Chapter 70: The Tiger Descends the Mountain

“What? He’s here too?” Usually reserved, Lecheng became alert. “Master Wei, do you really think he just happened to come here by chance?”

Master Wei smiled faintly. “No need to be so tense. Isn’t it perfectly normal for a second-generation rich kid like him to show up in a nightclub? I’d wager he’s the one who’s surprised to see us here, since our identities are even more unusual than his.”

Lixing watched Huiyan’s alluring figure, licking his lips with a greedy grin, clearly captivated. “I never imagined his bodyguard would be this beautiful. If only I could...”

“Have you never heard of the Scorpion Beauty?” Master Wei cut him off coldly. “Don’t get any funny ideas. He Wen-tian isn’t like your run-of-the-mill rich brat. Best we don’t provoke him. Aren’t the two women beside you enough?”

Lixing finally tore his lustful gaze from Huiyan and said wistfully, “He Wen-tian has power in his left hand and money in his right—anything he wants is his for the taking. After all, there are so few things that can’t be bought with power or money.”

“That’s exactly why he’s obsessed with things only madmen would chase after!” Lecheng clapped him on the shoulder with a laugh. “What’s this—envy or jealousy?”

Lixing shot Lecheng a look. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. But we’re not the worst off in the world. After this next big job with He Wen-tian, we’ll be truly living large.”

Lecheng nodded. “Brothers, let’s have a toast! Here’s to a smooth job next time—follow Master Wei and we’ll all become real big shots!”

On the surface, Master Wei clinked glasses with them in high spirits, but deep inside, he felt otherwise.

To Lixing and Lecheng, He Wen-tian was a golden road to true wealth. Yet the cautious Master Wei always kept a sliver of vigilance in his heart. The upcoming plan to plunder Eternal Life Tomb involved his own powerful master. He could decline to earn He Wen-tian’s money, but his master was not someone he could afford to offend—few who crossed him ever met a good end.

Suddenly, a commotion rose from the bar below. Glancing down, they saw a group of burly men in suits escorting several young men onto the scene.

“My, plenty of wealthy folks partying at 1933 tonight. See the show those guys put on? Even more extravagant than He Wen-tian,” Lecheng snickered. “Lixing, what do you think of that playboy’s girl?”

Lixing squinted at the two women beside the young man, flashing a disdainful grin as he twirled his dagger. “They’re beauties, no doubt. But that guy and his bodyguards are all duds—none of them could put up a decent fight.”

As one of the women glanced back, the arrogant and lecherous Lixing even threw her a suggestive wink.

The playboy and his entourage didn’t head for a private room but strode angrily toward Master Wei and his group.

Master Wei knew instantly they were here to cause trouble, having seen Lixing wink at the playboy’s companion. He was annoyed: “Lixing’s lust and arrogance are bound to land him in big trouble one day!”

Sensing hostility, Lixing and his companions became wary.

The playboy put an arm around his beauty and pointed at Lixing. “My woman says you just winked at her, did you?”

Lixing, though fully aware he’d started it, refused to admit fault. He replied coldly, “Yeah, so what? I winked because I think she’s worth it!”

“You’ve got guts!” The playboy withdrew his finger, pulled his beauty closer, and stepped back. Without a word, a towering bodyguard launched a punch straight at Lixing’s face!

But Lixing was no mere street tough. He dodged aside and, in a flash, flipped the bodyguard over his shoulder—sending him crashing down to the first floor with the sound of shattering glass and furniture.

With tempers flaring, the two groups erupted into a brawl. The entire bar plunged into chaos as patrons hurried to distant corners, not wanting to get caught in the melee.

“How did this start?”

“Probably too much partying—or drugs.”

“Those guys can really fight! Someone’s bound to get hurt!”

The ruckus naturally reached Ye Dong’s private room.

“Boss Tian, Lixing’s gotten into a fight!” Xiaobao whispered. “And it’s intense. The ones sent by that guy aren’t easy to deal with either!”

Ye Dong knew at once that “that guy” referred to Wan Tianze. He nodded in acknowledgment. “Everyone, keep your heads down—don’t get us in trouble.”

Lixing, highly skilled in martial arts, easily took down two bodyguards even fighting alone. “Trash like you dare challenge me?!”

As his opponents fell one after another, Lixing even grabbed hold of the playboy. Suddenly, the last standing bodyguard drew a pistol and aimed it squarely at Lixing. “Don’t move! Let my boss go!”

Lixing glanced at him, his hand still gripping the playboy’s neck, and snarled, “Let’s see what’s faster—your bullet or me snapping his neck!”

Cornered, the bodyguard’s performance was convincing. He took a step forward, gun aimed steadily at Lixing. “Don’t push me! Let him go now!”

With a click, the safety was released.

Lixing’s lips curled into a sinister smile, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Just as Lixing was about to lose control, Master Wei quickly intervened, “Lixing, let him go—I’ll handle this.”

“But—!” Lixing’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging as he stared at Master Wei.

Master Wei shot him a glare. “I said let him go!”

Though unwilling, Lixing shoved the playboy away. “Consider yourself lucky, you little coward!”

Gasping heavily, the playboy realized that if Master Wei had been a moment slower, he’d likely be dead.

Master Wei clapped his hands, smiling at the armed bodyguard. “You’ve got your man back. Maybe you could put the gun away? If a shot goes off, the police will be here in no time, and none of us will get out.”

The bodyguard was no fool and, after Master Wei’s persuasion, slowly lowered his weapon. But the playboy, coming to his senses, grabbed the gun and pointed it at Master Wei. “Damn it, have your man kneel and apologize to me!”

Even with a gun pointed at him, Master Wei remained calm and managed a conciliatory smile. “I’m his boss, so I’ll apologize on his behalf. But kneeling is out of the question.”

But the playboy, empowered by the gun, wasn’t having it. “I said your man has to apologize—not you! Move aside!”

From the shadows upstairs, Ye Dong watched the scene with some amusement. “His acting’s not bad—quite convincing!”

As the playboy continued to threaten and insult, Master Wei’s eyes grew sharp and intimidating, a cold smirk playing at his lips just as he was about to make his move. Suddenly, the crisp sound of glass tapping against a railing echoed from the second floor—“clink, clink, clink, clink.”

Everyone, both the onlookers and the brawlers, turned toward the sound. There, descending the stairs at a leisurely pace, was Liang Lingzhi with a wicked grin. He tossed the glass bottle in his hand at the playboy’s feet. With a sharp “crash,” it shattered, scattering shards across the floor.

The playboy swung his gun toward Liang Lingzhi. “Who are you? Here to play mediator?”

Facing the barrel, Liang Lingzhi sneered and announced loudly, “Boss Tian sent me with a message: if you don’t put that gun down in ten seconds, he guarantees you won’t leave this bar alive!”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

“That’s an ultimatum if I’ve ever heard one!”

“Who’s this Boss Tian? He sounds tough!”

“Isn’t that the city’s infamous Liang Lingzhi? Didn’t he just get out of jail for soliciting prostitutes and assaulting a police officer? How’s he free so soon?”

“Probably Boss Tian pulled some strings for him.”

“Even the rich kids follow Boss Tian—he must be a real force to be reckoned with.”

The playboy, unnerved by Liang Lingzhi’s threat and the crowd’s murmurs, couldn’t help but feel afraid. Who wouldn’t be, faced with such bold posturing?

“Who exactly is Boss Tian?” the playboy demanded sharply.

Liang Lingzhi smirked. “You don’t need to know who Boss Tian is—just that he always means what he says.”

A bodyguard behind the playboy murmured, “That’s Liang Lingzhi, the city’s rising star among the rich. If even he takes orders from this Boss Tian, the guy must be a big deal!”

His voice was low, but sharp-eared Master Wei and Lixing heard it clearly.

Lecheng and Lixing exchanged a smile. Master Wei mused, “So He Wen-tian always keeps a low profile, letting Liang Lingzhi handle his dirty work.”

Faced with such a formidable and mysterious enemy, the playboy still tried to assert himself. “He disrespected my girlfriend—I want an apology!”

Upstairs, Ye Dong’s wild laughter rang out. “Bring his girlfriend up to me!”

At his command, two suited men burst from the crowd and hoisted the playboy’s girlfriend up high.

“What are you doing?!” the playboy shouted furiously. “Don’t blame me if this gun goes off!”

But the two men ignored his threats, carrying out Ye Dong’s orders without hesitation and presenting the woman before him.

Confronted by Ye Dong’s maniacal laughter, the seductive beauty was terrified. Tears streaming down her face, she pleaded, “Boss Tian, please don’t hurt me!”

Ye Dong’s laughter faded. He gently smoothed her disheveled hair, comforting her. “Don’t be afraid, beautiful. You’re too lovely for me to hurt you.”

He gave her a crooked smile, then suddenly pulled her into his arms and, in full view of everyone downstairs, pressed his lips forcefully to hers.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she melted in his embrace, powerless to resist Ye Dong’s advances.

The playboy was dumbfounded. “What are you doing?! Let her go!”

Ye Dong, heedless of the commotion, released her only after another lingering kiss, then tenderly fixed her hair once more. He announced in a booming voice, “From now on, she’s no longer your girlfriend—she belongs to me, He Wen-tian, alone!”

The crowd, save for the playboy’s group, erupted in cheers.

“He’s outrageously bold!”

“So domineering!”

“He’s incredible! I wish he’d kiss me like that!”

Compliments poured in from all sides as the crowd pressed in around Ye Dong and the beauty.

In that moment, as Liang Lingzhi and the others gazed up at Ye Dong, they were filled with awe. “Ye Dong is the living embodiment of swagger—arrogance flows with him like the wind, always at his side!”