Yang Yi had barely finished speaking when he was met with three sharp looks; perhaps only excluding Li Qian, even Liu Qingqing was pursing her lips at him. Seeing their expressions, Yang Yi couldn't help but feel a mix of laughter and frustration. "You must be wondering why I was already here and didn't come out sooner to help you, right?"

"It's good that you know. Knowing full well that none of us are a match for those three, and you still waited before coming out to help—I despise you, Boss!" Ye Xiaohou mumbled, looking somewhat stunned.

"Exactly, you just stood by watching," Liu Qingqing seemed just as displeased with Yang Yi's inaction.

Li Qian, hearing even Liu Qingqing chime in, seemed to step in to defend Yang Yi a bit. She said, "Qingqing, Yi did this only to let the three of you gain a bit more experience. There are many experts in this world."

"Uh!" Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou both paused upon hearing this, pondering internally, and concluded that she was indeed correct. If not for today's confrontation, the two of them truly wouldn't have known that masters were so ubiquitous in this world, especially considering their opponents were from the Black Dragon Society.

When enemies boast many experts, if they themselves are not cautious, the result could be a life-and-death struggle straight out of hell, possibly leading to the loss of life. This wasn't just something they realized; Yang Yi felt it deeply. The battle with the Black Master had taught him much: in the face of absolute power, everything else was merely a paper tiger. To achieve more, one needed overwhelming strength—this was the conviction a monarch, a true powerhouse, must possess.

"Brother Yi, what level is that little girl?" Fatty Lin asked, his face consistently grim, seemingly a bit discouraged.

"Uh, her!" Yang Yi understood why Fatty Lin was asking and could only offer a slight smile. He said, "Don't be fooled by her young age, and don't compare her to yourselves, because she is different from you. Alright, we'll talk about these things later. First, call Yanran to drive over. There are too many of us here; one car won't hold everyone."

"Yes, okay, I'll call right away!" Fatty Lin gave a faint smile, not revealing his thoughts, and pulled out his phone to make the call to the side.

"She's here!" Yang Yi suddenly said, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Brother Yi..." Murong Lianxue appeared before Yang Yi with a sweetly innocent smile and greeted him.

"Mhm, is everything handled?" Yang Yi felt the question was redundant, yet he couldn't help asking. However, seeing Murong Lianxue only smile without answering, he immediately shook his head, knowing very well that this girl handled matters no less capably than any adult.

Amidst the quiet observation of the group, Feng Shi also drove the car over. Upon hearing that Yang Yi had returned, she had been incredibly anxious to see him immediately. Thus, she rushed without delay, setting aside her work to drive a stretched black sedan with Han Zhong.

"Young Master, Dragon Lord!" Feng Shi and Han Zhong opened the car doors and saw Yang Yi standing there with a faint smile; they called out, suppressing their excitement.

"Mhm, you two are here!" Yang Yi said with a light smile and a slight wave of his hand.

"Young Master!" Feng Shi, seemingly unconcerned about Li Qian standing nearby, tightly hugged Yang Yi, as if she wanted to use the warmth of her body to prove that he was truly in front of her, genuinely returned.

Liu Qingqing glanced at Feng Shi and Yang Yi with surprise, then looked at Li Qian, who was simply smiling, and became very puzzled. She nudged Li Qian and whispered, "Qianqian, Qianqian!"

Hearing her friend call her, Li Qian looked at her with confusion. "What is it?"

"Isn't that Feng Shi Yang Yi's servant? Why are they... ? Aren't you jealous?" Liu Qingqing was truly overwhelmed by the serene smile on Li Qian's face.

"Heh, why would I be jealous!" Li Qian seemed to be contradicting herself, as no woman wanted the man she liked to be hugging another woman, and she was very aware of the ambiguous nature of Feng Shi and Yang Yi's relationship, she just hadn't brought herself to ask Yang Yi about it.

"Alright, silly girl, stop crying. If you cry anymore, you won't be pretty," Yang Yi said, feeling a surge of complexity, glancing back at Li Qian with deep apology in his heart.

But just at that moment, Murong Lianxue pouted her small mouth and called out loudly, "Brother Yi, I want a hug too..."

"Pfft!" Feng Shi smiled sweetly and quickly pushed Yang Yi away, only then noticing the little girl nearby, and then... "Thud!" Her heart sank slightly. "This little girl is very strong!"

"Haha! Good, good, good, Lianxue wants a hug too. Let's head back first; I haven't eaten yet," Yang Yi laughed heartily.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

#############################

Meanwhile, in a certain super-villa, a middle-aged man sat in his study, seemingly flipping through documents with a heavy expression. After reading only halfway, his face filled with rage. With a sharp 'Snap!', he slammed his hand on the desk and stood up indignantly, "Japan is this brazen, openly trying to establish a foothold in my Huaxia? Hmph!"

Just as the middle-aged man finished speaking, the study door opened, and an old man walked in calling out, "Master!"

"What is it?" the middle-aged man asked, calming his furious emotions.

"We have news about the person you've been looking for," the old man replied.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression softened, and he immediately inquired, "He isn't dead? He's returned?"

"Yes, someone in City A saw his car and him today, but we can't trace where he went during his more than five months of disappearance?"

"Mhm. Since we know he is safe, that’s good enough. As for where he disappeared to previously? Don't worry about it for now. You can go down,"

"Yes, Master!" The old man bowed and left.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a smoke ring. His expression was complex. He walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and after a long moment, sighed faintly, "This kid has probably been through a lot again. The Black Dragon Society—I imagine he won't hesitate to make a move on them soon. Alas, China's economy will likely see some turbulence, but this is also necessary to clean up the arrogant shadow cast by Japan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly smiled strangely and said, "Old Yang, your grandson is back safe and sound. Aren't you going to see him?"

"Heh heh, he's back, must I go see him?" An elder suddenly appeared in the room. He had snow-white hair but a face full of smiles. He walked up to the middle-aged man and said, "Don't you think the real show is about to begin?"

"Are you referring to the Black Dragon Society?" the middle-aged man asked with surprise.

"I crossed paths with the Black Dragon Society's leader, Yamamoto Kazuo, back when their organization was just starting out. To see it develop into such a massive entity today, one must acknowledge the family backing the Black Dragon Society," the old man, clearly Elder Yang, said, a strange glint flashing in his eyes as he finished.

The middle-aged man seemed to know exactly what Elder Yang meant and asked with great astonishment, "Miyamoto Eiichiro's family?"

"Precisely!"

The middle-aged man's face grew serious, and he was inwardly shocked. He truly hadn't known that the Miyamoto family was supporting the Black Dragon Society. It explained why, after Yang Yi wiped out the Black Dragon Society's strength in Huaxia, they didn't choose to cooperate with the local Yakuza organization, the Yamaguchi-gumi. With the Miyamoto family backing them, there was indeed no need to pay heed to the Yamaguchi-gumi.

"Then, how much chance do you think your grandson has of winning?"

"I don't know." Elder Yang's blunt tone was somewhat similar to Yang Yi's. Indeed, the grandfather and grandson shared a similar temperament. "However, I’m not entirely certain. That rascal always does things in an unexpected manner. I suspect the Miyamoto family might have to surface in Japan this time."

"Mhm, that family hidden in the darkness, feared even by most high-ranking officials in the Japanese government," the middle-aged man continued, taking another drag from his cigarette, "And you? I believe you wouldn't come here for no reason, right?"

"Haha, I'm just here to stay for one night purely on impulse. Don't tell me you won't welcome me?" Elder Yang laughed heartily, glancing at the middle-aged man.

"How could I not welcome you? You old fellow, when I invite you over for a gathering during normal times, you always say you're busy. But when I don't ask, you show up here saying you need lodging. Ah, shameless, utterly shameless!" The middle-aged man finished with an air of helplessness. The two looked at each other and then burst into understanding laughter.

However, by this time, it was approaching evening. Yang Yi and his group were eating at a hotel. The entire table was relentlessly pressing Yang Yi with questions about where he had been recently, who Murong Lianxue was, and a host of other inquiries—one person after another. The meal turned into a dilemma for Yang Yi—whether to eat or not. But there was one person who seemed quite relaxed and content: she was eating heartily, utterly abandoning her little lady-like demeanor. Then again, it wasn't surprising; after all, she was still just a child, and faced with so much delicious food, she certainly wasn't going to miss any opportunity!