Bad Guy Selection

Jiang Junyi reached out and pressed a hand down. "Alright, alright, cut the formalities."

"The main reason I came today is to pick a few members to play the villains—the nastier, the better."

With that, Jiang Junyi swept his gaze across the few people seated at the table: Aunt Zhao, Old Liang, Old Wang, and Old Feng.

The four exchanged glances, then all broke into subtle smiles.

"No problem at all, Young Master. That's our specialty!" Old Wang started boasting again.

Whether he was actually bluffing, no one could say.

"Good. Confidence is a good thing."

"Here's the deal..."

Jiang Junyi laid out what the selected members would need to do. According to their intel, debt collectors usually worked in groups of three.

So this person would have to use threats, bribes, and every dirty trick in the book to push Su Shuangshuang to her limit.

Then, coordinate with the Black Palace mole—no, wait, what mole? That's an agent.

Coordinate with the Black Palace agent to pull off a classic hero-saves-the-beauty act.

Of course, they'd also need the strength to escape from the Black Palace members.

For the sake of realism, Wang Hao and his crew naturally couldn't go easy on them, nor could they let the legitimate Black Palace members catch on to anything fishy. So the art of the fight itself had to be carefully handled.

"Got it?" Jiang Junyi asked, munching on a skewer while giving the beer-guzzling crew a serious look.

"Got it! (munch munch munch)"

"Good. Now go find your candidates. The addresses of the debt collectors are all here; Uncle Wu will send them over later." Jiang Junyi nodded.

After finishing their skewers, the four at the table all turned their gazes to Old Feng in unison.

Old Feng scratched his head. "Hey, what're you all looking at me for?"

"You know the dirtiest bunch in the Baiting Force better than anyone. Who else would we look at?" Old Liang rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, just give a shout and they'll come running, won't they?" Old Wang patted Old Feng on the shoulder.

Jiang Junyi slowly tilted his head. Wasn't this supposed to be a rigorous selection process? Why were they making it sound so easy?

"Ah, fine." Old Feng sighed, stood up, and walked out into the street.

He took a deep breath and bellowed, "Get me three bastards to play the bad guys! Got to have some skill—know your own damn limits!"

His voice echoed down the street, carrying far.

Jiang Junyi's eyes flickered. Just from that one shout, he could tell Old Feng's strength was nothing to sneeze at.

At least a Grandmaster, with that kind of piercing power and solid lung capacity...

After Old Feng's shout, countless members on the street turned their heads toward Jiang Junyi.

The next second, a flood of figures charged straight for the barbecue joint.

Just as Jiang Junyi thought it was about to turn into a chaotic mess, the group started fighting among themselves halfway there.

Only the ones still standing would get to crawl before the Young Master!

That was their thinking.

The funny thing was, the moment the fight broke out, the crowd on the street scattered instantly, and the street vendors even moved their stalls out of the way.

True Qi erupted. Punches and kicks cracked through the air, the sounds of impact ringing out without end.

The fight finally ended ten minutes later.

Three bruised and battered members stood before Jiang Junyi.

Jiang Junyi's mouth twitched uncontrollably. What the hell kind of hardcore selection method was this...

He steadied himself and said, "From left to right, I'll call you Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. Start with Number One—introduce yourself. What kind of bad guy are you good at playing?"

Number One nodded. "Young Master, I'm good at intimidation! I'm real ferocious! Hnnngh—!"

With that, the clothes on Number One's back burst apart, revealing a full back tattoo and tattooed sleeves. Paired with his vicious face, it really sold the look.

Jiang Junyi nodded. "Not bad."

"Number Two?"

Number Two stepped forward. "Young Master, I'm good at playing a creep."

Jiang Junyi gestured slightly, signaling him to start his act.

The expression on Number Two's face twisted into something grotesque, his eyes gleaming with an unnerving, perverse excitement.

"Hehehe!"

As he laughed, he pulled out a dagger and licked it.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Jiang Junyi pounded the table. "Perfect! A perfect creep!"

Number Two snapped back to normal and bowed repeatedly. "Thank you for your approval, Young Master!"

Then Jiang Junyi turned his gaze to Number Three. "What's your talent? Show me."

"Young Master, I can be really sleazy!" Number Three said with a face full of pride.

Jiang Junyi didn't laugh at the words; instead, he looked thoughtful. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

Number Three took a moment to prepare, then his gaze shifted. A boundless lewdness gleamed in his eyes, paired with a lascivious smirk curling at the corners of his mouth. A chill of revulsion rose in Jiang Junyi's heart.

He acted as if a little beauty stood before him in the empty air, making obscene gestures—pinching an imaginary chin to tease, leaning in to whisper, licking his lips, and other utterly vile moves.

A performance with no props!

Jiang Junyi screamed inside. Talents, every last one of them was a damn talent!

"Not bad! Very good!"

Jiang Junyi stood and walked over to the three of them. "You three need to coordinate well, and you'll have to disguise yourselves. Uncle Wu will brief you on the specifics later. I have one very important point!"

"You must make the other side feel the deepest despair!"

"Got it?"

The three straightened up. "Got it!"

"Good! Go handle your business for now. We move tonight."

After the three left, a smile spread across Jiang Junyi's face, and he couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Baiting Force really is overflowing with talent.

Just then, Old Feng sat down with a grin. "Young Master, satisfied with those three?"

"Satisfied, very satisfied!"

Old Wang chimed in teasingly, "Looking for scumbags? See Old Feng, can't go wrong!"

"Screw you! I just happen to know a lot of them, that's all." Old Feng rolled his eyes.

"Mm-hmm, you just happen to know a lot, but don't ask how you happened to know them, right?" Old Liang mocked.

"Hey?"

"Alright, you're all grown adults, still bickering in front of the Young Master." Aunt Zhao gave each of them a light smack, then turned a kindly gaze to Jiang Junyi. "Does the Young Master have any other orders?"

"Auntie, I think we need an elder to secretly watch over them." Jiang Junyi thought for a moment. "This time, there's no going easy. It has to be real, so the Black Palace can't see through it."

Hearing Jiang Junyi's words, Aunt Zhao's face bloomed with a warm smile.

What a good kid, still thinking about his own people.

"No problem, Auntie will go herself." Aunt Zhao said cheerfully.

"Huh?" Jiang Junyi was a bit stunned. "Auntie, you... don't need to trouble yourself, right?"

"Pfft!" Aunt Zhao waved a hand. "Auntie's body is just fine! It's settled. Auntie will make the trip!"

Jiang Junyi couldn't argue with Aunt Zhao and reluctantly agreed.

Now everything was ready, only the east wind was needed.

And that east wind would blow in tonight...

Jiang Junyi checked the time. It was only two in the afternoon, two hours until Wan Xiaoxiao's parent-teacher meeting.

"Uncle Wu, how long to get to Qingyun's place from here?"

"Half an hour."

Jiang Junyi's eyes lit up. "Then let's head out now!"

"Yes!"

"Hey! Little Young Master! Bring something for the Young Madam!"