Chapter 10: Storming the Engagement Party

Words : 1855 Updated : Jan 8th, 2026

He stopped Leilani Hayde and said evenly, "There's a little ghost on your shoulder. You'd better be careful." Leilani jerked up like a cat with its tail stepped on. "What nonsense are you spouting?" she shrilled. Salvatore Casson gave a cold smirk. "Believe it or don't." He waved to Brielle Casson, then strode off, leaving Leilani pale and trembling where she stood. After leaving campus, Salvatore headed for Highland Manor. Highland Manor was one of Yanos's most famous estates, sprawled over more than 160 acres, nestled against mountain and water. Buying this place alone spoke volumes about the Hauk family's wealth. In the past month, Harry Hauk's company had secured several billion-yuan projects, then flipped them with no money down, clearing over a hundred million dollars. Right now, the Hauk family was decked out in lights and colors; Harry Hauk and Ruby Showyer were holding their engagement banquet. Hundreds filled the hall to offer congratulations. Between Harry and Ruby stood their uncle, Santiago Hauk, a heavyset middle-aged man. With backing from a big shot in Yandell, he had risen to third-in-command of Jenos and was riding high. He raised his glass. "Everyone, today is the joyous engagement of my nephew, Harry Hauk, and Ms. Ruby Showyer. I want to thank all our guests." The crowd lifted their glasses in unison. Ruby wore a red dress and exquisite makeup. She kept glancing at the entrance, worry shadowing her eyes. Harry looked at her and murmured, "Don't be afraid. If he dares to come, he won't walk out." Just then Brandon Gurnil hurried over and whispered, "Young Master, Mr. Zerba has arrived." Mr. Zerba-Lawson Zerba-was a martial arts expert from Tenos. He had trained in the Poison Sand Palm since childhood; eight or ten masters had died under his hand. Harry's eyes lit. "Good! Bring him in." Soon, a middle-aged man in a blue Zhongshan suit entered the hall, a black-clad man following behind. Harry hurried up, clasping his hands. "Mr. Zerba, at last!" Lawson Zerba, short with a ruddy face and a thinning crown, traded a few pleasantries, then asked, "Young Master Hauk, what level is the expert you mentioned?" Harry pulled up the video Liam Lapwood had filmed and showed it to him. After watching, Lawson's brows knit. "He ran like the wind. That means he's cultivated true qi-an internal-style expert." "Can you beat him, Mr. Zerba?" Harry asked. "He looks young, likely just broke through to true qi. Beating him shouldn't be hard," Lawson said. Harry's joy showed. "I want him alive." Lawson nodded. "I brought another expert. Worst case, we'll subdue him together." The black-clad man suddenly asked, "Young Master Hauk, I heard the God General's daughter is attending?" "Of course," Harry said with a smile. "The young lady and I get along well. She should be here any minute." As his words fell, a woman in a red dress walked in, a man and a woman trailing behind. She wore a thin white veil, her features faintly visible. Curvy, around five foot six; even with her face obscured, anyone could tell she was a stunning beauty. The pair behind her radiated crushing pressure. Standing at her back like two demon kings, they made people feel suffocated. Harry shook with excitement. Through special channels, he'd learned the God General's eldest daughter would be passing through Yanos and had schemed desperately to invite her, hoping to boost the Hauk family's clout in the city. He hadn't expected her to actually come. He hurried up, fawning yet deferential. "Young lady, your presence at our engagement is an honor to the Hauk family-" She lifted a fair hand, cutting him off. She seemed to be searching for someone. Just then, Salvatore Casson stepped in. Harry spotted him at once, and he saw Harry. Enemies meeting set blood boiling. Harry knew he was still alive, yet seeing him in the flesh felt like seeing a ghost. He jabbed a finger and shouted, "That's Salvatore Casson!" Several guards at the door snapped to and lunged at Salvatore. Boom! The floor of the banquet hall shuddered. Salvatore blurred into several afterimages, and the Hauk family's guards were swatted away like kites with cut strings, sent flying more than thirty feet before crashing hard to the ground. Worst of all was the steward, Brandon Gurnil; he ran right into Salvatore and took a palm that left him frothing at the mouth. Lawson Zerba's hair stood on end. He felt the pressure rolling off Salvatore-terrifying. Was he a Yellow-Level Martial Artist? Santiago Hauk flew into a rage. "Seize him!" he roared. Lawson had no confidence. He edged back a step and said to the black-clad man, "Brother Halenkamp, he may be a Yellow-Level Martial Artist. I'm not his match." Among martial artists, top-tier experts were divided into five ranks-white, green, yellow, black, and purple. A Yellow-Level Martial Artist was one in ten thousand. The black-clad man stepped forward, feet set square. He stared at Salvatore and said coolly, "Friend, if you want trouble, you go through me first." Salvatore ignored him and looked to the woman in red. The Hex King inside him surged with excitement again. Did she have a Female Hex in her body? The woman also fixed her gaze on Salvatore. She had come to Yanos because she suddenly felt something here calling to her. Attending the engagement was just incidental. "Friend? I'm talking to you!" the man in black grew impatient. Salvatore glanced at him. The man's stance looked familiar. "Your surname is Halenkamp?" he asked. The man blinked. "You know me?" Salvatore produced a palm-sized gilded token, its patterns exquisitely carved. At the sight of it, the man jerked, blurting, "The Longevity Token! Who are you?" Salvatore tucked the Longevity Token away. "What do you think?" he said coldly. The man's eyes flicked, and he dropped to his knees with a thump. "Jaxton Halenkamp of the Halenkamp family pays respect to the Young Master-long live the Young Master!" he stammered. As it turned out, Jaxton belonged to the Halenkamp family, one of the four great clans supported by Samuel Looske, famed for their martial arts-the world knew them as the Halenkamp family. "Get up," Salvatore said evenly. Jaxton rose, body half-bowed, and came closer. "Young Master, how is the Master?" "Another time," Salvatore said. "Why are you here backing the Hauk family?" Jaxton looked awkward. "I was passing through. Brother Lawson Zerba asked me to lend a hand." Lawson stared, stunned. He glanced at Jaxton. "And he is…?" Jaxton squared his shoulders. "Brother Lawson, my apologies. Today I stand behind the Young Master. Anyone who opposes him opposes the Halenkamp family." Harry froze. What was going on? How had a broke student become the Halenkamp family's Young Master? Salvatore turned to Harry. Harry shouted, "Men! Grab him!" "Who dares!" Jaxton bellowed. As a Yellow-Level Martial Artist, his voice made the hall buzz. "Harry Hauk, we meet again," Salvatore said coolly. Harry went white. He suddenly dropped to his knees before the woman in red, trembling. "Young lady, save me!" The woman didn't spare him a glance. She walked straight toward Salvatore, met his eyes, and asked, "Why do I feel my heart stir when I look at you?"

Chapter 10: Storming the Engagement Party

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