Power and wealth bring fragrance

While Wei Yuan and Mu Wanning were healing their injuries, a storm triggered by the Jiu Hua Group was quietly brewing throughout the entire Deep Sea City.

……

Somewhere, it's still that mysterious organization's building, still those luxurious rooms.

A man dressed in a black suit was sitting on a large rosewood chair, toying with a jet-black jade pendant in his hand.

His face was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen clearly; only his eyes were visible.

Those were extremely eerie eyes, with pupils that were a faint dark red, like two clusters of ghostly flames flickering uncertainly in the darkness.

He is the leader of this organization—codenamed "Lord of the Underworld".

Inside the room, besides the Lord of the Underworld, stood a middle-aged man dressed in black. He kept his head down, his expression respectful, and dared not even breathe loudly.

"What did you say?"

The voice of the Lord of the Underworld was low and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against metal, making it indescribably uncomfortable to listen to.

"Reporting to...Reporting to Lord You, the people sent to Deep Sea City...failed."

The middle-aged man's voice trembled slightly: "The assassins are all dead. The target... is unharmed."

"Oh?"

The Lord of the Underworld paused slightly in his hand, which was toying with the jade pendant. A hint of surprise flashed in his dark red pupils: "The entire army was wiped out? How badly was Wei Yuan injured? Have you found out?"

"We've found out," the middle-aged man replied quickly. "According to our informant at the hospital, Wei Yuan was indeed seriously injured, with damaged meridians and internal organ turmoil. He'll need at least half a month of rest to recover."

"Moreover, news just came back that Jiuhua Group, which just announced the successful development of a weight-loss drug, seems to have a close relationship with this Wei Yuan."

"Um?"

The Lord of the Underworld immediately became interested.

Has the message been confirmed?

"Confirmed."

The middle-aged man quickly replied, "Jiuhua Group has indeed developed a new type of weight-loss drug with miraculous effects. The news has already spread, and the entire market is going crazy."

"Some analysts have made preliminary estimates that, based on this drug alone, Jiuhua Group would be worth at least several hundred billion yuan if it were to go public now!"

"Hundreds of billions?"

A glint of greed flashed in the eyes of the Lord of the Underworld.

Recently, the organization has suffered setbacks in several projects, and its cash flow has become somewhat strained.

If we could swallow up this juicy piece of meat, the Jiuhua Group...

"I never expected that Wei Yuan would have such a great benefit in his possession."

A chilling smile curled at the corner of the Netherworld Lord's lips: "Perfect timing. The organization has been suffering considerable losses lately, and funds are a bit tight. Since it's offered up so readily, there's no reason not to accept it."

He stood up, walked to the center of the room, his back to the middle-aged man, and ordered in a deep voice, "Pass on my orders."

"Here!" The middle-aged man immediately straightened his back.

"Gather the organization's elite forces, especially those skilled in infiltration, covert operations, and business operations, and send them all to Deepsea City."

The Lord of the Underworld's voice was cold and resolute, "Have them infiltrate Wei Yuan's inner circle and find ways to bring the Jiuhua Group under their control."

"Does the Lord of the Underworld mean...?" the middle-aged man asked cautiously, "not through violence, but through business means?"

"stupid."

The Lord of the Underworld coldly uttered a single word: "Commercial tactics are merely the surface. What I want is to dismantle from within, exert pressure from the outside, and use both soft and hard tactics, regardless of the means."

He turned around, staring intently at the middle-aged man: "Remember, I'm taking Jiuhua Group. As for Wei Yuan… if he knows what's good for him and obediently hands over Jiuhua Group, I'll spare his life. If he doesn't…"

In the hands of the Netherworld Lord, the black jade pendant suddenly emitted a faint glow, and the temperature in the air seemed to drop slightly.

"Then eliminate him too."

The middle-aged man trembled and quickly bowed his head: "Understood! I'll arrange it right away!"

"Go." The Lord of the Underworld sat back down in his chair and waved his hand. "Oh, and investigate the matter of the remnants of the Mu family as well. I want to see who exactly escaped from my grasp back then."

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man respectfully withdrew, leaving only the Lord of the Underworld in the room.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, a calculating glint in his dark red pupils.

Wei Yuan... Jiuhua Group...

This game is getting more and more interesting.

……

Deepsea City, Parliament Building.

Speaker's office.

The office is decorated in a very solemn style, with dark solid wood desks, a magnificent landscape painting on the wall, and several potted plants in the corner. The overall atmosphere is calm and grand.

Speaker Zhou Zhengming, in his fifties, had some gray hair, but was in good spirits, with bright, piercing eyes that exuded authority. He sat behind his desk, a cup of hot tea in his hand, a kind smile on his face.

On the sofa opposite him sat a young man.

The young man was around thirty years old, with a tall and handsome figure.

His face was exceptionally handsome, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and well-defined lips. He exuded an otherworldly air, as if he were a noble young master who had stepped out of an ancient painting.

He sat upright with his back straight and his hands naturally placed on his knees, his posture elegant and composed.

"Young Master Mu, please try this tea. It's this year's new tea, pre-Qingming Longjing, and it's quite good."

Zhou Zhengming said with a smile, pushing a cup of tea in front of the young man.

The young man nodded slightly, picked up his teacup, took a small sip, then put it down and said with a smile, "Speaker, you're too kind. The tea is excellent, but I'm here on business; enjoying the tea is secondary."

His voice was gentle and warm, unhurried and pleasant to the ear.

"Why."

Zhou Zhengming waved his hand and said with a smile, "Young Master Mu, you're too kind. You came at my invitation, so it's only right that I extend my hospitality. Besides, no matter how urgent things are, a cup of tea won't make a difference."

The young man smiled and did not refuse again.

After exchanging a few more polite words, Zhou Zhengming put down his teacup and changed the subject, getting to the main point.

"Young Master Mu, I won't waste any more words." Zhou Zhengming's expression turned serious. "The reason I've come to you for help this time is because a tricky matter has arisen."

The young man sat up slightly, adopting a listening posture.

"Yesterday, two major cases occurred in our Shenhai City."

Zhou Zhengming's voice was low and deep. "One incident occurred at the police station, where a group of unidentified armed men attacked the station, causing an explosion and resulting in injuries and deaths of several officers. The other incident occurred at the Changfeng Building, where someone used armed drones to launch a fierce battle in the city center."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the young man: "Young Master Mu, you must have heard of these two cases, haven't you?"

The young man nodded: "I've heard a little about it. I just arrived in Deepsea City and heard about these two things. I just don't know the details, so I would appreciate it if the Speaker could enlighten me."

"The details are..." Zhou Zhengming sighed, "If it were just an ordinary case, I naturally wouldn't need to ask for your help. But in both of these cases, martial artists were involved."

"Warrior?"

The young man raised his eyebrows slightly.

"That's right."

Zhou Zhengming nodded, looking at the young man with a sincere tone.

"Young Master Mu, your Mu family is the most renowned martial arts family within a hundred kilometers. According to your martial arts rules, any incidents involving martial artists in the vicinity are to be handled by you. Therefore, I specifically invited you here, hoping to leverage the Mu family's strength to thoroughly investigate this matter."

Upon hearing this, the young man narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp glint flashing within them.

But this hint of sharpness was fleeting, quickly concealed by him. He picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and smiled faintly.

"I never expected anyone would dare to cause trouble on the Mu family's territory. Speaker, you've come to the right people. Leave it to us."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengming's face immediately lit up with a relieved smile: "With Young Master Mu's words, I can rest assured."

"However..." the young man changed the subject, "I have a question. Since martial artists have been involved, it's unlikely to be resolved easily. Speaker, what's the current status of these two cases? Have the martial artists who committed the crimes been apprehended?"

Zhou Zhengming shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face: "To be honest, our enemies are too formidable; we haven't even caught a glimpse of them."

He picked up the tablet on the table, swiped a few times, then opened a video and handed it to the young man: "It's quite a coincidence, though. When they committed the crime at the detective agency, there happened to be someone there doing business. That person, who also seemed to be a martial artist, happened to stop them."

The young man took the tablet and his eyes fell on the screen.

The video shows the rooftop of the Changfeng Building.

In the footage, a young man stands on the edge of a rooftop, his posture upright, his clothes fluttering. Three armed drones approach simultaneously from three directions.

The young man simply raised his hand slightly and tossed out the cement fragments he was holding.

next moment.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three loud explosions followed almost simultaneously as the three drones exploded in mid-air, turning into three fireballs that plummeted to the ground.

The whole process was lightning fast.

The young man's pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints the moment he took a look!

His muscles tensed up instantly, and his fingers gripped the tablet tightly until his knuckles turned white.

The Southern Dipper gives birth to nine needles!

The technique, the power, the angle and timing of the move...

He will never admit his mistake!

This is the Mu family's ancestral skill, the Nine Needles of the Southern Dipper Crossing Life!

Moreover, judging from the person's skill in the video, his mastery of this acupuncture technique has reached an extremely high level, at least the level of great accomplishment!

How is this possible?!

The Mu family's Nine Needles of Southern Dipper Transcendence are traditionally passed down only to direct descendants, requiring training from a young age and the integration of the Mu family's unique internal energy cultivation method. Outsiders have absolutely no chance of learning this skill.

A storm raged in the young man's heart.

But his face showed no sign of anything amiss. His control over his expressions was masterful.

He slowly loosened his grip on the tablet, and in an instant, all the muscles in his body relaxed completely, restoring his ethereal and otherworldly appearance.

He shook his head, handed the tablet back to Zhou Zhengming, and said calmly, "I don't know him. However, since he's on our Mu family's turf, it's necessary for me to get to know him. It'll also help with solving the case."

He looked at Zhou Zhengming and said with a smile, "Speaker, could you please help me find out where he is? I'd like to pay him a visit."

"That's easy." Zhou Zhengming chuckled as he took the tablet.

"Then you'll need to go to the hospital. According to our information, he was injured in the battle at Changfeng Building and should be recuperating at Ronghua Hospital now."

"Ronghua Hospital..."

The young man silently repeated the name, then stood up, straightened his clothes, and gave Zhou Zhengming a slight bow. "Speaker, now that we have a lead, I won't bother you any longer. I'll take my leave now and visit you another day."

"Oh, Young Master Mu, you're too kind." Zhou Zhengming quickly stood up as well. "Should I send someone to accompany you?"

"No need," the young man smiled and shook his head. "It's just a visit to a colleague; I can manage alone."

Having said that, he stopped rambling, turned around, and walked out of the speaker's office.

Zhou Zhengming stood there, watching the young man's departing figure, and thoughtfully stroked his chin.

This young master of the Mu family seemed gentle and refined, but while watching the video just now... he felt that for a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Is it just my imagination?

Zhou Zhengming shook his head, dismissing the thought, and sat back down in his chair.

In any case, with the Mu family involved, this matter should be resolved.

……

The underground parking garage of the Parliament building.

A black sedan was parked quietly in the corner.

The young man opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

The moment the car door closed, the gentle smile on his face vanished without a trace.

Instead, an unprecedented solemnity prevailed.

He looked down at the tablet in his hand—he had copied the video when he left the speaker's office.

On the screen, the image of the young man shooting down the drone mid-air was playing on a loop.

The young man's gaze was fixed on the hand of the person in the picture.

That hand was fair and slender, with distinct knuckles.

The technique was precise and sharp; every movement was just right, without a single unnecessary step.

This is indeed the Southern Dipper Crossing Nine Needles.

Moreover, it was the Nine Needles of Southern Dipper Crossing Life, which had been practiced to an extremely high level.

The young man, Mu Chen, was breathing slightly rapid, and his expression was extremely sharp.

He stared intently at the young man's face in the video, trying to find a trace of familiarity on it.

However, he looked at the person again and again, but he didn't recognize him at all.

This man looked to be in his early twenties, almost ten years younger than him.

There is no such person in the Mu family.

So, who taught him the Nine Needles of the Southern Dipper Crossing?

A thought suddenly flashed through Mu Chen's mind.

Could it be... her?

Mu Chen immediately shook his head. Impossible, she died more than 20 years ago.

However, apart from her, no one else in the Mu family was left out in the outside world, let alone teach outsiders the family's martial arts.

No, daydreaming is useless; I have to go and meet this person first.

Ronghua Hospital.

He had to go to Ronghua Hospital immediately, find this man, and get to the bottom of things!

Mu Chen took a deep breath, placed the tablet on the passenger seat, and then started the car.

With a deep roar, the black sedan shot out of the underground parking lot like an arrow, heading straight for Ronghua Hospital.

Outside the car window, the streetscape of Deepsea City rushed past.

Mu Chen's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His gaze was fixed on the road ahead, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.