As he drove back to the bar, Lin Xiao's mind replayed Yuan Guihai's words.

Fate truly is a strange thing. To think that casually helping Xiao Shixiong would result in such a generous gift... Although he wasn't certain that what Yuan Guihai gave him was the Mountain and River Diagram, he felt the odds were high.

After driving for a while, he received a phone call from Su Qingning.

He had to admit, after just a few hours apart, he was already starting to miss her like crazy.

When he left at noon, Lin Xiao had told her he had things to take care of and wouldn't be joining her for lunch. Su Qingning hadn't said much in response. He wondered why she was calling him now.

Lin Xiao quickly answered the phone. With a smile, he teased, "Honey, miss me already?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Su Qingning's voice came through, a mixture of shyness and coquettish annoyance.

"But I've missed you," Lin Xiao said seriously.

Su Qingning was flustered by his words. "You rogue! If you say one more nonsensical thing, I'm ignoring you."

"No, no, don't do that! Honey, you rarely call me first, so it must be important. What's up?"

"It's nothing important. I just wanted to let you know that Shao Mei'er and Chu Xiangxue dragged me out for some beauty treatments," Su Qingning said, her voice sounding a bit frustrated.

Of course, Lin Xiao knew why she was frustrated. She wasn't the type to waste time on such things. Besides, a natural beauty like her didn't need to go to a salon for maintenance. She must have only gone because she couldn't refuse Shao Mei'er and Chu Xiangxue.

Hearing Su Qingning's complaint, Lin Xiao laughed. "Honey, even though you're a natural beauty and don't need any artificial help, it's not a bad idea to indulge once in a while. Anyway, the bar is under renovation and you don't have much to do. Just think of it as a chance to relax!"

His remarks seemed to please Su Qingning. "You smooth talker. What are you doing this afternoon?"

"Me? I'm going to the bar to supervise the work, of course. I can't give anyone a chance to pull a fast one on you!"

"Hmph, you and your silver tongue. I'm not talking anymore. Hanging up!"

"Alright, you go enjoy yourself. I'm almost at the bar anyway!" Lin Xiao said with a laugh.

Just as he was about to hang up, Su Qingning suddenly seemed to remember something. "You rogue, wait a second!"

"Yes, honey? Any further instructions?" Lin Xiao asked with a chuckle.

"Hmph, I want to ask you, what's the deal with Shen Jingzhe?"

"She said she needed a job, so I recommended her to you."

Su Qingning snorted coldly. "You rogue, I'm asking what your relationship is with her."

"A purely platonic relationship. Oh, it can't even be called a relationship. If I had to find a word to describe it, it would be 'unrelated'!"

"Do you take me for a three-year-old? If you're unrelated, why would you send her to me?"

"I was just thinking, with Uncle Zhong gone who-knows-where, you're short-handed right now. She seemed very capable and looked like she could help, so I sent her your way!" Lin Xiao explained in a wronged tone.

Su Qingning huffed, "Hmph, if there's a next time, I'm ignoring you!"

"As you command!"

Su Qingning hung up the phone.

Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, he arrived back at the bar. The large building was desolate, with only two security guards standing at the entrance. Pei Donglai was nowhere to be seen. Lin Xiao greeted the two guards and went inside.

Inside, over a dozen workers were busy at it. He had to say, the Shao Family's construction crew was indeed efficient. After a quick look around, Lin Xiao turned and exited the bar, planning to head to the security office for a cup of tea.

But he had barely stepped out the door when four off-road vehicles with military plates screeched to a halt at the bar's entrance. More than ten men in military uniforms quickly got out. The leader was a man in camouflage. He was in his late twenties and wasn't particularly handsome, but he exuded an extraordinary aura. His eyes were especially sharp, like the edge of a blade.

At that moment, Bai Chengfeng leaped down from one of the vehicles. He was a shadow of his former self, his face ghastly pale and his body as thin as kindling, looking like a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

When he saw Lin Xiao, Bai Chengfeng's expression contorted as if he were looking at his father's murderer. His once dull, lifeless eyes instantly erupted with a towering hatred that seemed to want to swallow Lin Xiao whole.

"Brother, that's the piece of trash!" Bai Chengfeng said, pointing at Lin Xiao.

The man in camouflage nodded grimly. His gaze toward Lin Xiao instantly became incredibly sharp, like an unsheathed, peerless sword. A powerful, oppressive force washed over the area, and the very air seemed to gain weight.

"Kneel!"

The man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a majesty that was impossible to defy. The murderous intent in his tone spread out like a vast net, completely enveloping Lin Xiao.

An ordinary person in this situation would have been scared out of their wits. After all, the opponent was a terrifying presence in every respect.

But Lin Xiao merely scoffed in disdain. He lazily lifted his eyelids to look at the man seething with killing intent and said in a nonchalant tone, "Who do you think you are, telling me to kneel?"

BOOM!

His words were like a clap of thunder in the ears of the soldiers. Their eyes filled with towering rage as they glared at Lin Xiao, each of them looking as if they wanted to tear him to shreds on the spot.

"You damn beggar, are you an idiot?" Bai Chengfeng shrieked. "Let me introduce you. This is my brother, Bai Chenglong! He's a high-ranking general under the War God of the Western Region and the youngest Soldier King in the entire Western Region. How dare you speak to my brother like that? You're courting death!"

Lin Xiao sneered. "So? You're going to throw your weight around?"

"You're right," Bai Chenglong said indifferently. "Now, kneel down, kowtow three times to my younger brother, hand over the antidote, and cripple both of your arms. Do that, and I'll spare your life."

Lin Xiao laughed.

A mere Soldier King from the Western Region dares to be so arrogant with me? Who gave him the courage?

"Bai Chenglong, is it? How about this," Lin Xiao proposed. "You kneel and kowtow three times to me, then kill Bai Chengfeng on the spot, and I'll spare your pathetic life."

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifyingly cold glint flashed in Bai Chenglong's eyes. "So, you're one of those who won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Fine. Just fine. In that case, I'll let you experience what real pain is."

As he spoke, Bai Chenglong suddenly drew his gun.

The next second, the dark muzzle was pointed straight at Lin Xiao's head, and a deadly killing intent swept over him.

Lin Xiao looked at him without a change in expression, his eyes filled with a contempt one would reserve for an ant.

"Go ahead. Shoot if you have the guts."

BANG!

The piercing sound exploded through the air.

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