Monster Hunter, start with a wife!

"Stop!"

The leader remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over Cheng Zhuo and his group before finally settling on Cheng Zhuo's face, his tone carrying an arrogant superiority.

The noise around the campsite subsided somewhat.

The hunters resting nearby all glanced over and saw that it was the Bai clan who had stopped the young city lord who had just come out of the Ice Ruins. They all stopped what they were doing and crossed their arms to watch the show.

"Something wrong?" Cheng Zhuo's gaze swept over the clan emblems on the two men's chests, and he already knew what was going on.

The news of Bai Chize's death in the arena has probably spread by now.

He knew that the people behind Bai Chize would definitely cause him trouble, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

However, he believed that the Bai family head, given the Bai family's current prestige, should not be so unable to distinguish right from wrong.

"Please return the King's Heavy Cannon Card, Lord Cheng."

The gray-clad man at the head of the group took half a step forward. His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone within a dozen meters to hear clearly. "That was a treasure that my Bai family had kept for many years. It was taken out by an unworthy descendant to be used as a gambling stake, so it doesn't count. We beg Lord Cheng to return it to its rightful owner. The Bai family will be indebted to you for this favor."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Holy crap, is the Bai family robbing us outright?"

"They proposed the duel themselves, and they placed the bets themselves. The Lighthouse rules are the witness. They're trying to get their money back after losing? Where's their shame?"

"Keep your voice down. That's Master Bai's man. Don't you know Bai Zhengtao? He's notoriously protective of his own in Tianji City."

"This Lord Cheng is really unlucky. He won the cards, and before he could even enjoy them, someone came knocking on his door."

"..."

Cheng Zhuo looked up at the man in gray, a faint smile playing on his lips:

"The Lighthouse Duel is a life-or-death struggle, the rules are clearly written. The stakes are based on individual skill; the winner takes it, the loser accepts their fate. What, are the Bai family members sore losers?"

"Lord Cheng, please watch your words." The gray-robed man's face darkened.

"Bai Chize, being from a collateral branch, has already violated the clan rules by using clan treasures without permission. His bet is invalid. I advise the city lord to be sensible; it's just a card, not worth offending the entire Bai clan."

He spoke politely, but the threat was palpable.

The aura of a peak seventh-tier cultivator wafted out slightly, and the surrounding air grew a bit colder.

Another man in gray stepped forward, and the two men formed a pincer movement, subtly blocking Cheng Zhuo's escape routes on both sides.

Elder Moonshadow took half a step forward, but Cheng Zhuo stopped her with a look.

Just as Cheng Zhuo was about to speak, a cold snort suddenly came from the outer edge of the crowd.

"Damn it, who do I think is making a fool of themselves here?"

The crowd spontaneously parted to make way for each other.

An elderly man dressed in a blue cloth robe walked in slowly. His hair was white, and he had his hands behind his back. He was not tall, but he looked like a heavy mountain when he stood there.

His face was deeply wrinkled, and his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. When he swept his gaze over the two men in gray, it was with undisguised coldness.

The two men in gray turned pale the moment they saw the old man.

"Grand Steward," the head man said, his voice trembling, and he instinctively lowered his head. "What brings you here?"

"If I didn't come, would I just watch the two of you embarrass the Bai family here?"

The old man took two steps forward and stood in front of the two men. His voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to strike at their hearts: "You dare to ask for what you lost in a duel back in public? When did the Bai family start raising such losers who only want what they can't have?"

"Chief Steward, we are acting on the orders of the Second Master..."

"Second Master's order?" The old man's eyes sharpened. "The Bai family's rules dictate that in any dispute over the notarization of the lighthouse, the outcome is predetermined, and no one can hold anyone accountable afterward. Can Second Master's order supersede the Bai family rules?"

Sweat beaded on the forehead of the man in gray, and he forced himself to speak:

"But those are King series cards, priceless! How can they fall into the hands of outsiders? Second Master said we must get them back..."

"Take it back?" The old man scoffed and raised his right hand.

The man in gray's expression changed drastically: "Steward Gao Wang! I'm the Second Master's man, you can't touch me!"

"Let your second master go and talk to the head of the family himself."

As Gao Wang finished speaking, he flicked his fingertips lightly.

Two pale white beams of energy shot out suddenly, so fast that their trajectories were impossible to discern.

The two gray-clad men, both at the peak of the seventh rank, didn't even have a chance to react. Two clouds of blood mist suddenly exploded from their chests, and they were sent flying nearly a hundred meters away, their injuries definitely not minor.

The entire process took no more than a breath.

The camp was deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the two Bai family servants struggling and vomiting blood on the ground, and then at the old man with his hands behind his back and a calm expression. The entire camp fell silent.

Two peak seventh-tier cultivators, just like that, they're gone?

Cheng Zhuo's eyes twitched slightly.

He had secretly activated his detection ability, focusing on the old man, and the response he received was "???".

The fact that the strength of the biological organism cannot be detected to its upper limit means that the opponent is at least at the level of 200,000.

Eighth rank.

Moreover, it's not just any ordinary peak eighth rank.

"Chief Steward Gao Wang...it's Chief Steward Gao Wang!"

Someone in the crowd gasped softly, their voice filled with obvious awe.

"No wonder he's so domineering. He's the chief steward of the Bai family head, an old monster at the peak of the eighth rank, who has protected the Bai family for three generations."

"I was wondering who had such audacity to attack even Master Bai's men so readily. It turns out it was Steward Gao."

"This time, Master Bai has really lost face. The man he sent out was slapped away on the spot by his own steward. Hahaha."

Gao Wang seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter. He raised his hand to dust off his sleeves, turned to face Cheng Zhuo, and nodded slightly.

"Lord City Lord, please forgive my poor appearance."

His voice was calm, and a smile appeared on his face, as if he were a completely different person from the old man who had just been furious. "The patriarch and Lord Wei Tiancheng of Tianji City are waiting for you inside the city. Would you be so kind as to come with me?"

Cheng Zhuo had already planned to meet with Deputy City Lord Bai, and now that the other party had taken the initiative to come to him, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

The fact that such a highly respected elder personally came forward and publicly slapped away the second master of the Bai family shows that he was very sincere.

"Thank you for leading the way, Steward." Cheng Zhuo nodded slightly.

He turned his head and whispered to Ruan Qinghe and the others:

"You all go back to the Cloud Top Hotel first, I'll be right back. Elder Moonshadow, come with me."

"Be careful," Ruan Qinghe whispered, her fingertips lightly touching his wrist. A wisp of holy light silently passed over, leaving a mark.

"rest assured."

Cheng Zhuochong smiled at her, then turned and walked forward with Gao Wang.

Elder Moonshadow followed silently beside him, his aura concealed to the extreme, like an imperceptible shadow.

Gao Wang glanced at her sideways, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply slowed his pace and walked alongside Cheng Zhuo.

The people in the camp automatically made way and watched the group leave.

The camp erupted in chaos once again after their figures disappeared at the edge of the snowfield.

"Wow, Cheng Zhuo has such a big reputation! Chief Steward Gao came to invite him personally?"

"What do you know? He's a city lord, after all."

"The City Lord of Tianji City and the Bai Clan Head met with him together? This level of protocol is unprecedented, even for an average eighth-tier Venerable."

"Redstone New City...where exactly is it?"