Chapter 43 Bluffing

In a magnificent and grand palace.

The lighting was dim.

A tall and robust man sat upon the throne, exuding an involuntary, majestic aura.

King Tietuo walked into the grand hall from the distant doors, stopped far away, and dropped to one knee.

"King Tietuo pays respects to the Master!"

The dignified man remained silent. Instead, a scholar-like figure stepped out from the side, gently waving a folding fan, and said calmly: "The Young Master is currently in Snow City of the Northern Kingdom, encountering a tiny bit of resistance. He needs you to lend him a hand."

The man raised his head in utter astonishment: "The Young Master is blessed with peerless talent. He has always attacked whatever he targeted, triumphed in every battle, and succeeded in all endeavors. How could he possibly encounter resistance?"

"Even tigers doze off sometimes. Go. Help the Young Master unify the four great families of Snow City and subsequently rule the Northern Kingdom, and this will be recorded as a great contribution of yours."

"This subordinate will undoubtedly give his all to assist the Young Master! But... rumor has it that the Young Master is as elusive as a divine dragon. This subordinate does not know the Young Master's appearance, so how shall I recognize him?"

"Simple. Romantic and dashing, stealing hearts and charming beauties, surrounded by lovely ladies, and exceptionally skilled at acting superior—that is the Young Master himself. Memorize this well."

"Understood! Thank you, Military Advisor and Master, for your trust. This subordinate will exert all his effort to assist the Young Master!"

"Remember, the Young Master loves to display his superiority in invisible and intangible ways. You must ensure that all prestige is left to the Young Master, and you are not to use force unless absolutely necessary. He is currently competing with a local aristocratic young master. What you must do must be natural and smooth so that you may win the Young Master's appreciation."

"Thank you, Military Advisor, for your teachings. This subordinate will engrave them in his heart!"

...

Snow City.

Lu Chengwen and Xu Xuejiao were eating ice cream.

"Hey, are you really going to get engaged to Leng Qingqiu?"

Lu Chengwen could not be bothered to entertain her: "Engaged my foot. Anyway, the situation is getting a little out of hand right now."

Xu Xuejiao chuckled: "Hey, why don't you get engaged to me instead!"

Lu Chengwen raised his head and looked at the little vixen.

"Big Sister, haven't you teased me enough? I'm warning you not to push your luck. I have a temper too, you know!"

Xu Xuejiao laughed incessantly: "Then... be my boyfriend."

Lu Chengwen smiled: "Alright, come to my house tonight, wear that JK uniform—the kind that's easy to take off—and see how I deal with you."

"Go to hell!"

Xu Xuejiao blushed: "You're never serious."

Lu Chengwen said: "Let me make this clear to you: I entered this project aiming to lose money. I didn't ask you guys to follow along; it was you yourselves who poured fifty or a hundred billion into it. Don't come looking for me if you end up losing money later. It's your own doing, so take responsibility for yourselves."

Xu Xuejiao snorted: "Would you ever do a losing business? I don't believe it for a second. Since you, Lu Chengwen, are willing to sink fifty billion into it, you're bound to make a hundred billion out of it. Do you take me for a fool who doesn't know you?"

"You really don't know me at all," Lu Chengwen said. "The old me had only money in his eyes and no sense of morality. The current me has elevated his soul to a realm similar to that of a sage. As long as this world is filled with love and leaves behind a beautiful mortal realm, I don't care how much money I lose."

"Oh my, you are truly shameless. Grab anyone at random in Snow City and ask them if they believe a single word you're saying."

Lu Chengwen was deeply depressed and just ate his food.

Xu Xuejiao went to pay the bill.

Such a trivial matter was not worth arguing over for Lu Chengwen.

However, after just a short moment, an argument broke out over there.

Xu Xuejiao and a man were quarreling.

"Why are you so despicable? Despicable jerk!"

"Little girl, watch your language, or don't blame me for being unpolite!"

Lu Chengwen hurried over and pushed the man away: "What's going on with you?"

Xu Xuejiao said: "He cut in line! When I called him out on it, he even cursed at me!"

Lu Chengwen looked at the man and shook his head: "Cutting in line is already quite disgraceful, and yet you still curse at people? Are there any adults in your family? Did you never learn any basic manners and virtues?"

Xu Xuejiao said: "Brother Chengwen, don't waste your breath on him. Tell your lackey to beat him up!"

At this moment, Zhao Gang lunged out from an inner booth and shoved the man's arm: "Kid, have a death wish, do you?"

To his astonishment, Zhao Gang discovered that this fellow possessed exceptional physical fitness! Normally, anyone would have been sent flying sideways a few paces from such a push, but this person didn't budge an inch!

While Zhao Gang was momentarily stunned, several more people gathered around. The opposing party clearly had superior numbers!

Yet, Zhao Gang was not one to back down.

"Damn it! Young Master Lu of Snow City and the eldest Miss Xu are eating ice cream right here. Whoever has a death wish, take a step forward!"

Four people stepped forward together.

"Oh, so there's no room for discussion then? Jianghu rules: single combat!"

Zhao Gang roared.

The four men maintained expressionless faces and exchanged glances, their eyes and brows carrying a hint of mockery and disdain.

Lu Chengwen felt something was amiss.

From Zhao Gang's momentary astonishment just now, Lu Chengwen concluded that these individuals were not to be trifled with.

Lu Chengwen quickly intervened: "Oh, forget it, forget it. They clearly look like out-of-towners. Zhao Gang, settle the bill and let's go."

"Understood."

Zhao Gang knew when to yield best; he was fully aware that he probably couldn't handle even one of these individuals.

Therefore, he eagerly took the opportunity to back down.

Xu Xuejiao refused: "Hey! He just cursed at me and hasn't apologized yet!"

Lu Chengwen put his arm around Xu Xuejiao and smiled: "Forget it, forget it. I'll apologize for him. Sorry."

"I won't have it! From childhood until now, no one has ever dared to curse at me. What gives the few of them the right? Are you scared because they outnumber us?"

At this moment, a dark-faced, bulky man stood up from a seat, turned around, and said: "Who the hell is making such a racket that I can't even eat in peace!"

Seeing this person, Lu Chengwen's heart skipped a beat.

Oh crap, you've got to be kidding me?!

What kind of nonsense is this?!

King Tietuo?!

This was a character who was only supposed to appear in the middle-to-late stages of the book!

He seemed to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings in some damn mercenary squad on the northern border. His strength was terrifyingly formidable, his style extremely tyrannical, and in the later stages, he followed Long Aotian devotedly, going through fire and water for him.

How on earth did a guy like this show up so early?!

Not good! I need to find a way to retreat immediately!

Xu Xuejiao angrily said: "Are they your subordinates? You better keep your subordinates in check. They cut in line and then cursed at people!"

"Hahaha!"

The dark-faced bulky man walked over with a laugh: "Sorry, cutting in line is an everyday occurrence for us, and cursing at people rolls right off our tongues. What's more, we actually love beating people up, too."

Xu Xuejiao said angrily: "You're going to beat me? You dare?! My boyfriend is Lu Chengwen, the young master of the Lu family. In Snow City, only he has the privilege of bullying others; no one dares to bully him! Not to mention his girlfriend!"

Lu Chengwen clamped a hand over Xu Xuejiao's mouth and smiled: "You guys settle the bill first, Zhao Gang!"

Zhao Gang hurriedly fished out two thousand yuan and slammed it onto the counter: "Keep the change."

Lu Chengwen pulled Xu Xuejiao toward the exit while muttering: "Goodbye, goodbye."

Xu Xuejiao pushed Lu Chengwen away: "Lu Chengwen! Didn't you see them bullying people?"

Thinking to himself, *Big Sister, there's no way I can explain this to you. This matter isn't that simple; if I'm not careful, I might lose my life right here.*

"I know, I know. We'll talk about it when we get back."

At this moment, King Tietuo chuckled: "Stop right there!"

Lu Chengwen gritted his teeth internally:
[Damn it! I've caught his attention!]

King Tietuo walked over with a smile: "This chick looks pretty decent, huh."

The four bulky men chuckled along: "This chick is not bad."

"Who would have thought that upon my first arrival in this city, I'd encounter such a pretty and cute little girl? Hahaha, the Northern Kingdom really is full of beauties!"

The four bulky men chimed in unison: "The Northern Kingdom is full of beauties!"

Xu Xuejiao glared at him: "Have some shame, will you? What do the Northern Kingdom's beauties have to do with you? With the deadpan looks on the few of you, you look like five wandering ghosts. Standing here for a single glance is enough to make anyone lose their appetite for three days. You'd better steer clear of women from now on, trash!"

King Tietuo laughed heartily: "A violent loli, hahaha, I like it!"

The four bulky men chimed in unison: "A violent loli, I like it!"

Xu Xuejiao felt these people were mental: "Are the four of you broken record players?"

Lu Chengwen drew closer to Xu Xuejiao: "These people are dangerous. Let's leave first."

Xu Xuejiao retorted: "You can leave if you want. Until they apologize, today's business is far from over."

Lu Chengwen nodded: "Alright, then I'll leave first. Catch you another day."

Watching Lu Chengwen actually turn around and walk away, Xu Xuejiao was both shocked and furious.

King Tietuo reached out and grabbed Xu Xuejiao's wrist: "Hahaha, little girl, come back with the King and have some fun, ahahaha..."

At this moment, Lu Chengwen stood at the doorway: "King Tietuo, you damn bastard, let go of her right now!"

King Tietuo never expected this young man to actually call out his name. He was startled for a moment and instinctively released his grip.

"Might I ask who Your Excellency is..."

Lu Chengwen had no other choice.

His brain raced at lightning speed.

According to the plot, none of the Four Heavenly Kings had ever met Long Aotian, nor did they know that he was using the name "Long Aotian" here.

Their organization was extremely mysterious, and practically none of them knew one another.
The fact that he dared to flirt with Xu Xuejiao, the ultimate heroine, meant he hadn't met Long Aotian yet; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared even if you gave him eight hundred extra packs of courage.

In other words, he had just arrived in Snow City and hadn't figured out the situation yet.

Lu Chengwen's heart was pounding wildly, but on the surface, he remained utterly composed.

He lifted his chin slightly, gazing coldly at King Tietuo.

Lu Chengwen slowly walked back inside, approached King Tietuo, stepped in close, and stared directly into his eyes.

For a split second, King Tietuo began to feel slightly uncertain.

This fellow... his footsteps, his aura, his posture... none of them looked like those of someone who practiced martial arts. Why... why did he still carry such a commanding presence?

King Tietuo raised an eyebrow: "Who on earth are you?"

"Who am I?"

Earlier, during the scuffle, Zhao Gang's wrist had been gripped by one of King Tietuo's subordinates. At that moment, feeling a dull ache, he rolled up his sleeve to take a look and was shocked to see it was red and swollen.

Zhao Gang was quick-witted, and by now he had firmly concluded that these individuals were all trained martial artists and exceedingly difficult to deal with. If he stepped up, he would probably just be trash taken out in a single move.

What should he do? He mustn't panic right now—he absolutely could not panic. President Lu was in a standoff with them.

What should I... what method can I use?! They outnumber us, and they're all martial artists...

Lu Chengwen looked at King Tietuo and smiled coldly: "Who am I?"

He turned around and smiled at Xu Xuejiao and Zhao Gang: "This stupid donkey actually has the nerve to ask who I am? Hahaha!"

One of King Tietuo's subordinates made a move to step forward and beat Lu Chengwen up, but King Tietuo raised a hand to stop him.

King Tietuo narrowed his eyes: "Little brother, may I ask your esteemed name, and whether we have any past acquaintance?"

Lu Chengwen turned around, placed his hands behind his back, and looked down at King Tietuo: "I am a dignified God of War; what past acquaintance could I possibly have with trash like you? King Tietuo, I'll ask you just one damn thing: did you or did you not remember what you came to the Northern Kingdom for?"

This single sentence shocked King Tietuo to his core.

Astonished, he muttered: "Could Your Excellency... possibly be..."

"Shut your mouth, you big idiot!"

Lu Chengwen was certain now.

At this very moment, since they hadn't resorted to violence yet, it meant his bluff had mostly likely intimidated them.

The Four Heavenly Kings in this book were essentially a bunch of "single-celled organisms." How should one put it? The author probably didn't use much brainpower when writing them.

They were just plot tools! Possessing extraordinary skills, following the great male lead blindly, obeying orders obediently, working hard diligently, and adding bricks and tiles to the protagonist's quest for prestige... that was all they were good for, so they didn't need to be very smart.

This presented an opportunity. No matter what, he had to get past today first.

He couldn't just muddle-headedly let King Tietuo drag Xu Xuejiao away, could he?

Despite not being as tall as King Tietuo, nor possessing his bulky physique, Lu Chengwen's aura at this moment was absolute royalty-tier.

Lu Chengwen cursed vehemently: "Damn it, have you completely forgotten what you were sent to the Northern Kingdom to do?"

King Tietuo narrowed his eyes, completely at a loss.

"You... could it be..."

*Slap!* Lu Chengwen lashed out and delivered a resounding backhand slap across his large, dark face.