"Uncle Ruan, you should go back," a gentle voice, as serene as water, came from the entrance not far away as a simply dressed middle-aged woman in her forties entered.

Although she was in her forties, the years had scarcely left any trace on her face. Despite now having a hint of weariness and weathering, these only seemed to accentuate her mature, intellectual beauty.

She was a woman with the disposition of still water, her voice as frail and tender as it had always been, evoking a sense of pity and a desire to protect her. But to those who truly knew her, they understood that the gentler she appeared, the more stubborn and resolute she could be. It was just like when she had left Capital City alone all those years ago without a fuss or complaint, only a firm resolve in her heart.

"Little Ling, why are you here?" the old man asked, surprised by her arrival but with a hint of affection in his voice. He hadn't wanted her to know about these matters, but her arrival was an unexpected coincidence.

"I was bored at home, and Xiaofei wasn't around, so I thought I'd come see you, Uncle Ming," the middle-aged woman known as Little Ling said with a warm smile, her tone softening with a familiar intimacy. She was grateful to the old man who had watched her grow from childhood and had protected her for over forty years. In her heart, she had long considered him her only elder, a true father figure.

"Little Ling, why must you be so headstrong? Don't you know? For the sake of you and your son, Zhenguo has remained a bachelor to this day, firmly refusing the marriage arranged by the old master. Besides, you should understand. Being part of the Old Chen Family, in his position, sometimes one's hands are truly tied," the eagle-eyed elder said, still unwilling to give up.

"Is that so?" The middle-aged woman known as Little Ling merely smiled softly, speaking in her ever-frail voice. "But I have grown accustomed to this life. Xiaofei has grown up healthy and strong, and Uncle Ming has always been by my side. I'm content."

When she spoke, her words were quiet and soft, yet they struck the ear with an impact that left no room for rebuttal, filled with an unyielding and stubborn resolve.

"Sigh, you two!" The eagle-eyed elder finally gave up, his head drooping in resignation. He abandoned any thought of continuing his persuasion.

Clearly, this was not his first time facing such an impasse. In the past, whenever the conversation reached this point, it signaled a dead end. She held firm to her convictions, and aside from her closest loved ones, like Uncle Ming and Xiaofei, no one could sway her. Further attempts were futile, so it was better to simply remain silent.

***

Meanwhile, far away in Hong Kong, a pale Chen Fei was on the phone with Dong Wencheng.

"Hello, Secretary Dong? It's me, Chen Fei." His condition was clearly not good. Not only was his complexion pallid, but his voice was also so weak that it startled Dong Wencheng, who had just been in bed.

"Mr. Chen, are you alright? Your voice..." he asked with rising urgency, sitting bolt upright in bed and startling his wife, Ning Qingyi, who was sleeping beside him.

"Old Dong, what are you..." she began to say with a hint of dissatisfaction, but the anxious expression on her husband's face took her aback. She quickly fell silent. She understood that something serious must have happened; it was rare to see her husband like this.

"Secretary Dong, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid I need your help again. Cough, cough." On the other end of the line, Chen Fei pulled the brim of his cap lower and coughed weakly.

"Mr. Chen, please, calm down. What exactly happened? Didn't Shuxian and Yao Yang help you?" Dong Wencheng's concern deepened upon hearing Chen Fei's coughs.

"No, it's not that they didn't help. This has nothing to do with them; it's my own problem. Secretary Dong, you must know about the Hong Kong Black Market, right? I've clashed with one of their big shots," Chen Fei said, closing his eyes for a moment before letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

"What? The Hong Kong Black Market?" Even someone of Dong Wencheng's stature was visibly shocked by Chen Fei's words.

Given his status and the circles he moved in, he knew full well what the Hong Kong Black Market signified.

Since Hong Kong returned to the motherland in the 1990s, the organization once known as its most fearsome underground force—the Black Market—had gradually vanished from public view. It began manipulating things from behind the scenes, and many records of its past were erased. Only a select few knew of its existence and what that implied. This group included the Five Great Noble Families, which the Black Market had helped elevate to constrain the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, as well as high-ranking officials within the government and the police department.

The power and foundation this once-feared underground force possessed was something the outside world dared not question.

For one, they had at least five Innate Level Experts in their ranks. Furthermore, rumors circulated that the old man who had single-handedly founded this terrifying organization was still alive. If that was true, he would be at least ninety years old by now. At such an advanced age, one could only imagine how terrifying his cultivation level must be.

This was the real reason those in power feared them.

And now, Chen Fei had just said that he had offended a big shot from that dreadful underground force. How could Dong Wencheng's heart not pound in his chest, a cold terror gripping his limbs?

Anyone considered a "big shot" in the Black Market had to be at least at the Peak of First-Class Master level. That was a whole Great Realm above his own father's peak cultivation. The mere thought of it was enough to make his scalp tingle and his mouth go dry.

For a moment, he fell silent, his eyes flickering as an intense struggle raged within him.

Chen Fei's eyes glinted slightly at the silence, but he didn't press. He simply waited, exuding a quiet tranquility.

"Mr. Chen, what about that herb?" Dong Wencheng finally asked, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse.

"I didn't get it, but I don't need it anymore. I have other ways to save her," Chen Fei said calmly. He had come to the international metropolis of Hong Kong full of hope, only for reality to prove far less rosy. First, he was attacked, and now he was at odds with an Innate Expert. This is really... fuck you.

"...Is that so? Give me some time. I'll call you back in half an hour." Without another word, Dong Wencheng hung up, prompting a faint smile to form on Chen Fei's lips.

It's a done deal. Yes, it's done.

Chen Fei let out a long breath and sat down on a public bench next to a convenience store, feeling utterly exhausted. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and closed his eyes to rest. Fortunately, this wasn't the worst-case scenario. Otherwise, he might have had to swim back to the mainland. Realistically, swimming from Hong Kong to the mainland was a technical feat. Perhaps only someone like Chen Fei would dare to even consider it, let alone attempt it.

About ten minutes later, the convenience store's public phone rang again. However, when he answered this time, it wasn't Dong Wencheng's voice on the line. An unfamiliar voice gave him a strange address and a time, then promptly hung up.

"That's it? He just hangs up?" Chen Fei chuckled and shook his head at the dial tone. He turned, lowered the brim of his cap, and vanished into the crowd.

Although his current situation was troublesome, a simple change of location like this was not a problem for him. Around midnight, Chen Fei arrived at a place he didn't even recognize, having found his way by asking for directions. The night was pitch-black and silent.

This seemed to be a small seaside town, with a cold night breeze blowing in from the ocean, carrying the sound of rolling waves.

Logically, in a prosperous international city like Hong Kong, where every inch of land is precious, the seaside should be thriving. Yet here, there were only a few dozen dilapidated houses. Fishing nets hung on the nearby beach, painting a desolate scene.

Is this the place? Chen Fei swept his gaze around, observing his surroundings for any potential developments. After all, his current predicament was extraordinary. He didn't know if that old codger from the Black Market had him followed, so it was better to be cautious.

Just then, a series of low, muffled horn blasts echoed from the dark surface of the sea. Soon, a shabby little black boat sailed over, slowly docking at the shore. A dim light swayed on the rickety vessel, causing Chen Fei to narrow his eyes.

Chen Fei emerged from the shadows and slowly walked toward the boat. As he drew closer, he saw a powerfully built man standing at the bow. His bulging muscles seemed to contain immense power, and he stood with a spine as straight and unyielding as a spear.

"Get on board," the muscular man said, glancing at Chen Fei with a blank expression as he began to pull in the rope.

"Where is this boat heading?" Chen Fei asked after a moment of silence.

"Along the coast. Shenzhen," the man replied impassively, paying no mind to Chen Fei's hesitation. He turned and went back into the cabin. Clearly, his orders were simply to pick someone up. Whether that person got on board or not was no concern of his.

Shenzhen? A sharp glint flashed in Chen Fei's eyes. He slowly stepped onto the dilapidated boat. A few moments later, the deep, mournful horn sounded again, and the little boat gradually disappeared into the darkness.

About a minute or two after the boat had departed, two figures slowly emerged from a ruined, abandoned house nearby. They silently watched the vessel sail away.

"Brother Xie, are we really just letting them go?" one of them asked, unable to hold back his question after a long moment of hesitation. He truly couldn't understand what the vice-president was thinking. The guy already bore them a grudge, so why release a tiger back into the mountains? Wouldn't it be better to eliminate him now?

"What else? Let's not even talk about the person on that boat. Have you not heard about this kid's strength? Even Ma Shihao of the Ma Family, who was just half a step away from becoming an A-Level Ability User, couldn't last more than a few moves against him. With your pathetic skill level, how many of you would it take to even give him a proper warm-up?"

The other man chuckled dismissively, then turned and walked away with a smile. "Alright, stop looking. Let's go. You should be glad the higher-ups didn't give us a reckless order. I, for one, have no desire to be thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

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