"Ha! It looks like you still haven't figured out your current situation!"
Ye Qingyun walked up to Liú Píng and slammed his elbow straight into the latter's chest.
Liú Píng's body flew backward, crashing to the ground as a sweet taste rose in his throat.
Shock gripped his heart. The Ye Qingyun standing before him had completely changed after five years apart.
He had become so strong!
For the sake of his life, Liú Píng decisively begged Ye Qingyun for mercy.
"Brother Yun, don't hit me! I swear I'll never go near your sister again! I'll take a detour the moment I see her!"
Ye Qingyun nodded. "Now that's more like it."
Then his tone shifted as he continued, "Tell me, where is Zhou Ruoyan right now?"
Color drained from Liú Píng's face at those words. He glanced all around, and upon confirming that no one was in sight, he lowered his voice to speak to Ye Qingyun.
"Brother Yun, have you lost your mind?! How dare you address the Queen of the Underworld by her real name?"
Ye Qingyun asked, "The Queen of the Underworld? What do you mean?"
Liú Píng swallowed hard, lowering his voice to explain.
"Brother Yun, I know you and... Zhou Ruoyan had a thing in the past, but that's history now. Zhou Ruoyan's status and position nowadays are completely beyond your reach! She has united all the underground forces of Jiangning City and is revered as the Queen of the Underworld! They call her the Black Rose—a rose soaked in blood! Her influence over the underworld in Jiangning City is absolute. You're dreaming if you think you can rekindle things with her."
A cold smirk curled the corner of Ye Qingyun's mouth as he listened to Liú Píng's explanation.
It seemed that over the past five years, not only had he grown, but this former girlfriend of his had also come a long way! Going from a total nobody back then to the reigning Queen of the Underworld today!
So what if she had?
That woman had plotted to drain Ye Qingyun's blood and pushed him down the mountain—a debt Ye Qingyun was bound to collect!
"I'm not looking to make up with her. I'm going to kill her. Take me to her," Ye Qingyun said calmly.
Hearing this, Liú Píng shuddered from head to toe, his voice pitching up an octave.
"Are you insane? Kill her?! After everything I just told you, you still dare to go after her? You might have a death wish, but I don't!"
Ye Qingyun hoisted Liú Píng up by the collar and said coldly, "Take me."
Gazing into Ye Qingyun's blade-like eyes, Liú Píng felt a chill freeze his heart. With great difficulty, he replied, "Brother Yun, it's not that I won't take you. It's that I haven't the slightest idea where the Black Rose is! I can take you to see the head of the Eight Doors Sect. The Eight Doors Sect is an organization under the Black Rose, so the sect master should know where she is."
"Then hurry up and take me," Ye Qingyun ordered.
"Brother Yun, we have a deal: I'm only taking you there. I won't help you with anything else," Liú Píng mustered the courage to say.
Ye Qingyun nodded. He hadn't expected any real help from this coward anyway.
***
Afterward, Liú Píng drove Ye Qingyun to the front of a villa.
"Brother Yun, this is where the Eight Doors Sect master lives," Liú Píng said respectfully to Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun nodded.
"Brother Yun, if there's nothing else, can I go now?" Liú Píng asked, bent forward at the waist.
Ye Qingyun gave a casual wave of his hand.
Liú Píng spun around, scrambled into his car, slammed his foot on the gas, and sped away.
Not until Ye Qingyun's figure vanished entirely from the rearview mirror did Liú Píng finally exhale a long breath of relief. For some reason, being in Ye Qingyun's presence always filled him with crushing pressure.
Still, he wouldn't have to experience that feeling ever again.
He wanted to kill the Black Rose? What an absolute fairy tale! In Liú Píng's eyes, Ye Qingyun was already a dead man!
***
Ye Qingyun walked straight toward the villa, only to be blocked by two bulky bodyguards at the entrance.
"Mister, who are you looking for?"
"Lu Ruili," Ye Qingyun replied.
Lu Ruili was the master of the Eight Doors Sect.
"Our master is busy today and is not taking visitors. Please leave," the security guard said in a deep voice. They were deeply displeased by Ye Qingyun addressing their sect master so casually.
Seeing this standoff, Ye Qingyun realized that a polite conversation was clearly out of the question.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, grabbed one bodyguard by the arm, and exerted force.
The man's body spun through the air before slamming heavily onto the ground.
"Brat! How dare you cause trouble at the Eight Doors Sect? You're fucking looking for death!" the other bodyguard roared as he snapped out of his shock. He immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie at his waist and shouted urgently, "Lads, we've got a situation! Grab your gear and gather at the main gate!"
Thud, thud, thud!
A dense wave of footsteps drew near from afar. Moments later, a swarm of burly men armed with iron pipes and stun batons appeared before Ye Qingyun.
The most striking among them was a muscular man with a ferocious scar running across his face. The Scarface froze when he laid eyes on Ye Qingyun.
A bodyguard pointed a finger at Ye Qingyun and said to the Scarface, "Brother Dao, this little punk is the one who wants to see the master."
A smile broke out across the Scarface's face at those words. As he smiled, the scar on his face wriggled like a living creature, adding an even more sinister air to his look.
He sneered at Ye Qingyun, "Well, well! Isn't this the coward I ran into just a moment ago? You didn't even dare to save a woman, and yet you want to see our master? Get lost!"
Ye Qingyun recognized the Scarface instantly. It was the exact same man he had encountered at the bus station not long ago.
"Take me to see your master."
"Damn it! A coward like you wants to see my master?! Lads, grab your gear! Teach this punk a lesson!"
With that, Scarface charged at the forefront, raising his iron pipe to smash it down toward Ye Qingyun.
Frowning, Ye Qingyun flicked his leg out and kicked Scarface straight in the chest.
Bang!
Scarface's body crashed into a pillar like a kite with a severed string before slamming heavily onto the ground.
"Brother Dao!"
"Brother Dao, are you alright?" Several underlings rushed over to his side.
"Damn it! I let my guard down for a second and let this punk ambush me! Never mind me, get him together!"
At Scarface's command, a crowd of bulky men closed in around Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun unleashed a flurry of kicks.
Bang, bang, bang!
Every single blow was accompanied by a flying figure. Within mere seconds, no fewer than ten muscular men lay scattered on the ground, clutching their stomachs, doubled over, and wailing in agony.
The remaining men stared at the scene in sheer terror, swallowing hard as their feet involuntarily backed away.
Leaning against the pillar, Scarface gazed at Ye Qingyun in shock and bewilderment.
*Damn it, how is this punk so strong?! Why didn't he save that woman earlier? That pretty woman was practically pressing herself all over him!*
"Take me to see your master," Ye Qingyun said calmly, looking down at Scarface.
Scarface opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, a resonant voice rang out.
"What's going on? Why is it so noisy here?"
Right after, a thin-figured man with a buzz cut came into everyone's view.
The moment he appeared, everyone around hurriedly bowed their heads in greeting.
"Master!"
Scarface addressed Lu Ruili respectfully, "Master, this punk wants to see you."