RMM -Chapter 184 Zhao the Boss

Xiyue City heard this and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Not afraid of the police? Why?”

Afraid of everything except the police—now that was an interesting thing to say.

Liu Qi didn’t intend to hide it. He smiled smugly. “There’s a lot of hidden workings behind this. Do you think our Yan Sect got to where it is today just by heaven’s blessing?”

Xiyue City’s mind stirred, though his face revealed nothing. He asked cautiously, “I know there must be some methods unknown to outsiders; otherwise Yan Sect couldn’t have risen so fast. But… the police…”

Seeing Xiyue City suddenly fall silent, Liu Qi curled his lips and snorted. “At this point, don’t you have any guesses at all?”

Since Liu Qi had asked so directly, Xiyue City could no longer remain quiet. After thinking for a moment, he looked up at Liu Qi and asked softly, “Could it be that you’ve… bought off this entire route?”

Liu Qi’s expression didn’t change. He smiled toward the entrance, as if welcoming guests who might come in at any moment, but spoke quietly to Xiyue City.

“You already figured it out—no need to test me. That’s exactly it. Years ago, we cleared this path. Otherwise, how would there be a today like this?”

Xiyue City’s expression darkened. He had long known that drug trafficking in Province D was so rampant and frequent, yet repeatedly failed to be eradicated—there was no way the local government was clean. Even if they weren’t openly escorting it, at the very least they were turning a blind eye.

When you walk by the water, your pant legs are bound to get wet. It was easy to believe that many officials here were colluding with groups like the Yan Sect, exchanging benefits. Such things weren’t rare and could even be “understood” to a degree—but once they endangered the foundations of the state, that crossed a line. If such behavior were tolerated, disaster would come sooner or later.

So Xiyue City had known for a long time that the huge effort invested this time wasn’t just about cracking down on criminals in Province D. More importantly, it was about cleansing the officialdom here. Otherwise, why bother with military–political cooperation at all? Wouldn’t it suffice for each department to do its own job?

Still, Xiyue City kept quiet. Whatever orders came from above, he would simply lead the task force and execute them. Anything beyond that had nothing to do with him—even though his family was involved in politics.

This plan was extremely confidential. Only a handful of people knew about it; even the Xi family was unaware. Letting Xiyue City serve as the task force leader probably meant they weren’t worried about the Xi family finding out anyway. After all, Minister Xi wasn’t in charge of this matter, so knowing wouldn’t cause trouble.

Even if the Xi family did learn of it, there was no fear they’d leak it. On the contrary, they would guard it even more carefully—because Xiyue City himself was at the center of the vortex. If anything went wrong with the plan, the first person to be suspected would be him.

Everything had been considered thoroughly, from every angle. Yet Xiyue City chose to keep this from his family regardless. It had nothing to do with them, so there was no need for them to know—better to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble upon them.

Province D was remote, with high mountains and the emperor far away; officials were naturally bolder. Some protection and indulgence—if it could pass, then let it pass, as long as they didn’t suffer losses.

But it couldn’t go on forever. If you went too far, there would always be people to deal with you.

So this time, some officials in Province D were doomed. After tonight, the song-and-dance prosperity would have to come to a halt.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Xiyue City.

“Scheming with a tiger—how can one ever sleep easy?” Xiyue City asked softly.

“No, you’ve got that wrong,” Liu Qi replied. “How is this scheming with a tiger? We simply paved a road with money. Who would go against money? Look—haven’t these past few years been peaceful enough? It’s nothing more than each taking what they need.”

Liu Qi still wore a smile, his gaze calm, as if he saw nothing wrong with it.

“That road must’ve cost a lot, then?” Xiyue City pressed, trying to draw out something even more hidden.

“It’s been paved for so many years—what do you think?” Liu Qi said. “From the provincial level down to the county level. If anything, there are more than you imagine.”

After that, Liu Qi said no more, devoting himself fully to welcoming guests. He had already revealed quite a few secrets—matters tied to the lifeblood of the Yan Sect. If it weren’t because he found Cheng Yue agreeable, he would never have said any of this.

Seeing this, Xiyue City stopped asking questions as well. He put on a smile and joined Liu Qi in welcoming the steady stream of distinguished guests, chatting and laughing—while inside, his mind churned with stormy waves.

No wonder the higher-ups were so eager to execute the plan. Things here were already this dark. From province down to county—what kind of scale was that? Even without meddling in politics, Xiyue City knew how serious it was.

He stopped thinking further. The complexity of it all didn’t allow for deep contemplation in a place like this.

It seemed that after tonight, Province D would inevitably see a bloody storm. The targets wouldn’t be just drug trafficking organizations—there were much bigger “fish” to be dragged out.

Fewer and fewer guests entered, while more people gathered inside the Imperial City. Drinking, laughing, exchanging pleasantries—it sounded lively.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance. Xiyue City and Liu Qi exchanged a glance and walked toward the door together.

Several black sedans were already parked outside the Imperial City. Many bodyguards in black stepped out, while the door of the car in the middle remained unopened.

Seeing this display, Liu Qi raised an eyebrow and sneered at Xiyue City. “At a time like this, the Zhao family still wants to put on airs and steal the spotlight. Aren’t they afraid of lifting themselves too high and not being able to come back down later?”

Only then did Xiyue City realize that these people were the Zhao family—the same one that had nearly taken Bai Xiong’s life last time. He sneered as well. As expected of a major family—their presence was something else.

“They’re used to being on top. Naturally, they can’t switch roles overnight. Give it some time—they’ll learn to adapt to their new position.”

Xiyue City smiled faintly in agreement, his brows filled with undisguised coldness.

Liu Qi glanced at Xiyue City’s expression and froze for a moment, but didn’t think much of it. He assumed Xiyue City still held a grudge over the Zhao family nearly killing him last time, hence the chill. He chuckled softly and said nothing more, though inwardly he thought: This kid looks pretty imposing when he puts on a stern face. You’d never tell usually.

The two of them stood at the entrance, making no move to welcome the Zhao family, watching them put on airs with cold eyes.

“Oh? The Zhao family’s boss is here. Looks like they’re really taking this apology banquet seriously,” Liu Qi mocked quietly as a middle-aged man stepped out of the car.

Zhao family’s boss? Xiyue City looked over. The man stood there calmly, yet an imposing aura naturally radiated from him—cold and authoritative without anger. Indeed, the head of the family carried extraordinary presence.

But in the end, he was nothing more than a bandit unfit for the stage. It was good that he came. Otherwise, after everything was over, they’d still have to spend effort tracking down this so-called boss. If he died tonight, the blow to the Zhao family would be even greater—enough to cause panic.

The Zhao family head looked up at the Imperial City and said something to the people beside him, prompting them to nod repeatedly. Then he stepped forward.

His strides were long, and soon he reached Xiyue City and Liu Qi.

“And these two are?” the Zhao family entourage asked, stopping at the entrance. The speaker was a man beside the Zhao family head, who himself said nothing, merely looking at the two with a half-smile.

Since they’d been addressed, Liu Qi couldn’t keep up the cold shoulder. He nodded with a smile and introduced them. “I’m Liu Qi, and this is Cheng Yue. It’s an honor to meet Boss Zhao.”

True or not, Liu Qi offered the flattery first, wearing a polite smile.

Just moments ago he’d been bristling with hostility—now he was all smiles. Truly, changing faces faster than turning a page.

Liu Qi didn’t seem to notice. After speaking, he turned to Xiyue City, about to signal him to say something—but to his surprise, Xiyue City stepped forward instead, not even glancing at the imposing Zhao entourage.

Liu Qi froze, words stuck in his throat. His gaze followed Xiyue City. What is he doing? Has he gone mad all of a sudden? Even if he doesn’t like the Zhao family, he should at least keep up appearances, right?

Not only Liu Qi— even the aloof and arrogant Zhao family head was stunned, his gaze following as well.

Only then did everyone notice that several cars were parked at the Imperial City entrance.

They saw Xiyue City walk straight to the third sedan, open the rear door, bend slightly, and say respectfully, “Brother Bai.”

Only upon hearing Xiyue City’s respectful call did Liu Qi realize—their boss had arrived!

He shouted in surprise and hurried over, completely ignoring Boss Zhao. The big brother is here, and Cheng Yue didn’t even notify me—he just ran over to show off. This kid… But damn, that was a beautiful move! Treating Boss Zhao as if he didn’t exist at all—what a slap to the face!

He stole a glance back at Boss Zhao, and sure enough, that once-proud face had already turned pitch black.

Bai Xiong hadn’t expected Xiyue City to pull this stunt either. The car had just stopped, and he hadn’t even gotten out yet when he spotted the Zhao family head at the entrance. He was still thinking about how to give the Zhao family a show of dominance—then he saw Xiyue City stride straight toward him.

After being invited out of the car by Xiyue City, Bai Xiong’s smile was dazzling. It was like receiving a pillow right when you needed sleep—this Cheng Yue kid was sharp! Truly someone he had his eye on. Just look at Boss Zhao’s expression.

Xiyue City ignored Boss Zhao entirely, choosing instead to open the door for Bai Xiong and escort him out first. The message was crystal clear: the Zhao family was no longer anything special—now it was the Yan Sect that reigned supreme.

The apology banquet hadn’t even begun, yet Xiyue City had already slapped the Zhao family across the face. This show of dominance made Bai Xiong feel extremely satisfied.

“Haha! Boss Zhao! Long time no see—hope you’ve been well!”

After nodding to Xiyue City, Bai Xiong stepped toward the Imperial City.

Boss Zhao was still standing at the entrance. Hearing Bai Xiong’s voice, he could no longer keep a stiff face and forced out a smile.

“Mr. Bai.”

Bai Xiong sneered inwardly. Mr. Bai. What an elegant way to address someone.