Chapter 335: Entering the Ring

“Fu Lei?” Li Yunxi furrowed her brows, thinking for a moment before clapping her hands together. “I remember now! There’s a Fu Lei ranked eighth on the Jiangnan Province’s wealthiest list, just a few spots below my father. Could it be him?”

Although Li Liancheng was the richest man in Jinghai City, Jiangnan Province was vast, with countless wealthy businessmen. In terms of wealth, Li Liancheng only ranked fifth overall.

Even so, being fifth in a province with tens of millions of people was already a significant position.

Fu Lei’s ranking was slightly lower, but the gap wasn’t too wide.

Old Jin, unable to hide his envy, nodded. “That’s right. Over the years, Fu Lei has successfully cleaned up his reputation, transforming himself into a well-known businessman in Jiangnan. But while he appears legitimate on the surface, his gang, the Mad Fang Gang, was never disbanded. Under his control, they’ve expanded even further. Now they’re looking to seize Hundred Seat Society’s territory.”

Fu Lei was a legendary figure in Jiangnan’s underworld—a man Old Jin had once idolized. His own goal was to become someone like Fu Lei.

“If Fu Ying is representing the Mad Fang Gang in the tournament, then he must be incredibly strong, right?” Li Yunxi asked.

“Extremely strong,” Old Jin said gravely. “Fu Lei sent Fu Ying to train at the renowned Golden Claw Sect in Jiangdong Province from a young age. He even changed his son’s name from Ying to Eagle. Now, Fu Ying is one of the Golden Claw Sect’s elite students, mastering the powerful Iron Eagle Claw technique.”

The more Old Jin spoke, the more serious his expression became. “In all of Jiangnan’s underground world, there are probably fewer than ten people who can match Fu Ying in a fight.”

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of amusement.

The Golden Claw Sect had recently suffered a humiliating defeat. He had single-handedly crushed a group of their so-called elite students. To him, they were anything but formidable.

At the same time, he found it ironic how small the world was. He never expected to encounter a Golden Claw Sect disciple here.

Of course, Lin Xiao wasn’t aware that the ancient martial arts world and the underground crime world were two entirely separate circles.

Anyone who reached the Bright Force stage was considered a formidable force wherever they went. And if someone reached Dark Force, even the largest criminal organizations would hesitate to provoke them.

Fu Ying was only involved in the underworld because his father was the leader of the Mad Fang Gang and had barely managed to break through to the Ming Jin level himself.

As Old Jin spoke, none of them noticed that behind him, Ding Hong was trembling. His eyes were locked onto Fu Ying with an intense, burning gaze.

Without a word, he stepped forward, heading straight for the ring.

“What are you doing?” Old Jin reacted quickly, grabbing Ding Hong’s arm and whispering harshly.

“I… I want to fight him!” Ding Hong stammered. “I… I can win!”

Though his words were hesitant, his tone was filled with unmistakable killing intent and resolve.

“Boss Lin, what do you think?” Old Jin didn’t believe for a second that Ding Hong could win. However, he didn’t outright stop him and instead left the decision to Lin Xiao.

After all, it was Lin Xiao who had chosen to keep Ding Hong around.

Lin Xiao turned to look at Ding Hong, his expression calm and indifferent. His gaze wasn’t particularly sharp, but under it, Ding Hong felt as if he had been completely seen through.

Ding Hong lowered his eyes, unable to meet Lin Xiao’s stare. His hands trembled slightly, hanging by his sides.

He possessed an animalistic instinct—one that had saved him from death countless times. But under Lin Xiao’s gaze, he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him.

He understood immediately: if Lin Xiao wanted to kill him, there would be no escape.

“You have a grudge against the Mad Fang Gang?”

Hearing this, Ding Hong’s body tensed. He slowly nodded.

“You came here just to get revenge on them?” Lin Xiao asked again.

Ding Hong gritted his teeth. “Yes. I want to kill Fu Ying in front of Fu Lei… so he can taste the pain of losing a loved one.”

His words were eerily smooth, as if he had practiced them countless times.

Old Jin and Li Yunxi’s expressions shifted. They hadn’t expected this scar-covered, silent young man to harbor such deep hatred.

“In that case, leave the money and get in the ring,” Lin Xiao said flatly.

Ding Hong didn’t hesitate. “I… I didn’t touch the money. It’s all still in the nightclub’s VIP room.”

Without another word, he strode toward the ring.

Watching his retreating figure, Old Jin felt a deep unease.

Ding Hong was technically representing him, and if he actually killed Fu Ying in the ring, Fu Lei’s wrath would undoubtedly fall upon him as well.

While he wasn’t necessarily afraid of Fu Lei, he certainly didn’t want to take the blame for someone else’s revenge. But in front of Lin Xiao, Old Jin didn’t dare to voice his concerns directly. Instead, he kept sending desperate glances at one of his underlings, hoping they would speak on his behalf.

Unfortunately, the underling looked completely lost, having no idea why his boss was making such strange facial expressions.

“Boss Lin, I feel like this might not be a good idea…” Old Jin finally forced himself to speak.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Lin Xiao replied without looking at him. “Debts must be repaid. Revenge must be taken. That’s the natural order of things.”

Then, his voice turned colder. “Besides, don’t you want Hundred Seat Society’s territory? If you don’t even have the guts to take a risk, what makes you think you can compete with the others for it?”

Lin Xiao’s words weren’t loud, but they struck Old Jin like a hammer to the chest.

“I understand,” Old Jin muttered, lowering his head in shame.

While Lin Xiao was lecturing Old Jin, Ding Hong had already climbed onto the ring, standing face-to-face with Fu Ying.

The previously silent crowd erupted into noise again, with onlookers cheering and clapping.

Fu Ying narrowed his eyes at Ding Hong’s cold, hatred-filled gaze. “You know me?”

Ding Hong said nothing.

Instead, he lunged forward, crossing the distance in two steps. His right hand curled into a claw, aiming directly for Fu Ying’s eyes.

“Hmph. Showing off your skills in front of an expert?”

Fu Ying sneered and sidestepped the attack. At the same time, his hand chopped downward at Ding Hong’s shoulder.

But Ding Hong ignored the counterattack. He recklessly threw himself at Fu Ying’s weak points. His every move was brutal, clearly fighting with his life on the line.

Surprisingly, this forced Fu Ying back a few steps.

The spectators erupted in shock.

“Damn it!”

Fu Ying was growing frustrated. While Ding Hong’s overall skill was inferior, his relentless and suicidal fighting style made up for the difference.

For the first time, Fu Ying felt pressured. His gaze darkened, and he suddenly bent his fingers into claws, veins bulging as he activated his Iron Eagle Claw technique.

His clawed hand slashed across Ding Hong’s face, tearing off his mask and revealing a face so hideously scarred that Fu Ying involuntarily flinched.

That moment of hesitation cost him.

Ding Hong seized the opening, drove both fists into Fu Ying’s chest, and sent him staggering back several steps. His face turned red, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Ding Hong’s killing intent exploded. His face twisted into something monstrous as he lunged forward, hands aiming for Fu Ying’s throat.

But just as his fingers were about to clamp down—

His body suddenly froze.

A look of pain flashed across his face before he collapsed straight to the ground.

On the sidelines, Lin Xiao’s eyes turned icy.

“What happened?” Li Yunxi grabbed his arm, shaking it. “He was about to win! Why did he fall?”

“Because he was sabotaged,” Lin Xiao replied with a cold smirk.

Old Jin’s anger erupted. He pointed furiously at the Mad Fang Gang members and roared, “Despicable! Shameless!”