Having wealth worth tens of millions was nothing special in Yunmeng. But in Shanlong, that much money was enough to make someone a local big shot.
Driving a car worth more than 600,000, Zhang Ching brought Yaoguang to a sixteen-story building.
It was a complex consisting of four buildings arranged in a perfect square. The architecture itself was not particularly distinctive, but the scale of the place was astonishing. Its total floor area was certainly at least 100,000 square meters.
"We're here." Zhang Ching smiled. "Yulong International. It's the most famous entertainment center for people looking to blow their money, both in Shanlong and in Mingguang across the river. Every year, plenty of tourists and foreign guests come here to indulge themselves. Nearly twenty percent of this city's tax revenue depends on this place."
As he parked, he continued, "Not long ago, Master Lei became a shareholder in Yulong International. Aside from practicing at his residence, he spends most of his time here."
Yaoguang nodded in agreement, though he was not really listening to Zhang Ching. Instead, he used his secret technique to track individuals nearby whose Qi and blood were abnormal. Before long, he got the answer he was looking for.
Well, there was good news and bad news. He thought as he calmed the surging Qi and blood in his body. Actually, on second thought... there was only good news.
The first thing he discovered was that, just as he had suspected, Lei Ao's cultivation had skyrocketed because a demon had possessed his body. The second was that Lei Ao was not the only person possessed by a demon in this place. Yaoguang had detected three red points.
This place was actually a demon den.
"Since Master Lei has declared himself the number-one figure in Shanlong, it's rather difficult for us to meet him directly right now. But with Young Master Su's identity, if you simply hint that you want to learn martial arts from him, Master Lei will be more than happy to teach you," Zhang Ching said with a smile.
"There's no need to rush," Yaoguang replied. "Since this is a visit, I need to show my sincerity. He's still working. It won't be too late to meet him after he gets off work."
His secret Perception Technique did not take three-dimensional form; it only detected positions. The building had sixteen floors, and the three red points were scattered throughout it. He did not know for certain which one belonged to Lei Ao. So he would proceed according to plan and eliminate them one by one.
"Young Master Su, you really are very considerate toward others," Zhang Ching praised with an admiring sigh. "So what would you like to do now? Shanlong can't compare with the Tiannan capital, but Yulong International offers all kinds of entertainment. Besides, some things that are strictly forbidden in Dayu aren't regulated as tightly in this border city. You can find any food or toys you want here."
Then the man remembered something. "Young Master Su, you like martial arts, right? Yulong International also has a boxing arena. Would you like to take a look?"
"Sure." Yaoguang nodded.
Compared with Daxia, where he had lived before transmigrating, Dayu as a whole was far more deeply connected to the Martial Way because of the existence of superhumans like Martial Arts Paragons.
At international tournaments, champions could easily rake in billions, and world champions were paid billions just to make appearances at commercial events.
With demand that high, local Martial Way events were held far more frequently than in Daxia. Boxing arenas and fighting rings were common facilities in large-scale commercial centers.
Unfortunately, impressive facilities did not mean impressive fighters. As Ye Yuhe had explained earlier, a martial artist could indeed make a decent profit from city- and provincial-level events.
The participants at Yulong International fell into those categories. Anyone with a Level 1 certificate was allowed to register, with appearance fees ranging from one thousand to tens of thousands. Only large-scale events could attract true experts.
After taking a quick look around, Yaoguang found himself uninterested. Since what he was about to do next absolutely could not have any witnesses, he told Zhang Ching to leave.
After parting from Yaoguang, the young man who had accompanied Zhang Ching finally spoke. "Brother Zhang, the Zhang Family may not be the supreme rulers of Shanlong, but you still have a position here. You follow him around and pay for everything, yet he doesn't appreciate you at all. What kind of background does this Young Master Su have?"
"His background?" Zhang Ching did not feel slighted in the least. Instead, he thought Su Yaoguang's attitude was perfectly natural. He puffed out his chest and said, "Didn't I tell you? Young Master Su is from the Tiannan capital. You tell me—what do you think his background is?"
"The Tiannan capital?" The young man blinked. Then he suddenly realized something, and his eyes flew wide. "Don't tell me he's from the Su Family that founded Buzhou Group, the company that dominates major corporations in industries like electronics, heavy industry, finance, and chemicals..."
"Who else would it be?" Zhang Ching replied.
The young man was instantly stunned.
Buzhou Group was one of the top conglomerate powers in all of Tiannan—if not the number one. Only the old aristocratic families stood above them. The only reason they ranked below those noble clans was the division of their roles. The aristocratic families controlled political power, while the conglomerates controlled financial power. And in Dayu, authority ranked above wealth.
If Dayu were a federal nation driven by a capitalist system, the Su Family's influence would certainly be enough to rival that of the aristocratic families.
More than that, the Su Family's Buzhou Group stood at the pinnacle of Tiannan's corporate world. In its golden age, Grand Master Su was renowned as the richest man in Tiannan.
Three years ago, the Su Family's prestige declined somewhat after Second Young Miss Su Yaoxue broke off her engagement with Ye Xingchen, the fourth young master of the Ye Family. As a result, a rift formed between the two families, which had long been allies. Even so, the Su Family remained firmly entrenched among the top elite in Tiannan's circles of power.
The two young men immediately changed their attitudes. "Brother Zhang, I really didn't expect you to have connections with Young Master Su. Young masters from conglomerate families are usually people you only get to see in movies."
"Yeah, exactly. Just being able to talk with someone like him is enough to prove your ability, Brother Zhang. As for Young Master Su acting cold, that's no big deal. An attitude like that is perfectly fitting for his identity," they chimed in, hastily agreeing with each other.
"I need to go home and ask my father for advice first. If I can be a good host to Young Master Su during his visit to Shanlong, the entire Zhang Family could benefit greatly." Zhang Ching waved casually and quickly left, racking his brain for a way to engineer a chance encounter and win back Su Yaoguang's attention.
Inside the luxury sedan taking him back to his residence, Lei Ao watched the streets glittering with neon lights outside and unconsciously licked his lips. "What a delightful place. Those people from the Artifact Sect... They really know how to enjoy life."
But things were different now. His expression turned cold.
Soon... Soon, we won't have to hide like this anymore.
He stared at the pedestrians outside as if imagining something wonderful, then spoke. "Ah Bao, the industrial zone is short on workers again. Tell the publicity department to recruit more people. I want to inspect the place in three days."
"Yes, Boss," the driver replied.
The car soon slowed and stopped; traffic was backed up ahead. Ah Bao checked for an alternate route, then turned the wheel onto a small shortcut. It was actually a shorter way home, but because the road was uneven and full of potholes, he rarely took it. Even so, as long as he drove slowly, the road was not a major problem.
Suddenly, a rental bicycle overtook them and stopped in the middle of the lane. A young man dressed like a college student got off the bike.
Beep! Ah Bao honked.
The young man ignored him. Walking straight toward the rear door, he raised his hand and knocked on the window.
"Lei Ao?" he asked.
Inside the car, Lei Ao frowned. Before he could answer, Ah Bao had already shifted the car into park, unfastened his seat belt, and prepared to get out—
The young man spoke again. "Forget it. Whether you're Lei Ao or not doesn't matter. You people are all the same anyway."
Bang!
The next second, the locked car door was ripped off by force, sending metal fragments from its hinges scattering across the street.
Just as Lei Ao looked up, an invisible sword reflecting the flicker of the neon lights swept down toward him.
Lei Ao reacted with astonishing speed. As the sword cleaved through the air, he threw his body sideways and backward across the cramped back seat. Both his legs kicked upward like springs releasing their tension, swinging into a kick with explosive force.
One foot kicked at Yaoguang's sword-wielding hand.
The other kicked against the car's B-pillar, and Lei Ao used the recoil from the kick to launch his body sideways at high speed. At the same time, his right hand pressed against the seat, pushing his body up into the air.
The entire sequence of movements flowed with incredible smoothness, as if each motion connected perfectly to the next. His intention was perfectly clear: use his momentum to smash through the window opposite him and escape the cramped space, which was currently putting him at a severe disadvantage.
There was no denying that the man's reaction speed was lightning-fast, honed to its absolute limit.