Chen Feiyu praised with a smile, "I wouldn't have guessed you were so good to your men."
Jiang Tianhu smiled smugly. "Naturally. In our line of work, loyalty is everything. Anyone who's a brother to Jiang Tianhu is a brother for life, wouldn't you say, sir?"
Suddenly remembering the current situation, Jiang Tianhu gave an awkward, sheepish laugh. He waved his hand, beckoning two of his subordinates over to carry Leng Dao away to get medical attention, and ordered everyone else to clear out.
Inside the entire private room, only Chen Feiyu and Jiang Tianhu remained.
Chen Feiyu sat. Jiang Tianhu stood.
Jiang Tianhu forced a dry laugh and asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"
"Chen Feiyu."
Jiang Tianhu furrowed his brow inwardly. He had never heard of any martial arts family with the surname Chen in Mingji City. Could it be a hidden clan? Or perhaps some formidable outsider making waves?
Jiang Tianhu took a deep breath and said, "Forgive my presumption, Mr. Chen, but are you a Mid-Stage Nether Penetration master?"
"By the way, what on earth is a Mid-Stage Nether Penetration master? I've heard you people say that several times now," Chen Feiyu asked out of curiosity.
"You've never heard of Mid-Stage Nether Penetration?" Jiang Tianhu's jaw dropped in disbelief. He explained, "It's the classification of martial artists' ranks, divided into Foundation Establishment, Body Tempering, Qi Harmonization, Nether Penetration, Grandmaster, Legend, and Xiantian realms. Leng Dao is a Late-Stage Qi Harmonization expert, but of course, he couldn't even last a single move against you, which is why I guessed you must be a Mid-Stage Nether Penetration master. It's said that beyond the Xiantian realm, there are even deeper realms, but those are no longer things ordinary mortals like us can hope to touch."
Chen Feiyu had a sudden flash of insight. No wonder he had never heard of the martial artist realm classifications; he was a cultivator, and having grown up in the mountains, he hadn't had much exposure to martial artists. Of course, this sort of thing was his core secret, and he certainly wasn't going to explain it to Jiang Tianhu.
Chen Feiyu nodded slightly. "Go on."
Jiang Tianhu continued, "According to reliable intelligence, Young Master Zhao from the Provincial Capital is coming over next month. First, he intends to enter into a marriage alliance with the Xie Family, and second, he wants to take the opportunity to absorb the underground world of Mingji City."
"A marriage alliance with the Xie Family?" A playful glint crossed Chen Feiyu's eyes as he suddenly thought of the dazzling and enchanting Xie Xingxuan. He chuckled, "What does this have to do with the secret you mentioned?"
Cold sweat instantly beaded on Jiang Tianhu's forehead. "From what I know, that's just the Zhao Family's public agenda. Their real purpose is a treasure here in Mingji City. Word has it that whoever gets this treasure can forcefully elevate their martial arts cultivation by an entire realm. The Zhao Family is determined to have it at all costs. To hell with them! Even a mighty dragon shouldn't crush the local snake. No matter how powerful the Provincial Capital's Zhao Family might be, what business do they have sticking their noses into our Mingji City's treasure? Isn't that just a direct slap to our faces?"
Carried away by his anger, Jiang Tianhu forgot his current predicament, pulled up a chair, sat right down, and took a large gulp of wine.
Chen Feiyu found it amusing. "I wouldn't have taken you for a man with such high principles."
Jiang Tianhu's movements paused. He gave an awkward, sheepish laugh. "Well, sure. Even though I run with the underworld, a man has to have some class and stand out from the crowd, wouldn't you say, sir?"
Chen Feiyu smiled without a word, though the "treasure" capable of elevating one's cultivation realm had indeed piqued his interest.
Just as Chen Feiyu was about to ask for more specific details, the door of the private room was kicked open with a violent crash, and several police officers rushed in.
One of them was tall, with rosy lips and fair skin, exuding an air of heroic spirit between her brows. Her well-fitted police uniform only served to accentuate her spirited and valiant bearing.
Chen Feiyu stared in surprise. "Little wife, what brings you here?"
That's right, this policewoman was none other than Liu Shengnan.
She had received an upper-level directive about a brawl and had immediately led her team over, never expecting to run into Chen Feiyu.
"Little hooligan, it's actually you! Heh, talk about looking everywhere for something only to find it effortlessly right under your nose," Liu Shengnan said, alternately shocked and delighted as she gave a triumphant huff.
Then, her gaze shifted, and upon seeing the person next to him, her expression froze in shock as she blurted out, "Jiang Tianhu?!"
Chen Feiyu, Jiang Tianhu, plus the absolute wreckage inside the private room, and even bloodstains on the wall.
Combining all these factors, Liu Shengnan immediately put two and two together: had the little hooligan gotten into a conflict with Jiang Tianhu? Jiang Tianhu was known as the First Tiger of Mingji, and his backers reached all the way to the heavens. If the little hooligan crossed paths with him, he was bound to come out on the losing end.
At the thought of this, a wave of unbidden worry washed over Liu Shengnan.
Jiang Tianhu was stunned as well. The three women earlier—Lin Yujia, Qin Danya, and the rest—had already been drop-dead gorgeous, but he hadn't expected even Liu Shengnan, the flower of the police force, to have such a deep connection with Chen Feiyu. To top it all off, he had actually heard Chen Feiyu call her "little wife," and Liu Shengnan hadn't even refuted it.
It seemed Mr. Chen was quite the romantic player.
Jiang Tianhu immediately stood up and offered a slightly deferential smile. "Long time no see, Captain Liu. So you and Mr. Chen are acquainted! You should have said so earlier. Please forgive me for any offense I might have given in the past."
Liu Shengnan was dumbfounded, and even the police officers behind her were struck speechless.
Jiang Tianhu, famed as Tiger Jiang, the First Tiger of Mingji—even their police chief had to treat him with polite respect and address him as a brother. Yet here he was, acting so deferential and polite.
Did the sun rise from the west today?
Liu Shengnan felt a little dizzy.
Chen Feiyu walked over with a cheeky grin, catching the faint, delicate fragrance lingering around her and wearing an intoxicated expression. "Little wife, it's been many days. Did you miss me?"
Liu Shengnan snapped back to reality. She instantly took two steps back, glared fiercely at him, and said coldly, "I received a report of people brawling and disturbing the peace here. Looks like it was you. Someone, slap the cuffs on him and take him away!"
Jiang Tianhu broke out in a cold sweat. Chen Feiyu was a Mid-Stage Nether Penetration master, yet Liu Shengnan actually dared to cuff him? That was insanely ballsy!
No, wait—this was probably just how young couples flirted, right? Didn't everyone just hear Chen Feiyu call her "little wife" right to her face?
At this thought, Jiang Tianhu secretly gave a mental thumbs-up. Truly, a high-tier master; even his methods for cultivating a relationship were out of the ordinary. Mortals like them were truly having their eyes opened.
The surrounding police officers wore strange expressions, hesitating whether to step forward or not. After all, Jiang Tianhu was standing right there, and Chen Feiyu seemed to share a very close relationship with Captain Liu. What if they really slapped cuffs on Chen Feiyu and Captain Liu came back to settle scores with them later?
Liu Shengnan glared daggers at them and snapped, "What are you waiting for? Cuff him!" Only then did they grit their teeth, step forward, and cuff Chen Feiyu. Chen Feiyu just grinned and offered no resistance.
As for Jiang Tianhu, he simply found a lackey to take the fall and step up to confess, and strictly speaking, Jiang Tianhu hadn't even thrown a punch.
After Chen Feiyu left with Liu Shengnan, the expression on Jiang Tianhu's face turned grim.
His subordinate was heavily injured and nearly crippled, and he himself had been forced to kneel in public, apologize, and beg for mercy.
As the big boss of Mingji City's underground world, when had Jiang Tianhu ever suffered such humiliation?
While Chen Feiyu was present, he felt fear in his heart and could only force a careful smile, but the moment Chen Feiyu left, the fury in his heart boiled over.
Jiang Tianhu poured himself a full glass of strong liquor and slammed the glass down hard.
In an instant, shattered glass went flying everywhere.
Suddenly, the door of the private room was pushed open, and a handsome man in a light blue suit walked in. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Tiger Jiang truly lives up to his name as a local boss—you know how to bend and stretch. This younger brother is impressed."
Jiang Tianhu snapped his gaze toward him, the look in his eyes sharp as a blade. He sneered, "If it isn't the young master of the Li Family. Are you here to mock me?"
Li Tongwei said solemnly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. The two of us share a common enemy. I think this is an opportunity for us to cooperate."
"Are you talking about Chen Feiyu?" Jiang Tianhu glanced Li Tongwei up and down, then scoffed, "So you have a grudge against him too. But he's a Mid-Stage Nether Penetration master. You probably don't understand the terror of a Mid-Stage Nether Penetration master. Let me put it this way: all my men combined might not even be able to beat him. I have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill."
Li Tongwei frowned. He hadn't expected Chen Feiyu to be so formidable, but he still didn't take it too seriously. "You're wrong about that. No matter how strong he is, can he beat a gun or a bomb? Does he dare to openly defy state apparatus?
To be frank with you, I've already spoken with Deputy Chief Zhou of the Ping'an Precinct. Chen Feiyu being hauled off to the police station this time is all thanks to Deputy Chief Zhou. I guarantee you, once Chen Feiyu goes in there, even if he doesn't die, he'll be skinned alive.
When he finally gets out of the police station, you can contact your underworld friends and plant assassins to ambush him. While he's severely injured, no matter how skilled he is, he won't escape death!"
By the end of his sentence, bone-deep hatred flashed in Li Tongwei's eyes.
Ever since he had been thoroughly beaten up by Chen Feiyu in Su Yingxue's office last time, he had harbored a fierce grudge against him. Now that he finally found a chance for revenge, he wasn't going to let it go!
Jiang Tianhu was also a man who sought revenge for the smallest grievances. After pondering for a moment, a sharp light suddenly burst in his eyes, and a ruthless look surfaced on his pale face. "Damn it all! Offending me, Jiang Tianhu, comes with a price!" With that, he took out his phone and called his underworld contacts, rounding up martial arts experts and snipers to prepare an ambush and assassination!
At that moment, Chen Feiyu had no idea that a crisis was closing in on him. Thinking about how he would soon be flirting with his little wife, his heart felt a little stirred with excitement.
Upon arriving at the police station, Chen Feiyu was led straight into the interrogation room. Liu Shengnan shooed away all the other officers, leaving herself alone to conduct the interrogation.
"Name?" Liu Shengnan asked flatly, without even raising her head.
Chen Feiyu smiled. "My surname is Ni, and my given name is Hubby."
"Chen Feiyu, don't play games with me!" Liu Shengnan slammed her hand down on the table.
Chen Feiyu rolled his eyes and said, "Little wife, don't you already know my name? Why are you asking?"
Liu Shengnan stood up furiously, cracking her knuckles as they popped. She sneered, "You flirted with me time and time again earlier, and I haven't settled accounts with you for that yet. Now that you've fallen right into my hands, heh!"
Chen Feiyu put on a look of utter terror and said, "What are you doing? You wouldn't want to assault me, would you? Don't come any closer, this is a police station! I'll scream assault!"
Liu Shengnan was practically on the verge of passing out from anger. *I spit on you! I'm naturally beautiful with a line of suitors out the door; do I need to go around flirting with you?*
"Of course, if you're really determined to assault me, then go right ahead. Who else could you assault, seeing as you're my little wife?" Chen Feiyu closed his eyes, lifted his chin, and adopted the posture of a man ready to die for a cause.
Liu Shengnan raged, "Bastard! You think getting hit on by me is a loss for you? Even if the chief comes down here today, I'm going to teach you a solid lesson and make you see why the flowers are so red!"
Stamping her feet, she marched right up to him, wound up a punch, and aimed it straight at Chen Feiyu's face.
Of course, she held back; she didn't use her full strength, merely wanting to teach Chen Feiyu a lesson and vent a bit of her anger.
Suddenly, Chen Feiyu moved like a monkey, his footwork shifting slightly. While dodging Liu Shengnan's fist, he swiftly planted a kiss right on her rosy cheek, then slipped past her to the side, wearing a thoroughly intoxicated expression. "So fragrant."
Angry and humiliated, Liu Shengnan's face flushed even redder, almost as if it could drip water—whether from fury or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. With a flying high kick, she lashed out toward Chen Feiyu's waist.
Chen Feiyu flashed a cheeky grin. Suddenly breaking free of the handcuffs, he sidestepped her attack, took a direct step forward to close the distance, and instantly appeared right in front of Liu Shengnan face-to-face, close enough that he could smell her fragrance.
Caught off guard, Liu Shengnan was startled, nearly losing her footing as panic flashed in her eyes.
Seeing this, a flash of amusement crossed Chen Feiyu's eyes. He immediately reached out, scooping up her raised leg with one hand while wrapping his other arm around her slender waist, pulling her hard into his embrace.
Just as Liu Shengnan let out a breath of relief, the next second, Chen Feiyu lowered his head and captured her rosy, cherry-red lips.
Smooth, soft, and sweet.
Chen Feiyu felt slightly intoxicated.
*It's over. My first kiss is gone.*
With a loud *boom*, Liu Shengnan's mind went completely blank.
"So comfortable, so soft," Chen Feiyu said as he raised his head, looking quite pleased with himself. "Little wife, that was my first kiss. You're going to have to take responsibility for me from now on."
"You bastard! You stole my first kiss and you still dare to make me take responsibility for you? I'm going to beat you to death!" Fueled by anger, Liu Shengnan swung a fist straight at Chen Feiyu's eye socket.
How formidable was Chen Feiyu? He easily dodged the attack, gave Liu Shengnan's lips another cheeky peck, and chuckled, "Little wife isn't being a good girl. Do that again and I'll have to punish you."
"You... you... you're bullying me." Liu Shengnan's eyes suddenly reddened, and she burst into sobs.
For a captain of the police force to be bullied to tears by a man—if word got out, no one in the police precinct would ever believe it.
Yet, this very scene was playing out in reality.
As the culprit behind it all, Chen Feiyu immediately panicked, completely at a loss as he stammered, "Hey... stop crying, alright? I'll let go of you right now, okay?"
Liu Shengnan gently broke free from his grip, turned around to present her slender back, and kept her shoulders slightly trembling.
Suddenly, Chen Feiyu's gaze sharpened. "Little wife, stop crying for a second. Someone's coming outside."
Liu Shengnan was startled. Sure enough, footsteps were approaching. If her colleagues saw her looking like this, she'd never be able to show her face in the police force again.
Forgetting her resentment toward Chen Feiyu for the moment, she reached up to wipe her tears, only to realize she didn't have any tissues on her.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from beside her holding two sheets of tissue paper, gently wiping away Liu Shengnan's tears as he chuckled, "I grabbed these on the way out of the restaurant. Never thought they'd come in handy."
Liu Shengnan gave him a deep look, then let out a heavy huff. "Don't think I'm an easy target. I'm keeping a ledger of this; I'll settle scores with you later. And another thing—if I find out you spread word of this to anyone, I'll... I'll..."
She wanted to threaten him to salvage a shred of dignity, but simply couldn't find the right words.
Chen Feiyu suddenly leaned right next to her ear and teased, "You'll exhaust me to death in bed, won't you?"
Liu Shengnan's pretty face flushed bright red all over again. Glaring at him, she scolded, "Hooligan!"
She put on a fierce facade, but with her flushed cheeks and the faint traces of tears still lingering in her eyes, rather than a threat, it looked much more like a coquettish glance. She was drop-dead gorgeous.
Chen Feiyu had never felt so pleased in his life.
Suddenly, the door to the interrogation room swung open. Three men walked in, and upon seeing Liu Shengnan standing right next to Chen Feiyu, their brows furrowed in unison.
Chen Feiyu looked toward the three of them. Whether it was his imagination or not, he actually sensed a faint trace of hostility directed at him, leaving him slightly puzzled.
Liu Shengnan quickly composed herself and asked in surprise, "Deputy Chief Zhou, what brings you here?"
The man in the lead was nearly fifty, somewhat portly, and was none other than Zhou Guotai, the deputy chief of the Ping'an Precinct.
As for the two men behind him, they were both his trusted aides, named Zhou Hao and Wang Taili respectively.
Zhou Guotai first gave Chen Feiyu a once-over, then clasped his hands behind his back and chuckled warmly, "Little Liu, you just performed a massive meritorious service a few days ago, you ought to be resting properly. As for this case, just let Zhou Hao and the other guy handle it."
Zhou Hao immediately stepped forward and smiled, "That's right, Shengnan. Be careful not to work yourself to exhaustion."
He used a very intimate form of address, which made Chen Feiyu frown slightly in displeasure.
Liu Shengnan anxiously glanced at Chen Feiyu, feeling a flutter of panic in her chest, and immediately said, "Zhou Hao, please address me as Captain Liu. Furthermore, Deputy Chief Zhou, I was just about to report to you: this case has already been investigated and clarified. It's just a routine brawl, nothing major. Once the fine is paid, he can be released."
Zhou Hao frowned slightly. Knowing Liu Shengnan's abhorrence of evil, he knew she would normally never utter words like "just pay a fine and let him go." Moreover, from what he'd heard colleagues discussing outside, this fellow named Chen Feiyu had an extremely close relationship with Liu Shengnan...
At this thought, Zhou Hao looked at Chen Feiyu with a flash of jealousy in his eyes.
Zhou Guotai was somewhat displeased, his face darkening as he said, "Just a routine brawl? Then why did the victim just call the police to report that he was stabbed through the shoulder by Chen Feiyu with a knife and sustained severe injuries?
This has escalated into a criminal case; we can't just let him go so easily. Alright, Little Liu, you can step outside. Leave this case to Zhou Hao to handle."
Liu Shengnan opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly, Chen Feiyu lightly tapped her back and shook his head slowly at her.
He could already tell that Zhou Guotai and the other two were clearly targeting him. Even if Liu Shengnan persisted, it wouldn't do any good.
Still, who was the mastermind behind the scenes? The most likely suspect was Jiang Tianhu, and even if it wasn't him, it probably had everything to do with him.
Liu Shengnan cast a worried look at Chen Feiyu, whispered a word of instruction, and then left.
Zhou Hao took in this entire exchange, and his hatred toward Chen Feiyu deepened.
He then sneered inwardly: now that the guy had fallen into his hands, let's see how he slowly dealt with him!
"Chen Feiyu, someone has accused you of intentional assault. You'd better confess honestly, otherwise, we'll throw you straight into the cell and make sure you never see the light of day again," Zhou Hao threatened.
Chen Feiyu frowned. Suddenly, his phone rang—it was a call from Han Muqing.
A playful, mocking smile bloomed on Chen Feiyu's lips. He picked up the call himself and spoke first, preempting her. "Sister Qing, I got locked up in the police station. The guy in here even threatened me, saying I'd never get out for the rest of my life. As for old man Xie, you'd better go ahead and order a coffin for him in advance."
"What?!" Han Muqing was startled. She had originally called Chen Feiyu to discuss treating Old Master Xie with acupuncture tomorrow, never expecting him to get locked up instead. She asked anxiously, "Feiyu, what on earth did you do? Which police station are you at?"
"The Ping'an Precinct, I think." With that, Chen Feiyu hung up.
"Sister Qing, did something happen?" Xie Xingxuan happened to be sitting right in her office. Seeing the change in Han Muqing's expression, she asked.
Han Muqing gave a bitter smile and said, "Chen Feiyu has been locked up in the Ping'an Precinct. Who knows what kind of police officer is threatening that he'll never get out."
"What?" Xie Xingxuan immediately stood up, her willow-leaf brows arching in anger. "Chen Feiyu is an honored guest of my Xie Family now. I want to see just who is so blind that they dare to arrest a distinguished guest of the Xie Family!"
With that, she whipped out her phone and called the chief of the Mingji City Public Security Bureau directly to demand an explanation.
At the same time, over at the Chaoran Group building, Su Yingxue hung up the phone, shook her head, and chuckled wryly. "Chen Feiyu got locked up in the Ping'an Precinct? Hmph, he sounded so righteous when he left earlier, I thought he was some kind of big shot. Now look—doesn't he still need me to bail him out?"
Without missing a beat, Su Yingxue dialed the director of the Ping'an Precinct and said coolly, "Uncle Li? It's me, Su Yingxue..."
Meanwhile, after hanging up the phone, Chen Feiyu leaned his hands behind his head and sat leisurely in the interrogation chair, looking completely confident and composed.