After Sylvia Su and Susan Su had left, Joe Di stepped on the fallen Ryan Ruan. "Speak. How many people did that old bastard Quentin Jia send to deal with me this time? Where are you supposed to take me?"
"I can't say..."
Ryan Ruan had barely uttered those words when Joe Di nodded. "Makes sense. If you talk, that fraud won't let you live. In that case, there's no point in you staying in this world."
Joe Di grabbed his dagger and appeared to swiftly slash at Ryan Ruan's throat. The blade was still half a foot away, yet the chilling murderous intent made the skin on Ryan Ruan's throat tremble.
"Wait, I'll talk..." Fear of death finally broke Ryan Ruan's resolve.
Joe Di tapped his dagger against Ryan Ruan's face. "Stop pretending to be loyal with that act—it's pathetic and just makes me look down on you..."
As he spoke, Joe Di's dagger came down again, slower than before but still relentless. He continued, "How many of Quentin Jia's lackeys came after me, and where are they hiding?"
"Lv Wan and Peter Zheng came to Beijing, but I don’t know where they’re staying. I came with Guo Wei to catch Sylvia Su, while they went after you. Master Jia lives at Immortal Mountain Manor in Sanqiao, Changhu District, Daicheng City. He said once you’re caught, he’ll send people to capture your entire Di Family..." Ryan Ruan blurted it all out in one breath.
This guy is ruthless—almost on par with King Hubert Wu. Joe Di put away his dagger and pressed his palm to Ryan Ruan's brow.
Ryan Ruan hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath before darkness overwhelmed him, plunging him into endless blackness.
A few minutes later, Joe Di dragged two corpses to Echo Young's car.
Echo Young was no stranger to the shadows, but seeing Joe Di return with two bodies still made him secretly admire the man's resolve. No wonder he dared to go up against Quentin Jia—Echo himself didn't have that kind of nerve.
"Echo, I'm planning to head to Daicheng City and take out that old bastard. I don't want to keep worrying about being stabbed in the back." Joe Di had made up his mind to eliminate Quentin Jia; otherwise, he'd always feel a viper lurking behind him.
Echo Young drew a sharp breath and was silent for a full minute before he spoke slowly, "Joe, if you take my advice, don't go to Daicheng City just yet. I know you plan to take out Quentin Jia in secret, but you may not realize just how terrifying he is. If you fail the first time, you may never get a second chance."
Just as Echo Young said, Joe Di intended to kill Quentin Jia with a covert strike. He believed the poison he used would be enough to do it without anyone noticing. Still, Echo's words made him reconsider; maybe it was better not to seek out Quentin Jia right now.
It wasn't that he feared failing and being killed by Quentin Jia in return. He suddenly wanted to master the Di Family Seven Blades before taking him down openly and honorably.
"We'll do as you say—let's handle these two first, then go rest." Joe Di decided to head to Echo Young's place and train in the Grandwalk Codex and Di Family Seven Blades.
......
After Joe Di and Echo Young disposed of the bodies and returned home, dawn had already broken. Echo decided to learn martial arts from Joe Di that night, so as soon as they arrived, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
Joe Di simply began cultivating the Grandwalk Codex. Time flew by as he trained; though the lack of spiritual energy made progress slow, the thin aura in the surrounding space was still drawn in by Joe Di.
Several hours flew by, and when night fell again, Joe Di suddenly felt a lightness throughout his body, as if something inside him had broken through. Waves of relaxation swept over him, and a stronger, more agile sensation surged within.
He had reached the first level of Qi Refinement. Joe Di leapt to his feet, his heart filled with excitement and joy.
He hadn’t slept in days, but now that he’d reached the first level of Qi Refinement, he felt no fatigue or discomfort whatsoever. On the contrary, he was more relaxed than ever. Cultivation was truly on another level compared to martial arts—compared to this, martial training was like a child learning to walk.
"Joe, did you break through?" When Joe Di walked out of his room, Echo Young had already prepared dinner. Even though he’d never cultivated before, he could tell at a glance that Joe Di’s strength had leapt forward.
Now that he’d reached the first level of Qi Refinement, Joe Di’s entire spirit and energy were completely transformed.
"Ha, sharp eyes! Once I break through two more levels, we’ll go to Daicheng City and smash that old bastard Quentin Jia." Joe Di laughed heartily, his mood soaring.
"Deal! The two of us will take him down. Ha, I never thought I’d see the day I’d get to feast on dumplings!" Echo Young laughed heartily. For him, taking down Quentin Jia was even more satisfying than eating dumplings—something he’d never dared to dream of before.
"I’ll go shower first. After I’ve washed up and eaten, I’ll start teaching you the Di Family’s First Blade." Joe Di was determined to pass all seven blades of the Di Family Seven Blades to Echo Young.
......
Weston Hotel, a six-star establishment. The hotel had eighty-eight floors and was located on the busiest stretch of Zhudun Avenue in Beijing.
In the presidential suite on the fifty-eighth floor of the Weston Hotel, Lydia Lu had just showered and was dressed in casual attire, her hair pinned up, looking even more elegant and charming. At this moment, she had none of the deference she showed before Quentin Jia; instead, she exuded the gentle shyness of a quiet young woman.
Standing before Lydia Lu, Zane Bi didn’t dare treat her as a meek young lady. He knew all too well how formidable she was. Even if you stacked up several Zane Bis, they wouldn’t be a match for a single slap from her.
Though Zane Bi was a notorious womanizer, always chasing after pure young girls, he didn’t dare have any designs on Lydia Lu. No matter how perfect the circumstances, he wouldn’t risk it. Outwardly, they shared the same master, but in truth, Lydia’s status far surpassed his.
"Go ahead, tell me what you learned today." Lydia Lu sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.
Zane Bi remained standing, his tone respectful. "Yesterday, Ryan Ruan and Guo Wei called to say they’d captured Sylvia Su and her aunt, Susan Su. But today, I saw Sylvia Su at Yanda, and now I can’t reach Ryan or Guo at all. I suspect something’s happened to them…"
Zane Bi’s suspicion wasn’t unfounded. When Joe Di killed seven of his men in Luojin, he hadn’t sensed a thing. Now that Joe Di was in Beijing, if Ryan Ruan and Guo Wei tried to catch Sylvia Su and ran into Joe Di, odds were they were done for.
Lydia Lu’s expression remained calm as she looked at Zane Bi and said coolly, "Looks like you’ve kept busy these past two days. Have someone keep watch around Yanda. If I’m not mistaken, Joe Di will be heading there soon… Never mind, I’ll go myself."
Clearly, Lydia Lu already knew everything Zane Bi was reporting, but her guess that Joe Di would soon return to Yanda happened to be correct. In her mind, Joe Di was going to Yanda to see either Sylvia Su or Yvette Tan. In reality, Joe Di planned to visit Yanda to meet Sophie Ji.
As for Zane Bi, Lydia Lu looked down on him from the bottom of her heart. After so many years training under their master, he was still only at mid-Yellow rank—a waste of a life.
(That's all for today—good night, friends!)