Chapter 28: Young Master, How Could It Be You?

Now that he possessed the art of the Mount Tai Press, everything became exceedingly simple. On left turns, Xiao Cheng would cast the technique on himself; on right turns, he’d ease off the accelerator just slightly, then cast the art on Zhuo Qinglian. Their speed hovered around two hundred kilometers per hour almost the entire time. Zhuo Qinglian marveled, clicking her tongue in disbelief—such a technique was nothing short of a godly skill on the racetrack.

She had half a mind to ask Xiao Cheng to teach her, but recalling that he practiced the Pure Youth Art, she had to let the thought go.

Xiao Cheng noticed her intention, but the Five Elements Tunneling Art and the Immortal Sutra were not things he could casually teach her. It wasn’t a matter of reluctance, but rather that revealing such arts would invite disaster. He simply didn’t possess the strength to protect anyone yet; ultimately, it was because his cultivation was still too low.

However, he could impart the Harmonious Heart Sutra to Zhuo Qinglian. As this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized—if he taught the Harmonious Heart Sutra to his four sisters-in-law as well, letting them cultivate it, they might not gain great martial prowess, but at the very least, they’d be immune to illness and their lifespans would be extended. This, too, was a good deed. Why had he never thought of it before?

Thanks to Xiao Cheng’s ability to take corners without slowing down, he quickly overtook Tang Qianfan’s car. No matter how hard Tang Qianfan tried to keep up, the gap between them only grew.

Witnessing Xiao Cheng’s speed through the turns, Tang Qianfan nearly bit through his tongue. He simply couldn’t fathom how Xiao Cheng was able to take those curves at such velocity.

Tang Qianfan realized he had lost—and lost thoroughly. Compared to Xiao Cheng, his driving skills weren’t even in the same league. But he had no intention of leaving Hu Hai just because of a wager; he wouldn’t rest until he’d won Zhuo Qinglian for himself. What a fresh and lovely “cabbage,” yet the “pig” had gotten there first.

At the finish line, the crowd erupted in cheers. Xiao Cheng had broken the She Shan race record, completing the entire course in only twenty-five minutes.

Most of the spectators were racing enthusiasts. Twenty-five minutes was a full five minutes faster than the previous record. In their eyes, thirty minutes was already the absolute limit—even shaving off a few seconds would be astonishing. Now Xiao Cheng had cut off a whole five minutes.

It was like when Bolt ran the hundred meters in 9.58 seconds—only suddenly, someone finished it in just seven seconds. It shattered everything people thought they knew. They could not believe that this unremarkable-looking young man possessed such otherworldly driving skill.

“God of Racing! God of Racing!” the crowd roared again and again.

Hearing their shouts, Xiao Cheng smiled, paying it no mind. He’d only cheated, after all—hardly worthy of the title.

Zhuo Qinglian was ecstatic that Xiao Cheng had smashed the record she herself had held for so long. She was even more excited than if she’d broken it herself, because Xiao Cheng was her man. At first, she’d never even considered that Xiao Cheng could win; she would have been grateful just to have him return safely. She never expected him not only to win, but to win so dazzlingly.

She’d noticed many changes in Xiao Cheng lately. Last time, at the Qingfeng Club, he’d shown tremendous strength. Though she’d found it hard to believe, Old Third would never lie to her. And now, Xiao Cheng had used a miraculous art to win the race. She just couldn’t comprehend what had changed him.

“Not bad! What reward does big sister owe you? I’m not even wearing panties today!” Zhuo Qinglian wrapped her arms around Xiao Cheng’s neck, giggling coquettishly.

Xiao Cheng pinched her pretty cheek, thinking to himself, When have you ever worn panties?

With such a blatant hint, how could Xiao Cheng not get her meaning? But Zhuo Qinglian’s teasing was nothing new; in the end, she always handed him over to Little Hua, Little Rou, or whichever of her girls’ “oral talents.”

Several minutes passed after Xiao Cheng had stopped before the other cars began to arrive. Leading the pack was Tang Qianfan’s Bentley, clocking in at twenty-nine minutes. If not for Xiao Cheng, it would have been an excellent result, but compared to Xiao Cheng’s time, it meant nothing.

Tang Qianfan parked, feeling dejected, and rolled down his window, intending to banter with Zhuo Qinglian. But she lowered her own window, extended a snow-white hand, and slowly raised her middle finger.

“Get your naked ass out of Hu Hai!” she said, then rolled the window back up.

Tang Qianfan trembled with rage. When had anyone ever dared make such a gesture at him? And a woman, no less!

“It’s just a race, what’s so special about winning?” he muttered, already forgetting how, at the start, he’d looked down on Xiao Cheng, boasting that victory was certain. He’d schemed and set obstacles, yet Xiao Cheng had still beaten him so thoroughly, leaving him with no chance of a comeback. Now, he could only dismiss it all as “no big deal.”

Losers always find excuses for themselves.

What disappointed Xiao Cheng was that he only collected a bit over three million in cash from the bookies. At the outset, everyone expected the “God of Racing,” Zhuo Qinglian, to win, so most people had bet on Xiao Cheng’s car, making the odds quite low.

But Xiao Cheng was content. Three million was enough to pay for that piece of Venus-patterned steel he needed. That was sufficient for him; he didn’t want to waste any more time. He told Zhuo Qinglian he had things to do and prepared to drive off, and she, not wanting to linger either, left She Shan with him.

Seeing the two of them leaving together, Tang Qianfan sneered coldly.

“Tiger, are the men ready?” Tang Qianfan asked.

“All set!” Tiger replied, barely containing his excitement—finally, a chance to vent.

“Good. Block them at the Waiqingsong road junction. The license plates are… BC748 and SB748. Don’t hurt the woman—do what you want with the man, just don’t kill him. I’ll be there soon!”

With that, Tang Qianfan got in his car and took off in pursuit.

The night in Hu Hai was beautiful, but that beauty did not extend to Waiqingsong Road. The area around the highway had been under expansion for months; everything was in chaos and the road conditions were terrible. Driving a low-slung Lamborghini on such a road meant proceeding with extreme caution.

The two Lamborghinis crept along, their speed slower than even a delivery truck. As they were about to leave the rutted, pitted stretch of Waiqingsong Road, Xiao Cheng was struck by a sense of foreboding—a cultivator’s innate intuition. He furrowed his brow, extended his spiritual sense, and discovered that at the junction ahead, and not far behind them, two stretch Hummers were parked, manned by a dozen or more armed men.

Xiao Cheng’s heart tightened. Were these men here for him? But he hadn’t provoked any powerful factions lately. The only one he’d offended was Qiao Yifeng, but the Qiao family would never dare something like this. He was self-aware enough to know that, faced with over a dozen guns, his only option was to escape. Still, he didn’t panic—he’d wait and see.

Xiao Cheng slowed to a stop. Zhuo Qinglian, not knowing what was happening, pulled up beside him, rolled down her window, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“If I told you there’s an ambush ahead—over a dozen men, all armed to the teeth—would you believe me?” Xiao Cheng asked with a smile.

Zhuo Qinglian was startled. If something like that were happening, she ought to know—her underground network was no joke; even the slightest disturbance usually reached her ears. But seeing Xiao Cheng’s somewhat forced smile, she simply nodded, choosing to trust him.

As for how Xiao Cheng could sense things she couldn’t, she knew he was a cultivator, and naturally had special abilities.

While they spoke, two Hummers lunged out from either side, screeching to a halt and blocking the road. The letters XSAB were emblazoned on the side. As soon as the vehicles stopped, the doors flew open and seven masked, gun-toting men poured out of each.

Fourteen men split into two squads, clad in camouflage and balaclavas, forming a wedge-shaped assault formation as soon as they hit the ground. Clearly, these were highly trained professionals—no ordinary thugs could move so swiftly.

Xiao Cheng frowned. Their gear made it obvious: these were mercenaries. But domestically, they weren’t called mercenaries—they were known as security teams. Xiao Cheng was baffled. Who hated him enough to hire mercenaries?

Zhuo Qinglian shot Xiao Cheng a coquettish look and quipped, “This is your mess—you deal with it!”

Xiao Cheng gave an awkward laugh, then swaggered out of the car.

“Drop your weapons—you’re surrounded!” Xiao Cheng called out with a grin.

Anyone else seeing this scene would have thought it absurd: one man, surrounded by fourteen gunmen, brazenly claiming that they were the ones encircled, as if he had no sense of danger.

Strangely, the gunmen actually obeyed and lowered their weapons.

It was almost comical—these mercenaries were actually employees of Bloodguard Security, a company under the Xiao family. XSAB was its abbreviation—XS the initials for Xiao’s family name.

The Xiao family’s own mercenaries, hired to target their young master? Nothing could be more ridiculous.

“Young master, what are you doing here?” the burly man at their head said, lifting his mask to reveal a broad, happy grin.