Masters from All Sides

"Mr. Qin, we lack the necessary skills—we’re no match for him."

"Mr. Qin, forgive us. We failed to fulfill the contract; let’s end our cooperation here."

"Mr. Qin, we don’t want the remaining payment. From now on, our partnership is over."

None of them were a match for Chen Fengyun. Only now did they understand why Tan Ying had warned them in the beginning—she had experienced it firsthand, and now it was their turn.

"You all..." Qin Tianxiong’s expression darkened. These experts were hired at great expense to ensure his safety; they were not involved in his other affairs. Their withdrawal, therefore, did not impact him directly.

"Qin Tianxiong, surely these aren’t the only experts at your disposal? Are there others? Call them out, let me see. And aren’t you yourself a master? Why do you only know how to shrink away?" Chen Fengyun strode toward Qin Tianxiong.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Let me tell you, this is private property—you've committed the crime of trespassing. I’ve already called the police." Qin Tianxiong glanced around; indeed, none of his experts could defeat Chen.

"Hahaha! Qin Tianxiong, do you really dare call the police? Are you brave enough to let them search Shuangxiong Manor?" Chen Fengyun laughed heartily, causing Qin Tianxiong’s face to pale.

Chen hadn’t spelled it out, but Qin Tianxiong knew he had skeletons in the closet. If the police discovered the underground laboratory behind the manor, not only he, but many others would be ruined.

Yet he did not know that Chen Fengyun was already aware of it. Despite feeling he had concealed it well, an inexplicable sense of dread haunted him, as if disaster was imminent.

"Mr. Qin, have you encountered some trouble? Do you need my men to assist?" At that moment, a booming voice echoed, and a group approached.

"It’s Mr. Zhang! How grateful I am. This man—who knows what madness possesses him—dared to break into my manor. Unfortunately, all my experts proved useless against him. If you could have your Thai boxing champion lend a hand, that would be ideal." Qin Tianxiong smiled and stepped forward to greet him.

Chen Fengyun looked over; the leader was a short, stout, balding middle-aged man, adorned in gaudy jewelry—clearly a nouveau riche. He was surrounded by bodyguards, among whom a Thai man stood out: of average build, but radiating an aura of immense strength.

"Brother Qin, of course we can’t stand idly by when you’re in trouble. If needed, I have some people who can help," another round of laughter sounded, and a bespectacled, middle-aged man arrived with his entourage.

He was flanked by bodyguards; two young women held his arms, and behind him walked an elderly man in his fifties, hair streaked with white, beard a foot long, movements agile, eyes sharp—a true master of ancient martial arts.

"Oh, to disturb Mr. Liu and Master Gu—how embarrassing. My men are useless; perhaps I’ll need Master Gu to lend his expertise." Qin Tianxiong’s eyes lit up and he hurried to offer a respectful greeting.

Soon after, three more distinguished figures arrived, each accompanied by a contingent of bodyguards and an elite fighter, some even more formidable than Tan Ying and her peers.

Moreover, Chen Fengyun noticed several Japanese men lurking at the edge of the crowd. They remained in the shadows, not coming forward, but he sensed that at least two among them were powerful martial artists.

...

As tension mounted within Shuangxiong Manor, in the command hall of Rong City’s emergency dispatch center, Ou Renzhong suddenly received a confidential report: "Deputy Chief, the East District station has just dispatched three patrol cars, led by Director Gu Changlin. They’re heading out of the city."

"Switch the surveillance cameras along the route from East District to Shuangxiong Manor immediately," Ou Renzhong ordered calmly after hanging up. The operator promptly complied, and soon they spotted three patrol cars, sirens blaring, speeding toward the outskirts—the very direction of Shuangxiong Manor.

"Order the Narcotics Team and Criminal Squad to proceed to Shuangxiong Manor. The entire South District station is to mobilize and await orders there. Assemble a hundred special officers at once and send them to Shuangxiong Manor. Han Zhiwu, I want to see how you’ll help Qin Tianxiong this time," Ou Renzhong commanded.

Soon, squads of patrol cars set out from various directions, heading toward the east, toward Shuangxiong Manor. Not long after, another deputy chief, Han Zhiwu, of the city police, received the news, his face turning grim.

...

From the murmurs and discussions around him, Chen Fengyun gleaned the identities of those present: some were wealthy magnates from Qian Province, others mining tycoons from Dian Province, and still others were CEOs of renowned domestic enterprises.

Among their bodyguards, five stood out to Chen Fengyun: Master Gu, the Thai boxing champion, a Korean Jeet Kune Do expert, a champion from the underground boxing circuit of a southeastern province, and a strangely dressed man from Miao territory.

"Mr. Qin, since we arrived first, let us have the honor," said Mr. Zhang—the magnate from Qian Province—anxious to stake his claim amid the growing crowd of supporters.

Mr. Zhang had come to Rong City to establish himself, and much depended on Qin Tianxiong’s assistance. If his men could shine at this moment, it would bode well for their future cooperation.

"Hahaha, then let’s see how formidable the Thai boxing champion is!" Qin Tianxiong relaxed, reassured by the presence of so many powerful allies—not to mention his own contingency plans—looking at Chen Fengyun as if he were already a dead man.

"It seems you’re all birds of a feather," Chen Fengyun remarked, shaking his head in the face of so many opponents. "But power and wealth aren’t everything; there are things in this world that transcend them."

"Ya!"

The Thai boxing champion spoke no Chinese, so when the interpreter relayed the order—to defeat the slender young man before him—he let out a beast-like roar and lunged forward, employing ancient Muay Thai techniques.

Ancient Muay Thai shares its roots with Indian yoga; those who master it attain remarkable flexibility, able to contort their bodies and launch attacks from unpredictable angles, making them nearly impossible to guard against. Thus, many ancient Muay Thai masters hold high status internationally.

This Thai champion’s name was Gancha, one of the more talented young fighters in Thailand, with considerable strength. He had won a regional championship and was thus known as the "boxing king."