Lu Chengwen wanted to spit blood at the sound of the sect's name.
Are you guys from a different world or what?
Do you have any idea how devastating this name is!?
Good grief, if I go out announcing this sect, I'll want to bash my head into a wall!
"Master, this name… it doesn't seem quite right!" Lu Chengwen protested.
"Huh? Not right?" Hun Tianguang blinked.
Lu Chengwen forced an awkward smile. "It's… a bit off."
Long Aotian shrugged. "I think it's fine…"
Lu Chengwen glared at him. "Shut up! You don't know what's going on here!"
"Hmm." Hun Tianguang pondered. "Well, my two signature techniques are Cold Saw Glamour and Golden Bell Shield. Let's take one character from each—'Glamour' (艷) and 'Shield' (罩). So, the sect would be…"
"Master, isn't that still Glamour Shield Gate?" Lu Chengwen interrupted.
"You're not getting it. This 'Shield' isn't the same as the 'Light' (照) from before."
"It sounds the same!"
"Oh." Hun Tianguang thought again. "There's an old saying: the lands of Yan and Zhao breed heroes of tragic valor! Let's name it after the region…"
Lu Chengwen dropped to his knees, tears streaming. "Master, be honest—have you been looking at photos online?"
Hun Tianguang waved dismissively. "Forget it, we'll stick with Glamour Shield Gate!"
Long Aotian, thrilled, clasped his fists. "Thank you, Master! Congratulations on becoming the first Grandmaster of Glamour Shield Gate!"
"Hmm." Hun Tianguang added, "This is just between us, but keep it secret. My full name is Hun Tianguang, courtesy name Guanxi."
Lu Chengwen nodded. "Makes sense."
Hun Tianguang continued, "You're now my disciples. From this day forward, you must love and support each other. No fratricide, or I'll kill you myself. I wasn't planning to pass down my legacy anyway. Better to end you both than let my disciples tear each other apart."
"Yes, we wouldn't dare disobey," they replied.
Hun Tianguang said, "Go now. I'm leaving this place too."
Long Aotian panicked. What? We're leaving? And you're leaving too!?
We kowtowed, groveled, flattered you to death, joined your sect, and now you're bailing!?
What kind of game is this!?
"Master," Long Aotian said, "my brother and I wish to seek your guidance. How do we find you?"
"No need." Hun Tianguang waved. "You're both doing well in Xuecheng, aren't you? I'll find you easily. I'll drop by now and then to teach you a bit. If you learn, great. If not, oh well. I teach as fate allows."
"Alright then," Long Aotian muttered.
Hun Tianguang laughed heartily. "Hahaha! My dear disciples, today I, Hun Tianguang, have founded a sect! Hahaha!"
With a gust of wind, he shot out of the cave like a demon, soaring into the sky and vanishing.
"Aotian, Chengwen, remember your oaths! Hahaha…"
The two stared at each other, dumbfounded. What the hell was that?
He's just… gone?
They stepped out of the cave to find Tie Tuo Wang and Hua Xuening guarding the entrance, glaring at each other with mutual disdain.
Seeing Long Aotian and Lu Chengwen emerge, they both rushed forward, shouting, "Young Master!"
Lu Chengwen laughed. "Tie Tuo Wang, per Master's orders, I've sworn brotherhood with Long Aotian! From now on, we're sect brothers and sworn brothers, sharing blessings and burdens, true brothers for life! So, let's wipe the slate clean of past grudges!"
Long Aotian turned, smiling at Lu Chengwen. "Chengwen, my brother, from now on, we're family. We should support and help each other!"
"Absolutely, Big Brother!" Lu Chengwen beamed.
Long Aotian continued, "You swindled me out of fifty billion in cash. Since we're brothers now, you'll return it, right?"
"Oh, Big Brother, that's tricky!" Lu Chengwen said. "I already gave that fifty billion to Mayor Zhao for public welfare. It's gone."
"You've got plenty of money. Just pay me back the fifty billion!"
"My money's tied up!" Lu Chengwen explained. "You know I signed a five-hundred-billion deal with the city. My group's liquid funds are only about three hundred billion, and I still need to scrape together another hundred billion to cover it!"
Long Aotian's face darkened. "Fine, if that's how you play it, don't blame me for ignoring our sect bond."
Lu Chengwen stepped back. "Master said you can't hit me!"
"Hahaha!" Long Aotian laughed, his eyes glinting with malice. "We're both of Glamour Shield Gate, so I won't kill you. But I've got more than one way to make you pay. And just because I don't kill you doesn't mean others won't."
Lu Chengwen glanced at Hua Xuening. "She saw us kowtow and swear oaths. If you order her to kill me, she'll lose respect for you!"
"Will she?" Long Aotian sneered.
Hua Xuening said coldly, "Absolutely not!"
Lu Chengwen gaped. "You realize I saved you, right? Both pills were fed to you mouth-to-mouth by me!"
At the mention, Hua Xuening's face flushed red with anger. "Don't remind me! That alone makes me want to kill you!"
Long Aotian turned to Tie Tuo Wang. "Your last chance: kill Lu Chengwen, and I'll spare you."
Tie Tuo Wang roared, "Screw you! I'm loyal to the Young Master with all my heart! I swore to follow Young Master Lu Chengwen. You deaf or something?"
Long Aotian seethed. Lu Chengwen pulled him aside, grinning. "Senior Brother, why so worked up? It's just fifty billion and that plot of land, right? I'll figure something out back in Xuecheng. I can't promise much, but twenty or thirty billion to secure that land? No problem."
"You sure?" Long Aotian asked.
"How can you be sure in business deals over a billion?" Lu Chengwen said. "Nothing's guaranteed, but you push forward with all you've got, and the rest depends on timing, luck, and connections. With me on your side, it's as good as done. Plus, we're sect brothers now. I genuinely want to be your friend. I'm generous to my people—how much more to my Senior Brother?"
Long Aotian's eyes flickered. "If you're serious, fine. We'll discuss it further."
"Back in Xuecheng, we'll find a time to drink and talk it over—how to help you achieve your grand ambitions! With me backing you, uniting the four families will be a breeze!"
Long Aotian was tempted. Lu Chengwen was cunning, but he wasn't stingy with money. If he supported him, consolidating the other three families would be much faster. If Lu Chengwen proved loyal, he could keep him as a useful lackey—his business acumen was undeniable. With Lu Chengwen gathering wealth in the Northern Kingdom, Long Aotian could reap the rewards. Even if he became expendable later, once the four families were united under his control, dealing with Lu Chengwen would be trivial.
His life was Long Aotian's to take, sooner or later.
"Brother," Long Aotian said, "I won't hide it—I aim to unite Xuecheng's four families and even the entire Northern Kingdom. If you truly support me, we'll conquer this land together as brothers and rule as its masters! Everything I have, I'll share with you!"
"Deal!" Lu Chengwen declared passionately, showering Long Aotian with praise for his grand vision.
They reached a highway, made a call, and an hour later, Zhao Gang arrived with several cars.
They pulled up to a grand hotel, where everyone was shocked by Lu Chengwen's state. His clothes were tattered, his arms, legs, and face bruised and bloodied.
The hotel manager recognized him instantly. "President Lu!? What happened to you…?"
Lu Chengwen waved it off. "Went bungee jumping. Where's Jiang Shihan? Didn't I tell her to wait here?"
Jiang Shihan rushed over with her team, equally stunned. "President Lu? You…"
"No questions. Rooms ready?"
"All set—banquet, red wine, new clothes, everything you asked for."
"Good. Give me the keycards and go."
"I can stay to assist—"
"No need. Leave."
The immediate crisis was over, but a ticking time bomb remained: Tie Tuo Wang and his four lackeys.
In the presidential suite, everyone was floored. In the Great Organization, they could never afford such luxury. Even with fifty billion in funds, their daily budget was a mere few thousand.
Waiters filed in:
"President Lu, fresh lobster, twelve thousand each."
"President Lu, your requested king crab, twenty-three thousand each."
"President Lu, your ordered Conti Estate wine, three million a bottle."
"President Lu, your premium care package…"
The five men were stunned. Our Young Master's this rich!?
Well, of course—he had fifty billion! He could do whatever he wanted!
No, wait—he'd said the Lu family's wealth made fifty billion look like pocket change. He'd just invested five hundred billion in a project!
Rich! Filthy rich!
Lu Chengwen emerged from the changing room in fresh clothes, and the five men were even more awestruck. So handsome!
Lu Chengwen said, "Sit, eat, drink. No need to hold back."
Tie Tuo Wang grinned. "Then… we won't hold back!"
The five were starving. In the organization, they handed over most of their earnings, keeping little for themselves. The organization was ruthless, controlling its members tightly. When handling five hundred billion, Tie Tuo Wang had considered running off with it more than once.
But he didn't dare.
Now, with the Young Master treating them, why hold back? They dug in.
The five devoured their food, each downing a bottle of the three-million-yuan wine.
Lu Chengwen sat, swirling his wine glass, watching them without eating.
Tie Tuo Wang chuckled. "Young Master, you've been hungry all day. Why aren't you eating?"
"You guys eat first. Then we'll talk."
They gorged themselves, drinking heavily. Lu Chengwen took a few bites and set down his utensils. "Good?"
"Delicious!" they said. "This king crab's so tender, especially the leg meat. What a treat!"
Lu Chengwen smiled. "Want to eat like this every day?"
Tie Tuo Wang blinked. "That's too much! This is… extravagant. We're grateful for a meal like this now and then. We can't waste your money."
Lu Chengwen laughed. "For just you five? You could eat eight meals a day until you're eighty, and you wouldn't dent my fortune."
They froze. "Well, yeah, Young Master's loaded."
Lu Chengwen continued, "From now on, each of you gets a monthly salary of two hundred thousand. Tie Tuo Wang, you get five hundred thousand. Enough?"
Their eyes lit up. "Thank you, Young Master! Thank you for your generosity!"
"There's more," Lu Chengwen said. "I'll buy each of you a property in Xuecheng. Tomorrow, I'll have them transferred to your names—top-tier homes, worth over five million each."
The five nearly dropped to their knees in gratitude.
"And," he added, "I'll gift each of you a million-yuan luxury car. Plus, I'll cover all your daily expenses—food, clothes, everything."
Now they did kneel, kowtowing.
That meant annual salaries of over two million each—six million for Tie Tuo Wang! Plus, instant ownership of multi-million-yuan properties. And with all expenses covered, every cent they earned was pure profit!
Who wouldn't be thrilled with a deal like that?
Lu Chengwen's tone grew serious. "But there's one condition: you cut all ties with the Great Organization."
The five froze, stunned.
Lu Chengwen calmly poured himself another glass of wine, watching them. "I need you to defect."
_
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