Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Xu Zhigang

Chen Wenxiong panicked and quickly stepped forward to mediate.

"Mr. Qin, please don’t be rash. You two don’t have some life-or-death grudge, so why let it escalate to this point?"

At that moment, Qin Tuo was casually gripping Xu Chao’s wrist.

Xu Chao’s face was beaded with sweat from the pain, all trace of his earlier arrogance gone.

Seeing that Qin Tuo still hadn’t let go, a pleading look appeared in Chen Wenxiong’s eyes.

Only then did Qin Tuo let out a cold snort and release Xu Chao.

Chen Wenxiong broke out in a cold sweat. After all, Xu Chao was the son of the city’s top leader. If they angered the man in charge, it would be difficult for the Chen Family to remain in Ming City.

Chen Wenxiong was incredibly grateful that Qin Tuo had shown him respect by letting Xu Chao go.

However, even after Qin Tuo let go, Xu Chao kept crying out in pain, looking utterly miserable.

It turned out that with that slight application of force, Qin Tuo had snapped Xu Chao’s wrist.

Xu Chao glared fiercely at Qin Tuo, but his vicious gaze was now tinged with a deep-seated wariness.

He could tell that Qin Tuo possessed extraordinary skills and was no ordinary person.

"Your Chen Family is really something, letting someone break my wrist. I, Xu Chao, will make you pay dearly for this!"

Xu Chao’s voice turned sinister, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Chen Wenxiong’s face turned grim. Only now did he realize that Qin Tuo had actually broken Xu Chao’s wrist.

Qin Tuo sneered and said dismissively,

"This was just a small warning. Next time, it won’t be as simple as a broken hand!"

"Fine, kid. Remember what you did today. I, Xu Chao, swear I’ll make sure you have no place to be buried in Ming City! If I fail, I’m no longer a man!"

After swearing this vicious oath, Xu Chao turned and stormed away.

Watching Xu Chao’s retreating back, a look of deep worry crossed Chen Wenxiong’s face.

"Sigh... Mr. Qin, you were too reckless. Xu Chao’s father is the top official in Ming City. Now that you’ve offended him, there’s going to be big trouble."

However, Qin Tuo just shook his head and said nonchalantly,

"It’s fine. Whatever revenge he tries to get, I’ll be ready for it."

But Chen Wenxiong was still worried. After a moment’s thought, he couldn’t help but say,

"Mr. Qin, you should ask Mr. Ouyang to help. Have him put in a good word and ask the Lord Prefect not to pursue this matter. Otherwise, I’m truly afraid he’ll make things difficult for you."

Qin Tuo knew Chen Wenxiong was just looking out for him. He thought for a moment before replying,

"Mr. Chen, surely something this minor won’t cause any major problems?"

Hearing this, Chen Wenxiong could only smile wryly to himself.

’You call this minor? You broke the man’s wrist, for goodness’ sake! You’re unbelievable!’

But Chen Wenxiong mused aloud,

"Although that Xu Chao is arrogant and domineering, his father, Xu Zhigang, is a good official. He’s not only fair and incorruptible, but since taking office, he’s enabled Ming City to flourish. Everyone can see the results."

Qin Tuo nodded. It seemed Xu Zhigang was a pretty decent official after all.

It was just a pity about his son, who was a complete black sheep and nothing like his father.

Chen Wenxiong assessed the situation and said,

"Mr. Qin, if we can explain this face-to-face, it probably won’t be a big deal. But if Xu Chao gets back first and twists the story, there’s no telling what the consequences will be."

Hearing this, Chen Man Ni grew anxious for Qin Tuo and quickly chimed in,

"Qin Tuo, you should listen to my dad. Go and explain things to the Prefect!"

Since Chen Man Ni was saying it too, Qin Tuo didn’t insist on his position any longer.

He nodded and gave a wry smile.

"Alright, then. I’ll listen to you and go explain it to this Prefect."

In truth, Qin Tuo wasn’t worried. With his current power, he had no reason to fear Xu Zhigang making things difficult for him.

However, the same couldn’t be said for the people around him.

So, to protect them, Qin Tuo decided it was best to resolve this problem once and for all.

At that, Chen Wenxiong made a suggestion.

"In that case, I’ll go find Mr. Ouyang and have him help send word, so that Prefect Xu can be prepared for your visit."

They quickly divided up the tasks.

After Chen Wenxiong hurried away, Chen Man Ni thought for a moment and couldn’t help but say reproachfully,

"Qin Tuo, you were too impulsive. Just teaching him a lesson would have been enough. Why did you have to break his hand?"

But Qin Tuo just snorted coldly and said stubbornly,

"Anyone who dares to touch you, I’ll make them suffer. Snapping his wrist was me going easy on him!"

His words sent a sweet warmth through Chen Man Ni’s heart, and she found she could no longer bring herself to chide him.

「Early the next morning」

Chen Wenxiong called Qin Tuo. It turned out he had already asked Ouyang Tianqi to send word to Xu Zhigang. So, today, he had arranged for him and Qin Tuo to go to Xu Zhigang’s home to explain the situation.

Chen Wenxiong and Qin Tuo arrived at Xu Zhigang’s residence together. Qin Tuo was a little confused when he noticed that Chen Wenxiong was completely empty-handed.

"Oh, Mr. Chen, why didn’t you buy any gifts?"

Qin Tuo had assumed Chen Wenxiong would bring something, so naturally, he hadn’t prepared anything himself.

However, Chen Wenxiong shook his head and said with a wry smile,

"Mr. Qin, you might not know this, but our Prefect Xu is an extremely upright official. Anyone who visits his home and is seen carrying a gift gets thrown out immediately. You wouldn’t even get to see his face."

Only then did Qin Tuo understand. This Prefect Xu was so incorruptible that even a man of Chen Wenxiong’s stature—practically the wealthiest man in Ming City—didn’t dare bring a gift when visiting, not even something as simple as fruit.

"It seems he really is a good Prefect!"

Qin Tuo couldn’t help but remark with admiration.

When they arrived at Xu Zhigang’s home, they found him in the middle of a discussion with several businessmen from Hong Kong.

The businessmen were all talking a mile a minute, making extravagant promises with great passion.

Meanwhile, Prefect Xu Zhigang’s brow was deeply furrowed, and he remained silent.

It turned out these businessmen were discussing the zoning of some land in the city with Xu Zhigang.

Apparently, the businessmen wanted to spend some money to sign land contracts for commercial development.

After listening to their pitch, Xu Zhigang slowly said in a heavy voice,

"I’m sorry, gentlemen. Your plan is a non-starter with me."

The businessmen’s faces immediately fell. It seemed their entire pitch had been a waste of breath.

"Prefect Xu, why is that?"

One of the businessmen couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Zhigang replied gravely,

"The pollution from your proposed project is far too severe. It will never get my approval!"