of getting them, he was being cornered by her.
Long Xiao quickly retreated. "We'll talk about this later. I need to beat someone up first."
This little girl had a refined and cute appearance. Xiao Ming couldn't bring himself to attack her, and neither could Long Xiao, so he tried to avoid her.
"Sister, move aside. I'll deal with him," the young man who had been standing behind the table rushed forward, pushing the little girl aside.
Seeing someone charge at him, Long Xiao struck first. The two quickly engaged in a fight.
The young man was not weak. Without going all out, Long Xiao could only fight him to a draw.
Over a hundred South Bang Country experts surrounded them. Long Xiao knew that if he didn't fight fiercely, Qian Luo and the others would be at a disadvantage.
"President Qian, you all retreat first. I'll handle this," Long Xiao said while fighting.