```
"It's Chen Fuguang from the Hidden Dragon Dojo..."
"Why is that kid following behind him?"
Duan Kaiping furrowed his brows tightly, feeling a very bad premonition.
A person's fame is like the shadow of a tree, and the reputation of Li Qi, the Old Dojo Master of the Hidden Dragon Dojo, is significant—even in the circles of Inner Ring City, let alone in a 'backwater place' like Qingcheng.
Although more than twenty years ago, a ruthless person had broken his legs and squashed his fighting spirit, turning him into almost a cripple, the past majesty of 'Dragon King' was still held in high esteem in the underworld.
Such a figure's disciples would naturally be no ordinary individuals.
Compared to other dojos that widely opened their doors, Li Qi was quite strict in selecting his direct disciples to inherit his mantle. To this day, he had only taken in six, each with a reputation in the martial arts world.
Even though Duan Kaiping was a disciple from within the Inner Gate of the Golden Wind Dojo, he wasn't a direct disciple, and his status was fundamentally different from that of direct disciples like Chen Fuguang.
Therefore, seeing the young man he had once tried to kidnap now walking alongside Chen Fuguang, he immediately felt incredibly anxious.
Pat.
The door of the private room was pushed open, and a young man with semi-long hair, bare-chested, with a razor tattoo on his chest, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, walked in.
His physique was somewhat lean, not bulky, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that his muscles were tightly coiled, as if filled with steel beneath the skin, exceptionally rigid, even giving off a blade-like sharp sensation.
"Senior Brother Su."
Duan Kaiping hurriedly got up to greet him.
The others also stood up and called out, "Boss!"
The leader of the Razor Gang, Su Bijin, nodded and said indifferently, "Everyone, sit down."
After everyone was seated, he noticed Duan Kaiping seemed hesitant to speak, and frowning, he said, "What's it, spit it out, don't act like a woman."
Duan Kaiping gave a sheepish chuckle, scratched his head, pointed at the screen showing Xue Jing, and recounted the events from a few days earlier.
After listening, Su Bijin's mouth twitched, and he slapped Duan Kaiping on the head, scolding:
"You fucking idiot, don't you know it's a critical time right now? Didn't Master tell us not to stir up any trouble for now? Are you acting dumb?"
"Causing trouble is one thing, but you couldn't even handle it cleanly, truly useless."
Duan Kaiping muttered, "We still don't know what relationship this kid has with Chen Fuguang... Maybe it was just a chance meeting?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Fuguang in the screen wrapped his arm around the young man's shoulder, as if talking about something, their relationship seeming very good.
"..."
Su Bijin turned his gaze emotionlessly towards Duan Kaiping.
...
[Someone has developed a liking for you, Charm Art experience +1]
[Someone has developed a liking for you, Charm Art experience +3]
[Someone has developed a liking for you, Charm Art experience +5]
...
[Charm Art upgraded to Lv4 (0/1200)]
[Someone has developed a liking for you, Charm Art experience +6]
[Someone has developed a liking for you...]
Suddenly the panel started flashing like mad, a flood of notifications for increased Charm Art experience popping up.
Only then did Xue Jing notice the cameraman pointing the lens at him.
His brow furrowed slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he moved a couple of steps to the side, attempting to get out of the camera's view.
However, the cameraman seemed determined to capture his popularity, the lens staying firmly locked on him.
Chen Fuguang, standing next to him, noticed the situation and put his arm around Xue Jing's shoulder, advising:
"Junior Brother, you have to get used to it. With such exceptional talent and good looks, you'll definitely be a superstar martial artist in the future. You can't avoid this kind of attention."
Fortunately, at this moment, the photographer also realized it was time to stop, and the camera turned in another direction.
```
"Alright, just watch from down here and see how formidable our Hidden Dragon School is."
Chen Fuguang patted Xue Jing on the shoulder and turned to step onto the stage.
As both fighters ascended the stage, the host began to introduce the competitors from each side.
Chen Fuguang's opponent was a man with a higher fat content, his muscles not very pronounced, and his stature quite imposing, almost resembling a mountain of flesh.
According to the introduction, he was a disciple from the Tiger-Rhino Dojo named Xiang Jun, practicing the 'Tiger-Rhino Twin Form' martial arts style.
"Tiger and rhinoceros, huh…" Xue Jing's gaze settled on the man's hefty body.
Shape Imitation Boxing typically has distinct characteristics, and martial artists who specialize in twin forms usually choose 'Tiger-Crane Twin Form,' which combines agility with brute strength. Xue Jing had never seen the aggressively powerful Tiger-Rhino style before.
The match began with the sound of the bell.
Xiang Jun was extremely heavy; every step he took on the eight-sided ring seemed to shake the ground as he charged at Chen Fuguang. He didn't resemble a man but a rampant rhino that even lions and tigers would prefer to avoid.
As the two fighters clashed, Xue Jing was watching intently when suddenly, a hand reached out toward his shoulder.
Since the activation of the panel, skills like fitness, fighting, and aiming had greatly enhanced Xue Jing's reaction speed. The moment he sensed the hand, he reflexively lifted his arm and grabbed the wrist of the incoming hand.
Su Bijin looked at his hand being held with some surprise.
Seeing the puzzled look on the young man's face, Su Bijin tried to show a friendly smile as he said:
"Hello there, young man, my name is Su Bijin."
"I'm a disciple of Jiao Hongyuan from the Golden Wind Dojo and also... the leader of the Razor Gang."
"Bang!"
A corner of the octagon cage suddenly burst open, and the disciple from the Tiger-Rhino Dojo, Xiang Jun, lay on the broken netting with a deep fist imprint indented in his chest, like kneaded clay, knocked unconscious.
Chen Fuguang stepped out from the broken part of the cage and, looking at Su Bijin reaching for Xue Jing's shoulder and being caught, spoke with an icy gaze:
"Hey, what do you think you're doing to my junior brother... ?"
Su Bijin's mouth twitched at the mention of 'junior brother.'
It was the worst possible scenario he had imagined.
This kid... damn it, he's been made a direct disciple by Li Qi!
"…Let's step aside for a word, Master Chen," Su Bijin said with a forced smile.
...
In the private room, Duan Kaiping was on his knees, earnestly and without embellishment recounting the attempt to abduct Xue Jing that night.
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Bijin slammed his head down to the floor, smashing the floorboards with a bang, and blood started to seep out from beneath Duan Kaiping's prostrate face.
"Brother Xue, this was the unscrupulous work of our Razor Gang. I, Su Bijin, apologize on their behalf!"
"I hope you can be magnanimous and let bygones be bygones, considering this an obligation I owe you. If you need the Razor Gang's assistance in the future, just come to me!"
"If there's anything you're still unsatisfied with, just say the word, and I'll make sure it's done!" Su Bijin proclaimed, thumping his chest.
He believed that, given his status, offering such a humble apology was a significant gesture. A young man like Xue Jing must have never witnessed such a grand gesture and would surely let go of any resentment.
However, Xue Jing seemed unmoved, showing no emotion on his face, and simply said quietly:
"Senior Brother Chen, what do you think?"
If Su Bijin's grand apology had been directed to him as an ordinary young man, then Xue Jing might have been impressed by his generosity and agreed to forget the enmity, especially since he wasn't really harmed.
But it was obvious that the other party was intimidated by the Hidden Dragon Dojo, and that made Xue Jing quite reluctant.
Chen Fuguang clearly understood his junior brother's intention.
He nonchalantly sat down on the sofa, propping up one leg over the other, and said carelessly:
"If apologies were enough, then what's the point of practicing martial arts?"
"Let's stick to the rules. Cut off a hand first."
...