"I'm Bai Qian'er," the caller said directly.

Xu Ke frowned. "What do you want with me?"

He hadn't given Bai Qian'er his phone number, but with her resources, there were plenty of ways for her to get it.

"Didn't we agree to have a fight? Why did you run away?" Bai Qian'er demanded, her voice laced with anger.

Xu Ke brazenly replied, "I didn't run away. I just left a bit early."

He sidestepped the topic of the duel, clearly having no intention of responding to her challenge.

But Bai Qian'er only grew angrier. "Are you trying to go back on your word?"

Xu Ke yawned. "I'm a bit sleepy, Miss Bai. Let me get some rest; I still have to attend a banquet tonight."

Bai Qian'er was silent for a moment before saying, "Fine, if you want to sleep, go ahead."

"However, let me tell you this. I've already received news that the Xie Family plans to join forces with us to get your auction qualification revoked. They'll also have the Martial Arts Alliance sanction you. Without my testimony, you're done for!"

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He was highly skeptical.

"Would I lie to you? Are you going to agree or not?" Bai Qian'er thought she had him cornered.

Xu Ke was silent for a moment. "In that case, get that woman Lin Fang from your hotel to stop the money I transferred."

He had already put in Xu Yi's three hundred million, bringing the total transfer to over four hundred million. Since he couldn't participate anymore, he figured he should get his money back first.

Bai Qian'er was left speechless. "…With so many people targeting you, aren't you worried at all?"

Faced with this situation, why is his first thought to get his money back from the bank? Isn't he worried about being targeted by the Sui City Martial Arts Alliance and the Xie Family?

"It's not the first time," Xu Ke chuckled.

"So you absolutely refuse to fight me?"

"I'm more interested in why you're so insistent on fighting me," Xu Ke asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I believe you'll definitely join the Northern Dragon Guard in the future, and I don't want to give up my position as number one of the younger generation," Bai Qian'er answered without hesitation.

Hearing this, Xu Ke said something that made no sense to her. "Then you can rest assured. Whether it's now or in the future, as long as no one new shows up, you'll always be number one among the younger generation."

Bai Qian'er let out a confused, "Huh? Why?"

"You'll find out eventually…" Xu Ke offered no explanation.

He knew Bai Qian'er would understand sooner or later.

She wanted to press for more, but Xu Ke said goodbye and hung up the phone. He really needed to get some rest.

Staring at the busy signal on her phone, Bai Qian'er frowned, pondering the meaning of Xu Ke's words. But a moment later, her face flushed red with anger as she finally realized what he meant. He had rejected her again.

That bastard.

「Meanwhile.」

In a detached villa in downtown Sui City, an elderly man sat on the terrace, watching the fading sunset.

"Family Head."

A middle-aged man in a shirt, his face covered in stubble, approached the terrace holding a tablet.

"Sit."

The old man was sprawled on the sofa, more lying than sitting. He was stroking a vaguely shaped piece of iron in his hand.

"This is the file on Xu Ke, the one who caused a scene at the Deyun Hotel earlier."

The middle-aged man opened the tablet and placed it in front of the elder.

"He's the one who hit Jinhua?" The old man looked down, his reading glasses askew as he stared at the video playing on the tablet.

The footage showed the exact moment Xu Ke sent Xie Jinhua flying with a kick.

This elder was the Family Head of the Xie Family, their unshakeable pillar: Xie Hezheng!

"Yes," the middle-aged man nodded.

"How is Jinhua now?"

"The Young Master is currently recuperating and isn't in any serious danger. It seems this Xu Ke knew not to deliver a fatal blow; he was merely teaching the Young Master a lesson," the middle-aged man reported.

Xie Hezheng's expression remained unchanged as he said coolly, "From the way you put it, are you suggesting Xu Ke was right to strike my grandson? What does that make of the Xie Family's dignity?"

If an ordinary person heard Xie Hezheng's words, they would likely feel as if the sky were falling.

But the middle-aged man just chuckled. "Family Head, you know I've always been one to see things clearly."

"Are you implying I don't?" Xie Hezheng retorted.

"You haven't made a decision yet, so how could I possibly judge whether you see things clearly or not?" the middle-aged man replied with perfect frankness.

Xie Hezheng finally let out a loud laugh. "You've already said everything. If I still went after this Xu Ke, wouldn't that be improper?"

"I'm just a subordinate. If you give an order, what does appropriateness matter? I'll do as I'm told," the middle-aged man said, stroking his stubble and chuckling.

He had already looked into the whole affair. He knew exactly who was at fault and was also aware of Xu Ke's potential. He didn't want the Xie Family to make an enemy of a talent with a limitless future like Xu Ke over a spoiled brat like Xie Jinhua. But as a subordinate, he couldn't simply order the Xie Family to leave Xu Ke alone. He could only come to Xie Hezheng to let him make the final 'decision.'

"Let me see." Xie Hezheng ignored him and picked up the tablet. After a quick scan, he asked without looking up, "Over that girl from the Bai family?"

"Probably. I heard it's also related to the madam's sister," the middle-aged man said, referring to Shan Lan.

"Hmm…" Xie Hezheng grunted, flipping to the next page. His eyes narrowed. "He's from Jiang City? The Wang Family's son-in-law?"

"What a colorful history!"

The middle-aged man nodded. "And what's interesting is that just one month ago, he was an ordinary person…"

"From an ordinary person to his current level in just one month?" Xie Hezheng raised an eyebrow.

The middle-aged man nodded again.

"Impossible, surely?" Xie Hezheng set down the tablet. "I've lived a long time, and I've never heard of such a thing."

"I find it hard to believe myself. Such an abnormal occurrence must have a hidden cause," the middle-aged man laughed.

Xie Hezheng finally sat up straight. He picked up a teacup from the side and poured a cup for the middle-aged man.

"Thank you, Family Head!" the middle-aged man said, accepting the cup.

Xie Hezheng then asked, "So, this is why you feel there's no need to move against him on Jinhua's behalf?"

The middle-aged man replied shamelessly, "Family Head, I didn't say a thing!"

With that said, he began to sip his tea, enjoying the view of the sprawling garden behind the Xie Family's villa.

To own such a property in the city center, their power and wealth must be terrifying!

Xie Hezheng shot him a glare and picked the tablet up again.

If Xu Ke were here, he would undoubtedly be astonished at the Xie Family's ability to gather information so quickly. The information on the tablet was incredibly detailed, covering everything. It even included photos of his college classmates, like Lin Chuqiangzi, who had been tricked by Siao Jia into coming to Huating Community. There were even rare photos from Xu Ke's childhood family gatherings.

When Xie Hezheng flipped to this page, he froze, his pupils contracting sharply…

SLAM.

The tablet was slammed onto the table.

The middle-aged man, who had been enjoying the view, jumped in fright. "Family Head, what happened?!"

When he turned and saw Xie Hezheng's face, his own expression changed to one of shock. He had never seen the old Family Head wear such an expression. It was a complex mix of rage, lingering fear, a hint of pleasant surprise, and utter disbelief.

This complicated expression finally coalesced into a single command.

"Tell Xie Jinhua to get his ass over here right now!"