River City's Western Suburb.
A manor built upon the mountainside.
This is the home of the Chen Family, the foremost among the Four Great Families of River City.
Within one of the manor's pavilions, a group was assembled at this moment, their expressions tense yet filled with anticipation as they awaited the results of a pill that a woman in her thirties had just swallowed.
However, after a minute had passed.
Seeing that the woman with a sallow complexion showed no signs of change, their hopeful expressions inevitably turned to disappointment.
"It's been a minute, it seems the Beauty Pill formula we obtained is wrong!"
"I had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy to get our hands on it, such important things, how could they just be locked in a safe? It's impossible!"
"Right, let's just kidnap the CEOs from Jinyu Group and force them to reveal the real formula for the Beauty Pill!"
"..."
A few young men with bright eyes and buzz cuts spoke, the glint of ferocity beginning to flicker in their eyes.
After Chen Xuyang found them and told them about his feud with Mu Jinyu, they, already extremely interested in the Beauty Pill, immediately thought of demanding compensation from Mu Jinyu!
However, considering it unlikely that Mu Jinyu would willingly hand over the formula, they opted for a "carrot and stick" approach, first stealthily stealing the formula.
If things went smoothly and they acquired the formula, they would have no further quarrel with Mu Jinyu, after all, confronting the other three major families all at once was also a headache for them.
But now, it was clear that they couldn't amicably resolve their grievances with Chen Xuyang through Mu Jinyu, so they had no choice but to kidnap Gu Xiyan and a few other high-ranking members of the Jinyu Group. If they still couldn't pry the formula for the Beauty Pill from their lips, then they would have to go back to Mu Jinyu, the rightful owner.
One of the buzz-cut youths discarded the Beauty Pill that had just been concocted by the Chen Family Pharmacist and with a fierce glint in his eyes said, "Let me do it, I will definitely capture those three wenches."
"Good." An elder sitting at the head of the table tapped the ground lightly with his Dragon Head Cane and said in a deep voice, "Then let Xiao Lin go."
Chen Helin stood up immediately, leaving the conference room, then returned to his own courtyard. After changing out of his practice clothes and into common garb, he walked towards the manor's entrance.
"Boom!"
Just as he reached the entrance, a thunderous roar sounded, and the estate's great gate, forged of Mysterious Iron, instantly shattered, flying inward and nearly hitting him!
Had Chen Helin not dodged in time, the Bronze Lion doorknocker embedded in the gate would have almost smashed his head.
"Damn it, who the hell is smashing the Chen Family's gate!"
Chen Helin shook with fury as he shouted.
"What, the Chen Family can steal but not allow their gate to be smashed, is it so tyrannical?"
A slightly mocking voice rang out.
Mu Jinyu and Xiang Mantang strolled in from outside the manor with ease.
Chen Helin's eyes turned bloodshot as he looked at the two of them, and realizing what they had just said, his pupils contracted slightly, knowing they were from the Jinyu Group.
Yet, Chen Helin was somewhat surprised; these two didn't seem to be carrying rocket launchers or any heavy weaponry, so how had they blown open the Chen family's gate?
Could it have been with their fists?
Shaking his head internally, Chen Helin felt it was unlikely, thinking to himself that they probably discarded their heavy weaponry after blowing open the gate and were now just putting on a show!
"Smashing the Chen Family's door and daring to slander the Chen Family's reputation, looking for death!"
After Chen Helin's eyes flickered a few times, he immediately let out a roar. Then, with a stamp of his right foot on the ground, his whole body shot up like stepping on a spring, at least two or three meters high, arms outstretched in the shape of a crane, watching Mu Jinyu and his companion below. Suddenly, his body plummeted down like a hawk swooping on a rabbit, aiming a kick straight at Xiang Mantang's head!
If an ordinary person faced this move from Chen Helin, their reaction would undoubtedly be too slow, and they would get hit in the head, ending up either in a vegetative state or dead on the spot!
However, Xiang Mantang watched Chen Helin's little tricks with a faint smile, stretched out his right hand with a motion that appeared slow but was quick, acting after but arriving before, with a strange posture like an antelope hanging its horns. Just as Chen Helin's leg, powerful enough to split stone and break wood, was about to hit him in the nick of time, he seized Helin's calf!
Then...
Xiang Mantang instantly neutralized the fierce energy in Chen Helin's leg and then, under the horrified gaze of the other party, started swinging his right hand, flinging him around like a meteor hammer for nearly a minute. After Chen Helin had been spun into unconsciousness, Xiang Mantang finally let go!
"Biu~"
Once Xiang Mantang released his hand, Chen Helin was thrown out, flying twenty meters away before crashing into a willow tree large enough to embrace, breaking the tree. Only then did his flying momentum stop!
Then his head lolled to the side, and he passed out.
"He's still breathing?" Mu Jinyu, looking at Chen Helin who was still alive, couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration, "Truly a thick-skulled kid!"
"If he weren't thick-skulled, how would he dare to court death?"
Xiang Mantang patted his hands and chuckled lightly.
Afterward, the two brothers strode toward the main building in the estate.
Inside the main building's conference room, a group was discussing the bright future that would befall the Chen Family after having obtained the Beauty Pill, believing that they would inevitably become the number one Martial Arts Family in Shenzhou.
"Beep beep beep!!"
Just then, a sharp and piercing alarm sounded.
It was so intense it felt as if their eardrums would burst.
"What's happening? Who dares to trespass into the Chen Family's grounds?"
Upon hearing the ear-piercing alarm, everyone's faces changed dramatically. They immediately stood up, supporting themselves on the table, ready to go out and see what was going on.
"Boom!"
No sooner had they moved than the tightly closed doors of the conference room burst open, shattering into countless splinters that shot towards them from inside.
The splinters, carrying some kind of dark energy within them, were terrifyingly powerful, akin to a storm of hidden weapons, sharp as pear blossom needles.
The Chen Family people who had rushed toward the door could not evade in time and were turned into sieves, lying on the ground unable to move!
Patriarch Chen, who had remained calm and seated upon hearing the alarm, though his demeanor did not change much, his eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.
The elderly hands holding the Dragon Head Cane also unconsciously tightened!
"Tap tap tap!"
The clear and pleasant sound of footsteps approached. Mu Jinyu was the first to reach the door, peering inside. Seeing the bloodshed on the floor, he couldn't help but utter a light exclamation, "So fragile? Are they done for before I even lifted a finger?"
After his comment, he spotted Old Patriarch Chen sitting in the main seat like a statue, his eyes lit up, "There's another one, too bad it's an old geezer. Doesn't pique my interest to make a move."
"Let me handle it then."
Xiang Mantang also entered, ignoring the bloodshed, and looked at Old Patriarch Chen with an indifferent expression, softly asking, "Any last words?"