The Invincible Supreme Medical God
Chapter 260 - 212: The First Match_2

Chapter 260: Chapter 212: The First Match_2

"Yes," Yan Xiaobao chuckled softly, "how could I forget that you’re always the ever-enthusiastic Lan Feng," Yan Xiaobao said with a hint of mockery. It was clear Lan Feng only appreciated their appearances because of the snacks he could eat. He truly was a beast.

"My family is very pleased with the insurance ideas you’ve shared with us," Ma Kong suddenly said after taking a large gulp of beer. "You’ve really been a huge help to us. The old manager keeps telling me to invite you to visit the elders. I won’t let you go; they all just want to see if they can pressure you into coming up with other business ideas."

Whenever he talked about his family, Ma Kong’s eyes sparkled. Before this venture into insurance, Ma Kong was considered talented but only slightly above average—a young man who worked hard for what he wanted. At that time, his elder brother was exceptional, so Ma Kong was far from being viewed as an important youth in the family.

Now, the tides had turned. Ma Kong was the one who brought the insurance business concept to fruition, and he was connected to the once-outstanding young man who originally conceived the idea.

The Ma family was heavily reliant on goods and the Black Market Auction House, maintaining good relationships with experts and other families.

Ma Kong had integrated himself with the City Lord’s heir, the City Lord’s only daughter, and the son of the Deng family’s leader. Now this previously unremarkable young talent had become ubiquitous.

In terms of interpersonal relationships among the younger generation of the Ma family, no one could compare to Ma Kong. Unfortunately, despite Ma Kong’s networking skills, he lacked a certain ruthless characteristic that was required to run a business. However, that was in the past; all of Ma Kong’s positive traits could not compensate for his lack of ruthlessness.

The new branch of the Ma family’s business, focused on insurance, had already become an important segment. Although it couldn’t rival the Black Market Auction House, it still lagged slightly behind in terms of profit.

Unfortunately, despite trailing behind the Black Market Auction House in profit, the risks were greater, and current profits had been frozen until a certain amount of accumulated funds could be secured—enough funds to ensure insurance payouts were covered.

What made Yan Xiaobao laugh was that he had once visited the office handling insurance matters and saw the staff doing their best to find loopholes to avoid paying out insurance claims. This greatly reminded him of habits from the old world, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

When Ma Kong discussed insurance and his family, his face lit up with a radiant smile. Ma Kong resembled Rong Xing in many ways. He would often quiet down while observing his surroundings. Other times, he displayed polite smiles and listened to people talk, but ever since Yan Xiaobao increased his family’s income, Ma Kong had become animated whenever insurance or Yan Xiaobao was mentioned; his usual calm, collected persona transformed into that of a chatty and vibrant young man.

Yan Xiaobao smiled politely. This topic was often prolonged because of his preference, and although it initially brought him happiness and a sense of importance, it quickly became uncomfortable with the continuous praise.

"Deng Wu," Yan Xiaobao suddenly said, attempting to change the subject, "your ridiculously stupid reasons for quitting the tournament were cheap."

Though this was an attempt to steer the conversation, it also gave Hui Yue time to ponder his own matters. Even though Deng Wu intended to conceal his abilities, he had participated in tournaments and duels to fight for a top-tier mountain manor.

Yan Xiaobao suspected Deng Wu had a secret agenda, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t deduce a plausible reason.

"My reasoning can only be understood by an adult like me," Deng Wu said theatrically, placing one hand on his chest and gesturing dramatically with the other, as if to demonstrate he truly was a grown-up.

"Yeah, a pervert," Hui Yue frowned, resembling a ten-year-old boy. His eyes radiated an intelligence beyond his years, with all the innocence that should have been present brushed away by a sly sharpness.

Looking into those piercing eyes, Deng Wu sighed and felt a shiver run down his spine. Having learned of Yan Xiaobao’s secrets and his combat capabilities, Deng Wu would never underestimate this audacious little silver-shelled monster standing before him.

"I’m not a pervert, just a romantic," Deng Wu explained candidly, his evident fear causing everyone at the table to widen their eyes, squeezing together to see if he was joking.

Deng Wu gazed at them with the tranquility of a newborn kitten. His words came from his heart. Though they felt entirely natural to him, the others were suddenly overcome by an inexplicable urge to laugh and gag simultaneously.

The one among their group who knew Deng Wu best, a boy whose eyes brimmed with confusion, looked disdainfully at his friend. That young man, undoubtedly the strongest student in Liluo City Royal Art Academy, had failed to protect his handsome face from potential embarrassment.

Suddenly, surrendering to the absurdity of the situation, a burst of laughter escaped his lips, and within seconds, the others at the table followed suit.

"What are you laughing at?" Deng Wu frowned in irritation, displeased with the others. "Do you think the beauty of our team should marry a scarred man? No? I don’t think so. She needs me to stay handsome. Besides, why should I participate in a tournament I can’t win?"

Deng Wu said this with conviction. As long as he didn’t unleash his true potential or use the advanced martial arts skills taught to him by Yan Xiaobao, he wouldn’t be able to win the tournament.

Although Deng Wu was ranked higher than Yan Xiaobao, his temperament was still lacking. While there was no reason for Yan Xiaobao to withhold some martial arts techniques, Deng Wu was unable to bear the weight of such skills. Their circumstances couldn’t have been more polar opposite.

Yan Xiaobao decided that this year would be a year of unwavering commitment. Only after defeating Wang Julong and proving his superiority over the Wang family prodigy would he feel truly satisfied.

Even though some families expressed an interest in Hui Yue, they posed no real threat to him because he wasn’t born into a family within the city. The only information available about him was his enigmatic past, which hinted at a unique relationship with the City Lord.

Conversely, having ties to the City Lord meant he was already caught up in the City Lord’s faction. Although this could lead opponents to stage an "accident" for him, it was unlikely given his erased past. No one could discern whether it was to cover up a murder or conceal a prince.

Yan Xiaobao’s potential identity as a prince was extremely unlikely, but on the other hand, it was plausible he might be a killer. Solving the mystery of this genius made everyone increasingly wary.

"I’m excited for tomorrow," Rong Ming suddenly said, his eyes sparkling and a radiant smile appearing on his face, "My sister and I are in the same group; imagine if we go head-to-head."

Although this seemed a foolish excitement to others, Yan Xiaobao and the others understood what Rong Ming meant.

While Rong Ming ranked higher in the tournament than Rong Xing, they all felt that Rong Xing was actually the stronger of the two. Rong Xing was enigmatic. She was almost always seen with a gentle smile, quietly sitting, observing her friends during conversations.

She seldom joined in on conversations, yet it felt as though she was part of everything being said.

Rong Xing often sparred with Rong Ming, and typically Rong Ming gained the upper hand. Nonetheless, no one had ever seen Rong Xing exert all her strength to defeat someone, nor had anyone witnessed Rong Xing seriously competing.

The student council crest didn’t record which fighters exerted the most effort during matches, only recording winners and losers; seed students were ranked based on these results.

"If you’re up against Rong Xing, you must forfeit!" Deng Wu said with a horrified look, his worried gaze fixed on Rong Xing. "How could you hit a woman—your own sister, at that?!"

"You know," Ma Kong suddenly said in a calm and steady voice, "I think Rong Xing would prefer a man with scars who dares to face his opponent, rather than a ’pretty boy’ who runs away because of injuries."

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