Jiang Xiu withdrew the friendly smile he showed to his childhood friends and didn't have any intentions to reply. Ye Yiliang felt quite furious seeing Jiang Xiu act so arrogantly, he wanted to teach him a lesson but also had to consider his identity when taking action in public. "This isn't a place for you to fool around. Take care not to lose your life."
On this day, many underworld powers contended for supremacy in Dongzhou during the Myriad Dao Festival. It was common for someone to die. This was the reason the village's elders didn't allow the children to watch the festival.
Old Lin stood behind Ye Yiliang along with several experts. All of them possessed a frightening murderous aura. Their gazes alone were enough to make people feel shivers all over the body.
Seeing these big shots, Chu Qiancheng and the rest became as quiet as a cicada in winter, not daring to utter a word.
"Take care!"
Ye Yiliang didn't even take a look back at Jiang Xiu as he passed by them, his manners filled with arrogance. The others could only look at with propriety.
"Director Ye, is he a member of the Ye family?"
Ye Yiliang sneered with disdain, "Him? You think there's a chance?"
"He doesn't even have the qualifications to look at my Ye family's doors!"
Everyone realized the situation and followed after Ye Yiliang. As they were relying on the Ye family as their patron, they had to clearly make out the relation between Jiang Xiu and the Ye family. Since Ye Yiliang had already declared it, they understood how to act.
He was an insignificant nobody. Someone who wasn't even worthy of Director Ye's attention.
Only after they went far away did Chu Qiancheng and the rest recover from their shock. Da Niang asked, "Young Master Xiu, do you know him?"
"I've met him before once."
"It's a pity…"
Da Nian sighed while pointing towards a person following behind Ye Yiliang, "Do you see that person at the end? He's Ao Fei, from Dongzhou's Li family, the top crime lord of Dongzhou."
Everyone's faces morphed when he mentioned this.
"He's that Ao Fei?"
Jiang Xiu had an impression of him from when he was still studying here as Ao Fei was a famous criminal. During that age, youngsters were often scared as well as curious about this kind of person.
Da Nian nodded solemnly, "That's him. When I had seen him previously, he always had someone at his beck and call to do all kinds of things for him, But now, he's following behind that man like a thug!"
"Is that man so powerful?"
All of them were shocked.
Da Nian shook his head regretfully, "That's why I said it's a pity. If Young Master Xiu had become that man's friend, your road to success was naught but guaranteed, filled with countless achievements."
Jiang Xiu smiled, declining to comment.
Chu Qiancheng also agreed, "Young Master Nian is right. Nowadays, it's quite important to have a patron."
"Are you ready to get rich?"
Jiang Xiu looked back in astonishment while Chu Qiancheng just winked mysteriously in response to that, which only confused Jiang Xiu even more. The other three also made strange expressions, "Only, you better prepare your heart for it."
"What do you mean?"
Da Nian acted as if he hadn't heard that and minded his own work. As for Little Min and Chen Xue, their faces went pale. Little Min said, "Let's not take Baby there, not everyone can stomach that."
Little Min looked towards Jiang Xiu and earnestly sized him up. She discovered that he was half-head taller than her unlike in the past. Jiang Xiu was even taller than Chu Qiancheng as well as Da Niang and had become more handsome. His face shined like polished marble, and that gaze of his deeper like the abyss. He had become a lady-killer. Though she had a strange feeling in her heart, she couldn't help sneak a glance at him.
Jiang Xiu asked, "How are we going to get rich?"
Chu Qiancheng looked around and made sure no one was present, saying in a quiet voice, "Have you ever witnessed a murder?"
Crash!
The cup of water in Chen Xue's hand fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
Her face turned paler as she hurried to pick up the glass pieces. Little Min also went to help her.
"What do you mean by murder?"
Chu Qiancheng replied, "Myriad Dao Festival is a contest to vie for the supremacy of the criminal world, regardless of life or death on the stage. The betting amount reaches a frightening sum, ranging from millions to over a hundred million. You can bet on people with a little bit of capital and make a 100-fold turnover by the end of the day."
Jiang Xiu thought, So this is what he meant.
"You saw Young Master Nian's car, right? You must've thought his father bought it for him but actually, he bought it himself." Chu Qiancheng's eyes gleamed when he said this.
Jiang Xiu said, "Let's go take a look then."
From the reaction of the girls, he had already guessed that the scene would be very blood reeking and cruel. The money people bet had already made them insane, so they were ready to bet their own lives.
"Young Master Nian, you won't be coming this time?"
Da Nian shook his head, "No, it's already time for the Myriad Dao Festival. The old man will surely try to find me to handle the matter of booths, so you go together with Jiang Xiu and come to my home for drinks when you're done."
Little Min also didn't plan to go together with them, saying she had something to do at home.
"Fudge!"
Jiang Xiu looked at Chen Xue with a gaze full of astonishment. She had grown prettier over the past three years, transforming from a firmly secured lily into an alluring full-bloom lily. Only, her face was quite pale now.
"I need money!"
After having lunch, the party of 2 men and women set off. The contest was being held inside the village temple. It was a sacred ground but had now become a land of slaughter.
"Hey, you at the front!"
While they were walking on the read, Jiang Xiu's party heard someone shout towards them. Turning back to look, it was a group of young people, filled with both men and women alike. They wore fancy clothes, not mentioning that they were fashionable, their cost alone seemed like it'd be in the range of a few hundred thousand. One look at them was enough to determine that they were outsiders and had quite the backing too.
"You're natives, right?"
The speaker was a girl, her voice sounding clear and pleasant, bringing comfort to the ears. She seemed to be from the North due to her accent being similar to those from the Imperial Capital.
Jiang Xiu was in a daze after he glanced back. That girl's height was around 170 cms. She had long hair and wore a white cap, giving her a sporty aura. Adding her charming face on to it, it drew the gazes of several men.
It's her!
"I didn't expect I'd meet her here."
Lin Mi!
The eldest daughter of the Imperial Capital's Lin family, Jiang Xiu's uncle's daughter, his cousin. He had met her when he had visited the Imperial Capital in the previous timeline.
Chu Qiancheng replied, "Yes, what is it?"
Lin Mi's gaze swept across Jiang Xiu's party, "Do you know where the Crime World Supremacy Contest is being held?"
The Crime World Supremacy Contest was the mortal hand-to-hand combat to produce a crime lord. Before, its name was known as the Dao Soldiers Meet but then its nature changed gradually, transforming into the Crime World Supremacy Contest.
This contest allowed their subordinates or advisors to participate in their stead or do the combat personally. It'd go on until it's the last-man-standing.
"I know!"
"Lead the way, and you shall gain a considerable sum."
"Give the money first!"
Lin Mi hinted towards a person behind her. That person took out a wad of cash, which appeared to be worth 2000 RMB looking at its thickness. A smile appeared on Chu Qiancheng's face as he took the money and slapped it with his hands, "Follow me!"
The man who handed over the money laughed coldly, "These savages. Just this much money is enough to make them ecstatic."
"Mimi, this Crime World Supremacy Contest isn't anything worth mentioning,. It's just some outlandish fight. There was no need for you to come all the way here to watch it as there are many similar competitions in the Imperial Capital."
"I'm afraid you'll only be disappointed here."
Another youth spoke up, "Right. Which place doesn't have underworld fights? High-level ones usually happen in Jingmen city. They even brag that true martial arts disdain coming to this place."
"Bro, teach them all a lesson when you go up on the stage."
Jiang Xiu's gaze swept across those two men, they hadn't even cultivated Inner Strength and were probably MMA practitioners who hadn't touched genuine experts.
They were completely oblivious that this was a land of slaughter.
Lin Mi said, "The legends of Dongzhou's Crime World Supremacy Contest are quite famous in the underworld. It's a rare opportunity, so it's better to experience it."
"Moreover, the money involved is huge."
At the front, Chu Qiancheng led the way while counting the money and then divided it to Jiang Xiu as well as Chen Xue, giving 500 to each. Jiang Xiu gave his share to Chen Xue, which caused her to ask in a surprised tone, "Why are you giving it to me?"
"Aren't you short of money?"
Chen Xue hesitate a bit, and then received it while biting her lips, "Thank you!"
Lin Mi had observed all of this and glanced towards Jiang Xiu. She had no clue who this person was, and there was no chance that she'd think that this man was the son of her aunt who had left home.
They had neared the village temple, and along with it, the sounds of cheering from inside became louder.