Qi Dengxian politely declined Qiao Guotao’s invitation to stay the night and returned directly to Cloud Top Estate.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Qi Dengxian frowned, his voice turning cold and indifferent. “Come out!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

Several figures instantly appeared around him. Each emitted a chilling aura, like savage beasts.

“Your relationship with Yu Xiaolong seems quite unusual, doesn’t it? Will you obediently kneel and surrender, or shall we break your limbs before dragging you away?” A man with a sinister aura, appearing extremely dangerous, spoke slowly.

At the mention of that name, Qi Dengxian felt a surge of annoyance. He shook his head and said, “I have nothing to do with her. You’d best not provoke me.”

“Hahaha, you’re just a tiny prison guard, yet you dare act arrogant in front of us! We are the Four Heavenly Kings under the command of Lord King of Terror!” The man laughed loudly and walked straight toward Qi Dengxian.

A large hand shot out, tearing through the air with a whistling sound, clawing straight for Qi Dengxian’s throat.

Qi Dengxian shook his head. With this level of skill? He could drag any random guy out of the prison, and they could hang these so-called Four Heavenly Kings up and beat them.

Parrying the fist without bothering to look at the shock on the opponent’s face, Qi Dengxian struck. Bang, bang, bang, bang! Four terrifying experts who had killed countless people fell to the ground instantly, collapsing like clay chickens and pottery dogs.

“So troublesome!” Qi Dengxian shook his head. He grabbed one by the leg and tossed the corpse off the cliff.

Not long after, Yu Xiaolong followed the scent of blood in the air to the foot of the cliff, where she saw four bodies, their faces smashed beyond recognition.

“It’s actually the Four Heavenly Kings under the King of Terror. These four have been a massive headache for our military; we’ve never managed to capture them successfully…”

Seeing these four corpses, Yu Xiaolong was shocked beyond belief.

At a glance, she could tell these four had been beaten to death on the spot and then thrown into the wilderness. Her heart shook even more violently!

“Who could have killed these four so easily? The blood is still warm; clearly, they died not long ago. Yet, I didn’t sense any commotion from a fight.”

Yu Xiaolong’s eyes were filled with gravity. An expert like this… their strength is likely far above mine!

Yu Xiaolong grabbed her phone, looking thoughtfully toward the peak of Cloud Top Mountain, and ordered, “Check for me who is living in the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace. Also, send someone here to clean up the scene…”

Early the next morning, Qi Dengxian received a call from Qiao Guotao.

“Dengxian, you and Qiumeng got married too quickly. Feelings need to be nurtured. She’s meeting a few friends at a sports club today and plans to introduce you to them. Give me your address, and I’ll have her pick you up!” Qiao Guotao laughed heartily.

“Alright.” Qi Dengxian smiled helplessly. He couldn’t refuse Qiao Guotao’s kindness, so he agreed directly.

Soon, Li Yunwan drove Qiao Qiumeng to pick up Qi Dengxian.

Seeing Qi Dengxian, Li Yunwan looked him up and down with disdain. A tiny prison guard. His looks aren’t outstanding, though his build is decent. But with no power or influence, he’s completely useless. How could he be worthy of Qiao Qiumeng, the pride of the Qiao family?

“My best friend, Li Yunwan. Introduce yourselves,” Qiao Qiumeng said coldly from the passenger seat.

Qi Dengxian extended his hand and smiled. “Hello!”

Li Yunwan didn’t even look at him again. “Don’t dawdle. Get in the car quickly. Young Master Zhang and the others are waiting!”

Li Yunwan drove fast, and before long, they arrived at a club named “Shangdong.”

“Hahaha, Qiumeng, Yunwan, you’re finally here!” A group of young masters came out to welcome them. The leader, a man of imposing appearance, was none other than Qiao Qiumeng’s suitor, the eldest young master of the Zhang family, Zhang Shaojie.

Seeing a man emerge from their car, Zhang Shaojie’s eyes turned cold. “And this is?”

“A toad wanting to eat swan meat,” Li Yunwan said with a fake smile, nodding to Zhang Shaojie.

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Shaojie’s eyes as he sized up Qi Dengxian’s ordinary clothes, average temperament, and nothing outstanding.

Someone like this dares to pursue Qiao Qiumeng?!

Qiao Qiumeng said indifferently, “My best friend always talks like that. Don’t take it to heart.”

Qi Dengxian glanced at her, too lazy to even speak.

“Hehe, since he’s here, regardless of status, he counts as a friend. Let’s show him some hospitality,” Zhang Shaojie said casually. He didn’t take Qi Dengxian seriously at all. In his eyes, a phoenix man with no background like this was no different from an ant.

Zhang Shaojie smiled at Qiao Qiumeng. “Qiumeng, didn’t you always want to learn fencing? I just won third place at the National Fencing Enthusiasts Exchange Conference the day before yesterday. I can teach you today.”

“Oh… right. About helping you recover that twenty million debt from the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce, I’m working on it. They should respond in a couple of days.”

“Don’t worry. Although the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce is powerful and wealthy, they’ll still give me some face.”

Qiao Qiumeng nodded, a trace of joy flashing in her eyes. “Thank you, Young Master Zhang!”

After entering the club and finding a venue, Zhang Shaojie immediately asked another wealthy young master who enjoyed fencing to spar with him.

“Holy crap, who is that… Isn’t that General Yu Xiaolong?!”

“My god, it really looks like Yu Xiaolong! I didn’t expect to run into her here.”

“Who is she doing archery with? Is that the President of the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce, Zhao Heilong?”

“Wow, worthy of my idol Yu Xiaolong. She’s proficient in everything. Look, all ten rings!”

Yu Xiaolong, dressed in athletic wear and looking valiant, drew her bow and fired. Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack! Four arrows flew out in succession, densely clustering right in the center of the target.

Qi Dengxian felt an urge to curse. Is my destiny ill-fated with this woman? How do I run into her everywhere I go? Truly eight lifetimes of bad luck!

He looked again and couldn’t help but chuckle. Isn’t that “Little Loach” Zhao Heilong?

When Zhao Heilong entered prison, he was incredibly arrogant. He complained that the cafeteria food was terrible, smashed up the cafeteria, and was then hung from a utility pole by Qi Dengxian for three days and three nights.

From then on, the dignified Lord Black Dragon became the Little Loach.

“I didn’t expect to have the chance to witness Yu Xiaolong’s heroic figure with my own eyes. She’s Huaguo’s newly risen Female War God. If I could marry a woman like that…”

“Keep dreaming. The Yu family is a noble clan from the capital, and General Yu Xiaolong is a hero among women. Who could be worthy of a goddess like her?”

However, everyone’s attention soon shifted back. Zhang Shaojie picked up his sword, coughed once, and began to spar with the wealthy young master in front of him.

Zhang Shaojie indeed had some skill; otherwise, he wouldn’t have won third place. The young master opposite him wasn’t on the same level at all. After just a few exchanges, his sword was knocked away, and the tip of Zhang Shaojie’s blade was pressed against his throat.

“Worthy of Young Master Zhang! Truly impressive. You knocked Wu Shao’s sword away in just five moves!” Qiao Qiumeng’s eyes lit up as she watched.

Zhang Shaojie’s movements were dashing and agile, his swordplay elegant and natural, causing the hearts of many young girls nearby to flutter.

Qi Dengxian frowned and prepared to turn and leave. He didn’t want to get involved with that woman, Yu Xiaolong, again.

Although the four guys who came looking for death yesterday were incredibly mediocre, he really hated trouble.

NOTES

Phoenix man: A slang term for a man from a humble/rural background who has worked hard to leave his nest but retains conservative values or is seen as marrying up for status; here used derogatorily by the rich kids.

Ill-Fated Destiny : Literally “The Eight Characters (of birth) clash.” A superstitious belief that two people are astrologically incompatible and will cause bad luck for each other.