At the same time the various influential figures closely connected to Shen Qiang were laughing heartily, the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sword Sect, who had just received the news, turned livid and erupted in anger.

"Useless! A bunch of useless fools! So many people, and yet the Immortal Artifact was stolen? What were they doing? Why not lose their heads instead? Truly a group of hopeless cases! With no evidence, only speculation, what can I do about that Shen Qiang? Ask him? Argue with him? Do we need to lose even more face?"

Hearing this, a middle-aged Daoist beside him said, "Sect Leader, you mentioned that last night Baihua Palace Master Weisheng Zhimei claimed to remain neutral and not to meddle in the matters of Heshenghe. Immediately thereafter, the Magical Treasure was stolen. Could it be that Baihua Palace has joined hands with Heshenghe..."

"Nonsense," the Kunlun Sword Sect Leader said coldly. "The women of Baihua Palace love beauty the most. If they truly had ambitions to dominate the world, Baihua Palace would have already surpassed all other sects. They seek benefits without wanting the risk. Upon seeing Cheng Xinyi and Wanxin join forces to assist Shen Qiang, fearing a great war would erupt, they abandoned Dinghao Hotel and Datong River Restaurant."

"But even so, they would absolutely not allow Baihua Palace to bear the stain of internal theft, so it's definitely not them. As for Shen Qiang, that guy is unscrupulous and has already shown signs of being a formidable hero. If not dealt with quickly, he will surely become a major threat."

The middle-aged Daoist asked, "Then what are your intentions?"

"Go and encourage Sha Jianming and the Great Elder of the Qingyun Sword Pavilion. Tell them that as long as they dare act against Shen Qiang, I will fully support them in taking over Carefree Valley and the Qingyun Sword Pavilion. If they kill Shen Qiang, we rid ourselves of a major irritation. If they are killed by Shen Qiang, Carefree Valley and the Qingyun Sword Pavilion will never let it go, and Shen Qiang will naturally face endless troubles, leaving him no energy for development."

"Once Heshenghe stagnates and misses its development window, under a fixed structure, making any breakthrough will be extremely difficult for him."

Hearing the Kunlun Sword Sect Leader, the middle-aged Daoist said with a slight surprise, "What about Hidden Sword Villa?"

The Kunlun Sword Sect Leader frowned, "Hidden Sword Villa's Young Master Zuo Lianghao is currently a member of Heshenghe. Do you think he doesn't know the plans of the Qingyun Sword Pavilion, Carefree Valley, and Hidden Sword Villa? He's controlled by Shen Qiang. If Shen Qiang dies, he certainly won't survive. Being an abandoned pawn, he will definitely not sit idly by. Now that Hidden Sword Villa's Five Assistant Swords are lost, as long as Zuo Lianghao is not stupid, he will immediately take charge of Hidden Sword Villa's disciples in Baihua Palace."

"People are selfish. Do you think he would allow his subordinates, who were once loyal to him, to use his life as a bargaining chip in exchange for wealth and glory?"

The middle-aged Daoist's eyes lit up and he said, "I understand, the elder of Hidden Sword Villa lost the Five Assistant Swords, giving Young Master Zuo Lianghao an excuse. In that case, no matter who it is, they will prioritize their own interests first. So Zuo Lianghao will certainly do his best to ensure Shen Qiang does not die."

The Kunlun Sword Sect Leader sneered, "Exactly, so tell the Great Elder of the Qingyun Sword Pavilion and Sha Jianming that Hidden Sword Villa cannot be relied upon. If they want to act, they must do it themselves."

"Understood." The middle-aged Daoist bowed and said, "I will go now."

With that said.

The Daoist bowed and retreated before leaving.

Remaining in the study and drinking tea, the Kunlun Sword Sect Leader mumbled coldly with eyes like steel knives, "What an impressive Shen Qiang, what a formidable Heshenghe. If allowed to continue developing freely, I'm afraid the influence of the Kunlun Sword Sect can never touch the north."

While the Kunlun Sword Sect Leader was in a restless mood.

Inside the small conference room on the fifth floor of Baihua Palace's Summer Hotel.

The crowd looked in astonishment as Zuo Lianghao, as if throwing out trash, threw the person in charge of Hidden Sword Villa out of the meeting room.

Then Zuo Lianghao, tall and handsome, smiled and pulled out a chair to sit beside the conference table. He smiled at Shen Qiang and said, "My dear boss, even though I don't like you, I must admit you are quite formidable."

Seeing this scene, the Second Elder of the Qingyun Sword Pavilion frowned deeply, but at this moment he had no mind to care about these matters. Instead, he gazed at Shen Qiang and said tensely, "Shen Qiang, if you are willing to return the magical treasures we had for the exhibition, we can write off the past between us."

Shen Qiang chuckled, raising an eyebrow calmly, "Talking to me like this without real evidence, don't you think you are being rather rude? And to be blunt, even if you had hard evidence, even if it was indeed me, I would absolutely not hand over a polished knife for you to stab me."

The Second Elder fell silent.

At this moment, the person in charge of Carefree Valley angrily said, "Shen Qiang, if you return the magical treasures, we at Carefree Valley will rally heroes from all over the world to flatten your Heshenghe!"

"I'll take that as you spouting nonsense. Now you can leave." Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow calmly, "I'll give you three seconds, and if you don't leave, my people will show you out."

The person from Carefree Valley left in a fit of rage, "You just wait, Shen Qiang, this matter between us isn't over."

With that said, he rose and left.

Turning his gaze to the calm and smiling Zuo Lianghao, Shen Qiang frowned and said, "Don't you want to say something on behalf of Hidden Sword Villa?"

Zuo Lianghao laughed, "One, the stuff wasn't lost in my hands. Two, I can't use the Five Assistant Swords, and I can't even sell them, so whether they are lost or not, what does it have to do with me?"

Shen Qiang chuckled.

Upon hearing this, the Second Elder of the Qingyun Sword Pavilion sighed and said, "Mr. Shen, could you, for Luoying's sake, lighten your hand? I know your connections run deep. If there is any news of the missing treasures from the Sword Pavilion, please notify me. We are willing to purchase them back."

Shen Qiang laughed, "Though I would like to say, it's rather shameless of you to not give Kang Luoying any face yourself, yet now wish to rely on her goodwill to retrieve the lost treasures. But out of politeness, I chose to swallow those words and instead say, per standard etiquette, rest assured, I will notify you the moment I receive any news."

The Second Elder of the Qingyun Sword Pavilion sighed and then rose, "Then I shall depend on you, Mr. Shen."

Watched him leave, Shen Qiang smiled at Zuo Lianghao, "You're not leaving?"

Zuo Lianghao stood up, "While I didn't say anything to you, I definitely need to be the last one to leave. Then, when I return, I'll tell them that I've tried my best."

Shen Qiang laughed, "Very clever, very strategic, it seems you have finally learned something while at Heshenghe."

Zuo Lianghao laughed and said rather coldly, "It was Brother Shen Bian who taught me. Compared to you, he is noble and kind, unrivaled in honor."

With that said, Zuo Lianghao left.

Shen Qiang couldn't help but laugh, Bianyi unrivaled in honor, that was probably the funniest joke in the world.

And at this moment, the curvaceous and stunningly beautiful Baihua Palace Master gently closed the conference room door, then turned to Shen Qiang, smiled enchantingly and said, "Shen Qiang, I think it's indeed time for us to have an honest discussion."

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