Chapter 51

Today happens to be Sunday, and Zhou Tianhao had been waiting by the gate of the Lakeside Community for a long time.

This time, besides Chen Fan, Master Guo, and Zhou Tianhao, there were also Ah Biao and over a dozen subordinates following along. They had four black Mercedes-Benz SUVs and one main car, a Bentley. Ah Biao drove personally, Master Guo sat in the front passenger seat, and Zhou Tianhao accompanied Chen Fan in the back.

"Judging by this direction, are we heading to Dongjiang Province?" Chen Fan asked in confusion.

"Jiangnan is more strictly regulated, so everything is placed in Dongjiang," Zhou Tianhao explained. "Qingyang Town in Dongjiang Province is at the border of two provinces, a no-man's land. The locals there are fierce, and every year at this time, they hold wrestling and martial arts competitions."

"When the time comes, tens of thousands of people from dozens of villages gather, making it quite lively," Zhou Tianhao said with a look of longing. "Our underground arena will also take advantage of their wrestling competition to secretly hold our own."

"Besides resolving disputes among the big shots from the north of the river, the main event is the underground boxing matches. Every year, many wealthy people come to watch, not just from the north of the river, but even from Jinling and Dongjiang Province."

"Due to the large number of tourists, the local economy is boosted, so the local government turns a blind eye."

"No wonder," Chen Fan nodded.

"Master Chen, the arena in the north of the river is just a small fry," Master Guo interjected, turning his head. "The real underground black boxing matches overseas are held on cruise ships in international waters."

"A luxury cruise ship carrying thousands of people travels for over two months along international tourist routes, with entertainment during the day and arena performances at night. It's quite exhilarating! They say the betting pools can reach hundreds of millions, and in dollars."

"Our small place can't compare to those international organizations," Zhou Tianhao chuckled awkwardly.

"Indeed, those sea-based arenas are organized by the top international forces. I was fortunate enough to attend one with a senior brother. The black boxing matches there have many internal strength martial artists," Master Guo continued.

"Moreover, some foreign combat experts, though they don't have internal strength, have practiced corresponding secret techniques, making their physical bodies incredibly strong, even surpassing ordinary internal strength martial artists."

"Oh, are there any grandmasters participating?" Chen Fan asked curiously.

"Of course not," Master Guo laughed awkwardly.

"Grandmasters are significant figures, often the pillars of major forces overseas. However, while there are no grandmasters, occasionally, experts with full internal strength will step onto the stage. I once saw a black expert at the peak of internal strength who won twenty-seven consecutive matches over two months, sweeping the entire competition and winning several million dollars."

"Is that so? I'd like to see it someday," Chen Fan mused.

Chuzhou is very close to Dongjiang Province, and it took less than two hours for the convoy to enter Dongjiang. As soon as they crossed into Dongjiang, they immediately felt the difference from Jiangnan.

Although Chuzhou is in the northern part of Jiangnan and slightly less developed, it is still a coastal province. Dongjiang, on the other hand, is an inland province with a less developed economy. The road conditions and the simple houses along the sides clearly showed that it was at least five years behind Chuzhou.

As for Qingyang Town, it was just like Chen Fan's childhood memories of visiting the countryside, as if it were still in the 1980s or 1990s.

A big shot like Zhou Tianhao naturally had a base in Qingyang Town. The convoy quickly arrived at a three-story luxury villa.

"Brother Hao, Brother Biao, you've finally arrived," a few people were already waiting at the door.

"Master Chen, Master Guo, this is Deputy Town Mayor Zhang of Qingyang Town," Zhou Tianhao introduced them arrogantly.

"Oh, don't call me mayor, just call me Xiao Zhang," Deputy Town Mayor Zhang said humbly.

Although he was a government official, he had to flatter someone as wealthy as Zhou Tianhao. Qingyang Town was too backward, and even a small favor from a rich businessman from Jiangnan could make the local officials sleep with a smile.

"This Master Chen... Could it be?"

Deputy Town Mayor Zhang, with his keen eyes, quickly realized that Chen Fan had the highest status among the group. Even Zhou Tianhao treated him with great respect, so he hesitated.

"Master Chen is a good friend of Third Master Wei," Zhou Tianhao said casually.

Deputy Town Mayor Zhang was immediately respectful and quickly shook Chen Fan's hand warmly. "Oh, you're a friend of Third Master Wei! Your visit to our Qingyang Town is a great honor."

The Wei family's reputation in the north of the river was well-known, and Qingyang Town, being on the border of Dongjiang Province, naturally knew of the Wei family's name.

Seeing Chen Fan's young age and his equal status with Third Master Wei, Deputy Town Mayor Zhang became even more enthusiastic.

"Alright, Master Chen is visiting for the first time, so we'll need Brother Zhang's help," Zhou Tianhao said politely.

"Leave it to me, I'll make sure Master Chen enjoys himself so much he won't want to leave," Deputy Town Mayor Zhang promised, thumping his chest.

The group entered the luxury villa, and a few pretty young girls were already waiting to welcome them. Although they didn't have the refined makeup of city women, they were naturally beautiful and exuded a youthful charm.

The girl sitting next to Chen Fan was the youngest, looking delicate and graceful.

Chen Fan casually asked her a few questions.

Her name was Ah Xiu. She had several siblings, and her parents couldn't afford to send all of them to university. She dropped out after junior high school and, due to her good looks, worked as a waitress at the town's reception center, serving the visiting guests.

After the meal, Chen Fan proposed to wander around the town alone.

Deputy Town Mayor Zhang quickly warned that the locals in Qingyang were fierce, and a minor argument could turn deadly. He suggested that Ah Xiu accompany him, as having a local would make things easier.

As he spoke, he kept giving Ah Xiu meaningful glances.

Chen Fan didn't mind, but Ah Xiu blushed and lowered her head.

...

Since the underground arena would last several days, and the clashes among the big shots from the north of the river were scheduled for the last day as the main event, the ordinary underground boxers naturally couldn't match the top masters hired from various places.

Many wealthy people from all over the country came here, half of them for the main event on the last day.

Walking through the town, they occasionally encountered groups of tourists. From their attire and fair skin, they seemed to be from big cities.

Besides many young couples and groups of friends, there were also middle-aged businessmen with prominent bellies, accompanied by beautiful women, strolling slowly, with tall bodyguards following behind, clearly bringing their mistresses to watch the arena.

"How is the underground arena arranged?"

Chen Fan asked casually as they walked.

Ah Xiu, being shy, explained softly, "The arena matches are usually held in the evening. During the day, there are wrestling and martial arts competitions in the villages and towns, followed by the arena matches, and in the evening, there's a bonfire party."

"The daytime wrestling matches are mostly for fun, with few serious fights. The prize money is low, with the first place winner getting only 100,000 yuan."

"But the arena matches are different. They are real fights, often resulting in injuries or even deaths. Although the prize money is high, most participants are driven by desperation and have no other options."

At this, Ah Xiu's face darkened.

If possible, she would also like to go to high school in the county, then attend university and live in a big city. Unfortunately, her academic performance was only average, and as a girl, her family naturally focused on funding the most promising boy, while the others could only attend vocational schools or work.

Chen Fan glanced at her, his expression calm, and said nothing.

He was not an ordinary teenager; with his five hundred years of experience, he was long past being moved by such things. A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy would have been deeply touched by Ah Xiu's expression and would have wanted to marry her or pay for her education.

Soon, Ah Xiu composed herself and continued to show Chen Fan around, introducing the local customs of Qingyang Town.

As they walked down the street, a large group of people approached from the opposite direction. They all had an air of authority, clearly important figures, and at the center was Xu Ao, whom Chen Fan had met a few days ago.

They blocked the street, leaving Chen Fan no choice but to stop.

Xu Ao, seeing him, was also surprised, stopped, and frowned. "What are you doing here?"

PS: Thank you to the most heartbroken prince for the 2000, and to Lian Muzi An, Miaoshou Sheng Hua, Hao Shuai's Dad, Wujin Qian Shang, and Zhi Zhe Er Dan Ran for the 1000, and to Fengye Xia Shang, Dizhan Huang, Yan Shen, VASIKI, Xin Yi Yuan, Huang Deng Ke, Xiao Ya Wan Yi, Hai Shang De Lan Tian, and Tang Mu 515 for the donations. There are so many donations today, thank you all. I'll go and write some more, and I'll have a burst of updates in a few days. O(∩_∩)O

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