Xiao Qingdi had meticulously prepared for his marriage proposal, convinced he had it in the bag. After all, women were powerless against luxury and romance.

His method proved effective indeed.

Bai Bing was truly moved to tears.

Yet, Xiao Qingdi never anticipated that in the end, Bai Bing would reject him.

He couldn’t fathom why.

Why would Bai Bing refuse him? That incident had happened so long ago; she should have let it go by now!

It was at this moment that Feng Youling informed him that Ye Qiu was Bai Bing’s boyfriend.

Boom!

Rage blazed in Xiao Qingdi’s eyes. He realized Bai Bing’s rejection was because of another man!

How could he tolerate this?

Pointing at Ye Qiu, Xiao Qingdi demanded of Bai Bing, “You rejected me because of him, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, because of him!”

Hearing Bai Bing’s words, Ye Qiu nearly burst into tears.

Director Bai, oh Director Bai, what have I done to you? Why are you setting me up? Using me as a shield, do you want to see me doomed?

Ye Qiu knew trouble had arrived. A proud man like Xiao Qingdi would never tolerate another man vying for the same woman.

But the thing is, I’m not Bai Bing’s boyfriend!

Ye Qiu regretted it so much that his guts turned green. Had he known, he would never have accompanied Bai Bing to this banquet.

Xiao Qingdi will not let me off the hook, what should I do?

Sneak away?

Looking around, Ye Qiu saw everyone’s gaze fixed on them and realized that escaping was unrealistic.

Besides, this was Feng Youling’s territory; escaping was impossible.

Director Bai, you troublemaker!

Ye Qiu cursed inwardly.

Then, Xiao Qingdi spoke, “Bai Bing, if you agree to be with me, I’ll pretend I heard nothing just now.”

“I will not be with you,” Bai Bing said resolutely.

“In that case, don’t regret it.” Xiao Qingdi’s eyes flashed with murderous intent, his handsome face suddenly darkened, “If I can’t have you, I won’t let anyone else have you either. Old Chen, kill that boy.”

“Yes!”

The grey-robed elder behind Xiao Qingdi responded and approached Ye Qiu.

Bai Bing’s face paled, and she quickly stepped in front of Ye Qiu, “Xiao Qingdi, if you dare to act recklessly, I will never forgive you.”

Little did she know, her words only added fuel to the fire.

“You refuse my proposal and now you want to oppose me for a man?” Xiao Qingdi’s face turned ugly as he ordered the grey-robed elder again, “Kill him!”

“Yes!”

The grey-robed elder, his face cold, said to Bai Bing, “Miss Bai, I don’t wish to hurt you, please step aside.”

“I won’t move! If you have the guts, kill me too!” Bai Bing stood her ground.

“Heh, you are the woman Young Master fancies, I dare not kill you, but…”

Whoosh!

Old Chen suddenly made his move, pointing a finger at Bai Bing’s shoulder.

In an instant, Bai Bing found herself unable to move and exclaimed in shock, “What have you done to me?”

Old Chen said with a chuckle, “Don’t worry, Miss Bai, I’ve merely sealed your acupoint. Once I’ve killed this boy, I’ll release it.”

Bai Bing urgently shouted, “Ye Qiu, run!”

Run? Where could he possibly run to?

Ye Qiu smiled bitterly.

To avoid Chen Yanyu earlier, he had chosen a spot in the corner, backed by a wall, with no escape route.

Besides, the grey-robed elder had easily sealed Bai Bing’s acupoint, clearly a formidable master. Could he possibly escape from such a master?

But,

Ye Qiu was not one to sit idly by.

He clenched his fist quietly, thinking to himself, if all else fails, I’ll fight!

“Boy, to avoid unnecessary pain, I suggest you take your own life,” Old Chen said with his hands behind his back, seemingly kind-hearted.

Ye Qiu replied, “My body and hair are gifts from my parents; how could I take my own life and face their nurturing grace?”

“It seems I must act personally!” Old Chen suddenly exuded a chilling killing intent.

In that moment, Ye Qiu felt as though he wasn’t facing an old man, but a ferocious beast, and his hair stood on end.

Just as Old Chen was about to strike, a voice suddenly rang out:

“Young Master Xiao, Ye Qiu is my friend. Could you please do me the honor of sparing him?”

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up.

The speaker was the Dragon King.

Ye Qiu was surprised, but more than that, he was grateful. He hadn’t expected the Dragon King to step forward and plead for him at this life-or-death moment.

Seeing an imposing elder speak, Xiao Qingdi frowned and asked, “And you are?”

“Young Master Xiao, he is the Dragon King,” Feng Youling whispered to Xiao Qingdi, “I initially refused to let Ye Qiu in, but the Dragon King insisted. Otherwise, none of this would have happened.”

Xiao Qingdi’s gaze grew colder as he looked down at the Dragon King, “You’re the ruler of Jiangzhou’s underworld?”

“I dare not claim such a title, I’m just an old man nearing the end,” the Dragon King said, pointing at Ye Qiu, “Little Ye has saved my life, so I hope Young Master Xiao can do me the honor of sparing his life, and I will be greatly indebted.”

“Do you a favor?” Xiao Qingdi’s lips curled slightly, “Who do you think you are?”

His words sent a chill through everyone present; they hadn’t expected Xiao Qingdi to be so domineering, not even sparing the Dragon King a second glance.

Zhao Yun was furious and stepped forward, only to be stopped by the Dragon King.

The Dragon King smiled and said, “Young Master Xiao, it’s not worth killing over a woman. If you spare Ye Qiu’s life, I assure you that he and Miss Bai will have no further relations.”

“I don’t need your assurances, I want his life,” Xiao Qingdi declared proudly, “I want everyone to know that those who dare compete with Xiao Qingdi for a woman have only one fate: death!”

The Dragon King’s heart sank, not expecting Xiao Qingdi’s intent to kill to be so strong. But as a local power, since he had stepped forward to protect Ye Qiu, he was determined to see it through.

“Young Master Xiao, it’s better to resolve enmity than to deepen it. Spare Ye Qiu’s life, and you gain a friend in me, which is a profitable deal for you.”

“A dying man is worthy of being my friend?”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun could no longer hold back and shouted at Xiao Qingdi, “Watch your words.”

Xiao Qingdi didn’t even glance at Zhao Yun but instead pulled out an ancient-looking token from his pocket and threw it in front of the Dragon King, “Take a good look, what is this?”

The Dragon King picked up the token and saw it was made of pure gold, with the character “Thousand” on the front and a flying dragon on the back.

The Dragon King’s face changed dramatically and asked, “Is this… the Purple Gold Command?”

“You know your stuff,” Xiao Qingdi said coldly, “Ninety-Thousand-Year-Old has a message for you: submit or be destroyed, the choice is yours.”