Several elders who had already set their minds on leaving had originally planned to build momentum among the other merchant associations and powers today, so that when they changed banners in the future, no one could fault them for it.
Who would have thought that Ji Qinglin would come up and declare his loyalty right away, throwing everyone off their rhythm? The elders exchanged glances, and for a moment, none of them had the nerve to stand up and claim the title of "worse than pigs and dogs, unheard of even among beasts."
Lei Qiuyun knew her teacher was playing along with her. Naturally, she would not refuse a cake placed right at her mouth. She nodded. "Since that is the case, I understand everyone's intentions as well. So during this special period, Xin Dong Street Merchant Association's benefits will be doubled and membership fees halved. I guarantee that none of you will suffer any losses during this time."
The moment those words came out, the elders who had wanted to stir up trouble and control the mood lost even more of their footing.
Just as Lei Qiuyun thought she could at least pacify the elders present today, Yu Ji Zi of Purple Dragon Peak spoke in a deep voice. "Since we have accepted such favor, our hearts naturally remain with the association. But without President Lei Qiong holding the fort, how can we alone resist the encroachment of the other merchant associations?"
The other elders immediately echoed him. Liu San Shui of Hongyun Aquatic Products had just been left speechless by Ji Qinglin, so he quickly seized the chance to add:
"Isn't that the truth? Someone came to seize territory this morning. With the president absent, I didn't even dare strike first."
Feng Si Niang of Perfect Entertainment City exhaled a mouthful of smoke.
"Exactly. A bunch from the Xi Chang Association came to our place last night. The elder leading them was so young, yet he already dared bare his teeth at me."
Yu Ji Zi gave a light cough. "Bangkok has always been a place where the weak are meat for the strong. Everyone here is merely an elder of a merchant association. If we overestimate ourselves and forcefully stand our ground, should we run into a truly hard-headed force from another association, we may have to abandon both our people and our businesses."
On the surface, those words were directed at the elders present, but in truth, they were meant to knock Lei Qiuyun. He was telling her that trying to contend with the other merchant associations on her own was pure overestimation of herself.
"Elder Yu Ji Zi speaks very wisely."
"Same here."
As one of the old four associations, Xin Dong Street Merchant Association had once dominated an entire region.
But after Old Thunder Duke, President Lei Qiong, had semi-retired, the association's attitude toward outsiders had gradually softened. "Fight for every inch of land" had become "Harmony Brings Wealth."
Yet a camel starved to death was still bigger than a horse. Although President Lei Qiong was badly injured, Xin Dong Street Merchant Association's current foundations remained strong. Unless some major problem arose, the other forces would not be able to carve it up. At most, they could slowly nibble away at it.
Lei Qiuyun knew that as an old hand of Xin Dong Street Merchant Association, Yu Ji Zi certainly had no intention of betrayal. More likely, he wanted to exploit her father's fall to seize greater authority for his own merchant association.
But Yu Ji Zi was, after all, an elder who had fought alongside her father in the past. His seniority was there for all to see, so Lei Qiuyun could not easily refute him. She could only ask, "Then what brilliant insight does Elder Yu Ji Zi have?"
Yu Ji Zi slowly rose to his feet and paced around the meeting room. "Whether elders or members, everyone's goal is simply to seek wealth. Where we seek it and with whom we seek it are not important. I merely wish to remind the Acting President not to throw away her life over something she cannot accomplish, and follow in the Old President's footsteps."
Before Yu Ji Zi could finish, Lei Qiuyun rose and cut him off. "If Elder Yu Ji Zi has doubts about my strength, you may test it directly. I will accept at any time. There is no need to speak of my father here."
She could accept being told that her strength, experience, and prestige all fell short of her father's. But she could never tolerate anyone questioning the father who had devoted his entire life to the merchant association.
At those words, Yu Ji Zi stopped at the end of the table and looked toward Lei Qiuyun.
The other elders around the table also turned grave.
If the two of them fought now, it would no longer be as simple as sparring or resolving a problem.
When a president and an elder fought, one careless move could become a purge of the house or an expulsion from the Mountain Gate. And regardless of the outcome, Lei Qiuyun would be the one to lose. If she won, it would only be considered natural, and she might even earn the label of someone who lorded it over her own nest. If she lost, the authority of her position as Acting President would be completely destroyed.
Lei Qiuyun regretted it somewhat as well, but at a time like this, she could not show weakness.
Just as the battle stood on the verge of erupting, Ji Qinglin, who was seated beside Yu Ji Zi, suddenly spoke.
"Elder Yu Ji Zi, when entering a temple to worship Buddha, one must first worship the mountain gate. To challenge the president directly, you are not qualified enough, are you?"
Everyone present was stunned and turned to look at Ji Qinglin. They all knew the president treated him well. The kid's courage today could indeed be said not to disgrace the profound favor he had received.
But did he really have the nerve to call himself the mountain gate? Yu Ji Zi rapidly calculated in his heart and immediately understood that Ji Qinglin was trying to give him a way down. If he used the opportunity to knock the boy out, then he would neither be directly challenging the president nor appear weak. It was the best of both worlds.
Good boy. He was loyal to the merchant association, all right. Once this old man became president, he would promote him properly! With that thought, Yu Ji Zi raised his brows and lifted his palm.
"This is no place for you to interrupt!"
His powerful palm force stirred up a fierce wind, making the robes of the elders on both sides billow as his palm shot straight toward Ji Qinglin's chest.
Smack—
Just as everyone present expected, the palm force was indeed formidable. The moment it came down, the Qi Wave surged and roiled.
The only slight difference was that Ji Qinglin was not sent flying.
Instead, he remained seated in his chair and casually raised his right hand, steadily catching Yu Ji Zi's attack.
Everyone present belonged to the merchant association, so they naturally understood Yu Ji Zi's strength. Even an ordinary elder would struggle to receive Yu Ji Zi's full-powered palm strike.
But Ji Qinglin... he had not even stood up. Even the chair beneath his butt had not shifted in the slightest.
All the elders, including Lei Qiuyun, who had been prepared to leap forward and rescue him, widened their eyes. Only Yu Ye behind Ji Qinglin pouted her sexy lips, lifted her chin, and narrowed her eyes slightly, looking as though she were saying, "You people have really never seen the world."
In that instant, the most shocked person was Yu Ji Zi himself. The immense palm force he had unleashed vanished without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea.
Sensing that something was wrong, the first thing that surfaced in Yu Ji Zi's mind was a new term someone had taught him these past few days: Association Guardian.
At that thought, Yu Ji Zi hurriedly tried to retreat. But how could Ji Qinglin give him the chance? With one hand, he seized Yu Ji Zi's palm. Then he clenched his hand into a fist and, using the technique of Baji Collapse, swung his elbow horizontally across the table and smashed it straight into Yu Ji Zi's chest.
Yu Ji Zi tried to block it, but when that sensation spread through his entire body, he finally understood why no one performed barehanded car-catching on the streets.
Thud—
With a solid, muffled impact, Yu Ji Zi's body flew sideways and crashed into the wall at the end of the meeting room.
Before the elder nearest him could get out the words "holy shit," the vanished Ji Qinglin flashed past them in streaks of ghostly afterimages and arrived before Yu Ji Zi in the blink of an eye.
Yu Ji Zi's body had not even begun to fall from the wall when Ji Qinglin grabbed the collar of his Daoist robe and lifted him up, then raised his charged right fist high.
Even from behind, everyone could see that Ji Qinglin, holding Yu Ji Zi aloft, was now overflowing with killing intent.
Although no one behind him knew how Ji Qinglin possessed such skill, one thing was certain from that burst of power just now: if that fist came down, Yu Ji Zi was dead for sure. The only thing worth opening bets on was whether a whole corpse would remain.
Ji Qinglin was thinking the exact same thing: if this punch landed, Yu Ji Zi was definitely dead.
So you guys should fucking hurry up and try to stop me! Are you all just watching the show? Are you really going to let me kill him? Where's Lei Qiuyun? Didn't we agree to put on a show of favor and intimidation? I'm nearly done with the intimidation and about to slaughter the guy. Where's your favor?
Normally, updating the chapters separately would be better for the author, but these two chapters read better together, so today will be an exception and both will be released at once. Happy reading!
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