Celestial Night Emperor

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Matters of Bygone Years

Young Master Qi lounged back in his chair and kicked off his shoes. ”All of you, get out of my way. I’m here for Chuchu today. I’ve been chasing her for over six months and still haven’t landed her. Don’t you get it? That’s what makes it fun.”

A minor influencer, green with envy, said, ”Young Master Qi, I can play hard to get, too. If you like the chase, you can come after me.”

SMACK! Young Master Qi slapped the influencer right across the face.

”Fuck, who the hell are you to play games with me? She’s the young lady of the Chu Family, so she can refuse me. You’re just a fucking bitch. When I call, you’d better come crawling!”

He then lifted his smelly foot and casually unbuckled his belt. ”See this? This belt is covered in diamonds. Crawl over here and lick my foot, and the belt is yours.”

The influencer stared intently at the diamonds on the belt. Finally, unable to resist the temptation, she actually crawled over and began to lick his foot.

Young Master Qi let out a wild laugh and threw the belt at her head. ”Now get lost!”

The influencer clutched the belt, stroking the diamonds, and scurried away with her head down.

The other influencers’ eyes glinted with calculation, cursing themselves for not being shameless enough to seize such an opportunity to profit from Young Master Qi.

Qin Tianxuan watched on with cold detachment, utterly speechless.

Just then, on the banquet hall stage, the members of the Chu Family made their belated appearance.

Though they wore smiles as they greeted their guests and offered thanks, they couldn’t conceal the terror and anxiety on their faces.

The Patriarch, Chu Qianqiu, was nearly seventy, yet he was hale and hearty for his age, without a single gray hair on his head.

He looked to be in his fifties and radiated an air of authority.

Chu Qianqiu leaned in and whispered to his son, Chu Sihai, ”Are you sure the bomb was meant for Chuchu?”

Chu Sihai’s gaze trembled. ”Dad, we’re really being targeted by the Black Dragon Bank. That underworld boss who came out of nowhere, Jin Longhai... do you remember him?”

Chu Qianqiu shuddered. ”You mean that thug from the Northern Domain, Jin Longhai? Wasn’t he arrested and locked up?”

”He was released a long time ago,” Chu Sihai sighed. ”He’s gone legitimate now, a real underworld kingpin. His Black Dragon Bank specializes in finance. It might not be completely by the book, but we can’t find anything illegal about it!”

Chu Sihai was frantic. ”Jin Longhai has nine adopted sons now—they call themselves the Nine Dragons of Jinling. He actually hired a killer to plant a bomb in your granddaughter’s car! That means you, and the rest of the family, could be his next targets at any moment!”

Chu Qianqiu stomped his foot in frustration. ”We’re hosting the Night Emperor tonight! This is supposed to be a moment of glory for us! But if Jin Longhai’s men show up and cause a scene, what will the Night Emperor think? The Chu Family’s plan to rise again will be completely ruined!”

The grudge between Jin Longhai and the Chu Family went back decades.

Chu Qianqiu had nearly forgotten about it. Remembering it now, his anger flared. ”It’s all that unfilial daughter Chu Xinyue’s fault! If Jin Longhai hadn’t taken a liking to her all those years ago, we wouldn’t be in this damned mess.”

Chu Sihai said meekly, ”My sister has been dead for so many years, Dad, please don’t say that. Remember when she came to our door with her son, begging for help? We didn’t even let her in... Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to her child!”

Chu Qianqiu erupted in fury. ”Shut your mouth! Chu Xinyue is not your sister! I disowned her before she died! As for that child, we received word from the Daqin Royal Family—he’s long dead!”

Chu Sihai didn’t dwell on it; he was too afraid of Jin Longhai. ”Dad, I’m out of ideas. What do you think we should do?”

Chu Qianqiu thought for a moment before saying in a low, serious voice, ”We can’t play hardball with someone like Jin Longhai. Find a way to contact him. Ask him what he wants. Do you have his number?”

With a sigh of resignation, Chu Sihai took out his phone and dialed a number with trembling hands.

A grim voice soon came through the line. ”Well now, judging by this number, isn’t this the young master of the Chu Family? How interesting. The Chu Family is contacting me on their own initiative?”

Chu Qianqiu snatched the phone, swallowing his pride. ”Boss Jin, this is Chu Qianqiu. If the Chu Family has offended you in any way, I am prepared to apologize. I hope we can mind our own business from now on. Whatever you need—money, a real estate deal—I can make it happen!”

A sinister laugh echoed from the other end.

Jin Longhai’s voice dripped with contempt. ”Money? I’m not short on money. What I want is to settle a score! Do you remember all those years ago, when I came from the Northern Domain to the Imperial Capital and took a fancy to your daughter?”

Chu Qianqiu forced a placating laugh. ”Chu Xinyue has been dead for years. I threw her out of the family before she died, so this matter has nothing to do with the Chu Family anymore!”

Jin Longhai’s tone remained vicious. ”You think it’s over just because she’s dead? I haven’t gotten my satisfaction yet! Very good. To think the Chu Family has fallen so far as to end up in Jinling City, right on my turf. Let me make myself clear: this isn’t over between us! And another thing—where is Chu Xinyue buried? I’ll dig up her ashes and piss on them just to quench the hatred in my heart!”

The line went dead.

Hearing this, Chu Sihai began to tremble uncontrollably, growing even more panicked.

Chu Qianqiu’s brow furrowed deeply. ”Put that aside for now. The powerful figures of Jinling are arriving. As long as the Night Emperor graces our Chu Family’s banquet, we’ll have nothing to fear!”

The Northern Domain Night Emperor, whose name shook the world, had become the Chu Family’s last hope.

Just then, a subordinate came to report. ”The young master of Jinling’s Qi Family has arrived. He brought a gift and seems quite interested in our young lady. Should we accept it?”

Chu Sihai was tempted. ”Dad, the Qi Family is powerful and influential, easily one of the top ten prominent families in Jinling. We could consider him as a son-in-law.”

But Chu Qianqiu snorted in disdain. ”What do you know? Have Chuchu get ready. She will be the one to greet the Night Emperor when he arrives. Heh, I spent a great deal of resources to find out that His Majesty the Night Emperor has been a widower for many years and is currently single. Do you understand now?”

Chu Sihai was stunned.

’So this was my father’s grand scheme all along!’

’He’s planning to offer Chuchu to the Night Emperor!’