Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

When news of Ma Rui's arrest reached the provincial capital, Qiao San was having tea at his private club.

The painting "Shrimp" by Qi Baishi on the wall alone is enough to buy three villas in the provincial capital.

Qiao San usually prefers to entertain guests in this tea room, where he brews a pot of fine Da Hong Pao tea, lights a Cuban cigar, and chats with his business partners, enjoying the sense of control he feels.

But today, he was the only one in the tea room, and the air was so cold it felt like ice crystals could form.

The teapot in front of him contained newly harvested pre-Qingming Longjing tea, its liquor a clear, bright green with a delicate aroma, but he didn't touch it.

His gaze was fixed on the video playing on his phone screen. Ma Rui, his face covered in blood, tearfully confessed to the camera how he had hired online trolls to smear the Jiang Group, even revealing his transfer records and chat screenshots.

After the video finished playing, the comment section refreshed automatically, and the latest comments immediately caught the eye:

"The Qiao family of the provincial capital? You mean the Qiao family that's in real estate? How shameless!"

"Third Master Qiao? Bah! That kind of person should be arrested and thrown in jail!"

"Support the Jiang Group's rights protection! Boycott all of the Qiao family's businesses!"

Qiao San's face turned from ashen to black as the bottom of a pot, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

He suddenly grabbed the purple clay teapot on the table and smashed it hard on the ground.

Snapped!

Hearing the commotion, the butler who was guarding the door pushed the door open to see what was going on, but was glared at by Qiao San and scrambled back to close the door.

"A bunch of useless trash!" Qiao San cursed through gritted teeth.

He wasn't just criticizing Ma Rui.

He was cursing Li Chengwen, that idiot who had tarnished the Qiao family's reputation. He was also cursing Zhao Jingang and Ghost Hand Luo Ping, two self-proclaimed experts from the provincial capital who couldn't even handle a country bumpkin.

But what angered him the most was that young man named Ye Chen.

Qiao San has been in the business world and the underworld for over thirty years. What kind of opponents haven't he seen?

He had dealt with officials, businessmen, and martial artists—both soft and hard, overt and covert—and had never suffered such a great loss before.

This mere lad in his early twenties, a self-taught rogue from who-knows-where, first crippled his skilled men, and ultimately made the Qiao family a laughingstock throughout the province.

Third Master Qiao picked up his phone and dialed a number.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and a lazy voice came from the other end: "Third brother, what's up so late?"

"Brother, things are getting a bit tricky right now. Li Chengwen has fallen, and the online troll company I hired has also been shut down. That kid is no ordinary person; he has a powerful backer behind him."

Qiao San tried his best to keep his tone calm, but he couldn't suppress the anger in his voice.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a faint, cold laugh: "I told you long ago to be clean and efficient in your work, and not to leave any loose ends, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted on waging a propaganda war, and now you've shot yourself in the foot."

"That idiot only knows a limited amount of information, such as transfer records and a few WeChat chat logs, which doesn't involve anything core."

After a pause, Qiao San gritted his teeth and continued, "But the problem is already very clear. Public opinion across the internet is now on the Jiang Group's side, and our people are under pressure within the judicial system. The special investigation team has opened a case, and although they haven't found me yet, if this continues to escalate, sooner or later..."

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly turned sharp, carrying an undeniable authority: "Alright, since underhanded tactics aren't working, let's use open methods. Business matters should be resolved with business rules, and underhanded matters with underhanded rules. Don't you still have a trump card you haven't used?"

Qiao San narrowed his eyes.

He does indeed have one more card to play.

The reason why the Qiao family in the provincial capital has been able to stand firm in the business world and the martial arts world for thirty years is not only because of their business skills, but also because the Qiao family has a group of real masters.

Zhao Jingang and Luo Ping, the Ghost Hands who were sent to Jiangcheng, were already considered rare masters in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the face of the Qiao family's true trump card, those two were not even worthy of carrying each other's shoes.

There's a saying in the ancient martial arts circle of the provincial capital: "Only those with hidden strength can cross the threshold of the Qiao family."

The Qiao family maintains a group of ancient martial arts masters as part of their family's foundation. Among them, the top few are said to have reached the threshold of the Transformation Realm, and there are few rivals to be found in the entire province.

The trump card in Qiao San's hand is none other than the strongest member of the Qiao family.

"Brother, you mean...?"

"I've already sent Old Ghost on his way." The voice on the other end of the phone was indifferent, as if it were a trivial matter.

"He was the old man's personal bodyguard back then, and he served the old man for thirty years. I didn't want to disturb him, but you've made too much of a mess. Let Old Ghost go to Jiangcheng to deal with the people who need to be dealt with and settle the matters that need to be settled."

A smile finally appeared on Qiao San's face, but it was a cold and cruel smile, like a venomous snake baring its fangs.

"With Old Ghost making a move, that kid's dead meat."

"Don't make any mistakes this time." The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of warning.

"The old man's health hasn't been good lately, and many people in the family are eyeing the successor position. You've caused such a stir in Jiangcheng; people are already gossiping about you to the old man. If you don't handle this well, your position will be unstable. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Qiao San hung up the phone, let out a long breath, and then dialed another number.

This time, the person who answered the phone was an old but powerful voice, cold and hoarse, sounding like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other: "Speak."

Even over the phone, Qiao San couldn't help but sit up straight, his tone as respectful as a junior greeting an elder: "Uncle Gui, the target is a young man named Ye Chen, who is currently the deputy director of the security department of the Jiang Group. Zhao Jingang and Luo Ping both fell into his hands before. It is estimated that his cultivation is at the peak of the Dark Force. His origins are unknown, but judging from the way he fights, he should be related to some ancient martial arts sect."

"Ancient martial arts sects? There are plenty of sects in this world that are just seeking fame and fortune. There are very few that truly have a lineage. Even if they are disciples of some reclusive sect, so what? Those below the Transformation Realm are all ants."

Qiao San was overjoyed and quickly said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Gui. The Qiao family will definitely reward you handsomely after this is done."

"No need for a generous reward. I owe the old man my life. Since the old man has spoken, I will naturally make this trip." Uncle Gui's voice paused, then became meaningful.

"But third brother, there are some things you need to think about clearly. In the business world, you can't win a battle by killing people."

Old Ghost's words were a reminder to Qiao San to prepare for the situation.

Qiao San was silent for a few seconds, then said in a deep voice, "Uncle Gui, don't worry. With Ye Chen dead, the Jiang Group will lose its backbone. As long as you can cripple his martial arts or take his life, Jiang Ruoxi, a woman who can't even kill a chicken, won't be able to handle the situation."

"Fine, that's enough. I'll take his life within three days."

The phone hangs up.

Qiao San slowly placed his phone on the table, took a clean teacup, and poured himself a fresh cup of tea.

"Ye Chen, you've been jumping around for so long, it's time to call it a day."

A smug smile appeared on Qiao San's face.

Ye Chen rubbed his nose and muttered, "Who's talking about me? Honey, are you secretly praising my looks in your heart?"

Jiang Ruoxi, who was sitting across from him eating noodles, didn't even look up and coldly tossed out two words: "Dream on."