"You surnamed Xiao, I am the Lord of Chuanlong Ridge. You actually... you actually dared to lay hands on me. How audacious of you!"
Long Yan choked back his breath, his voice almost a roar from his throat. "What are you four standing around for? Save me! Take him down!"
As soon as his words fell, the four elders finally moved.
Of course, the reason they had hesitated earlier was that their boss was in the opponent's hands, so they dared not act rashly.
Now that they had received the order, their aura erupted, and a gust of wind swept through the entire private room. Especially the oldest elder, with innate true qi swirling around him, looked truly extraordinary.
The four of them lunged at Xiao Yunlong from four directions at the fastest speed.
"Do you think they can take me down? Truly ignorant!"
As Xiao Yunlong sneered, his figure shot out like a blur.
In an instant, with a series of thuds, the four charging elders, including the half-step innate qi-opening realm expert, were all sent flying backward and lay on the ground, groaning and wailing like dead dogs, clearly having lost their fighting ability.
Zhuge Wushuang and Tu Fu were already preparing to make a move, but before they could even move, the battle was over.
They could only feel a slight sense of helplessness about this. It was no help; their lord's martial arts cultivation was far too superior to theirs.
Then, Xiao Yunlong's figure flashed, and he reappeared before Long Yan, looking down at him.
At this moment, Long Yan had lost all the imposing aura of the Lord of Chuanlong Ridge. He had collapsed onto the ground, his pale lips trembling from extreme fear.
"King Bei... Your Highness King Bei, Lord Zhenbei King, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I should never have provoked you. I beg you to show mercy and not kill me. Spare me!"
Long Yan wailed incessantly, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"After all, you are the Lord of a Ridge. Based on this alone, I wouldn't kill you!" Xiao Yunlong snorted indifferently.
"Thank you, Your Highness King Bei, for your mercy, thank you, Your Highness King Bei!"
Long Yan was instantly relieved, and at the same time, he sneered inwardly, thinking that his boy finally knew he was the Lord of a Ridge and wouldn't dare to kill him.
However, just as he was feeling smug, Xiao Yunlong suddenly raised his foot and stomped on his right leg.
With a cracking sound and a pig-like scream, Long Yan's right leg was instantly shattered.
"Remember this, I am not afraid to kill you today, but I have some past dealings with the King of Southern Border. This is his territory, and I will give him some face. This leg will be your punishment for disrespecting me. Now get out!"
Xiao Yunlong said sternly, his voice filled with authority.
Long Yan dared not say another word. He wailed, enduring the intense pain, and quickly ordered his subordinates to carry him out. Then, he fled like a stray dog.
Soon, the entire Longchuan Restaurant fell silent. The owner was in the next room and had intended to come over to offer some drinks, but upon hearing the commotion, he dared not.
The private room was already a mess of overturned plates and scattered food. Fortunately, Xiao Yunlong and his companions had eaten their fill, so they didn't linger and quickly drove away.
As they sat in the car, Tang Bowen, in the passenger seat, couldn't help but say, "My Lord, there's something I don't know if I should say."
"Speak!" Xiao Yunlong replied.
"It's about Long Yan, the Lord of Chuanlong Ridge. Although this fellow is not much, what he said earlier was actually not wrong," Tang Bowen said thoughtfully.
"Which statement?" Xiao Yunlong asked.
Tang Bowen then said, "My Lord, I know you won't be staying in Chuan City forever, and even I probably won't be staying long. If, after we leave, this scoundrel Long Yan causes trouble again and targets your friends and family, then..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I won't give him that chance."
Seeing Tang Bowen's slightly confused expression, Xiao Yunlong added, "Tomorrow, I will go to Longyan City. You and Wushuang will then secretly investigate and find out everything about that fellow Long Yan!"
"Yes!" Tang Bowen immediately nodded. It was only then that he understood that it wasn't that his Lord didn't want to deal with the Lord of Chuanlong Ridge, but that the time was not yet right.
Xiao Yunlong glanced at him and sighed, "My current identity and situation are being watched by so many people in the capital. Although you all say I am decisive and even the outside world rumors that I am a ruthless butcher, I know better than anyone who should be killed, who shouldn't be killed, and who is temporarily not suitable to be killed!"
Tang Bowen listened and nodded heavily, "Thank you, My Lord, for clarifying. Your subordinate has learned a great deal."
"Actually, cousin, you don't need to be so formal in private!" Xiao Yunlong shook his head with a hint of helplessness.
"Yes, My Lord. I will pay attention to this in the future!"
Although Tang Bowen said so, he had no intention of changing. After all, his personality was like this.
Xiao Yunlong shook his head at this and changed the subject, "By the way, have Grandpa and the others settled in? I've been busy with other things these past two days. I have some free time this afternoon, so I'll go see them!"
He then turned the steering wheel, and the car sped towards the east.
Perhaps it was returning to his hometown in his old age, or perhaps it could be called returning in glory. Grandpa Tang Zengshou's complexion had clearly improved. His eldest aunt and the others also expressed their welcome with great excitement, even with a hint of fawning.
Xiao Yunlong didn't say much. He played chess with his grandfather in the courtyard for the entire afternoon.
During the game, his grandfather kept talking about his childhood. Xiao Yunlong mostly listened. He also stayed for dinner that evening and didn't return until midnight.
However, as soon as he returned to the hotel, Xiao Yunlong called Zhuge Wushuang and the other subordinates over.
"Next, I'm going to Longyan City. Wushuang, you and Bowen will depart tonight and secretly investigate Long Yan. As for Tu Fu, you and Chao Feng will stay behind to protect the Tang family, especially my grandfather!"
Xiao Yunlong gave his orders directly. He naturally couldn't be too careful with that fellow Long Yan. If Long Yan knew he was in Longyan City and sent assassins, wouldn't his base be compromised?
"Big Brother, what about me?" Jun Bufan couldn't help but ask.
"You're with me!" Xiao Yunlong said.
"Alright, Big Brother!" Jun Bufan was naturally very happy about this. More than anything else, he preferred to stay by his Big Brother's side, even if it was just to serve tea.
The night passed without incident. The next day, after breakfast, Xiao Yunlong and Jun Bufan drove directly to Longyan City.
Longyan City was not too far from Chuan City. Three hours later, at noon, the car exited the highway and soon entered the urban area.
"Big Brother, where do we go next?" Jun Bufan asked.
"First, we'll check into a hotel. After lunch, we'll go to the largest jade material market in the west!" Xiao Yunlong said.
"Okay, Big Brother. But... Big Brother, why are we going to this jade material market?" Jun Bufan asked.
Xiao Yunlong smiled and said, "Wushuang and Bowen will probably need quite some time. Longyan City is a nationally renowned jade material market. Since we're here, we should take a look. If it's suitable, I'll buy some jade ornaments for the family!"
"So that's how it is. Big Brother, you're thinking of your wife, aren't you?" Jun Bufan said, then added with a smile, "If I calculate the time, Big Sister should be on winter break soon."
Xiao Yunlong was stunned when he heard this. There had been so many things happening recently that if it hadn't been for this sudden mention, he would have almost forgotten.
He had promised Liu Ruyan that after the matters in the Eastern Region and Southern Border were settled, he would rush to the capital as soon as possible. But he never expected that it was already winter break.
"In that case, I really need to choose carefully!" Xiao Yunlong murmured to himself.