Indeed, as Yang Yi had stated, it was utterly impossible for Ye Han to unite the Eight Great Families on his own. Leaving aside the Xuanyuan Family, the Dongfang Family, and the Xuanmen Sect among the Four Great Sects, the Shangguan Family and the Gongsun Family had only recently established a cooperative consensus with the Black God Gang, and now there were clear signs of betrayal or violation of that agreement... suggesting some earth-shattering conspiracy might be hidden further down the line.

The next day: "Agh! We just got here yesterday, and now the Young Master is sending us over to those damned Americans again," Allen complained with a disgruntled cry.

Link shook his head with a wry, helpless smile. "Allen, as a lady, you shouldn't complain. Besides, don't forget we swore allegiance to the Young Master. Does this simple arrangement already make you crumble?"

"Link, as an elegant noblewoman, is this how you should lecture someone like me?" Allen started to retort, but then caught Link's intensely terrifying glare, and a slight curve played on her lips. "Yes, yes, yes! I understand. This time, I’ll make sure those damned Americans don't even have a complete corpse left."

"The Church is inherently our enemy. Sending us to America must be the Young Master's way of increasing our subordinates. Tsk tsk, Rio, this is quite a development!"

Rio laughed it off. "Charlie, if you have something to say, say it. Why drag me into this?"

"Alright, stop talking, all of you. Let's go quickly," Aisha said, momentarily exasperated by these fossilized old monsters. Although Aisha was the youngest present, she spoke with immense authority.

As soon as Aisha's voice fell, the group exchanged nods and vanished from sight.

"Brother Yi, are you truly planning to leave America entirely in the hands of those Blood Kin? They..." Fatty Lin watched Yang Yi standing on the balcony looking out at the scenery, feeling uneasy that his actions seemed somewhat rash, as he perceived the Blood Kin had not fully submitted to Yang Yi and retained a degree of rebelliousness.

"Here, have one." Hearing the voice, Yang Yi pulled out his Zhonghua cigarettes and offered the pack to Fatty Lin.

"Uh!" Fatty Lin took the pack and a memory surfaced. "I remember when we were back in the village, we used to smoke Grandpa Lu's hand-rolled tobacco."

"Indeed." Yang Yi smiled faintly in response. "We have all changed over these years; so many things have transformed."

"Things have changed, but the Earth hasn't. It keeps spinning!"

"Oh? You finally managed to utter a sensible sentence, kid."

Hearing this, Fatty Lin scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. "That’s just because I’ve been around you for too long, right?"

"Hahaha!" Yang Yi laughed heartily, then mused, "Fatty, are you still the same as you were before? Even with the ideals that others might see as utterly childish?"

"No, I have never changed my intention. Building a Jianghu empire belonging to us rogues—that was the vow we made the moment we left the village," Fatty Lin said after taking a drag from his newly lit cigarette. "No matter how naive it sounds, haven't we already taken a huge step forward?"

"Fatty, have you been tired all these years?" Yang Yi's eyes held a rare look of vulnerability, a look that made Fatty Lin realize even Yang Yi’s expression had shifted.

Yes, in this world, anyone would feel tired. And Brother Yi wasn't a god; he was just a mortal. Having gone through so much, weariness was inevitable. Looking at Yang Yi, Fatty Lin spoke, "You probably don't need to tell me about America; I can grasp some of it. It seems Brother Yi wants to give the Blood Kin a chance to prove themselves, which is why you've tasked them with handling everything in America, while you focus on dealing with the Northern Underworld and Ye Han."

"That’s right. Neither the Northern Underworld nor Ye Han's matters can be taken lightly, or else... we'll be eaten down to the very bones." A slight curve touched Yang Yi's lips, tinged with a hint of melancholy.

In truth, Yang Yi hadn't completely trusted the eight Great Princes of the Blood Kin. As a true warlord, especially an outstanding one, he always adhered to the maxim: one must have a ruthless eye for judging people and a unique perspective for assessing situations—a necessity for a warlord. Possessing the capital to make the entire world dance with a colossal lie only reflects the extent of a warlord's ambition.

Using the Blood Kin to conquer the entire American underworld and the Church was certainly a bold move by Yang Yi, especially leveraging the age-old feud between the Blood Kin and the Church. Although he knew the Church wouldn't be completely eradicated, at the very least, he could let the Blood Kin fight a devastating war until the Church sent envoys to negotiate. This tactic was undeniably insidious, which was what Fatty Lin was thinking at that moment.

"Brother Yi, after this banquet, is the North our final destination?" Fatty Lin asked with a complex expression, taking a deep pull from his cigarette.

Yang Yi exhaled a smoke ring. "Yes, the final stop. But when we arrive and the journey halts, there are people we absolutely must eliminate. Ye Han isn't simple. His current ambition is so vast that even I cannot fully discern it. Furthermore, all current signs suggest that his proposal to use the Northern Underworld as the final stage of our conflict has a clear objective: whichever side falls, the victor will inherit the darkness of the entire nation, perhaps even the world."

"Then what are your plans, Brother Yi?" Fatty Lin inquired.

"I don't know. I genuinely don't know what to do right now. Perhaps we truly need to seek answers. Tonight might be a very good opportunity!"

Fatty Lin said nothing, watching the smoke ring curling from the cigarette in his hand, as if each loop symbolized the passage of time, the culmination of fate, the end of matters—a countdown to the cessation of everything.

Night fell quickly. Tonight promised to be another restless one.

Yang Yi, accustomed to his English-style attire, donned his hat, instantly appearing the epitome of a gentleman. Beside him, holding his arm, was Xuanyuan Bing, resplendent in an evening gown with her hair swept up, looking exquisitely beautiful. After ushering Fatty Lin, Xu Ming, Li Sui, and Guo Qing into the car, they sped toward the venue of the banquet.

"Young Master, everything is ready," Tian San and Tian Si appeared beside Ye Han and announced.

"Let’s go!" Ye Han, clad in a tailcoat that accentuated his devilishly charming aura, looked effortlessly handsome. "The long-awaited day has arrived."

Elsewhere, a middle-aged man sat in a car, gazing impassively at the scenery flashing past the window.

"Chief, with so many devils and ghosts gathered tonight, in my humble opinion, you really should..."

"Are you never going to stop? I already said there’s no issue." The middle-aged man glanced at the people seated in the car. "Besides, even if something were to happen, I have complete faith in the Dragon Group's capabilities."

"Chief!"

"Forget it, Long San."

"Long Yi, it's one thing for you not to persuade the Chief, but why...!" Long San looked at Long Yi with utter confusion.

Undoubtedly, the people sitting in this car belonged to China's Dragon Group, and the middle-aged man was Qin Feng, the Vice Chairman of China.

"Did you see the Chief's face? Do you think we could still persuade him?"

Hearing Long Yi’s words, Long San glanced toward Qin Feng’s face, ultimately just shaking his head in resignation. The night descended upon Hangzhou. The weather was beautiful, the stars thick across the sky, creating a feeling of sudden serenity. Yet, beneath the surface of hidden agendas, tonight was set to be a night of shocking change.

The attendance of high-ranking state leaders astonished everyone; the arrival of surging giants from the underworld caused equal surprise, as black and white have been incompatible since ancient times, yet sometimes the contrast was strikingly potent. Former and current heads of the Eight Great Families, along with high-ranking officials from various sectors, were all present. Tonight was destined to be extraordinary.

"Dragon Master, Linhui Residence is just ahead."

Hearing this, the group looked towards Linhui Residence—a vast, garden-style villa surrounded by a multitude of parked cars, clearly indicating a significant number of guests for tonight's event. However, given the sheer size of the villa, it seemed capable of accommodating many people. After Yang Yi and his group alighted from their vehicle, they lingered briefly outside, and Lin Bai drove off following Xu Ming's instructions.

"Yi!" Xuanyuan Bing looked at Yang Yi; the expression on his face shifted the moment he saw the villa.

If anyone were to claim Yang Yi's current expression was a fake smile, a hypocritical grin, or even a pretentious smirk, they would be profoundly mistaken. His rogue-like smile had almost always been Yang Yi's most crucial shield, capable of deceiving anyone in the world. Because from this moment onward, he did not want anyone to decipher what was truly on his mind.

"It's nothing, let's go." Yang Yi led the group toward the villa.

"The Dongfang, Gongsun, Ximen, Tang, Ye, Xuanyuan, Nangong, and my Shangguan Family—the Eight Great Families of China are all here. I believe everyone here is well aware of today's purpose. My Shangguan Family is willing to be placed under national protection. In the days to come, no matter what happens, our priorities will be aligned," Shangguan Qingyun stated, addressing the former and current heads of the Eight Great Families.

"Shangguan, don't misunderstand. While my Xuanyuan Family is here for the banquet, we have not committed to anything. Therefore, whatever agreement you forge is irrelevant to my Xuanyuan Family!" Xuanyuan Hao countered.

"My Dongfang Family feels the same."

"My Ye Family as well!"