The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

Xiao Ye slowly looked up, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Is that so? By all means, give it a try."

Ma Ping's expression grew even colder. "Get him! Kill this bastard, and Xiaotian gets a treat tonight!"

"Yes!"

With a unified shout, the group of men swarmed toward Xiao Ye.

To avoid damaging the jade tablet, their plan was to simply restrain him first.

However, the moment one of them made a move, his vision blurred and the world began to spin.

An instant later, he collapsed heavily to the ground, out cold.

THUD!

THUD!

In a matter of moments.

The ground was littered with men, all of them screaming in agony.

Only Ma Ping and the manager were left standing.

Ma Ping was hopping mad. He had never been so humiliated. Pointing a trembling finger at Xiao Ye, he began to curse.

"Fine, you bastard! You dare lay a hand on my men? You're finished!"

"You have the guts? Then don't you go anywhere! Just you wait!"

Fuming, Ma Ping immediately whipped out his phone and made a call. "Get me twenty more men over here! And bring Xiaotian with you!"

The onlookers were stunned by the scene.

"Who knew the kid actually had some moves."

"So what if he can fight? He's offended the Ma Family. He's a dead man!"

"Hey, kid! Get on your knees and apologize to Young Master Ma!"

One man, hoping to curry favor with the Ma Family, strode forward, getting so close he was practically spitting in Xiao Ye's face as he spoke.

But the moment he got too close, Xiao Ye sent him flying with a single slap.

"Anyone else who steps forward will face the consequences."

For a moment, no one dared to move.

They wanted to suck up to the Ma Family, but not if it meant getting beaten to a pulp.

The manager's face was grim. Even Ma Ping's men had been useless, so all he could do was fret anxiously.

'It's fine, though. Once the Ma Family's reinforcements arrive, this kid is finished!'

'They'll pin him to the ground, and then he'll be completely at their mercy!'

Seeing that Xiao Ye had only attacked his underlings and hadn't dared to touch him, Ma Ping assumed the man was holding back for some reason.

"Do you think the Ma Family will let you off just because you don't touch me?"

"You embarrassed me today. Tonight, your legs will be food for Xiaotian!"

Xiao Ye looked up. He hadn't planned on dealing with Ma Ping himself. This was South City, after all; he could just let Chu Yan handle it later.

But he hadn't expected the man to be so damn annoying.

'It's just so... irritating!'

Xiao Ye shot to his feet, his aura suddenly menacing.

Ma Ping jumped in fright. He glanced around in a panic, only to realize there was no one left to protect him.

He grabbed the manager and yanked him in front as a shield. Mustering his courage, he glared at Xiao Ye. "Y-You... you wouldn't actually dare to hit me, would you?"

"I'm telling you, if you so much as touch a single hair on my head today, your entire family is finished by tomorrow!"

"Not just you! Your family, your friends—none of them will escape!"

"I won't spare a single person connected to you!"

Xiao Ye's ears were starting to hurt from the racket. With a dark expression, he grabbed the manager and sent him flying with a swat of his hand.

With his human shield gone, the color drained from Ma Ping's face. "Don't... Don't come any closer..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Ye's foot had already slammed into his chest.

THUMP!

Ma Ping fell to the ground, howling in agony. Before he could even catch his breath, Xiao Ye's foot came down hard on his face.

"Since this mouth of yours can't seem to speak like a human, you won't be needing it."

"Mmph... mmmph..."

As the crowd watched in utter horror, Xiao Ye ground his heel down with force.

The more timid members of the crowd squeezed their eyes shut.

When they dared to look again, Ma Ping's mouth hung open, his face a mess of blood and foam.

Inside, not a single tooth remained.

Xiao Ye sat back down. "All of you, quiet down. Don't disturb my game."

The hall fell completely silent.

The manager scrambled to his feet, a lingering fear in his eyes. He scurried into a dark corner, not daring to make a single sound.

The auction house's men had been completely wiped out in the first wave.

His only hope now was that the Ma Family's reinforcements would arrive soon.

Speak of the devil.

「Ten minutes later.」

The Ma Family's reinforcements arrived—twenty skilled fighters, all of them big and brawny.

The man in the lead held the leash of a massive dog. Its fur was a glossy black, its eyes were vicious, and drool dripped from the corners of its mouth onto the floor.

Lying on the floor, Ma Ping saw them arrive and his eyes lit up.

He tried to speak, but gasped in pain, able only to produce a muffled gurgle from his throat.

The manager immediately jumped out, pointing an accusatory finger at Xiao Ye. "It was him!"

"He's the one who beat up Young Master Ma! Hurry up and take the bastard down!"

"Right! He has the Dharma Artifact, the jade tablet, on him! Be careful. That's what Young Master Ma wants, so whatever you do, don't break it!"

The twenty men closed in, and just as they were about to attack, a clear voice rang out.

"All of you, stop right there!"

Everyone in the hall turned to look and gasped in surprise.

"Chu Yan! It's the Eldest Miss Chu! What's she doing here?"

"The person behind her looks like one of that kid's men... Could he be... part of the Chu Family?"

"Impossible. I've seen all the key members of the Chu Family. He's definitely not one of them!"

Despite her high heels, Chu Yan moved with surprising speed.

She reached the backstage area and her expression shifted slightly upon seeing the men lying on the floor.

She should have been here earlier, but a traffic accident up ahead had held her up for over half an hour.

To avoid being late for this important matter, she and her entourage had gotten out and walked the rest of the way.

But she was still too late. Xiao Ye had already been provoked into action.

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

Chu Yan's tone was exceptionally respectful. Just this morning, she had received new information that gave her an even greater understanding of Xiao Ye.

This was a powerhouse who looked down on even the Imperial Capital Noble Families—someone you absolutely could not afford to provoke.

It was an immense honor for the Chu Family to even have the opportunity to associate with him.

'We have to seize this chance to latch onto this powerful patron. Otherwise, we won't even be worth a second glance in the future.'

The Chu Family would be the first to object if anyone dared to make a move against Xiao Ye.

Chu Yan's gaze swept over the others, her beautiful eyes turning sharp as daggers. "Who was it? Who dared to attack him? Step forward!"

Both the auction house manager and Ma Ping, still lying on the floor, went pale.

They never imagined that this country bumpkin could actually get a member of the Chu Family to back him up—and not just anyone, but the highly influential Eldest Miss Chu herself!

And her attitude was so deferential... It was obvious Xiao Ye's status was even higher than that of the Chu Family!

The manager was now regretting his actions so much he could have kicked himself. Who would have thought that a major figure like this would show up wearing a simple Daoist Robe?

"E-Eldest Miss Chu, I didn't know he was with you! I didn't lay a hand on him!"

Chu Yan strode forward and slapped him hard across the face. "You snob, judging a book by its cover. I don't think you're fit to stay in South City anymore!"

"Men! Beat him! Then throw him out!"

"I'll personally be having a word with your head office. Either they replace you, or they can shut down their operations in South City!"

Before the manager could say another word, he was dragged away by the men Chu Yan had brought with her.

His miserable cries echoed through the hall.

The onlookers trembled. They had all been waiting to see Xiao Ye get his comeuppance.

They never expected... that the auction house itself would be the one to suffer.

Chu Yan gave her hand a slight shake and looked at Xiao Ye. Though her smile was as enchanting as ever, she didn't dare let her mind wander.

She couldn't risk angering Xiao Ye again. Doing so could mean eternal damnation for the Chu Family.

"Xiao Ye, I've already spoken with Assistant Huo," she said. "There's no need to pay. Just take the item."

"I'll handle the negotiations with the auction house."

"It was yours to begin with. It should have been returned to its rightful owner long ago."