"Boss, I’ve notified everyone. A banquet is being held tonight at the Thunder City Grand Hotel, in the Cloud Sea Hall," Iron Heart reported.

"Mm. The Cloud Sea Hall should be the most luxurious private room at the Grand Hotel. When dining with our own people, only the best will do. Put it on my tab. My treat!" Yang Qi nodded and then asked, "What time tonight?"

"Eight o’clock!" Iron Heart answered.

"Good! Go and cultivate. You’ll join me at the Cloud Sea Hall tonight." Yang Qi nodded again and immediately entered a meditative state.

Even though he had reached the First Layer of the Body Tempering Stage, he knew that cultivation was like rowing upstream. If you stopped, others might overtake you. Therefore, there was no room for negligence or slack.

「Meanwhile, several cars quietly exited the highway and entered Thunder City.」

All of them bore Sea City license plates. At the highway exit, a group of people was waiting. The heads of the Wang and Yan families were present, along with their senior members. They were even joined by the heads of some families and corporations from outside the Four Gates and Six Families. The younger generation, including Wang Teng and Yan Duo, was also there.

They had already established a clandestine cooperation with the Tang Family of Sea City, but this partnership was marked by mutual wariness. It was not one of complete subservience. This was precisely why the Tang Family was targeting the Zhao Family. They intended to use a marriage alliance to bring them to heel, as they needed a family that would completely submit to the Tang Family of Sea City. A mere partnership wasn’t enough; after all, partners could be fence-sitters.

A dozen or so vehicles came to a halt. From a car in the middle, a middle-aged man and a young man emerged. The young man was Tang Chuan, the one who intended to marry Ye Qianqian. The middle-aged man was his father, Tang Wenqiang, the fourth son of the Sea City Tang Family. And what a coincidence—it was also Tang Wenqiang who had clashed with Yang Qi in Three Prefectures Town. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Tang Wenqiang had two objectives for this trip to Thunder City. The first was revenge. He would find Yang Qi, confirm his identity, and then have his experts eliminate him. The second was to assist Tang Chuan with the marriage proposal. He had originally planned to come in a few days, but he could not wait any longer.

Their Tang Family certainly looked down on the insignificant Zhao Family, but to get an entry ticket into Jingnan Prefecture, the Zhao Family was an unavoidable stepping stone. Tang Chuan marrying Ye Qianqian was, of course, just a means to an end. Once their goal was achieved, both the Zhao Family and Ye Qianqian were disposable.

"I hear that chick is quite the looker. She’ll do as a concubine!" Tang Chuan said with a smile.

"Keep that kind of talk between us. Don’t say it to outsiders. Once we’ve taken over the Zhao Family, you can do whatever you want with that woman," Tang Wenqiang said coolly.

"Father, can I go see the woman today? I don’t even know what she looks like," Tang Chuan said with a grin.

"Of course. Do you need me to make arrangements?" Tang Wenqiang asked.

"No need. I’ll go see for myself. With my skills, I can move through the Zhao Family estate as I please," Tang Chuan said.

"True. You trained under the Blood Lotus Sect and have formidable combat power. I’ll leave this to you. But still, be careful. Thunder City has its share of experts," Tang Wenqiang cautioned.

As they spoke, they approached the Wang Family Head and the others.

"We have arranged accommodations for you in a private courtyard of my Wang Family estate to ensure you have some peace and quiet. I hope you find it satisfactory?" the Wang Family Head asked with a smile.

"That will do."

Soon, the group arrived at their accommodations. The heads of the Wang and Yan families had matters to discuss with Tang Wenqiang, so they departed. The younger crowd, like Wang Teng and Yan Duo, swarmed around Tang Chuan.

Despite Wang Teng’s usual arrogant and unrestrained behavior, he was meek and subservient in front of Tang Chuan, not daring to show the slightest bit of his usual flamboyance. The level of martial arts in Jingnan Prefecture was simply too low. In contrast, while Sea City was just a single city, its martial arts level was among the highest in the entire Dragon Country. As a result, they all betrayed a sense of inferiority when facing these young masters from Sea City.

In Sea City, there was a Dragon and Phoenix Club, and Tang Chuan was a member. It was said that all the young men and women in this club were the sons and daughters of Sea City’s major families, and all possessed terrifying talent in martial arts.

In this day and age, it was common for the children of powerful and noble families to practice martial arts, partly for self-protection and partly to strengthen their families. Though the world of martial arts was still unknown to the majority, those within this circle understood that wealth alone was not enough.

If your family produced a Martial Arts Great Grandmaster, you could call yourself a distinguished family! If a Martial Arts Overlord emerged from your ranks, you would become a powerhouse clan, for whom money and power were easy to obtain.

Wang Teng, Yan Duo, and the others yearned to join the Dragon and Phoenix Club. So, upon hearing that Tang Chuan was in Thunder City, they rushed over to curry favor. Tang Chuan was no weakling. He was an impressive figure, ranking tenth in combat power within the Dragon and Phoenix Club. Gaining his favor meant that no one would dare to bully you, not just in Jingnan Prefecture, but even in Sea City.

Of course, they had another reason for seeking out Tang Chuan: dealing with Yang Qi.

Previously, they had tried to use a man named Lan Mao to kidnap Ye Qianqian. Unexpectedly, Lan Mao and his men had mysteriously disappeared, and they suspected Yang Qi was involved. This left them trembling with anxiety, terrified that Lan Mao might have exposed them. With Tang Chuan’s arrival, they realized this might be a perfect opportunity to strike first by using his power to eliminate Yang Qi. To them, the plan seemed flawless.

"Young Master Tang, there’s something I wish to say, but I’m not sure if I should," Wang Teng said, feigning a troubled expression.

"I don’t like people who beat around the bush. If you have something to say, spit it out. Stop wasting my time!" Tang Chuan frowned.

Wang Teng sighed. "Your fiancée is Ye Qianqian, correct? I ran into her last night, but... but she was having dinner with another man. She was calling him ’big brother’ so affectionately, they seemed very close."

"Could it have been her actual brother?" Tang Chuan asked.

"Impossible. Ye Qianqian has only one brother, Ye Fei. I know him. This man’s name is Yang Qi, and I know him too. I heard they were childhood sweethearts," Wang Teng said cautiously, carefully observing Tang Chuan’s expression. One had to be careful with this sort of instigation; it could easily backfire.

"Who did you say it was?" Tang Chuan froze for a moment, his face turning incredibly dark.

"Yang Qi!"

"It’s that kid again!"

Tang Chuan knew very well that it was this kid, Yang Qi, who had killed Tang Fei and severely injured his father. If not for the Divine Doctor’s treatment, his father might have been left with a lifelong disability. And now, this brat was trying to cuckold him! It didn’t matter that he had no real relationship with Ye Qianqian, that he hadn’t even properly met her.

In his eyes, Ye Qianqian was already his property! No one else was allowed to touch her!