Two people looked at each other. This Peony Fairy was definitely not a weak woman!

Ye Bancheng smiled. “There might have been some misunderstandings between the two of you. It will be over soon.”

Xiao Bing looked away. He looked at Zhu Mingyu who stood behind the Peony Fairy and said, “We seem to have met before.”

Zhu Mingyu replied, “In your restaurant.”

Xiao Bing nodded and looked at Master Hou again.

Ye Bancheng smiled. “This is Master Hou, the most powerful man in Jiang City. Even the mayor of the city must show him respect.”

Per Xiao Bing’s expectations.

Master Hou flashed an amiable smile at Xiao Bing and even extended a hand toward him. His hand was very clean and didn’t at all resemble the hands of someone who controls the gangs. It was said that one must never hit a person with a smiling face. Moreover, Master Hou was considered as the master of Jiang City. He had shown Xiao Bing enough respect. Xiao Bing also held out his hand. Master Hou smiled as they shook hands. “Little brother, you’re young and promising. No wonder Mr. Ye thinks so highly of you. The world is your oyster!”

Xiao Bing smiled. “I’m just the owner of a small noodle restaurant. I’m flattered.”

Master Hou laughed. “If an ordinary owner is good enough for Mr. Ye to invite us here, then the owner is too unusual. I heard that you used to be a soldier. Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Which troop did you belong to? I know some people in the Chinese military.”

Xiao Bing said, “I’m afraid that it’s a secret.”

Master Hou was not angry. He chuckled. “That’s understandable, absolutely understandable.”

Ye Bancheng said, “Let’s drop the pleasantries and have dinner first.”

Xiao Bing picked up his chopsticks and subconsciously glanced at the grim-looking man who stood tall behind Master Hou. He estimated that this person must be fairly strong.

It was surprising that there would be such a formidable talent in a city as small as Jiang City. It was no wonder that Yezi said that Master Hou commanded the strongest force in the entire Black Province. It seemed that she was right.

No one else was present except for these few people and more than a dozen maids. Neither Ye Tianming, Ye Xinyi, nor Yezi’s stepmother was here.

Ye Bancheng was the economic pillar of Jiang City, while Master Hou was the authority of the underground world in Jiang City. Besides the Party Secretary, there was probably no one would surpass these two bosses here. It was why Ye Bancheng was able to invite Master Hou here.

Ye Bancheng was playing the role of the host to help Xiao Bing settle the matter today. Naturally, it was impossible to call them over and let them settle this matter by themselves. He raised his cup and said with mirth, “I’m not allowed to drink because my body has just recovered recently. However, the Fairy is here today and Master Hou has also honored me with his presence. I’m really happy and would like to toast everyone.”

Besides Yezi and Dumbass who was eating, Xiao Bing, the Peony Fairy, and Master Hou all raised their glasses and had a drink together. Ye Bancheng put down his glasses and said joyfully, “Please dine in, everyone. Fairy, I heard of your beauty but I’ve never seen your true face. I don’t know when I’ll be lucky enough to unveil you.”

The Peony Fairy smiled gently and yet the casual smile turned out to be very provocative. She gently lifted her hair. Even wearing the veil, she could not hide her amorous nature. “I’m afraid that Mr. Ye will be disappointed after uncovering my veil.”

Master Hou’s eyes beamed with wisdom and smiled as he said, “Mr. Ye is called Bancheng, which means half the city. Everyone said that in fact, half of Jiang City belongs to him. Why don’t you give a quarter of the city to the Fairy, Mr. Ye? You will move this beauty’s heart and the veil will naturally disappear.”

Everyone laughed at this.

Ye Bancheng shook his head. “Don’t make fun of me, Master Hou. Everyone knows that Jiang City belongs to the Party Secretary during the day and to Master Hou at night. Which half of the city belongs to me?”

Everyone smiled. The goal of the dinner today was solving the problem between Xiao Bing and the Peony Fairy. It ought to have been a solemn affair but the two bosses of Jiang City were well-versed in getting along with others. Thus, the mood was relaxed the whole time.

Ye Bancheng continued, “To be honest with you, Lil Bin and our Ye family go a long way back. Not only is he my savior, but he also has a good relationship with my daughter Ye Xiaoxi. I think everyone can see it. So, on the one hand, I invited everyone here for a get-together and on the other hand, to reconcile the misunderstanding between the Fairy and Lil Bin. I’ve heard what happened between you two. The Xie family is behind all of this but they’re no longer around. Why do you have to continue to make things difficult for each other? Isn’t that right?”

Xiao Bing said in surprise, “The Xie family…”

Ye Bancheng said, “Xie Lun died of a heart attack and his wife was sent to a psychiatric hospital. His son has been locked up for disturbing public order. Because of these things, the Xie family’s stocks plunged today as the shareholders frantically sell their shares. They are facing a bankruptcy crisis. And I am going to acquire their business after some research. It can be said that the Xie family in Jiang City is gone forever.”

The Fairy Peony leveled a deep look at Ye Bancheng. The Xie family had lost thoroughly in this matter. Even though she didn’t lose anything in this, she didn’t gain any advantage from it either. She had received a lot of money from Xie Lun, but her Heaven King Palace was destroyed and she lost several masters too. The damage had offset the money she earned.

According to the previous agreement with the Xie family, the branch in Jinsha District was to be handed over to the Peony Fairy. However, the family went bankrupt before the formalities were completed. Naturally, the Ye family would also be acquiring that branch. Thus, the Peony Fairy got nothing after all the effort she put in.

The real winner was Xiao Bing and Ye Bancheng. Xiao Bing, after all, had eliminated the Xie family who considered him a thorn in their eyes. Ye Bancheng had taken over the companies under the Xie family. The Peony Fairy was furious after thinking about it. This was the biggest loss she had suffered since her debut.

Ye Bancheng smiled at the Peony Fairy and Xiao Bing. “Would you be willing to sell me a favor and consider this matter over? Let’s toast to each other as a way of making peace. What do you think?”

The Peony Fairy raised an eyebrow. She was a woman who would not suffer grievances. Even if Ye Bancheng was very influential in Jiang City, she was unwilling to give him the honor unless Xiao Bing took the initiative to throw in the towel and show her respect. When she was about to speak, Master Hou suddenly laughed. She immediately looked at him.

Since Master Hou was attending the dinner today, it was clear that he was intending to mediate. What depressed the Peony Fairy was that while she could ignore Ye Bancheng, she had to respect Master Hou. Even though she could do whatever she wants in Jiang City, the real owner of the underground world of Jiang City was this middle-aged gentleman sitting in front of her. Master Hou might look like an amiable gentleman or an elderly man, she knew better than anyone how terrifying he was.

Moreover, Master Hou had helped the four Heaven Kings before. The Peony Fairy and the other three Heavenly Kings had heartfelt respect and loyalty for him. If he really wanted to mediate this dispute, she couldn’t disobey it.

Master Hou had a faint smile on his face. No one could tell what he was thinking. He gave others the impression of being an ocean—clear waters whose bottom couldn’t be seen. Even Xiao Bing had to admit that this gentle-looking middle-aged man was much more terrifying than most people he had met.

Master Hou first took a sip of wine gently before smiling at Ye Bancheng. “Mr. Ye is right. It is better to have more friends than rivals. Since Mr. Ye has come forward to say all that, we should show him some respect. What’s more, I find Brother Xiao congenial after meeting him. It doesn’t matter if young people make some mistakes as long as they recognize and correct those mistakes. I don’t think Peony is an unreasonable woman either. If Brother Xiao is willing to apologize to Peony, I will make the decision that this matter is settled. Can I make this decision for you, Peony?”

The Peony Fairy nodded with a smile. “Since Master Hou said so, I’ll naturally listen to you.”

She then turned to look at Xiao Bing.

Xiao Bing thought, “This Master Hou is really something. He managed to settle everyone with only a few simple words, even if the North Heaven Queen, the Peony Fairy’s mood.” Master Hou’s careful and flawless speech reminded Xiao Bing of a saying “to moisturize things in silence”.

Ye Bancheng looked at Xiao Bing and laughed. “Lil Bin, since Master Hou has said so, you must apologize to the Peony Fairy. You won’t lose anything anyway. You destroyed her Heaven King Palace after all. Make a toast to the Fairy and this matter is considered over. In the future, you are all friends. Consider it as no discord, no concord. What do you think?”

Xiao Bing stood up, filled a glass of wine, and then pushed the chair away. He walked around the table and unexpectedly took the initiative to walk toward Peony Fairy. The Peony Fairy also had to stand up.

Everyone looked at them both, with Master Hou and Ye Bancheng wearing small smiles. The Peony Fairy was also ready to accept Xiao Bing’s apology. Unexpectedly, Xiao Bing lifted the cup and slowly spilled the wine on the floor. The splashes of the wine hit the floor between him and the Peony Fairy. The Peony Fairy’s face changed. Master Hou also frowned. Ye Bancheng merely looked confused.

“This cup of wine is a toast to Zhang Gui and Yingzi. Today… I want both of them to be able to rest in peace.”