Yan Sanniang arranged a carriage, carrying Xia Ci and his sister Xia Xiayin, and quickly arrived at the Hundred Flowers Restaurant.
The Hundred Flowers Restaurant was one of the finest in Linjiang City, usually very busy, but today there wasn't a single customer, and it was extremely quiet.
Yan Sanniang had spent considerable resources to act as a peacemaker, directly booking the entire Hundred Flowers Restaurant.
Afterward, the three sat in the hall, waiting quietly.
They didn't wait long before someone came to announce that people from the Great Saber Gang had arrived.
Yan Sanniang personally went out to greet them.
Shortly after, a group of people entered through the door. Leading them was a thin, elderly man who exuded a steadiness like a mountain peak or deep pool. His silver hair was casually hanging loose, and his eyes were deep and sharp, like those of a night hawk.
This person was Linjiang City's underworld boss, Lu Yingchuan, the leader of the Great Saber Gang nicknamed the Old Saber Handler. Behind him followed three middle-aged men, who were the Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard from the "Wolf-Bear-Tiger-Leopard" group: Wild Wolf Qin Che, Uphill Tiger Du Yang, and Downhill Leopard Lin Heng, all notorious figures in Linjiang City.
The three men followed behind Lu Yingchuan, consciously staying half a step behind.
Yan Sanniang led them in and immediately made introductions.
Xia Ci cupped his hands toward Lu Yingchuan and said, "Gang Leader Lu, I've long heard of your reputation."
Lu Yingchuan nodded slightly without speaking and sat directly in a chair. The Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard followed suit and sat down as well.
Xia Ci's expression remained calm as he slowly sat down. Beside him, Xia Xiayin sat close to him, appearing outwardly serene but actually feeling somewhat anxious inside.
She wasn't particularly concerned about the Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard trio, but Old Saber Handler Lu Yingchuan was a very famous figure in Linjiang City.
When she used to escort goods with Xia Ci at the Changfeng Escort Agency, she had often heard stories about the Old Saber Handler. To her, he was a legendary figure, even more impressive than the chief escort of the Changfeng Escort Agency. She never imagined she would one day sit at the same table with such a person, especially in such a confrontational situation.
In the hall, the atmosphere was very tense.
Yan Sanniang ordered her subordinates to pour tea, then said, "Gang Leader Lu, I invited you here today to be a mediator. Xia Ci is a member of my Notsecond Manor. As you might know, I've changed my business to run a Pursuit Tower now, and Young Hero Xia is currently the chief bounty hunter of my Notsecond Manor. I'm counting on him to make a living.
About the incident this afternoon, I won't repeat it. We all know what happened. In our martial world, we all value harmony as the way to prosperity. So, I hope we can all sit down together for a meal, become friends, and have more paths and support for each other in the future. What do you think?"
Lu Yingchuan took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Madam Yan, I will certainly give you this face. I don't want to talk about right or wrong, but regardless, the fact is that this Young Hero Xia killed my brother. There needs to be some accounting for that!"
"Then, what kind of accounting does Gang Leader Lu want?" Yan Sanniang asked with a smile.
Lu Yingchuan slowly put down his teacup, looked at Xia Ci, and said, "Young Hero Xia, you should at least acknowledge your fault, shouldn't you?"
Xia Ci stood up, picked up his teacup, and said, "Then I will use tea instead of wine to toast you. In the future..."
"Bang!"
At this moment, Uphill Tiger Du Yang, who was sitting next to Lu Yingchuan, slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Xia Ci and cursing, "Blind bastard, who do you think you are? My old boss is giving you a chance to acknowledge your fault out of respect for Madam Yan, and you dare to use tea instead of wine? You're not worthy! Right now, immediately kneel down, kowtow in apology, and cut off one of your arms, otherwise..."
Before Du Yang could finish speaking,
Xia Ci's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the cup instantly flew out, heading straight toward Du Yang.
Du Yang immediately struck out with his palm.
However, the teacup flew with the speed of an arrow leaving a bowstring, so fast that it was almost invisible to the naked eye. Du Yang's palm strike missed, and the teacup hit him directly in the chest.
With a "crack" sound,
A bone-breaking sound came from Du Yang's chest, followed by him flying backward and crashing hard onto the ground, breaking the floor tiles. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and struggled unsuccessfully to get up.
However,
What shocked everyone present even more was that
The teacup didn't break but bounced back. What was even more incredible was that not a single drop of tea had spilled from the cup as it safely returned to Xia Ci's hand.
Xia Ci's face still wore a smile as he raised the teacup and said, "Gang Leader Lu, I toast you!"
Lu Yingchuan's pupils contracted slightly, his eyes filled with shock, staring intently at Xia Ci. His aura gradually became sharp. Then, after a while, the aura around him suddenly dissipated. He picked up his teacup, stood up, and said, "Brother Xia, I accept your friendship. Please!"
With that, Lu Yingchuan drank all the tea in his cup.
Xia Ci also drank all the tea in his cup.
Lu Yingchuan cupped his hands and said, "Let's put past matters behind us. From now on, we are friends. Brother Xia, if you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me. Farewell!"
After saying this, Lu Yingchuan also cupped his hands toward Yan Sanniang and said, "Madam Yan, farewell!"
"Gang Leader Lu, take care on your way."
Yan Sanniang escorted Lu Yingchuan to the door and watched as he and his group got into a carriage. Then she turned around, revealing a smile, and said cheerfully, "This Old Saber Handler has really grown old. I thought he was going to exchange blows with you, Young Hero Xia!"
Xia Ci chuckled and said, "An Old Saber Handler who doesn't fight still maintains a certain deterrent effect even when yielding, because no one knows how strong he would be in action. But an Old Saber Handler who fights and loses doesn't have much deterrence anymore. Many people would think, 'I could do that too.'"
"That's indeed the principle."
Yan Sanniang walked over to Xia Ci with a smile and sat directly beside him, looking somewhat resentful as she said, "It's just a pity. I originally wanted to sell a favor to the Old Saber Handler by smoothing things over for you, Young Hero Xia, so that you would owe me a favor. I didn't expect Young Hero Xia to scare the Old Saber Handler into fleeing in panic. This favor couldn't be sold, what a shame!"
Xia Ci said, "I acknowledge Madam Yan's favor."
Yan Sanniang stood up, took out a contract from her bosom, spread it out, and said, "Wonderful! Young Hero Xia, sign and seal this, and from now on, you'll be affiliated with my Notsecond Manor. You mustn't go to anyone else and break my heart!"
Xia Ci: "..."
Xia Xiayin took the contract from Yan Sanniang's hand and said, "Let me look at it first."
Yan Sanniang slapped her forehead and said, "I forgot Young Hero Xia can't see. Hmm... Young Hero Xia, can you really not see?"
Xia Ci nodded slightly.
Yan Sanniang said with surprise, "If I didn't know that Young Hero Xia couldn't see, sitting here, no one would suspect that you couldn't see."
Xia Ci smiled without saying more.
Soon, Xia Xiayin finished reading the contract and said, "Brother, there's no problem."
Xia Ci nodded and said, "Madam Yan, let's have a pleasant cooperation!"
Yan Sanniang said with a smile, "Pleasant, pleasant! Young Hero Xia is extraordinary and will certainly make this humble woman very, very, very pleased!"