Half an hour later, at the City Lord’s Mansion.
By the time Lu Chen arrived, more than a dozen luxury cars were already parked out front.
From a distance, he could see Sun Qingcang and his daughter Sun Yourong standing at the mansion gate, surrounded by several people of distinguished bearing.
Of course, his pink business van was quite the eyesore, so they had naturally noticed it early on.
Lu Chen pushed the door open and stepped out. Sun Qingcang was already raising a hand in greeting.
He strode forward quickly and smiled, saying, “Uncle Sun.”
“You’re here, Xiao Chen.” Sun Qingcang looked him up and down, clicking his tongue in admiration. “Sure enough, clothes make the man—that saying couldn’t be more true. Put on a suit and you’re a whole different person. Yourong, wouldn’t you agree?”
Sun Yourong also gave him a few glances and nodded lightly. “Mm, not bad~”
Lu Chen smiled but didn’t say much.
“Come, let me introduce you to a few seniors.” Sun Qingcang turned and first gestured to a middle-aged man beside him wearing glasses, with a refined yet heroic air about him. “This is the head of the Wu family from the east side of the city, Wu Jingzhi.”
Then he introduced another man—broad-shouldered and imposing, with steady eyes. “This is the head of the Qin family from the west side, Qin Guangshan. And this is the rising star from the south side…”
He introduced seven or eight family heads from Jiangdu City in a row.
You could say that the people standing before him already represented half of Jiangdu’s power.
“As for Xiao Chen, I don’t need to say much more.” Sun Qingcang wrapped up with a smile.
Qin Guangshan was the first to speak up with a laugh. “Young friend Lu’s name has been ringing in everyone’s ears lately.”
“Indeed. To qualify as a rising star in under a month—that speed is truly unprecedented and unheard of.”
Wu Jingzhi, as the head of the Wu family, unexpectedly cupped his hands in salute as he spoke.
The group exchanged a few pleasantries, engaging in a round of mutual flattery, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
“Screech—!!”
But the mutual flattery didn’t last more than a few exchanges.
A piercing sound of brakes suddenly tore through the chatter at the entrance.
A luxurious stretch business car came to an abrupt stop at the steps.
“The Zhao family is here.”
Sun Qingcang murmured under his breath, and the surroundings immediately quieted down a bit.
Everyone’s smiles faded, and their eyes turned toward the car door in unison.
Both side doors opened simultaneously.
Zhao Jiutang, draped in a heavy cloak, stepped out first.
But the person who got out from the other side made everyone pause in surprise.
“Zhao Wanliang?”
Behind him, Sun Yourong’s tone couldn’t hide her surprise.
—Zhao Wanliang.
So this is Zhao Wanliang!?
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
—So this guy finally shows his face.
He looked carefully. Sure enough, just as Old Wu had said, even from a distance, he could tell the man was thin and pale, looking like someone drained by wine and women.
And his ghastly appearance also prompted the family heads behind him to exchange glances, each with a different expression.
“Everyone’s here so early.” Zhao Jiutang stepped forward with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting.
“Family Head Zhao.”
“President Zhao.”
The family heads returned the greeting, though their smiles were a bit fainter.
Qin Guangshan’s gaze fell on Zhao Wanliang behind Zhao Jiutang, and he said with what seemed like concern, “Wanliang, it’s been years since I’ve seen you. How did you get so thin? Young people should take better care of their health.”
“None of your damn business?”
Unexpectedly, Zhao Wanliang lifted his eyelids and fired back without a shred of courtesy.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Qin Guangshan’s face, unsurprisingly, couldn’t hold up. His expression darkened as he said, “Wanliang, you’re a junior. Talking to your elder like this isn’t appropriate, is it?”
“Oh?” Zhao Wanliang sneered. “Does your Qin family want to have a go at my Zhao family? Are you sure?”
The arrogance and certainty in his words made everyone present feel a chill in their hearts.
But arrogant as he was, no one dared to underestimate him.
After all, the Zhao family’s current strength really did rank at the top among the four great families.
“Alright, alright, Brother Qin, calm down.” Zhao Jiutang stepped in to smooth things over. “Wanliang, say a little less. Uncle Qin is an elder, after all.”
He said that, but anyone with eyes could see that Zhao Jiutang had no intention of seriously reprimanding Zhao Wanliang.
—He didn’t dare to.
So he really is just a puppet family head.
Zhao Wanliang couldn’t be bothered with Qin Guangshan. His gaze finally landed on Lu Chen, and the corner of his mouth curved into something between a smile and a sneer. “So you’re the newcomer who’s about to become a rising star?”
Sun Qingcang took half a step forward, positioning himself in front of Lu Chen, and said in a flat tone, “Wanliang, you wouldn’t refuse to give your Uncle Sun some face too, would you?”
Zhao Wanliang’s gaze swept over Sun Qingcang, and his attitude softened considerably compared to before. He smiled and said, “So it’s Uncle Sun. Yourong’s here too—long time no see.”
Sun Yourong turned her face away, clearly not wanting to engage with him.
Zhao Wanliang wasn’t bothered. His gaze locked onto Lu Chen again, an faint sense of pressure coming off him. “Hey, brother, I’m talking to you. Don’t tell me you don’t even know the basic courtesy of introducing yourself?”
Everyone’s eyes immediately darted between the two of them.
No one had expected Zhao Wanliang to personally attend the City Lord’s meeting today—this was simply unprecedented.
Even less expected was how quickly the confrontation between the Lu family and the Zhao family would come!
But Zhao Wanliang seemed reckless and arrogant on the surface.
In truth, this kid had hidden intentions—he clearly wanted to “kill the chicken to scare the monkey,” deliberately giving this fellow rising star from the same district a show of force.
Now it was up to Lu Chen to see how he would respond.
Just as everyone’s heartbeats couldn’t help but secretly quicken.
Lu Chen smiled lightly and said, “I notice the other family heads have all heard of me. Only Young Master Zhao says he doesn’t know me… Seems Young Master Zhao’s information isn’t very up to date.”
At those words.
Several family heads nearby exchanged glances.
Only Sun Yourong wasn’t surprised.
“This guy, same style as always…”
Last time with the Spirit Water Sage, Lu Chen had even opened by asking about his mother…
This time, he’d already held back quite a bit.
Zhao Wanliang’s eyes narrowed even further. “You’re right about that. I don’t usually listen to gossip. Why don’t you tell me yourself, so I can get to know you?”
“Forget it. Since you don’t know, then don’t bother knowing.” Lu Chen’s smile didn’t change, but his tone cooled. “Besides, even if you did know, it wouldn’t do Young Master Zhao any good.”
Bzzt!!!
That was even more brazen than before!
Several family heads secretly drew in a breath. They hadn’t expected these two to start clashing in public the moment they met…
Zhao Wanliang clearly hadn’t encountered a situation like this either. His only goal in coming here was to give Lu Chen a small show of force, to demonstrate the Zhao family’s status.
To make Lu Chen tone things down a bit going forward.
This was just the standard deterrence tactic used by the major families in each district.
He’d done the same to several rising stars in the north of the city, without exception.
So even if it was just an act, he had to play it out fully and give Lu Chen the same treatment.
But not only had the show of force failed, he’d now lost face in front of everyone.
His expression darkened further, and he was about to speak again.
But Lu Chen had already shifted his gaze to a familiar figure behind him.
“Oh, it’s Steward Zhao. Long time no see.”
Standing behind Zhao Wanliang, slightly to the side, was none other than Zhao Zhihong, who’d had a bit of a run-in with Lu Chen back at the Zhao family shrine. He looked up at the sound of the voice and cupped his hands with a smile. “Young friend Lu, well met.”
“Young friend Lu?”
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, walked straight past Zhao Wanliang, and stopped in front of Zhao Zhihong. He smiled and said, “When the other family heads call me that, I don’t mind.”
His tone suddenly turned cold, and his eyes went icy:
“But who do you think you are—to address this one that way?!”
BOOM!!!
A mid-stage third-rank spiritual pressure poured out like a mountain flood, crashing down on Zhao Zhihong without reservation!
Combined with the unique lethal effect of [Turbid Waves Burning Heaven].
Its power was close to late-stage third-rank!
Zhao Zhihong was only early third-rank—how could he withstand such suppression!
His knees buckled, and he crashed to the ground!
The stone slabs beneath his feet split apart, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb.
All of this happened too fast.
From Lu Chen’s sudden strike to Zhao Zhihong dropping to his knees—it was all within a breath.
“Mid-stage third-rank?!”
Sun Yourong’s pupils contracted sharply.
No way…
Hadn’t he just recently advanced to second-rank?
How could this be…
What was even more shocking was that he dared to openly attack the Zhao family’s steward right in front of Zhao Jiutang and Zhao Wanliang!
“Young friend Lu!!”
Zhao Jiutang’s sharp shout rang out, his sleeves billowing as a surge of spiritual power rushed out to disperse Lu Chen’s pressure.
His face was dark as water. “Is there something that can’t be discussed properly? Doing this right in front of me—I’m afraid that’s not appropriate.”
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Zeng Rou and Wang Zhidong flickered into position, already flanking Lu Chen.
More than twenty Raksha Cult core members stepped forward in unison, their third-rank spiritual pressures weaving into a net that coldly enveloped the Zhao family’s people.
The Zhao family guards did the same, their spiritual pressures weaving together as they surged toward the Lu family.
In this moment!
The scene instantly became tense to the extreme!
All the family heads couldn’t help but change expression—clearly not expecting the situation to shift so fast, so violently!
Even less expected was that the Lu family kid, still only a prospective rising star, would so recklessly confront the Zhao family—a major power in the same district—head-on, without any mercy.
Beside them, Sun Qingcang secretly took a deep breath, a faint light flickering in his hand as he gathered power.
He seemed ready to step in at any moment.
And Lu Chen, facing Zhao Jiutang’s question, remained composed and unruffled.
Looking at the grim-faced Zhao Jiutang and Zhao Wanliang, he smiled and said:
“Gentlemen, I’m the kind of person who… always holds a little grudge.”
“That day, your Steward Zhao here once ‘welcomed’ me using the same method. I’ve been keeping that in mind.”
“As it happens, we ran into each other today, so I figured I’d let him experience what it felt like for me back then.”
“If you two think that’s inappropriate… feel free to use the same method to make me bow my head.”
With that, Lu Chen generously spread his hands:
“Come on! Both of you, bring it on!!”
