Perhaps because nightfall was approaching, the traffic began to thicken, forming a long queue ahead. In such situations, even the finest cars could only wait patiently, inching along with the congested flow of vehicles.
Inside the car, Chen Yaoyang glanced at Chen Fei, who was resting with his eyes closed. "Mr. Chen," he suddenly said, "I'm sorry you had to experience sothing so unpleasant in Hong Kong."
"You're too kind, Mr. Chen. The ones who attacked don't seem to be a local Hong Kong power. Like , they seem to hail from Lingnan in Jiangnan Province. Tiger Leopard Hall. Have you ever heard that na, Mr. Chen?" Chen Fei asked slowly, his eyes opening slightly.
"Tiger Leopard Hall?"
Hearing those words, Chen Yaoyang was stunned. "It was them..." he said blankly.
Seeing his strange reaction, Chen Fei grew puzzled. Yes, it's Tiger Leopard Hall, so what? What is his deal...?
After all, the middle-aged man before him was the eldest son of the Chen Family, one of Hong Kong's Five Great Tycoon Families. Surely, he wouldn't be this terrified just from hearing the na of a mainland gang? That doesn't make any sense!
"Ah, cough, cough. My apologies, I lost my composure. I didn't expect it was them," Chen Yaoyang said, coughing in embarrassnt after realizing his gaffe.
Chen Fei pursed his lips and asked, "Mr. Chen, is this Tiger Leopard Hall really that powerful?"
"Powerful?"
Chen Yaoyang paused, then replied with a wry smile, "Compared to us, Hong Kong's Five Great Tycoon Families, Tiger Leopard Hall can indeed be considered powerful. It's said that their gang has a few Ancient Martial Artists of terrifying strength. Even those in the black market with Extraordinary Martial Power are unwilling to provoke them lightly and prefer to stay out of their way. That's why the older generation of our Chen Family often reminds us that Tiger Leopard Hall is one of the mainland forces we must be careful to avoid."
Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed deep in Chen Fei's eyes. To be able to instill such caution in the eldest son of one of Hong Kong's Five Great Tycoon Families, this Tiger Leopard Hall had certainly made a na for itself.
However, upon further thought, it made sense. After all, the so-called terrifyingly powerful Ancient Martial Artists Chen Yaoyang ntioned were, in all likelihood, the sa Innate Experts from Tiger Leopard Hall that Zhao Xin had ntioned before—figures so formidable that even the state was wary of them.
Beings of that caliber could no longer be asured by ordinary standards.
It was precisely because he had such a master that he could truly appreciate the terror of that level. It's no exaggeration to say that if he hadn't been incredibly lucky enough to receive the legacy from that grand figure of the Cultivation World, and his strength was rely that of a First-Class Master, he probably wouldn't last more than three moves against his master. The gap between an Innate Expert and a First-Class Master was truly imnse.
Realizing this, Chen Fei understood there was no need to discuss the matter further. He changed the subject, "Mr. Chen, when is the auction?"
"The auction? Oh, it's at 8:30 tonight. This A-grade auction is personally organized by the black market, so it's being held at an auction house they own in Shallow Water Bay," Chen Yaoyang imdiately answered.
The Hong Kong Black Market was a fearso underground organization that stood above the Five Great Tycoon Families. It was the only entity in Hong Kong that the official powers truly dreaded and found troubleso. Its foundation was terrifyingly deep; having been a fixture in Hong Kong for decades, any one of the Five Great Tycoon Families, standing alone before it, would seem as feeble as an infant. This was the true apex predator among Hong Kong's dark forces. In recent years, however, it had beco much more low-profile, staying in the shadows and making it impossible for outsiders to get a read on them.
...
As dusk fell, a parade of luxurious cars entered Shallow Water Bay, known as the most exclusive residential area for Hong Kong's elite. This procession signaled that a rare and lively gala was destined to take place sowhere in the area tonight.
And in the deepest part of Shallow Water Bay stood a towering castle rising from the ground.
That's right, it was a real, honest-to-god castle.
Surrounded by a profusion of roses and thorns, its moss-covered stone walls radiated an ancient elegance. With its front courtyard, stone battlents, and long corridors, the old castle seed to awaken from its slumber at night as brilliant lights illuminated the silhouettes of people moving about. Statues of soldiers several ters tall raised their swords, as if sworn to guard the premises.
As the car slowly entered the mysterious castle, Chen Fei narrowed his eyes slightly, silently observing it all as the distant structure bathed in the faint moonlight.
Although the castle didn't look as exaggerated as those in science fiction movies, this was Hong Kong. For a real castle to exist in such a densely populated, modern international tropolis—and in Shallow Water Bay, the city's most famous wealthy district, no less—was astonishing. The feat alone was enough to take Chen Fei by surprise and earn his newfound respect.
"Perhaps it's out of deference. The Hong Kong Black Market has great privileges. Take this castle, for example; it's the only one in all of Hong Kong," Chen Yaoyang said, his tone a mixture of explanation and lant. After all, even a family as prestigious as his, one of the Five Great Tycoon Families, couldn't build such a domineering structure. It wasn't a question of money, but of not having the right to.
"Mr. Chen, hello! Are you alright? I heard from my older brother that you were attacked. I'm so sorry." Just as Chen Yaoyang's stretched Lincoln stopped before the castle gates and Chen Fei was stepping out, a fragrant scent wafted over as Dong Shuxian, clad in an evening gown, approached.
She looked deeply apologetic. Perhaps she felt that if her son's rashness hadn't caused Chen Fei to leave in a huff, none of the subsequent events would have occurred. After all, if they had left together, very few powers in Hong Kong would dare to attack a mber of the Chen Family so openly.
"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Dong, but I'm fine. Let's head inside. This is a real castle! In all my life, this is the first ti I've ever seen one," Chen Fei said with a polite smile, then turned to admire the towering fortress before him, exclaiming in awe.
When I get rich, maybe I should build one of these on Northern Mountain too? Chen Fei mused, touching his chin.
"But…"
"Shuxian, let's go inside first."
Dong Shuxian seed about to say more but was suddenly interrupted by Chen Yaoyang.
After spending the last couple of hours with him, Chen Yaoyang had begun to understand Chen Fei's temperant. He knew that despite his formidable strength, Chen Fei was still young and lacked composure. Moreover, since they hadn't found the assassin who had attacked him, he was certainly still upset and wouldn't want to dwell on the matter. That was why he'd chosen to intervene. Of course, there was another reason: his apprehension toward Tiger Leopard Hall. Considering his status as the eldest son and acting head of the Chen Family, he naturally didn't want to get involved in such a terrifying ss; it was simply unnecessary.
"Well, look who it is. If it isn't Yaoyang. It's been quite so ti, hasn't it?" Just then, a hoarse, aged voice with a decidedly unfriendly tone sounded from behind them.
Chen Fei frowned slightly and turned toward the voice. An old man and a young man were stepping out of another luxurious Rolls-Royce. The old man appeared to be in his sixties or seventies; he was corpulent with dry skin and wore a suit, exuding an air of arrogance.
As for the younger man, a glimpse from the corner of his eye was enough to startle Chen Fei: ssy golden hair, uncanny and pain-filled blue eyes, an incredibly handso Western face, pale skin, and the strange, surging power contained within his blood… A sharp glint flashed deep in his eyes, and the corners of his lips curved into an arc.
A vampire?
He truly hadn't expected to not only see a magnificent, towering castle straight out of a movie but also to encounter a mythical creature from the Western Dark World—a vampire. Back when he was young and learning martial arts, his master had told him about the denizens of the Western Dark World. Vampires, nightmare spirits, necromancers, werewolves, and other creatures from fantasy novels were actually real. While not as exaggerated as in fiction, they still possessed all sorts of incredible powers, putting them on par with the mysterious Ancient Martial Artists of Huaxia. They were not to be underestimated.
The Westerner before him was indeed a vampire, but he seed to be a low-level Baron, equivalent only to a Third Tier Expert among Ancient Martial Artists. To Chen Fei, this was a re novelty. Had it been any other Third Tier Expert, he probably wouldn't have even bothered to give them a second look.
"Uncle Ma," Chen Yaoyang said, giving the arrogant old man a slight bow. His expression was cold, with a hint of frost.
Normally, as the eldest son and acting head of the Chen Family, Chen Yaoyang wouldn't need to be so courteous to just anyone. But this man's identity was extraordinary: he was Ma Shihao, the head of the Ma Family, which ranked third among Hong Kong's Five Great Tycoon Families. Even though the Chen and Ma families had been on bad terms for over a decade, bordering on hostile, Ma Shihao was of his father's generation. Before they completely dropped all pretenses, he had to maintain this false courtesy to avoid giving anyone an opening to gossip.
"Hmph!"
The corpulent Ma Shihao snorted coldly upon seeing Chen Yaoyang's composure. He then turned his gaze to Chen Fei, his narrow, swollen eyes glinting ominously. "Are you the one who dared to make a move against a mber of the Ma Family!?" he demanded with condescending disdain.
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