Chapter 132: Best Friend

Someone shouted from behind, and Xiao Tianci turned his head. Tang Bing had already engaged the opponent. He saw the opponent's palm, broad as a cattail leaf, execute a powerful seizing move to lock Tang Bing's wrist. The giant hand grasped Tang Bing's wrist just like an adult grabbing the hand of a five or six-year-old child; well over half of Tang Bing's arm was engulfed in his grip.

However, Tang Bing’s bone-dislocating technique was child's play for handling this kind of situation. Tang Bing slipped out of the hold and counterattacked, while Xiao Tianci finally got a clear look at the opponent's appearance.

He was short and fat to an almost absurd degree. His head felt as though it were twice the size of Xiao Tianci's, but the flesh on his face looked quite taut, lacking the loose, sagging quality of ordinary obesity.

His body could easily fit two Tang Bings inside it, and he undoubtedly occupied two full seats when walking. Tailoring clothes for him would likely require more than double the standard fabric because he was simply that fat. His eyes appeared very small as a result, yet they shone with a sharp brilliance, presumably because small eyes gathered light.

Crucially, he was wearing a traditional Tang suit. Given his physique, it gave him an air of affluent plumpness—at a single glance, he looked the absolute picture of an exploitative capitalist. Above all, the moment Xiao Tianci looked at that chubby face, it felt so familiar that it instantly brought a certain person to mind. Although the facial contours had changed entirely, the underlying impression remained identical, prompting Xiao Tianci to shout in a hurry for them to halt.

Regrettably, by the time he cried out, Tang Bing had already made his move. Judging by how Tang Bing had handled the fellow from the Cherry Blossom Group who had exchanged a few words of dialogue earlier, one could easily tell his state of mind during combat; he could not pull back his strike even if he wanted to.

He hastily withdrew most of his strength, yet even so, his attack accurately pierced the opponent's vital point. Tang Bing secretly cursed his bad luck, having ignored Big Brother Xiao's order to stop. But it was already too late. Although he had retracted the majority of his force, the throat-piercing strike he employed this time channeled genuine qi to pierce through meridians. He feared this immensely fat fellow would either end up dead or completely crippled.

"Oh..." Tang Bing muttered in surprise, yet things unfolded contrary to his expectations. He felt as though the qi-infused thrust of his three fingers had struck a balloon—one possessing extraordinary resilience. The gathered energy bounced right off the man's body.

Even though he had withdrawn most of his strength, Tang Bing still felt profoundly startled. This fatty clearly had some tricks up his sleeve, but since Big Brother Xiao had told him to stop, he suppressed his curiosity and backflipped away.

Xiao Tianci took two steps forward, his eyes fixed on the chubby man, with King Kong, the Chief Steward, and the others closely flanking him. Xiao Tianci stared intently at the person before him, trying to confirm whether this was indeed an acquaintance.

The fat man also noticed Xiao Tianci. With just a single look, he blurted out, "Ah... You... You..."

Seeing his exaggerated expression, a sudden jolt went through Xiao Tianci's heart. Could it really be him? Finding it hard to believe, Xiao Tianci uttered, "Third... Brother..."

The fat man's initial shock and wariness were instantly swept away by a sudden, overwhelming wave of joy. He took two massive strides forward and grabbed Xiao Tianci by the shoulders. "Old... Fifth... Is it really you?"

King Kong had already realized from the sidelines that his boss knew this person, and judging by the boss's expression, their relationship appeared exceptionally close. However, seeing the fat man grab the boss's shoulders and catching the pained expression on the boss's face, he let out a low hum and prepared to step in. The Chief Steward on the side hurriedly raised a hand to signal him, indicating that no action was necessary. After a brief hesitation, King Kong lowered his hands.

"Ah..." Amidst his joy and surprise, Xiao Tianci cried out in pain. "Ow... Third... Brother... Please, are you trying to squeeze the life out of me..."

"Huh?" The fat man froze, looking thoroughly surprised. Judging by the earlier skirmish and even Tang Bing's offensive moves, he could tell how formidable this group of people was. He never expected Xiao Tianci to remain as fragile as an ordinary person. Seeing Xiao Tianci's expression of agony, he hurriedly let go.

This person was none other than Xiao Tianci's best friend and sworn brother, Tong Cong. Xiao Tianci had been by himself since childhood; while he could not be called reclusive, he had never made any truly close friends, though he got along decently with everyone. Later, after entering university, he met Tong Cong. In their dormitory, Tong Cong was the third eldest, and Xiao Tianci was the fifth.

Affinity between people was truly a strange thing; there was no special reason other than finding each other agreeable right from the start.

After interacting, talking, and eventually sharing a dorm room, the two quickly became inseparable best friends who shared everything. Back in the day, Xiao Tianci had even worked part-time at Tong Cong's father's company. Later, when the Tong family fell on hard times, they suddenly vanished without a trace. Had it not been for the fact that Xiao Tianci had never felt truly safe since inheriting his fortune, he would have long since sent people out to track down Tong Cong.

Never had he imagined running into him here today. Both of them were so excited they were at a loss for words, simply looking at each other and laughing incessantly. Xiao Tianci happily stepped forward to give the fat man a hug, but to his astonishment, he could not wrap his arms around him—his hands could not even come close to meeting behind the man's back.

"Third Brother, you... you... this is getting a bit absurd. Third... Brother... you really have to lose weight." Back then, Tong Cong already weighed two hundred pounds, and Xiao Tianci estimated he now tipped the scales at well over three hundred. If his flesh hadn't been so dense and his height wasn't sufficient, life would truly have been unbearable for him. Even as it was, it was quite excessive.

Xiao Tianci still remembered how the brothers had once launched a massive campaign to help the fat man lose weight, only for the fat man to emerge victorious. This fellow's eloquence was one against five; his tongue flowed with lotus blossoms, capable of talking the dead back to life and talking the living straight into their graves.

The fat man looked himself up and down and laughed triumphantly, "Ha... ha... You little brat, I haven't seen you in all these years, and the first thing you do upon meeting is lecture me about losing weight. Didn't I tell you before? A person lives for himself and for those who care about him. Living to please others is just too exhausting. Other people might not think I'm handsome, but my wife thinks I'm drop-dead cool, and that's all that matters."

The Chief Steward gently bowed from the side and said, "Boss, it probably isn't very convenient here. Would you consider getting in the car first?"

Sirens could already be heard in the distance, and a large crowd had gathered around, with quite a few people pointing in their direction, though none dared to approach. What a joke—given the appearance of these people, who would dare to draw near?

Hearing this, the fat man chimed in, "That's right! Look at me, letting the excitement get the better of me. Let's go, hurry up and get in the car. You little punk, you've gotten one hell of a lot more formidable! I was just wondering what kind of freakishly abnormal character could pull this off, never dreaming it would turn out to be my own sworn brother."

"Heh... heh..." Xiao Tianci chuckled as everyone boarded the vehicle. The central vehicle was an ultra-stretched luxury limousine, providing plenty of space for everyone to enter comfortably.

Once inside, the fat man looked around. Naturally, every item and design detail in Xiao Tianci's car was of the highest global standard. After inspecting everything, the fat man slapped Xiao Tianci on the shoulder and said, "Kid, not bad at all! I said it back then—you were destined for greatness, you little punk. Mother of bears, if it hadn't been for those troubles that cropped up back then, would I have also ridden your coattails to a fortune today?"

The fat man's eloquence remained as sharp as ever, and his personality was just as high-spirited. Xiao Tianci smiled and asked, "Third Brother, where have you been hiding all these years? How come you didn't even drop a word of greeting?"

The fat man glanced at the people around him, chose not to answer Xiao Tianci's question, and instead shifted his gaze to Tang Bing. Tang Bing looked somewhat sheepish under his scrutiny. This was Big Brother Xiao's third brother, after all, and he had been a bit rash earlier—thankfully nothing had gone wrong.

He hastily apologized, "Big Brother Fatty, I'm truly sorry. Just now, I didn't realize you were Big Brother Xiao's elder brother. Big Brother Xiao is my boss, and you're his older brother; had I known, I certainly wouldn't have made a move."

Hearing his words, the fat man burst into hearty laughter. "This little brother is quite a character! If you hadn't pulled your punches back there, I really would have been scared out of my wits—that strike just slipped right past me."

Xiao Tianci chimed in to make the introductions. "Third Brother, this is Tang Bing..."

It seemed Tang Bing carried quite a reputation. The moment his name was mentioned, the fat man's eyes lit up. "Tang Bing? Could you be Tang Bing, the adopted son of the ninth-ranked martial king on the King of Soldiers leaderboard?"

Tang Bing smiled and nodded. "Big Brother Fatty, that's me. I'll have to rely on your guidance from now on."

Genuine astonishment rippled through the fat man's heart. Tang Bing practiced the bone-dislocating technique, a skill known to very few. The fat man only recognized who Tang Bing was; he couldn't identify opponents from their moves alone the way King Kong could.

Hearing this from the adopted son of a martial king and the ninth-ranked warrior on the King of Soldiers list, the fat man knew full well that he was hardly qualified to "guide" him. Just how powerful had Old Fifth become? He could commit murder with such utter composure, and yet his opponents still couldn't locate him, allowing him to stroll about in such swaggering fashion. This could only indicate one thing: he possessed immense influence now, and the police were utterly powerless against him, which explained his nonchalance.

Xiao Tianci continued the introductions, saying, "This is the vice commander of the Fire Phoenix Dragon Mercenary Corps."

The fat man looked at Fire Phoenix, then back at Xiao Tianci with a look of sudden understanding. He chuckled, "Ha... ha... You little rascal, you're too amazing! Even the vice commander of the Azure Dragon Mercenary Corps, Fire Phoenix—one of the three great beauties of the mercenary world—has fallen for you? Third Brother really has to hand it to you. As for making money, I always believed a dragon like you wouldn't stay in a shallow pond, but I never expected you to be this formidable with women either. I remember back in school, you didn't seem interested in dating at all..."

Fire Phoenix's face flushed crimson. She had been about to open her mouth to speak to the fat man, but instead, she became so intensely embarrassed that she lowered her head in silence.

Heh. Xiao Tianci could only offer a wry smile at his third brother, hastily explaining, "Third Brother, you've got it all wrong. Fire Phoenix is just my bodyguard; I'm already married."

"Ah... Oh, is that so...?" The fat man hurriedly apologized to Fire Phoenix, "Miss Fire Phoenix, I'm terribly sorry."

Hearing Xiao Tianci's words, a sudden wave of discomfort washed over Fire Phoenix's heart, instantly dispelling the earlier sweetness. Hearing the fat man's apology, she hurriedly replied, "It's nothing. I'm very glad to meet you as well."

The fat man shook his head and sighed, "Sigh, what bad luck!"

Seeing him shake his head and sigh so dramatically, Fire Phoenix looked at him in confusion. The fat man smiled so broadly that his eyes practically vanished. "I meant *my* bad luck! To think my fifth brother lacks the appreciation for it—if a beauty like Miss Fire Phoenix had been around a couple of years earlier, I definitely would have become her most devoted admirer and pursuer."

What woman does not love beauty? What woman does not enjoy being praised, especially under such circumstances? Fire Phoenix covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly, while Xiao Tianci could only let out a helpless sigh at the side. His third brother was truly a force of nature.

"Third Brother, this is the Chief Steward of my household, Lin Jian."

The Chief Steward, Lin Jian, said with utmost gentility, "Mr. Tong, I am delighted to make your acquaintance. The boss has mentioned you on numerous occasions; you are his dearest friend. Should there be anything you require my assistance with, please do not hesitate to command."

"Ah," the fat man acknowledged, nodding. "Very well, absolutely." He then leaned in close to Xiao Tianci's ear and whispered, "Kid, how did you manage to get... such a gorgeous person... to act as your Chief Steward? You wouldn't happen to be..."

Although so many years had passed, Xiao Tianci could still guess what the fat man was about to say and hastily cut him off. "Good grief, Big Brother, stop letting your imagination run wild. Let me finish introducing everyone, and I'll fill you in on the details later, alright?"

The fat man nodded, and Xiao Tianci proceeded, "As for this one, this is King Kong, and he is in charge of..."

"Ah!" the fat man gasped in shock. "Could this King Kong be *that* King Kong?!"

What was this all about? At least the fat man still understood the implication of his own words. Xiao Tianci shrugged. "I imagine he is indeed the King Kong you're thinking of."

King Kong reached out his hand, and the fat man grasped it tightly with both hands, looking quite stirred. "King Kong, you're my idol!"

Good grief. This was the second time Xiao Tianci had heard such words. Since when had the fat man turned into a fanboy? Yet in his heart, he also understood: from the fat man's martial prowess earlier, as well as his familiarity with King Kong, Fire Phoenix, and Tang Bing, it was clear that whatever business he was currently involved in likely intersected with their world. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to know all of them so well. If the fat man had simply continued down a traditional commercial path to a high level, he ought to have been familiar with the Chief Steward instead.

Yet judging by his attitude toward the Chief Steward, he clearly had no idea who he was. The Chief Steward and the Xiao family were, for the most part, interchangeable entities. Just what on earth had the fat man been up to during these past few years of disappearance?

Every industry had its own rules of the game and notable figures, and in the mercenary realm, King Kong was undeniably the hottest new Heavenly King-tier figure. His status had long since been cemented. Unlike the entertainment industry, the mercenary world did not feature overnight ascents.

Only those who survived and continued to stand after rising could become true stars of the mercenary world, and such figures required the test of time. In other words, the star cycle in the mercenary realm was exceptionally long, which was why it had taken King Kong over a decade to become the new generation's king.

An idol? Heh. The mere thought of it made Xiao Tianci want to laugh. He didn't notice that Fire Phoenix had been staring fixedly at him for quite some time, ultimately letting out a long breath before lowering her head in silence.

Seeing the fat man's excited expression—one hardly any less animated than Tang Bing's earlier—it seemed that fanatism really knew no boundaries of industry or age.