Chapter 394: Xingyi Hall
Seeing these people enter, Xue Chengdong, the Patriarch of the Xue Family, was all smiles as he stepped forward to greet them.
Seeing his reaction, Qin Tuo immediately understood that these people were no ordinary figures.
"Master Jin, I've been waiting for you for a long time, haha!"
Xue Chengdong greeted him with a hearty laugh.
The middle-aged man in the Tang suit nodded, forcing a faint smile.
Clearly, he was no ordinary person and carried an air of arrogance!
"Master Jin, please have a seat. Now that you're here, we can begin the feast."
Xue Chengdong took the initiative to lead the group to their seats at the table.
Xue Chengdong then immediately began to make introductions between Qin Tuo and the newcomers.
When he saw Qin Tuo, the middle-aged man merely gave him a brief glance, clearly paying him no mind.
Xue Chengdong said with a smile:
"Brother Qin, this is Master Jin Hongtao from the Xingyi Boxing Hall, and these others are Master Jin's disciples!"
From Xue Chengdong's tone, Qin Tuo knew this Jin Hongtao must be exceptionally skilled; otherwise, he wouldn't be so highly sought after.
Furthermore, Qin Tuo guessed that these were the enforcers Xue Chengdong had hired to seize the mining claim on the mountain tomorrow.
Furthermore, Qin Tuo could tell at a glance that both Jin Hongtao and the tall, powerfully-built disciple behind him possessed the strength of a Grandmaster.
"Master Jin, this is Brother Qin, and this is Brother Huang. They will be going up the mountain with us tomorrow."
Xue Chengdong said, introducing them with a cheerful laugh.
Qin Tuo gave a slight nod, but Jin Hongtao's brow furrowed deeply.
Jin Hongtao couldn't help but ask:
"You two young brothers, I don't know where you're from, but you look young and unfamiliar. You don't seem like locals, do you?"
It turned out that Jin Hongtao had been in Shi City for many years and knew basically every notable local figure.
However, Qin Tuo and Huang Junkai looked completely unfamiliar, so he naturally became wary.
Xue Chengdong chuckled and said:
"Master Jin, they are both stone-gambling merchants from Celestial South Province, so it's perfectly normal that you haven't seen them before."
At this point, Xue Chengdong seemed to remember something and quickly added:
"Oh, right, Master Jin! You wouldn't know, but these two saved my daughter's life today!"
Hearing this, Jin Hongtao was slightly surprised and couldn't help but take a closer look at the two of them.
Beside him, his tall and powerfully-built disciple instantly flared up in anger!
"Hmph! Who was so blind as to dare make a move on Miss Xue? The absolute nerve!"
Hearing his furious tone, several people nearby looked confused.
Xue Chengdong shot Jin Hongtao an inquisitive glance.
Jin Hongtao smiled, his face full of pride, as he made the introduction:
"President Xue, this is my most prized Closed-door Disciple, Ma Youcai. His skills are excellent; he definitely won't disappoint you!"
Xue Chengdong nodded in satisfaction. Having so many experts on his side gave him more confidence for tomorrow's fight over the mining claim.
Ma Youcai asked furiously,
"President Xue, who was the culprit? Daring to have designs on Miss Xue... I'll make them pay!"
At the mention of this, Xue Chengdong grew vexed.
He shook his head and snorted coldly.
"For something like this to happen at such a critical juncture, who else could it be but those two families?"
Ma Youcai understood at once. He thumped his chest and declared with immense arrogance,
"Don't worry, President Xue! I, Ma Youcai, will make sure those two families don't make it back tomorrow!"
As he spoke, Ma Youcai's eyes kept darting over to Xue Qingqing.
Clearly, Ma Youcai was desperate to show off in front of Xue Qingqing and win her favor!
Unfortunately, Xue Qingqing didn't seem to spare Ma Youcai a single glance. Her gaze remained fixed on Qin Tuo, and she looked a bit dazed, clearly still lost in the previous conversation.
Hearing his domineering declaration, Xue Chengdong burst out laughing in satisfaction.
"Excellent, Brother Ma! Thank you for your commitment. Tomorrow, I will be counting on all of you to fight for the mining claim on behalf of my Xue Family!"
Ma Youcai replied nonchalantly,
"Don't worry, President Xue. With my master and I taking action, what do those other two families even amount to?"
Ma Youcai was young and arrogant. Xue Chengdong just smiled, saying nothing more.
Jin Hongtao also spoke, his face full of confidence:
"President Xue, I've brought many disciples this time. I'm confident we can handle any opponent, no matter who they are!"
Hearing Jin Hongtao express the same sentiment, the great weight on Xue Chengdong's mind was finally lifted.
From start to finish, he didn't spare Qin Tuo another glance.
Clearly, Xue Chengdong believed that seizing the mining claim depended entirely on Jin Hongtao and his people.
As for Qin Tuo and Huang Junkai, they were just along for the ride!
At this thought, Xue Chengdong laughed excitedly.
"Gentlemen, while I have great faith in your strength, I've heard the other two families have also hired many experts. I fear the situation will be extremely grim!"
Jin Hongtao, his disciple Ma Youcai, and even the large group of disciples from Xingyi Hall behind them all wore looks of utter indifference.
Jin Hongtao thought for a moment, then asked,
"President Xue, surely you haven't specially invited anyone else, have you?"
His tone was already tinged with displeasure as he spoke.
If Xue Chengdong had invited other experts, it would clearly mean he looked down on their Xingyi Hall.
Xue Chengdong quickly shook his head and explained,
"Not at all, Master Jin. It's just that, as a precaution, in addition to hiring all of you, I also used my connections to acquire some firearms."
As he spoke, fearing they might not understand, he made a gun gesture with his hand and smiled mysteriously.
Hearing this, Qin Tuo and Huang Junkai, who were beside them, were both rather surprised. They hadn't expected Xue Chengdong to be so thoroughly prepared.
The group of Xingyi Hall disciples looked at each other, speechless.
However, Jin Hongtao sneered, waved his hand dismissively, and said,
"President Xue, that is completely unnecessary. There was absolutely no need for it!"
Hearing this, Xue Chengdong's expression froze.
He had thought he'd made a smart move, but he never expected Jin Hongtao to pour cold water on his plans.
"Master Jin, what do you mean by that?"
Xue Chengdong asked, failing to understand.
Jin Hongtao explained slowly,
"President Xue, guns might be deadly weapons in the eyes of ordinary people, but to us Martial Artists, they are practically useless!"
Xue Chengdong was clearly skeptical.
He felt that while Jin Hongtao was indeed powerful, those words were far too arrogant!