Chapter 9: Pseudo Grandmaster Tan Zongming
"My master? Uhm...it's not like you don't know about the issue between us. I will be the last person he helps. He has been living in seclusion for a long time anyway. If you tell him to raise a bird or walk the dog, he will do it. But if you want him to leave his seclusion to help you? That's harder than reaching for the sky." Xu Jie rolled his eyes. He seemed unwilling to talk about his master too much, but from what little he did reveal, it was clear his master was no ordinary person either.
That also made Jiang Bai understood why a hoodlum like Xu Jie could do whatever he wished at the Upper East District and had no fear toward even a person like Boss Ma. So it turned out he was a person with a backer as well. Granted, from his words, the backer was one that was very hard to mobilize, but the mere existence of the backer was enough to consolidate Xu Jie's status.
"Oh? What do you have in mind, then?" Boss Ma asked, his expression changing when he heard Xu Jie's words.
"I might not be able to mobilize my master, but my big brother will be able to help. He is an Eight Extremes Fist Grandmaster! Dealing with a pseudo Grandmaster won't be a problem," Xu Jie said before Boss Ma could ask more. While speaking, he pointed at Jiang Bai.
"For real?" Boss Ma looked at Jiang Bai, his gaze filled with doubt. He did not know who Jiang Bai was, and his doubt was understandable. After all, Jiang Bai was too young. Boss Ma himself had practiced martial arts when he was young. Part of his status and reputation had been earned with his fists as well. Although he had since abandoned his training, he was still no ordinary businessman who knew nothing.
A Grandmaster that was only about 20 years old? No way. That's not possible!
"You find that hard to believe? I understand, before my big brother taught me that harsh lesson, I can't believe it as well..." Xu Jie said with a bitter smile on his face. If someone told him before today that there was a 20 years old Grandmaster in this world, Xu Jie would probably give that person a slap on the face without hesitation. But, he had no choice but to believe the reality presented before him.
"Ohh, of course I believe. But I wonder..."
Old Ma was a sly person and with a single gaze, he sensed Xu Jie's awkwardness and judged that Xu Jie was telling the truth. He quickly moved on from the topic. While he spoke, he took out his phone and got someone to serve them a bottle of 15 years old Bordeux wine.
Xu Jie took a sip off the wine before he slowly spoke to Ma Changyang who was sitting there waiting. "Boss Ma, I am aware of the trouble you are in. After spending so many time and money, you finally found two people that are willing to help. But ultimately, the two were nearly beaten to death. As for your underlings, nearly all of them have been crippled. You are currently left with no way out of this predicament."
"I believe you are aware of the cause of your trouble. My big brother is willing to help you deal with this trouble. But no matter what, by helping you, he is stepping on Marquis Nalan's face. You should understand what that means. Therefore, the price you need to pay..."
"Yes, I am aware of that. I will definitely not disappoint you. Old Xu, what do you think about this place? We have sauna, public bath, KTV, and a pub here. All sorts of services are offered. For the sake of this club, I had offended many people back then. And I had also spent over 300 million on renovation alone. After deducting the operating costs, this place is still earning an annual profit of over one million. If Mr. Jiang can deal with this for me, this club will be his."
After thinking about it, Boss Ma clenched his teeth and offered. This establishment was a money making machine, and he had to offer it out just like that. Even as someone worth several billions, he still felt the pain.
"Haha, deal!" Xu Jie laughed and agreed.
From the start till the end, Jiang Bai had not spoken a single word. Xu Jie was the only one negotiating for him. The main reason why Jiang Bai had been staying silent was because he never had a good impression of this Boss Ma.
Only when the two were done speaking did Jiang Bai open his mouth, "I can help, but I have a condition. I will deal with the river crossing dragon, but your son needs to take the required responsibility as well. If the woman is still willing to be with him, take her as his wife. If she is not, he still has to apologize. If you cannot agree to that, I will stay out of this."
"Of course, definitely!" Boss Ma nodded repeatedly. That son of his was so frightened he was probably peeing his pants right this moment. Previously, he thought that the woman was merely someone from an ordinary family that he could play around with. But now that he knew that her second uncle was a powerful big shot, how would he still dare to play around with her?
An apology must be given! If no apology was given after offending a person like that, even if that person did leave this time, Old Ma would end up spending the rest of his life living in fear. And if she was willing to be his son’s wife? That would be the perfect solution as that would allow him to establish a relationship with a big shot under Marquis Nalan. In the future, his position in Tiandu would grow even higher. Thus, he had no reason to reject Jiang Bai's demand.
"Let's go, then. Time to meet this pseudo Grandmaster." Jiang Bai nodded and stood up, with Xu Jie and Ma Changyang following closely behind him. The three got on a Land Rover. With Ma Changyang's driver driving, they headed straight toward a villa at the outskirts of Tiandu.
After about an hour, they arrived. A middle-aged man of about 40 years old was already there waiting. He was lounging on a rattan chair leisurely sipping on tea. Eight sturdy men stood in a row behind him. Just like that, they waited at the elegant and refined villa for Boss Ma to arrive.
"Mr. Tan, as spoken earlier, I found a new expert this time. I hope you will keep your promise. If we do manage to end this here, I will still admit the fault of that useless son of mine. I am willing to accept whatever punishment you wish to subject him to. I only hope you can be lenient with him. After all, he is my only son. And if your niece is still willing to be with him, I promise my son will stay loyal to her in the future. He won't be messing around anymore." The moment Ma Changyang got off the car, he rushed over to Tan Zongming and started speaking deferentially, completely unlike a powerful wealthy tycoon that he was.
It was understandable why he was being so deferential. Xu Jie might not have made it clear, but this Tan Zongming was no ordinary person. Ma Changyang might be rich and well-connected, but compared to this person, he was nothing.
"Xu Jie? It's you? If it's your master, I still need to show him some fear. But you...hehe..."
Tan Zongming knew who Xu Jie was. From this, it was apparent Xu Jie himself was rather well-known as well. Although he did not seem to look too highly upon Xu Jie, just the fact that he knew Xu Jie was proof enough that Xu Jie was doing quite well for himself.
"Mr. Tan, I'm not brave enough to fight you. The person here for you today is my big brother." Xu Jie laughed off the contempt Tan Zongming had against him before pointing at Jiang Bai, making it known that Jiang Bai was the main character today.
"Um? How young! Hmm?" Tan Zongming started sizing Jiang Bai up. First, he was flabbergasted; then, a solemn expression covered his face. And finally, an extremely odd expression was left on his face. He had been practicing martial arts for over 30 years, and was a pseudo Grandmaster that could do whatever he wanted with his martial prowess. Thus, it was very rare that he would fail to see through someone. But he had actually failed to see through Jiang Bai. That greatly shocked him.
"Enough talk. We may start now," Jiang Bai did not hesitate. He cupped his fists and invited Tan Zongming to start the fight.
"Hah! How arrogant! How audacious!"
Tan Zongming set down the cup of tea he was holding. Slowly, he stood up and smiled. Then, he gestured with his hand, inviting Jiang Bai to make the first move. For him, he was the elder here and it was only proper that he allow Jiang Bai the first move.
Chapter 9: Pseudo Grandmaster Tan Zongming
"My master? Uhm...it's not like you don't know about the issue between us. I will be the last person he helps. He has been living in seclusion for a long time anyway. If you tell him to raise a bird or walk the dog, he will do it. But if you want him to leave his seclusion to help you? That's harder than reaching for the sky." Xu Jie rolled his eyes. He seemed unwilling to talk about his master too much, but from what little he did reveal, it was clear his master was no ordinary person either.
That also made Jiang Bai understood why a hoodlum like Xu Jie could do whatever he wished at the Upper East District and had no fear toward even a person like Boss Ma. So it turned out he was a person with a backer as well. Granted, from his words, the backer was one that was very hard to mobilize, but the mere existence of the backer was enough to consolidate Xu Jie's status.
"Oh? What do you have in mind, then?" Boss Ma asked, his expression changing when he heard Xu Jie's words.
"I might not be able to mobilize my master, but my big brother will be able to help. He is an Eight Extremes Fist Grandmaster! Dealing with a pseudo Grandmaster won't be a problem," Xu Jie said before Boss Ma could ask more. While speaking, he pointed at Jiang Bai.
"For real?" Boss Ma looked at Jiang Bai, his gaze filled with doubt. He did not know who Jiang Bai was, and his doubt was understandable. After all, Jiang Bai was too young. Boss Ma himself had practiced martial arts when he was young. Part of his status and reputation had been earned with his fists as well. Although he had since abandoned his training, he was still no ordinary businessman who knew nothing.
A Grandmaster that was only about 20 years old? No way. That's not possible!
"You find that hard to believe? I understand, before my big brother taught me that harsh lesson, I can't believe it as well..." Xu Jie said with a bitter smile on his face. If someone told him before today that there was a 20 years old Grandmaster in this world, Xu Jie would probably give that person a slap on the face without hesitation. But, he had no choice but to believe the reality presented before him.
"Ohh, of course I believe. But I wonder..."
Old Ma was a sly person and with a single gaze, he sensed Xu Jie's awkwardness and judged that Xu Jie was telling the truth. He quickly moved on from the topic. While he spoke, he took out his phone and got someone to serve them a bottle of 15 years old Bordeux wine.
Xu Jie took a sip off the wine before he slowly spoke to Ma Changyang who was sitting there waiting. "Boss Ma, I am aware of the trouble you are in. After spending so many time and money, you finally found two people that are willing to help. But ultimately, the two were nearly beaten to death. As for your underlings, nearly all of them have been crippled. You are currently left with no way out of this predicament."
"I believe you are aware of the cause of your trouble. My big brother is willing to help you deal with this trouble. But no matter what, by helping you, he is stepping on Marquis Nalan's face. You should understand what that means. Therefore, the price you need to pay..."
"Yes, I am aware of that. I will definitely not disappoint you. Old Xu, what do you think about this place? We have sauna, public bath, KTV, and a pub here. All sorts of services are offered. For the sake of this club, I had offended many people back then. And I had also spent over 300 million on renovation alone. After deducting the operating costs, this place is still earning an annual profit of over one million. If Mr. Jiang can deal with this for me, this club will be his."
After thinking about it, Boss Ma clenched his teeth and offered. This establishment was a money making machine, and he had to offer it out just like that. Even as someone worth several billions, he still felt the pain.
"Haha, deal!" Xu Jie laughed and agreed.
From the start till the end, Jiang Bai had not spoken a single word. Xu Jie was the only one negotiating for him. The main reason why Jiang Bai had been staying silent was because he never had a good impression of this Boss Ma.
Only when the two were done speaking did Jiang Bai open his mouth, "I can help, but I have a condition. I will deal with the river crossing dragon, but your son needs to take the required responsibility as well. If the woman is still willing to be with him, take her as his wife. If she is not, he still has to apologize. If you cannot agree to that, I will stay out of this."
"Of course, definitely!" Boss Ma nodded repeatedly. That son of his was so frightened he was probably peeing his pants right this moment. Previously, he thought that the woman was merely someone from an ordinary family that he could play around with. But now that he knew that her second uncle was a powerful big shot, how would he still dare to play around with her?
An apology must be given! If no apology was given after offending a person like that, even if that person did leave this time, Old Ma would end up spending the rest of his life living in fear. And if she was willing to be his son’s wife? That would be the perfect solution as that would allow him to establish a relationship with a big shot under Marquis Nalan. In the future, his position in Tiandu would grow even higher. Thus, he had no reason to reject Jiang Bai's demand.
"Let's go, then. Time to meet this pseudo Grandmaster." Jiang Bai nodded and stood up, with Xu Jie and Ma Changyang following closely behind him. The three got on a Land Rover. With Ma Changyang's driver driving, they headed straight toward a villa at the outskirts of Tiandu.
After about an hour, they arrived. A middle-aged man of about 40 years old was already there waiting. He was lounging on a rattan chair leisurely sipping on tea. Eight sturdy men stood in a row behind him. Just like that, they waited at the elegant and refined villa for Boss Ma to arrive.
"Mr. Tan, as spoken earlier, I found a new expert this time. I hope you will keep your promise. If we do manage to end this here, I will still admit the fault of that useless son of mine. I am willing to accept whatever punishment you wish to subject him to. I only hope you can be lenient with him. After all, he is my only son. And if your niece is still willing to be with him, I promise my son will stay loyal to her in the future. He won't be messing around anymore." The moment Ma Changyang got off the car, he rushed over to Tan Zongming and started speaking deferentially, completely unlike a powerful wealthy tycoon that he was.
It was understandable why he was being so deferential. Xu Jie might not have made it clear, but this Tan Zongming was no ordinary person. Ma Changyang might be rich and well-connected, but compared to this person, he was nothing.
"Xu Jie? It's you? If it's your master, I still need to show him some fear. But you...hehe..."
Tan Zongming knew who Xu Jie was. From this, it was apparent Xu Jie himself was rather well-known as well. Although he did not seem to look too highly upon Xu Jie, just the fact that he knew Xu Jie was proof enough that Xu Jie was doing quite well for himself.
"Mr. Tan, I'm not brave enough to fight you. The person here for you today is my big brother." Xu Jie laughed off the contempt Tan Zongming had against him before pointing at Jiang Bai, making it known that Jiang Bai was the main character today.
"Um? How young! Hmm?" Tan Zongming started sizing Jiang Bai up. First, he was flabbergasted; then, a solemn expression covered his face. And finally, an extremely odd expression was left on his face. He had been practicing martial arts for over 30 years, and was a pseudo Grandmaster that could do whatever he wanted with his martial prowess. Thus, it was very rare that he would fail to see through someone. But he had actually failed to see through Jiang Bai. That greatly shocked him.
"Enough talk. We may start now," Jiang Bai did not hesitate. He cupped his fists and invited Tan Zongming to start the fight.
"Hah! How arrogant! How audacious!"
Tan Zongming set down the cup of tea he was holding. Slowly, he stood up and smiled. Then, he gestured with his hand, inviting Jiang Bai to make the first move. For him, he was the elder here and it was only proper that he allow Jiang Bai the first move.
