Chapter Fifty-three: Does Such a Matter Require Negotiation?

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Avril Lavigne’s “HOT” was playing loudly in the main hall, while two women with stunning figures performed a pole dance on stage. Under the strobe lights, the crowd was ablaze with excitement.

Yet in a corner alcove to the left of the hall, two groups of people stood apart, out of sync with the fevered atmosphere.

One side was clearly from Prosperity, most of them wearing security uniforms, with a burly man standing in the middle. On his head perched a flamboyant red lotus—without a doubt, this was Long Worm.

The other group was a motley crew, but their presence was imposing. They pointed and gestured incessantly, even spitting from time to time.

At the center of this group stood a man in his forties. Though not as physically imposing as Long Worm, his aura was no less fierce—perhaps even more so. This was strict Hongde, the master of the Hongde School, often called Thirteenth Master Yan for his haughty temperament.

“Worm, get out of my way. I’m here to see Zhuo Qinglian today. I want to ask her myself if she thinks she can ignore me,” Yan Hongde sneered, his eyes full of mockery, clearly dismissing Long Worm as insignificant.

“Our club has always minded its own business. It’s Prosperity’s grand opening tonight. Why are you here to make trouble?” Long Worm, known for his explosive temper, surprisingly did not lash out despite Yan Hongde telling him to get lost. Instead, he tried to reason with him—a clear sign of his wariness, knowing he was no match for Yan Hongde.

“Mind our own business?” Yan Hongde gave a chilly laugh, his gaze dripping with scorn. “You opened Prosperity right on my doorstep—how is that minding your own business? If Zhuo Qinglian doesn’t give me an explanation tonight, there’s no need for Prosperity to continue. You’re trampling right over the Hongde School!”

…

Zhuo Qinglian and Xiao Cheng didn’t bother to walk around the crowd; instead, they moved straight through, and wherever they passed, people parted naturally before them.

Zhuo Qinglian had no idea what Xiao Cheng had done to make the dense crowd give way so easily. She had never seen anything like it.

From a distance, they could already hear the two groups bickering. Zhuo Qinglian smiled faintly, took Xiao Cheng’s arm, and walked over.

“Well now, Thirteenth Master, who’s bullying you? Tell your big sister here, and I’ll get justice for you!” Zhuo Qinglian laughed, still leaning delicately against Xiao Cheng.

She appeared not to take Yan Hongde seriously, but inwardly she was surprised by his personal visit. Although she usually acted a bit wild, she was by no means foolish—otherwise, she couldn’t have built this club from nothing. Yan Hongde’s presence meant something unusual was afoot, though she couldn’t guess what and could only wait and see.

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Though Yan Hongde had seen Zhuo Qinglian before, he was momentarily stunned; she was even more beautiful than before. But soon his attention was caught by the young man whose arm she held—so young he might not even be twenty, entirely unremarkable.

Yan Hongde barely glanced at Xiao Cheng before dismissing him as Zhuo Qinglian’s kept boy, a common enough occurrence in their world. Such a pretty boy was nothing to him, though he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy that the youth had beaten him to her.

Xiao Cheng paid Yan Hongde no mind. Yan Hongde was indeed a formidable character, but nothing extraordinary—just a little stronger than Zhuo Qinglian.

When Xiao Cheng entered the hall, he had already released his spiritual senses and was surprised to detect a second- or third-tier innate expert present. Looking closer, he realized it was someone he knew—the eccentric Lord Hong Jiuling of Black City, infamous for having once tossed away a priceless Golden Star Satin Steel.

What was Hong Jiuling doing here tonight? Was he involved with the Hongde School’s troublemaking?

As if sensing Xiao Cheng’s gaze, Hong Jiuling looked over and was equally surprised to see him—especially with Zhuo Qinglian. He had come out just for fun tonight, without any special agenda, and raised his glass to Xiao Cheng in invitation.

Understanding Hong Jiuling’s gesture, Xiao Cheng realized he had been overthinking things; Hong Jiuling wasn’t here to make trouble. Xiao Cheng shook his head, glancing at Yan Hongde’s group to indicate he couldn’t get away.

Hong Jiuling smiled knowingly and nodded.

“Zhuo Qinglian, you must give me an explanation tonight!” Yan Hongde demanded harshly.

Zhuo Qinglian laughed coldly. “Does opening a club require your permission?”

“Opening a club, you say? Right on my doorstep? That’s an open provocation! Do you even respect the Hongde School?” Yan Hongde grew more agitated, nearly jabbing his finger in her face.

Though Prosperity was indeed close to the Hongde School, it was not their property. Their businesses were entirely different and wouldn’t affect each other—his complaint was nothing more than a pretext.

Zhuo Qinglian found arguing with this loudmouth tiresome and replied calmly, “Be direct—what do you want?”

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“Heh, since you insist, I’ll be blunt. This is the Hongde School’s territory. If you want to open here, fine—but don’t expect to keep all the profits. There’s no reason you should be the only one making money.”

Zhuo Qinglian laughed. So that was his real aim. It sounded reasonable, but in truth, it was nothing but envy, a blatant attempt at extortion.

“And why should I?” she said with a mocking smile, unafraid of the Hongde School.

“Why? Because if you don’t let us in as partners, we’ll make sure Prosperity can’t stay open. You know we have that power!” Yan Hongde spoke as though he had Zhuo Qinglian cornered. If she refused, he had plenty of ways to disrupt her business.

“Go ahead and try. Worm, see our guests out,” Zhuo Qinglian said, unwilling to waste another word.

Long Worm hesitated at her order, knowing full well he lacked the strength to evict Yan Hongde.

The atmosphere grew tense and unmoving. Yan Hongde glanced at Long Worm and, emboldened, grew more arrogant.

“Black shrew, I’ve let things go because you’re a mere woman, but don’t think you can push me around. This won’t end here!”

At this, Zhuo Qinglian was finally enraged. Her chest heaved, furious at such humiliation—especially with Xiao Cheng present. To call her a black shrew in front of him was unbearable.

Before Zhuo Qinglian could speak, Xiao Cheng intervened.

“I don’t think there’s any need for further negotiation,” he said coolly.

Xiao Cheng hadn’t wanted to get involved, trusting Zhuo Qinglian to handle things. But this man was growing ever more insolent, daring to insult Zhuo Qinglian as a black shrew right before him. That was an affront he could not tolerate.

“And who do you think you are? This is no place for a kept boy to speak!” Yan Hongde had not expected this pretty boy to interject, much less dismiss the need for negotiations. Who did he think he was?

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