Chapter 31 Invincible in Xijing: Guo Gang

Lu Ming strode confidently to the table with Huo Yutong, seating himself with an imposing air. Behind him stood Ye Qi Miyu, hands clasped, ready for anything.

Casting a glance at the table, Lu Ming shook his head, remarking, "You invite us here, but where are the dishes?"

Ren Zhiyuan eyed Lu Ming and Huo Yutong, sneering, "The food's all ready, just waiting for you to arrive."

He then called out loudly, "Waiter, bring out the dishes."

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded at the door and more than a dozen burly men in black rushed in, blocking the entrance.

Following them, two men and a woman sauntered in unhurriedly. They approached Ren Zhiyuan, who beckoned them to sit. One man was of similar age and build to Ren Zhiyuan, already showing signs of middle-aged weight. The other, in his early thirties with closely cropped hair, exuded a hardened, capable air. The woman had the face of an internet celebrity, dressed revealingly—strikingly beautiful, but with a seductive, cunning look.

The moment Huo Yutong saw her, anger flashed across her face. "Shi Yidan, you actually have the nerve to face me?"

The girl addressed as Shi Yidan looked awkward for a moment, but quickly replied, "Yutong, I meant well. I wanted to introduce you to Mr. Ren. You’re in business, and Mr. Ren is the richest man in Xijing. It’s beneficial for you to know him. If there’s any misunderstanding, we can just clear it up."

Huo Yutong’s face was cold. "I agreed to have lunch with you out of goodwill, but you had someone drug me. And you call that a misunderstanding?"

"I really didn’t know, Yutong. You just disappeared during the meal, and I’d had too much to drink, so I went home to sleep. I thought you’d gone home too," Shi Yidan replied smoothly, denying all responsibility.

"You—" Huo Yutong was so furious at her friend's denial that for a moment, she was lost for words.

Lu Ming sneered inwardly.

Earlier that morning, in casual conversation, Lu Ming had asked Huo Yutong about the events. She explained that the previous day, she had received a call from Shi Yidan, a minor anchor at Xijing City Television. The two had known each other for years but hadn’t met in a long time, so Huo Yutong agreed to lunch without hesitation. Only upon arrival did she realize there were others present. Out of politeness, she stayed, and conversation began to flow.

Through Shi Yidan’s introduction, Huo Yutong learned that the man sitting with them was Jiang Hailan, a wealthy real estate developer in Xijing. The other was Ren Zhiyuan, the richest man in Xijing and head of Meilian Group.

At first, Huo Yutong thought nothing of it, assuming it was just a meal. But she soon noticed Ren Zhiyuan’s gaze on her was unsettling, and he found an excuse to sit beside her. After she refused his offer of a toast, Ren Zhiyuan ordered two drinks and insisted she clink glasses with him. Reluctantly, not wanting to offend, she took a couple of sips. Soon after, she felt dizzy and realized something was wrong, so she hurried to the restroom and called Lu Ming.

After hearing this, Lu Ming understood that the whole dinner was a carefully orchestrated trap. He found it despicable that Shi Yidan, for some unknown benefit, could betray her own friend. In his mercenary days, he and his comrades relied on mutual trust, ready to stake their lives on each other. If everyone were like Shi Yidan, he would have died countless times. Such treachery disgusted him to his core.

At that moment, Ren Zhiyuan, perfectly at ease, said, "Young man, let me introduce someone to you."

He gestured toward the hardened man beside him. "This is Guo Gang, head instructor at the Zhenwei Martial Arts School, undefeated in all of Xijing."

A proud expression crossed Ren Zhiyuan’s face.

Guo Gang was a master whom Ren Zhiyuan had summoned overnight. Today, he had also brought along more than a dozen of his best bodyguards, all in preparation to deal with Lu Ming. Now that Lu Ming had walked right into his trap, Ren Zhiyuan was in no hurry—he planned to toy with him for a while, then break his limbs and make him watch as he took that seductive little temptress, Huo Yutong, for himself.

Guo Gang, upon being introduced, eyed Lu Ming, then raised his hand like a blade and lightly drew it across the teacup before him.

With a sharp crack, the teacup split in two—as if sliced by a blade.

Ren Zhiyuan laughed heartily at the display. "Well? What do you think of Guo Gang’s skill?"

Lu Ming smiled and applauded. "Impressive. Very skilled—an inner force expert, no less."

Indeed, Guo Gang had mastered inner energy—he was a true martial artist. But Ren Zhiyuan’s claim that Guo Gang was unbeatable in Xijing made Lu Ming want to laugh. The only reason no martial arts families challenged his school was because they didn’t want to cause trouble. If they wished, there were plenty in Xijing who could take care of Guo Gang. At the very least, Futuo could dispatch him with a few strokes.

"Lu, you’d better apologize to Mr. Ren and beg for his forgiveness. Otherwise, if I make a move, you won’t like what happens," Guo Gang said arrogantly, fully aware of the role he was to play as Ren Zhiyuan’s highly paid enforcer.

Behind Lu Ming, Ye Qi Miyu’s face darkened with anger. Did these clowns really think they could threaten Lord Lu?

"My lord?" she asked, barely containing her rage.

If her master so much as nodded, she would not hesitate to slaughter everyone in the room.

Lu Ming chuckled. "Violence isn’t always the answer. There are other ways to deal with people."

Seeing her master’s response, Ye Qi Miyu could only suppress her anger and lower her head, standing quietly behind Lu Ming.

Yet now Ren Zhiyuan’s attention turned to Ye Qi Miyu, his eyes lighting up with lust as he stared at her.

Lu Ming burst out laughing. "Mr. Ren, would you like me to introduce you?"

Ren Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table in smug satisfaction. "By all means."

In his mind, Guo Gang’s display had already cowed Lu Ming. But he had no intention of letting him off so easily. No one in Xijing dared cross Ren Zhiyuan, and this grudge must be settled.

"This lady," Lu Ming gestured to Ye Qi Miyu, "is Ms. Ye Qi Miyu, president of the Changwu Corporation. You might want to get acquainted."

The mention of Changwu Corporation made both Ren Zhiyuan and Jiang Hailan’s eyes gleam with calculation.

As businessmen, they naturally knew the name Changwu Corporation. In fact, it belonged to the Ye Qi family, one of the top clans in Fusang.

"Don’t spout nonsense, boy. Someone from the Ye Qi family—do you think you could know someone like that?" Ren Zhiyuan snapped.

The Changwu Corporation, property of the Ye Qi family, was an international conglomerate valued at over a hundred billion international credits—a sum far beyond the Chinese yuan. Even as Xijing’s wealthiest man, Ren Zhiyuan had never had direct contact with anyone from the Ye Qi family, let alone a nobody like Lu Ming.

Lu Ming simply spread his hands. "If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. But I hear your Meilian Group specializes in retail chains and is the domestic industry leader?"

Ren Zhiyuan grinned broadly. "At least you know something," he replied, sipping his tea and casting a triumphant glance at Huo Yutong.

He had started his fortune in tomb-raiding and artifact smuggling, making his first pot of gold. When the government cracked down on such activities, he turned his sights elsewhere. At that time, supermarkets were barely emerging in the country. With idle capital and nothing to do, he stumbled into investing in a large supermarket. To his surprise, it proved highly profitable. Ren Zhiyuan poured all his resources into the chain, becoming one of the first developers of retail chains in the country.

Seizing the early advantage, he expanded rapidly, building the Meilian Supermarket brand. After nearly a decade, Meilian had outlets across the nation, dominating the market.

Looking at Ren Zhiyuan’s smug face, Lu Ming burst out laughing.

"Ye Qi Miyu," Lu Ming commanded, "from tomorrow, you and Huo Yutong will collaborate and, at any cost, establish a supermarket brand. I want Meilian utterly crushed."

Let’s set a small goal first—for instance, remember this site: Book Guest Residence Mobile Reading.