CRACK! In the Celestial Group of Capital City, the phone in Yii Xiao's hand exploded into a cloud of dust.

This was the second time he had flown into such a rage. He never expected that little bastard to be so audacious, to actually defy the orders of the Celestial Group and openly oppose them.

"Fine. Excellent... Telling me to wash my neck and wait for you in the Capital City?"

Yii Xiao gritted his teeth, his face livid with fury. It was as if Chen Fei were standing right in front of him, and he wanted nothing more than to devour him whole or just blow his head off. With a twisted, ferocious expression, he growled, "Come on, then! I, Yii Xiao, will be waiting for you right here at the Celestial Group of Capital City! If I don't make you regret this, you little mongrel, my name isn't Yii Xiao! Just you wait!"

Meanwhile, at the Flying Leopard Base in Jiangnan Province, Chen Fei coldly instructed Wang Dashan, "Arrest him as well. Then get me a plane ticket. I'm going to the Capital City!"

"What did you just..." Jin Zhong began to roar with indignation.

But before he could finish, Chen Fei slapped him hard across the face. Jin Zhong's body twitched once, and he passed out cold. The scene made Wang Dashan's heart leap into his throat, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

That... that guy was an Innate Early Stage master, wasn't he? And he fainted from a single slap? Just how terrifying has Chief Instructor Chen's strength become?

...

In the presidential suite atop the Hilton Hotel of the Forty-Nine City, a man in a black jacket stood before an enormous floor-to-ceiling window. He gazed down at the endless stream of pedestrians and vehicles below, his eyes filled with a lofty arrogance. A pitch-black serpent was coiled around his arm, its cold, forked tongue flicking in and out, a menacing sight that would make anyone's skin crawl.

This was none other than Dongtai, the Earth Level Witch Doctor who hailed from a certain village in the Southern Borderlands. As it turned out, he had come to meet the brazen individual who had dared to ruthlessly destroy his Thousand Bone Worm King's Pot Bug without so much as a warning. However, Chen Fei had been traveling all over the country, giving him no opportunity to do so.

Standing cautiously behind Dongtai was a man in his twenties or thirties, a hint of panic on his face. He even tried to quiet his breathing, afraid of disturbing Dongtai—or rather, afraid of disturbing the pitch-black serpent coiled around his arm.

If anyone who knew this man were present, they would have been shocked. He was none other than Chen Kun, a man with significant status and backing within the Inner Circle of the Forty-Nine City Yamen.

Among the younger generation of the Old Chen Family, one of the three great 'red' elite families of the Forty-Nine City, Chen Kun was undoubtedly a leading figure. He controlled numerous profitable public companies and wielded both money and power. Yet this scion, with his immense wealth and powerful background, now stood before Dongtai, barely daring to breathe. It was an astonishing sight.

"Young Master Chen, how is the investigation I asked you to conduct?" Dongtai suddenly asked without turning around.

"I've already investigated the person. His name is Chen Fei. However, it seems he's not an ordinary person," Chen Kun replied, a flicker of coldness in his eyes as he maintained his composure.

With his status, he had no need to get involved with a dangerous individual like Dongtai from the Southern Borderlands. But now, they shared a common enemy: Chen Fei.

Given Chen Kun's position in the Old Chen Family, he was already more or less aware of some of Chen Fei's affairs. He understood that if someone like Chen Fei was allowed to return to the family peacefully, he would become a major threat to his current standing—a threat he was unwilling to tolerate.

This was the fundamental reason he was colluding with Dongtai.

He had personally witnessed Dongtai's terrifying and gruesome methods. Before him, even elite soldiers seemed like clay dolls, unable to withstand a single blow.

If such a man wanted to kill Chen Fei, there was no way Chen Fei could escape. At least, that's what he firmly believed.

However, if he knew that Dongtai, who in his eyes was on par with a demon, was merely an entry-level Earth Level Witch Doctor—equivalent to an Ancient Martial Artist at the Innate Early Stage.

And their mutual prey, Chen Fei, had already reached a level comparable to a Later Stage of Innate Realm master: the Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer! They were on completely different levels. One wonders if Chen Kun would be sick with regret.

All he cared about was his leadership position among the younger generation of the Old Chen Family. But did Chen Fei even care about something like that?

"Not an ordinary person? Anyone with the guts to harm my Gu Insect is naturally no weakling. That's not your concern. Right now, I only want to know one thing: where is he? When can I see him?" Dongtai said, stroking the black serpent on his arm, his voice chillingly cold.

"Just give me a little more time. The main problem is that the kid isn't in the Capital City right now. Otherwise, I could find him in minutes," Chen Kun said resentfully.

He was, of course, eager to eliminate Chen Fei, the threat to his position, as soon as possible, but he just couldn't locate the man.

Hearing this, Dongtai said nothing more, though a faint, disdainful smirk played on his lips. The pitch-black serpent on his arm continued to flick its cold tongue, and the room fell back into silence.

「The scene shifts to Jiangnan.」

At 2:00 PM, Chen Fei boarded a first-class flight from Tongzhou Airport in Jiangnan's provincial capital to the Capital City.

He was a man of his word. Since he had told that old geezer to wash his neck and wait for him at the Celestial Group in the Capital City, he would most certainly go.

Moreover, it seemed he had many things to deal with thoroughly on this trip.

"Sir, would you like anything?" just then, a uniformed flight attendant pushing a service cart approached with a radiant smile.

"A bottle of milk tea, please," Chen Fei said casually.

"Of course, just a moment."

The flight attendant flashed a sweet smile, her charming eyes lingering on Chen Fei for a moment. She took a bottle of milk tea from the cart and handed it to him. Then, without even taking any money, she turned, swaying her hips. With a subtle movement of her hand, she sneakily dropped something into Chen Fei's lap before pushing the cart away.

"Uh..."

Slightly stunned, Chen Fei glanced at the swaying hips of the departing flight attendant. He reached down and found a thumb-sized, folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he saw a string of numbers and two elegant, pretty characters: Qing Lan.

Since when have I been this charming? Am I like a firefly in the night, whose dazzling radiance simply can't be hidden by a low-key attitude? he mused.

Although he'd always considered himself handsome and dapper, he never expected to encounter a scene straight out of a TV show or novel. It was truly unexpected. Still, the sudden interlude helped alleviate the frustration that had been building over the past few days, lifting the oppressive mood.

"You're a lucky guy," the man in his twenties sitting next to him said with a teasing smile. It was a typical male reaction—even if there was no envy, the novelty of the situation demanded a bit of teasing.

"You flatter me," Chen Fei replied, not bothering to act prim. He grinned cheekily, then casually crumpled the note and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Seeing this, the man was momentarily taken aback.

Then, a knowing smirk that only another man would understand spread across his face. He leaned in and whispered, "What, not your type? Seriously, that flight attendant had the body and the face... at least an eight out of ten, right? You've got such high standards?"

"It's not that my standards are high. I'm just afraid my charm is so powerful it would bewitch her, and she'd never be able to leave my side. That would be troublesome. I'm a righteous person who is very considerate of others," Chen Fei said with a completely straight face.

"Uh..."

The man's expression froze for a second before he shot Chen Fei a thumbs-up. "Alright, then. I give that excuse full marks," he said, full of admiration. "Are you in the Capital City for business or for fun? How about we get to know each other? My surname is Liu, Liu Chudong. I grew up in the Capital City, so I know all the fun spots." He extended his hand to Chen Fei.

"My surname is Chen, Chen Fei. Nice to meet you," Chen Fei said with a smile, shaking his hand.

After a pause, he added, "I'm heading to the Capital City to handle some personal matters. But I should have some free time after that. Why don't I get your number?"

"Sure," Liu Chudong said with a grin, reciting his phone number.

Just then, a group of people boarded the plane with a large entourage and entered the first-class cabin. They all looked incredibly arrogant, with their noses in the air. After a disdainful glance around the cabin, they began conversing loudly among themselves, acting as if the other first-class passengers didn't exist.

"Are these guys from South Korea? They have no manners," Liu Chudong muttered with a frown, having apparently recognized their language.

In this day and age, the tendency to idolize anything foreign was too strong, leading any foreigner in the country to feel superior, looking down their noses at everyone else.

Just like now. The first-class cabin was a public space, yet these Koreans were clamoring loudly, as if afraid people wouldn't know who they were.

"Sirs, could you please keep your voices down? Your volume is disturbing the other passengers," one of the flight attendants said, unable to stand it any longer. She approached them and spoke in English.

"What do you mean by that? We are from South Korea, here to attend the Seventh Traditional Chinese Medicine Academic Symposium in the Capital City! Are you slandering and disrespecting us as foreign guests?" one of the Koreans, a tall and burly man, shot up from his seat. He arrogantly jabbed his finger toward the flight attendant's face as he berated her from on high.

Are you kidding me? We're esteemed foreign guests from South Korea! How dare a mere flight attendant slander and disrespect us?

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