As the Cao family and others departed, the vast Jun family mansion fell silent.
All the Jun family disciples present remained quiet, their gazes fixed on Xiao Yunlong in the center of the hall, complex emotions surfacing on each face.
Just a few days prior, Xiao Yunlong had almost forced several elder masters of the Jun family to their deaths in a similar manner. The Jun family and Xiao Yunlong were locked in a deep, bloody feud.
Yet now, this very enemy had intervened to save their Jun family!
It was conceivable that if Xiao Yunlong hadn't appeared tonight, the Jun family would have been finished, perhaps even facing the risk of annihilation!
Therefore, at this moment, all the Jun family disciples harbored incredibly complex feelings towards Xiao Yunlong.
“Alright, the matter is settled, and I should be going back!” Xiao Yunlong stood up, brushed himself off, and then walked towards the exit.
Jun Bufan suddenly snapped back to reality and said, “Thank you, Mr. Xiao, for your assistance. Otherwise, the Jun family would truly have been finished tonight. Oh, allow me to see you out.”
As he spoke, Jun Bufan hurried out. If there had been any lingering reservations or concerns in Jun Bufan’s heart before, at this very moment, he was completely convinced by Xiao Yunlong. From this point on, he decided to wholeheartedly follow this man.
“We should see Mr. Xiao out too!” Jun Yuanwei also reacted, beckoning to several direct descendants of the Jun family, and then they all walked together.
Xiao Yunlong walked directly to the main gate, too indifferent to bother with Jun Yuanwei and the others chasing after him. He directly opened the car door, got in, started the engine, and drove away.
Watching the car disappear into the night, Jun Yuanwei sighed sincerely, “Bufan, your choice was correct. It seems you are the only one in the entire Jun family who is truly clear-headed and possesses the most insightful vision. The burden of the Jun family will likely fall upon your shoulders from now on.”
Jun Bufan remained silent, merely nodding.
Jun Yuanwei then turned to several elder direct descendants of the Jun family and said, “Inform all the Jun family disciples that from this day forward, no one is allowed to mention seeking revenge against Mr. Xiao again!”
“That’s a given. After tonight’s events, I doubt anyone will bring it up again!” several elder Jun family disciples said with a wry smile.
The events that transpired at the Jun family tonight naturally could not be kept from Liang Minghui, the Director of the Su City Defense Department. In fact, from the moment the Cao family entered Su City with their numerous elite experts, he had been secretly monitoring the situation.
Initially, Liang Minghui had assumed Xiao Yunlong would not intervene. After all, as the King of Zhenbei in the Dragon Kingdom, ordinary matters rarely occupied his attention. Moreover, the Jun family had recently had a conflict with Mr. Xiao.
However, to Liang Minghui’s surprise, Mr. Xiao actually went to the Jun family. This not only astonished him but also filled him with envy and jealousy.
Liang Minghui couldn't quite understand what talent or capability the third-generation disciple of the Jun family, Jun Bufan, possessed to be valued by Mr. Xiao.
After witnessing Mr. Xiao’s appearance, Liang Minghui had already predicted that the Cao family would be defeated and Cao Wushang and others would die. In fact, the outcome was exactly as he had anticipated.
After all, Xiao Yunlong was the King of Zhenbei of the Dragon Kingdom; how could these minor wealthy families contend with him!
“I truly envy the Jun family. As the saying goes, ‘a blessing in disguise.’ Now that Jun Bufan has aligned himself with Mr. Xiao, the Jun family effectively has a powerful backer. If Mr. Xiao truly manages to enter the Tian Ce Mansion in the capital in the future, Jun Bufan’s status will undoubtedly rise, and he might even directly serve as the Jiangdong City Lord. At that time, the Jun family could very well leap to become the foremost aristocratic family in Su City, or even in Jiangdong!”
Thinking this, Liang Minghui felt a pang of bitterness. He quickly shook his head and muttered to himself, “No, Jun Bufan of the Jun family has already seized the initiative. I can’t let this continue. I must return from the capital as soon as possible to follow Mr. Xiao. In terms of talent, intelligence, and methods, I am far superior to that Jun Bufan. As long as I return, Jun Bufan will surely be overshadowed!”
With that, Liang Minghui took out his phone and couldn’t help but call his son, who was in the capital, once more.
Meanwhile, in the Cao family of Yancheng, they had naturally learned of the developments in Su City. Cao Kun’s arm had been bandaged. Upon hearing about what happened in Su City, he froze.
“What did you say? My father, my third uncle, and my maternal uncle are all dead? They are all dead?” Cao Kun’s eyes widened, his face filled with terror.
The entire Cao family descended into chaos upon receiving the news. With several key figures like Cao Wushang having perished, the Cao family was now leaderless. Only a few noble ladies remained among the elders, utterly incapable of stabilizing the situation.
“What do we do? Wushang is dead. What can we do now?” Cao Kun’s mother wailed.
“What on earth happened? Wuji took almost all of our Cao family’s elite experts, and even a portion of the Yancheng Defense Department’s guard force was dispatched. It’s said that Elder Brother even invited that master from the Southern Shaolin Temple to come out. Why did it turn out like this?”
Cao Wuji’s wife, the third madam of the Cao family, roared to the heavens. Although she was wailing, not a single tear fell from her eyes.
A Cao family leader stood in the center of the hall and reported the events at the Jun family in detail.
“You mean my maternal uncle bit his tongue and committed suicide after seeing that token of Xiao Yunlong?” Cao Kun asked through gritted teeth.
“Yes, young master. But at the time, besides Director Geng, no one could clearly see the appearance of the token. Director Geng did not explain anything and immediately bit his tongue and committed suicide. Then, the family head, third master, and two clan elders were subsequently forced to commit suicide!” the Cao family leader said.
“This means that token must be extraordinary. In other words, that dog Xiao Yunlong’s identity must be extraordinary!”
At this, Cao Kun suddenly stood up and shouted, “We must leave immediately! That dog surnamed Xiao, or the Jun family of Su City, might come to our Yancheng to cause trouble. We must leave tonight!”
Cao Kun’s mother sighed, “But where can we go?”
“To the provincial capital of Jiangdong, to Uncle’s place. He is, after all, the Commander of the Jiangdong City Lord’s Mansion. With him there, that dog surnamed Xiao, even with a hundred times the courage, would absolutely not dare to act recklessly again. Furthermore, our Cao family’s grievance cannot go unavenged. To seek revenge, we can only rely on our second uncle now!” Cao Kun said.
“Yes, yes, let’s go to Second Brother’s place. With his protection as the Commander of the Jiangdong City Lord’s Mansion, at least our lives will be safe,” the third madam said.
“Alright, this is the only way now. We’ll go to the provincial capital to seek refuge first. As for revenge, after we tell Second Brother, the family will decide,” Cao Kun’s mother sighed.
Subsequently, all the direct descendants of the Cao family departed that night, fleeing in haste to the provincial capital of Jiangdong.
Xiao Yunlong was naturally unaware of the matters concerning the Cao family of Yancheng, and he was too indifferent to care.
It was already late at night when he returned to the Liu family manor. Liu Ruyan was still in the training room, repeatedly practicing the Bagua Youlong Palm.
Seeing this, Xiao Yunlong couldn’t help but shake his head, “Ruyan, you must have heard the saying, ‘haste makes waste.’ Especially in martial arts, diligence and hard work are important, but it also requires a gradual approach. Practicing like this day and night can lead to excessive strain on your bones and muscles, causing injury. Secondly, because your nerves are constantly tensed, it can lead to confusion, and in severe cases, to qi deviation in the later stages.”
“It’s already past one o’clock. We need to balance work and rest. Let’s go rest!”
Liu Ruyan finally stopped, her body dripping with sweat, and said, “Yes, Yunlong. I understand. I’ll be careful from now on.”
“Starting tomorrow, you will practice at home for half a day, and then go act for half a day. Since you’ve already entered the realm of internal strength, all you need to do now is to hone it repeatedly. There’s no need to rush so much!” Xiao Yunlong said.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you!” Liu Ruyan smiled charmingly.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Liu Ruyan continued to practice her palm techniques. Xiao Yunlong said nothing more and returned to the pavilion to cultivate his Thousand Divine Kingdoms technique.
Fortunately, after lunch, Liu Ruyan finally stopped practicing martial arts and went to film.
The following week was much the same. Liu Ruyan appeared delicate on the surface, but she was a strong-willed woman at heart. After a week of continuous practice, the Bagua Youlong Palm gradually progressed from being initially clumsy and unnatural to becoming proficient, and now even reaching a state of mastery.
After breakfast, Liu Ruyan suddenly suggested, “By the way, Yunlong, the film crew has a day off today. Why don’t we go to the club? I want to test my strength again!”
“No problem!” Xiao Yunlong agreed.
Just then, Jun Bufan arrived from the Jun family. Xiao Yunlong asked him to drive, and the three of them left the Liu family manor and headed straight for the club.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the club’s boxing gym. As soon as they walked in, the security guards recognized the three of them and immediately stepped forward to greet them enthusiastically.
After Xiao Yunlong and the others entered, the security guards immediately called the manager.
“What did you say? That Mr. Xiao is here? Are you sure you saw him correctly?” the club manager asked.
“I’m sure. I just went up to greet him. They came as a group of three and are about to test their strength!” the security team leader said.
“Okay, I understand. You did well. Remember not to disturb them for now, just keep an eye on their movements from a distance!”
After hanging up the phone, the manager immediately called the owner, Quan Mingxu.
“Boss, that Mr. Xiao has come to our club!” the manager said directly after the call was connected.
“He’s here? Where is he now?” Quan Mingxu asked excitedly.
“He’s in the boxing gym, preparing to test his strength!” the manager replied.
“Okay, I understand. Have someone monitor their movements, and remember not to disturb them rashly. I’ll notify the Defense Department right away!”
Quan Mingxu hung up the phone and then, after some thought, directly called his friend Wu Gaozhuo, who served as a colonel in the Defense Department.
The call was answered quickly. Wu Gaozhuo asked directly, “Brother Mingxu, why are you calling me so early in the morning? Is something the matter?”
From their tone of conversation, it was clear they had a very good relationship. Quan Mingxu, being able to run such a large club, naturally had connections within the Su City official circles.
“It’s like this, Brother Wu. The young master I mentioned to you a few days ago is here at my club again today. You mentioned recently that your subordinates are in need of a coach, and this person is perfectly suited,” Quan Mingxu said straightforwardly.
Wu Gaozhuo on the other end of the line pondered for a moment and then said, “If, as you say, this person is truly that powerful, his young age doesn’t matter. However, he’s only in his early twenties. Is he really as strong as you say?”
“With our relationship, would I lie to you? How about this, you come to my club immediately, and I’ll introduce you. If that doesn’t work, you can then evaluate him and see if he has the strength to serve as a coach for your Defense Department,” Quan Mingxu said with a smile.
“That works too. I don’t have much to do this morning, so I’ll head over right away. I should arrive in about half an hour. You keep him here for me,” Wu Gaozhuo said.
“No problem. I’ll wait for you at the club then!”
After that, they both hung up the phone. Xiao Yunlong, who had already walked up to the strength-testing equipment, was naturally unaware of this matter.