This was originally an extremely ordinary name. Xia Yunyan, upon hearing it, claimed not to know the person. However, what he never expected was that Murong Ba, who was playing cards with him, turned pale!
Murong Ba looked at the blond-haired youth in disbelief and questioned, "Say that name again, what was it?"
The blond-haired youth hesitated, "Reporting to Master Ba, his name is Lu Ming."
"Lu Ming? Lu Ming!" Murong Ba, enraged, slammed his hand on the table.
Everyone was stunned, especially Xia Yunyan. He hadn't flown into a rage even though his subordinate had been beaten. How could Murong Ba be more furious than Xia Yunyan?
This made Xia Yunyan feel too embarrassed to be angry.
*Cough cough.*
Xia Yunyan coughed awkwardly and asked, "Master Ba, what's wrong? My subordinate got beaten, why do you seem more angry than I am?"
Murong Ba said grumpily, "Didn't you ask me earlier who made me look so pathetic? I'm telling you now, that person is Lu Ming!"
Oh?
Xia Yunyan narrowed his eyes, calculating.
He was well aware of Murong Ba's strength.
Anyone who could defeat Murong Ba was no ordinary person. This person had first offended Murong Ba, then Xia Yunyan, and had simultaneously offended the two major forces in the demon city. This was not something an ordinary person could achieve.
Xia Yunyan couldn't gauge Lu Ming's true strength, so he threw the question back to Murong Ba.
He asked, "Master Ba, how do you think we should retaliate against this little brat named Lu Ming?"
Murong Ba smiled and kicked the ball back to Xia Yunyan, saying indifferently, "It's your subordinate who got beaten. Do I still need to teach you how to retaliate? It wouldn't be appropriate."
Two old foxes, neither willing to fall into the other's trap.
Xia Yunyan laughed heartily and said to the blond-haired youth, "We don't know the depth of this Lu Ming's capabilities yet. Acting rashly might lead to unforeseen consequences. Hmm... right, what are the names of the old woman who sells the snake gall and her son?"
The blond-haired youth replied, "The old woman is named Wen Yinghui, and her son is Er Zhuzi Chang Yuyang, who lost fifty thousand in our gambling den and couldn't pay it back."
"Wen Yinghui, Chang Yuyang." Xia Yunyan remembered these two names and then said, "Lu Ming wants to protect them, right? Alright, we'll 'besiege the rescue force'. We'll control the mother and son first, then let Lu Ming come to their rescue! At that time, we'll be in the dark while they're in the light, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to eliminate Lu Ming!"
Truly a super boss who operated in both the underworld and legitimate circles.
Xia Yunyan's schemes and tricks were hard to guard against. Even Murong Ba, sitting beside him, couldn't be sure he could defeat Xia Yunyan.
The blond-haired youth nodded, "Understood, I'll go do it now."
Xia Yunyan waved his hand, "Forget it, go to the hospital to get your leg checked first. I'll have someone else handle this."
Afterward, he dismissed his subordinates.
Murong Ba, standing beside him, gave a thumbs up and said, "Boss Xia's depth of character and brilliant schemes are truly admirable."
Xia Yunyan chuckled, "My petty tricks are nothing compared to what Master Ba can do. In terms of strength, Master Ba is still superior. Moreover, with Murong Shuang, the Three-Star General, supporting you, your Murong family is the true great clan. I will still need Master Ba's guidance in the future."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The scene appeared harmonious, but in reality, Murong Ba was furious.
Xia Yunyan's words made it sound as if Murong Ba could only act arrogantly by relying on Murong Shuang, as if Murong Ba was being propped up by a woman.
This made him very displeased!
Xia Yunyan could effortlessly deliver such remarks, which appeared to praise you on the surface but were utterly demeaning underneath.
The two had a facade of harmony but harbored animosity, their fires of revenge ignited.
...
At the same time, at the Ma family, the wealthiest family in the demon city.
After chasing Lu Ming away, Ma Tengyun intended to lie down and rest for a while. However, shortly after lying down, he felt an unbearable headache and general discomfort.
"Aah~~!!!"
Ma Tengyun got out of bed, holding his head with both hands.
Although he had experienced headaches before, they had never been this severe.
"Old Liu, Old Liu!"
The old butler quickly ran in. Seeing Ma Tengyun in pain, he anxiously asked, "Master, has your headache returned?"
Ma Tengyun panted, "Quick, quickly go light the chrysanthemum incense. I can't take it anymore, my head feels like it's going to explode."
"Alright, I'll go light it now."
The old butler brought in the censer and lit the chrysanthemum incense.
Wisps of smoke rose and diffused into the air. Based on past experience, Ma Tengyun's headache would usually subside within 30 seconds.
But today, it had no effect at all!
"Pain, pain!" Ma Tengyun cried out in agony.
The old butler panicked, "How can it have no effect? Could it be that the amount of chrysanthemum incense isn't enough?"
So, the old butler lit two more sticks.
With three times the amount, it should work, right?
But the result was beyond his expectation. Not only did three times the amount fail to cure Ma Tengyun's headache, but it made him suffer even more.
Upon smelling the chrysanthemum incense, Ma Tengyun clutched his head and writhed on the ground in pain.
Subsequently, blood began to flow from Ma Tengyun's nose and mouth.
"Master!" The old butler was startled and tried to check on Ma Tengyun's condition. However, after taking just two steps, he himself felt dizzy and suddenly collapsed to the ground.
How could this happen...
The old butler couldn't understand. Although he was old, his health had always been robust; this situation shouldn't have occurred.
What went wrong?
The subsequent scene further terrified the old butler.
The housekeeper, gardener, security guards, and bodyguards all heard the commotion and rushed over. But without exception, they all felt an excruciating headache and fell to the ground.
Keep in mind that the security guards and bodyguards had excellent physical conditioning.
If even they couldn't withstand it, it definitely wasn't due to personal health. There must be something wrong with the house itself.
Right.
The incense!
The old butler's eyes widened in horror as he looked at the lit chrysanthemum incense, three times the usual amount.
He remembered Lu Ming's words as he was leaving.
Lu Ming had said that chrysanthemum incense couldn't cure illnesses; its essence was to paralyze the brain and secretly drain the body. Long-term use would cause one's health to deteriorate without them even realizing it.
Lu Ming had specifically warned that everyone living in this house would die!
And now, the old butler had used three times the amount, which was simply accelerating their deaths!
Only now did the old butler realize the colossal mistake he had made. He finally understood that Lu Ming hadn't been speaking nonsense earlier; it was indeed true!
The old butler had genuinely intended to help but ended up causing harm.
But what could be done now?
The smoke from the chrysanthemum incense had spread throughout the first floor and was slowly drifting upstairs.
At this moment, the old butler heard the sound of a door opening on the second floor.
Simultaneously, a young lady's voice was heard.
"Dad, what happened?"