Chapter 43: Bluffing

In a grand and imposing hall.

The lighting was dim.

A tall, strong man sat on the throne, exuding authority without needing to show anger.

Iron King walked into the hall from the distant entrance, stopping far away and kneeling on one knee.

"Iron King pays his respects to the master!"

The imposing man didn't speak, but a scholar-like figure stepped out from the side, fanning himself with a fan, calmly saying, "The young master is currently in the northern city of Xuecheng, encountering a bit of resistance. He needs your assistance."

The man looked up in surprise, "The young master is a genius, always victorious in every battle, never facing setbacks. How could he encounter resistance?"

"Even tigers nap sometimes. Go and help the young master unify the four major families of Xuecheng, and then dominate the north. This will be a great merit for you."

"I will spare no effort to assist the young master! But... it's said that the young master is elusive, and I have never seen his face. How can I recognize him?"

"Simple. He is charming, loves to flirt, always surrounded by beauties, and excels at showing off. Remember that well."

"Yes! Thank you, strategist and master, for your trust. I will do my utmost to assist the young master!"

"Remember, the young master likes to show off subtly. You must leave all the face to him, and only use force as a last resort. He is currently competing with a local young master from a prominent family. You need to act naturally and smoothly to gain the young master's appreciation."

"Thank you for your guidance, strategist. I will keep it in mind!"

...

Xuecheng.

Lu Chengwen and Xu Xuejiao were eating ice cream.

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

Lu Chengwen didn't want to deal with her, "Engage my foot, things are a bit out of control right now."

Xu Xuejiao giggled, "Hey, how about you get engaged to me instead!"

Lu Chengwen looked up at this little minx.

"Big sister, haven't you had enough fun teasing me? I warn you, don't push your luck. I have a temper too!"

Xu Xuejiao laughed uncontrollably, "Then... be my boyfriend."

Lu Chengwen smiled, "Sure, come to my place tonight, wear that JK uniform, the easy-to-remove kind, and see if I don't teach you a lesson."

"Go to hell!"

Xu Xuejiao blushed, "You're so shameless."

Lu Chengwen said, "Let me make it clear, I'm doing this project aiming to lose money. I didn't ask you to follow, but you all threw in five billion, ten billion. If you lose money, don't come crying to me. It's your own doing, take responsibility."

Xu Xuejiao snorted, "You would do a losing business? I don't believe it. You, Lu Chengwen, are willing to invest fifty billion, so you must be planning to make a hundred billion. Don't think I don't know you."

"You really don't know me," Lu Chengwen said. "The old me only cared about money, not morals. But now, my soul has ascended to a level almost like a saint's. I just want the world to be filled with love, leaving behind a beautiful world. I don't care how much money I lose."

"Oh, please, you're so shameless. Go ask anyone in Xuecheng if they believe that."

Lu Chengwen was utterly depressed, eating his ice cream.

Xu Xuejiao went to pay the bill.

Lu Chengwen didn't bother to argue with her over such a small matter.

But soon, a commotion broke out.

Xu Xuejiao was arguing with a man.

"Why are you so shameless? Shameless man!"

"Little girl, watch your mouth, or I won't be polite!"

Lu Chengwen quickly stepped in, pushing the man away, "What's your problem?"

Xu Xuejiao said, "He cut in line! I called him out, and he cursed at me!"

Lu Chengwen looked at the man and shook his head, "Cutting in line is already disgraceful, and you curse at people? Do you have any manners? Did you learn the five virtues and four beauties?"

Xu Xuejiao said, "Chengwen, don't waste words on him. Call your thugs to beat him up!"

At that moment, Zhao Gang rushed out from a nearby booth, shoving the man's arm, "You looking for trouble, punk?"

Zhao Gang was surprised to find that this guy was in excellent physical condition! He had pushed him, and normally, anyone would have been sent flying a few steps, but this guy didn't budge an inch!

While Zhao Gang was still processing this, several more people surrounded them. The other side clearly had the numbers!

Zhao Gang wasn't one to back down.

"Damn it! Young Master Lu and Miss Xu are here eating ice cream. Who dares to step forward and die!"

Four people stepped forward together.

"Oh, so no room for negotiation? Then it's a duel!"

Zhao Gang roared.

The four men looked at each other, their eyes filled with mockery and disdain.

Lu Chengwen sensed something was off.

From Zhao Gang's momentary surprise, Lu Chengwen concluded that these guys were not to be trifled with.

Lu Chengwen quickly said, "Ah, forget it, forget it. They're clearly out-of-towners. Zhao Gang, settle the bill, let's go."

"Yes."

Zhao Gang knew the stakes. He was fully aware that he might not be able to handle even one of these guys.

So he quickly took the opportunity to back down.

Xu Xuejiao disagreed, "Hey! He just cursed at me, and he hasn't apologized yet!"

Lu Chengwen hugged Xu Xuejiao, smiling, "Forget it, forget it. I'll apologize to you, sorry."

"I won't accept it! No one has ever dared to curse at me since I was a kid. Who do they think they are? Are you scared because they have more people?"

At that moment, a big, dark-faced man stood up from a seat and turned around, "Who's making all this noise? Can't a man eat in peace?"

Lu Chengwen's heart skipped a beat when he saw this guy.

Oh no! Could it be!?

What the hell!?

Iron King!?

Isn't he supposed to appear in the later parts of the story!?

He's one of the four heavenly kings from some border force in the north, incredibly strong, with a domineering style. Later, he follows Long Aotian, loyal to the core, willing to go through fire and water.

Why is he showing up so early!?

This is bad! I need to find a way to get out of here!

Xu Xuejiao angrily said, "Are these your men? You better control them. They cut in line and cursed at me!"

"Hahaha!"

The dark-faced man laughed as he walked over, "Sorry, cutting in line is our habit, and cursing comes naturally. And we also like to hit people."

Xu Xuejiao retorted, "Hit me? You dare!? My boyfriend is Lu Chengwen, the young master of the Lu family. In Xuecheng, only he bullies others, no one dares to bully him! Or his girlfriend!"

Lu Chengwen quickly covered Xu Xuejiao's mouth, smiling, "You guys settle the bill, Zhao Gang!"

Zhao Gang quickly threw two thousand yuan on the counter, "Keep the change."

Lu Chengwen pulled Xu Xuejiao towards the exit, saying, "Goodbye, goodbye."

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

Lu Chengwen thought, big sister, I can't explain this to you. This matter isn't as simple as it seems. If I'm not careful, I might end up dead here.

"I know, I know, let's talk about it when we get back."

At that moment, Iron King laughed, "Stop!"

Lu Chengwen gritted his teeth, [Crap! I've caught his attention!]

Iron King walked over, smiling, "This girl looks pretty good."

The four big guys also laughed, "This girl is not bad."

"Who would have thought that on my first day here, I'd run into such a beautiful and cute little girl. Hahaha, the north is indeed full of beauties!"

The four big guys echoed, "The north is full of beauties!"

Xu Xuejiao looked at him, "Get a grip, what does the north having beauties have to do with you? With your looks, just one glance from you could make someone lose their appetite for three days. In the future, when you see women, just stay away, trash!"

Iron King laughed, "A violent loli, hahaha, I like it!"

The four big guys echoed, "Violent loli, we like it!"

Xu Xuejiao felt these guys were insane, "Are you four parrots?"

Lu Chengwen whispered to Xu Xuejiao, "These guys are trouble, let's go."

Xu Xuejiao said, "You go if you want, but they need to apologize, or this isn't over."

Lu Chengwen nodded, "Fine, I'll go first, we'll talk later."

Xu Xuejiao watched as Lu Chengwen actually turned to leave, both shocked and angry.

Iron King grabbed Xu Xuejiao's wrist, "Hahaha, little girl, come with me for some fun, hahaha..."

At that moment, Lu Chengwen stood at the entrance, "Iron King, you better let her go!"

Iron King was surprised that this young man knew his name and instinctively released his grip.

"And you are..."

Lu Chengwen had no choice.

His mind raced.

According to the plot, the four heavenly kings had never met Long Aotian, nor did they know he was using the name "Long Aotian" here.

Their organization was highly secretive, and they hardly knew each other.

The fact that he dared to flirt with Xu Xuejiao, the female lead, meant he hadn't met Long Aotian yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the guts.

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

Lu Chengwen's heart was pounding, but he remained calm on the surface.

He slightly raised his chin, looking coldly at Iron King.

Lu Chengwen slowly walked in, approaching Iron King, staring straight into his eyes.

Iron King was momentarily unsure.

This guy... his steps, breath, posture... he didn't seem like someone who knew martial arts. Why... did he have such a strong presence?

Iron King raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"

"Who am I?"

Zhao Gang, who had just been grabbed by one of Iron King's men during the scuffle, felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Rolling up his sleeve, he saw it was red and swollen.

Zhao Gang, always quick-witted, now fully realized: these guys were all trained fighters, tough to handle. If he went up against them, he'd be knocked out in one move.

What to do? Can't panic now, absolutely can't panic. Master Lu is confronting them.

I need to... what can I do? They outnumber us, and they're all trained fighters...

Lu Chengwen looked at Iron King and smiled coldly, "Who am I?"

He turned to Xu Xuejiao and Zhao Gang, laughing, "This idiot actually asked who I am? Hahaha!"

Iron King's men were about to step forward to attack Lu Chengwen, but Iron King stopped them with a wave.

Iron King narrowed his eyes, "Young man, may I ask your name? Do we have any past connections?"

Lu Chengwen turned around, hands behind his back, looking at Iron King, "I, a god of war, have no past with trash like you. Iron King, I'll ask you one thing, do you remember why you came to the north?"

This sentence shocked Iron King.

He exclaimed in surprise, "You... could you be..."

"Shut up! You idiot!"

Lu Chengwen was certain.

At this moment, since they hadn't made a move, it meant he had probably bluffed his way through.

The four heavenly kings in this story were essentially "single-celled organisms." How to put it? The author probably didn't put much thought into writing them.

They were just tools! Super skilled, blindly loyal to the main character, obedient, hardworking, adding bricks to the protagonist's show-off endeavors... that's all they were good for, so they didn't need to be smart.

This gave Lu Chengwen an opportunity. No matter what, he had to get through today.

He couldn't let Iron King take Xu Xuejiao away without a fight, could he?

Although Lu Chengwen wasn't as tall or as bulky as Iron King, his aura at this moment was absolutely kingly.

Lu Chengwen cursed, "Damn it, have you forgotten why you came to the north?"

Iron King narrowed his eyes, completely unsure now.

"You... could you be..."

Lu Chengwen slapped Iron King across the face.