Chapter 124: The Muay Thai Master

Yang Jiekai and Han Ning were the ones going on the trip, but Han Wei was clearly very invested in the matter, handling everything from flight bookings to tour arrangements with meticulous care, leaving no detail unattended.

The flight was scheduled for tomorrow morning. After returning to his room and tidying up a bit, Yang Jiekai prepared to take a shower and get a good night's sleep.

Just then, his phone rang at an inopportune moment. Seeing an unfamiliar number, Yang Jiekai hung up without a second thought.

No sooner had he hung up than the phone rang again. Furrowing his brows, Yang Jiekai answered and said impatiently, "Who is this?"

There was a silence of several seconds on the other end before a low, masculine voice replied, "It is me, Chen Peifeng."

"Chen Peifeng?"

The name sounded familiar to Yang Jiekai, as if he had heard it somewhere before. After giving it some thought, he realized it was the owner of the underground fight club.

Why is he calling me?

"Speak your piece and be quick about it!" Yang Jiekai couldn't care less who the man was and retorted impatiently.

Chen Peifeng did not get angry on the other end; instead, his tone remained quite courteous. "I wonder if Mr. Yang might have some time now..."

"No time!"

Before the man could finish, Yang Jiekai slammed the phone shut. He had only met Chen Peifeng once and could hardly be considered an acquaintance. Besides, it was the middle of the night, and he couldn't be bothered with him.

Chen Peifeng, on the other end, was speechless. Being able to run an underground fight club in Anhai City meant he was no ordinary person. In the underworld of Anhai, he was at least a figure of some standing; even the top bosses usually gave him a shred of respect. This was the first time someone had dared to hang up on him like this.

However, Chen Peifeng did not lose his temper. Someone who had reached his level had long since mastered the ability to control their emotions. After a moment's thought, he dialed the number again.

This time, before the other party could speak, Chen Peifeng cut in, "Mr. Yang, I only want to invite you for a cup of tea. If you are unwilling, I will continue to call, or I shall pay you a visit in person."

Yang Jiekai was speechless, thinking to himself that this guy was like a piece of chewing gum. They had only met once—why was he being so persistent?

Having spent years in the underworld, Chen Peifeng had evolved into an old fox. While his tone was polite, it carried an underlying threat. He knew Yang Jiekai was no ordinary person and that he couldn't simply use force, which was why he chose this method.

Yang Jiekai feared nothing, but he did hate trouble. He knew enough about Chen Peifeng's identity to realize that if this man really came to "pay a visit," while he wouldn't be afraid for himself, he didn't want to bring trouble to Han Ning.

After a moment of contemplation, he sighed helplessly. "Time and place!"

The meeting was held in a private room at one of the most upscale teahouses in Anhai City. As soon as Yang Jiekai arrived, two men in black waiting outside rushed over to help with the car door and led him to a massive private room on the top floor.

"Welcome, welcome! It is a great honor for Mr. Yang to grace us with his presence!"

Chen Peifeng was over forty, yet he appeared cultured and refined, dressed in a perfectly pressed dark brown suit. His every gesture lacked any trace of the underworld. If one didn't know his background, no one would doubt it if told he was a university professor.

Yang Jiekai reached out to shake hands with Chen Peifeng in a perfunctory manner. After glancing around the massive, hundred-square-meter room, he didn't wait for an invitation, plopping himself onto the sofa, lighting a cigarette, and looking at Chen Peifeng with impatience. "My time is limited. Make it short. Why did you call me out so late?"

Chen Peifeng laughed heartily, sat down opposite Yang Jiekai, and said, "Mr. Yang is indeed a straightforward man. I won't beat around the bush; I truly have a favor to ask."

Yang Jiekai didn't speak, just leaned back lazily on the soft sofa, lifting his eyelids to signal for the other man to continue.

Chen Peifeng lit a cigar without haste before saying slowly, "If Mr. Yang doesn't mind, I would like to invite you to join my underground fight club."

Yang Jiekai frowned. "What kind of arrangement would that be?"

Chen Peifeng exhaled a puff of smoke and said calmly, "I am the only one running an underground fight club in all of Anhai City. With Mr. Yang's skills, if you join us, I believe the two of us will rake in money by the day. We can split the earnings fifty-fifty!"

Yang Jiekai was stunned, then let out a dry laugh. So, the reason this guy called him in the middle of the night was that he had taken a fancy to his fighting ability.

As for what Chen Peifeng called "joining," Yang Jiekai knew exactly what it meant. It was an invitation to fight in the ring. The income of the fight club relied mainly on gambling, with the audience placing bets on the winners, and Chen Peifeng was the man behind the curtain. People like him loved fighters who were exceptionally skilled. If he could recruit a top-tier master who could win or lose whenever he wanted, the fight club would become a high-speed money-printing machine.

Yang Jiekai finished his cigarette in two puffs, flicked the butt away, stood up, dusted off his clothes, and walked straight toward the door without looking back. "Sorry, not interested."

Chen Peifeng was not surprised by Yang Jiekai's reaction, nor did he try to stop him. He simply sat on the sofa, smoking his cigar leisurely while watching Yang Jiekai's retreating figure.

Just as Yang Jiekai reached the door, it was suddenly pushed open. Standing outside was a muscular man at least 1.9 meters tall, with long hair and bare feet.

Yang Jiekai was not surprised either; it would have been strange if Chen Peifeng had let him leave so easily after calling him here in the middle of the night.

Without a word or a command, the long-haired, burly man locked his gaze onto Yang Jiekai for about two seconds before suddenly striking out with a lightning-fast elbow.

Yang Jiekai stepped back and sidestepped the blow. When the long-haired man missed, he followed up with a powerful, sweeping kick.

Yang Jiekai didn't dare to be careless. He raised his arms to block, and with a loud "bang," the heavy kick slammed into his forearms. Both men were pushed back a few steps by the sheer force of the collision.

"Not bad. A Muay Thai expert, I see."

Yang Jiekai remained expressionless, but he could tell from those two moves alone that the man was a top-tier Muay Thai fighter.

They traded another dozen or so blows. Muay Thai focused on steel knees and iron elbows. This man had been hired at a high price from a Thai underground circuit; he had practiced Muay Thai since he was six, kicking banana trees a thousand times a day, turning his legs into rods of steel.

Yang Jiekai's style, however, was wilder. It didn't belong to any school; every move was the simplest, most effective, and most direct form of combat.

By the fifteenth exchange, Yang Jiekai spotted an opening. As the man came in with a flying knee, Yang Jiekai slid to the right and slammed a fist into the man's armpit.

The burly man instinctively buckled, his movements momentarily stalled. Yang Jiekai didn't hesitate, following up with an uppercut to the chin and a sharp kick to the man's thigh bone.

With a sickening *crack* of bone, the Muay Thai expert fell backward and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Bravo!"

Chen Peifeng, who had been watching from the sidelines, didn't show any anger at seeing his high-priced expert incapacitated. Instead, he stood up from the sofa in excitement, clapping his hands and cheering.

Yang Jiekai naturally knew why Chen Peifeng was happy. The expert he had just downed was likely a test of his true strength. Having seen it with his own eyes, Chen was naturally delighted.

"I will not join you."

Seeing the look in Chen Peifeng's eyes—as if he were looking at a massive gold nugget—Yang Jiekai was speechless and quickly interrupted his fantasies.

Chen Peifeng laughed heartily. "I didn't expect Mr. Yang to join right away, but I suggest you don't be in such a rush to refuse."

Saying this, Chen Peifeng took a business card from his pocket and offered it with both hands. "This is my card. If you ever run into any troublesome matters in Anhai City, feel free to call me."

He added, "Mr. Yang, please don't refuse. I believe there will come a day when you will find this card useful."

Yang Jiekai couldn't be bothered with any more talk. He took the card, stuffed it into his pocket, and walked out, humming a tune in a leisurely manner.

After Yang Jiekai left, the smile on Chen Peifeng's face slowly solidified.

A muscular man walked in from the door, his head shaved clean, a vibrant, seductive peony tattooed on his scalp.

"Pofeng, if that had been you, what are the odds you could have taken him down?" Chen Peifeng asked calmly, leaning back against the sofa cushions.

The bald man, addressed as Pofeng, shook his head lightly and replied honestly, "Not even one percent."

Chen Peifeng seemed to have anticipated the answer. He didn't look surprised; he just leaned back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

A moment later, Pofeng said slowly, "Boss, I suggest we eliminate this person."

"Why?" Chen Peifeng asked softly.

Pofeng's tone was steady, a flicker of cold ruthlessness in his eyes. "If he cannot be used by us and falls into the hands of our enemies, he will be a grave threat to us."

Chen Peifeng didn't reply. He pulled a coin from his pocket, tossed it lightly into the air, and caught it. Upon opening his hand to look, it was tails.

Speaking as if to himself, or perhaps to Pofeng, he said, "There is no need. I have never seen a master like him, and I can guarantee that sooner or later, he will be the one calling me."

Pofeng sighed softly. "I hope so."