The crowd in the front hall turned their heads.
Focusing their gaze, they saw several figures suddenly appear within the City Lord's mansion.
The guards, who had been holding knives and swords, were now all lying on the ground in disarray, twitching occasionally. Traces of surging lightning could still be seen on their bodies.
The arrivals were none other than Chen Yu and Su Zhan.
Walking side by side, the two stepped over the fallen guards and walked with smiles towards the front hall of the City Lord's mansion. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Su Zhan immediately bent slightly and quickly stepped forward to clasp Fei Kui's hand.
"Are you the young master Fei Kui?"
Holding Fei Kui's hands tightly, Su Zhan wore a fawning smile. Regardless of Fei Kui's expression, he continued to exclaim on his own.
"Look at this heroic bearing, this imposing presence! I felt the heroism radiating from you from five hundred meters away. I've long heard that young master Fei Kui is a dragon among men, a rare talent in his generation. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary. Young master Fei Kui, I've been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time; I've waited and waited, and finally, you're here."
Such a sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.
Only Chen Yu, watching his close friend with whom he had played since they were both in diapers, could not hide his amusement.
As expected, it was still Su Zhan.
Even in the underground caves, he hadn't changed at all.
He could vaguely recall their university days when the new dorm supervisor was a very rigid old man. Su Zhan had managed to flatter the old man so thoroughly with his terrible, over-the-top compliments that the old man was completely won over.
Why were they terrible? Anyone listening to what he had just said could tell it was intentional flattery. True masters of flattery were subtle. Yet, despite being so obviously intentional, the compliments were still remarkably effective. You don't hit a smiling face. Even if the recipient knew they were being flattered and catered to, they wouldn't feel bad.
Besides, the guards outside were still lying there. If they had moved Fei Kui's subordinates, it wouldn't look good if he didn't say something nice.
"Oh my, I really... miss you so much," Su Zhan said, gripping Fei Kui's hand and not caring about the situation, just forcefully showering him with praise.
"Hmph, someone who knows how to talk has arrived!"
Although Fei Kui didn't speak, Pai Huo let out a sarcastic hum.
"Who is this?" Hearing the voice from behind, Su Zhan finally released Fei Kui's hands, his eyes filled with suspicion. "Looking at this general, you have bright, clear eyes and a heroic aura. Could you be one of young master Fei Kui's two personal attendants...?"
"Pai Huo."
Pai Huo proudly raised his head and declared his name.
"No wonder, no wonder, so it's General Pai Huo."
Su Zhan praised with a smile. Pai Huo, flattered, clearly took it all in, his arrogance increasing. He seemed to have forgotten about the guards lying on the ground outside. He raised his chin arrogantly, his eyes full of disdain.
"Judging by your appearance, you must have some status in this city. Your River Town has been disrespectful to my lord. Do you have an explanation for us?"
???
Nuo Yi, standing in the front hall, was utterly confused and suddenly felt embarrassed about her previous actions.
What kind of person is this?!
Sister Liuyue had already mentioned breaking off the engagement, and this fellow was still dwelling on whether they had received the proper courtesies. Was his brain not working properly? Besides, why was he telling this to Brother Su?
Su Zhan was the planner.
Nuo Yi, who had been tensing her nerves, ready to act, now let go of the elemental energy she had gathered. She felt that this level of opponent was not enough for Su Zhan to handle. She had personally witnessed how Su Zhan had toyed with the leaders of the surrounding camps. He was full of wicked ideas! Before, Sister Liuyue had been unable to break through, and had been stationed around their River Town camps. After Su Zhan arrived, the camps were cleared out in less than half a month. She figured Pai Huo wouldn't last two rounds against Su Zhan.
Moreover, even if they had to resort to force later, they wouldn't be afraid. The guards outside had been dealt with, and they had the advantage in numbers here.
However, she wondered how those guards had fallen so silently. Even she hadn't noticed.
Just as Nuo Yi was wondering, she suddenly narrowed her eyes and noticed a little girl sitting idly in a tree on a distant mountain, swinging her legs.
"Her."
"Brother Su is indeed thorough."
Nuo Yi squinted and grinned, feeling much more at ease.
At this moment—
Upon learning that Fei Kui and his group had been slighted, Su Zhan also frowned.
"There was such a thing?"
"General Pai Huo, please remain calm. I will handle this for you immediately."
Saying this, Su Zhan glanced sideways at Liuyue.
"What happened?"
"I was busy handling matters within the city during this time and forgot about it," Liuyue took all the blame. Su Zhan, who knew the truth, snorted, "Liuyue, I know your personality. You would never make such an oversight. If I'm not mistaken, Nuo Yi..."
"Huh?"
Nuo Yi, still engrossed in how Su Zhan would deal with Fei Kui's group, subconsciously responded to the call. She looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with even greater confusion at Su Zhan's gaze.
"Come here!"
Su Zhan reprimanded. Nuo Yi, utterly bewildered, silently moved closer.
"What is it?"
"It was you, wasn't it?" Su Zhan lowered his eyelids and snorted. "If nothing unexpected happened, Liuyue should have handed this matter over to you. Were you sleeping in again?"
"I..."
"Apologize to young master Fei Kui."
"Ah?"
Nuo Yi looked up blankly, blinking at Su Zhan repeatedly, trying to communicate with him. However, Su Zhan offered no response, his eyes icy and devoid of warmth.
"Apologize!"
With a cold expression, Su Zhan growled again. Nuo Yi bit her lip, glared at Su Zhan, and then turned around.
"Young master Fei Kui, I apologize."
Throughout this time, Fei Kui had remained silent, merely observing the scene. He didn't take Nuo Yi's apology to heart. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Su Zhan, who had controlled the situation in the front hall since his arrival.
Others might not have noticed, but Fei Kui felt it very clearly. From the moment Su Zhan entered, everything here had begun to fall under Su Zhan's control. Fei Kui did not like this feeling of being controlled by someone else. While displeased, he also developed a strong interest in Su Zhan.
"May I ask who you are?"
Su Zhan deliberately feigned surprise, opening his mouth slightly as if taken aback, blinking a couple of times. He released his finger and pointed to himself.
"You... don't know me?"
Before Fei Kui could respond, Su Zhan grinned.
"It's not strange that you don't know me. This is our first meeting, and I haven't been in your River Town for long. Although I may have some minor renown in River Town, it might not have reached your ears, young master Fei Kui. So, allow me to introduce myself. I am the current City Lord of this River Town."
"My surname is Su, and my given name is Zhan. Su Zhan!"