No one had ever seen Master Tang so terrified.
It was as if he had seen a ghost.
"Master Tang? What's wrong?" One of his subordinates solicitously picked up the letter, intending to hand it over.
Unfortunately, his attempt to curry favor backfired spectacularly.
Tang Donglai's eyes widened, and he directly opened the car door, kicking the fool out with a single foot.
The man almost rolled down to the bottom of the bridge, screaming as he disappeared down the road along the bridge's edge.
Silence descended in the car, everyone trembling, afraid to speak.
Tang Donglai, breathing heavily, pulled a bottle of strong liquor from the mini-fridge, downed it, and then looked at them: "You are all my trusted aides, so there's no need to hide this from you. This piece of paper has four characters written on it: Wushuang Guoshi!"
Wushuang Guoshi?
What did that even mean?
Tang Donglai's face turned grim: "The last time my Heavenly Mansion Tang family mobilized entirely to make a grand move in the Central Plains, someone from above sent out a Wushuang Guoshi, and they crippled our entire Tang family!"
Everyone was horrified: "Master Tang, was it just one person?"
Master Tang continued to drink, as if to bolster his courage.
Finally, he said solemnly: "That's right, it was just one person, armed with a combat knife. They beat us all the way from Jiangnan back to Heavenly Mansion, and then directly stormed into our family headquarters."
Recalling the events of that year, Tang Donglai was still filled with terror.
"I've never seen such a master before. Ruthless methods, few words, and they started killing immediately!"
He swallowed: "After that battle for my Tang Sect, almost all the capable fighters were wiped out."
If it weren't for that, he, a mere outer disciple, wouldn't have risen to his current position.
The Tang Sect fell into decline afterward, only beginning to recover when several prodigies emerged within the family.
The Tang Donglai of that era was just a small fry pouring tea and water on the side; today, he had transformed into the acting head of the Tang family.
"Master Tang, do you think this letter is forged?" someone suddenly said. "After so many years, we've never heard of this Wushuang Guoshi. They've probably long since disappeared."
Tang Donglai rubbed his head, his eyes darting: "Better safe than sorry. Order the convoy to turn around, we won't enter Jiangcheng for now!"
The convoy immediately turned around and fled back across the bridge.
But at some unknown point, the road behind the bridge had been blocked.
A line of black SUVs was parked on the roadside, with roadblocks set up.
Tang Donglai's bus was directly trapped in the middle.
He peered out anxiously from inside the car, unable to see anything.
As the people inside were filled with unease and speculation, footsteps could be heard near the car door.
The entire car was silent, and the outside was quiet. These footsteps sounded like a death knell.
Tang Donglai clenched his fists: "Don't be afraid. That Wushuang Guoshi certainly wouldn't appear like this. That person is a demon. Wherever he appears, there will be bloodshed. Jiangcheng seems peaceful enough..."
As he was speaking, the car door was suddenly ripped open!
It was literally torn open, the sheet metal twisted to one side, and the door lock popped off with a bang.
Qin Yexuan casually walked in, placing his combat knife lightly on the table in front of Tang Donglai.
Then, Qin Yexuan sat opposite him.
His expression was calm, his aura almost imperceptible. Qin Yexuan's entrance was not grand, but the torn-open car door and the cold wind rushing in caused everyone in the car to have weak knees.
Tang Donglai abruptly stood up, his subordinates instinctively shielding him, all of them on high alert.
"Master Tang, should we... should we fight?"
"Fight your mother!"
Tang Donglai, enraged, kicked away the useless person in front of him. He took a few small steps forward and, right inside the car, plopped down onto his knees with a thud.
Qin Yexuan glanced at him: "Your name is Tang Donglai. Hmm, that year you were just a little fellow responsible for pouring water. Now you're quite capable, representing the Tang family on business?"
Tang Donglai's lips trembled, his face a picture of fawning humility: "You... you still remember a small fry like me? It truly makes this humble one so excited."
His voice dripped with flattery: "As soon as I saw that letter, I knew it was written by your own hand. You used to write a few characters in the Tang family back then too."
Qin Yexuan said, "Oh? What did I write then? I've forgotten."
"You wrote 'Killing you is like slaughtering chickens'! Our old Tang family even hung that calligraphy in the ancestral hall."
Qin Yexuan pursed his lips into a smile.
How many years ago was that? He had been young and impetuous then, perhaps a bit dramatic, writing such a trivial scroll.
He smiled: "You hung it in the ancestral hall. Was it to remember this humiliation? Thinking you must get revenge?"
"Ah, no, no! We were reminding ourselves, so we wouldn't forget the mistakes we made back then."
Tang Donglai was like a clown now, spewing honeyed words.
Qin Yexuan felt speechless: "Alright, what are you here in Jiangcheng to do? Bringing such a large convoy, are you planning something big?"
"No, no, we are here for legitimate business. Please don't misunderstand."
Tang Donglai was covered in cold sweat, his clothes soaked through.
Qin Yexuan fiddled with his combat knife: "That's fine. I'm not an unreasonable person. You, Master Tang, have made two mistakes this time. First, the matter on Communications Street, and second, threatening me on the phone!"
As he said this, he tapped the combat knife with his finger: "Leave two of your fingers! I won't stop you from entering the city!"