After this commotion, Chu Huaimin naturally lost face to talk about treating guests and holding banquets, so he cupped his hands and walked out of the lounge.
Of course, as the City Lord of Jiangdong, he had much more information than ordinary people, not only about the Zhenbei King but also about the Zhang family of Jiangdong.
Chu Huaimin undoubtedly knew that the Zhenbei King Xiao Yunlong was now almost a nominal title, or rather, a title without substance, because just a few days ago, the major armies of the northern region had been taken over by someone.
As for the Zhang family of Jiangdong, not only did they have Longhu Mountain backing them, but they had also gathered countless noble and wealthy families from the Eastern Region's military camps due to the establishment of the Daqi Chamber of Commerce.
Even the Zhenbei King Xiao Yunlong probably wouldn't dare to act rashly, as the implications were too great!
Thinking of this, Chu Huaimin shook his head and got into his car to leave.
It was only then that Master Fo and others rushed over.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xiao. This is my negligence. Please punish me, Mr. Xiao!"
Fatty Fo jumped out of the car and rushed in, shouting repeatedly.
"Alright, there's no need for such theatrics. The matter has been resolved. Handle the aftermath, and let the crew have the afternoon off!"
Xiao Yunlong finished speaking, took Liu Ruyan's hand, and walked out. The audience outside the lounge all made way for them.
Everyone present watched them leave with unblinking eyes. The men were shocked, while the women mostly showed envy towards Liu Ruyan.
"What is the identity of this guy named Xiao, that even the City Lord of Jiangdong can't handle him!"
"I saw it just now. When the City Lord walked out of the door, he even cupped his hands to Xiao Yunlong, and his attitude was very respectful. This is truly unbelievable!"
Everyone marveled in their hearts. Of course, the outer perimeter of the lounge had been cordoned off after the City Lord of Jiangdong, Chu Huaimin, arrived, so everyone could only watch from afar and didn't know what exactly happened inside.
When they reached the parking lot, Liu Ruyan happily said, "Great, we have the afternoon off. Why don't we go shopping, Yunlong? My skincare products are all used up. Afterwards, we can go see a movie or something."
"Of course, no problem!" Xiao Yunlong nodded, and then they both opened the car doors and got in.
Cousin Tang Bowen also followed and was about to get into the car.
Seeing this, Xiao Yunlong smiled and said, "Cousin, don't you think you look like something at this moment?"
Tang Bowen was stunned and asked, "Like something? Like what?"
"Like a light bulb!" Xiao Yunlong said with a straight face, suppressing his laughter.
"Like a light bulb?"
Tang Bowen subconsciously touched his face. After realizing what was meant, he immediately said angrily, "Alright, I'm disturbing you. I'll leave!"
After saying that, he shook his head and turned to leave.
Liu Ruyan behind them covered her mouth and giggled uncontrollably.
"This guy is really something. He's already a master of Huajin, but his emotional intelligence is still so low. He has to make me spell it out."
Xiao Yunlong shook his head, and then the two of them got into the car and sped away.
After having lunch at the mall, Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan browsed the shops aimlessly. They were dressed casually and looked like ordinary couples, peaceful and beautiful.
However, when they came out of the mall, they happened to see a report on the screen at the mall's main entrance!
The huge screen was written in striking red characters: "The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival, Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader vs. Mysterious Expert Showdown!"
Below this striking headline was a picture of a thin old man in a white training suit kicking a young man into unconsciousness. The young man had a pool of blood under his feet, making the entire scene highly provocative.
Xiao Yunlong paused his steps when he inadvertently saw this scene, his brows furrowed slightly.
Liu Ruyan glanced at it and said, "I didn't expect the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader to issue a city-wide announcement, and the screen also indicates that there will be a full live broadcast!"
Xiao Yunlong chuckled and said, "A full broadcast throughout Jiangdong? This Martial Alliance Leader seems quite confident."
Liu Ruyan pouted, "It's just a challenge match. There's no need for the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader to make such a big fuss. Now the whole city knows about it!"
Xiao Yunlong's lips curled up slightly, and he said playfully, "Doing this is nothing more than trying to establish his authority. It seems this Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader has great ambitions and even wants to dominate all the martial arts forces in Jiangdong!"
"Then Yunlong, will you go or not?" Liu Ruyan asked.
As soon as she asked this question, Liu Ruyan regretted it, because knowing her man, he would never back down.
"What do you think?" Xiao Yunlong retorted.
"Of course, we have to go. The other party has already announced it to the whole city. If we don't go, won't we have to live with our tails between our legs in Jiangdong from now on?" Liu Ruyan quickly said.
"Naturally. This Martial Alliance Leader, who comes from the Kunlun Hidden Sect, must be met!"
After speaking, Xiao Yunlong took Liu Ruyan's hand and said, "Let's go, we'll go back first!"
At this moment, all the passers-by entering and exiting the mall's main entrance were undoubtedly attracted by the image on the large screen above.
In fact, not only was the screen in Jiangdong's largest mall showing this, but Jiangdong Television was also broadcasting this news, and it was also being forwarded online.
In just over an hour, by the time Xiao Yunlong returned to the villa and night fell, the entire Jiangdong was in an uproar. Streets and alleys throughout the city were discussing this matter, and every household was discussing it during dinner.
Of course, the most discussed and most concerned topic was: Who was the mysterious expert who was going to duel with the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader?
For the ordinary people of Jiangdong, the Martial Alliance Leader was undoubtedly the most skilled martial artist in Jiangdong. Therefore, after seeing the report, everyone was curious, wondering who dared to challenge the Martial Alliance Leader!
As night fell, dark clouds gathered. The summer rain came as it pleased. In the blink of an eye, the entire Jiangdong City was filled with howling winds, lightning, and thunder, and heavy rain poured down.
And Jiangdong was destined to be a restless night. Upon receiving the news, various high-level forces in Jiangdong immediately made corresponding judgments and actions.
At the Jiangdong City Lord's Mansion, Chu Huaimin had just returned from the hospital after visiting his son who had a broken leg. Before he could have dinner after entering the backyard, a subordinate rushed in to report on the duel between the Martial Alliance Leader and the mysterious expert.
After hearing this, Chu Huaimin stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves, staring blankly at the pouring rain in front of him. The subordinate stood respectfully below, not daring to disturb him.
After a long time, Chu Huaimin sighed and said, "Hua Xiaorong actually issued a city-wide announcement and wants to broadcast it live to the whole city. It seems he not only knows Xiao Yunlong's identity but also, most likely, has received instructions from the Kunlun Hidden Sect!"
In fact, this was not difficult to guess. After all, Hua Xiaorong was just the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader, and his status was even lower than Chu Huaimin, the City Lord of Jiangdong. If he hadn't received instructions from the Kunlun Hidden Sect, how could he dare to openly challenge the Zhenbei King so boldly.
"It seems that the Kunlun Hidden Sect was indeed involved in the ambush incident outside the capital. This time, the Kunlun Hidden Sect probably wants to use the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader to eliminate Xiao Yunlong, but with just Hua Xiaorong, can he be the Zhenbei King's opponent?"
Chu Huaimin muttered to himself, then shook his head with a bitter smile, "Forget it, this is no longer something I, the City Lord of Jiangdong, can interfere with. As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals retreat. I should stay far away."
The subordinate beside him seemed to hear the latter part and asked, "Then City Lord, are you planning not to watch the duel two days later?"
"Go, why not? How could I miss such an exciting show? Arrange it, I, the City Lord, will personally go to watch the duel in three days!" Chu Huaimin said.
The subordinate cupped his hands and then retreated.
The rain was getting heavier. Outside Jiangdong, a huge manor. This courtyard did not have a plaque. People only knew that cars were coming and going, and they were mostly luxury cars, and sometimes even military vehicles from the Great Rain Base Camp.
But the surrounding residents had always been unclear about the specific origin of this mansion, only knowing that the family's surname was Zhang!
This was Jiangdong's hidden chief aristocratic family. Its status and power were much stronger than the Chu family, the City Lord. Of course, this was only unknown to ordinary people. The upper-class circles of Jiangdong knew the Zhang family's background.
The moment Zhang Zhenyun, the third young master of the Zhang family, was sent home, the entire family was alerted. Two founding elders of the family, who were of the same generation as Zhang Houfu, came out from the backyard.
In addition, Zhang Zhenyun's parents, and the head of the Zhang family, Zhang Zhenyun's uncle, all quickly came to the front hall.
"Outrageous, truly outrageous! How dare they publicly break my son's leg? Who dares to be so audacious!"
Zhang Zhenyun's father, Zhang Quanlin, stood in the center of the hall, gnashing his teeth and shouting coldly.
Zhang Zhenyun had already been bandaged on the way back. He was lying on a stretcher and snorted, "Father and Uncle, you must avenge me. That dog surnamed Xiao is too arrogant and overbearing. Not only did he not give face to City Lord Chu Huaimin, but I even reported our Zhang family's background, and he still insisted on acting, forcing me to break my own leg, otherwise he would kill me!"
"This... this is simply provoking the mighty. If this madman is not killed, how can we swallow this anger!"
Zhang Quanlin roared, waved his hand, and took four masters from his family to settle the score.
"Third Brother, stop, come back here first!" Zhang Zhenyun's uncle, the head of the Zhang family of this generation, Zhang Quanming, shouted sternly.
Zhang Quanlin had to stop and turn around, saying, "Brother, why are you telling me to stop? The other party has already bullied us to our doorstep. Are we going to endure it again this time? Our Zhang family has been too low-key all these years, so now almost no one in Jiangdong knows the prestige of our Zhang family!"
"A nobody dares to shit and piss on us. If this person is not killed, my anger will not be appeased. Taking this opportunity, let everyone in Jiangdong know that our Zhang family's authority absolutely cannot be challenged by anyone!"
Zhang Quanlin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, roaring.
Zhang Quanming walked up to him and sneered, "A nobody? Didn't you listen carefully to what Zhenyun said? The guy surnamed Xiao, even City Lord Chu Huaimin treated him with respect and called him Mr. Xiao. Do you think such a person is ordinary?"
"Even if he's not ordinary, is our Zhang family afraid of him?" Zhang Quanlin retorted.
"It's not about being afraid, but about being cautious. As Sun Tzu's Art of War says, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. If we act without knowing the other party's background, we will be the ones who suffer in the end!" Zhang Quanming said earnestly.
"I don't care about these things. Our Zhang family is the supreme emperor of Jiangdong. Who dares to be presumptuous in Jiangdong? In short, the revenge for my son's broken leg must be taken. Brother, if you keep refusing, are you not going to let it go?" Zhang Quanlin questioned.
Zhang Quanming glared at him angrily and snorted, "Now I finally understand why you've only been involved in shady businesses all these years. You're simply a pig's head!"
Saying this, before his third brother could speak, the family head Zhang Quanming continued, "I have already learned through special channels that on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival, two days later, the mysterious expert challenged by the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader is the guy named Xiao who injured Zhenyun."
"Brother, what do you mean by suddenly telling us this?" Zhang Quanlin asked.
"As the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late. Let's put aside the revenge for Zhenyun's broken leg for now. Let's go to the Martial Alliance to watch the duel two days later and see what kind of background this guy named Xiao has before making plans!" Zhang Quanming said.
Although Zhang Quanlin was still filled with anger, since his elder brother had given the order, he couldn't say much more.
"Take Zhenyun down to rest. I still have to go to the City Lord's Mansion!" Zhang Quanming waved his hand and then walked out.
The night grew darker, and the rain became heavier. The torrential rain hit the Jiangdong River, splashing water.
A cruise ship suddenly broke through the waves from the river. Two Fusang warriors in wooden clogs and samurai uniforms stood on the deck.
A Fusang warrior with a small braid at the back of his head suddenly spoke, "Have you really confirmed that the person who killed Sato Kazui and Sazagawa No in Sucheng is the Zhenbei King of Longguo?"
"Yes, Lord Yuanno, the news is absolutely true!" The other Fusang warrior nodded.
"That's great, truly heaven helps me! The Zhenbei King of Longguo, now a stray dog, has actually ended up in Jiangdong. This is a golden opportunity for us!" The Fusang warrior named Yuanno grinned and said repeatedly.
The other Fusang warrior said, "Lord Yuanno, we also learned that on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival, two days later, the Jiangdong Martial Alliance Leader of Longguo is going to have a duel with that guy named Xiao. However, even so, he is still the Zhenbei King of Longguo. Will it be difficult for us to assassinate him?"
"Of course. With just a few of us, we are naturally no match for the Zhenbei King of Longguo. However, this time, I have notified our Bushi Alliance and the Kensai Palace, and they have decided to send top-tier Shadow-level masters to secretly infiltrate Longguo and go to Jiangdong!" That Yuanno Fusang warrior grinned.
"What? Sending Shadow-level masters? If that's the case, then there will be no problem. The Zhenbei King of Longguo is now alone. With our Shadow-level peerless experts making a move, he will surely die!"
The two Fusang warriors on the deck couldn't help but laugh heartily when they said this.