First update,

...

Men's friendships are sometimes forged in seemingly casual moments, although not always particularly solid, yet sometimes they are more dependable than purely interest-based alliances.

"How about we go for a drink together?"

Such is the beginning of a friendship born from combat, and while there is still a gap in their strengths, this kind of engagement is beneficial for both of them.

Qin Fang took the initiative to extend an olive branch, and Lei Laohu wasn't one to play hard to get, so he immediately invited him with a hearty laugh.

"No problem, but I have to take these two beauties back to the hotel first..."

Qin Fang was indifferent, but he wasn't alone; Ning Yumo and Cai Qing were also with him, and considering the late hour, he needed to at least show some gentlemanly behavior.

"What's the problem? We can go with you, what do you say, Yu Mo?"

Before Lei Laohu could respond, Cai Qing took the initiative, even gently tugging at Ning Yumo's arm and surreptitiously signaling her.

"Qingqing is right, let's go together!"

With such a gesture from Cai Qing, Ning Yumo quickly grasped the meaning and, with a calm smile on her face, amiably agreed.

"I know a good place just up ahead..."

Lei Laohu, not one to be finicky, pointed to a spot not far away and spoke, indicating his familiarity with the area. As a native of the Capital City, the surrounding district was his stomping ground.

Qin Fang didn't object, so he led the two beauties, preparing to follow Lei Laohu.

"Kid, what's your name? From tomorrow on, you're with me..."

As they walked past the kid whom Qin Fang had beaten into a sorry state, Lei Laohu gave him a couple of brisk claps, and the kid immediately gained some vigor.

In fact, the kid was just immobilized by Qin Fang's precision strike at his nerves, looking worse off than he was, but the other hooligans didn't understand this. Lei Laohu, as someone from the martial world, naturally knew.

The kid was lucky in a way; he had charged out bracing himself to be the hero and was instantly taken down by Qin Fang. His fellow brothers all ran away.

If Qin Fang really intended to settle the score with Lei Laohu, then the kid would have undoubtedly met with a grim fate. But instead, Qin Fang and Lei Laohu met, let bygones be bygones with a laugh, and turned from enemies into friends, which in turn brought fortune to the kid, making him the object of Lei Laohu's interest.

"Yes, Lord Hu..."

The kid's eyes nearly popped out in excitement, needless to say how thrilled he was.

It turned out that Lei Laohu wasn't actually just a thug, but his status was much higher than that of the average gang leader. After all, the Lei Family was a big name in the Capital City, and even the toughest leaders in town had to respectfully call him "senior brother."

These hooligans were merely called in to show support for another gang leader. They all wanted to follow him, but Lei Laohu simply didn't take any interest in them.

Yet unexpectedly, such a good opportunity had presented itself. Only this kid had the misfortune turned to luck, taking a great advantage, while the others who had run away would likely meet with unfortunate ends.

The big brother didn't dare to offend Lei Laohu, so it was the underlings who would definitely suffer.

This was just a small interlude, and Qin Fang didn't care too much about it, but this also showed that Lei Laohu was a relatively reliable person.

Lei Laohu led Qin Fang and the others to a teahouse with classic decor. Although it was late at night, the teahouse was still in business, which was quite rare.

"Are you the one from the Cai Family?"

Lei Laohu looked at Cai Qing in front of him with some surprise. The Lei and Cai families had been close for many years, but that was mostly limited to the older generation. The younger generations had grown quite distant.

Cai Qing belonged to the Cai Family, but there were very few in the Lei Family who had actually met her — probably only Lei Peng.

Lei Laohu usually hung around the Beijing-Tianjin area and seldom ventured to the Jiangnan region. Even when he did go, it was mostly to meet some familiar friends, and he had never been to the Cai Family.

"Yes, that's me. Hello, Senior Brother Lei..."

Although she was not fond of men, Cai Qing always maintained her manners in the presence of others, which prevented Lei Laohu from noticing anything unusual about her.

"Sister Cai, good..."

Lei Laohu also politely clasped his fists as a gesture of respect, then immediately turned his face to look at Qin Fang, who was affectionately close to Ning Yumo, his eyes filled with a strange expression. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but ask.

"Young brother, don't tell me that you are... Master Cai's successor in martial arts?"

The marital dispute between the Lei and Cai families was not widely known among the Cai family members, mainly because very few of the Cai family's clan practiced martial arts anymore, but it was different for the Lei family.

In Capital City, the Lei family was a highly respected major clan, in their heyday, unlike the gradually declining Cai family, they were not on the same level.

As one of the prominent figures among the younger generation of the Lei family, this marriage had caused quite a stir; of course, they were also already aware of the Cai family's tactful rejection. Old Master Lei understood Master Cai's predicament, but certain members of the Lei family found this reason quite unacceptable.

Including Lei Peng himself, one of the parties involved, and several other families related to Lei Peng's branch, many were already clamoring to give Qin Fang a heavy "repair."

"If there's no one else, then it must be me..."

Having already promised Cai Qing, Qin Fang naturally could not go back on his word, even though he knew the Lei family would probably be quite troublesome, he couldn't avoid it. He couldn't let a woman like Cai Qing bear it all alone, such was his respect for his own master.

"However, the Tiger's Rush that you used seems to be the Wu Family Tiger Fist..."

Seeing Qin Fang's expression, Lei Laohu realized that this matter was likely not a falsehood, but the issue was that Qin Fang rarely used the Cai Family's Cannon Fist. Instead, during his recent clash with Lei Laohu, Qin Fang had used the Tiger's Rush, a secret technique of the Wu family, despite not being a member of the Wu family.

"That was thanks to a fortunate coincidence, taught to me by Old Master Wu..."

Qin Fang said with a chuckle, albeit his explanation was slightly different from the truth. Indeed, Old Master Wu had once corrected some flaws in this secret technique for Qin Fang, which wasn't so different from having taught it to him personally.

"Brother, that fortune of yours..."

Lei Laohu was immediately awestruck; being from a noble family, he knew all too well how strict the inheritance of martial arts was. Wasn't the conflict between the Lei and Cai families centered on this very issue?

Yet there was Qin Fang, who had no formal ties to the Wu family, and had still learned the Wu's most important and treasured techniques—enough to make even Lei Laohu envious.

Of course, his envy was only mild, and he didn't have any other ideas, especially since he wasn't a match for Qin Fang anyway.

"Brother Hu, in a couple of days I'm going to your Lei family. Could you give me some inside information, let me know whom I should be wary of?"

Qin Fang's question was somewhat abrupt, mostly because he had not known Lei Laohu for long and they had just had a physical altercation, which made their relationship rather complex.

"Of course, if it's inconvenient, then forget it."

Qin Fang naturally wouldn't make it difficult for Lei Laohu to decline the offer.

"What's there to hide? Although Lei Peng and I are cousins, our relationship is just so-so. His branch is quite dominant in the family, mainly because of my third aunt, Lei Peng's mother, whose family is very powerful—they're from the Heavenly Pool Sect... Thus, Lei Peng is considered a figurehead of both families, and his strength ranks among the top in our group of brothers. He usually gives us the cold shoulder, so full of himself, acting as if he's certain to inherit the position of Family Head..."

It was clear that, like any major noble family, the Lei family had its share of prosperity and hidden issues.

The Cai family had many members, but no one was willing to continue the family business, and in the end, such hope fell on Cai Qing, who was destined to be married off.

Of course, Cai Qing's unique sexual orientation might have emerged from this sense of responsibility.

The Lei family of this generation had seven brothers; their sisters were meant to be married off and so didn't count, and the brothers were all considered quite outstanding. For instance, Lei Laohu, despite appearing straightforward and lacking cunning, Qin Fang realized after just a few sentences that he was not so simple.

The Seven Tigers of the Lei Family were well known in the Northern Martial Arts World; they were all fairly young, the eldest being only 30, and all of them were Level 5 Experts, considered masters among the younger generation, with some even rivaling the seasoned Quasi Grandmaster-level Experts.

Lei Peng was such a figure, his strength ranked in the top three among the Seven Tigers of the Lei Family, and even among the Northern Martial Arts World's young generation, he was considered a powerful adversary.

Since he practiced not only the Lei Family's Bear Fist but also the Heavenly Pool Sect's techniques, combining the strengths of both, his power had become even more formidable.

"Little brother, if I'm not mistaken, Lei Peng must have insisted on revisiting the marriage proposal with the old master mostly for the sake of the Cai Family's Cannon Fist inheritance. He's much more talented and insightful than any of our other brothers. If he could fuse the strengths of three families, he would easily break through to the Grandmaster level..."

Lei Laohu seemed quite willing to pour his heart out to Qin Fang, but of course, the implications were not lost on Qin Fang.

To put it bluntly, he was being used as a pawn against Lei Peng, who was simply too strong and had begun to pose a clear threat to his brothers. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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