"A mere Ridge Lord, spouting such arrogant words, not even showing respect to the King of the Southern Border. Truly knows no bounds!"
Tu Fu, standing behind him, couldn't help but sneer upon hearing this. The others, including Zhuge Wushuang, naturally scoffed.
Xiao Yunlong simply shook his head with a smile and said no more, proceeding directly towards the pavilion above.
Black-clad guards lined both sides of the staircase, maintaining a strict and heavily guarded perimeter.
Long Yan, the Ridge Lord of Chuanlong Ridge, was standing on the corridor of the pavilion, his hands clasped behind his back, looking at Xiao Yunlong with a playful gaze as he ascended.
Behind Long Yan stood two elders with graying hair and beards. Additionally, there were two more in the private room. The four elders wore different attire and possessed distinct auras, suggesting they were not from any particular sect or faction but were hired by Long Yan at a high price.
However, all four elders possessed considerable strength, all being at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown martial king level. Especially the bald elder sitting in the corner, smoking a water pipe, exuded a sharp and imposing aura, clearly a grandmaster at the Half-step Innate Meridian Opening realm.
It seemed these four martial arts experts were the backbone of the Chuanlong Ridge Lord's power.
Xiao Yunlong merely glanced around, discerning the backgrounds of everyone present. His expression remained calm as he walked directly to Long Yan.
"I've heard it said that the five great Ridge Lords of the Southern Border hold more power than the King of the Southern Border himself. Seeing you today, it appears to be true!" Xiao Yunlong sneered.
Long Yan did not deny this, stating in a deep voice, "It's good that you know this. I had thought you were unaware of the situation in the Southern Border!"
"You invited me for a banquet today, are you just going to stand in the corridor and make sarcastic remarks?" Xiao Yunlong glanced at him, too lazy to say more, and stepped into the room.
The private room was spacious. Besides the two elders, there were five peak-level Grandmasters of Hua Jin. It seemed Long Yan had brought almost all his elite forces with him to Chuan City.
"Serve the food!" Long Yan called out and walked in, with the two martial king experts following closely behind.
Soon, exquisite dishes were served. As expected of Chuan City's top restaurant, Xiao Yunlong hadn't tasted authentic hometown cuisine in years. He didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks, heartily digging in.
Zhuge Wushuang and Tu Fu, also hungry, followed suit, picking up their chopsticks. Of course, this was also because they didn't care. A mere Chuanlong Ridge Lord was not someone they deigned to pay attention to.
Long Yan, sitting opposite, narrowed his eyes, then raised his wine cup and said loudly, "To Mr. Xiao, I toast you with this drink!"
As the saying goes, one shouldn't refuse a friendly gesture, so Xiao Yunlong also raised his wine cup.
"However, before I propose this toast, I have a few words to say!"
Long Yan cleared his throat and continued, "I know, Mr. Xiao, that you are not simple, but you are still too young. As the saying goes, a dragon in shallow waters is preyed upon by shrimp, and a tiger on flat ground is bullied by dogs. Mr. Xiao, you are a cultured person, you should understand the meaning of this saying, shouldn't you?"
After speaking, Long Yan chuckled to himself, his words filled with mockery.
Xiao Yunlong was not angered. He smiled faintly and said, "A dragon in shallow waters is still a dragon. When the opportune moment arrives, it will soar to the heavens, not to be bullied by mere shrimp. Furthermore, I have a saying to offer you as well: If you don't court death, you won't die. I hope you will conduct yourself wisely!"
Long Yan snorted, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in his cup. Then he grumbled, "Xiao, you should know that Qi Dengxian was my man. Yet you killed him without even asking me, isn't that slapping my face?"
"I invited you out today specifically to get your response and see what your attitude is!"
"My attitude?"
Xiao Yunlong chuckled and drank, "My attitude is as clear as it can be. Qi Dengxian, as the lord of this city, committed evil, abused his power, and even plotted murder, therefore he deserved to die. Furthermore, who do you think you are? Do I, Xiao Yunlong, need your permission to kill someone?"
"What did you say?"
Long Yan was suddenly enraged. He slammed his palm on the table, his entire body trembling with anger.
In fact, he had been restraining himself as much as possible from the beginning because he already knew Xiao Yunlong's background. However, Qi Dengxian was his subordinate, and if he didn't intervene today, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat, and how could he command his subordinates in the future?
Therefore, before coming, he had warned himself not to fall out unless absolutely necessary. If the matter could be resolved amicably, that would be best.
But Long Yan never imagined that this damned fellow named Xiao would be so arrogant and presumptuous, daring to be so disrespectful to him in person!
As a Ridge Lord, did he not have any dignity?
"Xiao, since you've torn down all pretenses and left no room for maneuver, very well, I won't waste any more words with you!"
Long Yan suddenly stood up, gritting his teeth, and said word by word, "I will say only one thing. I can forgo revenge for Qi Dengxian, but all his assets, as well as the assets of the Baili family and the Ouyang family, must belong to me. Furthermore, you must leave Chuan City within three days and are not allowed to set foot in Chuanlong Ridge without my permission from now on!"
In fact, this was Long Yan's true objective. He didn't care about Qi Dengxian's death. Moreover, given Xiao Yunlong's status, he couldn't possibly seek revenge.
As he spoke, before Xiao Yunlong could reply, the hot-tempered Tu Fu on the side became enraged. He also slammed the table with a bang and roared, "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to threaten and coerce my master? I think you're tired of living!"
Xiao Yunlong continued eating and said, "See? Even if I could agree to your demands, my subordinates would not."
Qi Dengxian narrowed his eyes and grumbled, "Xiao, to think you still consider yourself someone of importance at this point? Not only can the Imperial Capital not accommodate you, but I'm afraid you can't even return to the Northern Territory now. If I were you, I'd find a place where no one knows me and live in hiding, lest you disappear one day!"
"Moreover, you can't stay in Chuan City forever, can you? Although you've let your friends and family take over Qi Dengxian's businesses, what about in the future, when you're no longer around? Who will support them then?"
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yunlong's eyes, and he coldly asked, "What, are you planning to threaten me with my family and friends?"
"Of course not. Did I say anything like that? I'm merely reminding you. Well, since we've reached this point, I've said what I needed to say, and even what I shouldn't have. From now on, we'll see. Farewell!"
Long Yan finished speaking with a cold snort and immediately turned to leave.
"Stop, did I say you could leave?" Xiao Yunlong coldly commanded.
Long Yan abruptly stopped and, without turning his head, said in a mocking tone, "Xiao, don't push your luck. Do you really think I'm afraid of you? This is Chuanlong Ridge, my territory..."
However, before he could finish speaking, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes. He felt a chill on his neck, and then his neck was grasped.
"So what if this is your territory? I can kill you like a dog!" Xiao Yunlong looked at him coldly, his gaze like a blade.
A chill ran down Long Yan's spine, and he broke out in a cold sweat.