Chapter 8: Ambush

Having assets worth tens of millions was nothing special in Yunmeng, but in Shanlong, it was enough to become a local kingpin.

Driving a car worth more than 600,000, Zhang Ching brought Yaoguang to a sixteen-story-tall establishment.

It was a complex made up of four buildings arranged in a perfect square. The architecture itself did not have any particularly distinctive style, but the sheer size of the place was astounding. The total floor area had to be at least 100,000 square meters.

"Here we are." Zhang Ching smiled. "Yulong International. This is the most famous money-squandering establishment in both Shanlong and, across the river, Mingguang. Every year, countless tourists and foreign guests come here to indulge themselves. Nearly twenty percent of the city’s tax revenue depends on this place."

As he parked, he continued, "Master Lei became a shareholder of Yulong International City not too long ago. Other than training at his manor, he spends most of his time here."

Yaoguang nodded along, not really listening to what Zhang Ching was saying. Instead, he used his secret technique to detect individuals with abnormal qi and blood nearby. He soon had the answer he had been looking for.

Well, there's good news and bad news. He thought as he calmed the surge of qi and blood within his body. Actually, if I think about it...it's only good news.

The first thing he found out was that, just as expected, Lei Ao’s cultivation had skyrocketed because a daemon had entered his body. The second one was that Lei Ao wasn't the only daemon-possessed individual within the manor. Yaoguang had detected three red points.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

This place was a daemon nest.

"As Master Lei has established himself as Shanlong’s number one, it has become harder for us to meet him in person. But with Young Master Su’s identity, if you even hint at wanting to learn martial arts from him, Master Lei would be delighted to teach you," Zhang Ching said with a smile.

"No rush," Yaoguang replied. "Since this is a visit, I ought to show sincerity. He is still working. It won’t be too late to find him after he gets off."

His Perception secret technique was not three-dimensional; it only provided positions. The building had sixteen floors, and the three red points were scattered. He could not tell which one belonged to Lei Ao. Therefore, he would proceed according to plan, eliminating them one by one.

"Young Master Su, you truly treat others with courtesy," Zhang Ching said, sighing in admiration. "So, how would you like to spend the time? Shanlong can’t compare to the capital of Tiannan, but Yulong International has plenty of entertainment. After all, some things that are strictly banned in Dayu are not enforced as harshly in this border city. You can find whatever you wanna eat or play here."

Something then occurred to him. "Young Master Su, you're fond of martial arts, right? Yulong International City has a boxing arena. Would you like to take a look?"

"Sure." Yaoguang nodded.

Compared to Daxia, where he lived before transmigrating, the overall environment in Dayu was far more closely connected to Martial Dao because of superhuman beings like martial paragons.

In international tournaments, champions could easily earn tens of billions, and world champions were paid billions just to appear at commercial events.

With such demand, local Martial Dao events were held far more frequently than in Daxia. Boxing arenas and fighting rings were standard features of major commercial centers.

Unfortunately, while the facilities were impressive, the fighters themselves were not. As Ye Yuhe had explained, martial artists could earn good money in city-level and even provincial-level events.

The participants at Yulong International belonged to that level. Anyone with a level 1 certificate could enter, with appearance fees ranging from one thousand to tens of thousands. Only major events attracted real experts.

After a brief look, Yaoguang felt no interest. Since what he intended to do next clearly could not have witnesses, he dismissed Zhang Ching.

***

Once they split from Su Yaoguang, the young man who had accompanied Zhang Ching earlier finally spoke. "Brother Zhang, the Zhang family may not be the top overlords of Shanlong, but you still have status. You followed him around and paid for everything, yet he showed you no respect at all. What is this Young Master Su’s background?"

"Background?" Zhang Ching did not feel slighted. In fact, he felt Su Yaoguang’s attitude was perfectly normal. Puffing his chest out, he said, "Didn’t I already say it? Young Master Su is from the capital of Tiannan. Tell me, what kind of background do you think that is?"

"The capital of Tiannan?" The young man blinked, then his eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. "Don't tell me it's the Su family that founded the Buzhou Group, which owns major companies in multiple industries such as electronics, heavy industry, finance, and chemistry..."

"Who else could it be?" Zhang Ching replied.

The young man gasped in response.

The Buzhou Group was one of the top—if not

the

top—conglomerate-level powers within all of Tiannan. Only the old aristocratic families stood above it. The only reason it ranked below those clans is the division of roles. The aristocratic families held political power, while the conglomerates held financial power. And in Dayu, authority outweighed wealth.

If Dayu were a federal, capital-driven country, the Su family's influence would absolutely rival that of those aristocratic families.

Moreover, the Su family’s Buzhou Group was at the pinnacle of Tiannan’s corporate world. At its height, Old Master Su was known as Tiannan’s richest man.

Three years ago, the Su family's prestige had dipped slightly because Second Young Lady Su Yaoxue called off her engagement with the Ye family’s fourth young master, Ye Xingchen, causing a rift between the two long-standing allied families. Even so, the Su family remained among the absolute elite of Tiannan’s power circle.

The two young men immediately changed their attitudes. "Brother Zhang, I didn’t expect you to have ties with Young Master Su. Usually, you only see the young master of a conglomerate in movies."

"Yes, exactly. Being able to speak with someone like him already proves Brother Zhang’s abilities. So what if Young Master Su is cold? That kind of demeanor fits his identity perfectly," they said, both speaking in quick agreement.

"I should head home and ask my father for advice. If I manage to be a proper host for Young Master Su during his visit to Shanlong, the entire Zhang family could benefit greatly." Zhang Ching waved casually and left soon after, already racking his brain for ways to stage a coincidental meeting to regain Su Yaoguang’s interest.

***

Inside the luxury sedan that was taking him back to his manor, Lei Ao watched the neon-lit streets outside and subconsciously licked his lips. "What a delightful place. Those people from the Artifact Sect... They really know how to enjoy life."

But now, things have changed.

His expression turned cold.

Soon... Very soon, we will no longer need to hide like this.

Gazing at the pedestrians outside, as if imagining something wonderful, he spoke. "Ah Bao, the industrial park is short on manpower again. Have the publicity department go recruit more people. I’ll be inspecting the place in three days."

"Yes, Boss," the driver replied.

The car soon slowed and came to a stop; traffic had clogged the road ahead. Ah Bao checked the alternative routes and steered to enter a small side road. It was actually a shorter route home, but because the road was uneven and full of potholes, he rarely used it. At a slower speed, it wasn’t much of a problem.

Suddenly, a shared bicycle overtook them and stopped in the middle of the lane. A young man, dressed like a student, got off.

Beep!

Ah Bao tapped the horn.

The man ignored it. Walking straight to the rear passenger seat, he raised his hand and knocked on the window.

"Lei Ao?" he asked.

Inside, Lei Ao frowned. Before he could respond, Ah Bao had already shifted the car into park, unbuckled his seatbelt, and was about to step out—

The young man spoke again, "Never mind. Whether you’re Lei Ao or not doesn’t matter. You’re all the same, anyway."

Bang!

In the next instant, the locked car door was violently torn open, metal fragments from the hinges scattering on the road.

As Lei Ao snapped his head up, a formless blade carrying the flicker of neon lights descended toward him.

Lei Ao reacted with extraordinary speed. The moment the sword tore through the air, he threw his body sideways and backward in the cramped rear seat. Both legs shot up like coiled springs, kicking out with explosive force.

One kick struck the arm in which Yaoguang held the sword.

The other hit the B-pillar of the car, and Lei Ao used the recoil to launch himself sideways at tremendous speed. At the same time, his right hand pressed against the seat, lifting his body into the air.

The entire sequence flowed smoothly, each motion linked perfectly to the next. His clear intention was to smash through the opposite window with his momentum and escape the confined space, which put him at a disadvantage.

It was undeniable that his reactions were as fast as lightning, honed to the extreme.