Why did you provoke that old man? He's a reincarnation of a deity!

"People?" Yu Hu's mind went blank. Where would he find anyone?

"Li Jun and that guy surnamed Ye left that same day, old man Meng. What do you mean by coming here and injuring my people? Do you really think that just because you're connected to the Zeng family, I won't dare to beat you up?"

"A fat man and a girl." Xiao Nian's wrinkled face was expressionless.

Upon hearing this description, Yu Biao, who was standing behind Yu Hu, leaned down and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing this, Yu Hu's expression turned somewhat grim, and then he nodded.

"You mean that fat guy who injured several of us? My brother Yu Hu was also injured by him, and he still owes us money. If you want to take him away, you'll have to pay us back the interest plus my brother's medical expenses, which is 50,000 taels."

"Extorting me?"

"No money? Old man Meng, you can leave now, and I'll pretend nothing happened."

"What if I don't?" Xiao Nian asked firmly.

Yu Hu's lips twitched.

He lifted his hand from Li Qian's chest, stood up, and Yu Biao and the two martial arts masters behind him followed, forming a fan shape to surround Xiao Nian.

"Old Meng, are you trying to refuse a toast only to suffer a penalty shot?"

The atmosphere became tense.

Xiao Nian looked at him, her expression unchanged.

"So what? You people aren't enough to keep me here."

Yu Hu looked at Xiao Nian with a gloomy expression.

Yu Hu then suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

"Hahahaha, old man Meng, you really have guts. I like making friends with people like you. People can be let go, but I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"I've run into a little trouble, and I hope Mr. Meng can help me out."

"Just say what you have to say."

Yu Hu clapped his hands, and Li Qian, who was standing next to him, signaled everyone to leave and return to their original posts.

"Since Elder Meng is related to the Zeng family, then we're family now. To be honest, do you see anything different about my entourage today?"

"Go ahead," Xiao Nian said, not wanting to hear Yu Hu keep her in suspense any longer.

Yu Hu smiled wryly:

"I used to have a mortal enemy who fled to another land. Now he's back, and he's learned a lot of skills. He's demanding that I give him half of my black market revenue."

"I have no reason to stand up for you regarding your personal grudges. Release them!" Xiao Nian said without any politeness.

"Mr. Meng, please don't be in a hurry. What I mean is that he told me the black industry we need to work on is opium."

Addiction-inducing drugs, which can be addictive to both ordinary people and martial artists, are banned by the Great Xia Empire. The Great Xia Empire has fought several battles with extraterrestrials because of this stuff, but all ended in defeat. In his previous life on Blue Star, Xiao Nian hated this stuff the most.

"Go on. How strong is that person?" Xiao Nian asked, intrigued.

"He was already a Qi Opening Martial Master when he fled, and now he's back with a full set of magical skills. A few days ago, he injured several of my underlings with a mere flick of his wrist."

"I've found many skilled fighters here, including four martial arts masters and even two early-stage Qi Refining generals. You just need to provide support. After it's done, I'll give you 50,000 taels of silver," Yu Hu said, opening his palm.

Fifty thousand? Xiao Nian shook his head secretly. This person didn't really want to invite him; he just didn't want to expend his strength right now.

Once he's sorted out his troubles, if he's just a nobody, he wouldn't mind taking care of himself as well.

However, Xiao Nian didn't care. If his enemies weren't formidable, he could still get 50,000. If they were formidable, it would be his turn to make a move, and it wouldn't be just a mere 50,000.

With overwhelming power, any schemes or tricks are nothing but clownish antics.

As for Yu Hu, just as Xiao Nian had expected, he had only called Xiao Nian along as a precaution. If Xiao Nian didn't have the strength, he wouldn't mind dealing with her.

"Alright, Elder Meng is indeed very straightforward. Then let's wait for the person I invited."

Xiao Nian nodded, got off the black cloud, and then found an open space to sit cross-legged.

……

At midday, the Michigan hunting grounds became lively.

The six experts he invited have arrived.

Xiao Nian was the last to arrive at the banquet. Yu Hu rubbed his hands together and introduced the helpers he had found to Xiao Nian one by one.

Seated at the head of the table were two martial generals with the Tongmai (a type of martial arts technique): one with a buzz cut named Zhao Heng, and the other bald named Qian Meng.

Both of them were top-ranked martial arts masters in Jiangbei Province, and the commissions they earned each year for helping Yu Hu were enough to buy half a street.

When Xiao Nian appeared, neither of them even glanced at her.

The man sitting on the far left below was a tall, thin man with high cheekbones, wearing an open gray jacket, with a short knife tucked diagonally at his waist.

His voice immediately turned sarcastic towards Xiao Nian as soon as he opened his mouth: "Brother Tiger, is this the expert you mentioned you temporarily hired? With a face like that, the wind will probably blow him away."

The other man beside him was short and stocky, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Most noticeably, he was bald, with hardly any hair on his head. Upon seeing Xiao Nian, he pointed to his head and arrogantly said:

"Why are you looking at my head? You know what? I pluck hair from every person I kill, that's why I'm bald like this."

The third was a middle-aged man using a cane. Xiao Nian glanced at his cane, and the man responded:

"What are you looking at? I am the God Leg Flying Over Grass, and it is this very leg that has already trampled a hundred lives to death."

The fourth one was a little older, with two wispy mustaches, and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Brother Tiger, didn't I hear that guy was really tough? Why did you bring an old man? Isn't that just making things worse?"

The tall, thin man immediately chimed in, "Hey old man, don't listen to Rat Whisker. You can stay and watch the show. If we win, we'll steal a hair from you and keep it as a family heirloom—how respectable!"

The bald man laughed heartily, constantly stroking his few remaining hairs: "Hahaha, he's so old, what can he possibly get?"

A middle-aged man with a cane leaned closer, grinning, and said, "You stand behind me later, and I'll show you how awesome my 'divine legs' can make me fly on grass."

The rat-whiskered martial artist frowned and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, that's enough. This old man was invited by Brother Tiger, so give him some face."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Xiao Nian again and added condescendingly, "Brother, if there's too much noise later, run as far away as you can, don't get hurt."

The four of them chatted amongst themselves, their laughter echoing across the campsite.

Yu Hu's face turned pale. Xiao Nian was more than capable of dealing with ordinary martial artists like them, and he was about to reprimand him...

Xiao Nian stopped him, glancing at Yu Hu with an expression that seemed to say, "Where did you find these oddballs?"

"It's alright." His voice was indifferent, and his cane tapped lightly on the bluestone ground beneath his feet. "I'll just watch the excitement."

The bald man chuckled, "Watching the show is fine, but don't get so scared you wet your pants later."

The rat-whiskered martial artist patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, old man, you're pretty brave. You're eighty years old and still dare to come here. You've got guts more than my dad."

The four of them laughed for a while, then turned around and went back to their respective places.

The man with the cane patted his thigh: "Old man, just you wait and see. I'll show you what a real martial arts master who has opened his meridians really looks like."