The person standing outside the door was none other than Huang Zhendong's younger brother and Huang Sheng's fourth uncle, Huang Zhenyang.
Behind Huang Zhenyang stood Huang Sheng, who offered Xu Ke a perfunctory yet restrained smile. "Mister Xu..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ke's gaze flickered slightly before he gave a light nod in greeting, his eyes then shifting to Huang Zhenyang.
Observing Xu Ke's nonchalant demeanor, Huang Sheng couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness. If Xu Ke had shown even a trace of arrogance or the wild pride of a victor, I would have felt better. Because that would mean that at least in his mind, I was considered a rival! But now, he's acting as if nothing happened. It was only then that Huang Sheng clearly understood that the other man had never taken him seriously. All he could do was watch as the man he considered his archenemy drifted further and further away.
Defeated without a fight!
Unaware of his nephew's inner desolation, Huang Zhenyang was secretly rubbing his hands together. Swallowing the feeling of disparity between his status and Xu Ke's, he smiled. "Mister Xu, I'm here to deliver the medicinal herbs. My brother is indisposed, so he sent me specifically."
Because Huang Zhendong had taken a slap from Xu Zhentai for Ouyang Ping yesterday, he was still bedridden. But an injury was no excuse to shirk one's obligations. Huang Zhendong had promised to deliver the herbs, and if he failed, that bastard Qin Feng would undoubtedly start fanning the flames and sowing discord. That would be disastrous for the Huang Family.
For this reason, Huang Zhendong had made a special call to stress the utmost importance of the delivery. He even had someone rush overnight to Sui City to procure better-quality goods. However, when it came to choosing the delivery person, Huang Zhendong found himself in a quandary. Making a phone call was already a strain, so he certainly couldn't go himself. Yet, sending only Huang Sheng would seem insincere. After all, the Qin Family had made a grand gesture by sending ten long-legged beauties, accompanied by the Family Head and his eldest son, to present their gifts. If the Huang Family sent only Huang Sheng, wouldn't the display be embarrassingly shabby in comparison?
In the art of flattery, Huang Zhendong might not have been aiming to be the best, but he had to at least save face. At the very least, he couldn't be outdone by the Qin Family. Therefore, not only did he arrange for both Huang Zhenyang and Huang Sheng to come, but he also orchestrated a huge spectacle. Furthermore, Huang Zhendong had Huang Zhenyang rehearse his lines in advance, all in preparation to metaphorically stab Qin Feng in the back.
Hearing Huang Zhenyang's words, Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. His curiosity piqued, he decided not to ask about the medicinal herbs just yet and instead inquired with a smile, "Oh? How is Family Head Huang feeling now?"
"Thanks to you, Mister Xu, he's fine now. He just needs to rest," Huang Zhenyang replied, not daring to mention Huang Zhendong's dire condition for fear that Xu Ke would misinterpret it as a complaint from the Huang Family.
"Good." Xu Ke laughed and walked to the entrance. When he saw the scene outside, his pupils shrank instantly.
Good heavens! He knew Huang Zhendong would try to make a bigger splash than the Qin Family, but he hadn't expected him to be this excessive.
Wang Qiya, Xu Yi, and the others also peered out curiously. When they saw the spectacle, their eyes all widened in shock.
The ground outside the clinic trembled slightly. Besides the Rolls-Royce driven by the Huang uncle and nephew parked at the door, ten trucks were rumbling to a halt about three meters away. Their dark, heavy chassis resembled steel beasts, and their bodies were clearly armored.
The next moment, two people disembarked from each truck. Xu Ke had initially assumed they were just ordinary drivers and co-drivers. But when he got a clear look at their cultivation levels, his pupils narrowed as he cursed inwardly.
What the hell?! What is this nonsense?!
The twenty people disembarking from the trucks were an astounding configuration of ten pairs, each consisting of one Postnatal Great Perfection Martial Artist and one Innate Middle Stage Martial Artist. In other words, Huang Zhendong was using two high-level martial artists and an armored truck for each portion of the medicinal herbs he was delivering to Xu Ke.
"This setup could be used to transport military supplies to the Northern Dragon Guard for a war," Tang Yingchang blurted out, a rare curse escaping his lips as his eyes widened.
"You people are really something else. It's just a delivery of herbs. Was it necessary to be so wasteful?" Xu Ke was also taken aback.
Postnatal Great Perfection Martial Artists weren't unheard of; he'd killed a whole pile of them just yesterday. But weren't these masters, like Song Zhong and Yuk Ming for example, supposed to be pampered and revered? Even without a prestigious title, they could look down on ordinary people. Yet now, the Huang Family was actually using Postnatal Great Perfection Martial Artists as deliverymen. It was the first time he'd ever seen such a thing.
What is Huang Zhendong up to? This is just bizarre! And how much more would it cost to have these martial artists deliver goods? It's utterly extravagant!
This scene stunned all the shopkeepers around Global Square. What's going on? Are all these martial artists here to destroy this unassuming little clinic? Those who could afford to open shops and buy property here might not have been fabulously wealthy, but they had enough worldly knowledge to recognize the cultivation levels of these delivery drivers. And that was precisely why they were so stunned.
Such a formidable group of people was here just to deliver medicine to this clinic? My god! We need to investigate what kind of powerful figure is staying in this clinic! Since Xu Ke was often away, they had secretly nicknamed the place the "Beauty Clinic," as it was usually just Wang Qiya and Xu Yi in attendance. Now it seems there's much more to this place than meets the eye!
"Mister Xu, this isn't wasteful at all!" Huang Zhenyang said, breathing a secret sigh of relief when he saw Xu Ke's stunned expression. Thank goodness his reaction was what Huang Zhendong expected. Otherwise, I would've been dead meat!
"How is this not wasteful?" Xu Ke was so exasperated he had to laugh.
"These herbs are extremely valuable. We can't entrust their transport to ordinary people. What if they were attacked and the herbs were damaged?" Huang Zhenyang replied, reciting the lines Huang Zhendong had instructed him to say.
...
That was a ridiculous excuse. Right now in Tianhai, our group is the most powerful. Who would dare attack us?
Huang Zhenyang continued his speech with gusto. "As for certain people who, to satisfy their shallow carnal desires, hire common, vulgar women to transport treasures—that is even more ill-advised!
"First, the safety of the treasures isn't guaranteed.
"Second, you, Mister Xu, already have the most peerless beauty in the world by your side. Looking at any other common women would only offend your eyes. It's like owning the most brilliant pearl in existence—why would you pay any mind to a firefly?
"Therefore, we believe that method is truly improper! It's far better to spend a great sum to hire a group of bodyguards to ensure the herbs arrive safely in your hands. Only then can we rest easy!"
Hearing this, Xu Ke was left speechless.
Wow. The Huang Family really went all out just to suck up to me, flatter Wong Qifu, and outdo the Qin Family! They stopped just short of marching to the Qin Family's doorstep and cursing Qin Feng to his face.
After a long pause, Xu Ke finally said, "Alright. Go back and tell Family Head Huang that I've received the sentiment."
"That's great!" Huang Zhenyang nodded, then directed the martial artists to unload the goods. As they worked, the men kept calling out "Mister Xu" with great affection.
The passionate display from these robust middle-aged and elderly men gave Xu Ke the chills. They hadn't been instructed by Huang Zhendong to be so enthusiastic; it was because they had heard about Xu Ke's current status and naturally wanted to be on his good side. If Xu Ke took a liking to any of them, they might be able to latch onto a powerful patron.
A Peak Level Martial Artist! Who wouldn't want to get on his good side?
Unfortunately for them, not a single one managed to catch Xu Ke's eye, and they could only leave dejectedly in their trucks.
RUMBLE...
As the convoy departed, Xu Ke noticed that some of the surrounding shopkeepers had already found out something through their networks and were preparing to come over and greet him. Sensing trouble, he quickly pulled his people inside and hung up a "Closed for Rest" sign.
He had no desire to deal with any more overzealous faces.
