Chapter 1537: Chapter 1537

After ending the call with Shen Yan, Tang Ming made phone calls to Xin Badao and Chu Batian to give them instructions about some matters.

Once everything was set up, he carefully reviewed the arrangements to ensure there were no loopholes before returning to his dorm room.

Shao Wuyou and the others were excitedly discussing the events of the night, but Tang Ming couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to them. He simply washed up and went to bed.

After rescuing Liu Mengting and Li Xiaoli, Tang Ming had nothing weighing on his mind, but for many others, tonight was a sleepless night.

Zhao Yan was squatting in the bathroom smoking, having already lost count of the number of calls he made. Being bullied at school was something he couldn’t stand.

However, when he called his family to complain, not only did they refuse to avenge him, but they also berated him, telling him to focus on his studies and not to cause trouble.

He then called a few friends, looking for someone to deal with Tang Ming, but most thought it was a trivial matter, not worth making a fuss over.

Most of these people were far from the city, absorbed in their cultivation, unwilling to bother with such trivial matters.

Eventually, Zhao Yan found a childhood friend who agreed to come to the Imperial City in a few days to vent his anger.

"Damn bastard, daring to bully your Grandpa Zhao. Once my buddy gets here, we’ll surely beat the crap out of you."

After securing help, Zhao Yan angrily tossed his cigarette butt away, cursed fiercely, and returned to his bedroom. But his stomach was filled with anger, leaving him unable to sleep.

In the girls’ dormitory, after Liu Mengting and Li Xiaoli returned, the atmosphere turned downright eerie, as the six kept silent and attended to their own tasks secretly.

Liu Mengting and Li Xiaoli didn’t want to say much, especially given their suspicions towards Ma Jiaran. Speaking up could provoke conflict, so they opted to just go to bed as though nothing had happened, planning only to be cautious around Ma Jiaran in the future.

Wu Xiaoxia truly acted like nothing had happened, wearing headphones and quietly listening to music, indifferent to everything else.

Liu Junmei lay in her own bed, wrapped in a thick blanket despite the summer heat, still feeling the dorm room atmosphere was uncomfortably cold, yet hesitant to say anything.

Ma Jiaran tossed and turned, worried about her many secrets being uncovered.

Mu Zixin grew even more curious about Tang Ming. Today’s events shocked her, not so much the lavish convoy, but mainly Tang Ming’s astonishing network.

Official forces, big family powers, and police were all mobilized just because Tang Ming wanted to find Liu Mengting and Li Xiaoli, and then he rescued them in such a short time—even her family probably didn’t have that kind of energy.

Tang Ming’s mobilization of major forces caused unrest, yet he himself slept soundly as if nothing happened, while some others were indeed anxious all night, unable to rest easy.

Fu Tianyou sat grim-faced in the Ming Group headquarters’ conference room, surrounded by nervous Ming Group higher-ups who continuously discussed among themselves.

The simultaneous maneuvers by the Dark Group and its affiliate families alarmed Fu Tianyou, making him fearful that Tang Ming might stir up trouble again, prompting him to convene a late-night emergency meeting to prepare for unexpected situations.

"Damn it, what on earth is Tang Ming doing? Why cause such a big commotion for no reason—could he want to make a move against us again?"

Fu Tianyou slammed the table and roared.

"Director, Tang Ming probably doesn’t have the guts, right? Not to mention his cultivation has been abolished, just having Dragon Tooth in the Imperial City means he won’t cause much trouble."

"That’s not necessarily the case, while Tang Ming’s cultivation is gone, he still has many Eigh-star Martial Masters under him. If they start causing trouble together, it’s enough to brew us a good pot of tea!"

"Better safe than sorry."

The Ming Group higher-ups continued discussing with trepidation.

"It doesn’t make sense! Recently, the Ming Group has been exceptionally quiet, without provoking Tang Ming at all. We even avoid the Dark Group—who dared to provoke that killing god again?"

Fu Tianyou rubbed his temples with a face full of frustration.

He focused all his energy recently on repaying debts and had no interest in or courage to go against Tang Ming.

"Alright, if soldiers come, we’ll block them; if waters rise, we’ll cover them with earth—Dragon Tooth is here after all, Tang Ming won’t dare act too wildly."

Fu Tianyou sighed, then asked expressionlessly: "Since we’re holding an emergency meeting today, report on the recent revenue situation."

"Report, Director, since Ming Group started offering service to help resolve grudges, the Action Division has assisted over thirty wealthy individuals, earning a total commission of one hundred and thirty million."

A middle-aged man with glasses immediately reported the situation.

"Report, our Martial Arts Inspection Team helped six Martial Arts Families resolve disputes, earning a total of ninety-three million."

Others quickly reported their situations as well.

To escape the embarrassing situation of being deeply in debt, Fu Tianyou racked his brains and devised a money-making strategy: offering to stand up for people and resolve grievances.

For example, if two Martial Arts Families have a feud, one side can hire the Ming Group to arbitrate and judge who’s right or wrong, thus resolving conflicts, in exchange for commission.

Though Ming Group had declined, it still remained a special official department domestically. By intervening, citing social stability, to judge right and wrong, many had no choice but to swallow their dissatisfaction.

In essence, this business depended on who offered more money to have Ming Group uphold justice or suppress opponents.

Nevertheless, the quirky service had indeed brought substantial profit to Ming Group.

Nowadays, there are many wealthy individuals, but wealth doesn’t necessarily equate to strength.

For instance, if a commercial family antagonizes a Martial Arts Family, a real fight would be disastrous for the commercial family. But now they can simply hire Ming Group to pass judgment without fearing the Martial Arts Family bullying them—a worthwhile expenditure.

While Fu Tianyou listened delightedly to his subordinates’ reports, a staff member rushed in.

"What’s going on? What does Tang Ming intend to do?"

Fu Tianyou stood up abruptly, glaring at the intelligence officer.

"Report, Deputy Director, Tang Ming gathered forces simply to find Liu Mengting and Li Xiaoli. Someone kidnapped these two girls, but they have now been rescued."

Fu Tianyou widened his eyes and shouted angrily: "Who damn well lost their mind, daring to kidnap Tang Ming’s women without killing him first? Are they tired of living?"

"According to intelligence, those who kidnapped Liu Mengting and Li Xiaoli were not big shots, just punk extortionists, now they’re dead."