As the sun had just set, Jun Bufan drove over. Xiao Yunlong didn't waste any words, opened the car door, and got in directly.
"I'm truly sorry, Big Brother. It's all my fault for being too talkative. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten into this much trouble!" Jun Bufan, sitting in the driver's seat, said apologetically.
"It's fine. By the way, I remember your great-grandfather was a coach at the Jiangdong Martial Alliance. What was the position of his friend and brother in the Martial Alliance?" Xiao Yunlong asked.
The Jiangdong Martial Alliance, officially the Jiangdong Martial Arts Association Alliance, was different from forces like the Jiangdong Pavilion, which were martial arts sects. The Jiangdong Martial Alliance was backed by the Dragon Country. In fact, it was the Old Northern King who proposed promoting the Martial Alliance nationwide back then.
If one were to make a comparison, the biggest difference between the Jiangdong Pavilion and the Jiangdong Martial Alliance, these two martial arts alliance organizations, was that the Jiangdong Pavilion represented the dark side, a gathering place for martial arts ruffians, while the Jiangdong Martial Alliance was the white side, the embodiment of justice.
Of course, as time went on, the Jiangdong Martial Alliance was not necessarily the embodiment of justice, a fact that Xiao Yunlong gradually discovered after arriving in Jiangdong.
Jun Bufan said, "My great-grandfather's close friend served as the Deputy Alliance Leader of the Jiangdong Martial Alliance."
"Deputy Alliance Leader, that's quite a significant background," Xiao Yunlong chuckled.
It made sense, after all, Jun Bufan's great-grandfather, Jun Taiwei, was a martial arts coach at the Jiangdong Martial Alliance. His close friend's status and position naturally wouldn't be too low.
Jun Bufan continued, "The Jiangdong Martial Alliance has three Deputy Alliance Leaders, each of whom is at least a master of the Hua Jin realm. My great-grandfather's close friend is named Lin Zhezong, known as 'Little Leopard Head' in the Jiangdong martial arts circles. His spear skills are said to be divine, and few in Jiangdong can match him."
Xiao Yunlong's lips curved slightly. "Little Leopard Head? Then I really must see him."
Jun Bufan's lips moved as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. However, he ultimately said nothing more. He stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped forward.
Forty minutes later, as the sky completely darkened, the car stopped at a suburban restaurant.
The restaurant was not small, with two wooden buildings and a very large, exquisitely and distinctively decorated courtyard, exuding an ancient, elegant, and tranquil atmosphere.
Although such places were remote, ordinary people usually could not afford them. It was the kind of place where the upper-class people of Jiangdong would dine.
"Let's go, Big Brother. That person is inside!" Jun Bufan said.
Xiao Yunlong nodded and walked in.
Although they were at a restaurant, Lin Zhezong was not waiting at the entrance to greet them. This suggested that the banquet tonight was likely a trap.
However, Xiao Yunlong couldn't be bothered. As the Zhenbei King of the Dragon Country, the Jiangdong Martial Alliance was insignificant in his eyes. In fact, it was the Old Northern King who initiated and promoted the establishment of the Dragon Country Martial Alliance headquarters.
The restaurant featured pavilions, towers, small bridges, flowing water, and lakes. After passing through two winding corridors, the two arrived at the highest-level private room.
Jun Bufan knocked on the door first, and after receiving permission, pushed it open.
"Big Brother, please come in!" Jun Bufan stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.
In the "Heaven" private room, a total of four people were seated: two old men with white hair and beards, and two middle-aged men.
Although they saw Xiao Yunlong enter, the four remained seated without moving, only looking at Xiao Yunlong coldly, their expressions arrogant and self-assured.
It was evident that these four were typically high-ranking individuals with authority, their brows exuding an imposing presence.
Xiao Yunlong's expression remained calm. As he walked in, he casually glanced around, and he understood.
Among the two old men in gray Tang suits with white hair and beards, the one in the blue shirt on the right was at the peak of the Hua Jin Grandmaster realm. The old man seated in the main position, dressed in a purple Tang suit and exuding noble authority, actually had three flowers on his head.
Although the three flowers on his head were not very dense and had not yet merged, even so, it was extraordinary. This indicated that the person was a Martial King expert who had one foot in the Three Flowers Gathering realm.
The remaining two, the younger middle-aged men, were also Hua Jin Grandmasters, but it seemed they had only recently broken through and lacked much experience.
Any one of these four individuals present could become a major figure in the Jiangdong martial arts world!
Xiao Yunlong knew that these four were likely high-ranking officials of the Jiangdong Martial Alliance. The quasi-Martial King old man in purple in the main seat was probably Lin Zhezong, known as "Little Leopard Head."
Jun Bufan immediately quickened his pace and walked up to Lin Zhezong, saying, "Grandpa Lin, I've invited him as you instructed. This is my Big Brother, Xiao Yunlong."
Before the purple-robed old man Lin Zhezong could speak, the old man in the blue shirt beside him coldly snorted, "Jun Bufan, this is too outrageous of you. This brat named Xiao forced your great-grandfather and two uncles to their deaths, and yet you keep calling him Big Brother? You are clearly devoid of conscience, recognizing a thief as your father!"
"Elder Lu, things are not as you think. I already explained it to you earlier." Jun Bufan was very helpless, wanting to explain again.
However, the purple-robed old man Lin Zhezong waved his hand and said, "Bufan, you go to the side first. Some things are not enough with your explanation; we need to clarify them ourselves!"
"Your great-grandfather was our close friend during his lifetime. He was inexplicably killed, and as his friends and brothers, we absolutely cannot stand by and watch the murderer go unpunished!" the elder known as Lu snorted coldly.
Jun Bufan wanted to say something more, but Xiao Yunlong reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "You go to the side first."
With that, Xiao Yunlong pulled out a chair and sat down.
Seeing this, Jun Bufan couldn't say anything more and helplessly retreated to the side.
Lin Zhezong then turned and glared at Xiao Yunlong, asking sternly, "Let me ask you, was Jun Taiwei forced to death by you?"
Xiao Yunlong did not deny it and nodded.
"Why did you force him to death?" the burly Master Lu immediately demanded.
Xiao Yunlong chuckled and said, "Why should I answer you? Do you really think I'm a prisoner? Or do you think the four of you are qualified to interrogate me?"
With a bang, the burly Master Lu slammed his palm on the table and said angrily, "You brat, you are truly arrogant to the extreme. We are interrogating you now, and you'd better answer honestly, otherwise, if you truly anger us, you absolutely cannot bear the consequences!"
Xiao Yunlong said coldly, "Let me also tell you clearly, the reason I'm here today is entirely for Jun Bufan's sake. Otherwise, with your kind of trash, do you really think you have that much face?"
"Arrogant!" Master Lu roared, leaping to his feet, his teeth bared, looking as if he was about to make a move.
Lin Zhezong waved his hand slightly, signaling him to calm down, then said to Xiao Yunlong, "Since we've both said what we needed to say, I have nothing more to ask. You forcing Taiwei brother to death is a fact, but I heard from Bufan that you came forward to save the Jun family some time ago."
He paused here and continued, "Regardless, as Taiwei brother's close friends and brothers, we cannot ignore this matter. According to past precedents, we would demand your life. However, now, I only want one of your legs or one of your arms as compensation for Taiwei brother. Choose yourself!"
Xiao Yunlong smiled, his lips curling in a teasing manner. "I'm sorry, I still need my legs to walk, and my hands to eat with chopsticks. Neither of these can be compensated to you!"
"Since that's the case, then we can only use your life to compensate!" Master Lu roared, his fists clenched, his entire body exuding a fierce and surging aura.
Lin Zhezong snorted, "Brat named Xiao, I presume Jun Bufan must have told you about our origins on the way. None of us here are ordinary people, so you'd better think carefully before answering. Jun Taiwei was a coach of our Jiangdong Martial Alliance, and his death is something our Alliance cannot overlook!"
Xiao Yunlong couldn't be bothered to respond further. He turned to Jun Bufan and said, "I'm a bit hungry. Bufan, go and ask the waiter to serve the food!"
"Yes, Big Brother!"
Jun Bufan nodded. Before leaving, he looked at Lin Zhezong and said, "Grandpa Lin, regarding the matter of my great-grandfather's death, the initial fault lay with our Jun family. Later, Mr. Xiao generously intervened to save our Jun family. Now, our entire Jun family no longer pursues this matter, so..."
Before Jun Bufan could finish, Lin Zhezong coldly snorted, "Your Jun family is your Jun family, and Jun Taiwei is indeed a member of your Jun family. But at the same time, he is also a coach of our Jiangdong Martial Alliance. If we don't intervene in this matter, and it spreads later, how will the people in the Jiangdong martial arts world view our Martial Alliance? Where will the prestige and reputation of our Jiangdong Martial Alliance be?"
Jun Bufan fell silent. He finally understood. While these people had the intention of avenging his great-grandfather, they were actually more concerned with maintaining the authority and face of the Martial Alliance.
Jun Bufan shook his head and turned to go and instruct the waiter.
The food was actually prepared long ago. Soon, the waiter began serving one exquisite dish after another.
Xiao Yunlong couldn't be bothered to look at the four of them anymore. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.
Lin Zhezong's face had completely darkened. He snorted, "I was going to let you off with a warning out of consideration for Jun Bufan, and I heard that you, a young man, have good martial arts skills. I even thought of letting you join our Martial Alliance after you compensated us. Now, it seems you are truly arrogant to the extreme!"
After speaking, Lin Zhezong slightly tilted his head and gestured to the burly Master Lu.
Master Lu understood and immediately walked towards Xiao Yunlong, while coldly snorting, "Brat named Xiao, since you could force Jun Taiwei to death, it means you are not simple at all. Today, I want to see exactly how capable you are!"
"Watch carefully, I'm going to break your right arm!"
As Master Lu spoke, his entire body erupted with power, charging forward like a tiger or a leopard. He reached out his large hand, like a tiger's claw, directly towards Xiao Yunlong's right arm.
Xiao Yunlong remained seated motionlessly, not even looking at him, still eating with his chopsticks.
Just as Master Lu's five fingers were about to grab him, his speed and power were incredibly swift.
It was evident that Master Lu had cultivated finger strength or claw strength techniques. Coupled with his peak Hua Jin Grandmaster cultivation, his internal energy circulated to his five fingers. If he were to strike with such a claw, even a stone tablet would be shattered, let alone a person's arm.
At the critical moment, Xiao Yunlong, holding his chopsticks, simply moved his hand upwards and clamped down, directly gripping Master Lu's right wrist.
The two slender chopsticks, which by all rights should not have been able to easily grip someone's wrist, now acted like iron clamps, tightly locking the opponent's wrist. No matter how Master Lu struggled, he couldn't break free.
The other three people present showed shocked expressions upon seeing this. They finally realized that this young man before them was not simple!
"You brat, what kind of sorcery is this? How are you doing this? Let go quickly!" Master Lu roared, his face turning red.
"Sorcery? I can only say you are too superficial. With such meager abilities, you still want to attack me? Since you want to break my arm, then I will break your hand!"
Xiao Yunlong finished speaking, and with a sudden exertion of force from his hand holding the chopsticks, a cracking sound echoed. Master Lu's right arm was snapped by the two chopsticks.
Only then did Lin Zhezong, seated opposite, react and roar, "You dare..."
As he spoke, Lin Zhezong lightning-fast picked up the teacup in his hand and hurled it towards Xiao Yunlong.
After all, Lin Zhezong was the Deputy Alliance Leader of the Jiangdong Martial Alliance, a quasi-Martial King expert with one foot in the Three Flowers Gathering realm. Although he threw the teacup in a moment of urgency, with the addition of his internal energy, the teacup possessed immense impact force.
Xiao Yunlong let out a cold laugh. He moved his right hand forward with the chopsticks and clamped down, catching the teacup.
Although the teacup was more than half-filled with tea, it was held steadily, not a single drop spilling out.
Lin Zhezong, seeing this, finally changed his expression. He realized then that the opponent's martial arts cultivation was far superior to his own.
"I didn't expect you to have already..."
However, before Lin Zhezong could finish, Xiao Yunlong said sternly, "As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Here's your teacup!"
With that, Xiao Yunlong flicked his wrist, and the teacup flew out from between the two chopsticks, spinning rapidly and whistling through the air as it shot towards Lin Zhezong.
Lin Zhezong's expression was extremely grave. He even stood up, channeling all his internal energy into his right palm and reaching out to catch it.
Although he managed to catch the teacup in the end, a significant amount of tea spilled out, and subtly, Lin Zhezong was forced back half a step.
This move alone clearly showed the difference in their abilities!
Everyone present was shocked. They couldn't fathom how this young man, not even twenty-five years old, possessed such terrifying skills that even Deputy Alliance Leader Lin was no match for him.
Before this, they couldn't understand why Jun Taiwei, a coach of the Jiangdong Martial Alliance with considerable martial arts cultivation, was forced to death by a young man. But now, they finally understood.
Among those present, only Jun Bufan was not surprised. After all, he knew very well that his Big Brother's martial arts cultivation had long reached the Martial King level of Three Flowers Gathering, or even higher.
Xiao Yunlong put down his chopsticks, shook his head, and said, "When words don't match, conversation is short. I doubt this meal will be enjoyable. Farewell!"
With that, he stood up and walked away. Jun Bufan glanced at Lin Zhezong and the other three, saying something about coming to apologize to the elders another day, and then followed closely behind Xiao Yunlong.
Master Lu, enduring the severe pain of his broken arm, gritted his teeth and roared, "Deputy Alliance Leader Lin, are we just going to let this brat leave like this? If he walks out so brazenly today, where will our faces be?"
"I say, if the four of us attack together, we might not be his match!"
However, as soon as his words fell, with a "plop," Lin Zhezong opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood!