Zhuang Ruoting initially thought Ying Chen was unwilling to get out of the car and just didn't want to walk. After a moment's hesitation, she sighed, "Fine, I'll see this through. This mountain road ahead does require some effort, so driving is more convenient."
With that, Zhuang Ruoting started the car and drove towards the gate of the Liao family's mansion.
Ying Chen, however, remained silent, focusing his attention on the faint, almost imperceptible killing intent.
"We're here," Zhuang Ruoting announced as she parked the car directly in front of the Liao family's gate.
She thought that this would surely make Ying Chen get out of the car. After all, they were at the doorstep; driving any further would mean driving straight into the Liao residence.
But to her surprise, Ying Chen still didn't get out.
Instead, he quietly gazed at a century-old camphor tree not far from the gate, as if he were extremely interested in it.
Seeing Ying Chen's behavior, Zhuang Ruoting instinctively began to explain, "That camphor tree has been alive for over two hundred years, with lush branches and leaves. Locals call it the 'Spirit of the Ancestral God' and come here to offer sacrifices during festivals. However, the Liao family found the incense smoke too bothersome in recent years and no longer allows people to worship here. This has drawn considerable criticism from the locals."
"If you find it interesting, you can get out and take a look. They say wishes made here are often granted."
But Ying Chen remained unmoved.
After a full ten seconds, Ying Chen slowly shifted his gaze away.
He said leisurely, "When a guest arrives, the host should come out to greet them. What logic is there for a guest to enter uninvited?"
"So, please do me a favor and honk the horn. Let the Liao family know: the creditor has arrived!"
"What?" Zhuang Ruoting's expression changed drastically upon hearing Ying Chen's words.
She had assumed Ying Chen and Liao Yifan were friends and that he was visiting.
She never expected Ying Chen to be here to collect a debt!
"You're here to collect a debt from the Liao family? What debt do they owe you? Did you notify the Liao family before coming? Did the Liao family agree to repay this debt? If the Liao family hasn't agreed..."
Zhuang Ruoting bombarded him with a rapid-fire series of questions.
However, before she could finish, Ying Chen interrupted her.
Ying Chen's eyes turned cold as he looked at Zhuang Ruoting, "This is not a matter you should concern yourself with. If I tell you to honk the horn, then honk it!"
Zhuang Ruoting shivered instinctively.
Ying Chen's icy gaze made her feel, for a fleeting moment, as if she were being stared down by a tiger!
And not just any tiger, but one staring directly into her eyes!
The fear and tremor that originated from her core made her heart pound uncontrollably.
"I... I was just worried... that the Liao family might do something against you... after all, the Liao family has always been overbearing... they even stopped people from sacrificing to the Ancestral God..."
Zhuang Ruoting explained, stammering.
"Do something against me?" Ying Chen chuckled. "Perhaps that was true before, but not anymore."
Zhuang Ruoting looked at Ying Chen, confused.
She couldn't understand why, after such a short time, the Liao family would no longer pose a threat to Ying Chen.
Had Ying Chen reached some kind of reconciliation with the Liao family in this brief period?
But Zhuang Ruoting hadn't seen Ying Chen make any calls or do anything.
Faced with Zhuang Ruoting's bewilderment, Ying Chen offered no explanation.
He merely glanced at the large camphor tree not far away.
Under the cover of night, the camphor tree's shadow merged with the darkness, obscuring an area of several meters.
Ordinary people couldn't see clearly that a middle-aged man was half-reclining beneath the camphor tree.
The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with intense fear, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
His gaze remained fixed in Ying Chen's direction.
His breathing was rapid and erratic, large beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and he leaned against the trunk of the camphor tree to maintain his semi-reclining posture.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest, the speed and force of its beats truly terrifying!
It was as if his chest contained not a heart, but a ticking time bomb!
The sheer magnitude of the palpitations made one wonder if it would burst through his skin and leap out of his chest.
Who would have thought that this middle-aged man was no ordinary person, but the chief instructor of the San He Men martial arts school in Xiangjiang!
The San He Men martial arts school, on the surface, was a martial arts school, but in reality, it had once been Xiangjiang's largest underground organization!
However, they had evolved with the times, shifting their focus towards legitimate businesses.
The San He Men martial arts school was their stronghold, where they trained disciples, taught martial arts, and secretly engaged in dangerous dealings.
The chief instructor of San He Men was, in essence, the organization's top enforcer, its most feared figure!
The very person that Liao Yifan's father had hired, Master Hong, was this individual!
Yet, this man, who had been hired at great expense by Liao Yifan's father as a formidable guardian, a veritable pillar of strength, hadn't even officially made his appearance before collapsing under the camphor tree like a sickly old man!
Anyone who witnessed this would surely be perplexed.
After all, while Master Hong might not be considered one of Xiangjiang's top martial arts masters, he was undoubtedly ranked within the top ten.
How could he have ended up in such a state?
In truth, it wasn't just outsiders who were bewildered; Master Hong himself didn't understand until this very moment!
He had sensed a vehicle approaching the mountain and had deliberately unleashed the killing intent he had cultivated over years of combat, intending to intimidate his opponent.
His killing intent had indeed had an effect.
The vehicle had stopped halfway up, and a young man had poked his head out.
Just as he was preparing to intensify his aura and make the young man soil himself in the car and suffer public humiliation, he saw the vehicle surprisingly continue its ascent, arriving at the Liao family's gate!
It was then that Master Hong noticed the faint smirk on the young man's lips.
And the young man's gaze was fixed on his location, with no attempt to conceal it.
It was clear the young man had discovered his presence!
And had issued a challenge!
Master Hong, with his fiery temper, couldn't possibly stand by idly!
He stood up, intending to simply go over and twist off the young man's head!
Who would have thought that the next second, something bizarre would happen.
Under the young man's unwavering stare, Master Hong's body instantly became rigid!
Master Hong's feet refused to move!
His arms wouldn't lift.
His neck couldn't turn.
He couldn't even open his mouth to speak!
He had become completely immobile, like a puppet, able to blink his eyes but otherwise unable to move an inch!
This terrified Master Hong.
He struggled to break free from this state.
But the more he tried to escape, the more severe the stiffness in his body became!
He even felt waves of sharp pain radiating from within, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at him from the inside!
Master Hong could no longer endure it and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
If it weren't for the camphor tree trunk behind him, he feared he would have lost his last shred of dignity and would have fallen like a corpse, lying on the ground, at the mercy of anyone who came across him!
Master Hong was consumed by terror, believing this was his end.
He was even more astonished by his bizarre experience.
Unexpectedly, after staring at him for a while, the young man turned his head away, no longer looking at him.
Suddenly, he felt an immense sense of relief; the oppressive feeling, the ant-biting sensation, the abnormal heart palpitations, all vanished.
He felt as though he had just returned from the gates of hell, letting out a long sigh of relief!
However, the stiffness in Master Hong's body remained, forcing him to stay in a collapsed position, unable to move.
It wasn't until his blood circulation gradually returned to his entire body that he felt slightly better.
At least his fingers could move.
And he paid no mind to anything else; the first thing he did once his fingers regained movement was to call the martial arts school.
"Quick, give the phone to Grandpa!"
"Don't ask why! Hurry and give it to Grandpa!"
Master Hong yelled.
The disciple who answered the phone didn't dare to delay and rushed like a whirlwind to the back courtyard of the martial arts school, handing the phone to the true founder of the school, the now elderly Grandpa.
"Hello, Grandpa. I've been defeated!"
"I don't know who the opponent is, what their style is, or what technique they used."
"I just looked at him for a moment, and my whole body felt like it was struck by lightning, my limbs refused to obey, my heart raced, and my body uncontrollably collapsed."
"He didn't kill me. I don't know if it was contempt or if he deemed me unworthy. He's heading to the Liao family now, and I have a premonition that the Liao family is in for a terrible night!"
"Yes, he's from the mainland. Grandpa, you need to come and handle this quickly! Never mind the Liao family, but at least our San He Men's reputation must be preserved! Otherwise, tomorrow, the whole of Xiangjiang will know that our San He Men lacks the ability to protect the Liao family and was defeated by a young man from the mainland, who took down the entire Liao family!"
Master Hong finished speaking in one breath.
The Grandpa on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before finally sighing, "I had already retired and vowed to stay out of worldly affairs. But under these circumstances, I will make an exception this once!"
"We cannot allow an outsider to trample on Xiangjiang's territory and disgrace our San He Men!"