Chapter 23

Soon, the three of them followed the man out of the square and arrived at an open space not far from the Maor Clan Square. From a distance, they saw a sunshade stand there, under which was a white plastic round table, with a few white plastic chairs beside it. Sitting on the middle chair was a young man in his twenties, wearing sunglasses, a floral tank top, and a cigar in his mouth.

Standing around this young man were several burly men in suits, all wearing sunglasses and with expressions as cold as if they had lost their fathers. The man who brought Zhan Yi and the others quickly walked up to the young man and bowed, saying, "Young Master, Mr. Zhan has arrived."

"Hmm, let him sit down, then just tell him what I mean," the young man glanced casually at Zhan Yi and the others, then took a puff of his cigar.

"Hehe, Mr. Zhan, this is our Young Master. He has called you here today because he wants you to defeat all your opponents and then lose to our Young Master. Of course, we won't let you work for nothing. As long as you do as our Young Master says, we'll give you 500,000 as a reward," the man said with a smile, turning to Zhan Yi and the others.

Zhan Yi had thought there might be some benefit, but now, hearing that they wanted him to throw the fight and give the championship to some Young Master, he was furious. He already disliked the young man's arrogant attitude, and now he wanted to stomp on his face.

Not to mention, the Five-Element Grass was something he had to obtain, and even if it wasn't, he wouldn't give such an opportunity to this kind of person. So, without thinking, he said, "Oh, so that's why you called me here. Dabao, you talk to them. I get a headache just talking to them." He then pulled a chair and sat to the side.

"Mr. Zhan, what do you mean by that?" The man was taken aback that Zhan Yi ignored him completely, and his face turned red with anger as he stepped forward.

But just then, Dong Dabao stepped in front of him and said, "Sir, are you deaf? Our boss said it's a headache to talk to you. If you have anything to say, talk to me."

"You... Alright, what do you think of the terms I just mentioned?" The man wanted to get angry but seemed to be holding back. He gritted his teeth and turned to Dong Dabao.

"My thoughts? Two words: no way. Got it?" Dong Dabao replied bluntly.

"Hehe, Mr. Dabao, do you think the price is too low? No problem, we can negotiate. How about 600,000? What do you think?" The man clenched his fists, wanting to get angry, but quickly held back, forcing a smile.

"It's not about the price; it's about disliking your character. Hehe..." Dong Dabao thought the man would get angry, but was surprised when he held back, making him even more arrogant.

From Zhan Yi's expression, Dong Dabao knew he wouldn't agree to this and despised these people. So he didn't bother to be polite, and after speaking, he turned to look at Zhan Yi, who nodded in approval.

"Kid, you're really arrogant. Your boss hasn't said anything, and you're already spouting off. Do you even know what 'death' means?" One of the men in suits, standing next to the young man, couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and taunted Dong Dabao.

"Get lost, I'm educated and don't talk to scum like you," Dong Dabao sneered at the man's aggressive demeanor.

"Kid, if you say one more word, I'll cripple you right now," the man in the suit didn't expect Dong Dabao to be unafraid of his threats.

"Go to hell, I told you I'm civilized. You're still talking about crippling me? Brother Hu, beat him up," Dong Dabao wasn't afraid of the provocation. With Lu Hu and Zhan Yi by his side, he felt invincible. After speaking, he quickly hid behind Lu Hu.

"Damn, you dare to curse me. I'll kill you now," the man in the suit was stunned by Dong Dabao's words, then finally exploded, lunging forward to grab him.

"Go to hell, I hate being ignored." Just as the man's hand was about to touch Dong Dabao, Lu Hu suddenly kicked him, sending him flying. After the kick, Lu Hu still wasn't satisfied and cursed.

"Ah..." A loud scream accompanied by a series of crashes as the man in the suit flew and knocked over everyone and everything in his path, including the young man smoking the cigar. The young man was even worse off, with the cigar pressing into his face.

After the kick, everyone was stunned, except for Zhan Yi, who was still sitting calmly in his chair. He lightly clapped his hands and said, "Hmm, Brother Hu, you did well. I'm very pleased."

"Ouch, kid, do you know who I am? I'm the son of the county magistrate. You dared to hit me. Today, I'll take your life," the young man finally stood up, no longer looking arrogant. His hair was messy, his clothes dirty, and his face burned by the cigar. He clutched his burned face and shouted at Zhan Yi.

Hearing the young man's words, Zhan Yi was surprised. He thought the guy was just a rich second generation, but he was actually the son of the county magistrate. This would complicate things. He walked up to the young man, looked him up and down, and said slowly, "You're really the son of the county magistrate?"

"Hmph, kid, are you scared now? But it's too late. Unless you break one leg of each of you three and pay me one million in compensation, I won't let you leave this county," the young man, seeing Zhan Yi's expression, felt triumphant and said viciously.

"Scared? Even if your father came, I'd still beat you. You said you wanted to break our legs, so I'll show you." Zhan Yi, who had wanted to talk things out, was enraged by the young man's arrogance. He kicked him to the ground and started kicking his legs fiercely.

"Ah... It hurts so much, big brother, no, grandpa, please stop." The young man screamed like a pig being slaughtered and quickly begged for mercy.

"Alright, you said one leg, but I gave you two for free. Are you satisfied? Do you still want compensation?" Zhan Yi, seeing the young man beg like a grandson, couldn't help but mock him.

"No, Grandpa Zhan, please spare me." The young man thought his men would help, but they didn't. Scared, he quickly begged for mercy.

"Alright, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your life. What's the point of someone like you living in this world? Do you deserve the education you've received? Do you deserve your parents' expectations? Do you deserve..." Zhan Yi sighed and started lecturing.

"Mr. Zhan... Can you stop talking? We need to take the Young Master to the hospital, or it could be fatal," the man who brought them finally stepped forward, pleading.

"Alright, tell your county magistrate to educate his child properly and not let him do evil. It would be better if he studied hard and became a pillar of the country," Zhan Yi looked at the young man, who was almost unconscious and bleeding from his legs, and said a few more words.

"Yes, yes, we will remember, Mr. Zhan," the man nodded and called his men, who were still in shock, to carry the young man away. The young man, before leaving, glared at Zhan Yi with hatred, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

"Boss, are you just letting him go?" After the men left, Dong Dabao and Lu Hu came over, looking worried at Zhan Yi. They had heard the conversation and knew who they had provoked, so they knew this wouldn't end here.

"Hehe, I know what you're thinking, worried they'll come back, right? But I can tell you they won't come back today. My beating and my words will make them think we have a powerful background. They'll spend one to two days investigating us, and we can use this time to get the Five-Element Grass and leave," Zhan Yi smiled and said calmly.

"Boss, even though we don't know why you're so confident, you're really brilliant," the two of them looked at Zhan Yi with confidence and raised their thumbs in praise.

"Damn, if you don't understand, how can you call me brilliant? But you should still investigate this young man's background to avoid any surprises," Zhan Yi rolled his eyes and said irritably.

"Boss, a person as despicable as him, everyone here must know something about him. You can participate in the competition with peace of mind," the two of them quickly promised.

Zhan Yi nodded and didn't say more, leading the two of them towards the stage.

When they arrived at the stage, the first round of the competition was almost over. Although Lu Hu and the other three names had been called, no one responded, so they were considered to have forfeited.