Chapter 730: Sudden Change!

The Tang-clothed man walked slowly to Lin Yuan, stopping just two meters away.

He stood tall with a calm face, but his deep, unfathomable eyes exuded an invisible authority that inspired involuntary awe.

The Tang-clothed man spoke slowly, his voice low and magnetic, carrying the steadiness of one long accustomed to high position.

The Tang-clothed man's voice rang clearly across the entire square:

"I am the head of the Shanghai Shangqing Group, Du Jie; you can call me Jie Ge."

As his words fell,

All the old factions present had their faces change dramatically!

On site, only Lin Yuan still looked bewildered?

The Tang-clothed man's gaze… fell upon Lin Yuan.

The Tang-clothed man's tone was calm… yet carried an irresistible pressure:

"Our Shangqing Group's traitor is said to be hiding in your Goddess Bar; you must give us an explanation—either let us search and find the traitor."

"Or else, don't blame us for being rude—we'll raze your Goddess Bar and settle accounts with you as well."

Lin Yuan heard the names "Du Jie" and "Shangqing Group" and a hint of bewilderment appeared on his face.

He had never heard these two titles before, and had no idea how formidable this Jie Ge's identity was.

Lin Yuan merely sensed from the attitudes of the new faction bosses that this person was not ordinary.

Lin Yuan furrowed his brows, about to speak.

But An Yunxi beside him suddenly turned pale, her body trembling slightly.

An Yunxi hurriedly leaned close to Lin Yuan's ear.

An Yunxi lowered her voice, her tone full of shock, and whispered: "Lin Yuan! This Jie Ge is no ordinary person—he is the emperor of the Shanghai Underground Jianghu! His great-grandfather was none other than Du Yue Sheng, who once shook the Shanghai Beach!"

Du Yue Sheng?!

Lin Yuan heard those three words, his whole body froze instantly, his eyes widening.

Lin Yuan's face… was filled with incredulous shock.

Lin Yuan's mind went blank, even his breathing halted for a few seconds.

He could hardly believe that he would actually meet Du Yue Sheng's descendant—and that he was the emperor of the Shanghai Underground Jianghu, Shanghai Jie Ge!!

No wonder all the new faction bosses bowed and submitted to him.

No wonder they dared to be so arrogant—it turned out they had such a backing!

Lin Yuan's heart pounded nonstop, his inner self shaken.

He instinctively clenched his fists, fingertips trembling slightly.

Lin Yuan originally thought the new faction was merely a local force in Jiangnan.

But Lin Yuan never expected they could actually summon someone as big as Shanghai Jie Ge, with Du Yue Sheng's descendant appearing in person?

Today's matter is far more complicated and troublesome than Lin Yuan imagined.

The atmosphere on site was tense to the extreme, swords drawn and bows bent.

The new faction's enforcers slowly advanced, the cold gleam of their clubs and blades making it hard to keep one's eyes open.

The old faction's members all tensed their bodies, ready to fight to the death.

Qin Bore, standing at the edge of the crowd, saw this, her eyes turning cold as she lifted her foot to step forward and speak.

Qin Bore wanted to step in to steady the situation.

Lin Yuan caught her movement in his peripheral vision, his face changing instantly, and almost instinctively he reached out, gripping Qin Bore's wrist tightly.

Lin Yuan pulled her behind him, firmly protecting her at his back.

Lin Yuan lowered his voice, his tone filled with unprecedented urgency and worry: "Don't go over there—this place is too dangerous."

He turned his head, his gaze firm as he looked at Qin Bore.

Lin Yuan spoke extremely quickly… and whispered his orders:

"Hurry and withdraw from the bar's back door; I'll handle this matter. This is a grudge of the Underground Jianghu—blades flashing, life and death uncertain. You're not a jianghu person; once involved, you'll face endless trouble and easily invite lethal disaster. I absolutely cannot let you come to harm."

In Lin Yuan's heart, Qin Bore was merely a wealthy young lady from a privileged family, completely unconnected to these violent jianghu affairs.

The new faction, having even summoned the emperor of Shanghai, employed ruthless means without regard for consequences.

Lin Yuan would rather bear all the trouble himself than let Qin Bore be implicated.

But Qin Bore did not retreat; instead, she stared fixedly at him.

Qin Bore's red lips parted slightly, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty as she spoke, word by word:

"Withdraw? I've got you covered."

Lin Yuan froze instantly, his face full of bewilderment and incomprehension.

Lin Yuan furrowed his brows tightly, his tone tinged with helplessness and even greater worry:

"How can you cover me? This is a jianghu grudge killing—not something money can settle. Don't interfere; you'll truly invite disaster. I know you're well-off, a rich second‑gen, but you can't handle this Underground Jianghu business—you'll only drag yourself into a mire."

He earnestly advised her, only wishing she would leave this place of right and wrong quickly.

But Qin Bore showed no intention of yielding.

She still wore black sunglasses… and a low‑pressed baseball cap, covering most of her beautiful face, revealing only a sharp jawline and cherry‑red lips.

Qin Bore, gently shaking off Lin Yuan's hand.

She disregarded Lin Yuan's obstruction, her steps steady as she walked through the crowd straight to the very front of the opposing sides.

Qin Bore… faced thousands of imposing enforcers, the senior figures of the New Faction Group, and Shanghai Jie Ge standing center‑stage with an overwhelming presence.

Qin Bore showed not the slightest fear.

Qin Bore's clear, penetrating voice suddenly rang out, directly overriding the noisy clamor of the entire venue.

"I give you three seconds—everyone must immediately scramble out of New Union Square. Who dares to lay a finger on Lin Yuan? Believe it or not, today I will overturn the whole New Union Square, making sure none of you leave standing."

As soon as Qin Bore finished speaking, Le Tian Financial's spokesperson, Le Xiao chen, exploded in anger.

Le Xiao chen gave a cold sneer, then cursed mockingly: 'Damn! Where did this ignorant little girl come from, daring to cause trouble here?'

Le Xiao chen, who is usually respected, is now being publicly shouted at by a woman wearing sunglasses and a duck-tongue cap whose face cannot be seen.

Le Xiao chen snorted in anger.

Le Xiao chen suddenly raised his hand and barked at the lackeys nearby: 'Take her down! Tie up this ignorant little girl directly—I want to see what guts she has to speak wildly here.'

Before his words finished, several New Faction lackeys who had been poised sprang forward, swift as wolves, lunging at Qin Bore.

Having long wandered the martial world, they were skilled and swift; almost instantly they reached Qin Bore, reaching out to grab her arms, intending to firmly control her.

Lin Yuan saw this, and his face changed instantly.

Lin Yuan didn't think; he immediately wanted to rush forward to intercept, wanting to protect Qin Bore.

But he was still a few steps from Qin Bore, and the New Faction lackeys were too fast; he had no time to act.

In just two seconds, those lackeys had already pinned Qin Bore down firmly.

Soon, Qin Bore was tightly bound with ropes by the lackeys, her whole body held in place, unable to move.

Lin Yuan stared fixedly at Le Xiao chen, his eyes full of anger.

Lin Yuan shouted hoarsely: 'Le Xiao chen, release her quickly! If you have something, come at me, don't torment a woman!'

At this moment his mind was full of Qin Bore's safety; he didn't consider his own situation at all, only wanting Le Xiao chen to release her immediately.

Le Xiao chen saw Lin Yuan's anxious, flustered appearance, and a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

Le Xiao chen's mouth corner curled up a sinister smile.

He instantly realized that this woman was crucial to Lin Yuan.

This... is the best leverage to control Lin Yuan.

Le Xiao chen walked slowly to Qin Bore's side, raised his hand and pinched her chin, forcing her to lift her head slightly.

Le Xiao chen spoke in a sinister tone to Lin Yuan:

'Release her? Possible.'

Le Xiao chen paused, his eyes growing more ruthless, and he laid out his condition word by word:

'As long as you cripple one of your own hands, I will immediately release this little girl—I won't go back on my word. Otherwise, I will make her bleed to death on the spot, and you will never see her again!'

As soon as his words fell, Le Xiao chen took a sharp cleaver from the lackey beside him.

The blade flashed with a cold light, making people shiver.

Le Xiao chen flipped his wrist, lightly placing the sharp blade against Qin Bore's snowy white neck.

The blade pressed tightly against her skin, the force controlled just right—not injuring her immediately but posing a deadly threat.

Throughout, Le Xiao chen never recognized Qin Bore's identity.

Qin Bore still wore black sunglasses and a low-pressed duck-tongue cap.

Most of her face was completely covered, only a small strip of snowy white neck and a sharp jawline visible, making her true appearance unrecognizable.

In Le Xiao chen's view, this was just an ordinary woman beside Lin Yuan; if he could control her, he could easily coerce Lin Yuan.

The sharp blade pressed tightly against the skin; on Qin Bore's snowy white neck, a faint red mark instantly appeared, with faint traces of blood visible—shocking.

Qin Bore instinctively held her breath, but showed no fear; she merely stared coldly at Le Xiao chen through her sunglasses.

Behind the sunglasses, Qin Bore's eyes were full of disdain and coldness, as if the threat before her was utterly insignificant.

Lin Yuan looked at the red mark on Qin Bore's neck and the blade at her throat; his heart leapt to his throat.

Lin Yuan was so anxious his whole body trembled.

He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles whitening from the force, his eyes full of struggle.

'Cripple his own hand?'

This... is practically making him a disabled person.

But if Lin Yuan doesn't comply, Qin Bore will be in mortal danger...

He absolutely cannot let Qin Bore come to harm.

Le Xiao chen saw Lin Yuan hesitating, and the ruthlessness in his eyes intensified.

Le Xiao chen slightly increased pressure with his wrist, pushing the cleaver a bit closer to Qin Bore's neck.

On Qin Bore's neck, the faint blood streaks became clearer.

Le Xiao chen urged in a gloomy tone:

'Lin Yuan, don't dilly-dally! I have no patience to wait for you—quickly chop off your own hands, otherwise this little girl's neck won't be saved!'

Before his words finished, Le Xiao chen raised his hand and threw a sharp short dagger, which clanged to the ground at Lin Yuan's feet, blade downward, cold light glaring.

Le Xiao chen said coldly, 'Here, take it—act!'

Around, the New Faction members saw this, all showed mocking smiles, whispering and making cold remarks.

'Heh, Lin Yuan also has such a sorry state?'

'I thought he was formidable, but it turns out for a woman he's willing to cripple his own hand—truly spineless!'

'Hurry up and act, don't waste our time—look at your helpless state, it's ridiculous!'

One after another, mocking sounds entered his ears, stinging his eardrums, but he had no mind to retort; all his attention was on Qin Bore's safety.

Lin Yuan slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, the struggle and pain in his eyes had faded, leaving only resolve.

He gritted his teeth, slowly bent over, trembling as he reached out and picked up the short dagger at his feet.

The icy blade touched his palm, a bone-chilling cold spreading from his fingertips through his whole body.

Lin Yuan gripped the hilt tightly, raised his arm slightly, and aligned the blade with his left wrist.

As long as he exerts a bit more force, this hand that habitually uses silver needles and has protected countless people will be completely crippled.

Just as Lin Yuan's blade was about to fall, a sudden change occurred!

Qin Bore, who had been tightly bound by rope and seemed utterly unable to resist, suddenly exerted force!

Qin Bore gave her wrist a light twist, and the seemingly tight rope... was instantly loosened a little by her.

Before the two thugs holding her down could react,

Qin Bore lifted her leg... a fierce side kick, precisely striking Le Xiao chen's lower abdomen!

This kick, with such great force, made the originally arrogant Le Xiao chen... let out a muffled groan, his body uncontrollably staggering backward!

Le Xiao chen fell to his knees with a "thud", the broadsword in his hand clattering to the ground, pain making his whole body twitch, unable to get up for a while.

The change happened in the blink of an eye...

The two thugs holding Qin Bore down... were completely dazed.

The two thugs hadn't even had time to react...

Qin Bore then turned, raised her hand and precisely grabbed the wrist of one of the thugs!

Only a crisp "crack" was heard!

Accompanied by the thug's shrill wail, his wrist was snapped outright, completely losing any ability to resist.

Seeing this, the other thug was terrified out of his wits, turned and tried to flee...

Qin Bore flashed her figure, quickly caught up, and lifted her leg to kick his knee!

Another crisp sound rang out; the thug's legs gave way and he knelt on the ground, the excruciating pain of his shattered knee curling him up, wailing nonstop.

In just a few short seconds, the two vicious thugs were completely disabled by Qin Bore, collapsing to the ground in painful groans.

This sudden reversal left the entire venue instantly silent.

The members of the New Faction, who had been mocking nonstop, had their smiles freeze instantly, each staring wide-eyed, their faces full of incredulous astonishment;

The people of the Old Faction also stared in shock, their eyes full of surprise; no one expected that this seemingly delicate woman would possess such formidable skill;

And Lin Yuan, as if struck by lightning, froze in place, the dagger in his hand clattering to the ground, his eyes wide open, staring at Qin Bore in disbelief??

In Lin Yuan's eyes... lay shock and bewilderment...

He had never imagined that Qin Bore could have such formidable skill?

The woman he had struggled to protect with all his might had actually been concealing her strength all along??