From now on, follow my lead.

Li Qingxin stamped her foot, strode away on her long legs, and left in a huff.

Xu Denghui immediately tried to grab her arm.

"Qingxin, don't be angry."

"Be your head, get lost!"

Without any courtesy, Li Qingxin threw a slap that almost hit Xu Denghui's face, then turned and left in anger, quickly disappearing around the stairwell.

Yet Xu Denghui did not get angry at all. He chuckled, pulled his gaze back, turned his attention to Ling Xiao, and sat down opposite him.

"Brother, not bad! Thanks for giving me face!"

Ling Xiao frowned slightly.

Xu Denghui continued, "What you did today really satisfied me! I can't treat you unfairly either. From now on, just follow this young master. I happened to want a few more servants, so I'll give you a spot. From now on, you are Xu Denghui's subordinate."

Ling Xiao's gaze turned slightly cold.

He had merely been joking with Li Qingxin; that didn't mean he had any intention of helping Xu Denghui.

Yet this Xu Denghui seemed to be a bit too full of himself.

"Get lost!"

A single, indifferent word, without any extra explanation.

Xu Denghui's expression turned cold instantly.

His subordinate could no longer hold back and blurted out on the spot, "Hey! What did you just say? How dare you show disrespect to Young Master Xu! Do you even know who Young Master Xu is?"

"Young Master Xu is the primary heir of Jiangnan's Xu Group! The Xu Group is a massive corporation worth a billion!"

"Young Master Xu letting you be his servant is doing you a favor, it's the greatest honor of your life! Instead of being grateful, you dare to be so rude to Young Master Xu. Are you tired of living?"

"Apologize immediately, or we'll beat you to a pulp!"

The crowd clamored, and Xu Denghui's eyes were filled with triumph!

His status and background had always been the capital he was most proud of!

Because of this status and background, very few people in Jiangnan dared to provoke him!

Especially around Jiangnan University, Xu Denghui was a prominent figure of his time!

Yet, none of them noticed the trace of killing intent leaking from Ling Xiao's eyes.

Naturally, he had no intention of apologizing. He simply pulled a few toothpicks from the table and tapped them against the surface.

"Hey! Are you going to apologize or not?"

Growing impatient, the other man slammed his palm onto the table.

Just as the words fell, Ling Xiao flicked his finger, and several toothpicks shot out instantly, burying themselves directly into the man's abdomen.

"Get lost is just two words, I won't say it a second time."

Clutching their stomachs, several of them asked in sheer terror, "What... what did you do to us?"

Ling Xiao's expression remained indifferent. "Nothing much, just carved a little hole in your intestines. Once your belly fills up with blood, you can go on your way."

Their faces drained of color.

"You... you're simply a demon!"

Cursing angrily, the group quickly fled downstairs to find a doctor, not daring to stay another moment.

Once they left, Xu Denghui's expression turned ashen and ugly to the extreme.

"You... you have some nerve! Do you know that this cafe belongs to the Xu family? Believe it or not, with a single word from me, I can have people chop you into pieces?"

"Too wordy!"

Ling Xiao picked up a wooden chair beside him and smashed it directly at Xu Denghui, sending him flying.

"Pfft."

Xu Denghui spat out a mouthful of blood mid-air. Filled with a sliver of panic, he stammered, "What... what do you want?"

Ling Xiao stood up, still holding the wooden chair, his expression chillingly terrifying.

"I told you to get lost. Since you couldn't understand, you don't need to leave anymore. I'll let you stay here forever!"

Xu Denghui's body trembled, paralyzed by ultimate fear.

Only at this moment did he suddenly realize that Ling Xiao was an existence he could never afford to provoke!

With a voice bordering on tears, he begged, "Don't... don't come over. I was wrong, I won't dare do it again, I won't dare! Please forgive me, boo-hoo..."

"Forgiving you is God's business. My task is simply to send you to meet Him."

Just as Ling Xiao finished speaking, a middle-aged bald man suddenly rushed out from the stairwell.

Seeing this scene, his eyes turned bloodshot.

"Scoundrel, stop! How dare you kill my son, I'll tear you apart!"

Without even glancing at him, Ling Xiao brought the chair down fiercely.

With a dull thud, Xu Denghui was sent straight to heaven on the spot, losing even the last shred of his vitality.

"No!"

Mr. Xu let out a piercing shriek!

"You... you actually killed my son! I won't let you off, I will kill you, I swear I'll kill you!"

Just as the words faded, a crowd rushed up, rapidly filling the second floor.

Enraged, Mr. Xu let out a shrill scream.

"Th-these are people from the Qi family! Why would the Qi family come here?"

Right as he spoke, he saw Old Master Qi, accompanied by several of the Qi family's sons and Qi Xue, briskly ascending to the second floor.

His body trembled, and just as he wanted to step forward and pay his respects, he witnessed a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Old Master Qi of the Qi family walked right past him without even sparing him a glance.

The rest of the Qi family did the same!

Subsequently, the group walked right up to Ling Xiao and collectively dropped to their knees.

"Mr. Ling, I am truly sorry. My Qi family failed to discipline our own properly and offended you! Today, every single direct member of the Qi family has come here to confess our sins before you! We only hope that Mr. Ling can be magnanimous and spare our Qi family this once."

Mr. Xu trembled all over, collapsing limply onto the floor.

That was the Qi family! One of the top-ranking families in all of Jiangnan, an existence of unimaginable terror!

Yet now, the Qi family was actually kneeling before Ling Xiao!

He didn't need to know Ling Xiao's identity; at that moment, he already knew he was finished—completely finished!

In the depths of despair, he couldn't help but want to curse his own son.

You damn little bastard, who else could you have provoked? Why did you have to provoke Ling Xiao and bury the entire foundation of the Xu family with you?

Ling Xiao looked indifferently at the kneeling members of the Qi family, showing no surprise whatsoever, as if everything had been clear to him all along.

"Ten-twenty. I actually thought your Qi family wouldn't show up until twelve!"

The members of the Qi family shuddered in unison.

"Please temper your anger, Mr. Ling. We rushed over without stopping the very moment we tracked down your location."

"I'll let things slide with you for now."

With a cold expression and his hands behind his back, Ling Xiao radiated an arrogant aura that made it difficult for everyone present to breathe!

"My people have already begun acquiring the Su family's assets, but they are outsiders after all and don't understand the situation in Jiangnan. From today onwards, your Qi family shall be at my disposal!"

Old Master Qi hurriedly lowered his head in compliance.

"Yes! We will strictly obey Mr. Ling's commands. From this day forward, the Qi family is incorporated into the Ghost Valley, with never a thought of defiance!"

Ling Xiao nodded with a moderate degree of satisfaction.

"It seems you people know a thing or two about rules!"