Return of the Celestial King

Ouyang Feifei pulled a face, stuck out her tongue, and said with a laugh,

”You can’t blame me for this, Manni. You never asked!”

Chen Man Ni was exasperated. ’How could I have possibly thought to ask about something like that?’

Ouyang Tianqi explained with a helpless sigh,

”Alas, what can I do? My granddaughter is incredibly strong-willed. She’s almost never used the Ouyang Family’s connections, insisting on making her own way through hard work, step by step.”

Everyone could tell that despite his words, his tone was filled with a deep sense of pride.

For a young woman like Ouyang Feifei to achieve so much on her own was exceptionally commendable.

Moreover, everyone understood that it would have been incredibly easy for her to use Ouyang Tianqi’s influence.

At the very least, she wouldn’t be just a simple officer!

Hearing this, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but glance at Ouyang Feifei a few more times, his respect for her growing.

”Come, come, everyone, have a seat...”

Ouyang Tianqi said, playing the part of the gracious host.

Soon, the group of powerful figures was chatting and laughing with great enthusiasm.

But soon, Huo Jianqiang walked over and stood beside Qin Tuo.

”Hello, Qin Tuo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Huo Jianqiang said, his greeting lukewarm.

Inside, however, he was scheming. ’What’s the best way to bring Qin Tuo back to the Provincial City?’

After all, it seemed Qin Tuo was on excellent terms with all these influential figures from Ming City.

If he just took him away rashly, it would likely cause a certain amount of trouble.

Huo Jianqiang was, after all, just a Chief Investigator from the Security Pavilion. While he was an influential figure in the Provincial City, his authority didn’t carry as much weight here in Ming City.

Qin Tuo saw right through Huo Jianqiang’s intentions and decided to drop a bombshell.

”You must be that Chief Investigator from the Security Pavilion, right? If it’s just you, you don’t stand a chance of taking me with you.”

Huo Jianqiang froze when he heard this.

When he recovered, his expression slowly turned to ice.

The entire private room fell silent in an instant. Everyone watched with uneasy expressions, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Chen Man Ni finally realized what was happening. ’So this banquet was a trap?’

She kept shooting glances at Ouyang Feifei, trying to ask what was going on.

But Ouyang Feifei could only respond with a wry smile.

’There’s nothing I can do,’ she thought. ’I can’t forget my duty right now.’

Ouyang Tianqi was also just realizing the truth. ’So Huo Jianqiang’s goal this whole time was to take Qin Tuo away?’

He couldn’t help but stand up and ask seriously,

”Jianqiang, what is all this about? Has Mr. Qin committed some crime?”

In the minds of Ouyang Tianqi, Xu Zhigang, and the others, Qin Tuo was a transcendent master who shouldn’t have been careless enough to leave behind any evidence of wrongdoing.

But Huo Jianqiang remained expressionless, his voice cold as ice as he said,

”The Provincial City Jiang Family was massacred. According to our investigation so far, Qin Tuo is the prime suspect!”

Everyone else in the room gasped.

’Qin Tuo massacred the entire Jiang Family from the Provincial City?’

Some of the less informed guests were only just now learning that the Jiang Family, a behemoth in the Provincial City, had been completely annihilated.

This sudden news sent many hearts pounding violently.

Yet Qin Tuo, the man at the center of it all, was calmly sipping his tea, looking completely unruffled and in no hurry whatsoever.

Beside him, Chen Man Ni finally processed what was happening. ’So Huo Jianqiang wants to take Qin Tuo away because of the Jiang Family?’

She shot to her feet and declared loudly,

”What evidence do you have? How dare you falsely accuse Qin Tuo! If you can’t produce concrete proof, you can forget about taking him away!”

Chen Man Ni made her stance clear: she would not let Huo Jianqiang take Qin Tuo away today, no matter what.

Seeing this, Ouyang Feifei quickly got up and pulled Chen Man Ni aside.

”Feifei, what are you doing?”

Chen Man Ni glared at her, her expression filled with displeasure.

Ouyang Feifei said with utmost caution,

”Manni, are you crazy? This Qin Tuo is a murderer who’s killed a lot of people! Don’t do anything rash!”

But Chen Man Ni just snorted coldly and said,

”Feifei, Qin Tuo is my boyfriend. I know what kind of person he is better than you do!”

Ouyang Feifei shook her head emphatically, her voice laced with dread.

”You don’t get it! He single-handedly wiped out over fifty members of the Jiang Family! A person like that is terrifying. You need to distance yourself from him!”

At these words, Chen Man Ni’s expression instantly turned cold.

She scoffed and said,

”Ouyang Feifei, if you don’t know anything, then don’t stand there jumping to conclusions.”

Ouyang Feifei was taken aback, noticing that Chen Man Ni had used her full name.

But, not wanting to see Chen Man Ni get in too deep, she continued to plead,

”Chen Man Ni, you’re being a fool! We obviously have evidence, or we wouldn’t be saying this. He has you completely deceived!”

But Chen Man Ni just sneered and retorted,

”What do you know? The Jiang Family’s young master, Jiang Liang, kidnapped me. After that, when we were in Jin City, the Jiang Family sent wave after wave of assassins to kill us. Did your Security Pavilion bother to investigate any of that?”

Hearing Chen Man Ni’s words, Ouyang Feifei was utterly stunned.

The expressions of the powerful figures in the room shifted as well; only now were they learning of the history between Qin Tuo and the Jiang Family.

Seeing Ouyang Feifei’s dumbstruck expression, Chen Man Ni added coldly,

”Besides, out of the goodness of his heart, Qin Tuo once saved your grandfather’s life. Do you really think he’s a bad person?”

Ouyang Feifei’s face went pale with shock. She quickly turned and asked,

”Grandpa, is what Manni is saying true?”

Ouyang Tianqi gave a wry smile and nodded.

”Yes. And not only did Mr. Qin save my life, he once saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Ming City!”

As soon as he said this, Ouyang Feifei’s disbelief was obvious.

She could believe that Qin Tuo had saved her grandfather’s life. But that one man could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Ming City? ’Who would believe that?’

Huo Jianqiang, who was in a standoff with Qin Tuo, also looked completely bewildered.

Ouyang Tianqi had been a patron to him in the past, and Huo Jianqiang owed him a great debt of gratitude.

Because of this, Huo Jianqiang had always considered himself Ouyang Tianqi’s student.

But even so, he felt that there must be some exaggeration in Ouyang Tianqi’s words.

Thus, Huo Jianqiang couldn’t help but ask,

”Teacher, how could such a young man possibly have done something so monumental? Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”

Ouyang Tianqi’s face instantly darkened, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.