Yuan Haoran's strange request surprised Zhong Feng and Hu Lei.

Of course, they had not expected to obtain help from the man for free. They had not even thought he would offer to bring back Kaito without a lot of cajoling and negotiating. Therefore, his easy acceptance of the situation was unexpected.

He also seemed to be aware of the exact reason they were looking for him.

Still, their shock was primarily focused on the latter part of his words. He wanted Hu Lei to fight on his behalf in the championships.

Kaito had touched on the matter of the championships in his short email. The importance of the competition was not clear to Zhong Feng and Hu Lei. However, if Kaito's maternal family was willing to kidnap him for the fight, it could not be taken lightly.

"No." Zhong Feng responded before Hu Lei could say anything. "I might not know much about Martial Island, but it is obviously a dangerous place. Otherwise, the information about that place would not be so tightly guarded."

Yuan Haoran was not flustered. He even seemed amused by the refusal. He did not care whether they accepted his deal or not.

"It is indeed a dangerous place, but I believe my offer is more than fair. I am not a philanthropist. If I did not find Hu Lei a little interesting, I would not bother to intervene in the internal issues of Martial Island. Keep in mind that the longer that man remains in that place, the harder it will be to get him back!" He added casually.

Hu Lei stretched a hand and touched Zhong Feng's arm. If it was another person, she would support negotiation for a better deal. However, Yuan Haoran was not a simple man. He was not lacking power or money, and he was clearly an eccentric with unusual interests.

The best thing she could do was attempt to understand the specifics of the competition first.

Zhong Feng looked at his little wife and found her moist eyes looking at him with a hidden plea. The look lasted for a short moment before he sighed and nodded. He would let her handle the matter personally and make the final decision.

"What can you tell us about the championships?" Hu Lei turned back to Yuan Haoran.

The strange man was a little dazed as he looked at the small interactions between Zhong Feng and Hu Lei. A certain dark emotion welled up in his chest. He tried to pinpoint it as he stared at the fireplace once again.

After a moment, he realised it was envy. He pushed down that unfamiliar emotion.

"The clans on Martial Island engage in combat to find the family with the best talent and abilities. Usually, the core members of the families are involved, but they can also invite external champions to fight on their behalf." He explained.

Hu Lei frowned. "Would your clan be alright with me fighting for you?"

Yuan Haoran laughed at the question, his eerie chuckle filling the large den with a strange echo. Both Zhong Feng and Hu Lei were horrified by the unexpected amusement.

"I am the only one remaining with the surname Yuan. There is no need to worry about rejection by other clan members. They no longer exist." A bloodthirsty sparkle appeared in his red eyes while his lips stretched into a terrifying smile.

Zhong Feng wanted to draw Hu Lei in his arms to shield her from the eyes of the deranged man. However, when he looked at her, he found that she was not shrinking back in fear.

"What happened to them?" Hu Lei asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Haven't you already guessed it? I killed each of them with my own hands. One by one, I found them and made them bleed. I spared no one." The smile remained chilling.

Hu Lei did not know if she was imagining it, but she thought she sensed a thread of loneliness winding around the villainous man. She wondered if he had invited them because he wanted to talk to someone, unable to bear the burden of aloneness.

She dismissed the thought. It was none of her business.

"How do you plan to help us with Kaito?" Hu Lei changed the topic.

"Naturally, I intend to deliver him in one piece to you. Do not worry. I always hold the end of my deals, on most occasions. If you agree to my proposal, Kaito will be dropped off at your doorstep. Of course, this will not solve his problem with his maternal clan. He will need to appear during the championships or be hunted down." Yuan Haoran explained.

Hu Lei and Zhong Feng looked at each other and had a silent conversation with their eyes. After a moment, Hu Lei turned to Yuan Haoran.

"Very well. I accept." She said.

"Excellent. You have a few months to train and bring your body to its peak capacity. I do not insist that you win, but I have a reputation to uphold." The statement had a hidden warning in case Hu Lei had plans of throwing the matches.

"I honour the end of my deals." Hu Lei said.

After a short while, the three people parted. Zhong Feng and Hu Lei left the den and went to the guest bedroom with some heaviness in their hearts. If the man was not lying, it would be good because they could have Kaito back immediately.

However, the condition he had presented seemed both hard and easy. Zhong Feng could not rest assured about it. However, he did not have any indication that Yuan Haoran had nefarious plans against them. If anything, he seemed to be indulging them.

This thought made Zhong Feng uneasy.

"We can think of another way." Zhong Feng said.

"I know. But I do not want to take the chance. Have you noticed the way he talks about Martial Island? There must be something wrong with that place. If we do not strike now, we might not have another chance. And you know how Kaito is. He is probably doing something that will get him in trouble." Hu Lei said.

Zhong Feng thought about the annoying man who was always filled with evil plots. He was probably not sitting quietly, waiting for their rescue. He would not resist poking a few hornet nests. This thought made him nervous.

As Hu Lei had said, he heard the contempt and disdain with which Yuan Haoran mentioned Martial Island. Kaito would get in trouble if he remained in that strange place. They might be able to come up with another plan, but it might be too late.

For now, they had to believe in that man, even though they had no assurance that he would not double-cross them.

On Martial Island, the sun had set, but Kaito was not in a hurry to go home. Instead, he was following a few clues to find the local illegal dealers of the rare material his grandfather talked about. He did not doubt that there was a black market for the stuff.

And if Kaito had one talent, it was finding the seedy underbelly of even the cleanest cities.