The Evil Prince - Showdown with the Blazing Flame Hall 123-131

Chapter 123 Three Kingdoms
"No, there's a button here. Turn it on and try it with your glasses on." Long Yi smiled slightly and pointed to a button on his watch.
Following Long Yi's instructions, I gently pressed the button, put on the glasses, and immediately a set of data appeared in the glasses. A clear female voice sounded in my ear, "Opponent's combat power: 5, rating: physically strong human."
As the voice faded, Long Yi suddenly increased his aura, unleashing his previously hidden power. The data in the glasses began to change continuously, and after a moment, a clear sound rang out again, "Opponent's combat power: 100,000, rating: Grandmaster level, extremely dangerous."
"Oh? It changed? Hehe, you kid, no... this data isn't accurate yet." I said to Long Yi with a smile, then suddenly remembered something and said to him.
"Hmm, not accurate, there's more." Suddenly, Long Yi's power surged again, and his mental energy began to emerge. A gust of wind swirled around him, and instantly, I heard a voice in my ear again: "Confirmed, the opponent is a wind-type ability user, level SS, extremely dangerous, with a total combat power of 230,000, very dangerous."
"I see. This little thing is really useful, but it seems to be useless when hiding one's aura. In the end, it's just a useless toy, not very useful. And I have to wear glasses, which is too uncomfortable. You know I hate this. You specially sent me here just to give me this toy to play with?" I took off my glasses and said to Long Yi with a smile.
“If you don’t like it, you can take off the glasses. You can still hear the sound. Just wear a small, wireless, invisible earpiece. Actually, this thing is pretty good. It’s useless to you, but it’s a good thing for us ordinary members. It can detect the energy index of all martial artists and superhumans below the Innate level. Even if they hide it, it’s useless. It’s definitely a good thing. We specially got this from Area 51 in the United States during our last operation. The special departments there are already equipped with it. This thing seems to belong to an alien civilization. We are also planning to widely deploy it. Of course, the main reason I came here is to see how much combat power it really has. Although I know it’s no match for you, I’m still very curious.” Long Yi said to me with a smile, and then took out a watch and put it on.
Hearing Long Yi's words, I shook my head. This Long Yi was stubbornly unwilling to admit defeat. Although he lost to me last time, he clearly had no intention of giving up. So I unleashed my full power, and a clear female voice immediately appeared beside me, saying, "Combat power 200,008,000, Fire-type SS-rank upper-level ability user, Overall combat power 578,000... Overall rating: Extremely dangerous, please leave immediately."
"You... are you even human? You hid your combat power from me last time?" Long Yi was stunned after hearing this voice, and said to me in surprise.
"Hehe, no, it's just that I've recently improved a little. By the way, how do you classify combat power?" I chuckled and asked.
"Here's the thing," Long Yi explained to me in detail. "An ordinary person's combat power is 5, a special forces soldier's combat power is 100, a ninth-rank master's combat power is 100, an eighth-rank master's combat power is 200, a seventh-rank master's combat power is 500, a sixth-rank master's combat power is 1000, a fifth-rank master's combat power is 2000, a fourth-rank master's combat power is 5000, a third-rank innate master's combat power is 20000, a grandmaster-level master's combat power is 100,000, a mid-level grandmaster's combat power is 200,000, and a peak grandmaster's combat power is 500,000. As for grandmasters, we estimate their combat power to be between one million and two million. This is because we haven't tested with grandmasters, and the current grandmasters are nowhere to be found. However, this estimate might be a bit low. My personal conservative estimate is that a grandmaster's combat power is over two million, while we estimated the combat power of the atomic bomb that exploded in Hiroshima to be five million."
Undoubtedly, I was stunned by Long Yi's words. The terror of a Grandmaster was self-evident; he was practically a miniature nuclear bomb, incredibly powerful. No wonder people say that even a Grandmaster's sneeze is enough to shake the entire cultivation world.
"Here you go. From now on, you're the Executive Deputy Leader of our Dragon Group, plus an Elder Guest. This is something I specially applied for from the state, appointing you as a Major General. You won't be subordinate to anyone, and you'll only act when the Dragon Group is in trouble." While I was still in a daze, Long Yi handed me a new set of identification documents, along with a bag containing a neat army uniform.
"What? When did I join your Dragon Group? Don't talk nonsense, I'm not going to work for you." I said irritably.
"I know, I know, but didn't you say you'd help me with three things? This is the second one—accept this. Believe me, it'll benefit you. Of course, I'm not asking you to work for someone else. You're still you, and nothing can stop you. I've already explained this to the higher-ups. You're just helping the Dragon Group when they're in trouble, but you'll enjoy all the benefits of the Dragon Group. You can use this pass to act on behalf of any official you dislike without prior approval, and you can freely mobilize a regiment of troops from any location. How about that? Pretty good, right?" Long Yi said to me with a smile.
"Tch. I won't do it. Isn't this just tying me to the Dragon Group's cart?" I said disdainfully.
"No, this is just a nominal position. Don't worry, our Dragon Group won't be in trouble so easily. If we could be wiped out at any moment, would we still be the Dragon Group? Foreigners would have already invaded. So, you'll basically have nothing to do most of the time. And since the second thing is a nominal position, I'll use the third thing you promised to do: help our Dragon Group once. How about that? After that, you can ignore us, and I definitely won't ask you for help without a reason. Is that alright?" Long Yi said to me earnestly. This guy seemed determined to recruit me. But thinking about it, would this do me any harm? I nodded a little and agreed.
Afterwards, I left under Long Yi's disgusting gaze, and Long Yi personally escorted me home. Before leaving, he said to me, "General Li, we should cooperate well in the future."
It really made me want to throw that general's mansion in his face.
"Wow, young master, what are you carrying?" As I entered the room, Youyue immediately ran over and excitedly exclaimed upon seeing the clothes I was holding. You see, although Youyue was a maid, no one in the entire Li family treated her like a servant, so she was often quite casual and didn't hold back much. Now that she was my woman, there was even less to say. Although the house was already full of people, even the usually stern old man wasn't angry; he just smiled at Youyue. It seemed that women who could bear sons in this family indeed held a high status.
"Tianxie, what are you carrying? Why are you being so mysterious?" Before I could speak, the old man, who was sitting there drinking tea, also spoke up. He was still in his military uniform, looking incredibly dignified. That's just how the old man was—a typical military enthusiast.
"Uh, a military uniform... Some bastard tricked me into joining them, so he gave me this uniform," I said, annoyed.
"Hmm? Who? Which department did you join? Why did you suddenly decide to join the army? Didn't you say you wanted to settle down for two years? Besides, joining a special department is good, but it's hard to get promoted, and you don't have much prestige in the military. You know I won't help you, so don't even think about using my connections." The old man put down his teacup and said to me with a serious face.
"No, I never wanted to join the army. I was just tricked. Luckily, I didn't become someone's employee. Now I'm just a temporary worker, and I can quit anytime." I said helplessly.
"Hmm, is that so... Hehe, actually, joining the army isn't bad, but it has to be legitimate. Tell me when you want to join, and I'll arrange for you to be a battalion commander to train first." The old man said to me with a smile.
"Honestly, Grandpa, you're not as generous as outsiders. They're all major generals, and you only got a major. The difference is too big. I'm your grandson, after all," I said, annoyed.
"What? Major general? Nonsense. In China, which major general isn't over forty? And which general in China wasn't appointed with my approval? You should know I'm the Minister of National Defense and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. I hold all the power in the military. You haven't been fooled, have you?" Grandpa looked at me with a "you're a fool" expression.
"No, it's really true. That guy Long Yi gave it to me. Did he really lie to me?" I asked, puzzled.
"What? Long Yi? No wonder, no wonder! The other day the Chairman asked me for a general's position for that deputy leader of the Dragon Group, a Dragon Group retainer. I didn't think much of it and just gave it to him. I didn't expect it to be you, kid. Hmph, really, what are the descendants of the Li family doing in the Dragon Group? Do you think our military's Tiger Group is inferior to the Dragon Group? If you want to be a retainer, you can do it in the Tiger Group too. Why go to a place that's not under our control?" the old man said angrily.
His words surprised me. China has three special departments. Special Task Force 9, also known as Special Operations Group 9, handles everything related to superhumans and martial artists. They are known as the government office of the martial arts world and the court of superhumans. They have the most people and many experts, but not many top-tier ones. Above them are two organizations: the Dragon Group, which belongs to the state and is directly controlled by the Chairman, answering only to the Chairman and the state; and the Tiger Group, which belongs to the military, but is now under the control of the Li family. The members of the Tiger Group serve the Li family. The two organizations are evenly matched, but the Dragon Group is more active abroad, while the Tiger Group mainly guards the country and does not carry out many missions, only cooperating with the military when it is in operation.
"Well... actually, Grandpa, you have to understand, the Tiger Group is already ours, so there's not much point in me going there. But the Dragon Group is different. They belong to the neutral faction. If we can win them over, it would be a good thing for us. Besides, even if the Dragon Group doesn't cooperate with us, at least they won't help others against us, right?" I said to the old man with a forced smile.
Hearing this, the old man chuckled and said, "Hmm, you've matured, kid. You're thinking more about things now. Not bad, I had that plan too. I was just testing you earlier, and you passed."
Undoubtedly, the old man's words annoyed me, but before I could finish being annoyed, the old man muttered to himself, "That Long Yi even dared to poach my grandson. Looks like I'll have to teach him a lesson when I have time."
Hearing this, I felt a surge of joy and silently mourned for poor Long Yi. If the old man wanted to deal with someone, no one could escape him, including Long Yi, otherwise he wouldn't be so afraid of the old man.
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Winter vacation has gone by quickly, and everyone in the family has gone their separate ways. Youyue went to Shanghai with her parents. Although I didn't intend for her to be separated from me, Youyue still felt she should protect my parents. Poor Youyue, she doesn't know that my unscrupulous father might be a top-tier martial arts master, and she's still foolishly protecting them. Thinking about this makes me grit my teeth in anger.
As for my third uncle and cousin, they also left. Of course, before leaving, my third uncle inevitably asked me to come and play, but I refused; I didn't have the time right now.
After saying goodbye to them, I returned to H City. After all, logically speaking, this is where I belong now; this is my territory.
Undoubtedly, the first thing I did after getting off the plane was to go home and find Qin Ziying. Upon meeting, there was naturally a passionate kiss and a deep embrace, and then... what awaited us was a naked, head-to-head battle.
After the passion subsided, Qin Ziying gently rested her head on my chest, her naked body wrapped around me, lying there quietly without saying a word. I lit a cigarette and smoked silently, puffing out clouds of smoke, my mind swirling with thoughts of how to deal with what might happen in the future.
The three northeastern provinces were not peaceful at the moment. I had been away for a month during winter break, and a lot could happen in a month. After all, every day was crucial for the Ice Mirror Society. The Ice Mirror Society and the Blazing Flame Hall were undoubtedly in a competitive phase, and not only us, but also the Japanese Inagawa Group.
Under my instructions, our Ice Mirror Society had rushed to produce a large number of cold weapons, which were distributed. At the same time, our cooperation with the Yamaguchi-gumi truly began, and the smuggling business slowly commenced. The Yamaguchi-gumi fulfilled their promise; three days after I left, a large ship loaded with munitions arrived at a port near H province, and our people transported them over.
On the other hand, we increased our cooperation with the Russians, forming a tacit alliance with the Crown in a sense. Everything seemed to be going well for the Ice Mirror Society.
However, ten days after I left, two major events occurred simultaneously. After stabilizing H Province, our Ice Mirror Society made rapid progress in a short period of time. Meanwhile, the Inagawa Group was not to be outdone and finally made its move. They broke up the gang alliances of some surrounding cities and began a major offensive into J Province. People led by traitorous small gangs obeyed their commands and, together with the Inagawa Group's eight thousand elites, began to attack in all directions. At the same time, the Blazing Flame Hall completed its plan to unify the underworld of L Province. The province fell under the control of the Blazing Flame Hall, but they were in no hurry to consolidate their power or expand southward. They abandoned the vast areas there and instead marched directly into J province. This suggests they were also aware of the threat posed by the Ice Mirror Society. After all, for the Blazing Flame Hall, the vast area north of the Yellow River and south of L province was simply theirs; it was a complete vacuum, devoid of any powerful gangs. Furthermore, the Qinghong faction's power was firmly controlled there by the two major families. Therefore, their threat was far less tangible than that of the powerful Ice Mirror Society. That's why the Blazing Flame Hall set its sights on J province.
Undoubtedly, their actions against the Ice Mirror Society left no reason for them to remain indifferent. This was not the time to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight; every second counted. Therefore, after my instructions, the Ice Mirror Society began its operation.
Within a month, almost all of them launched their attacks. The Ice Mirror Society, the Blazing Flame Hall, and the Inagawa Group began fighting each other for control. For a whole month, while other places were peacefully celebrating the New Year, J Province was practically a river of blood. The underworld of eight cities and one autonomous region was instantly divided up by the three major families. Our Ice Mirror Society occupied three cities, the Blazing Flame Hall occupied three cities, and the rest were essentially occupied by the Inagawa Group. Then came a temporary calm, because this situation made no one dare to make the first move. In this three-way division, whoever made the first move would likely face death.
So although there were constant frictions between the three of us, things were relatively calm at this time. There were occasional brawls between us, but it was all very peaceful. Of course, beneath the calm surface, there was a turbulent scene. The areas occupied by the Inagawa Group were clearly not peaceful at all. The underworld was turbulent, with frequent brawls. Moreover, this was China, and they had no foothold here. Although they had bribed many people, the Inagawa Group didn't have enough money to bribe everyone, and even if they did, they might not be willing. Naturally, many people were targeting their territory.

Chapter 124 Trouble Always Comes
"Young Master Xie, Wang Liehuo from the Blazing Flame Hall called and said he wants to discuss some things with you in person. I wonder if you..." Just then, my phone rang. Wu Wei's respectful voice came through the phone, asking me in a questioning tone.
"Oh? Wang Liehuo wants to see me? Where should we meet?" I was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said to Wu Wei.
"Rose Cafe," Wu Wei said respectfully.
"What? Rose Cafe? The one in H City?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"Hmm, what time?"
"This afternoon."
"Okay, give him a reply for me, I'll be there." I said calmly, then hung up the phone, a slight smile playing on my lips. I muttered to myself, "Looks like this Wang Liehuo is quite bold."
After lunch, I said goodbye to Qin Ziying and drove towards the city center. On the streets of H City, my silver Ferrari sped through red lights, but no one dared to stop me, because the license plate on the back of the car bore the logo of the Ice Mirror Society. Smart people wouldn't risk getting themselves into trouble.
"Whoosh." The car made a sharp turn, passing the building next to it, and arrived directly at the foot of the Rose Cafe. I got out of the car and walked upstairs under the watchful eyes of others. I was single at the moment and didn't bring any subordinates. When I entered, the place was already full of people. When they were bored, white-collar workers would come here to have a coffee and a snack. Of course, some couples also liked to come here. I walked to the agreed-upon spot and found that there were already two people sitting there. One was a man in his mid-twenties with a resolute face and a noticeable scar on his face, starting from the left side of his eye, running down the bridge of his nose, and then to his right cheek, making him look extremely ferocious. The owner of this face was a muscular young man with a short, crew cut. He exuded a faint murderous aura, which he tried to hide, but it couldn't escape my eyes.
The other one was much more refined, dressed in casual clothes. Although they looked simple, I could clearly tell from his eyes that they were the work of an Italian design master; they were obviously not cheap. He exuded an air of elegance, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore glasses, his face was slightly pale, and his parted long hair couldn't hide his features. At this moment, his appearance was quite striking, but his every move radiated an aristocratic air.
"Wang Liehuo, Liu Rensong?" I looked at them, then walked over and sat down opposite them, smiling as I asked.
"Hehe, Li Tianxie?" Wang Liehuo didn't speak, but sat there quietly watching the two of us. Liu Rensong spoke instead. It turned out that Wang Liehuo was just a pawn arranged by Liu Rensong. Speaking of which, Liu Rensong is more shrewd than me. In fact, given our status, it's really not convenient for either the Liu family or our Li family to interfere in underworld affairs, since the impact would be too bad. Even the Zhu family, a powerful underworld family, doesn't step forward to control the Green Gang, let alone our Li and Liu families, two powerful military and political families. It's just that I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to be constrained, and to be honest, I don't really trust others. A person is different when they are poor and when they are rich. No matter how loyal someone is to you, how long can that loyalty last once they gain immense power? So I'm used to keeping all power in my own hands.
"Heh heh, you two are really bold. Don't you know this is my territory? You should know I can take you down anytime." Sitting there, I lit a cigar and gave the two men a half-smile, my tone carrying a hint of mockery and murderous intent. Sure
enough, as soon as I finished speaking, Wang Liehuo narrowed his eyes and stared at me, his inner power unconsciously surging... *beep beep* A crisp, light voice rang in my ears, "The opponent's combat power is 8,000, a fourth-rank expert, with formidable combat strength."
I was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then remembered that I hadn't taken the thing Long Yi had given me yet. Looking at Wang Liehuo in front of me, I smiled. The strength of a fourth-rank expert was indeed remarkable. It was truly not easy for someone his age to reach this level. It seemed that the scar on his face was indeed proof of his strength. Compared to Wang Liehuo, Liu Rensong was quite ordinary. He sat there smiling at me, looking very confident, and said, "I know you won't."
"How do you know? You should know that if I wiped out your three northeastern provinces, the entire north would be my domain. All I need to do is flick a finger. Are you so sure I won't kill you?" I said to Liu Rensong with a smile.
Liu Rensong chuckled at my reaction, took a sip of coffee, and said to me, "No, because you and I are the same kind of people. Perhaps in our eyes, the gang is just a fun toy, a tool for achieving profit, not worth doing this for. You know, if you kill me, the people behind me won't let it go. The benefits you gain are disproportionate to what you lose, so you simply won't do it."
Liu Rensong spoke with undeniable confidence, and I had to agree with him; he was absolutely right. At that moment, I burst into laughter, attracting the attention of many people. Then, suddenly, my expression changed, and I placed my hands on the table, leaned closer to the two men, and whispered to Liu Rensong, "You..." "You're right, but it's not that I'm afraid of the people behind you. It's that I don't need to do that at all. I will defeat you fair and square. Of course, if I were to kill you, it wouldn't be here. I would storm into your Blazing Flame Hall headquarters and kill you both there."
My words caused Liu Rensong and Wang Liehuo's expressions to change drastically, becoming somewhat embarrassed. I was satisfied with their reaction, smiling at them before returning to normal and saying, "Speak, what do you two want? I don't think you came to me just to discuss this issue."
Liu Rensong gave me a deep look before saying, "That's right, we didn't come to you for that. I want to cooperate with you."
"Cooperate? Heh, did I hear that right? You want to cooperate with me? You should know that we are enemies now, and sworn enemies at that. It's either you die or I die. You want to cooperate with me?" I said to Liu Rensong with a playful expression.
"Yes, it's true that we're sworn enemies, so cooperation between us is impossible. However, nothing is absolute. Our showdown is inevitable, but I don't think it's now. There's an extra player on our game board, an unnecessary one. So, I want to work with you to drive them out, and then we can play properly." Liu Rensong took out a candy, put it in his coffee, and stirred it while speaking softly to me.
"Heh, you want to drive the Inagawa Group out? Not a bad plan. I agree that there's no reason for others to participate in our game. But... how do we cooperate? How do we divide the profits?" I smiled after hearing this, a cigar in my mouth, and spoke to the person in front of me.
"It's simple. Everyone relies on their own abilities. Whoever takes the most territory gets it. As for cooperation? I don't think we need to cooperate too much. We just need to avoid invading each other and fighting when attacking the Japanese. I don't want to cooperate with you too much else, and I think you feel the same way..." Liu Rensong took a sip of coffee, looked out at the bustling street, and spoke to me calmly.
"Deal. When to make the move?" After taking another drag, a slight smile appeared on my lips as I leaned back on the sofa and said casually.
"Three days later..." Liu Rensong replied.
"Alright, midnight three days from now. We'll make our move simultaneously, each according to our abilities." I said calmly, then stood up and left, ignoring Liu Rensong and Wang Liehuo who were still sitting there.
"Brother Song, do you think he'll keep his word?" Wang Liehuo asked Liu Rensong beside him after I left.
"He will. I know he will. Go ahead and make the arrangements. Make the move at midnight three days from now. Remember, don't embarrass me." Liu Rensong smiled knowingly as he watched me leave and said casually to Wang Liehuo beside him.
At that moment, I also came out and immediately dialed my phone, speaking simply to Wu Wei: "Have our brothers prepare to move. Mobilize all our men to attack the Japanese at midnight three days from now. But remember, we'll start the attack from the north. Don't clash with the Blazing Flame Hall. We're currently cooperating."
"Yes, Young Master Xie."
After explaining everything, I drove back to school alone. The school was already bustling with activity. Although my current identity wasn't publicly known, many people knew my background, including my connection to the Ice Mirror Society and my father's immense wealth. Therefore, I didn't need to hide anything. I sped into the school, attracting many stares. With
a sudden stop, the car halted at the entrance of the teaching building. Many students stopped to watch, seemingly speculating about the car's owner. Anyone with a modicum of sense knew this car was incredibly expensive, hence their curiosity. While there were many wealthy students at Beiyuan High School, few could afford a Ferrari, let alone drive one in alone. Many knowledgeable students exclaimed, "My God, a Ferrari FXX, a limited edition!"
I stepped out of the car, a slight smile playing on my lips as I ignored the stares and walked upstairs. Upon seeing me, many students immediately dispersed. After all, I was a notorious figure in this school.
"Wow, boss, this car is so beautiful! When will I ever have one like that?" When I walked upstairs, Xiao Bai was already standing there. His injuries had healed, and the group of guys were full of energy. Seeing me, Xiao Bai excitedly said, looking at the car with envy.
"You guys did a good job last time. I haven't rewarded you yet. If you want some, go ahead and buy a few cars to play with. As for this car... work hard. If you can become a gang leader by this time next year, I'll give you the car." I punched Xiao Bai and said with a smile.
"Thanks, boss." The group of guys immediately cheered. Their families weren't well-off, otherwise they wouldn't be so happy. But Xiao Bai looked incredibly gloomy, giving me a bitter look and saying, "Boss, are you kidding me? Becoming a gang leader next year? No way!"
"How do you know it's impossible? I'm the boss. If I say it's possible, it's possible. But you'd better prove yourself, or you'll never get it." I rolled my eyes at Xiao Bai and said, then ignored him and went to find Qin Ziying in the classroom.
Not far away, I heard the group of guys surrounding Xiao Bai, saying, "Damn, Xiao Bai, you've struck it rich!"
"The car is beautiful. When did you buy it?" Qin Ziying asked with a smile as I approached.
"Hehe, I bought it recently. What do you think? Do you like it? If you like it, I'll buy you one too." I said with a grin, looking at Qin Ziying.
"Hmph, I don't want to! I'd rather you spend more time with me," Qin Ziying pouted at me.
"Hehe, okay, let's have dinner tonight then," I said with a grin.
"Great! We haven't eaten out in ages! Where to?" Qin Ziying asked excitedly, pulling me along, even more excited than when I offered to give her a car.
"Hmm, whatever you want. Let's call Xiaobai and the others
later, and go get something nice," I said, pinching Qin Ziying's cheek. "Okay, it's decided! Let's go for barbecue! I haven't been in ages!" Qin Ziying said, bouncing around excitedly.
"Okay... okay, whatever you say." Could I possibly object? Of course not, so I readily agreed.
"Yay, Tianxie, you're so great! I'll go tell Lingzi and the others," Qin Ziying said happily. She jumped up and kissed me on the cheek, then ran off like a rabbit, her hopping and skipping making her look incredibly cute.
School days come and go in a flash, and before we knew it, it was time to leave. When Qin Ziying and I walked out of the classroom, a considerable number of people had already gathered at the door. A quick glance revealed several people, including Xiaobai and his group, along with their girlfriends.
"Let's go, let's go to the river for barbecue," I said with a slight smile, looking at them. I then put my arm around Qin Ziying and led the group out. We naturally left the car at school first; otherwise, how could so many of us fit? Anyway, I wasn't worried about it getting stolen. In H City, who would dare steal a car from the Ice Mirror Society? They'd be incredibly bold; I'd give it to them for free.
Our large group arrived at the riverbank that runs through the city of H. There were many barbecue restaurants there, all self-service. Although the weather was still a bit chilly, it was already past March, and the weather had warmed up considerably, so business was naturally good.
Our group arrived in a large entourage, and although we tried to be discreet, we still attracted a lot of attention. After all, a group of people will always attract attention, and sometimes it's not that you can avoid trouble just because you don't cause it.
After we sat down and ordered quite a bit of food, we ordered a lot of Shaoxing wine. The weather wasn't warm, so I like to drink some Shaoxing wine with the barbecue; it's a real treat in this cold weather. I really enjoyed it, so we ordered a lot of food and several jugs of Shaoxing wine and started eating, drinking, and having fun.
Just as I was eating with Qin Ziying and the group of guys next to me, trouble struck. At the opposite table, seven or eight young men in their early twenties were glancing at us with lewd grins, their expressions quite suggestive. This undoubtedly angered Xiaobai. Xiaobai's face changed, and he immediately prepared to stand up, but I stopped him, saying, "If you were a high-ranking official, controlling half a province's underworld, would you bother with a few thugs? To me, they're just..." "They're just a bunch of pointless flies."
Seeing my naivety, I could only reluctantly sit down, glaring at them fiercely. But sometimes, even if you don't look for trouble, trouble will find you. After a while, the group of guys, having drunk quite a bit, noticed one of them, presumably the leader. He had short hair that stood on end, with a streak of dyed gold in the middle, a thick copper chain around his neck, and a bunch of chains and a wide leather belt around his body. His black clothes screamed "I'm a hooligan."
He stood up drunkenly, walking over to me amidst the lewd stares of the other guys, and said lewdly to Qin Ziying in my arms, "Beautiful lady, interested in having a few drinks with your brother? Tonight, I'll take you out for some fun, I guarantee you'll be in heaven, hehehehe..."

Chapter 125 Who Dares to Touch My Boss?
A crisp "smack!" rang in our ears. As the man finished speaking, Xiao Bai stood up, grabbed a beer bottle from the nearby table, and smashed it over his head. Instantly, bright red blood flowed from his head, soaking his clothes in moments, making him look utterly gruesome.
"Damn it, what kind of person is this! Daring to act so arrogantly here?" Xiao Bai said to the man after the attack, his face extremely grim.
"You...you actually dared to hit me!" Clutching his head, the man said to Xiao Bai in disbelief, pointing a finger at him with a ferocious expression. The seven or eight men around him, after a moment of stunned silence, immediately stood up, grabbing whatever they could find—not some weapon, but something readily available like a stool, a brick, or a beer bottle.
"So what if I hit you? Brothers, let's kill these bastards." Without saying a word, Xiao Bai was the first to rush forward. The guys next to Xiao Bai also rushed forward without hesitation. These thugs were no match for Xiao Bai and his gang, who had fought on the brink of death. So, in no time, the two groups started fighting, but it was clear that the latter group was at a disadvantage.
Within a minute or two, they were all knocked to the ground, covered in wounds of all sizes. Xiaobai and his gang continued to surround and beat them, causing the surrounding crowd to scream in terror. Some people watched curiously, while the timid ones had already left. However, quite a few people remained, watching intently as if they were witnessing something very interesting.
Xiao Bai picked up a brick from the side and walked over. Just as he was about to make a move, my voice suddenly rang out again. This time, I calmly said to Xiao Bai, "Xiao Bai, stop. Let them get lost. We came here to eat, not to fight. Let them get lost."
After hearing my words, Xiao Bai looked at the people on the ground, then at me, and then threw down the brick. He said to the people lying on the ground groaning, "Get lost. But don't let me see you on the street again, or I'll beat you every time I see you."
The group of guys quickly got up and limped away. Although they were injured, they didn't run slow. When they were about ten meters away, one of them turned around and yelled at us, "Don't you dare run away! I'll bring my brothers to kill you later!"
"Don't you dare run away!" Xiao Bai was furious when he heard this and chased after them, but the distance was still too far, and the group of guys ran away in a flash.
"Damn it, they got lucky they ran fast! Otherwise, I would have definitely crippled them. Boss, should we call the brothers?" After watching them escape, Xiao Bai came back, drank a glass of water, and said to me dejectedly.
"Never mind them, let's do our own thing. They're just a bunch of thugs. If you want, give Zhang Hu a heads-up." I said with a smile, then continued chatting with Qin Ziying and the others beside me.
"Boom boom boom..." A moment later, the sound of motorcycles came from afar, and soon a burst of bright lights shone from a distance. Dozens of motorcycles appeared not far in front of us, each with two people on it. When they arrived in front of us, the guys who had been beaten black and blue got off, with bandages on their heads and gauze on their faces, and you could faintly see some bloodstains, so they must have just been bandaged up.
"Big brother, those guys just beat us up." One of the guys stepped forward and respectfully addressed the helmeted man at the front of the convoy, pointing at our group. This caused many people nearby to change color, and several quietly slipped to the side, clearly not wanting trouble.
"Who hit my little brother? Step forward!" The man on the front motorcycle removed his helmet, revealing a menacing face, and shouted at us.
"It was me. What do you want?" Xiao Bai stood up abruptly, leading seven or eight other guys who also stood up, and confronted the group, showing no sign of weakness. The girls next to us were somewhat timid, their faces turning pale. They couldn't help it; Xiao Bai and his gang were a bunch of thugs... It's the underworld, but sometimes people are strange. The better a man is, the more he wants a bad woman, while the worse a man is, the more he likes a good woman, especially a pure and innocent girl. So Xiaobai and his gang chased after a group of good girls. Seeing this scene, they were naturally a little scared. Except for Lingzi and Qin Ziying, who remained relatively calm, the others showed a hint of panic.
"Kid, you're pretty arrogant, huh? I'll see just how tough you are. Today, I'm going to tear you to pieces and throw you into the river to feed the fish. Let's see if you're still so arrogant then." The leader's face changed instantly, and he said to Xiaobai and his gang with an arrogant look. After saying that, he got out of the car, and the men behind him jumped out one by one, each taking out their weapons, steel pipes, machetes, and standing there, shouting.
Seeing this scene, I stood up, my face turning grim. You see, while such things were common in H City before—these street thugs, though not organized crime, frequently formed gangs and engaged in fights and violence—people in H City were used to it. However, since our Ice Mirror Society unified H City, such things have been prohibited. Not only here, but everywhere under our Ice Mirror Society's control, such things are forbidden. Of course, it's impossible to completely ban it, but it's absolutely unthinkable for dozens of people to come out with weapons and start fighting. These people dared to do this, so I believe they must have some kind of backing, otherwise they wouldn't be so bold.
"Who are you? How dare you brandish weapons here? Don't you know the Ice Mirror Society forbids fights involving more than ten people?" I stepped forward, pushing aside Xiao Bai and his group who were blocking my way, and coldly addressed the group of about forty or fifty people in front of me.
"Hmph, so what if you know? Kid, who do you think you are, knowing so much? But don't try to intimidate me with the Ice Mirror Society. Let me tell you, my boss is from the Ice Mirror Society. Today, even if I chop you up, no one will care." The leader said disdainfully to me, then chuckled.
At this moment, he saw Lingzi walking up from behind and standing next to Xiaobai, and Qin Ziying coming onto me. A lewd glint appeared in his eyes, and he chuckled at me, saying, "Kid, if you don't want to die, lend me the women on top of you, and I might consider letting you go."
Hearing this, I sneered and said to him, "Come on, try me."
"Damn it, you're asking for it! Brothers, tell me to attack!" The man's face changed, and he said coldly to me. He then waved to his men, urging them to charge at us. The henchmen next to me exchanged glances, then grabbed their weapons and prepared to rush over.
"Damn it, I'm Longhair from the West District! Who dares touch our boss?" Just as they were about to make their move, a rough and cold voice suddenly rang out from the side, shouting at the group. The speaker was a short young man with long, center-parted hair, followed by about a hundred men, each carrying a weapon, who charged from the left.
"Whoever touches our boss, step forward! We are the Three Heroes of the South District!" Three voices shouted simultaneously from the right, and more than a hundred men followed by three burly men charged forward, each also carrying a weapon, with about a hundred machetes waving in the air.
"Whoever dares touch our boss, I'll kill him! I'm the Iron Man of the North District!" A bald man, about thirty years old, charged forward, followed by about a hundred men, all armed.
Undoubtedly, the sudden appearance of nearly five hundred men from three gangs, armed with weapons, changed the entire scene. The biker gang members who had been standing in the center, ready to attack, were terrified, their legs trembling. They frantically looked around, their faces filled with fear. The leader's expression changed several times in an instant.
These three were no ordinary men; they were mid-level members of the Ice Mirror Society: Long Hair, Iron Man, and Three Heroes. They were all high-ranking members of the Ice Mirror Society, representing the south, north, and south districts of H City. They were once prominent figures in the underworld, naturally carrying enough weight to inspire fear. Of course, what they feared most were the three to five hundred men following behind them and the cold, sharp blades in their hands.
"You... what do you want? The Ice Mirror Society forbids fighting here... Aren't you afraid the Ice Mirror Society will cause you trouble? Let me tell you... my cousin is a hall master in your Ice Mirror Society. Don't do anything rash..." The leader of the biker gang's face changed instantly. His legs went weak as he looked at the people around him, but he still stammered to the people in front of him. Obviously, he wasn't a local, otherwise he would have known who Iron Man, Three Heroes, and Long Hair were.
His underlings, on the other hand, were more sensible. Their faces were ashen, and they kept tugging at their leader with their sleeves. Of course, some of them looked a little better after hearing their leader's words, and stood up straight, as if they had received some encouragement.
Iron Man and his group were stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then looked at me. I knew they were looking at me, hoping I could make a decision. After all, whether it was true or not, at least they didn't want to offend the higher-ups or their superiors.
I gave a wink to Xiaobai and the others beside me. They were quick to understand and immediately led their women and Qin Ziying away, leaving only our men behind. We coldly stared at the people before us and said, "The Ice Mirror Society's rules are absolute. Kill them all! Leave the leader alive; I have questions for him."
No sooner had I finished speaking than Tie Han roared, yelling to his men, "Kill these bastards!"
At Tie Han's command, a group of men, led by him, brandished their knives and charged towards the terrified group. The biker gang charged forward, and Tie Han led his men in. Naturally, Changfa and San Ying weren't to be outdone, shouting, "Kill them!"
They charged out with their men, followed by a group of over five hundred. Pushing and shoving, they surged forward, and within moments, dozens of corpses lay on the ground. These men were covered in knife wounds, their clothes ripped to shreds, lying motionless in pools of blood. Blood was everywhere, terrifying the surrounding crowd who screamed and fled. Not a single person was left behind, not even the stall owner, who couldn't care less about his business.
"Young Master Xie, we've caught him!" Watching these men being hacked to the ground and stabbed to death, I sat down and drank, seemingly watching an entertaining game. When all the men were dead, several henchmen held knives to the biker gang leader, pulled him to my side, and respectfully said...
"Big brother, grandpa, uncle, please, don't kill me... don't kill me... my cousin is the leader of the Ice Mirror Society, if you kill me, my cousin won't let you off... don't kill me... please don't kill me!" The man cried and begged me after being forced down, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Heh, the leader of the Ice Mirror Society? Very powerful. Do you know who I am?" I said with a smile to the man in front of me.
"No..." the man said to me, confused.
With a sharp "slap," five handprints appeared on the man's face. Iron Man had struck him, causing blood to trickle from his mouth, his face swollen and red. Iron Man glared at the man before him and said viciously, "Damn it, you pig! This is Xie Shao, the boss of our Ice Mirror Society!"
"Xie Shao... the boss of the Ice Mirror Society? Boss... please, I know I was wrong, please don't kill me... I was wrong." The man was clearly unfamiliar with the name Xie Shao, but upon hearing "boss of the Ice Mirror Society," his face turned even more ashen. He cried out to me,
"Heh, interesting. You don't even know who I am? How did you manage to survive in H City, and how did you manage to lead such a large group of followers? Tell me." I smiled and patted the man kneeling before me on the cheek.
"Yes...yes, I just arrived here, only a week ago. I'm not familiar with the area. These people were introduced to me by one of my cousin's underlings. They all wanted me to be the boss, so I did," the man said fearfully.
"Heh, I see. You've been doing this kind of thing quite a bit lately, haven't you? You seem quite skilled at it," I said, my expression turning somewhat unpleasant.
"No...no, this is my first time. Boss, please forgive me. I know I was wrong, I won't do it again, sob sob sob..." the man cried, pleading with me.
"Cut off one of his fingers," I said coldly.
As soon as I finished speaking, the long-haired man beside me grabbed a knife without hesitation and swung it down, severing one of the man's fingers in one fell swoop.
"Ah!" The man screamed in agony. His finger had been severed by the long-haired man. He cried out, clutching his severed finger, looking at us in terror.
"I don't like people lying to me, you know? You lied just now, so this is the price you have to pay. I'll ask you one more time, how many times have you done this recently? What have you been doing?" I said coldly to the person in front of me.
"I'll talk... I'll talk... Please, don't cut off my fingers anymore, I'll tell you everything. I've been here for a week, and I've raped four women and killed a man. That man was one of the women's lovers. I beat him to death when I was robbing her." The man said in terror, tears streaming down his face.
Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in my eyes. Looking at the person in front of me, I felt a surge of murderous intent, but I didn't make a move. I just said coldly to the person in front of me, "Tell me who your cousin is."
"I... I can't say..." The man hesitated for a moment, stammering as he spoke to me. It seemed this guy still had a little bit of loyalty.
"Cut off another one." I ignored him and just said calmly to the long-haired person next to me.
"No...no, I'll talk...I'll tell you everything," the man cried out in terror.
"Too late," I said calmly, lighting a cigarette. Another scream followed. Long Hair, having heard my words, struck again, severing another of the man's fingers.
"Now tell me. Remember, don't hide anything, or I'll cut off all your fingers, one by one. Don't think I'm lying; I mean what I say. And in this H province, there's nothing I can't know if I want to. You'd better not hide anything. I just want to hear it from your own mouth." I said calmly, looking at the man who was now covered in sweat from the pain.
"No...no, I'll talk, I'll talk...My cousin is the head of the Ice Mirror Society's Punishment Hall, a military officer. He brought my mother and me here a while ago, saying he made a fortune here and wanted to treat my mother to a life of luxury. My cousin has no relatives since he was a child; my mother is his aunt. My mother raised him, and then he joined the army. He has always been filial to my mother, so he brought us here." After hearing this, the man looked at me in terror, clutching his bleeding fingers, and spoke respectfully to me, though his face occasionally showed signs of pain, and he was covered in sweat.

Chapter 126 Family Law
"Chen Bing...Hmph, what a Chen Bing, what a Punishment Hall leader...Take this kid away, tie him up, and send him to headquarters. Also, notify all the brothers to have a meeting, and call all the high-ranking officials in H City. The location is the seventeenth-floor conference hall of the Northern Enterprise." I coldly ordered the men around me.
"Yes, Young Master Xie," the men replied respectfully.
"Good. Leave a bunch of brothers here to clean this place up, don't give anyone a reason to complain, and spread the word about what happened today. I want everyone to understand that the Ice Mirror Society's words are not just empty talk; anyone who dares to disobey will die." I stood up and said to those around me, then left first. San Ying and Tie Han followed me, while Chang Fa stayed behind to handle the tasks I had assigned.
"Hey, Zi Ying, I'm sorry, I have some things to do tonight and might be late going home. I can't take you home, let Xiao Bai and the others take you home first. I won't be back until very late." Walking down the street, I got into a van parked on the side of the road and dialed Qin Zi Ying's number.
"Tian Xie, what's wrong? What happened? Are you alright?" Qin Zi Ying asked anxiously.
"Hehe, silly girl, you saw it too, how could something happen to so many of us? It's just that I have some urgent business to attend to here, so I'll be going back a little later. Okay, go home and get some sleep." I said to Qin Ziying with a smile, and after comforting her for a while, I hung up the phone amidst Qin Ziying's reluctant voice and arranged for Xiaobai and the others to take Qin Ziying home.
"Young Master Xie, we've arrived." After hanging up the phone, I lay down in the car with my eyes closed to rest. Suddenly, the car made a sound and pulled over to the side of the road. The burly man in the front seat said respectfully to me, then opened the car door.
"Hmm." I responded indifferently, then led my men upstairs.
"What time is it?" Sitting in my office on the eighteenth floor, I closed my eyes to rest for a while before asking the people around me indifferently.
"Nine-thirty." A subordinate replied respectfully.
"Hmm, are they all here?" I asked indifferently again.
"Yes, Young Master Xie, all the bosses have arrived and are waiting for you downstairs." The subordinate replied respectfully.
"Hmm, alright, let's go down." I said indifferently after hearing this, then took the lead and walked downstairs.
When I reached the seventeenth floor, it was already packed with people. The entire corridor was densely packed with about a hundred underlings, each standing neatly in two rows, stretching from the eighteenth-floor corridor all the way to the large conference room on the seventeenth floor. Upon seeing me, the underlings, at my signal, remained silent and simply bowed.
As I approached the conference room door, I heard a commotion inside. Clearly, many people were discussing the matter. It seemed my sudden gathering of the Ice Mirror Society's high-ranking members at this late hour had aroused considerable suspicion, hence the current murmurs.
I pushed open the door and walked in. As I entered the conference room, it fell into complete silence. Everyone watched me respectfully as I entered, then greeted me respectfully, "Young Master Xie."
I simply nodded slightly, then walked over and sat down on the high platform in the center of the large conference room. The seventeenth floor of the Ice Mirror Society had two conference rooms. The smaller one could hold about a few dozen people, while the larger one was enormous, accommodating three hundred. The entire conference room had a cinema-like feel. On the central platform was nothing but a huge mahogany chair, carved with countless black dragons, resembling a dragon throne. This was my seat.
Sitting down, I calmly addressed the standing crowd, "Please sit down."
Hearing my command, about a hundred of the Ice Mirror Society's mid-to-high-level members from H City sat down one by one, then quietly watched me, awaiting my words.
Sitting there looking at my men, I took out a cigar. One of my underlings hurriedly ran over to light it for me. After taking a puff, I said to my men, "I think you're all curious about why I suddenly gathered you all here at night, all the high-ranking members of the Ice Mirror Society."
"Actually," I continued with a faint smile, "I didn't really want to call you all here at this hour. I know you guys are either handling official business, or you're out partying with who-knows-where women. Of course, some of you might be at home with your parents, wives, and children. To be honest, I didn't want to call you here either. After all, you'd resent me for ruining your good time. You might even be gossiping behind my back, saying, 'Young Master Xie is really something, ruining my plans. The girl
I just hooked up with just one word from him flew away.'" My words elicited laughter from my men. But then I changed my tone, saying, "Even so, I still had to call you here. I had no choice but to call you all here to see what happened today."
"I used to think that our Ice Mirror Society was united, that our orders were consistent, that there was no selfishness within the society, that we worked together as one, that no one dared to violate the rules set by the Ice Mirror Society, that the Ice Mirror Society's Punishment Hall could enforce the law impartially, and that the Ice Mirror Society could truly maintain internal stability. But unfortunately, today I discovered that everything I thought was wrong. That's why I called you all here, to let you see what happened today, and by the way... I also want to give you a small warning." I said earnestly, though I was also a little angry. The more I spoke, the more agitated I became, and the louder I got. By the end, my face had turned ashen, and my voice was extremely stern. The underlings, who had initially been smiling, all shut their mouths, looking at me nervously, their eyes exchanging glances, as if trying to figure out what I was about to say.
"Well, I'm sure everyone is curious about what happened. So I'll tell you. As you all know, in order to make the areas controlled by our Ice Mirror Society more stable, to win the hearts of the people for our Ice Mirror Society, and to prevent the Ice Mirror Society from being hostile to the country, I issued an order that no fights involving fewer than ten people are allowed within the Ice Mirror Society's controlled area. This was done to enhance the reputation of our Ice Mirror Society's controlled area and to prevent anyone from becoming too powerful within our sphere of influence. But unfortunately, some people just don't abide by these rules."
"I'm not afraid to tell you, today my woman, a few brothers, and I were eating out when we got into a little fight with some guys. A little while later, those guys brought dozens of people with weapons to cause us trouble. Not only that, when Long Hair, Iron Man, San Ying, and their group stood in front of them with hundreds of brothers, they were still talking back, showing no fear whatsoever. They told us their brother was a high-ranking member of the Ice Mirror Society, completely disregarding our rules, and even threatening us... I really didn't expect something like this to happen to our Ice Mirror Society."
"Our Ice Mirror Society has only been established for a few months. Although it has developed rapidly, I have always believed that I have been strict with my subordinates, and that our brothers have been able to do so. There has never been a case of someone using another's power to gain influence or for their entire gang to rise to prominence. But unfortunately, it seems I was wrong. Such things have actually happened openly among our higher-ups. I am extremely disappointed. Not only that, I also know that this person's relative has been using the Ice Mirror Society's name to commit all sorts of evil deeds. In just one week, he has raped four women and even killed one of their boyfriends. It is simply lawless and utterly depraved." I said coldly, my voice booming loudly, ensuring that every one of my underlings around me could hear me clearly.
"Young Master Xie, who is it? This kind of person should be dealt with. Kill that brat who ruined our reputation!" Wu Jinniu couldn't help but stand up and shout loudly. After he spoke, his henchmen next to him also shouted excitedly, "Yes, kill him... kill him!"
"Kill him? Fine, then today I'll let everyone see who this person is, and let everyone understand who's behind him." I said coldly, then clapped my hands twice, and the conference room door suddenly opened. Two henchmen dragged the pale-faced boy with bandages on his fingers up. Chen
Bing, who was initially suspicious, suddenly changed his expression when he saw this person, and became somewhat embarrassed. However, he managed to remain calm and didn't immediately stand up, but just stood there anxiously.
"Tell everyone, what's your name? Who is your cousin? What have you done? What did you do before? How did you handle things after you killed someone?" I said calmly, sitting there looking at the person who was dragged in.
"I...I am Chen Qiang. My cousin is Chen Bing, the head of the Punishment Hall of the Bingjian Society. I...I've been here for a week and I've raped four female students and killed one of the girls' boyfriends. I...I used to be a motorcycle mechanic. After I killed him, when the people heard it was done by someone from the Bingjian Society, they didn't dare say a word. They didn't call the police, and the matter was dropped." Chen Qiang glanced at me fearfully and then spoke in a low, hesitant voice. Although his voice wasn't loud, everyone around him could hear him clearly.
His words immediately caused a stir among the surrounding people, who pointed and whispered at him. However, they all glanced at Chen Bing and said nothing more, seemingly still maintaining a semblance of decorum. It seemed that many of these people knew something but refrained from speaking out of respect for Chen Bing.
"Hmph, did you all hear that? Did you hear it clearly? Heh, a repairman, a mere repairman, just because his cousin became the head of our Ice Mirror Society, he dared to do this. I don't object to you becoming successful and doing things for your families, that's understandable, but not helping like this. Hmph, murder, arson, rape... Heh, good, you've done every evil deed imaginable, and all of them are things that our Ice Mirror Society deems most taboo. You've ruined the reputation of our Ice Mirror Society, using our name to facilitate your outrageous acts. Good... good..." I said coldly.
"Young Master Xie... I... My cousin is a first-time offender. Please, for my sake, let him off this time. I think he's learned his lesson and won't dare to act recklessly again." Chen Bing's lips twitched, and he finally sensed a hint of murderous intent in my cold face, but he couldn't help but step forward and speak to me.
"Haha... Hahaha... First-time offender? Can a first-time offender rape four women in a week? I've investigated them; they're all just young girls, the youngest only fourteen, the oldest no more than eighteen. Hmph, and he even killed someone, then used the name of our Ice Mirror Society to intimidate them. Hmph, what a feat! You call someone a first-time offender? How can you even say that? Chen Bing, Chen Bing, you've disappointed me greatly." I said calmly, making no attempt to hide my dissatisfaction with Chen Bing.
"Young Master Xie, I've followed you for so long. Even if I haven't done anything great, I've certainly put in a lot of effort. I was raised by my aunt since I was a child. She only has one son, and he really can't die. Please, for my sake, let him go." Although Chen Bing was very nervous after seeing that I was angry, he still stepped forward and pleaded with me without backing down at all.
"Bang!" I stood up abruptly and slammed my hand on my chair, shattering it into pieces with a crisp sound. I coldly addressed Chen Bing, "Chen Bing, get your facts straight. As the head of the Punishment Hall, you've abused your power, condoning your relative's misdeeds and using your position to cover for him. You've committed heinous crimes. I'm only doing this because you were one of the first to follow me, and while you haven't achieved much, you've still put in the effort. But you're ungrateful. The Ice Mirror Society has given you so much; you could have easily allowed your family to live a life of luxury. Instead of cherishing it, you've let them run rampant. Do you really think the Ice Mirror Society belongs to your family? Hmph, let me tell you, you've lost all face. You shouldn't be the head of the Punishment Hall anymore. Go to J Province and become a branch leader." Enough with the nonsense. Otherwise, I'd make you my underling. Do you think your relatives are human, but other people's relatives aren't? Your cousin killed someone and got away with it, but did he ever think about letting those innocent little girls go? Did he ever think about how the family whose son died felt? Did he ever think about how bad this would be for our Ice Mirror Society? The image our brothers worked so hard to build is gone just like that. Do you even care about the organization? Do you even care about our gang anymore?"
Seeing my anger, not only Chen Bing but also the people around him were startled. They looked at me with fear, as if afraid I would vent my anger on them. Chen Bing's expression kept changing, and in the end, he could only look helplessly at his cousin Chen Qiang before saying nothing more.
I was extremely dissatisfied with Chen Bing at this moment. If it weren't for the fact that he was one of my original followers, had a good relationship with Zhou Tiexiong and Zhou Tiejun, and many of the men he brought with him were now key figures in the Ice Mirror Society, making it inconvenient for me to expel him or kill him outright, I think I would definitely have eliminated him. However, for the sake of the bigger picture, I held back and decided to deal with it later.
"Men, in front of so many people, skin this kid alive! Let everyone see what slow slicing is like!" I said coldly. After I finished speaking, four henchmen stepped forward. These henchmen were all members of the Li family and had served in the Hell Mercenary Group, one of the world's three major mercenary groups. They were all people who had walked out of the abyss of death, responsible for protecting me. At this moment, they were responsible for carrying out the most terrifying form of torture: slow slicing.
Several henchmen used a large fishing net to trap Chen Qiang, wrapping his body tightly. Then, three men held Chen Qiang down, and while Chen Qiang begged for mercy, one of them took out a thin blade and slashed at him, cutting off a small piece of flesh. He continued to cut while Chen Qiang was in pain.
Every cut drew blood and flesh, and my subordinate was incredibly fast. However, even amidst Chen Qiang's screams, it still took a full three hours to complete the task. Following the method of slow slicing, a total of 3557 cuts were made. Chen Qiang's entire body turned blood red. His flesh was being sliced off while he was still alive. Watching his own flesh being cut off without dying was a skill, a technique. Only after 3557 cuts was he allowed to die. This was one of the most cruel punishments in ancient times, slow slicing, and I used this method on this guy. Seeing this, many of my subordinates who had killed countless people around me vomited repeatedly. Many of them couldn't hold back and vomited profusely. Their eyes were filled with fear as they looked at me. Even Chen Bing turned pale, his knees turning ashen. From the initial anger and pain to the later fear, Chen Bing went through a complex process.
I wanted everyone to see this, and I had someone film it and send it to every member of the Ice Mirror Society. I wanted them to know the consequences of daring to violate the Ice Mirror Society's rules, and also to know that no one person can call the shots in the Ice Mirror Society. No matter whose side you are on, this is still me, Li Tianxie. My words are the imperial edict, and everyone else's words are nothing but farts.

Chapter 127 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind.
Having removed Chen Bing from his position as head of the Punishment Hall, I haven't yet decided who will continue in that role. Frankly, no one in the Ice Mirror Society is suitable for the position. I don't trust anyone else; I don't believe they can truly be impartial and selfless. Actually, I think Xiao Bai is a very suitable candidate. Although he seems slippery, he's very loyal to me and acts boldly and decisively. He'd be a good fit for the position. However, Xiao Bai also has his weaknesses: his lack of experience and seniority in the Ice Mirror Society. He hasn't made any significant contributions. If he were to take the position now, many would inevitably be dissatisfied. Therefore, I didn't appoint him as head of the Punishment Hall but left the position vacant, temporarily managed by Li Cheng. After all, Li Cheng was the former head of the Punishment Hall, so no one would object to him holding the position concurrently.
After handling all this, I left. As I left, I could still see the pale faces of my subordinates around me, which made me very satisfied.
Three days later, in the quiet of the night, the northern province of J was far from peaceful. Countless people had hidden themselves around the three cities occupied by the Japanese, their dark figures lying in ambush.
"Listen up, brothers," Zhang Hu said to his men. "We're not here to fight. Be careful, don't rush. Wait until they've cleared things out over there before we move in."
"Yes, but Brother Hu, if we don't act, are we going to have someone else do it for us?" one of his men asked, puzzled.
"Don't ask," Zhang Hu replied with a faint smile. "Young Master Xie will handle it. We just need to wait."
At 11 p.m., a shocking event suddenly occurred. In the Japanese-controlled area of J province, officials who had previously colluded with the Japanese suddenly turned against them for some unknown reason. A large number of police officers were mobilized to launch a large-scale crackdown on local gangs. Not only were a large number of police officers involved, but the nearby armed police forces were also mobilized. Of course, some men in black could be vaguely seen following the police officers. Their clothes had a special pattern on them: a burning flame. Under their attack, the Japanese gangs were caught off guard and had no time to react.
Immediately due to the police crackdown, many gang members were killed, and many began to surrender. Of course, not everyone surrendered; at least the Inagawa-gumi members there wouldn't. They were Japanese, all illegally immigrants, and even if they surrendered, their chances of survival were slim. Besides, according to the Inagawa-gumi's rules, desertion was punishable by death. Surrender might guarantee their own safety, but it wouldn't guarantee the safety of their families, who were still in Japan. If they surrendered, their families would undoubtedly pay the price—perhaps death, or something even more tragic. Therefore, they couldn't surrender, and they dared not surrender.
Besides them, many smaller gangs who had allied with them also joined the resistance, not for any other reason than they had no choice but to resist. After all, what gang member didn't have a murder on their hands? These resisters were extremely vicious people; surrendering would mean certain death, which is why they began to resist. Moreover, they were encouraged by their leaders who had completely defected. So they picked up weapons and began to fight the police.
Gunfire erupted in the two cities controlled by the Inagawa Group. The police's firepower wasn't very strong; they had mostly pistols, and submachine guns were scarce. The armed police's weapons, while decent, weren't much better than the Japanese's, and were even inferior in some aspects. There were about two thousand people resisting in the two cities, along with the small gangs. If it weren't for the help of the Blazing Flame Hall, the Japanese might have counterattacked. Of course, with the Blazing Flame Hall's involvement, the two groups were only evenly matched, constantly exchanging fire and fighting each other, resulting in continuous deaths and injuries. The two cities descended into chaos. Fortunately, it was winter, and it was late, so there were few pedestrians on the streets, preventing large-scale civilian casualties.
All of this was Liu Rensong's doing. As the eldest son of the Liu family, although the two patriarchs had said they wouldn't interfere in our affairs or allow us to use their names to cause trouble, that's just talk. But China is a society based on personal connections. Even though the two patriarchs wouldn't help, when we went there using their name, those people would still give us face.
Liu Rensong took advantage of this. Those officials naturally didn't dare refuse the eldest son of the Liu family, so many people, starting with the leaders of J province, immediately began to switch sides. Almost all the officials wisely chose their side at this time, choosing to side with either the Liu family or the Japanese. Anyone with common sense would know which to choose. So when these people received the news, none of them informed the Japanese. After all, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; there are few who offer charcoal in the snow, but many who kick someone when they're down. So the poor Japanese were caught off guard and were ambushed by the local police, who immediately began to wipe them out. Many suffered fatal blows when they were caught off guard, giving the Blazing Flame Hall a huge advantage.
Not only in the first two cities, but there were at least 4,000 Japanese in HC, 4,000 elite members of the Inagawa Group, most of whom were already armed. In addition, two thousand of their allies were also preparing. Although HC was not a large place, it was of utmost importance to the Japanese, as it was their escape route. If they lost it, they would never be able to leave. The consequences of not being able to leave were clear to everyone.
While the fighting began in the first two cities, the HC police and armed police were also active, launching their own attacks simultaneously. Of course, their forces were insufficient, given the strength of the enemy. Therefore, the Blazing Flame Hall mobilized a large force—at least 3,000 members—who had infiltrated HC over the previous three days under various pretexts. When the police attacked, they joined them. Since it had been pre-arranged that those with flame symbols were their own people, the police were not surprised by the Blazing Flame Hall's involvement; on the contrary, they welcomed it.
Undoubtedly, the sudden action of the Blazing Flame Hall and the police caught the Japanese completely off guard. Many were scattered, and only the Japanese elite force of four thousand men clashed fiercely with the police and the Blazing Flame Hall.
At that moment, I was sitting atop a building in HC with a few dozen of my underlings. From there, I could clearly see everything unfolding below. There were two reclining chairs and a table there. I sat there with my legs crossed, a cigar dangling from my lips, watching everything with a smile.
Beside me sat a middle-aged man of about forty-five or forty-six years old. He had a handsome face and exuded a subtle air of authority. He was wearing a military uniform with two shining stars, indicating he was a major general. Behind him stood two men in military uniforms, two majors, and behind us stood a row of underlings, respectfully observing everything around them.
"Hehe, looks like it's going to be lively today, Uncle Li. It seems J Province is quite bustling today." I said with a smile to General Li beside me. Uncle Li's name is Li Mingrui. He is a member of my Li family, a confidant of my grandfather, the head of the J Province garrison of the Northern Military Region, and commands four armies here. He is also the deputy commander of the Northern Military Region. Although my grandfather forbids me from using his connections, he still gave me face when I approached him as the young master of the Li family. Even a fool knows that although I am not the head of the Li family now, the Li family will eventually be mine, so these members of the Li family still respect me.
My words are naturally imperial edicts, and they will not disobey. Besides, in their eyes, there is nothing else but the Li family. People raised by the Li family are loyal to the Li family for life. So when I approached him in my personal capacity, he immediately agreed to my request and came with me.
"Hehe, yes, young master, it's quite a lively day. Do you think we should make a move?" Li Mingrui said with a smile, showing me great respect. Although I called him uncle, he still addressed me as young master. The people around us were our trusted confidants, some even members of the Li family, so we spoke without restraint.
"Hehe, no rush, let's observe further. Let them play for a while. Since the Liu family is willing to help us, let them go. Here, try this cigar of mine, from Cuba. My third uncle gave it to me when he came back last time; it tastes very good." I said with a smile, watching the people below fighting desperately, the sounds of gunfire incessant. I then handed the cigar to Li Mingrui beside me.
"Hmm." Li Mingrui nodded with a smile, lit a cigar, took a puff, and said to me, "Hmm, good stuff. The stuff Third Young Master gave me is really good."
Just then, my phone rang, and Liu Rensong's voice came through. He said to me with slight dissatisfaction, "Li Tianxie, look, it's already twelve o'clock. My men have already started making their move and are fighting the Japanese fiercely. But you haven't made a single move. Do you want to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, and then eat us all up?" "
Hehe, how could I? Didn't we agree? It's a matter of skill. Whoever seizes the most territory gets it. Isn't that perfect for you? I'm not making a move, which suits you just fine. Hehe, you played this move very well. You've made all those officials and police turn against you and go after the Japanese. Now I don't think the Japanese can hold out for much longer. Sigh, I didn't expect your Blazing Flame Hall to be so powerful. I just wonder how many of you have died." I said to Liu Rensong with a smile.
"Hehe, really? You, Young Master Li, are so kind? I don't think so. To be honest, I'm uneasy if you don't make a move. I'm starting to wonder if you're lying in ambush, preparing to attack our Blazing Flame Hall, or even worse, devour both of us?" Liu Rensong's voice came, tinged with doubt.
"Hehe, really? You're so worried I won't make a move? In that case, I'll grant your wish, Young Master Liu. I'll make my move as you wish. Don't worry, within ten minutes, I'll show you my men, and I'll give you a little surprise, hehe." I chuckled and said.
"You little brat, you're not trying to trick me, are you? Don't forget, we agreed not to fight each other at this time," Liu Rensong said suspiciously.
"Hehe, don't worry. Are you that afraid of me? I'm not that kind of person. Since I, Li Tianxie, promised you that our Ice Mirror Society wouldn't attack the Blazing Flame Hall this time, I will definitely keep my word. Don't worry, I, Li Tianxie, keep my word." I said with a smile, and then hung up the phone.
"Hehe, it seems our Young Master Liu can't wait any longer. Since they've shown us the power of the Liu family and given us such a good show, we can't let them underestimate us, can we? Uncle Li, tell them to make their move." I said with a grin to Li Mingrui beside me after hanging up the phone.
"Yes," Li Mingrui replied respectfully. He then immediately instructed his two adjutants, "Notify the Fifth and Sixth Armies of the Northern Military Region to take action. Under the pretext of military suppression of a riot, wipe out these gang members engaged in a large-scale brawl here. Announce to the outside world that they have seriously violated national laws, severely disrupted social order, and that there has been a large-scale conflict with the police. Report this immediately and act now."
Li Mingrui spoke decisively.
After Li Mingrui's order was given, the prepared troops began to move. Large numbers of military vehicles drove out of the barracks, with tanks leading the way, followed by numerous armored vehicles and infantry—all armed with live ammunition.
Dozens of helicopters appeared in the sky, patrolling the area. Upon spotting any gang members, they immediately and without hesitation began their annihilation.
Were gangs a match for the army? This wasn't even a problem. No matter how powerful the gangs were, they couldn't possibly be a match for the army, especially with the army outnumbering them significantly. Two armies swiftly entered the three cities, launching a crackdown on the gangs.
The army's entry drastically changed the situation in the three cities. In an instant, the entire Japanese defense line began to crumble. The army's entry dealt them a devastating blow. The Inagawa-gumi and the smaller gangs were utterly unable to resist. Their rudimentary offensive was reduced to ashes by tanks and obliterated by aircraft. Large numbers of troops entered in an orderly fashion, beginning a massive purge. Any gang member who resisted was killed on sight.
"Don't fire! Don't fire! We're on our side!" However, the army didn't just fire on the Japanese; they also attacked the armed members of the Blazing Flame Hall. The Blazing Flame Hall members immediately cried out in disbelief, seemingly believing the army was also on their side.
"Fellow gangsters my foot! The orders have been given: anyone not police or armed police, but carrying weapons, is a gangster. All gangsters must be wiped out! Brothers, kill them all! Kill anyone who doesn't surrender!" an officer roared.
Immediately following his words, a barrage of gunfire erupted. The Flame Hall members, caught off guard, were riddled with bullets. When they finally realized what was happening, they immediately dropped their weapons and cried out to the army, "Don't kill us! We surrender... we surrender..."
But alas, they were too late. In their battle against the Japanese, the Flame Hall had already lost 30% of its 10,000 members. The army's slaughter wiped out another half. Now, their original strength was less than 3,000, a devastating blow to the Flame Hall members.
However, something even more infuriating happened during their moment of emptiness. Groups of Ice Mirror Society members swaggered in, right in front of the soldiers and the Flame Hall members, greeting them one by one, saying, "Oh dear, aren't these your Flame Hall brothers? What happened to them? So pitiful."
"I'm not satisfied! Why aren't you arresting them!" a Flame Hall leader roared angrily.
"What are you dissatisfied with? Do you even have the right to speak? These are all good citizens who came to help. Shut up!" a soldier immediately kicked him, cursing. With the army's help, the Ice Mirror Society successfully completed its occupation of the Inagawa Group's territory in J Province. Amidst the Flame Hall's anger and the astonished gazes of others, the Ice Mirror Society effortlessly swaggered into the Inagawa Group's controlled territory. The Ice Mirror Society had outmaneuvered the Flame Hall, surpassing them to a certain extent, while the Flame Hall suffered heavy losses, losing both men and women.

Chapter 128 A Series of Schemes
"Beep beep beep!" Just then, my phone rang again. After answering, I immediately heard Liu Rensong's angry voice on the other end. Liu Rensong coldly said to me, "Li Tianxie, you're ruthless. You actually dared to scheme against me."
"Hehe, don't talk like that, Young Master Liu. It makes me sound like I'm a traitor." I said with a smile to Liu Rensong on the phone. To be honest, I was in a very good mood. I had subdued the underworld of the three cities occupied by the Inagawa Group without paying any price. It was like taking over the territory without bloodshed. In addition, I killed a total of eight thousand members of the Inagawa Group and also tricked the formidable enemy, the Blazing Flame Hall, causing them to lose nearly ten thousand men.
It's important to understand that the Blazing Flame Hall is not like the Ice Mirror Society. Although they developed rapidly, their internal structure was unstable. The Blazing Flame Hall is no longer the original seven gangs; it's now formed by the merger of ten major gangs. Although Wang Liehuo is the leader and has the most men, it doesn't mean he can command everyone like I do. Compared to the Ice Mirror Society, the Blazing Flame Hall has inherent weaknesses. If it weren't for Liu Rensong and the powerful Liu family behind him putting pressure on them and preventing them from acting recklessly, Wang Liehuo's position would probably be unstable long ago. Now, the Blazing Flame Hall has lost nearly ten thousand men, and Wang Liehuo is largely to blame. Even if things can be stabilized, it will definitely not be done overnight. So naturally, I'm very happy. The Blazing Flame Hall only has thirty thousand men in total, and I wiped out a third of their strength here while I didn't lose a single one. How could I not be happy?
However, I believe that compared to my mood, Brother Liu Rensong is not so happy. Right now, he's probably contemplating suicide.
"You didn't?" Liu Rensong said coldly to me, his tone revealing a hint of disdain and anger.
To this, I chuckled and said, "Of course not. Didn't we agree to fight at midnight tonight? Didn't we say that it would be a matter of skill, and whoever takes the most territory gets it? Didn't we say that we wouldn't attack each other?"
"Yes." Although Liu Rensong was angry, he still followed my words stiffly.
"Hehe, that's it then. Have I violated any of the above? No, right? Hmph, speaking of which, it's your Blazing Flame Hall that broke its promise. You attacked ahead of time, and our Ice Mirror Society didn't do anything wrong. How could I be accused of betraying our promise? Young Master Liu, are you feeling unbalanced because you lost, so you came up with such a lame excuse? Tsk tsk, such a pathetic thing is not something a young master of the Liu family should do." I clicked my tongue at Liu Rensong, with a mocking tone.
After hearing my words, Liu Rensong angrily said to me, "You... fine... fine, Li Tianxie, you're something else. Today, I, Liu Rensong, admit defeat because I'm outmatched. But you just wait, I won't let this go so easily."
"Hehe, don't worry, I'll be waiting, but you'll have to have the chance. Let me give you a heads-up: my men have already started attacking your three undefended city districts. Oh dear, I wonder how long you, Young Master Liu, can hold out. I really hope to see the Blazing Flame Hall's men in J Province tomorrow morning. But... I don't know if it's even possible. Really, you have to understand, today is a special day. The Japanese underworld is invading the Chinese underworld. They don't play by the rules and use weapons everywhere. I wonder if they'll use weapons on your turf. Really, those Japanese are so unruly. I'm really afraid they'll attack you..." I said with a smile.
"What... you..." Liu Rensong exclaimed in surprise after hearing this.
"What do you mean, 'what about me'? Heh, the Inagawa Group has been wiped out, so our alliance is obviously null and void. We've been enemies since they were destroyed. What's so strange about that? If you're an enemy, I'll naturally deal with you. Do you expect me to invite you for tea? Idiot." I said disdainfully to Liu Rensong.
"You... Li Tianxie, you're something else..." Liu Rensong said angrily again.
I just smiled in response to Liu Rensong's angry voice. The roar of the loser is never cared about by the victor. Just like Liu Rensong's roar at me, I didn't care at all. I just continued to mock him: "What idiot? Why don't you let your men leave? You should know that if you're too late, you'll probably lose thousands more men. Then your Blazing Flame Hall will really be finished."
"You..." Liu Rensong said angrily, and then slammed down the phone. It seems that this guy has already slammed down the phone and ordered all his personnel in J Province to evacuate. However... They can't retreat much now. If Liu Rensong orders his men to fight to the death, although many will die, they might be able to hold off the Bingjian Society and preserve the strength of one or two provinces. But if he gives the order now, they'll probably flee immediately. Not only will the casualties not decrease, but they probably won't even gain any territory, while the Bingjian Society will gain a huge advantage.
However, Liu Rensong has no choice but to do as I say because he can't afford to lose. If I wipe them all out here, his Lieyan Hall will be destroyed. There are still 5,000 people here. If they all die, it's like half of the Lieyan Hall has been wiped out, and the Bingjian Society will have more people than the Lieyan Hall, making their chances of winning even smaller.
So he has to do as I say. Of course, the fundamental reason that prompts him to do this is my later statement: my men will use weapons. I've let him know that I will use the Inagawa Group's big name to deal with him with weapons, so he must get his men to retreat and avoid unnecessary sacrifices.
The reason is simple: both sides have already agreed not to use weapons in order to appease the neutral faction. However, with the Inagawa Group as a shield, everything can be explained. As long as it looks plausible on the surface, there will be no problem in shifting the blame onto them. Liu Rensong understands this, which is why he is so nervous.
Undoubtedly, a gang of armed thugs fighting a group of people with knives when they have a numerical advantage is a deadly battle. Even a pig could understand the outcome, and Liu Rensong was no exception. That's why he was anxious and nervous. The Blazing Flame Hall wasn't without weapons, but I believe their weapons were definitely not more than our Ice Mirror Society's. I think the prohibition on the use of firearms was also due to the Liu family's interference. After all, the Chinese army is in the hands of my Li family, and the import and export channels for weapons are controlled by my Ice Mirror Society. Even if they were smuggling, they weren't on good terms with the Japanese. To think they could obtain weapons for tens of thousands of people was simply a pipe dream. Although they might have some, I don't think everyone in our Ice Mirror Society would be equipped like we are. So, with their encouragement, the neutral faction made this demand, hoping to defeat us with their numerical advantage.
It's important to understand that Province L has a larger population and more gang members than Province H. Moreover, their men are seasoned veterans skilled in knife fights. Our Ice Mirror Society only has 20,000 members, while the Blazing Flame Hall has 30,000. That's why they planned this. Unfortunately, they miscalculated and ended up shooting themselves in the foot, creating this situation that allowed me to exploit.
At this point, the Blazing Flame Hall has concentrated all its weapons on their operatives, leaving those left behind with almost no weapons. They were too greedy, wanting to seize more territory and quickly eliminate the Inagawa Group. Unfortunately, they failed and ended up like this.
Actually, I was originally prepared to take down the Inagawa Group together, as Liu Rensong suggested. The personnel were all arranged; Zhang Hu and his nearly ten thousand men were positioned at the border of our three factions, ready to attack the Inagawa Group at any time. We also had a significant number of men within the area occupied by the Inagawa Group, and Zhou Tiexiong's five thousand men infiltrated the area using various methods. I spent three days arranging everything, which is why the Blazing Flame Hall believed we were genuinely cooperating.
However, at the last minute, when I met Li Mingrui and expressed my intentions, and he decisively offered to send two armies to help, I changed my mind. Originally, several hundred vehicles from our Ice Mirror Society's own convoy were with Zhang Hu and his men, intended for a rapid advance. But at this moment, I suddenly changed my mind, and by evening, several thousand men had secretly left for the area occupied by the Blazing Flame Hall.
I knew they were wary of me, so I only sent my men there without actually attacking. While the Blazing Flame Hall was attacking the Inagawa Group, my men had already spent five or six hours reaching the areas controlled by the Blazing Flame Hall, but they didn't attack. This was because Zhang Hu and his men had already begun mobilizing their forces. When our men resolved the situation, and most of the Blazing Flame Hall members were killed or wounded, and the remaining ones were captured, when our men swaggered into taking over these areas, when their hearts were filled with despair, that's when Zhang Hu and his men made their move.
"Brothers, fight with me! Don't hold back today! Kill anyone who doesn't surrender! Charge with me!" With Zhang Hu's roar, the flames of war finally ignited throughout J province. The attack on the Blazing Flame Hall began when they learned of their failed operation and total annihilation, when they learned of our great victory over our underlings. Attacks were launched simultaneously in three locations and three regions. Nearly ten thousand members of the Ice Mirror Society launched an attack on the demoralized and poorly equipped five thousand members of the Blazing Flame Hall.
The outcome of the battle was obvious: spears against swords, a one-sided massacre. The members of the Blazing Flame Hall, having received Liu Rensong's order to retreat, lost even their last shred of courage and fled in disarray. Our Ice Mirror Society seized the territory the Blazing Flame Hall had barely settled in, paying little price. In
one night of continuous action, our Ice Mirror Society easily took control of the entire J Province. Our only costs were the deaths of a few dozen, the sacrifice of a few hundred, and a hundred million in reinforcements and donations. We gained the entire prosperous J Province, while our enemies paid with nearly ten thousand lives. A disproportionate battle, an unfair contest, all because of a few petty schemes, yet this was the result. Undoubtedly,
this night greatly enhanced the Ice Mirror Society's prestige; undoubtedly, this night brought me renewed fame; undoubtedly, this night caused a major setback for both the Blazing Flame Hall and the Inagawa Group; undoubtedly, this victory was magnificent. Our Ice Mirror Society was the protagonist tonight; we were the biggest winners.
When I received news that the entire J province had fallen into the hands of our Ice Mirror Society, I immediately arranged for all of the Ice Mirror Society's forces to be stationed in the area where the Ice Mirror Society and the Blazing Flame Hall were in contact. Of the 20,000 people in the Ice Mirror Society, 12,000 were stationed there, and the remaining 8,000 were distributed among our own territories. I did not press my advantage, because the Ice Mirror Society was also very weak now. We didn't have enough manpower for such a large territory, so the Ice Mirror Society needed to develop again. This was not the time to start another war, after all, many of the territories were newly acquired and the foundation was unstable. If we won, that would be fine, but if we lost, even just once, the territories occupied by the Ice Mirror Society would definitely collapse, which was something I didn't want to see. So I had my people stationed there and begin to rest and recuperate. I believed that there would be no large-scale conflict between the Ice Mirror Society and the Blazing Flame Hall in the short term.
"Hahaha... Haha, great, great! Everyone should celebrate today. Tell Wu Wei to give all the brothers 10,000 each, give each of the brothers who participated in the battle 20,000 each, give each leader 100,000, give each branch leader 200,000, each incense master 500,000, and each hall master 1 million. Everyone should be happy." I said happily, and after arranging everything, I gave instructions to the underlings beside me.
The Ice Mirror Society has grown significantly, leading to its division of power. Those in charge of a county or district are called "Heads," those in charge of a city are called "Fragrance Masters," and above them are the leaders of the Punishment Hall, the Golden Hall, the War Hall, and the Ice Soul Hall (also known as the Soul Hall). These are the four main halls. Further divisions may occur in the future, but only after the Ice Mirror Society's territory expands, not now.
When everything was finished, it was early morning, the sun shining brightly. I had already returned to the Ice Mirror Society's headquarters last night on the plane sent by Li Mingrui. Standing atop the eighteenth floor of the Northern Enterprise building, admiring the bustling crowd below, I felt incredibly happy and refreshed. I walked down to an ordinary breakfast stall, wanting something to eat. I recalled my past life; I was an orphan, and my life was very hard. I vaguely remembered a grand wish: if I ever had money, I would buy two bowls of soy milk—drink one and pour the other out—and two fried dough sticks—eat one and throw the other away.
Thinking of this, I sat down and said to the owner, "Boss, give me two bowls of soy milk and two fried dough sticks."
The owner looked at me with surprise, then looked at my clothes to make sure I wasn't the kind of person who was going to dine and dash. He immediately stood up with a smile and brought me the food.
I picked up a fried dough stick, took a bite, then grabbed the one next to me and threw it on the ground, about four or five meters away from where I was sitting. Then, as I was about to pour out a bowl of soy milk, I suddenly noticed that a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old had picked up the fried dough stick I had thrown not far away. He didn't hesitate at all, even though the fried dough stick was a bit dirty and covered with dust from the ground. He still picked it up quickly and put it in his mouth without hesitation. It was a big fried dough stick, about 20 centimeters long and four or five centimeters wide. It could be eaten as a breakfast by an ordinary person. It was obviously not something that could be eaten in one bite. After taking a bite, he showed a satisfied look. Just as he was about to continue eating, he suddenly hesitated, and I don't know what he was thinking. He just stopped eating there.
"Woof..." Just as he hesitated, a dog suddenly barked, and a stray dog with mixed fur and covered in mud and dust pounced on him, biting his hand. Blood immediately flowed from his hand, and then the dog started chewing on the fried dough stick. It seemed the dog was very hungry.
Seeing this, I felt a pang of sadness. This child seemed truly pitiful. I thought he would run away and look for food elsewhere, but to my surprise, he pounced on the dog, desperately punching it. He fought the dog relentlessly, punching it repeatedly. Although he was bitten several times and his wrist was covered in blood, he didn't give up. Finally, he chased the dog away, tail between his legs, fleeing the scene.
He, the homeless child, picked up the fried dough stick I had discarded, wiped it with his clothes, a relieved smile appearing on his lips, and then prepared to leave.
Seeing this scene, a smile involuntarily crept onto my lips, but my eyes welled up with tears. I'm not without feelings; although I might be cold-blooded, it depends on who I'm dealing with. I simply couldn't be cold-blooded towards a child like this, unlike those around me who pretended not to see anything, coldly watching everything unfold. Although they could be indifferent, I couldn't. To be honest, this child moved me.

Chapter 129 Chu Chu
"Can you tell me your name?" I stood up, walked to the child, and gently knelt down to speak to him.
He was about to leave when he saw me arrive. Seeing the faint fear on my face, he put the fried dough stick he was holding closer to his chest, bit his chin, and said in a tearful, trembling voice, "Sir, I didn't mean to take your things. You threw them away yourself. Please don't hit me."
My nose stung again, and I forced a smile, saying to the child, "Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. I won't hit you."
The child looked to be about eleven or twelve years old. She was a little girl; her voice was clear and bright, though slightly trembling. But I could still tell her gender—I had to listen because she hadn't fully developed yet, and her face was completely black and dirty, making it impossible to see her features clearly; she looked like an African refugee.
Her clothes were tattered and patched everywhere. While they would provide some warmth, they were incredibly thin for winter, especially in the harsh winters of Northeast China. Her small hands were covered in numerous cuts and bruises, all appearing to be frostbite. Her toes were similarly bruised and swollen, exposed by her tattered shoes.
"Really? Then... sir, could I have this?" The little girl's face lit up with surprise and joy upon hearing my words. She bit her lip and whispered to me.
Seeing her innocent eyes, I smiled slightly and said softly, "No."
The little girl's eyes immediately showed disappointment. She lowered her head and whispered, "I'm sorry, sir, I'll give it back to you."
She glanced reluctantly at the fried dough stick in her hand, then slowly took it out and gently offered it to me.
"Hehe, throw it away," I said softly.
The little girl bit her lip, glancing at me fearfully. It seemed she'd encountered similar situations many times; the memories of those people weren't exactly friendly, hence her fear. I could see her body tremble slightly. She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly put the item down.
"Come on, come with me," I said, shaking my head slightly as I took her hand.
Suddenly, I felt her muscles tighten and tremble. She looked at me with fear, her voice choked with sobs, pleading, "Sir, please, don't hit me... I won't do it again, I really won't."
Hearing this, I froze. What bastard had hit this little girl for something like this? And judging from her words, she'd definitely experienced this more than once, and more than one person had done it to her. I wondered which scoundrel it was; if I found out, I'd break his arms and legs so he'd experience the same thing.
"Don't worry, I won't hit you. I'll treat you to something to eat." I said with a smile to the girl in front of me, then pulled her towards the food stall. Just then, Zhang Hu and a group of his henchmen, about a dozen people, happened to pass by. They were about to come over and greet me, but I stopped them. They stood a short distance away, watching me respectfully, but didn't leave. Only Zhang Hu and his four men walked away, making a gesture to me as they left. They only left after I nodded.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Don't bring this stinking beggar here. Are you trying to stop me from doing business?" When I brought the little girl to the breakfast stall, the group of people immediately showed disgust. Not one of them showed any sympathy. Their indifference earlier had already disgusted me, but their behavior now made me even more disgusted. Some people say that bad people block the way in this world, making it impossible for ordinary people to live. But in the end, isn't it because these guys are cold-hearted and have no compassion? Why should people like them deserve anyone's care or help? There's a reason why organized crime runs rampant.
"What did you say? Are you even human? Humph, I'm telling you today, I'm going to treat her to something, what are you going to do about it?" I said coldly.
"Hey kid, looking for trouble, huh?" The boss immediately became enraged, emerging with two of his men. The people eating nearby watched me with smug expressions, as if waiting for a good show.
With a loud "thud," the boss was blocked by his henchmen as he approached me, then kicked to the ground, smashing the table in the process. The henchmen surrounded him, beating him mercilessly, knocking even the two men to the ground. However, these henchmen were clever enough not to reveal my identity; they knew I didn't like to show off in public. So, while punching and kicking the boss, they didn't forget to say, "Damn it, you dare to set up a stall here without paying protection money? You've got a death wish."
"Big brother... big brother... please stop hitting me! I've already paid... I really have!" the boss cried out to one of his henchmen, his face bruised and blood trickling from his mouth.
"Hmph, I don't care about your opinions. So what if he's already paid? I'm in a bad mood today, and I can't stand guys like you. You even want to hit a little girl? Are you even human? Brothers, beat this old bastard to death!" The henchman clearly wasn't giving the other guy any chance. He grabbed him and started beating him. The people around him were too scared to make a sound and scattered in panic.
"Alright, stop hitting him. Just teach him a lesson. Let him know that he shouldn't bully people so easily in the future. At least have some conscience when you bully others, otherwise, if we catch him next time, it won't be so simple." I said calmly after watching the people around me run away. You should know that this place isn't luxurious; it's at a street corner, so there aren't many people around.
"Yes, Young Master Xie." The henchman stopped after hearing this, kicked him again, and bowed respectfully to me.
The shopkeeper was writhing on the ground in pain, his face deathly pale, looking utterly pitiful. Blood was still streaming from his nose, and tears were streaming down his face. He looked like a pitiful sight. He was probably filled with regret, only now realizing I was the boss. While regretting his actions, he cried out to me, "Boss... Boss... I won't do it again."
"Hmph, good that you won't. Why don't you get this little girl something?" I said calmly.
"Yes, yes..." the shopkeeper hurriedly nodded and bowed, then, along with two injured employees, brought over some food and placed it on the table in front of us. Seeing this, the little girl next to me, though somewhat afraid of me, couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight of the food; she must have been starving for a long time.
"How long has it been since you last ate?" I asked the little girl with a smile.
"Two days..." the little girl said, looking at the food before her, then at me.
"Hmm... Eat quickly." I nodded after hearing this, feeling a little uncomfortable in my chest. I spoke calmly to the little girl in front of me, but a bitter feeling welled up inside me.
The little girl looked at me gratefully after hearing my words, then carefully picked up a steamed bun, took a big bite, and wolfed it down, almost choking. She then gulped down the soup, not caring if it was hot. Watching her eat, I shook my head and smiled, "Don't rush, eat slowly. There's more if you're not full."
But something surprising happened. After eating the bun, the little girl licked her lips and fingers, then finished the soup in one gulp. She looked at the two plates of fried dough sticks and buns, but didn't touch them again. Instead, she looked at the food, then at me, and timidly said, "Sir, can I not eat these and take them with me?"
I was taken aback for a moment, then, seeing her hopeful eyes, nodded in agreement. I said to the person next to me, "Get her two bags and pack them up."
My subordinate immediately found two bags and packed the buns and fried dough sticks into them. Then it was handed to the little girl. She took the item, glanced gratefully at my men and me, then knelt before me, kowtowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, sir, you are a good person."
With that, she took the item and ran away, a hint of joy on her face. Seeing this, I was deeply moved. My men approached as if to say something, but I waved them off. I calmly said to those around me, "Let's go, let's follow her."
With that, I led my men over, following the little girl. She was young and injured, so she couldn't run very fast in this season. We watched as she tore her clothes, quickly bandaged her hand, and then walked into a small alley, tightly clutching what she was carrying, trying to conceal it.
Soon, the little girl wandered through the maze of beggars until she arrived at the archway of a nearby bridge. There were about twenty beggars everywhere; such scenes were common beneath the glitz and glamour of every city, so it wasn't anything surprising.
The little girl deliberately bent over, lowering her head to conceal what was inside her clothes, and quietly made her way to the very edge of the bridge. There, I could clearly see two or three children sitting. One of them was immobile, sitting on a wheelchair. He appeared to be disabled, about twelve or thirteen years old, roughly the same age as the little girl. Beside him sat two other children, one pale-faced, about four or five years old, and the other a little older, six or seven. They were emaciated, their eyes lifeless, skin and bones, barely clothed, and looked like they were on the verge of death, clearly starving.
I followed her and saw the little girl sneak past the older beggars, then approach the children. She quietly turned and took something from her arms, glancing nervously around as if afraid of being seen.
"So she's giving food to her companions..." A smile crept onto my lips. If before I only felt pity and sympathy for her, now I felt admiration. Strong, resilient, weak yet unyielding, she endured her own hunger to share with her companions—such a person deserved my admiration. The children's eyes lit up at the sight of the food
, but at the little girl's prompting, they didn't act too much. The younger child, however, was less cunning. Seeing the food the girl had given him, he immediately rushed over and began eating, unabashedly exclaiming, "Sister, this bun is delicious!"
Children's words are innocent... But those words brought trouble, immediately attracting the attention of those around them.
A sharp "slap!" echoed through the crowd. A one-eyed beggar, probably in his thirties, slapped the little girl across the face, then cursed at her, "You brat! You have food but you refuse to share it with me! You've got a death wish!"
He slapped her again, then snatched the food I had given her. The little girl cried to the beggar, "Uncle, please, leave us some! My little brother hasn't eaten for two days. He's so young, he'll die if he doesn't eat! Please, leave us some, just a little!" "Get lost!
I haven't eaten yet! Your brother is dead, so be it. He's worthless, his life is useless anyway!" The beggar kicked the little girl away, cursing as he spoke.
However, the beggar in his thirties suddenly seemed to have thought of something. A lewd smile appeared on his lips as he said to the little girl, "Little girl, I haven't touched a woman in years. If you're willing to serve me well today, I'll leave some food for your dead brother. What do you say?"
The older beggars beside him picked up some food and ate while leering at the young girl, saying, "Boss, after you've had your fun with this little girl, let us have some too, hehe, we haven't touched a woman in years."
Although the girl was very young, she had been out in the world for quite some time and was surprisingly precocious. She understood what the old beggar meant, and a look of fear appeared on her dark face. She looked at the leering old beggar with trepidation and unconsciously backed away.
Hearing this, my men behind me were already furious, and so was I. I coldly ordered them, "Kill them!" As soon as
I finished speaking, a dozen or so of my men rushed out and began beating the beggars mercilessly. My men had no scruples; in H City, no, in the entire H and J provinces, as long as it was within the Ice Mirror Society's territory, killing a few people was a piece of cake, and no one dared to interfere.
My men punched and kicked the beggars without any mercy, even picking up weapons and beating them to death. The children nearby were so frightened that they huddled together, not daring to utter a word. Only the little girl looked confused, as if she vaguely recognized the person in front of her.
"Are you alright?" I squatted down and looked at the little girl, speaking softly.
"Sir, it's you!!!" The little girl exclaimed with a surprised smile.
"Yes, it's me," I said with a smile to the little girl.
"I'm sorry, they stole and ate what you gave me." The little girl fiddled with the hem of her clothes, as if she was about to cry, and whispered to me. She lowered her head, as if she had done something wrong.
Hearing this, I calmly said to my men, "Kill them. You have three minutes. I don't want to see a single one alive."
"It's okay... Can you tell me your name?" I said to the little girl with a smile, not caring about the food at all.
"Chuchu... My name is Chuchu... That's what my mom and dad call me." The little girl smiled at me. It seemed I didn't blame her. She was happy, and her smile revealed a row of neat, beautiful white teeth. Although I couldn't see her face clearly, I felt her smile was so beautiful... like... a legendary... angel...
"Hmm, Chuchu, can you tell me who the people next to you are?" I nodded and continued to ask.
"This is Brother Jiang Hao, I met him here, he takes good care of me." She pointed to the eleven or twelve-year-old boy.
"This is his younger brother." She continued, pointing to the five or six-year-old boy.
"This is my younger brother." After saying that, she pulled a boy of about four or five years old in front of her and smiled at me. However, the three people next to her seemed a little afraid of me. Although they bowed respectfully to me, they were somewhat fearful.

Chapter 130 Child Killer
"Well, is that so? Let's go, I'll take you out to get something to eat." After hearing her words, I smiled at Chu Chu in front of me and was about to lead the three of them away. At least those beggars who had bullied Chu Chu and the others were now lying on the ground, barely alive. It seemed that those beggars were about to die.
Chu Chu only glanced at the beggars lying on the ground and didn't say anything more. I liked that. However, those boys looked at me with even more fear. These guys were no threat, which annoyed me.
After taking Chu Chu and her group of underlings to a nearby hotel belonging to our Ice Mirror Society, I arranged for some waiters to clean them up before leading them to a private room. I had already prepared a considerable amount of delicious food and placed it on the table. Of course, to prevent them from overeating due to prolonged hunger and harming their health, I also prepared a lot of liquid food.
When they reappeared before me half an hour later, they were completely different from before. The boy named Jiang Hao and his brother Jiang Ming were quite ordinary-looking, but not bad-looking either. Although their eyes were filled with fear when they looked at me, I could still vaguely sense a kind of strength. Chu Chu's brother, Chu Men, compared to them, looked more like a delicate porcelain doll, with rosy cheeks and very fair skin, not at all like a child who had been homeless for a long time.
What surprised me most was Chu Chu, a beautiful little girl with a fair complexion, big eyes, and short hair. Although it seemed a bit out of place at first glance, it didn't affect people's opinion of her at all. She was like a little princess, untouched by the world. Standing with her younger brother, they looked like a perfect couple, incredibly cute.
"Hehe, you should all sit down and have something to eat," I said with a smile, beckoning them to eat. The boys sat there wolfing down their food, while I pondered how to settle these children. The Ice Mirror Society doesn't tolerate idlers, and I didn't even consider these guys worthy of my attention. The only one I admired was Chu Chu. Don't get the wrong idea; I admired her spirit, and she truly deserved my sympathy. As for the other three, I didn't care whether they lived or died. Three men relying on a woman to fight with vicious dogs for food—that spoke volumes about their situation.
After watching them finish eating, I smiled and said, "Chuchu, would you like to leave with me?"
Chuchu was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at me. After a long while, she looked at her younger brother, a hint of hesitation appearing in her eyes. Of course, Jiang Hao's eyes gleamed with excitement, which I found annoying. This kid was young but cunning. But unfortunately... he ran into me.
"But I... my brother... sir, I don't want to leave my brother. He's so young..." Chuchu looked at her brother, lowered her head, and whispered to me. As for her brother, he had stopped eating and sat there looking at Chuchu without saying a word, but his young eyes seemed filled with complex emotions.
"Sir, I'm willing to go with you," Jiang Hao said before Chuchu could speak.
"Where's your brother?" I asked calmly.
“My younger brother… if possible, I hope you can bring him along too, sir. If not, I think Chu Chu will take good care of him,” Jiang Hao said respectfully to me. This kid is really ruthless. He actually said such a thing, abandoning his own brother without hesitation. He doesn’t even want me to take Chu Chu with him. What does this guy think he is? A treasure?
“What would I do with a cripple?” I said indifferently after hearing this, a hint of annoyance in my tone. This kid is too opportunistic. I brought them here because of Chu Chu, but now that he heard I was taking Chu Chu away, he preemptively said such a thing. It seems that in his eyes I am a very rich person with so many subordinates. He thinks I should be able to live a good life by following me.
"I can do many things. I can help you clean the house, sir... clean the garden, I can help you..." Jiang Hao eagerly and eagerly introduced himself to me. To be honest, it is indeed surprising that an eleven or twelve-year-old child has such thoughts and does such things. He can be called a genius. However, he is not what my Ice Mirror Society needs. If such a person is raised to adulthood, he will surely turn around and bite me. This scourge cannot be taken in. Looking at him sitting in the wheelchair, a faint murderous intent appeared in my eyes.
"Alright, shut up. I'm asking Chuchu, not you. I only treated you to food because of Chuchu. Don't get your place wrong. Let me tell you, I have many men around me, many more capable than you. I don't need a useless person... much less a useless person like you." I abruptly interrupted Jiang Hao, startling him.
"But sir..." Jiang Hao tried to say something more, but I coldly said, "I told you to shut up, so don't make a sound."
As I spoke, one of my men pulled out a gun from the shadows and pressed it against Jiang Hao's back, forcing him to obediently shut his mouth.
"Chuchu, tell me, what do you think?" I looked at Chuchu calmly and said. I wanted Chuchu to choose, to make her own choice. I didn't like forcing others.
"I'm sorry, sir, you should take Jiang Hao with you. I... I need to stay and take care of my younger brother. He's still so young. My parents told me to take good care of him before they died. I can't abandon him." Chu Chu hesitated for a long time before looking at me, then at Jiang Hao, and then at her younger brother before speaking to me.
I could clearly feel a flash of wild joy in Jiang Hao's eyes after Chu Chu finished speaking, but this only made me more disgusted. Chu Chu, on the other hand, earned my admiration even more. She was loyal and righteous, worthy of my pity, and worthy of me taking her back.
"Chu Men, what do you say?" I asked Chu Men, whose face was somewhat gloomy at the moment, with interest. This little brat, although very young, I found him quite interesting. With such a sister, there was no reason why she would have an incompetent younger brother.
"Sir, please take my sister with you. If you don't, we'll starve to death on the streets sooner or later. What happened today will happen again. I don't want to be a burden to my sister anymore. Please take her with you. I can manage on my own." Chu Men said to me in his childish voice, a hint of determination beyond his years appearing on his young face.
"Hahahaha... Hahaha... Good, good, good lad, you're kind and righteous, not bad, you know how to think of your sister. Although you're a bit timid, you're worth taking with you. Come with me, you and your sister Chu Chu will come with me." I stood up and laughed loudly.
"Sir, please take me and my brother with you." Hearing my words, Jiang Hao couldn't hold back any longer and said urgently to me, even forgetting the gun beside him.
"Yes, sir, please take Jiang Hao with you." Chu Chu looked at the eager Jiang Hao and said to me with a slightly pleading gaze. Nobody's perfect. Although Chu Chu was indifferent to bad people, she was soft-hearted towards the soft knives around her, which I didn't like. As for that kid Chu Men, after hearing Jiang Hao's words, he just gave the brothers a cold, disgusted look and didn't say anything. He even tugged at Chu Chu's hand.
"No. Chu Chu, you need to know that I don't want useless people. These two are cowardly and afraid of trouble. Jiang Ming is useless, cowardly, and weak. Jiang Hao is greedy, heartless, and shameless. Having such people around will only harm me. So don't even think about it. Let's go." I said calmly, and then took Chu Chu and Chu Men and left. Before leaving, I gave my men a wink, instructing them to kill Jiang Hao and Jiang Ming after I left, because I didn't want anyone to ruin what I wanted. Jiang Hao and Jiang Ming had to die.
"Can you tell me how you two ended up in this state? Chu Chu, I can tell that although you and Chu Men are beggars, you must have come from a good background. The Australian lobster I ordered earlier isn't usually eaten with such relish. If you two were beggars, you'd probably have wolfed it down like Jiang Hao. Tell me, how did you end up like this?" Sitting in my newly bought extended Rolls-Royce, I took out a bottle of red wine and drank it myself, speaking to the two people in front of me.
Chu Men was relatively calm after hearing my words; perhaps because he was young, although he looked somewhat dejected, he didn't react much. However, Chu Chu's body trembled, and she looked at me in surprise, hesitating.
"Hehe, go ahead and tell me. Don't worry, I'm not a bad person, Chu Chu. I think you understand that." I said with a smile.
"Yes, sir, I know you're not a bad person… It's like this, I…" Chu Chu nodded after hearing my words, looked at Chu Men beside her, and then began to tell me her story.
Just as I suspected, Chu Chu's family was indeed very wealthy, belonging to the affluent class. Her parents had always lived a happy and fulfilling life. Her father ran a large financial company with assets exceeding 100 million yuan, and her mother was a flight attendant supervisor. Her father was handsome, and her mother was beautiful; everything seemed perfect. Everything was so wonderful, and both Chu Chu and her family lived like princes and princesses.
However, a year ago, disaster struck. People say that beauty can be a curse, and it's absolutely true. Although Chu Chu's mother was nearly thirty, she looked no more than twenty-four or twenty-five. Mature, beautiful, and sexy, such a woman was undoubtedly the dream lover of countless men, the perfect object of their sexual fantasies. Moreover, being a flight attendant made her even more desirable, and it was easy for her to come into contact with dangerous people.
Although they had lived in peace for many years, disaster struck a little over a year ago. The northwestern city where they lived belonged to the Ximen family. Unfortunately, the second young master of the Ximen family took a fancy to Chu Chu's mother. To be honest, that boy was a villain. He was the Ximen boy who was to be engaged to Dongfang Ruyu. The head of the Ximen family, Ximen Qing's legitimate son, was Ximen Jian. Although he had an older brother, Ximen Shu, Ximen Shu was just a bastard born to Ximen Qing and a prostitute. He had no status in the family. Although he had the title of young master, he was not even as good as one of Ximen Jian's followers.
This Ximen Jian is only eighteen years old now, and just over a year ago he was only sixteen or seventeen. However, even back then, he had already been with countless women, and he had a particular fondness for certain types of women, such as other people's wives and daughters. He frequently caused trouble in the village and was notorious in Northwest City for his wickedness. Coincidentally, this guy saw Chu Chu's mother by chance during an outing, and was immediately overcome with lust, wanting to sleep with her. So he sent someone to talk to Chu Chu's mother.
Naturally, Chu Chu's mother could not agree, but she still made up an excuse to come back and said that she needed to think about it. Naturally, Ximen Jian agreed to this request, which he took as a sign of her consent, so he didn't pay any attention to it.
After Chu Chu's mother returned home, she naturally told Chu Chu's father what had happened. Then everything fell into place. Unwilling to accept the humiliation of his wife and powerless against the Ximen family, Chu Chu's father immediately took his family and fled. He abandoned the company, taking only all the funds he could carry, and went to H City with Chu Chu's family.
Unfortunately, their whereabouts were discovered by Ximen Jian. Enraged at being tricked, Ximen Jian and his family tracked them down, found Chu Chu's family, killed Chu Chu's father, and raped and murdered Chu Chu's mother. Fortunately, Chu Chu was out playing with her younger brother at the time, thus escaping the attack.
When they returned to the house, they found their father's last words: to take good care of his younger brother and not to seek revenge on Ximen Jian. He left them several thousand yuan in cash before dying. Seeing their father lying dead in a pool of blood, and their mother lying naked and lifeless on the bed, Chu Chu wept and left with her brother. However, several thousand yuan was clearly not enough for the two children to survive for over a year. They didn't have a good understanding of society at the beginning, so they naturally spent a lot of money, though I suspect they were probably swindled out of even more.
Naturally, when they ran out of money, they ended up in their current situation. They started begging more than six months ago. However, because their brother was now in poor health, Chu Chu naturally took on the responsibility of begging for food, leaving her brother in Jiang Hao's care, and sharing the food she brought back with Jiang Hao and his brother.
However, it seems that Jiang Hao and his brother's care for Chu Men only lasted when Chu Chu was around. Otherwise, Chu Men wouldn't have shown such complete indifference towards Jiang Hao and his brothers, and I could even see a hint of hatred and disgust in their expressions. It's just a pity that Chu Chu didn't notice.
After hearing this, I sighed. There are too many pitiful people in this world, and being bullied is almost inevitable. It's just that Ximen Jian went a bit too far. Of course, this isn't my business; it's Chu Chu's family matter. Of course, if she's willing, I'll help her get revenge, but not now.
"Do you want revenge?" I lit a cigarette and asked Chu Chu and Chu Men in front of me calmly.
"Yes." Without hesitation, the two of them told me their thoughts, and I could vaguely sense the deep-seated hatred between them.
"Well, since that's the case, then I won't hide anything from you. I know an assassin organization that specializes in training top-notch assassins, starting from a young age. Those trained there are all exceptional killers. If you can endure there, within five years at most, you will become top-tier assassins. At that time, it won't be too difficult for the two of you to kill Ximen Jian together. However, I don't know if you're willing to go. Let me tell you, there's a constant risk of death there, something ordinary people simply cannot withstand. Think carefully before you decide. To be honest, I don't want you to choose this path. But don't worry, even if you don't choose this, I will still help you take revenge if the opportunity arises in the future." I said earnestly to the two people in front of me.
"Sir, we understand your meaning, but I still choose to go to the place you mentioned. You just said inside that you don't need useless people. Although I know you would let me stay by your side even if I didn't go, Chu Chu doesn't want to be a useless person. I also hope to be able to help you, so please let me go. I want to kill Ximen Jian with my own hands in the future." Chu Chu said respectfully after hearing my words, her tone firm and unwavering.
"I agree with my sister." Chu Men simply stated his thoughts, but with the same determination as Chu Chu.
After hearing this, I nodded, agreeing. I knew that Tian Sha was training a group of assassins, who would be the most terrifying assassin group in the world. They would be named the Child Assassins because they recruited children aged 5 to 12, training them for five years starting from that era. Therefore, I planned to send Chu Chu and Chu Men to participate in this project. With my relationship with Tian Sha, arranging for two people to go in wouldn't be a problem.

Chapter 131 Seemingly Rivals
Seeing the attitude of Chu Chu and her brother, I didn't say anything more. Since it was their own choice, everything should follow their chosen path. All I needed to do was help them. I felt more pity and admiration for Chu Chu; nothing more. Since she wanted to go, I would do my best to let them go. When they returned, I would have two more helpers. After all, I still had some dissatisfaction with Ice Soul. Li Cheng's abilities were good, and Ice Soul was developing rapidly, spreading widely. We could obtain a lot of valuable intelligence. However, unfortunately, compared to the intelligence system, Ice Soul's other function—assassination—was somewhat weak. Ice Soul's assassination ability was only second-rate, at most capable of dealing with ordinary people. Against experts or powerful enemies, they were still ineffective. This wasn't what I wanted. Although I had ordered Li Cheng to recruit other experts as much as possible, it was clearly not fast enough. I needed to train them myself, but I didn't trust others. When Chu Chu and her brother returned, they should be good subordinates, able to help me train a group of assassins. This was what I wanted, although it took a little longer, but in my opinion, it was all worthwhile.
Two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. These days have been so boring for me, because there's no extra passion. Besides the constant cultivation every day, I really can't find anything to do. Of course, spending time with Tai Ziying occasionally is necessary. You know, I'm a good student, and I still insist on going to school every day.
The development of the Ice Mirror Society has reached a bottleneck. There's no possibility of any development in the short term. Of course, in order to prevent those guys from Lieyan Tang from having time to devour the vast areas behind them, I've been using the Ice Mirror Society's advantage in numbers and resources to constantly attack Lieyan Tang. There are small-scale skirmishes almost every day, and now and then there are large-scale battles involving thousands of people. This keeps Lieyan Tang busy, forcing them to concentrate all their forces on the areas bordering the Ice Mirror Society.
"Tianxie, hehe, I'm back. Did you miss me?" Just as I was sitting on the school rooftop enjoying the view, my phone suddenly rang. Wu Ziqiong's sweet voice came through, speaking to me in a slightly coquettish tone. It seems she's been in a good mood lately.
"Honey, you're back! I missed you. Where are you? I'll come pick you up." I laughed immediately upon hearing this.
"Hmph, you little rascal, with such a sweet tongue, have you been trying to pick up girls lately? Let me tell you, I'm keeping an eye on you. You'd better tell me the truth. I'll be waiting for you at the Paris restaurant tonight. We're having French food. You'd better tell me everything when we get there, or I won't let you off the hook." Wu Ziqiong said half-jokingly, and then hung up the phone.
It was already springtime. Although the March weather was still a bit chilly, many strong people were already wearing light clothing, like me. I was wearing a white silk shirt and black trousers, driving my silver Ferrari through the bustling streets, overcoming countless obstacles, and finally arriving at the Paris Restaurant in the West District. It was a French restaurant specializing in French cuisine, and it was quite famous in H City. Although I had never been there before, I knew about it. You see, Zhang Hu and his gang always liked to come here when they were picking up girls. The reason was simple: supposedly because it had a romantic atmosphere. But frankly, those guys were just trying to appear sophisticated. What kind of romance could a bunch of kids who hadn't even finished elementary school have? They could probably throw some money at a bunch of women crying and screaming and rushing over. Of course, they probably wouldn't want women like that.
When I arrived, several luxury cars were already parked around, including Michelle Yeoh's red Porsche. After parking, I went upstairs. The interior was quite elegant, with pale yellow decor, slightly dim pink lighting, neatly arranged oil paintings, exquisite partitions, unique floor-to-ceiling windows, and elegant piano music playing. The atmosphere was captivating, drawing me into its refined ambiance.
However, I noticed something interesting: the men who came here were always dressed in suits and ties, looking like successful people. I wondered what they were thinking. Were they afraid people wouldn't know they were successful? I, on the other hand, seemed more casual. When I entered, several people stared at me, clearly wondering why someone like me was here. I didn't have time to pay them any attention; I just smiled faintly and went inside. In a quiet corner, I saw Michelle Yeoh sitting, wearing a red dress. The soft candlelight illuminated her face, making her appear exceptionally serene and gentle.
Seeing her, I smiled and walked over, then sat down opposite her. Looking at the beautiful woman before me, I said, "You seem to be in a good mood lately?"
"What do you think? Hehe, my relationship with my father has been great lately. He even helped me break off my engagement, so of course I'm happy," Wu Ziqiong said with a smile.
"Really? My father-in-law is really understanding. He knows I'm a much better son-in-law than others, hehe. By the way, what would you like to eat?" I said with a smile to Wu Ziqiong, then waved to the waiter and asked her.
"Shrimp chips with savory toast, snails with white wine. What would you like?" Wu Ziqiong rolled her eyes at the waiter beside her, then turned to me and asked.
"Okay, I'll have curry short ribs, and a bottle of '82 red wine, too." I said with a smile to the waiter, then waved him away. I turned to Wu Ziqiong across from me and said, "You still haven't answered my question. Was my father-in-law so satisfied with me that he helped you break off the engagement?"
"Hmph, dream on. My dad had someone investigate your background thoroughly. You have a triad background. You should know my dad is a legitimate businessman. How could he be satisfied with you? However, my dad still loves me very much. He helped me cancel the engagement and made a promise with me that if you can transform your business within three years, or truly make a name for yourself in the business world, then he won't object to us being together." Wu Ziqiong rolled her eyes and said.
I felt no dissatisfaction upon hearing this. According to Long Yi, Wu Zhengde didn't know much about me. However, then again, no more than ten people nationwide knew my true identity. Although Wu Zhengde was doing well in China, he hadn't reached that level. It's normal for a businessman to dislike the underworld, but he was smart enough not to make excessive demands. He probably understood that there's no such thing as pure black and white in this world, hence the saying. Externally, this isn't difficult. Northern enterprises are developing rapidly. If I wanted, within three years at most, Northern Enterprises could definitely surpass Brilliant Enterprises to become the undisputed number one in China. As for "whitewashing," that's not a problem in my opinion. In
the three northeastern provinces now, if my Bingjian Society claims to be white, who dares to call us black?
"Hehe, I see. Well then, darling, don't worry, I'll definitely marry you within three years." I said with a smile. Actually, I was a million times unwilling to get married. I'm in the prime of my youth; there's no reason for me to walk into that damned grave at such a young age. But anyway, it's just talk; it won't cost me anything, so of course I'm happy to say it.
"Hmph, we'll see about that later." Wu Ziqiong pouted, but she couldn't hide the joy and excitement on her face; her whole cheek was a little red.
"Really?" I said with a half-smile.
However, Wu Ziqiong clearly didn't want to dwell on this issue with me and immediately changed the subject, saying to me, "You heard that pianist play so well."
"Tch, what's so good about it? He's nowhere near as good as me." I said disdainfully after hearing Wu Ziqiong's words.
"Really? You're not kidding, are you?" Wu Ziqiong looked at me with surprise. To be honest, I hadn't known Wu Ziqiong for very long, so she didn't know me very well. Undeniably, her feelings for me stemmed mainly from the fact that she had given me her virginity, and being conservative herself, she believed in the idea of "marrying a chicken
, following the chicken; marrying a dog, following the dog," which led to our relationship. Although we now had a good relationship, it didn't mean I was perfect in her eyes. Perhaps in Wu Ziqiong's mind, I was just a smooth-talking, handsome young gangster. In her mind, gangsters were known for their cruelty and bloodshed, though there were also loyal ones. She'd never heard of a multi-talented gangster who could play the piano, let alone a gangster who could do it so well. So she was quite astonished.
"Hehe, you'll see when you try." I smiled slightly, walked up to the pianist, whispered something in his ear, and slipped him two bills. He happily made way for me, and I sat down. You see, I'm not bragging; my piano teacher is a world-class master. My grandfather hired him with the intention of developing my skills in all aspects. Although I haven't played the piano in a long time, it doesn't mean my skills have declined. He once said I'd surpass him in less than three years.
"Clang...clang...clang..." A beautiful melody began to fill the restaurant after a few notes, instantly spreading throughout the entire space. The piano here was of good quality, with excellent sound. While not as smooth as the one at home, it was still very nice—Für Elise, Beethoven's piano piece.
Admittedly, it had been a long time since I'd touched a piano, so I was a bit rusty. However, after the initial awkwardness, I started to get the hang of it, my fingers flying across the strings. The piece wasn't actually that fast at the beginning, but it demanded a high level of finger dexterity later on. Undeniably, "Für Elise" is very popular and can be heard in various settings, but everyone's interpretation is different. Each person has their own experience, and the feeling of playing it is naturally different.
In fact, whether it's a song or a piano piece, the soul of music lies not in the movements and rhythms, but in the emotion. When you invest your emotion, when you draw others into your emotions, that's when you succeed.
The music began to fill the hall, slow and melodious, its gentle rhythm drawing people in. Many listened with initial curiosity, and gradually, fingers began to move in sync with the music. Some even hummed softly, smiles spreading across their faces as the music played. A joyful mood instantly filled the restaurant. By the time I finished the piece, everyone had stopped eating and looked at me, their faces radiating rapt attention. Even Michelle Wu, her face beaming with happiness, gazed at me with adoration, her arms clasped together as if in prayer. She looked so beautiful; I thought if I added a couple of heart shapes to her face, she could easily star in a movie.
After I finished playing, I came downstairs. The restaurant was silent until I stepped down, at which point thunderous applause erupted, filling the entire restaurant with cheers. I sat down opposite Wu Ziqiong, gazing at the beautiful woman before me with a slight smile, and said, "How was it? Not bad, right?" "
Oh my god, Tianxie, you're amazing! You know, I loved the piano in college, but I was never really good at it. Even after two years of study, I was only so-so. I never expected you to be so talented! You have to teach me sometime!" Wu Ziqiong exclaimed excitedly after hearing my words.
"No problem, we're like family. Would you like me to teach you?" I said with a smile, raising my glass to Wu Ziqiong in a toast. She also raised her glass, and after a gentle clink, we drank it all in one gulp.
The atmosphere was so beautiful and harmonious, but unfortunately, beautiful things always have someone who likes to ruin them, especially the most beautiful ones. Just as Wu Ziqiong and I were deeply in love, a man in his early twenties, dressed in a white Versace suit, with a handsome appearance and a decent demeanor, approached from a distance and excitedly said to Wu Ziqiong, "Ziqiong, I've finally found you! A few days ago, I received a message from my uncle saying that he wants to annul our engagement. Can you tell me why? We were doing well, weren't we? Why do you suddenly want to annul our engagement?"
Wu Ziqiong's expression immediately changed upon hearing this. After glancing at me with concern, she angrily said to the man in front of her, "Hou Kai, let me tell you clearly now, I don't like you at all. The things we did before were arranged by my father. I've never liked you. Don't flatter yourself. We've only met a few times. Please don't talk about marriage or why in front of me, because I simply don't like you."
Undoubtedly, Wu Ziqiong's words were hurtful, extremely hurtful. If it were me, I think I absolutely couldn't bear it and would have turned around and left immediately. However, this man named Hou Kai was clearly no ordinary person. He didn't react at all to such words, and instead, he still looked at Wu Ziqiong with unwavering devotion, holding her hand and saying, "Ziqiong, don't say that. I know you like me, otherwise you wouldn't have agreed to get engaged to me in the first place. I know you are a very opinionated person, and no one can influence you. If you didn't like me, you wouldn't have agreed. Although we haven't met many times, I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. I truly believe you feel the same way. Tell me, is someone forcing you to leave me? Is your uncle facing any difficulties? If so, our Hou Corporation will definitely help. I'm willing to do anything for you, even if it means going bankrupt."
Hearing this, I almost spat out the wine in my mouth. It turns out this man wasn't unwavering in his devotion, but rather had an inflated sense of self-importance. The eldest son of the Hou Corporation? Well, he certainly has the capital to be arrogant, but is that all that makes him so conceited? He's only ranked tenth among China's top ten companies, and that's just the official tenth; he's practically nobody in the real world. How dare he flaunt it?
"Hou Kai, let me tell you, no one forced me. I don't like you at all. Please let go and leave. Can't you see my boyfriend is here?" Wu Ziqiong said angrily. She was furious, clearly enraged by Hou Kai's behavior, a slight blush of anger on her face.
"What? Your boyfriend? This guy? A lousy pianist? His monthly income probably wouldn't even cover your daily expenses. How could you like someone like that? Besides, he's so young, the age gap between you is so huge… Ziqiong, please, don't hurt me like this! Give me a chance, I swear I'll treat you well." Hou Kai looked at me with an incredulous expression and pleaded with Wu Ziqiong, hoping she would give him another chance.

URL 1:https://www.sexlove5.com/htmlBlog/191724.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=191724&aspx=1

Previous Page : Camping - Future Edition (Complete Series)

Next Page : The Evil Prince - Showdown with the Blazing Flame Hall 132-139

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

The Evil Prince - Showdown with the Blazing Flame Hall 123-131

comment Open a new window to view comments