Chapter Eleven: Third Master (Please Add to Favorites)

“Spare me…” Qiao Yifeng tried to beg for mercy. He was terrified of dying—just moments ago, two burly men had been killed by Xiao Cheng in an instant, and Xiao Cheng hadn’t batted an eye. Clearly, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Qiao Yifeng either.

“Spare you? If I hadn’t been here, would you have spared my sister-in-law, Yu?” Xiao Cheng shuddered at the thought. If he hadn’t shown up today, would his sister-in-law have been violated by this scum?

Yet, as this thought struck him, Xiao Cheng began to feel puzzled. In his previous life, nothing like this had ever happened—if it had, he would certainly have known. If he hadn’t appeared, then who had saved his sister-in-law from disaster?

Qiao Yifeng was now filled with regret, trembling all over. He simply couldn’t believe it—Xiao Cheng was so formidable. Wasn’t it said that Xiao Cheng practiced the art of celibacy and indulged in debauchery? How could he possess such strength?

“Weren’t you curious about what happens after taking CML2? Let me grant your wish,” Xiao Cheng said as he pried open Qiao Yifeng’s mouth.

He uncapped a medicine bottle, pouring out three white tablets. The pills looked exactly like CML2, except for the letters stamped upon them—these bore the inscription CML5, clearly a more potent hallucinogen.

Qiao Yifeng’s face turned deathly pale when he saw the letters. Xiao Cheng not only had CML, but the superior kind, and yet Qiao Yifeng had just mocked him for being ignorant.

It was only now that he realized everything he thought was secret, Xiao Cheng had known all along—he just hadn’t bothered to expose it, treating it as a joke. Qiao Yifeng’s heart was filled with despair; who knew what horrors awaited after swallowing such a drug?

Xiao Cheng tossed the three pills into Qiao Yifeng’s mouth, pressed on his chest, and guided his internal energy so that the tablets slid down his throat.

“Your drugs are outdated, Young Master Qiao. Enjoy,” Xiao Cheng said, then flung Qiao Yifeng to the floor and kicked him several times in his handsome face. After that, he hoisted him up and thrust him headfirst into a urinal, his head wedged tight.

Xiao Cheng could kill two henchmen without hesitation, but he couldn’t so easily kill Qiao Yifeng. The two brutes were clearly members of the underworld; being part of that world, they had to be prepared for death at any time. Qiao Yifeng, however, was different; he was the young master of the Qiao family.

Although the Qiao family was a mundane clan, far below the hidden cultivation families, if he killed Qiao Yifeng, the Qiao family would never let it rest. The family would suffer losses outweighing any gain. Surely, today’s lesson would be enough for Qiao Yifeng to remember for a lifetime.

Since his rebirth, Xiao Cheng had changed in many ways. In the past, he wouldn’t have thought twice—he would have simply killed. But now, he couldn’t afford to be reckless; he had to protect his family.

After dealing with Qiao Yifeng, Xiao Cheng glanced at the two corpses on the floor and frowned. Killing people in such a place would be troublesome to handle. Still, he didn’t worry too much—someone would take care of it soon enough.

From Qiao Yifeng’s earlier actions, Xiao Cheng had already discerned that Qiao had accomplices. The two thugs he’d killed were merely a part of them. The Qiao family were legitimate businessmen and didn’t mingle with criminals; therefore, these men must belong to a criminal gang. Handling corpses was something the underworld excelled at.

Xiao Cheng left the restroom and walked into the corridor. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he detected something unusual in one of the private rooms. There were five people inside, all men by the look of their builds. Four were as robust as the men he had just killed, while the fifth was slightly stronger.

Xiao Cheng strode straight to the door and kicked it open. Just as he had sensed, there were five people inside: four burly men stood by the side of an old man, who was seated on a rattan chair with an air of calm authority. Clearly, this old man was their leader.

The sudden kick to the door enraged the four henchmen. Who dared break into their club in such a manner?

The old man in the rattan chair was slightly surprised, but his expression barely changed. He merely lifted his eyelids to glance at Xiao Cheng. He was the Third Master of the Qinglian Gang, someone who had survived decades of bloodshed and violence. He’d seen every kind of situation—how could a young upstart provoke his anger?

He immediately guessed that something had gone wrong with his two subordinates.

The waiter had just reported that Young Master Qiao was planning to deal with that boy in the restroom, yet now the boy appeared before him unscathed while his own men were nowhere to be seen.

Still, he wasn’t overly concerned. Those subordinates of his were only so-so; being defeated was no great surprise. The Qinglian Gang feared no one, let alone a mere youth.

“Who are you? Where are my men? What have you done to them?” the old man demanded arrogantly.

“Who am I?” Xiao Cheng laughed at the question.

So, they wanted to deal with him but didn’t even know who he was? That made sense—if they knew his background, not even this old man would dare challenge him. The Xiao family were a hidden clan of cultivators; the Qiao family was nothing more than a powerful family in the mundane world. Xiao Cheng was the sole heir of his generation in the Xiao family, while Qiao Yifeng was merely one of several successors in his. Their backgrounds weren’t even on the same level.

Though it sounded a bit arrogant, it was simply the truth.

Xiao Cheng had no patience for further talk. With a flicker, he was standing in front of the old man.

The old man’s pupils contracted, and his face twisted in shock. He hadn’t even seen how this young man had crossed the room. Realizing this, his heart plummeted—this youth’s strength was clearly above his own, and he was no ordinary martial artist.

Xiao Cheng was pleased with the old man’s reaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

The world could develop as it might, but strength would always be the key to everything. Only with strength did one have a voice. Xiao Cheng intended to cow this old man into submission. If it came to a real fight, it would be troublesome. At present, he was only at the fourth stage of foundation establishment, his internal energy thin and precious—he needed to save it for refining the drug’s effects later, not waste it here.

Standing before the old man, Xiao Cheng didn’t give him a chance to react. He reached out, grabbed the old man’s neck, and lifted him off the ground.

“Who… who are you?” the old man stammered, the arrogance gone, his voice trembling with fear. He was shocked—this youth had appeared before him in an instant and hoisted him up before he could make a move. What kind of power was this? Killing him now would be effortless.

The four burly men finally snapped out of it and charged at Xiao Cheng. One of them swung a fist at the back of Xiao Cheng’s head, but Xiao Cheng, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, caught the man’s fist and gave a slight twist. There was a crack, and the man’s wrist broke.

“Stand down!” the old man barked. With his life in another’s hands, his men should have known better than to attack.

Xiao Cheng smiled. “Who am I? That’s a question I should be asking you.”

“I’m the third—” The old man began to say “third master” but, with his life on the line, dared not finish the honorific. After uttering this, he felt a measure of relief. The Qinglian Gang was a force in Shanghai; he assumed this young man wouldn’t dare kill him after hearing their name.

“Qinglian Gang?” Xiao Cheng frowned. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he’d heard it. It didn’t matter; familiarity meant nothing.

“So you dare help Qiao Yifeng drug my sister-in-law? In that case, the Qinglian Gang has no reason to exist any longer,” Xiao Cheng said coldly.

At these words, instead of terror, a trace of mockery flickered in the old man’s eyes. He even felt somewhat reassured. So, this youth was nothing but a fool with some skill and no sense. How dare he utter such words—he was truly ignorant of his own limits.

Of course, what the old man didn’t realize, in this age of limited information, was that many things were beyond his comprehension—especially the existence of hidden clans like Xiao Cheng’s. Had he known anything about the Xiao family, he would have realized that this very man was the most notorious scoundrel in all of Shanghai, and the only person with the right to call Fang Yu-jia “sister-in-law.” And if he had truly understood the Xiao family, he never would have colluded with Qiao Yifeng to scheme against Fang Yu-jia.

The old man’s reaction did not escape Xiao Cheng’s notice. But since he dared say such things, he naturally had the power to back them up.

[Rolling on the ground begging for your support!]