A luxury commercial vehicle traveled along the road back to the city.

Inside sat an elderly man with tattered clothes and disheveled hair, emitting a foul stench.

This old man was none other than the Martial Arts Grandmaster of Sea City who had disappeared for over a decade—the Undefeated Sword Pride, Guan Changyun.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Guan Hao covered his nose and mouth, fighting the urge to vomit several times.

However, Cao Hong, who sat beside the old man, remained perfectly calm. He had once been captured by enemy forces during a mission. After being thrown into a manure pit for three days and three nights, he had somehow endured. What was a little stench compared to that?

"Martial Uncle, are you feeling any better?" Cao Hong asked with concern into the silence.

Guan Changyun gently shook his head and said slowly, "Even with a Qi Origin Pill, the chaos in my meridians won't be repaired so easily. It will take time to absorb."

"No worries. Once we get back, you can take your time to recuperate."

Guan Changyun looked at Cao Hong, his gaze as sharp as a knife. "How is my Senior Brother?"

"My master roams the four seas and is doing well. It's just that, whenever he speaks of you… he says he misses you greatly."

Guan Changyun suddenly reached out a withered hand and squeezed Cao Hong's shoulder a few times, a smile on his face. "You're good material for the Martial Way. No wonder that stubborn old codger took you in as his disciple."

"You flatter me, Martial Uncle."

"So, tell me. For what reason did my Senior Brother send you to find me?"

Cao Hong did not hide anything. "He asks that you assist your martial-nephew."

"Assist you?" Guan Changyun frowned, a little puzzled.

Cao Hong explained, "The reason I took an early discharge from the military was to participate in the Martial Heaven Grand Ceremony."

Guan Changyun asked, "You mean… my Senior Brother wants you to represent our sect at the Martial Heaven Grand Ceremony and win a placing?"

"Correct."

Guan Changyun chuckled. "He really went all out. To think he'd be willing to part with a Qi Origin Pill just to get a useless cripple like me."

Cao Hong smiled. "But it's not just about winning a placing. We have to take first place!"

"Heh. You've got a big mouth to match that big frame."

Cao Hong's expression turned serious. "Nowadays, every country is focusing on the development of the Martial Way, and our Hua Country is no exception."

"It's just that Her Majesty the Empress has only recently ascended the throne, so our progress is a little behind. We urgently need to catch up to the other countries. If we can take first place at the Martial Heaven Grand Ceremony, the Imperial Capital will give us their full support and provide us with the best resources."

He continued, "Then, we can represent Hua Country in the world tournament! This is my honor as a soldier, and more importantly, it's a matter of face for our Hua Country!"

"Martial Uncle, you may not be aware, but the nations have reached a consensus… International conflicts will no longer be resolved on the battlefield, but in the Combat Stage."

Guan Changyun was somewhat curious. "Why is that?"

Cao Hong replied, "It's because the cost of modern warfare is simply too high, and the devastation is too great."

Guan Changyun nodded, agreeing deeply with the sentiment. "I understand. Indeed, when nations go to war, it's the countless common people who suffer in the end."

Cao Hong smiled. "Martial Uncle, you should get some rest once we're back home. I have some business to attend to this evening. If you need anything, just tell Xiao Hu; I've arranged for him to take care of you."

***

「In the blink of an eye, night had fallen.」

At Sea City Riviera, the premier villa.

Luo Xiu stood at the entrance to the kitchen, lamenting, "Qian Qing, you've changed! You never used to be like this!"

Wearing an apron and holding a spatula, he stared at the three women in the living room, who were shaking their hips while filming a short dance video. I wish I could just walk over and smack each of them with my spatula. Just end them! One in black stockings, another in white. Short skirts, hot pants… one even had fishnets on! And they were all doing some suggestive dance. It's utterly scandalous!

His thoughts turned to Xu Qianqing in particular, and the more he thought, the angrier he became. The old Xu Qianqing was so dignified and virtuous. She cooked and cleaned every day… the perfect life partner countless men dreamed of. But now Sun Li has corrupted her. She doesn't cook or clean at all. On top of that, for some reason, the three of them have gotten into making short videos. They even formed a girl group called 'The Hottest Girl Group.' What a domineeringly blunt name.

Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that they expected him to follow and like their videos!

"Xiu, we've hit one hundred fifty thousand followers! Cook us a celebratory feast tonight, okay?"

Veins throbbed on Luo Xiu's forehead as he turned and stomped back into the kitchen.

Soon, dinner was over. The three women didn't even wash the dishes, let alone clear the table.

Luo Xiu felt like the biggest sucker in the world. He'd rented his house out to three ungrateful freeloaders, and now on top of providing shelter, he was providing slave labor too!

Just then, Luo Xiu's phone rang. It was Cai Wen, the manager of Lan Gui Casino.

"General Luo, it's terrible! Something huge has happened!"

Luo Xiu put down his phone, said a quick goodbye to the three women, and left.

When he arrived at Lan Gui Casino, he was greeted by a scene of utter devastation. Clearly, the casino had been trashed. The place was wrecked even more thoroughly than when he had done it before.

Boss Huang dragged his portly frame over to Luo Xiu, his expression dark and terrifying.

Luo Xiu asked, "Who did this?"

Boss Huang ground his teeth. "It was Cao Hong!"

"Cao Hong?"

Luo Xiu's brow furrowed slightly. The name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. After a moment's thought, he remembered that Cao Hong was the man the Lin Family members referred to as "Lin Xiyue's fiancé." He then recalled seeing Lin Xiyue crying in her office this morning, her clothes torn…

Could that have been because of Cao Hong, too?

Boss Huang's voice broke through his thoughts. "Xiao Luo, your Medical Techniques are good. Go to the hospital and check on Hua Zi and Feng Zi's injuries." Suppressing his fury, he gritted his teeth and added, "I'll handle the rest of this myself. You don't need to get involved."

Luo Xiu nodded.

Boss Huang spat a curse and turned to leave. "Damn it! In all of Sea City, this is the first time someone has dared to take a shit on me, Huang Yang Chi! Wu Xin, tell the boys to get ready! And bring all our gear!"

***

After staying at the casino for a while, Luo Xiu had the manager, Cai Wen, drive him to the hospital.

Wu Tianhua and Ling Feng were gravely injured, practically at death's door. Luo Xiu examined them and found that both had their meridians destroyed and many of their bones broken.

"A Wen, watch them closely. Report to me immediately if anything changes. I'll be back tomorrow."

Cai Wen nodded. "Okay, General Luo. Take care."

Afterward, Luo Xiu took a cab back to Sea City Riviera. As soon as he walked in the door, he saw that the living room was a complete mess. The three women were nowhere to be found; they had probably gone out to party again. The sofa was littered with discarded shorts, miniskirts, stockings, and short-sleeved tops. They couldn't even be bothered to pick them up.

Luo Xiu shook his head in resignation. Too lazy to deal with it, he went straight upstairs. He decided to make some more Heavenly Essence Restorative Balm. It was exactly what Ling Feng and Wu Tianhua needed to reconstruct and transform their physical foundations.

***

「Meanwhile.」

In a smaller villa within Sea City Riviera.

Lin Fei rubbed her head as she stumbled home in a daze. She had slept in a hotel all day and had only woken up in the evening. She had no idea what happened last night, only that her entire body felt light and comfortable.

It must be because my brother-in-law was so intense. That rotten Luo Xiu, ditching me like that and leaving all by himself. But he probably had something urgent to do and didn't want to wake me. That must be why he left first.

Muttering to herself, she took out her key and opened the door.

The next moment, she froze. Three people were sitting in the living room: Cao Hong, Guan Hao, and Xu Tao. Xu Tao's face was bruised and swollen; he had clearly been beaten.

Guan Hao looked at Lin Fei with a smirk. "Baby, you're back? Take a look at who this is." He pointed to Cao Hong beside him.

Lin Fei's face paled. Her eyes landed on Cao Hong, and she forced a smile. "Cao… Young Master Cao, when did you get back?"

Cao Hong just gave a faint smile, his greedy, sinister gaze roaming all over Lin Fei's body.

Guan Hao used his cane to slowly stand up. "Young Master Cao, I'm very pleased that you helped me smash the casino and cripple Wu Dog and Ling Dog tonight. Consider Lin Fei here a little gift from me. My apologies, Young Master Cao. I couldn't get my hands on the older sister yet, so you'll have to make do with the younger one for now."

Cao Hong grinned. "Fine. I'm satisfied enough with this gift. I'll take it."

With that, he stood up and slowly advanced on Lin Fei. Xu Tao kept his head down, not daring to make a sound, pretending he saw nothing.

Seeing Cao Hong approach, Lin Fei scrambled backward, her voice trembling. "Don't… don't come any closer! I'm with Luo Xiu now! If you dare touch me, he won't let you get away with it!"

"Luo Xiu is close with the Sun Family, and he also knows President Su of the Martial Association…"

"Damn it, shut your mouth!" Guan Hao suddenly roared, cutting her off.

Just hearing Luo Xiu's name set Guan Hao's blood boiling. He snarled, "That mongrel Luo Xiu is a real piece of work. First he got his hands on the older sister, and now the younger one too… Young Master Cao, she's all yours now. Wreck her!"

"No!" Lin Fei cried, turning to flee in terror. "Young Master Cao, I'm begging you, let me go! You like Lin Xiyue, don't you? I'll call her over right now! I'll have her keep you company instead! Please let me go! I really am with Luo Xiu now… I don't want to again…"

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