Long Tianyi was unwilling to accept his loss to Lin Feng, especially since he still had the strength to fight. He almost wished Lin Feng had injured him more seriously; at least then he wouldn't feel so awkward facing Chen Ming.

"Hall Master, I…" Long Tianyi approached Chen Ming, his expression troubled, clearly hesitant to speak.

Chen Ming glanced at Long Tianyi, who was still bleeding. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before it softened into a remarkably affable expression.

"Tianyi, don't blame yourself too much," Chen Ming began, offering some perfunctory praise. "I saw the fight. You performed very well and didn't lose your imposing manner…" He then lowered his voice. "Is that Lin Feng injured?"

Long Tianyi, who had been feeling rather guilty, heard Chen Ming's question and nodded decisively. A hint of pride touched his features as he replied in a low voice, "To beat me, he took a direct punch from me. His left arm is either dislocated or fractured! He's not much of a threat anymore!"

"That's good!" Hearing that Lin Feng was no longer a threat, Chen Ming's eyes lit up. He gently patted Long Tianyi's shoulder and whispered, "Go get your wounds treated. You don't need to worry about what happens next!"

Only then did Long Tianyi shamefacedly exit the boxing ring.

「Elsewhere」

Lin Feng, too, struggled as he climbed down from the platform. Clutching his dislocated left arm, he grimaced in pain and sat down beside Wu Mei.

Seeing Lin Feng actually defeat Long Tianyi, Long Xiaoyun and the others were ecstatic. They treated Lin Feng like a conquering hero. Everyone, except for Long Shaotian who maintained his composure due to his status, crowded around Lin Feng, excitedly asking questions:

"Brother Feng, how on earth did you win? Tell us! Your movements on the platform were too fast; we couldn't see a thing!"

"Brother Feng, you're amazing with daggers! Can you teach me a few moves?"

"Brother Feng... doesn't it feel incredible to have beaten Long Tianyi?"

Even Yan Su's face showed excitement, and he silently gave Lin Feng a thumbs-up. Yan Su was unaware of the personal matters between Lin Feng and Wu Mei; he believed Lin Feng was staying at the Tianxing Club solely to help him complete his mission. Watching Lin Feng fight so desperately against Long Tianyi on the platform, he felt a pang of guilt.

Lin Feng could only manage a strained smile for the enthusiastic group; even speaking felt unnatural for him now. The damage from Long Tianyi's punches wasn't limited to external injuries on his arm. Lin Feng's internal energy was in turmoil, and even taking a deep breath sent a dull ache through his chest.

"Alright, alright!" Wu Mei, feigning annoyance with a charming pout, pushed away the crowd surrounding Lin Feng. "Can't you see Brother Feng is injured? And you're all still crowding him?" she chided.

Wu Mei was merely a "Miss" under the Qingzi Sect. Although she was temporarily acting as Lin Feng's companion, Long Xiaoyun normally wouldn't have needed to heed her. But now, Lin Feng's contributions to the Commerce Hall and Lord Dragon were so immense that Long Xiaoyun was happy to indulge Wu Mei.

"Okay then, Brother Feng, you focus on recovering. Once you're healed, I'll take you to Baccarat for some real fun!" Long Xiaoyun was being playfully pushed away by Wu Mei, but he just grinned and extended the invitation, showing no sign of annoyance.

Baccarat was one of the top clubs in Jiangzhou, as renowned as the Imperial Palace. It was said that while the Imperial Palace boasted many beautiful women, Baccarat's staff and services were more professional. It had even become the benchmark for the entire service industry in Jiangzhou, its fame quietly spreading throughout East China.

Lin Feng wasn't particularly keen on frequenting such establishments for casual flings. Still, since Long Xiaoyun had made the offer, it seemed he genuinely considered him a friend. Perhaps he'd let the kid take him to see the place sometime.

Wu Mei still had a smile on her face, but as the others moved away, she leaned in and whispered to Lin Feng with playful resentment, "Look at you, your eyes lit up just thinking about Baccarat! You men... always have one eye on what's in your bowl and the other on what's in the pot. I'm a top 'Miss' of the Qingzi Sect, you know. How can Baccarat be more alluring than me? You heartless man..."

Wu Mei rolled her eyes and pouted. Her fleeting display of girlish charm was incredibly alluring.

"I wasn't…" Lin Feng was momentarily captivated by Wu Mei's charming display. He chuckled and said, "Don't overthink it. My arm is dislocated, and I need to set it. Can you help me?"

Hearing Lin Feng say this, Wu Mei stopped her complaints and focused her attention on his injured arm.

Long Shaotian watched Long Xiaoyun with a smile, inwardly pleased with his behavior. It seemed the lad was finally learning how to win people over.

"Hmph... Lord Dragon, even though Tianyi lost, don't celebrate too soon!" Chen Ming suddenly said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So what if your Commerce Hall is leading two-to-one? There are still seven matches left. Lin Feng is injured; I wonder who else you can send up? For the next match, I'm planning to send Long San to the platform! Lord Dragon, who will your Commerce Hall put forward?"

Chen Ming's tone was nasty, but Long Shaotian found himself speechless. It was just as Chen Ming said: although Lin Feng had defeated Long Tianyi, he was now injured. Chen Ming still had Long San, while the Commerce Hall had no other experts left to field.

The fact that Lin Feng had managed to defeat Wang Chen and Long Tianyi consecutively was already an unexpected boon; he couldn't possibly expect Lin Feng to carry them through to the very end. For a moment, Long Shaotian fell silent. He scanned his Commerce Hall subordinates, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. There was no one left who could stand against Long San.

"Lord Dragon, let me go!" Yan Su, standing beside Long Xiaoyun, suddenly stepped forward. He looked at Long Shaotian with determination and spoke decisively.

"Mr. Yan?!" Long Shaotian's eyes lit up, but the spark of hope quickly died. He knew Yan Su had years of martial arts training and a solid foundation, but he was still no match for Long San. Besides, Yan Su was currently Long Xiaoyun's bodyguard. Long Shaotian didn't want him injured; then Long Xiaoyun would be left without a single reliable person by his side.

"You're not suitable..." Long Shaotian shook his head.

Lin Feng, who had just set his dislocated arm, also subtly shook his head at Yan Su. He knew Yan Su was no match for Long San; it was pointless for him to insist on fighting now.

However, Yan Su seemed oblivious to Lin Feng's signal. He persisted, addressing Long Shaotian with determination, "Lord Dragon, please rest assured. The Young Master has my brothers looking after him. Even if I'm no longer his bodyguard, he'll be fine. Don't worry! Having received your patronage, it is my duty to share your burdens. I must go up on that platform today, or my conscience will not be clear!"

Long Shaotian was stunned. He'd never imagined Yan Su to be such a man of unwavering loyalty. How rare!

In truth, while Yan Su was indeed a man of great loyalty, his allegiance in this instance was not to Lord Dragon, but to Lin Feng. Lin Feng had been fighting tooth and nail, and Yan Su, who felt responsible for dragging him into this mess, couldn't bear to just stand by and watch. That was something he, Yan Su, simply could not do.

Win or lose, he had to at least try!

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