Flipping the Table (Please Follow)

In the restroom, Zhao Dalong looked displeased.

"Brother Long~" His female companion wrapped her arms around Zhao Dalong's neck, speaking in a saccharine voice. "What's wrong? Why did your expression suddenly change?"

"Damn it, the way that guy Ding looked at us... it felt like he was looking down on Awen and me. Through the whole meal, he kept smiling without any warmth, staring only at Li Nanshu!"

"Once Brother Long becomes a Red Pole, he won't look at you like that anymore."

"Quit talking. Take off your pants. I'm pissed as hell right now!"

Zhao Dalong pressed his companion's head down and looked at himself in the mirror.

"One day, that bastard Ding will be offering incense to me!"

Inside a black luxury car, Ding Sheng held a cigar between his fingers and gazed out the window.

"Brother Sheng, are you really joining the Shengxing Society?" his trusted bodyguard asked.

"Just for fun. Zhao Dalong has some skills. I heard he's about to be promoted to Straw Sandal, so he's already a core member of the society. There's no need to cut off a good relationship we've already built."

"That's true."

"I mainly came to this gathering to win over Li Nanshu... Southern Sky Martial Hall is a major force."

"Though that little Li Nanshu is only above average in looks, her figure is truly top-notch. And she practices martial arts too. If Brother Sheng can get her, tsk, tsk, tsk."

"That woman has ambition. I can't handle her for now... After all, I don't practice martial arts. She probably doesn't think much of me."

The bodyguard chuckled. "She's Ye Tiannan's disciple, after all. Rumor has it that Ye has seven true disciples under him, each a prominent figure in Fragrant Sea's martial arts world, known as the Southern Sky Seven Heroes. Li Nanshu has only been a disciple for three years, and her foundation is still shallow. Given Young Master's status, there's still hope of winning her over. Once the old master passes on and it's time to fight for the inheritance, she'll be very useful."

Ding Sheng looked at the city fortress shrouded in oppressive, grim clouds beneath the distant skyline and smiled knowingly.

"Who would have thought that in just three years, the fortunes of the four of us would change so drastically?"

Everyone had their fate, ordained by heaven.

Some were born as dragons, while others fell into the grass and became bandits.

So what if one had no natural talent?

With money, even ghosts could be made to turn millstones.

He believed that the power of money could solve most problems.

Night had fallen, and neon lights dyed half the sky.

Mount Tianping, over a thousand meters above sea level, towered over the western side of the bustling island city.

Luxurious private estates stood one after another along its mountainside.

Each one cost more than 99.9 percent of the city's residents could earn through ten lifetimes of work.

Within one elegant estate shaped like a dojo,

Li Nanshu stood before an incense burner, overlooking Fragrant Sea.

"I heard you went to meet some fellow townspeople?" A tall woman with sharp brows, her hair coiled up and dressed in a loose Daoist robe, appeared at some point.

"Greetings, Senior Sister. They're friends who crossed the sea with me back then," Li Nanshu said.

"Dragons do not dwell with snakes. Don't forget who you are now. Visit filthy, chaotic places less often, lest you bring back worldly grime and disturb our cultivation." The woman left after speaking.

Li Nanshu smiled on the surface, but she did not take the woman's words too seriously.

Given her talent, one day she might not necessarily be unable to surpass the so-called Seven Heroes and inherit Ye Tiannan's legacy!

She looked toward the city fortress and murmured to herself:

"Awen is rather interesting. He's clearly a martial artist, yet he says he's doing labor, still as timid and low-key as before..."

That night,

Li Xiuwen returned to the fortress carrying a pile of food.

Zhao Dalong had ordered too much, and many dishes had not even been touched.

Li Xiuwen had suffered too much in the fortress and could not bear to see it wasted, so he packed up everything that had not been touched by chopsticks.

When Aunt saw so much delicious food, she did not mind where it came from.

She immediately laid it out on the table and called Uncle over.

"I'll open some good wine." Uncle took out a bottle of red wine he had been saving and could not bear to drink. It had been a gift from a client, a foreign brand worth a hundred per bottle.

There were no wine glasses at home, so Aunt brought out three porcelain bowls and smiled. "We're family. No need to be so particular."

At the dinner table, Li Xiuwen told Aunt and Uncle about the current situations of his three fellow townspeople. The two were extremely excited.

"A society Straw Sandal, a disciple of a major martial hall, and the heir to a newspaper tycoon... With connections like these, the Thirteen Guardians probably won't dare come looking for trouble anymore, right?" Aunt asked expectantly.

"Hard to say. They've become too successful now. There's a huge gap between their status and Awen's... It wouldn't be right for us to casually use their names," Uncle sighed.

"Why are other people's lives so good? How come our family doesn't have relatives like that?" Aunt could not help complaining.

After several rounds of drinks, Aunt and Uncle were slightly tipsy.

Li Xiuwen had drunk quite a lot too, but he was not drunk.

Twice the vitality and blood of an ordinary person was no joke.

"The three of you are eating quite well." A hoarse voice came from the doorway.

A tall, thin bald man squeezed inside. A lifelike green snake was tattooed around his neck, and two punks stood beside him.

He spread his arms and leaned back, smiling in a mocking tone. "Brother Yi, where have you been making your fortune lately?"

Uncle's expression changed, but he forced a smile. "Brother Snake, come have a drink. How could I have the fate to get rich? I'm just guarding this noodle factory and earning a little pathetic money."

"You're eating really well. I can't even afford food like this." Venomous Snake smiled.

"Awen packed this up from a banquet held by one of his society friends," Uncle said.

There were countless experts in the societies. He wanted Venomous Snake to know that Awen had such connections and would not dare act rashly.

Venomous Snake's heart skipped a beat. He narrowed his eyes at Li Xiuwen, who was still eating at the table, and smiled. "Awen has made something of himself. I'm very pleased."

Aunt chimed in with a smile. "That's right, he has. Awen also has a friend who's Ye Tiannan's disciple."

Whether it was true or not, she was determined to invoke that name.

Venomous Snake's smile froze.

Ye Tiannan truly was someone he could not afford to provoke.

But this was the fortress. Experts like Ye Tiannan would not enter the city fortress lightly.

They were too conspicuous and could easily cause Mr. Ming to misunderstand.

Besides, these days, countless people threw around the names of big shots like Mr. Ming, Tianyi Hao, and Ye Tiannan.

Who knew whether it was true or not?

"I'm here to discuss serious business this time. Awen, have you seen Brother Ji recently?" Venomous Snake asked with a smile, watching for any change in Li Xiuwen's expression.

With Oscar-worthy acting, Li Xiuwen looked blank and clueless. "No... What happened to Brother Ji?"

Venomous Snake sighed. "Nothing... I told that kid to collect money, but who knows where he ran off to. Now I have to come collect it myself."

Li Xiuwen smiled. "I haven't seen Brother Ji in a long time either. I was even thinking of finding time to ask you about him."

Venomous Snake waved a hand. "Forget it. Don't worry about him. I only came to ask around about Brother Ji. Since you don't know anything either, let's leave it at that."

He had originally planned to make a small move and test Li Xiuwen's depth, to see whether he really was an Azure Membrane expert and whether he might have killed Brother Ji.

But now that he had heard Li Xiuwen was connected to Ye Tiannan's disciple, regardless of whether it was true, he did not dare take the risk.

If Li Xiuwen truly had close ties with someone as important as Ye Tiannan's disciple,

then one little test might get him killed.

Venomous Snake turned to leave, deciding to report to Third Master first before making any further decisions.

Third Master was a Violet Membrane expert. He could let Third Master handle it.

Li Xiuwen kept smiling the entire time, revealing not the slightest aura of a martial artist.

He was no different from the timid Awen of old.

The moment Brother Snake turned around, Li Xiuwen's eyes turned icy as he suddenly moved.

With a single stride, he caught up to one of the punks behind Brother Snake.

His large hand shot from his sleeve like a vicious dragon, wrapped in a fierce gust as it clamped onto the punk's neck.

A twist, a pull, and a sharp crack!

The punk's neck broke. He lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

His eyes were wide open, his face still carrying a trace of bewilderment...