Chapter 40: Winds Rise and Clouds Surge!

The six major families—Qin, Li, Gu, Zhang, Liu, and Zhao—naturally received the news as well.

Jiangnan City, Qin Family Estate.

"How arrogant! To dare claim he will wipe out our six major families? A nameless little bastard popping out of nowhere, acting so brazenly—he is courting death!"

Qin Zhennan, the head of the Qin family, wore a look of utter malice. The teacup gripped in his hand was crushed into powder, and the tea inside splashed out with a sharp hiss.

"Big brother, this man’s origins are mysterious. But since he is standing up for the Xiao family, it implies a deep connection with Xiao Longhu from back in the day. It seems there were still quite a few remnants left uncleaned five years ago!" Qin Xiongbei, the second-in-command of the Qin family, frowned as he spoke.

"I suspected as much, but so what? Even if Xiao Longhu were alive, he couldn't have stopped the downfall of the Xiao family!" Qin Zhennan sneered, shaking his head. "Besides, at the council of the six families held the day after tomorrow, the Second Master of the Qi family will be appearing. That little bastard won't stand a chance!"

"With the 'Violent Tiger' of the Qi family on the move, success is guaranteed!" Qin Xiongbei nodded repeatedly.

The "Violent Tiger" of the Qi family was the most capable right-hand man under General Qi. Such a fierce warrior, forged in the fires of the battlefield, was not someone that mere brat could hope to rival.

"Right, go immediately and invite the other five families. Although the Second Master of the Qi family is stepping in, our six families cannot remain idle. To be insulted right to our faces like this—if we don't make that brat pay the price, how will our six families ever stand tall in Jiangnan City again?" Qin Zhennan commanded.

"Understood!" Qin Xiongbei replied. Just as he turned to leave, a voice rang out.

"Master Qin, Second Master Qin, no need to go. We have already arrived."

The leaders of the other five families walked in, their faces grim.

"We are here for one reason: to kill that little bastard and let everyone in Jiangnan City know that our six families are not to be trifled with!"

"As for how to kill him?"

"My proposal is to spare no cost! Identify his weaknesses and carry out a precise strike! He must be wiped out completely, once and for all!" the heads of the Li, Gu, Zhang, Liu, and Zhao families declared in somber tones.

Clearly, they were all deeply resentful of Duan Lingxiao’s threat to annihilate their families. They were determined to drive him to his grave.

***

Jinling, Ouyang Family Estate.

In the main hall, the body of Ouyang Fengri had been transported by a private jet. The room was deathly silent, the heavy scent of blood in the air causing many of the female relatives to nearly vomit.

Ouyang Fengri had been killed in a gruesome manner, leaving no body intact. His head had been crushed, and the bone fragments protruding from his neck were chilling.

"My son, my son! You died so miserably!"

"That damned bastard, how dare he kill you!"

"Mother will surely avenge you! I will make that bastard kneel before you until he kneels to his death..."

A woman dressed in opulent, elegant attire wailed, throwing herself over Ouyang Fengri’s corpse, her full body convulsing with grief. She was his mother, Tu Yanping.

"My dear, do not worry. Zhenbang has been called and will be here shortly," a middle-aged man beside her said, suppressing his own rage as he tried to comfort her. This was Ouyang Hanhai, the father of Ouyang Fengri and the head of the Ouyang family.

He harbored a torrential fury of his own, but as the head of the household, he knew he could not lose his composure. Otherwise, how could he seek revenge?

"Hmph, this is all your fault! I told you to send more experts to protect our son, but you only sent the 'Black and White Impermanence.' Now that our son is dead, you are responsible too!" Upon hearing Ouyang Hanhai’s words, Tu Yanping flew into a rage, pouncing on him and scratching his face viciously with her fingernails.

Ouyang Hanhai did not resist, allowing her to claw his face to shreds. But he was also furious! The "Black and White Impermanence" were experts ranked in the top three hundred of the Qilin List. Yet, they had been killed—and with a single strike! In such a situation, he felt utterly helpless.

"Brother-in-law, sister!"

At that moment, a booming voice echoed from outside the hall. A burly man wearing a general’s armor strode in.

"Zhenbang, look! Look at how miserably your nephew has died!" Tu Yanping threw herself before Tu Zhenbang, her body heaving with wretched sobs.

"Sister, rest assured. Now that I have returned to Jinling, I will make sure that little bastard finds no place to be buried!"

***

Shanghai.

"Damn it! That little bastard is so arrogant! He killed two of my vice presidents, and now Young Master Ouyang is dead too?!" Tokugawa Tsuyoshi, the president of the Jiangnan City Japanese Chamber of Commerce, was livid.

He had thought that inviting Ouyang Fengri would easily settle the matter. He never expected that even Ouyang Fengri would end up dead. The entire force had been wiped out!

Damn it! It would now be incredibly difficult for the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Jiangnan to establish deep cooperation with the Ouyang family of Jinling. The roots they had painstakingly cultivated in Jiangnan had been destroyed just like that!

Tokugawa Tsuyoshi was consumed by rage.

"Damn it, *baka yarou*! Since you dared to ruin my great plans, I will make you die! No one who offends the Great Japanese Empire ends well!"

Tokugawa’s face twisted into a ferocious snarl, his voice like a howling wolf. It frightened a kimono-clad woman kneeling nearby so much that she trembled, accidentally dropping her teacup.

"You're courting death!" Finding an outlet for his rage, Tokugawa grabbed a soft whip and began to lash the woman mercilessly. She screamed continuously as her clothes tore, revealing skin beaten into a bloody pulp.

***

Duan Lingxiao did not care in the slightest about the sensation he had caused. The fall of the three major gangs and the destruction of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce were far more shocking than the fall of the Lu family.

But it was irrelevant to him.

These families and factions had all kicked the Xiao family when they were down; they had to pay the price. He was going to help the Xiao family rebuild their legacy. Moreover, this path would allow him to follow the clues and uncover the truth behind what happened five years ago.

Duan Lingxiao had discovered that his framing and the murder of Xiao Longhu five years ago involved more than just the Murong family of the capital; there were likely even more secretive forces involved.

But there was no rush.

Investigate slowly.

Kill slowly.

He would just keep killing his way up.

"There is the scent of blood!"

Returning to the Xiao family villa, Duan Lingxiao’s expression changed instantly. A thick, pungent smell of blood emanated from within.

He strode into the villa. To his shock, he saw over a dozen corpses—all men from the Black Tiger Hall.

"What is going on?! Who the hell did this?!" Zhao Heihu’s expression shifted violently. These were his most capable subordinates, all of whom had been wiped out. They had all been killed by having their throats slit.

"Mengxue... she’s gone!" Duan Lingxiao’s gaze turned dark.

Before he left to wipe out the three gangs, he had left some of the Black Tiger Hall’s men here to guard the villa for the sake of Xiao Mengxue’s safety. But now? They were all dead, and Xiao Mengxue was missing.

Duan Lingxiao pulled out his phone and dialed Li Dongming’s number.

"Lord Dragon Emperor!" Li Dongming’s voice came through.

"Li Dongming, you have five minutes to find out where Xiao Mengxue was taken!" Duan Lingxiao’s voice was icy, his killing intent undisguised.

"Understood!" Knowing how important Xiao Mengxue was to the Dragon Emperor, Li Dongming replied with absolute conviction.

"Sir, I will immediately mobilize all the brothers of the Black Tiger Hall to search. Even if we have to turn Jiangnan upside down, we will find Miss Xiao’s whereabouts!" Zhao Heihu vowed.

"Wait," Duan Lingxiao said coldly, his eyes as chilling as those of an Asura.

In less than three minutes, Li Dongming’s call came back.

"Speak."

"Lord Dragon Emperor, I just accessed the surveillance system for the entire city of Jiangnan. Half an hour ago, Miss Xiao was abducted by a black van. The vehicle disappeared into the outskirts of Jiangnan—it’s a wilderness area, but there is a water-side villa located there," Li Dongming reported quickly.

"Understood." Duan Lingxiao hung up.

"Sir, the car is ready!" Zhao Heihu said urgently.