Chapter 373: Chapter 364: The Prestige of Brother Nie (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)_1
As soon as he spoke, the entire room fell into silence, later followed by gasps. His words were incredibly domineering and arrogant. It was like the scene from The Water Margin where Wu Song slaughters at the Lover’s Inn and even had the audacity to leave his name on the wall, proclaiming himself the killer, the Tiger-Slaying Wu Song.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was imbued with the same audacity and dominance, which deeply frightened the heirs of Jingcheng’s noble families. Guo Tao and Ma Zhe did not dare to respirate, they were nothing but a cur in front of people like Nie Zhenbang.

Though they might appear magnificent and respectable in the outside world, truth be told, they were more timid than house cats when at home.

Nie Zhenbang seemed fearlessly uninhibited at this moment, precisely because he had grasped this fact. On the floor, Li Minhua’s eyes were gleaming with resentment and rage. If looks could kill, Nie Zhenbang would have been dead hundreds of times already.

This time, Li Minhua had completely been humiliated. From now on, within this Jingcheng circle, Li Minhua would become a subject of ridicule.

Upon this thought, Li Minhua stood up, he glared angrily at Nie Zhenbang and said, “Very well, you’re really something, Nie Zhenbang, either kill me today, or else, as long as I find a chance, if I don’t destroy you, I am willing to change my surname to yours!”

Hearing Li Minhua’s words, Nie Zhenbang’s response was simply a nonchalant laugh, and with an air of disdain, he said, “You? I am always ready for you. But, Li Minhua, let me give you some advice – before throwing many punches, you might want to ask your father about my background first.”

Nie Zhenbang said these words with a sense of fearlessness. Firstly, the Nie family is a prestigious military family. Although Elder Nie is no longer alive now, the connections remain intact. Attacking the Nie family would inevitably provoke an assimilation of retaliating forces, not meant to be taken lightly.

As for personal revenge, Nie Zhenbang was not afraid at all. If the members of Tiger Group couldn’t handle even such a situation, he won’t be Nie Zhenbang.

Li Minhua had a sullen look, one hand covering his left cheek, the burning sensation of the slap he received was engraved in his mind, a lifelong humiliation.

His gaze swept over Nie Zhenbang, resenting everyone present, including Yun Zhiguang, Liu Kun, and Zhao Xinglong.

Keeping silent for a moment, Li Minhua coldly snorted and said, “Tao, Xiao Zhe, let’s go. What goes around comes around, East of the river for thirty years, West of the river for thirty years, we will eventually get back on top one day.”

After the departure of Li Minhua and his crew, Yun Zhiguang came forward. The beloved heir of the Yun Family, as always, was detached and unaffected by worldly matters. With a gentle smile on his face, he said, “Third Master, as expected, your reputation is well-earned. These kids are indeed unruly. However, they are spoiled by their families, and Third Master could potentially be in trouble if they are offended and run to their parents. If you need my help at that time, just give me a call.”

At the words of Yun Zhiguang, Nie Zhenbang’s brows furrowed. Yun Zhiguang was really good at playing both sides, coming off as godlike. This was a classic example of self-praise. Of course, Yun Zhiguang dared to say these things because he had his own confidence.

However, Nie Zhenbang simply replied with a casual smile, “Elder Yun, there’s no need. These kids, whose hairs haven’t even fully grown yet, are not worthy of my attention. As for the people behind them? Ha, if people in Jingcheng believe they can bully me just because my grandpa has passed away, feel free to try. I’d love to see if I, Nie Zhenbang, can bring down the Emperor.”

Ever since he slapped Li Minhua, Nie Zhenbang knew his next steps. With Elder Nie’s death, the various families in Jingcheng are on the watch, with some probing for weakness, waiting to see what the Nie family will do next. If they appeared weak, the Nie family’s partners would reassess their relationships. Once all alliances are lost, the Nie family would truly become isolated, an easy target for others to bully. Nie Zhenbang had experienced this in his previous life and did not wish for a repeat performance. Li Minhua was undoubtedly the best candidate to assert authority. The objective of Nie Zhenbang was to send a signal to other Jingcheng families through his handling of Li Minhua that the Nie family was still the same old Nie family despite Elder Nie’s death. He wanted the Nie family to retain its power and of course, he wasn’t going to let Yun Zhiguang take this chance.

…

At the heart of the Asia-Europe Castle Manor, a Chinese-style courtyard nestling amidst bamboo corridors seemed slightly desolate in the shifting seasons of winter and spring. In a pavilion at the center of the courtyard sat a brazier. An octagonal table holds a set of teaware, bringing a contemplative ambiance of brewing tea in winter.

At this moment, inside the pavilion, Yun Zhiguang was immersed in smelling the fragrance and tasting the tea. A look of sheer satisfaction written on his face. At this time, a middle-aged man next to Yun Zhiguang lowered his head and said, “Young Master Yun, we found out, yesterday’s incident where Nie Zhenbang beat someone, has by now been known to everyone in the Jingcheng circles, courtesy of some people who have an agenda. As you predicted, the Li family has remained silent this time. They didn’t make any move.”

On hearing these words, Yun Zhiguang nodded in satisfaction. Not because he was happy for Nie Zhenbang, but because he was proud of his own accurate prediction.

Then, Yun Zhiguang seemed to speak to himself, “Nie Zhenbang, the third young master of the Nie family, renowned as the third brother in Jingcheng, doesn’t disappoint with his actions indeed.”

On the side, seemingly to cater to Yun Zhiguang, the middle-aged man quickly laughed and asked, “Young Master Yun, what do you mean?”

In Nie Zhenbang’s eyes, everyone has shortcomings and weaknesses; some people love money, others are obsessed with fame. These are superficial weaknesses. However, some people’s weaknesses are deeply hidden. From the outside, it may seem like they have no flaws at all. But it’s not that they don’t have weaknesses, it’s just that they are deeply concealed. Yun Zhiguang was such a person. This love for control from behind the scenes was actually Yun Zhiguang’s weakness.

At this moment, a trace of satisfaction appeared on Yun Zhiguang’s face because he relished the feeling of seeing through other people’s strategies.

Then, Yun Zhiguang, with a light smile, explained, “Yun Tian, Nie Zhenbang’s move is incredibly dangerous, offending the three most powerful families in Jingcheng. However, what people don’t know is that it’s actually the Nie family’s means of self-preservation.”

With Elder Nie gone, the Nie family had lost its amulet, a key player in dealing with high-ranking individuals, which was an undeniable disadvantage. Now, Nie Zhenbang has offended Chairman Guo and the Commissioner Gu. But, he managed to keep it within limits, just squabbles among the young generation. In doing so, the Guo and Gu families can hardly take action.

Following this, Nie Zhenbang went on to deeply offend the Li family. As a result, it reassured Secretary General Yuan and my great-uncle. With Elder Nie gone and Nie Zhenbang behaving in this way, the Nie family could only ally themselves completely with Secretary General Yuan and my great-uncle for survival. So, if the Li family dare to make a move against the Nie family, neither Secretary General Yuan nor my great-uncle would agree.

Yun Zhiguang could guess, and so could the old foxes of the various families in Jingcheng. However, Nie Zhenbang didn’t care about this. At this moment, he would rather that these people could guess, otherwise, how could he show his value? Without value, how could he tell the world that the Nie family could rise at any moment? In this way, other families would need to weigh their decision and consider whether it was necessary to offend a potential political star of the future before taking any action.

In the Guo family, Chairman Guo, as the chairman of the National Committee and a member of the Politburo, had reached the most magnificent moment of his life.

At this moment, in the living room, Chairman Guo, with a stern face, looked at his grandson Guo Tao standing in front of him. Chairman Guo said to his sons standing aside, “All of you, look after them better in the future. The waters of Jingcheng are not for them to wade into yet. Guo Tao shouldn’t go out these days, he should stay at home and reflect deeply. It would seem as though things have been turned upside down. Is Nie Zhenbang someone you can deal with?”

Such things were not only happening in the Guo family but also in the Gu family, and even in other families. The family patriarchs all instructed their grandchildren not to mess with Nie Zhenbang. If they incurred losses, they would have to handle it by themselves.

On the Li family’s end, Elder Li sat on the sofa, and after a long silence, he sighed, “Alas, if one has a son, one would wish him to be like Nie Zhenbang. The Nie family really has a worthy successor.”

As Elder Li’s words fell, Li Changjiang spoke slowly, “Father, this time, Nie Zhenbang, that kid, managed to hit three birds with one stone. With such cunning and mental fortitude, I’m afraid he might become a significant threat to Guohua in the future. Should we do something at the upcoming Liangxi City People’s Congress?”

Upon hearing this, Elder Li nodded and said, “Alright, you go and deal with this matter Changjiang, remember not to make it too obvious. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to explain it to Secretary General Yuan. That person, Shen Yanshuo, will not risk his reputation to support us.”

Just as the young scions in Jingcheng were waiting to watch the drama unfold, the matter seemed to disappear as if it never happened. There were no conflicts, and this baffled these scions.

The heroic third brother, in the face of all the families in Jingcheng, swept through the three major families with his boldness and imposing manner. For a moment, Nie Zhenbang was somewhat admired. The name of the third brother once again resounded throughout Jingcheng. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was already on his way to Jiangzhou on a flight. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to support by casting recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)