Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Crippling One Leg
Seeing Zhao Tiancheng looking so resolute, Chen Wenxiong fell silent for a moment.
Long Wu slowly tapped a finger against his chair, saying nothing.
A cold sneer appeared on Zhao Tiancheng’s face. His eyes, filled with a venomous glint, were fixed on Qin Tuo.
Qin Tuo’s hands were bound securely with rope, but he didn’t seem the least bit anxious.
"Patriarch Chen, the Zhao Family’s intentions are crystal clear. Give us your decision!"
Chen Wenxiong slowly narrowed his eyes. Bracing himself, he said:
"I’ve already made myself perfectly clear. The Chen Family is not ungrateful. We will protect Mr. Qin today, no matter the cost!"
His tone was utterly resolute.
Qin Tuo glanced at Chen Wenxiong in surprise. He hadn’t expected the man to be so honorable; even he was a little taken aback.
Long Wu’s expression darkened!
"So it seems we can’t come to an agreement today?"
Meanwhile, Zhao Tiancheng was hopping mad.
"Chen Wenxiong, you’ve completely lost your mind! Is it worth opposing Master Long to the very end for some brat, just to have the entire Chen Family buried with you?"
Clearly, Zhao Tiancheng was somewhat intimidated by the Chen Family’s power.
It would be for the best if the Chen Family would just wash their hands of the matter.
Chen Wenxiong scoffed and said:
"Zhao Tiancheng, Qin Tuo saved my life. I, Chen Wenxiong, am a man of principle. I will never do something so ungrateful! Today, I will protect Mr. Qin even if it costs me my life!"
Zhao Tiancheng gritted his teeth in hatred. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what kind of spell this Qin Tuo had put Chen Wenxiong under.
Even if the man had saved his life, surely he didn’t have to go this far to repay the favor!
Besides, with Chen Wenxiong’s status, why would he butt heads with Master Long over a worthless loser!
Long Wu’s expression was also extremely grim. Chen Wenxiong was clearly showing him no respect.
"Chen Wenxiong, I’m warning you. If you insist on being this stubborn, the Chen Family is headed for disaster!" Zhao Tiancheng said grimly.
He had already made up his mind. No matter what, he would use this favor to have Qin Tuo killed.
If the Chen Family dared to interfere, he would destroy them right along with him.
Long Wu remained silent, but his silence spoke volumes, making his stance clear.
But Chen Wenxiong was completely unfazed by the threat.
"Hmph! Qin Tuo is my future son-in-law, which makes him part of the Chen Family! If you dare to make a fatal move against a member of our family, the Zhao Family had better be prepared to face our wrath!"
"What? The Chen Family’s son-in-law?"
Zhao Tiancheng jumped up as if someone had stepped on a cat’s tail.
"This loser? You actually think that highly of him?"
Chen Wenxiong snorted.
"That’s right. He is the son-in-law of my Chen Family. You may have the upper hand today, but you can be sure that if the Chen Family wanted to retaliate against the Zhao Family, it wouldn’t be very difficult, would it?"
At this point, all hope for a peaceful negotiation was completely gone.
Faced with Chen Wenxiong’s threat, even Long Wu couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat.
In terms of raw power, Long Wu was indeed more dominant in the underground scene.
But Chen Wenxiong’s business empire was more widespread, and he had vast financial resources.
At their level, to crush either side would mean paying a devastating price.
Crucially, Long Wu was unwilling to pay that price.
Zhao Tiancheng was already dumbfounded. He never expected Chen Wenxiong to be so unyielding.
He gritted his teeth in hatred, but he was completely helpless.
"Master Long, what do you think..."
He could only turn to look at Long Wu, pleading for his help.
’This idiot Zhao Tiancheng!’ Long Wu was cursing him endlessly in his mind.
But he had already agreed to this favor, so he couldn’t just walk away from it.
He slapped the table and said with displeasure:
"The Chen Family and the Zhao Family are both major families in Ming City. You’re supposed to be the city’s pride. Making such a scene over a trivial matter will just make you a laughingstock for outsiders, won’t it?"
After he spoke, everyone fell silent.
Looking at the members of the Chen and Zhao families, Long Wu sneered internally.
’Who lived and who died didn’t have a damn thing to do with him!’
As the Southwest Underground Emperor, all he wanted was a stable environment for his businesses to grow.
’After all, profit always comes first. All this shouting about killing is for reckless fools.’
If the two families went to war, it would have a huge impact on his own enterprises.
So, he decided to play the peacemaker.
"How about this? I have a suggestion."
Long Wu said slowly.
"Please, Master Long, speak! I’ll do whatever you say!"
Zhao Tiancheng was overjoyed, assuming that Master Long was about to forcefully back him up.
Long Wu nodded and began to speak slowly.
"Just cripple one of his legs."
Qin Tuo’s brow furrowed slightly.
Zhao Tiancheng was also stunned. ’Just cripple one of his legs?’
Long Wu explained,
"This way, the boy’s life is spared, so you should be satisfied, Patriarch Chen. As for you, Patriarch Zhao, since he’ll have a crippled leg just like your son, let’s consider the matter settled!"
As he spoke, a faint look of menace appeared in his eyes.
Zhao Tiancheng shuddered in fear. He had wanted to object, but the moment he remembered that Master Long himself had spoken...
Besides, Chen Wenxiong had been so resolute today. Continuing to make a scene would gain him nothing and might even offend Master Long.
So, he had to quit while he was ahead. He sighed.
"Since Master Long has spoken, we’ll do as you say!"
’But this is far from over,’ Zhao Tiancheng resolved in his heart.
’After today, I’ll get my real revenge on that brat Qin Tuo!’
Nearby, Chen Wenxiong wore a pained and hesitant expression.
Looking at Qin Tuo’s face, he thought silently:
’I’m so sorry, Mr. Qin...’
’He’ll lose a leg, but at least his life will be saved, right?’
’The Chen Family will be in his debt!’
’Worse comes to worst, the Chen Family will ensure he lives the rest of his life in luxury, wanting for nothing.’
’The key is, there’s no other way...’
With this thought, Chen Wenxiong gave a heavy nod.
"Since Master Long has spoken, I, Chen Wenxiong, have no objections."
"Excellent!"
Long Wu finally smiled.
The matter was now perfectly resolved, and he considered the favor repaid.
So, with a wave of his hand, Long Wu brought the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.
"Since you both agree, then proceed as I’ve said..."
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, an ill-timed voice suddenly cut in.
"You’ve all come to an agreement, have you? Without even asking for my consent!"
What?
The three powerful men turned their heads simultaneously, staring at Qin Tuo in astonishment.
"Brat, what do you mean by that?"
Zhao Tiancheng’s brow twitched fiercely.
He was already quite displeased with only crippling one of Qin Tuo’s legs.
He never imagined Qin Tuo would actually dare to voice his opposition.
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