The words of City Lord Qin had already given face to the leader of the Great River Gang, and the attention of everyone present was focused on Jia Dachun.
As for Jia Dachun himself, he fell silent, not saying a word, merely maintaining his silence.
Seeing this, City Lord Qin’s voice turned three points colder: “Leader Jia, if you agree, at least make a sound.”
He had changed his address from Jia Dachun to Leader Jia, and anyone could sense the underlying estrangement and indifference in his tone.
Witnessing this scene, the inconspicuous Li Qing finally grasped a hint of the situation. It turned out that today’s birthday banquet was not just a gathering for celebration; it seemed to be a banquet of intrigue aimed at this Jia Dachun.
Quite interesting.
Jia Dachun still did not respond, and the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly stagnant.
At this moment, it was Ge Wen, the president of the Red Fish Chamber of Commerce, who spoke up to ease the tension: “Hehe, it seems Leader Jia needs to think a bit longer. City Lord Qin, didn’t you say there would be wine at this birthday banquet? Hurry up and bring it out for everyone to enjoy, hahaha!”
“It’s been so many years; it’s becoming increasingly difficult to have a drink.”
Qin Xiu let out a cold snort and nodded.
Soon, the servants of the city lord’s mansion brought out the wine—there were only three jars in total, barely enough for each table to share two or three pots.
It was evident that the supply of wine in the Eternal Night World was dwindling.
As the faint aroma of wine spread, the atmosphere of the birthday banquet gradually relaxed.
Everyone cherished the wine in their hands, drinking cautiously, taking small sips, afraid of finishing it too quickly.
Only two people at the scene were not in a hurry to raise their cups: one was Li Qing, and the other was Jia Dachun.
Although Li Qing also enjoyed drinking, he clearly looked down on such petty drinking; it was not satisfying at all. He simply lost interest and passed his share to Ke Luoda beside him.
There were indeed quite a few people doing the same; the subordinates of other leaders also tactfully gave their wine to their respective leaders.
Seeing how precious wine was in this world, Li Qing had some different thoughts in his heart. Perhaps in the future, he could procure some wine to win over people’s hearts or exchange for things he desired.
Jia Dachun did not rush to drink either. He waited until the people around him had drunk enough and confirmed that nothing was amiss before he raised his cup and downed the wine in one go.
Bang!
After putting down the cup, Jia Dachun wiped his mouth and said, “City Lord Qin, you said you would investigate the murderer, but how can I be sure that the murderer you found isn’t just someone you randomly framed?”
“The three men who died in my gang were all top-notch experts. Even an external strength martial artist would have to expend considerable effort to take them down.”
Qin Xiu’s face showed no expression, and his tone was extremely indifferent: “What, do you not even trust me?”
Clang!
Suddenly, Jia Dachun’s eyes turned completely red. He flipped the table over, his tone filled with uncontrollable rage: “Damn it, this wine is off! Did you put something in it?”
The wine and dishes on the entire table spilled onto the ground, creating a mess.
At this, all the gang leaders present panicked, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Jia Dachun and City Lord Qin.
They had all drunk the wine; if there was truly a problem, none of them would be able to escape.
However, Qin Xiu and Ge Wen remained at ease, savoring their wine and enjoying their dishes.
“Leader Jia, why do you say such things? Everyone has drunk this wine, including me and Brother Ge. How come we haven’t noticed any issues?”
Indeed, it seemed there was no problem!
The few people at Jia Dachun’s table also belatedly realized that they hadn’t felt anything wrong with the wine.
However, Jia Dachun’s breathing grew heavier. He felt his strength draining away, and his limbs began to weaken. “The cup... it’s the cup!”
Jia Dachun had already identified the source of the problem. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Ge Wen and Qin Xiu on the high seat with an expression of intense hatred.
“So it was your city lord’s mansion that dealt with my three brothers!”
“No wonder I’ve been investigating for so long, and other gangs couldn’t find any evidence of foul play. It turns out it was you, old bastard Qin Xiu.”
“Right, you two old bastards have this motive. You just can’t stand to see others advance to the internal strength level, can you?”
Boom!
Jia Dachun forcibly mobilized his qi, stirring his blood, attempting to suppress the effects of the drug within him.
From the imposing aura he displayed, it was clear that Jia Dachun had indeed advanced to the internal strength level.
Wow!
Others gasped in astonishment, not expecting the leader of the Great River Gang, after years of management, to have become a master at the internal strength level.
If it weren’t for today’s birthday banquet forcing his true capabilities to surface, everyone present would still be in the dark.
Qin Xiu stood up, his aura equally astonishing: “Jia Dachun, you’ve repeatedly caused trouble at my birthday banquet. Do you really think that just because you’ve reached the internal strength level, I can’t do anything to you?”
With this voice, the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed from both sides of the streets outside the city lord’s mansion, and sharp weapons appeared atop the walls.
There was no need to think; these were the elite forces nurtured by the city lord’s mansion over the years, and their purpose was already clear.
Seeing this scene, Jia Dachun realized that today’s situation was dire.
“Do you really think I’m easy to deal with, Shi Dong!”
Beside him, a fierce-looking man stepped forward, standing beside Jia Dachun.
This was another external strength martial artist from the Great River Gang, one of the pillars of the gang.
The two stood side by side, directing their gazes toward the composed Qin Xiu and Ge Wen.
Jia Dachun’s eyes burned with intensity as he asked, “I’m just curious, how did you know I advanced to the internal strength level? I’ve never disclosed this to outsiders.”
Regarding this question, neither City Lord Qin nor President Ge Wen seemed inclined to answer.
Their gazes toward Jia Dachun were like those directed at a dead man.
This look completely ignited the fury within Jia Dachun. He roared, “Damn it, Shi Dong, let’s kill these two old bastards together! From now on, Great Rock City will be ours!”
Shi Dong replied gravely, “Leader, I’ll follow your lead.”
“Follow me! Let’s fight!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Dachun prepared to charge forward. However, after taking just a few steps, he was stunned and slowly lowered his head.
Behind him, a sharp dagger had plunged into his back, the icy sensation piercing to the bone at that moment.
Drip!
Blood dripped onto the ground, and everyone heard it clearly.
Jia Dachun struggled to turn his head, desperately trying to imprint the familiar face with a strange expression into his memory.
“It’s you.”
(End of Chapter)