Evil God Cultist, Come Quickly!

Li Qingshan brought Little Fatty along, following behind Cheng An, and soon reached the underground first floor.

The space before them opened up—over a thousand square meters, bright as day.

Dozens of gambling tables of various sizes lined the area, each surrounded by a crowd of guests.

"Business this good?" Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Heh, the guests here aren't just from Luoying alone. Gamblers from a few nearby cities like coming here too."

Cheng An rubbed his hands together, his old habits kicking in.

"Boss, interested in trying a few rounds?"

"What do you think?"

Li Qingshan shot him a flat look, and Cheng An shuddered, snapping back to his senses.

"My bad for running my mouth! The stairs to the third underground floor are just ahead. This way, boss."

Cheng An slapped his own mouth as he led the way.

Soon, the three of them passed through the gambling halls on the first and second underground floors and reached the stairwell exit.

Outside the stairwell, a large double iron door blocked the way, with two black-clad men standing guard.

Cheng An stepped forward, bowing and scraping:

"Gentlemen, these are my regulars. They want to check out the third floor tonight. Mind opening the door?"

The black-clad men glanced over, their eyes sweeping past Cao Shaoyu and pausing briefly on the Chopping Knife in Li Qingshan's hand.

But they didn't say anything, simply pushing the iron door open.

A wave of noise and clamor surged out from behind the door.

Li Qingshan frowned, following Cheng An into the underground third floor.

Compared to the two floors above, the lighting was much dimmer.

To be precise, the entire underground third floor relied on just a few spotlights for illumination.

And all those spotlights were aimed at a square arena in the center, about twenty meters on each side.

The arena was empty, but below it, a sea of heads bobbed—roughly over a thousand people, buzzing with excitement.

Li Qingshan reached out and pulled Cheng An closer, asking:

"Is it always this crowded here?"

"No. The reason it's so lively tonight is because word went out earlier that there'd be a few Peak Competitions.

Besides that ace I mentioned earlier, who's suspected to be at Body Tempering fifth level, a few other experts at Body Tempering fourth level will also be showing up..."

Cheng An paused, a look of suspicion flickering across his face as he glanced at Li Qingshan and lowered his voice:

"Boss, could it be that Silver Glow put out that news to secretly pave the way for the Beast Battle?"

The news about the Fierce Beasts couldn't be openly advertised, but a big event like the Beast Battle—how could the usual small crowd be enough?

Using the Peak Competition to lure in gamblers and build up the crowd was just right.

"We'll find out soon enough."

Li Qingshan said flatly, his gaze sweeping the room, lingering on the waists of the black-clad security guards.

The "ace" and "experts" Cheng An mentioned were just the best among mediocrities.

Whether Body Tempering fourth level or Body Tempering fifth level, they posed little threat to him, with his Movement Technique at Great Accomplishment and his blade skill at Great Accomplishment.

What could hurt him were firearms.

But even that was only a possibility.

With the Mizong Step at Great Accomplishment, it would be hard for an Ordinary Person to hit him with a gun.

Just then, A hoarse, mocking voice sounded beside him.

"Fatty Cao, you pig-headed fool, you really took the bait!"

Li Qingshan turned to look and saw a scrawny youth about the same age as Cao Shaoyu, flanked by two black-clad bodyguards, walking over.

"Lou Jiang? What are you doing here?" Cao Shaoyu was full of surprise, even forgetting to curse back.

"Silver Glow Hotel is my dad's place. Where else would I be if not here?"

Lou Jiang puffed up with pride, arms crossed over his chest.

"You think that 'inside scoop' you got came out of nowhere?"

"You lured me here on purpose?" Cao Shaoyu's face flushed red, a mix of shame and anger.

Beside him, Cheng An looked baffled, while Li Qingshan's face darkened.

For the sake of the Fierce Beasts, he'd been ready to "go all out."

But now—

The so-called "Beast Battle" was likely just an excuse made up over a grudge between kids.

"Heh, I can't beat you at school, but this is my turf!"

Lou Jiang waved his hand, signaling the two black-suited bodyguards to step forward.

Thump! Thump!

The crowd only saw a blur, and in the blink of an eye, the two bodyguards were kneeling on the ground.

Li Qingshan stood between them, the sheath of his blade resting on Lou Jiang's shoulder.

"Kid, I don't care about your schoolyard fights, but if the info on the 'Fierce Beasts' turns out to be fake, I'll make sure you know the consequences of lying."

"Y-you... you..."

Lou Jiang's lips trembled, his legs shaking.

"Handsome boy, don't get worked up!"

A coquettish laugh rang out as a young woman in a cheongsam swayed her hips as she walked over.

The slit of her dress was high, revealing glimpses of skin with each step, unconsciously drawing the gaze of everyone around.

Everyone except Li Qingshan.

The moment he heard her voice, Li Qingshan's eyes instinctively locked onto her hair.

Golden, big waves cascaded down naturally, swaying gently with her steps, adding a touch of allure.

Not purple-red?

Li Qingshan's eyes narrowed with suspicion, then shifted to her face.

Though equally seductive, there was no trace of familiarity—he had never seen this face before.

Still, Li Qingshan didn't dare let his guard down even a little.

The moment he heard her voice, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Two months ago, that woman with purple-red hair had also called him "handsome boy."

And their voices seemed somewhat similar.

"Handsome boy, put the blade away. Don't scare my son."

The golden-haired woman stepped closer, extending a finger to gently push the hilt.

Li Qingshan withdrew his chopping knife, his gaze shifting between Lou Jiang and the golden-haired woman.

"He's your son?"

"Stepson, but 'son' still counts!" The golden-haired woman giggled, covering her mouth, then lightly patted Lou Jiang's head.

"Good son, you need to be polite to guests from now on. Mommy can't always show up in time."

"I know, Auntie You."

Lou Jiang shrank his neck, unconsciously stepping aside, as if terrified of his stepmother.

"Kids, always so shy."

The golden-haired woman shrugged it off, stepping forward and placing her pale hand on Li Qingshan's shoulder.

"Rest assured, guest. The 'Beast Battle' is about to begin. Please look forward to it."

Her slender fingers slid down, brushing across his chest. She let out another soft laugh before turning and walking away.

Her swaying figure drew countless eyes as she gradually disappeared into the crowd.

Li Qingshan slapped Cheng An on the shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Who is that woman?"

Cheng An reluctantly tore his gaze away, smacking his lips. "You Qingya, the mistress of Lou Cheng, the owner of Silver Glow Hotel. No, wait—she's more than just a mistress now."

"That woman's no simpleton. In just over a month, she not only climbed her way up but recently got Lou Cheng to hand over management of the underground casino."

"Who knows what kind of spell she cast on Lou Cheng for him to trust her with that money pit?"

Cheng An was curious about her methods, but Li Qingshan was more focused on the timing of You Qingya's appearance.

"You're saying this You Qingya only showed up a little over a month ago?"

Cheng An didn't understand why it mattered, but he nodded anyway. "That's right."

Hearing Cheng An's confirmation, Li Qingshan fell into thought.

Two months ago, the Evil God Cultist hideout at Star River Bar was wiped out, but that purple-red-haired woman slipped through the net.

And now this You Qingya, who gave him such a strong sense of déjà vu, just happened to appear a little over a month ago.

That was too much of a coincidence.

Moreover, Wan Keshan had specifically mentioned before that Flesh Demon God cultists could alter their body shapes—changing their appearance was nothing to them.

"Even if it's all just my speculation with no evidence, when it comes to Evil God Cultists, evidence isn't even necessary!"

Li Qingshan made a quick decision. In his lowered left hand, the Communicator's light screen silently unfolded.

His left thumb tapped, selecting the Patrol Bureau as the recipient, and he began typing a message.

But since he could only operate with his thumb, inputting the information was quite difficult.

"No, this won't get the point across clearly, and the Patrol Bureau might not dispatch immediately anyway."

Li Qingshan frowned, deleted all the information, and changed the recipient as well.

With a few simple taps of his thumb, a single line of text was sent.

"Silver Glow Hotel, Evil God Cultist, come quick!"

Recipient: Wan Keshan