The flamboyant young man in the white suit and leather shoes was Zhao Sicheng, the young master of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the eldest son of the Zhao family, one of the four major families in Chuan City.
Accompanied by two elderly martial arts masters, Zhao Sicheng descended the stairs. For some reason, the moment he saw Xiao Yunlong, he felt a sense of familiarity. He seemed to have seen this person somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it for the moment.
"This friend has great spirit and vision, starting with ten billion yuan. This truly makes me admire you!" Zhao Sicheng approached Xiao Yunlong with a smile. Although he could tell that the other party was likely there to cause trouble, as long as the business was open, one should not lash out until the last moment. This was a rule set by the Zhao family patriarch. Of course, Zhao Sicheng, as the eldest young master of the Zhao family, didn't pay much attention to these country bumpkins who seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
Xiao Yunlong remained seated, saying indifferently, "Since no one bid, this painting should belong to me, right?"
"Of course, if no one bids after three strikes, this auction item naturally goes to you!" The eldest young master of the Zhao family slightly raised the corner of his mouth and said in a teasing tone, "However, you need to have ten billion yuan!"
"A mere ten billion yuan, what's so difficult about that!" Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly and stood up. It seemed that even when facing each other, Zhao Sicheng still didn't recognize Xiao Yunlong. Not long ago, they were childhood friends. At that time, the Xiao family and the Zhao family were both prominent families in Chuan City, and the two families had good relations and often interacted. They were of similar age and played together from a young age, and even attended school together. If it weren't for Zhao Sicheng's frame-up at the post-college entrance examination party, Xiao Yunlong wouldn't have been branded as a rapist, and his Xiao family wouldn't have suffered a near annihilation! It could be said that Zhao Sicheng was the fuse of the entire incident.
"That's excellent. Cash and goods exchanged. What is your preferred payment method according to the rules of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, check or transfer?" Zhao Sicheng asked.
Seeing this, the surrounding crowd couldn't help but murmur again, wondering if that young man with the buzz cut truly had the ability to produce ten billion yuan? But even if he could, that painting wasn't worth that price!
Xiao Yunlong raised his fist and asked with a smile, "What do you think this is worth?"
"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Sicheng snorted coldly, his face immediately sinking.
"Many people say my hands are priceless. Today, I'll generously estimate them at one billion yuan. What do you think?" Xiao Yunlong said, looking at Tu Fu and the others.
"One billion is too little. Young Master, your hands are priceless treasures. Even your trimmed fingernails are worth a billion!" Tu Fu said with a chuckle.
"Of course. How about this, Young Master, why don't you trim your nails on the spot and give them ten fingernail clippings as payment for the painting!" Zhuge Wushuang said with a smile.
Zhao Sicheng's face had completely darkened. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "It seems you are indeed here to smash my Hundred Treasures Pavilion!" He then snorted again, adding, "Haven't you inquired about this place, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion? Do you think you won't die if you dare to cause trouble here!"
Xiao Yunlong turned to him and said, "Zhao Sicheng, it seems you really don't recognize me. Since that's the case, let me remind you!"
Zhao Sicheng was full of doubt. His intuition told him that he had definitely seen the person in front of him before. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhao Sicheng's mind, and he finally remembered...
However, at this very moment, Xiao Yunlong threw a punch at his face! With a bang, Zhao Sicheng couldn't react at all, let alone dodge. He fell backward, howling in pain on the ground. Of course, it was also because Xiao Yunlong hadn't used his full strength, not even a tenth of it, otherwise, the eldest young master of the Zhao family would have likely met his end.
"You bastard, so it's you! Xiao Yunlong, it's you, you scumbag rapist!" Zhao Sicheng gritted his teeth and roared.
As soon as he said this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. Clearly, many guests present also realized who it was.
"It's Xiao Yunlong! No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I first saw him. I didn't expect him to be back!"
"This rapist actually dares to come back, and it seems he plans to take revenge. He's really bold!"
Of course, there were also many who were not very familiar with the situation. These people asked, "Excuse me, who is this Xiao Yunlong?"
"What else could he be? He was the eldest young master of the prominent Xiao family in Chuan City back then. It was rumored that he attempted to rape the eldest daughter of the Ouyang family and was forced to flee Chuan City like a dog overnight. It was lucky for this kid; if he hadn't left early, the entire Xiao family would have been wiped out."
"Exactly. This brat surnamed Xiao is truly audacious, daring to lay hands on the eldest daughter of the Ouyang family. The Ouyang family is a super influential clan with connections everywhere. It is said that they even have the support of the Chuanlong Ridge Master behind them!"
Many guests whispered amongst themselves. Zhuge Wushuang, Tu Fu, and the others also roughly understood their master's past from these conversations. Xiao Yunlong stood tall in the hall, his expression unwavering. He hadn't even frowned in the face of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, let alone the mocking words of the people around him.
Zhao Sicheng, supported by the two elderly martial arts masters, staggered to his feet. He touched his swollen and bleeding eye sockets and said through gritted teeth, "Xiao Yunlong, I know you've returned for revenge, but with just you and these few people, you want to fight my Zhao family? You're courting death!"
"All of you, attack! Cripple them first!" As Zhao Sicheng waved his hand, over a dozen security guards who had already surrounded them sprang into action, swarming forward.
Xiao Yunlong remained standing, unmoving. He didn't even give any orders. The hot-tempered Tu Fu was the first to leap out. His fists and kicks were like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. With a series of thuds, wherever he went, the bodyguards fell to the ground. In fact, it took less than a few seconds for over a dozen bodyguards to be lying on the ground, screaming in pain.
Zhao Sicheng narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, "Good! So you've found experts to help you fight, no wonder you, this scumbag, dare to be so arrogant. But do you really think my Zhao family is so easy to deal with!"
"Masters, please take action and capture them for me!" Hearing this, the two old men in black training attire stepped forward, and a considerable aura erupted from them, as if a gust of wind swept through the entire auction hall. These two old men in black attire were both masters of the Huajin realm, which was already an extraordinary level of expertise for ordinary people. However, in the eyes of Xiao Yunlong and his companions, it was not enough.
The two Huajin Grandmasters unleashed their fists and feet. One pounced like a fierce tiger, while the other leaped out with the agility of a nimble monkey. Xiao Yunlong still stood with his hands behind his back, not even looking at them. Just as the two Huajin Grandmasters were about to charge, two figures flashed, and Zhuge Wushuang and Tu Fu appeared before Xiao Yunlong. With two sudden bangs, before the surrounding crowd could even see what was happening, they saw the two old men in black training attire scream and fly backward like kites with broken strings. With a crash, they smashed into a chair, spitting out mouthfuls of blood and falling unconscious on the spot.
Seeing this, Zhao Sicheng was stunned. His mouth agape, he could hardly believe his eyes. These two old men were hired by his grandfather with great effort and a heavy price. Yet now, they were defeated in a single encounter! The surrounding crowd also seemed to sense that the situation was not right and retreated, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire. Those who had been murmuring and looking down on Xiao Yunlong earlier also fell silent.
It was only then that Xiao Yunlong moved, walking step by step towards Zhao Sicheng. Zhao Sicheng's face turned deathly pale, and his legs trembled like sieves.
"You... what do you want? I warn you, don't mess around, or my Zhao family will never let this go. You won't be able to leave Chuan City alive!" Zhao Sicheng retreated repeatedly, threatening with a trembling voice.
Xiao Yunlong raised his right fist again and sneered, "I said earlier that my hand is worth one billion yuan, meaning one punch is one billion. I've only punched you once, and there are nine more punches left!"
"No, no need. Take the painting. It was originally your Xiao family's property!" Zhao Sicheng shook his head repeatedly.
"That won't do. Cash and goods exchanged. I can't break the rules of your Hundred Treasures Pavilion!" Xiao Yunlong said and threw a punch. This time, Zhao Sicheng was prepared, but he found that the opponent's speed was too fast. Before he could even react, his abdomen was hit. With a pained cry, Zhao Sicheng curled up and squatted on the ground. However, Xiao Yunlong threw another punch, knocking him to the ground, and then his fists rained down on him like heavy hammers. With every punch Xiao Yunlong landed, Zhao Sicheng's body made cracking sounds, which sounded like broken ribs. After ten punches, Xiao Yunlong withdrew his hands, patted them, and then stood up. Zhao Sicheng was now lying on the ground like a dead dog, looking like he was on his last breath. However, he was still alive, clinging to a thread of life, which was also deliberate on Xiao Yunlong's part.
"Zhao Sicheng, it was because of you that my reputation was ruined and my Xiao family was destroyed. Listen to me clearly. I'm not killing you today not because I'm afraid, but because I want to leave you this dog's life so you can witness firsthand how I destroy your Zhao family!" Xiao Yunlong said word by word in a clear voice. These words were not only for Zhao Sicheng but also for the many guests present. Because several of them had families who participated in the encirclement and annihilation of the Xiao family back then!
At this moment, the entire hall was silent. The people around didn't dare to speak, let alone step forward. They didn't even dare to breathe. Xiao Yunlong snorted, waved his hand, and instructed Tang Bowen to retrieve the ancestral calligraphy and painting, then turned and left. Wherever he went, people parted to make way, and then watched as Xiao Yunlong and his group drove away.
Suddenly, the sky began to rain. Everyone knew that Chuan City would likely be turbulent again from now on.