"How can I tolerate another sleeping soundly beside my bed?
You, the boss of Jiangnan, what are you doing lingering in Jiangbei?
Moreover, he came specifically for Chen Xiao, with some unknown intentions. How could Chen Xiao tolerate this?
Lin Zhennan himself was still at Tianlong Temple. If Chen Xiao could eliminate him, the Lin family would fall into a state of leaderless chaos.
At that time, Qi Tianhu would lead the troops to march in, and taking them down would be incredibly easy!
Meanwhile, the Great Hall of Heroes at Tianlong Temple was brightly lit.
However, the Great Hall of Heroes had been transformed beyond recognition, no longer resembling a temple. It was resplendent and opulent, more like a club.
As Chen Xiao walked in, a middle-aged man with a goatee was seated upright, as if he had been waiting for his arrival.
Beside the man were two slender, gentle-looking women in qipao dresses.
In addition to them, two rows of bodyguards in black suits stood on either side, further highlighting the middle-aged man's authority.
"Brother Chen, I've heard much about you. Today, I finally have the pleasure of meeting you. You are indeed as young and promising as the legends say!"
The goatee man said with a smile, his expression filled with feigned sincerity.
Chen Xiao, too lazy to exchange pleasantries, asked directly, "Are you Lin Zhennan?"
"Indeed, that is I!"
"Let's not beat around the bush. Since you know who I am, aren't you afraid of me?"
"Afraid, I'm terrified to death... Honestly, when I heard that Mr. Chen almost annihilated the entire Underworld King Hall single-handedly, I couldn't sleep at night. I was in constant fear that Mr. Chen might, on any given day, become displeased and come to Jiangnan to kill me!"
Despite Lin Zhennan's words of fear and unease, his eyes held a calm and composed demeanor, clearly indicating he was not speaking the truth.
His reason for fear was also peculiar, as he claimed to be afraid of Chen Xiao coming to Jiangnan to kill him.
Although this man had become the underworld boss of Jiangnan, he was ultimately a frog in a well, with his vision limited to a tiny patch of sky.
"Since you fear me, why do you provoke me?"
Chen Xiao couldn't help but ask.
"No, no, no, Mr. Chen, you misunderstand. I'm not here to provoke you!"
Lin Zhennan immediately corrected him, "What I intend to do is eliminate you!"
"From a young age, I've always been prepared for danger and grown up in fear. Fortunately, everyone who has instilled fear in me has been eliminated by me, including my own father... Of course, Mr. Chen, you will be no exception!"
Hearing his words, Chen Xiao was almost certain that this man was mentally unstable.
"Eliminate me? On what grounds?"
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes into a straight line. He could sense that the true mastermind was about to appear.
Although Lin Zhennan was the underworld boss of Jiangnan, this status was clearly insufficient to know the secrets of Shan Hai Yi Pin.
So, who was behind him?
Was it a hidden sect, an ancient martial arts sect, or perhaps some other demon cultivators, ghost cultivators, or the like... In Chen Xiao's opinion, anything was possible.
However, Chen Xiao never expected that behind Lin Zhennan, there would be Japanese people!
"With us, eliminating you is more than enough!"
With a slightly stiff voice, a man dressed in traditional Japanese samurai attire walked out.
The man's face was solemn, and he held a long samurai sword proudly in his arms.
Behind him, a cold, white-clad woman followed closely.
The white-clad woman's hair cascaded like a waterfall, her curves were alluring, and she slightly lowered her head, her face flushed with a hint of shy redness.
Seeing these two Japanese individuals, everything became clear.
Chen Xiao was not surprised that they knew the secrets of Shan Hai Yi Pin.
What surprised Chen Xiao was that Lin Zhennan, as a man of Jiangnan, would act as a running dog for the Japanese!
"Miss Araki, Mr. Tanaka!"
Upon seeing these two Japanese individuals, Lin Zhennan immediately stood up and bowed deeply, fawning and cowering like a lapdog.
Witnessing this scene, a murderous intent suddenly flared in Chen Xiao's eyes.
Originally, he and Lin Zhennan had no deep-seated hatred.
But at this moment, he had decided that he would not kill Lin Zhennan easily... because that would be too merciful to him!
"Lin Zhennan, is this your backer?"
Chen Xiao asked coldly.
"Mr. Chen, 'backer' isn't quite accurate; it's a win-win cooperation... Of course, it is my honor as Lin Zhennan to be recognized by the Araki Corporation, one of the three major financial groups in Japan!"
Lin Zhennan said shamelessly.
"Don't you have any sense of national integrity?"
Chen Xiao asked in a deep voice.
As a man of Jiangnan, Lin Zhennan should have had the most profound understanding of that heavy history... Even if he didn't harbor hatred, he shouldn't have become a running dog for the Japanese.
"Hmph! You, surnamed Chen, stop moralizing. You're just a young brat, what do you know about national integrity?"
Chen Xiao's words seemed to have angered Lin Zhennan, making him suddenly agitated.
Just then, the white-clad woman spoke softly, "Lin-san."
"Miss Araki!"
Lin Zhennan immediately changed his tune, becoming obsequious and servile.
"Retire."
The white-clad woman said faintly, as if scolding a dog.
"Yes, Miss Araki!"
Lin Zhennan, obedient like a dog, immediately retreated to the side, lowered his head, and hunched his back.
"Mr. Chen, please allow me to introduce myself."
The white-clad woman said softly, "I am Araki Kōshi, the president of Araki Corporation, and also the current head of the Araki clan."
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected the helmsman of the esteemed Araki Corporation to be a woman, and such a delicate-looking one at that.
"Did the Emperor send you, right?"
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully.
Araki Kōshi's fair and tender face visibly changed color for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
"So Mr. Chen already knew. In that case, Mr. Abe's disappearance must also be related to Mr. Chen, right?"
Chen Xiao nodded, readily admitting, "That's right, Abe Fuyoshi was killed by me."
"Baka yarō!"
Behind Araki Kōshi, Tanaka, who was dressed in samurai attire, changed his expression and angrily drew his sword!
A cold flash of the blade, and a pervasive sword energy immediately spread out.
"Tanaka-san, stop!"
Araki Kōshi frowned slightly, looking at Tanaka with a hint of anger.
Tanaka gritted his teeth, and finally, with a look of indignation, sheathed his sword.
"Mr. Chen, as you can see, we do not wish to be enemies with a strong individual like yourself."
Araki Kōshi said very seriously.
"Who are 'we'?"
Chen Xiao asked.
"The Araki clan, represented by myself, Araki Kōshi, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, and all of Japan."
Araki Kōshi's tone was light, but her gaze was filled with arrogance.
Chen Xiao smiled and said coldly, "What the hell is 'all of Japan'? Do you think I care whether you want to be my enemy or not? If you annoy me, I'll kill you all!"