Zhu Li refused to leave with the others, and Luo Yang was at a loss. She was a stubborn woman.
Seeing Luo Yang and Zhu Li cornered, Zhang Xingkai was overjoyed. To eliminate two of his enemies in one night was something he hadn't even dared to dream of.
Now, only the final blow was needed. As long as over a hundred young men charged at once, they could beat Luo Yang and Zhu Li to a pulp; if not dead, they would be left vegetative.
Zhang Xingkai first reassured the man in the suit, "Manager Huang, don't be afraid! He won't dare to touch you."
Then, he incited the menacing thugs, "Everyone, tighten the circle, don't let them escape! Dare to cause trouble on Big Brother B's turf and not show them some color, wouldn't that let down Big Brother B?"
His words were like pouring oil on the fire, the young men's eyes indeed grew more fierce.
Just then, a Ferrari raced up to the scene and screeched to a halt across the street from the bar. A bald middle-aged man stepped out of the car.
The thugs all called the bald man Big Brother B, indicating that the owner of the Night Elf Bar had arrived.
Big Brother B clearly recognized Zhu Li and said coldly, "You know this is my place, and yet you dare to smash it up?"
Before Zhu Li could reply, Luo Yang cut in, "If one person acts, that person should bear the consequences! It was Sister Kick who came with me. Let her go! I'll stay behind. If you want to kill me or maim me, I won't make a sound, and it means I've lost!"
Big Brother B had glanced at Luo Yang and didn't recognize him, assuming he was a thug arranged by Zhu Li, so he addressed Zhu Li. Only after Luo Yang spoke did he take a careful look at the man holding the suited man hostage.
At the bar entrance, where the light was not very bright, Big Brother B took a closer look and realized Luo Yang was just a teenager. He was momentarily stunned, then even more so when he heard Luo Yang's defiant words.
"You're not afraid to die, then keep threatening Manager Huang!" Big Brother B glared at Luo Yang.
"I am afraid to die! But I will not let him go until my sworn sister has left safely! As I said, this is my doing; it has nothing to do with my sworn sister. Let her go first!" Luo Yang said sternly.
At this moment, Zhang Xingkai added fuel to the fire.
"Big Brother B, why bother talking to this kind of person, just finish him off. Let's see who else would dare to challenge you," said Zhang Xingkai.
"Shut your mouth!" Big Brother B glared at Zhang Xingkai.
Afterward, he learned the details of the incident from Manager Huang, finding out it was a grudge between Luo Yang and Zhang Xingkai.
Having heard the story, Big Brother B stared at Luo Yang and thought, "This young man reminds me so much of myself when I was young, fearless and honorable."
After thinking it over, he said, "Let go of Manager Huang, and I'll let you leave. But remember, don't cause trouble in my place in the future. Your grievances are your own concern; causing trouble in my place is crossing me."
Zhang Xingkai had been eagerly waiting for Big Brother B to finish off Luo Yang and Zhu Li. Hearing they would be let go, his heart sank.
Reluctantly, he said, "Big Brother B, he disrespected you, and you're just letting him go? What about your reputation..."
Before he could finish, Big Brother B roared, "If it wasn't for the fact that you are a customer of my bar, do you think you'd be under my protection?"
Hearing this, Zhang Xingkai shut his mouth.
Seeing Luo Yang still holding onto the suited man, Big Brother B reiterated, "I won't give you a third chance. Let go of Manager Huang now, and leave this place. If I have to say it a third time, your blood will stain this street!"
After a moment's thought, Luo Yang released the suited man and said, "I didn't intend to smash up your place, Big Brother B. My issue is with him, an enemy I absolutely cannot coexist with."
As he spoke, he pointed at Zhang Xingkai.
"This is between you and him; I don't care. Leave as soon as possible before I change my mind," Big Brother B demanded.
At that moment, several more cars arrived outside the bar on the street. The cars stopped, the doors opened, and a large group of young men armed with knives and sticks surrounded the place. These were the people Zhang Xingkai had called over the phone.
Seeing that his side now had the numbers advantage, Zhang Xingkai laughed and said, "Big Brother B, since you don't care about this matter, let me settle the score with him properly!"
Unexpectedly, Big Brother B replied coldly, "What I, Big Brother B, say goes. I said he should leave safely, so you can't lay a finger on him! Are you trying to make me go back on my word?"
Zhang Xingkai reluctantly said, "Big Brother B, if you don't care, that's fine..."
"Shut up! If you dare touch him, just try and see!"
Immediately after, Big Brother B waved his hand, signaling Luoyang and the others to leave the bar entrance.
Luoyang and his group got into the car and drove off. Zhang Xingkai stood there, steaming with frustration, unable to defy Big Brother B and only able to watch helplessly as Luoyang and Zhu Li left.
On the way back to Hongyun Town, Zhu Li drove.
Having punched Zhang Xingkai in the face in the Night Elf Bar VIP room, likely hitting his teeth, Luoyang's fist was bleeding. He figured Zhang Xingkai must have lost at least two or three front teeth.
"Sister Kick, I almost got you hurt," Luoyang apologized.
"Having such a great younger brother like you, even if I died, I'd have no regrets," Zhu Li said sincerely.
Although Luoyang had intended to fight Zhang Xingkai to the death, the fight hadn't happened, and he felt slightly disappointed.
In fact, he was also aware of a reality—if Zhang Xingkai hadn't been injured, a fight between the two would unlikely give Luoyang an advantage. He might be stronger, but his martial arts foundation and technique were inferior to Zhang Xingkai's. They would probably end up in a draw if it came down to a solid fight.
He remembered the Shennong Scripture murals in the stone cave contained many sword techniques, fist techniques, and foot techniques. He thought about studying them carefully that night to master them as soon as possible and then fight Zhang Xingkai, by which time victory would be in his hands.
"Zhang Xingkai wants us dead, did you catch that?" Zhu Li said.
"I caught that," Luoyang said. "I won't let him succeed. I will take him down!"
"Don't rush. Let me tell you the honest truth. No matter how well you fight, you can't beat too many people. You might defeat a hundred, but if they come at you with a thousand, you're still a goner. If you want to be the boss, you must learn to be both intelligent and bold. Understand?" Zhu Li instructed.
"Sometimes I am a bit impulsive. I'll use my head more from now on," Luoyang promised.
"You're a very special young man. With your abilities, no one in Hongyun Town will be a match for you in the future," Zhu Li praised.
As they chatted, they returned to the Xiaoshulin Market in Hongyun Town. This was Zhu Li's turf, so there were no worries about Zhang Xingkai coming to seek revenge. If he did come, there would be troops to handle it.
Seeing that it was already eleven at night, Luoyang wanted to know if Tang Jie and Zhang Xiangqian had been to the waste yard. Zhu Li made a call to the young men guarding the entrance to the yard but learned that no vehicles had been seen entering.
Luoyang, curious, wondered if Tang Jie might have changed the location at the last minute. He called Xiao Daniu back to check if Tang Jie was at Lang Yifeng's gambling den.
Usually, Tang Jie slept during the day and wandered around the gambling den at night, partly to keep an eye on the place for Lang Yifeng and partly to earn some extra cash by running errands for the boss, like buying cigarettes and water, for which he got some tips.