Qin Xuan tilted his head ever so slightly and cast an appraising glance at the approaching figure.
Behold, it was a ravishing foreign woman with flaxen hair and piercing blue eyes. Her figure was nothing short of sensational, her coffee-hued skin possessing a bewitching sheen that seemed to draw the gaze of every man in the vicinity and hold it captive.
When it came to physiques, perhaps only that stunning policewoman back at the precinct could hold a candle to her.
Even Mo Qinglian and Xiao Wu seemed somewhat eclipsed by the sheer allure of this exotic beauty's form.
At the sight of this woman, Mo Qinglian's countenance underwent a subtle shift.
"Mr. Qin, this lady goes by the name of Lena. She's the overseer of this particular deck of the cruise liner. Word has it that her background is shrouded in the deepest mystery." Mo Qinglian was none too certain about the woman's true identity. All she knew was that even the moguls and plutocrats fortunate enough to grace the Jing Hao cruise ship with their presence would think twice before crossing her.
There was once an incident where a wealthy tycoon took a fancy to Lena. Lo and behold, by the day's end, his lifeless body was swallowed up by the boundless ocean, and his family, too terrified to utter a squeak, chose to suffer in silence.
Qin Xuan gave a faint nod, his eyes then locking onto Lena as he inquired with a glimmer of intrigue, "The genuine gambling spectacle, you say?"
"One look, sir, and you'll understand!" Lena flashed a beguiling smile and inched closer to Qin Xuan.
Her statuesque presence, however, caused Qin Xuan to knit his brows ever so slightly. In a voice tinged with detachment, he remarked, "I'm not particularly fond of people encroaching on my personal space."
Lena's charming grin faltered for a moment before she gracefully withdrew, chuckling softly, "My, you're quite the aloof gentleman!"
Undaunted, she led Qin Xuan and the rest on a descent into the bowels of the cruise ship.
Mo Qinglian couldn't conceal her mild astonishment. It was only now that she learned of the existence of a subterranean level beneath the cruise liner.
She had, of course, caught wind that the Jing Hao cruise ship was the fruit of a collaboration between Chen Fuyun and a formidable overseas power. Judging by the current circumstances, it seemed that this rumor was far from baseless.
Lu Yunfan, Wang Xiao, and Xiao Wu trailed along in Qin Xuan's wake.
Lu Yunfan's visage was as dark as a stormy sea. He fixed a cold, steely glare on Qin Xuan's back, his fury simmering beneath the surface.
He had initially harbored designs of carving out some alone time with Xiao Wu. In his mind's eye, aboard the Jing Hao cruise ship, no matter how resourceful Qin Xuan might be, there was no conceivable way he'd make an appearance. Alas, reality had dealt him a bitter blow, and his annoyance knew no bounds.
'Qin Xuan, don't you dare think that just because you've latched onto Mo Qinglian, you can act with impunity! Mo Qinglian won't be lingering in Jing Shui City indefinitely!'
A flicker of resentment danced in his eyes. As for Wang Xiao, he remained as mute as a statue, dutifully tagging along beside Lu Yunfan.
Upon reaching the lower level, Lena tossed her golden locks with a flourish and pivoted on her heel, greeting them with a dazzling smile. "Welcome to the'real gambling game'!"
Qin Xuan swept his gaze around the area, a tinge of astonishment surfacing on his otherwise placid features.
The surroundings were desolate and dim, reminiscent of the darkest hours of the night. There, in the heart of it all, stood a colossal boxing ring, ablaze with light, as if all the illumination had been funneled onto that one spot.
Under Lena's guidance, Qin Xuan, Xiao Wu, and the gang were ushered into a sumptuous private booth.
"This is a life-or-death duel. The minimum wager is set at a cool ten million!" Lena explained at a leisurely pace. "The boxing matches here are divided into the red and blue camps. In half an hour's time, two pugilists will step onto the ring."
"They'll engage in a no-holds-barred, life-or-death struggle to determine the victor. It's truly a matter of life and death!"
Lena produced a sleek liquid crystal display from her clutch and proffered it to Qin Xuan. "Here's the dossier on the contenders. Naturally, if you're so inclined, sir, you can dispatch your own combatants. For each victorious bout, a ten-million reward awaits. And should you manage to string together five consecutive wins, an additional hundred million bonus will be yours for the taking."
Lena's revelations left Xiao Wu and company slack-jawed. Even Mo Qinglian couldn't suppress a sharp intake of breath.
According to Lena's account, each boxing match was tantamount to a wager on human lives.
To toy with human lives in such a cavalier fashion...
Qin Xuan nodded almost imperceptibly. Unruffled, he reached out and accepted the liquid crystal display, casting a cursory glance over its contents.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they alighted on one particular name.
Li Hu!
That bald brute who had once trailed in Zhou Qingguo's wake, an internal strength maestro. What on earth was he doing here, embroiled in this deadly game?
Mo Qinglian, too, recognized him and couldn't help but utter a soft gasp. "Why is Li Hu here?"
The mere sight of the bald man caused Mo Qinglian's eyes to darken perceptibly, a flicker of rage dancing within them.
Qin Xuan cracked a faint smile and queried, "Do you bear a grudge against this fellow?"
"Previously, this ruffian launched a series of raids on our Mo family's enterprises. Had my master not intervened personally, our family would have endured significant losses." Mo Qinglian's eyes were as cold as ice. An internal strength martial artist, even for a powerhouse like the Mo family in Linhai, was a force to be reckoned with.
Qin Xuan nodded and regarded Li Hu's dossier with a bemused half-smile before setting it aside.
In a private booth not far away, Li Hu stood tall and proud, his gaze fixed intently on the life-or-death boxing ring.
Beside him, Zhou Chen lounged on the sofa, sipping a glass of fine red wine and remarking with a nonchalant smile, "Uncle Li, why trouble yourself over such paltry sums? Even a hundred million is well within our Zhou family's means!"
Li Hu's bald pate glinted faintly under the muted lighting. His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, glinted with a cold, predatory light.
"Such trifling amounts scarcely merit my attention. My primary objective in setting foot on Chinese soil was to hone my martial prowess!" Li Hu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his demeanor aloof.
Zhou Chen shook his head. He was better acquainted with Li Hu's identity than most. A heavyweight in the Haiqing Gang, he was a renowned and feared martial artist even within the overseas Chinese diaspora. What's more, Li Hu was the disciple of the overseas martial arts titan Lin Ge.
A martial arts grandmaster, with internal force transmuted into gang qi!
Even across the sprawling expanse of Linhai's multiple provinces, not a single martial arts grandmaster had emerged. One could scarcely fathom Lin Ge's exalted status overseas. He was a veritable colossus, commandeering numerous overseas shipping routes.
Every year, international trade conglomerates funneled billions in 'protection fees' just to ensure the smooth passage of their goods. The influence of the Haiqing Gang extended far and wide across the overseas realm.
A hundred million? In Li Hu's eyes, it was little more than pocket change.
His father had gone to extraordinary lengths to secure Li Hu's services.
Li Hu surveyed the boxing ring, his expression impassive. He had perused the dossier on his opponent. Another internal strength martial artist, this one hailing from a prominent Linhai family.
Zhou Chen took a sip of his wine and flashed a self-assured smile. "Hone your martial arts? How could the internal strength martial artists of Linhai hope to match up to you, Uncle Li? I once heard my father wax lyrical about Grandmaster Lin's peerless skills. With a single note, he could rend the very fabric of the universe; with a single palm, he could lay waste to the mortal plane. Such feats are beyond the ken of these mere internal strength martial artists!"
Li Hu smirked with pride and remained silent.
How could his master's martial arts be fathomed by the common herd? He had borne witness to Lin Ge plucking the strings of a qin. His gang qi transmuted into sound waves. With a mere flick of his finger, a Bengal tiger was reduced to shreds of meat on the ground. That level of power transcended the mortal realm. Even a battalion of a hundred mercenaries overseas would have been as good as invisible in the presence of his master.
In Li Hu's eyes, the moment for his grand entrance was nigh.
His opponent, an elderly gentleman well past fifty, strode purposefully towards the boxing ring. With a forceful stamp of his foot, his body soared into the air like a circling eagle and landed gracefully on the ring. There was a fierce glint in the old man's eyes as he took his stance.
Under the old man's watchful eye, Li Hu emerged from the shadows, his hands clasped behind his back, walking with a measured pace.
Suddenly, Li Hu took a single, decisive step forward. A thunderous boom reverberated throughout the chamber, and where his foot had just made contact, a distinct footprint was imprinted on the steel deck. His body catapulted upwards like a cannonball and then descended, landing with nary a sound.
This display elicited a flash of astonishment from the old man's eyes.
The tycoons ensconced in the surrounding private booths also gasped in unison.
Someone, beholding Li Hu's imposing figure, trembled involuntarily.
"Is this the legendary Li Hu of the Haiqing Gang?"