At the entrance of Yong Village, a large group of people slowly appeared.
"Yo? Hall Master Hei Long, still alive?"
"You, a pig, are living well, so why should I die?"
"Damn it, who are you calling a pig? Do you want to fight?"
"Alright, alright, Jin Ye must have something important to discuss since he gathered us. What are you arguing about here?"
"Tch~ Jin Ye? He still thinks he's the boss? Sir, times have changed!"
"What do you mean? How dare you disrespect Jin Ye?"
"Speaking of which, where is Hall Master Shui She? Has she not arrived yet?"
The atmosphere became tense, ready for a conflict.
Among these Hall Masters, some had gained Esper abilities, or felt that with the apocalypse, all past matters, such as Jin Ye's assets, were no longer important.
Naturally, they looked down on Jin Ye, and they came today with ulterior motives.
Of course, among these people, there were also those who were very loyal to Jin Ye, and the struggle between the two factions had already begun to take shape.
Hall Master Qing Niu, dressed in a suit, pushed up his glasses, his gaze coldly sweeping around, and stepped forward, saying, "I know some of you feel that because you've gained power, you can disrespect Jin Ye.
But I'm not afraid to tell you, there are certainly many Espers in this world, and if you think you can use this to lord over Jin Ye, then don't blame me for being impolite!"
Hall Master Jin Si Hou snorted, "It's the damn apocalypse, and you still want to lick that old bastard's boots? Today, I..."
Suddenly, Hall Master Qing Niu, who was two meters away, stretched out his arm, and it elongated rapidly, tightly gripping Hall Master Jin Si Hou's neck.
"You..." Hall Master Jin Si Hou's eyes widened.
Crack!
Hall Master Qing Niu squeezed his fingers, effortlessly snapping his neck. All the subordinates under Hall Master Jin Si Hou were stunned with fear.
"I said, whoever dares to disrespect Jin Ye again, I will not be polite!"
With that, he tossed the body aside, smoothed his clothes, and was the first to enter Yong Village.
The remaining Hall Masters exchanged glances, then sullenly followed, but what thoughts each of them harbored, perhaps only they themselves knew.
In the large living room of the central area, ten Hall Masters entered in single file, while all their subordinates stood neatly outside.
"Jin Ye? You are..." Hall Master Qing Niu was instantly horrified upon seeing Jin Ye's miserable state, covered in bandages.
Jin Ye waved his hand and chuckled, "It's nothing, I encountered a strong enemy during the day and got a little injured, but it's not a big problem."
This was far from not a big problem; Hall Master Qing Niu saw that Jin Ye had lost a leg, his eyes were bloodshot, and he exuded a chilling killing intent.
The other Hall Masters offered their greetings, their sincerity unclear.
Hall Master Bai Shu noticed an unfamiliar young man sitting in the first seat below Jin Ye, and even Zhu Que, one of the Four Great Vajras, was standing behind him. He couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Who is this???"
Jin Ye chuckled, "This is our new friend from the Tianxia Hui (Underworld Association), Brother Lin Dong. It was Brother Lin Dong who helped me repel the strong enemy today, so you must not be rude!"
Hall Master Qing Niu's eyes narrowed slightly, "Is that so? Then we must thank Brother Lin Dong very much."
"Hey, why are you being so polite with me?" Lin Dong flicked his cigarette butt to Yu Qin, who pursed her lips and silently took the butt, clenching her fist to extinguish it.
This scene left everyone dumbfounded. What was going on with this guy?
Among the ten people who came, four were Espers, with the lowest being Level 2 and the highest Level 3; the rest were ordinary people.
If Zhang Wei hadn't courted death, Jin Ye's Tianxia Hui (Underworld Association) would have at least nine Espers.
How awesome!
You really can't deny it, such a force, combined with countless fierce subordinates, truly had a chance to dominate Jiangcheng, provided that he and the Foundation weren't present.
Everyone took their seats.
Hall Master Tian Gou, a young man, noticed Yu Qin was still standing and his eyes lit up. He quietly shifted his seat, "Miss Yu Qin, do you not have a seat? You can sit here!"
As soon as he spoke, the other Hall Masters also moved their seats.
"You dead dog, get to the back! Miss Yu Qin, sit here!"
"Do you have no shame? You could be Miss Yu Qin's grandfather! I'm young, Miss Yu Qin should sit here."
"Damn it, don't fight me for her! My wife just died, I'm single, she has to sit next to me!"
After all, she was the Tianxia Hui (Underworld Association)'s number one beauty and Jin Ye's adopted daughter. Before the apocalypse, many coveted Yu Qin's beauty.
Yu Qin was as cold as a silent gourd, not saying a word. Originally, her status was above these Hall Masters, so she could naturally sit.
But now...
Lin Dong smiled, "Oh, she doesn't like to sit, just let her stand."
As soon as he said this, everyone fell silent.
Hall Master Qing Niu coldly asked, "Oh? May I be so bold as to ask, is Brother Lin Dong Miss Yu Qin's husband?"
"No!" Lin Dong shook his head.
"Boyfriend?"
"Not that either!"
Hall Master Tian Gou instantly became enraged, "You're not her boyfriend, nor her husband, so what right do you have to decide whether Miss Yu Qin sits or not?"
Lin Dong shrugged, too lazy to explain. It was Jin Ye who quickly smoothed things over, "Alright, this is between Yu Qin and Brother Lin Dong. Where are Shui She and Jin Si Hou? Still not here?"
Everyone fell silent again.
Hall Master Qing Niu stood up and said, "Jin Ye, Shui She's whereabouts are unknown. Hall Master Jin Si Hou disrespected you and even spoke rudely, so I dealt with him on your behalf. Please punish me."
"Oh? Is that so?" Jin Ye paused, then gave them a cold smile.
"It seems many of you feel that times have changed, and I, this old man, am no longer qualified to hold this position, is that right?"
Many Hall Masters' gazes flickered away, and even those Espers with ulterior motives felt a sense of trepidation.
Jin Ye slowly stood up, and the cane in his hand suddenly struck the ground heavily.
The next second, countless vines, thorns, and branches began to sprout and grow from beneath his feet, enveloping the entire living room in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, countless sharp wooden spikes grew out, pointing directly at the conference table.
This scene truly scared everyone; Jin Ye was an Esper too!
Hall Master Qing Niu excitedly cupped his hands, "Congratulations, Jin Ye, on acquiring supreme power! Under your leadership, our Tianxia Hui (Underworld Association) will surely dominate Jiangcheng—no, dominate the entire country!"
The other Hall Masters echoed his words.
Those who were loyal to Jin Ye were overjoyed, while those with hidden agendas were filled with fear.
Jin Ye snorted, retracted the thorns, and sat down, beginning the meeting.
Lin Dong, meanwhile, propped his chin with his hand and tilted his head, unreservedly scrutinizing Yu Qin.
It seemed she was indeed Yu Qin, but why did the system register her as Mu Ningwan?
Could the system even discern a person's true name?
For example, perhaps Yu Qin was named Mu Ningwan before Jin Ye found her, and the name Yu Qin was given by Jin Ye.
But didn't Jin Ye's surname mean 'gold'? Why wouldn't he give his adopted daughter his own surname?
Or perhaps... this woman possessed a special Esper ability that he hadn't seen yet.
Ah, so many mysteries. I've already explored the secrets of your body; next, it's time to explore the secrets of your heart.
Yu Qin's heart tightened.
He wouldn't have seen through anything, would he?
He shouldn't have; even my psychological activities are the same as Yu Qin's, so there can't be any flaws!
As the meeting was in progress, it suddenly became noisy outside.