Chapter 327: The One Who Must Not Be Offended

The two underlings dismissed Lin Xiao as just another passerby, waiting idly under the scorching sun.

Lin Xiao approached them. His expression remained calm as he got straight to the point.

“You’re waiting for me?”

The two underlings, already agitated by the sweltering heat, glanced at Lin Xiao, mistaking him for an ordinary passerby. The moment he spoke, their irritation boiled over, and they turned toward him, ready to lash out.

“You—”

But before they could finish their sentence, an unbelievable sight unfolded before them.

Their boss, the undisputed underground ruler of Jinghai City, abruptly sprang up from his seat. Moving at an astonishing speed, he rushed over to Lin Xiao, bowing deeply as he greeted him with excessive deference.

“Boss Lin, you’ve returned?”

This… this…

The two underlings exchanged bewildered glances, their minds in chaos. They had never imagined that the person their boss had been waiting under the scorching sun for nearly an hour was such a young man.

“What are you standing there for? Pay your respects to Boss Lin!” Old Jin barked at them when he saw them standing there, dumbfounded. He smacked them both on the head.

“B-Boss Lin, Boss Lin!”

Though stunned, the two men were no fools.

Even if they didn’t know Lin Xiao’s identity, their boss’s attitude spoke volumes. Without hesitation, they rushed forward and bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle, greeting him in unison.

Lin Xiao’s expression carried a faint smile as he glanced at them, scanning them up and down. His gaze wasn’t particularly sharp, yet it made Old Jin and his two underlings feel as though their hearts were pounding against their ribs, their mouths suddenly dry.

For a long moment, under their anxious stares, Lin Xiao finally raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you need from me?”

Old Jin swallowed hard and carefully replied, “Boss Lin, nothing really. I just wanted to see you.”

“Oh?” Lin Xiao gave Old Jin a look.

He knew that couldn’t be the real reason. If Old Jin simply wanted to see him, he would have done so long ago. This man feared him too much to visit without a reason.

“If that’s all, then I’ll be on my way.”

With that, Lin Xiao turned and walked off, no longer paying Old Jin any attention.

“Boss Lin! Boss Lin—”

Old Jin panicked. He hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to leave so decisively. Hurriedly, he half-ran after him, trying to stop him.

But Lin Xiao wasn’t someone who could be stopped just because Old Jin wanted him to stay. Even agreeing to meet was already a sign of respect. Yet Old Jin failed to appreciate that.

Old Jin trailed behind Lin Xiao for a good five or six minutes before Lin Xiao finally halted.

“Speak. What do you really want?”

Seeing Lin Xiao stop, Old Jin let out a breath of relief. He hesitated for a moment, but upon noticing Lin Xiao’s growing impatience, he spoke cautiously.

“Boss Lin, do you know that Fang Haoyan, the leader of the Hundred Seat Society, has been killed? Hundred Seat Society has completely fallen apart.”

Lin Xiao nodded. He was the one who killed Fang Haoyan. He was also the one who wiped out the Hundred Seat Society’s core members. Of course, he knew.

“Boss Lin… I wanted to ask… Was it you who killed Fang Haoyan?” Old Jin gritted his teeth and finally voiced his suspicion.

“You came all this way just to ask me that?” Lin Xiao glanced at him. He had no intention of hiding the truth—there was no need to. So he simply nodded. “That’s right. I killed him.”

Hearing Lin Xiao’s direct confirmation, Old Jin, despite having prepared himself, still felt his heart jolt. That was the underground ruler of Jiangnan Province, yet Lin Xiao spoke of his death as if it were nothing.

Even Old Jin, who had anticipated this answer, was shaken. As for his two underlings, they were so terrified they nearly collapsed on the spot.

When news spread that the Hundred Seat Society’s leader had been killed and its core members slaughtered, the entire underworld of Jiangnan Province was in an uproar. They had speculated endlessly about who could have done it.

Of course, they were just guessing. Whether it was Fang Haoyan himself or the one who had taken him down, both existed in a world far beyond their reach.

Yet today, standing before them, was the very man who had ended the Hundred Seat Society and turned it into history.

They stared at Lin Xiao, engraving his face into their memories, marking him as the one person in all of Jiangnan Province who must never be offended.

“There’s something I’d like to ask your guidance on,” Old Jin said cautiously, now even more deferential than before.

“Hm?” Lin Xiao signaled for him to continue.

“Tonight, in Zhenjiang District, there’s an underground fighting tournament. The various underworld forces of Jiangnan Province will send their men to compete in a battle royale to claim the Hundred Seat Society’s former territories and businesses.”

As Old Jin spoke, he carefully observed Lin Xiao’s expression. If he detected even the slightest displeasure, he would shut his mouth immediately.

“Since you took down the Hundred Seat Society, its assets should belong to you. We can’t let outsiders have them. So I plan to send my men to participate in the tournament and seize Hundred Seat Society’s territory to present it to you, Boss Lin. What do you think?”

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle.

Seeing Lin Xiao’s unfathomable smile, Old Jin’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively lowered his head, afraid to meet Lin Xiao’s gaze.

“Save your empty words. You don’t believe them, and neither do I,” Lin Xiao said indifferently. “Tell me your real thoughts, or I’ll leave right now.”

Old Jin raised his hand and lightly slapped himself with a crisp sound. With an ingratiating smile, he said, “Boss Lin, your insight is unmatched. I knew I couldn’t fool you. Fine, I’ll be honest.”

He carefully chose his words, taking utmost care to avoid offending Lin Xiao.

“After you took down Hundred Seat Society, their territories and businesses became ownerless. In the scramble to claim them, the entire underworld of Jiangnan Province has been thrown into chaos. Even Jinghai City’s underworld has been in turmoil. Several factions from other cities are trying to seize control. The fighting has been intense, but with no one gaining the upper hand, they finally agreed to settle it through a tournament.”

“I told you before, no more dirty business. Did my words go in one ear and out the other?” Lin Xiao, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. His indifferent gaze swept over Old Jin.

That single glance nearly made Old Jin piss himself.

His knees buckled, almost collapsing onto the ground. A cold sweat broke out across his back, and despite the blazing sun above, he felt as if he had plunged into an icy winter.

“Boss Lin, I would never dare forget your words! I’ve completely cleaned up my act. I don’t even collect protection fees anymore! If I’m lying, may the heavens strike me down!” Old Jin’s face flushed red as he swore earnestly, his voice trembling with fear.