In the manor of the Zhang family, which had been reduced to ruins, two young figures walked slowly towards it.
Carcasses were strewn all over the field, a scene reminiscent of doomsday, yet the duo seemed not at all surprised.
One of them, a young man wearing glasses, unabashedly took out a strawberry-flavored red lollipop and put it in his mouth, sucking on it contentedly as he gave orders.
"Those who left this place just now, leave those inquiring about the boss for now, but those packing up to leave Jiangzhou City, kill them all."
"The boss hasn't given the order yet, isn't it inappropriate for us to do this?"
"To inquire about the boss's news is to curry favor with the boss, or to avoid provoking the boss in the future. Packing to leave means they are fleeing."
"Alright, I'll go do it."
"People from Lie Sue should have arrived in Jiangzhou City by now. Let them do it, but they can leave some traces."
"Let the people from Lie Sue take action? Their weakest are at the pinnacle of the ninth layer of Body Refinement, isn't that overkill?"
"You don't understand, this is a stance, it's to warn those forces secretly watching Jiangzhou City not to meddle in the affairs of Jiangzhou City recklessly!"
"Also, if there are martial artists secretly observing, there's no need for their lives, just break their arms and let them go."
"Let them go?"
"Let them go back and tell their masters that Jiangzhou City now is not a place any Tom, Dick, or Harry can glance at."
"Qin Hao, are you... really only twenty-one years old?"
"Heh."
Qin Hao chuckled faintly and took a couple more pulls on the lollipop, casting a glance at the Zhang family estate. "So beautiful, I'll make Jiangzhou City... even more beautiful."
"Leak some information appropriately. After the auction tomorrow, the boss should be heading to the Yang family. Experiencing one day of despair is also part of their atonement."
With that, he hummed a tune and walked leisurely toward the downtown area.
...
In a cemetery in Jiangzhou City,
Ye Xiao looked at the blank tombstone in front of him, his fingertip lightly touching it.
"Here lies Zhou Qin." These four sharp characters appeared on the previously unmarked tombstone.
"Yunyun, shouldn't we do this, right? Today is also An Qi's birthday, and when you said you wanted to come and pay respects to your dad earlier, I saw her face turn green..."
"Today is my eighteenth birthday, all these years, my mother wouldn't let me come and pay respects, but today I only wanted to tell him that I've grown up."
The girl's voice was laced with sobs, growing closer as it approached Ye Xiao from behind.
"This..."
Zhou Yun, looking at the tombstone that had been nameless, now inexplicably bearing a name, felt her eyes moisten instantly.
Her father had died five years ago in a car accident, and her mother had emphatically told her not to come to pay her respects, even hinting that the tombstone might go without her father's name for decades to come.
But now, her father's name had, against all odds, appeared on the tombstone!
Seeing Ye Xiao standing in front of the tombstone paying his respects, Zhou Yun stepped forward, "Excuse me... Did you engrave this name?"
Ye Xiao turned to her.
Zhou Yun was dressed in a very simple, light blue dress without any brand logos, some parts embroidered with cute patterns, the style outdated, yet it couldn't hide her stunningly beautiful face.
Delicate features, lovely face, hair cascading over her shoulders; although she had just come of age, her figure was already well-defined—not voluptuous, but comfortable to look at.
"Are you Uncle Zhou's daughter?"
"Uncle Zhou? You are...?"
Zhou Yun was puzzled, she had never heard her mother mention any distant relatives in her family, but this handsome young man was calling her dad "Uncle Zhou".
"Uncle Zhou was very kind to me. I left because of some matters before but just returned to Jiangzhou City today, so I came to pay my respects."
Ye Xiao explained, then soon noticed a group of people at a distance, looking their way, who appeared about the same age as Zhou Yun, dressed quite festively.
"Is it your birthday today?" Ye Xiao asked.
"Both Yunyun and An Qi have their birthday today."
The girl accompanying Zhou Yun pointed towards the woman dressed most lavishly in the distance and spoke.
Ye Xiao glanced at the distance, his brow furrowed slightly, then he smiled, "Before Uncle Zhou passed away, he left some money for me to manage for him. Today is your birthday, how about I help you celebrate it?"
Seeing that Zhou Yun's eyes now held more suspicion, Ye Xiao laughed, "I won't hide it from you, this sum of money was a big help to me. I can't repay Uncle Zhou, so I can only repay you."
"Yunyun, what are you still dazed for? Your family's situation has always been bad, right? If this is true, your mom won't have to go out and do so much every day!"
Zhou Yun had not yet replied when a girl beside her excitedly grabbed her hand.
"Really?"
Zhou Yun's gaze at Ye Xiao still held a hint of wariness.
One can't simply be good to another without reason, unless there is an ulterior motive.
This, her mother had always taught her.
"If it weren't true, you and I wouldn't have met here,"
Ye Xiao said with a smile.
Zhou Yun thought it over carefully, and indeed, there was truth in his words. If Ye Xiao had not come to pay his respects to her father, he would not have met her.
At least Ye Xiao's intention to pay his respects to her father was genuine.
"Then... okay."
Only then did Zhou Yun agree.
After the three of them had finished paying their respects at the grave, Zhou Yun wiped away the tears on her face from the mourning and brought Ye Xiao back to her classmates.
"Isn't it over once you stick the incense in? Who are you crying for with all this whimpering?"
Sun Anqi glanced at Zhou Yun, making the latter lower her head.
"Alright, alright, Zhou Yun is just showing her filial piety. Today both of you are the 'birthday stars', let's not talk about unhappy things,"
A boy stepped forward to smooth things over and waved his hand towards the vehicles parked in the distance.
Four BMW X5s and a Santana drove over.
Everyone got into the BMWs, leaving Zhou Yun and Ye Xiao behind. The girl who followed Zhou Yun to pay respects hesitated but eventually got out of the car, joining Zhou Yun in the Santana.
"Qianqian, you don't have to do this, I'm really okay,"
Zhou Yun looked apologetically at Wang Qian, who had already taken a seat in the Santana.
"It's fine, I'm not used to those fancy cars anyway,"
Wang Qian smiled indifferently.
While they were talking, a man approached the car and whispered something to the driver who then got out and took something from him.
"Sir, where would you like to go?"
The middle-aged man smiled at Ye Xiao, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
"Just follow the car ahead,"
Ye Xiao said without looking up.
As the vehicles started, Sun Anqi, who was sitting in a BMW X5, looked back.
"Did that Santana get a different driver?"
"A different driver? Seriously?"
"Maybe I saw wrong, haha."
Sun Anqi laughed awkwardly, thinking she might have been mistaken.
Otherwise, how could the driver from the most conspicuous Rolls-Royce Phantom in the entire cemetery parking lot have switched places with the driver of that Santana?
"Let's go to Longteng Plaza to buy some things before heading to Emperor Bar,"
Under Sun Anqi's command, the BMWs set off, excitement evident on everyone's faces.
Emperor Bar was the most luxurious bar in Jiangzhou City, an establishment where the average person might not even have the privilege to step through the doors.
Even though they all knew Sun Anqi's family was well-off, celebrating a birthday at the Emperor Bar was a level of luxury that they had never imagined.