"Braised Fish Head."
"Clear Broth Fish Balls."
"Spicy Fish Slices."
"Braised Earth Dragon."
"Crab Meat Noodles..."
Chen Nan ordered several signature dishes from the restaurant. Although he didn't usually like fish, he wanted to try the specialties of this establishment.
The reason was simple.
He had been to the immortal realm and the underworld, where their culinary cultures were quite primitive.
While the culinary culture here wasn't as advanced as in the mortal world, the gap wasn't too significant.
*Bang!*
As the waiter who took the order stepped out, the door was violently kicked open.
Wen Ningyang, accompanied by a group of lackeys, swaggered in with a playful smile. "You offended me, and you still have the appetite to eat here?"
"Do you really think you can get away with offending me?"
"How can you be so naive?"
"Do you know who I've invited today?"
"Are you afraid of Song Bangzhu of the Fierce Tiger Gang?"
"It's too late to be scared now!"
With that, he gestured to Song Dahu behind him. "Bangzhu Song, this scoundrel is the one who offended me."
Song Dahu looked at Chen Nan with astonishment, clearly not expecting to encounter this formidable figure here.
After regaining his composure.
He said in a low voice, "Wen Ningyang, if you don't want to die, kneel down now!"
"What?" Wen Ningyang gasped, clearly taken aback by Song Dahu's words. After a moment, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Bangzhu Song, did I hear correctly? You want me to kneel?"
"Yes!" Song Dahu said expressionlessly, "I want you to kneel."
Wen Ningyang was utterly bewildered.
What was happening?
Why would the big shot he invited tell him to kneel?
Before he could snap out of his daze, Song Dahu, with a fawning smile, said to Chen Nan, "Little Brother Chen, I never expected to see you here."
"Well, I'll be treating you to this meal today, as a token of my gratitude for your help."
Chen Nan asked indifferently, "Do you think I'm short of money for a meal?"
"No, no, no, you are certainly not short of money, I just want to express my gratitude." Song Dahu was still very wary of Chen Nan.
Because he knew.
Chen Nan could easily eliminate Jiang Zhuo.
Killing him would undoubtedly be a simple matter.
"No need, take your men and get lost!" Chen Nan had no good feelings towards Song Dahu, as this guy had used despicable methods, kidnapping Xia Anruo and her daughter to threaten him.
If he hadn't sworn not to kill this person.
Song Dahu would not have lived to this day.
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. I'll leave this fellow to you!" Song Dahu quickly retreated from the room. If he had known that Wen Ningyang wanted to cause trouble for Chen Nan, he would never have come here.
Watching Song Dahu flee in a panic from the private room, Wen Ningyang also recovered from his shock.
He seemed to have guessed Chen Nan's identity.
Otherwise, Song Dahu, a figure of his stature, wouldn't have fled in such a state of terror.
"Young Master Chen, I was blind and ignorant. Please don't hold it against me." Wen Ningyang's face was filled with nervousness, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He hadn't expected Chen Nan to be the ruthless individual who killed Jiang Zhuo.
If he had known beforehand, he would have tried to befriend him instead of offending him.
"Um, I apologize here. I hope you can overlook my transgressions."
Chen Nan: "I'm in a good mood today and won't bother with you. Take your men and get lost!"
"Okay, okay!" Wen Ningyang felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and immediately led his men out of the room. Perhaps genuinely wanting to befriend Chen Nan, he even went downstairs to pay Chen Nan's bill.
Although this sum of money was insignificant to him, his attitude was clear.
"Young Master Wen, are we really going to placate that guy?" A young man named Liu Wei couldn't help but ask. He had been beaten badly by Chen Nan before and harbored resentment.
A meaningful smile curved Wen Ningyang's lips. "Do you think anyone can humiliate me? No, I'm merely lulling him into a false sense of security. When the time is right, I will make him understand the consequences of being my enemy."
He glanced back at the restaurant and grinned. "Just wait and see, he'll be begging me soon."
His lackeys were all filled with excitement.
Because they knew.
Wen Ningyang was a man of his word.
Since he said he would make Chen Nan pay the price, it would surely become a reality.
------
"Our table's bill has been settled?"
When Chen Nan and Xuan Qingniao arrived downstairs to pay their bill, fully satisfied, they were surprised to learn that their bill had already been settled. Chen Nan immediately asked, "Who paid it?"
"It was Young Master Wen."
Chen Nan understood. He hadn't expected Wen Ningyang to pay for his meal.
Could it be that the fellow had truly realized his mistake?
It didn't matter.
He was just a minor figure.
He couldn't harm him in the city, and even if he left the capital of Dong Sang, he wouldn't pose any threat to him.
------
The next day.
Chen Nan arrived at the hunting grounds in the northern part of the city.
This hunting ground belonged to the Huang family and was exceptionally vast. Within the grounds stood two mountains, each approximately a thousand meters high, where numerous wild beasts were kept.
Not long after Chen Nan appeared, other contestants began to arrive.
Upon seeing Chen Nan, Wen Ningyang enthusiastically walked over, seemingly having forgotten the unpleasantness of yesterday. "Brother Chen, I received some inside information..."
"You don't need to tell me what you know!" Chen Nan interrupted him, sensing that this fellow's intentions were impure.
Wen Ningyang gave an awkward smile. "As the saying goes, one doesn't truly know someone until they've fought. Besides, I was the one who suffered yesterday, Brother Chen. Why hold a grudge? I genuinely have no ill intentions towards you, I swear to heaven."
"What was this inside information you mentioned?" Fatty Wu Di walked over, his face full of curiosity.
Wen Ningyang whispered, "It's about the second round of the assessment. Only one hundred people will advance to the second round. To qualify, it's simple: achieve one of the top one hundred scores in the assessment."
"Although this round tests horsemanship, participants can attack each other. The best approach is teamwork."
"Brother Chen, as you know, my five lackeys were all eliminated by you yesterday."
"If you don't mind, how about the three of us form a team?"
"If the three of us team up, our chances of advancing will be much higher."
"Conversely, it will be extremely difficult."
Wu Di was shocked to hear this, never expecting the competition rules to be so brutal. He also looked at Chen Nan and said, "Brother Chen, I think the three of us should form a team!"
"You don't want me to be eliminated, do you?" he said with an awkward yet polite smile, as if implying that if they didn't team up, the identity tokens Chen Nan had given him yesterday would be worthless.
"Then let's form a team!" Chen Nan didn't refuse. He wanted to test whether Wen Ningyang truly intended to team up with him.
If he had ulterior motives, eliminating him wouldn't be a problem.