Hua Xuejing returned to the villa, crouched beside Long Aotian's bed, and gazed at him with sorrow.
Luo Shiyin sighed in relief. "What's wrong? Did you succeed?"
Hua Xuejing shook her head.
"I told you not to go. Wait until the young master recovers. From now on, don't leave his side so easily. A mere Copper King isn't worth chasing."
"I know I was wrong."
Luo Shiyin patted Hua Xuejing's head. "It's alright. The young master is blessed. He'll recover."
Long Aotian weakly glanced at them. "Did you kill Lu Chenwen?"
Hua Xuejing shook her head. "I couldn't kill him."
Long Aotian was stunned. "What do you mean? You couldn't defeat Silver King?"
"No, Silver King wasn't there."
"That doesn't make sense. He doesn't have any other experts under him. Only Silver King could barely hold his own against you."
"I couldn't kill him."
"Why not?"
"He was right."
Long Aotian stared blankly, taking a long time to process this. "He was… right about what?"
Hua Xuejing began to explain, "Young Master, you wanted to take over their businesses, right?"
"Right."
"Then they have the right to resist and stop you from taking over their businesses, correct?"
"Well… yes."
"So this time, Lu Chenwen outsmarted you and manipulated you effortlessly. Ultimately, it's because you're just not as capable as him!"
Long Aotian, agitated, struggled to sit up. "What did you say?"
Hua Xuejing continued, "It's like a duel between two people—whoever has the better skills wins. Clearly, Lu Chenwen's skills are superior to yours. Of course, this is just an analogy. You two were competing in intelligence, in strategy. Based on the current situation, it's obvious that your brain just isn't up to par."
Long Aotian was so shocked he forgot to be angry. His lips moved, but no words came out.
Hua Xuejing went on, "So, since you wanted to take down the four great families, whatever schemes they used against you were justified. It was you who made the first move—you just weren't as smart as them, which is why—"
Luo Shiyin quickly interjected, "Xuejing, you're tired. Go rest."
Hua Xuejing turned to Luo Shiyin with utmost sincerity. "Don't interrupt me. I need to explain this clearly to the young master. Lu Chenwen really was in the right."
"Alright, alright, the young master understands. He gets it. Go rest."
---
At the Northern Snow City branch of the Grand Organization.
The strategist bowed slightly. "Subordinate greets the branch leader."
The branch leader sat on his throne, looking noticeably thinner, as if he had aged years in a short time.
"Speak."
His voice was low, as if bracing for devastating news.
The strategist sighed. "I've assessed the situation. The young master… might not make it through the night."
The branch leader was silent for a long moment before finally asking, "What about Silver King?"
"He's gone into hiding. His phone is unreachable."
"Why… why has it come to this?"
The strategist said, "Now, we can only pray that the young master's fortune favors him."
"Fortune? Favor him? Do you think he has any of either left?"
The strategist sighed gloomily. "He used to have both. Lately, I don't know what's happened."
The branch leader declared, "Send the Black-Clad Guards. Kill Lu Chenwen. If I'm going to die, I'm taking someone with me. A mere rich second-generation brat actually swindled over ten billion from me, poached three of my best men, and got the young master killed in Snow City… If I die, he won't get off easy either."
The strategist said, "There's news, Branch Leader. Hold on."
A moment later, the strategist returned, excited. "Branch Leader, congratulations! The young master is fine—his condition has stabilized!"
"What happened?"
"Another of the young master's personal guards arrived, bringing an extremely rare Great Sun Revival Pill. After taking it, the young master's injuries have stabilized."
The branch leader's jaw dropped as he exhaled sharply, then sighed again. "Even so, we're still doomed. The young master was severely injured three times by our people. This grudge won't be resolved. Our branch is finished…"
The strategist said, "Branch Leader, there's more good news."
"More… good news?"
"Yes." The strategist smiled. "I just spoke with the young master personally. He… is also embarrassed by this incident. The implication is that none of us should speak of it. That way, only the people involved will know. The young master hasn't been humiliated, and we, naturally, haven't committed any catastrophic mistakes."
"Really!?" The branch leader shot to his feet. "That's fantastic! This is incredible! I thought that after such a huge incident, the headquarters would definitely send someone to kill us. Now, everything's fine. Great, just great!"
"However, the young master has made a new demand."
"A new demand?"
"Yes. He… wants another ten billion."
The branch leader slumped back into his seat, then immediately leapt up again, clutching his backside. "Damn it! These damned hemorrhoids!"
The strategist said, "Branch Leader, I know we're out of money, but this is something we must do. This is our last chance to reconcile with the young master."
The branch leader was on the verge of tears. "Where am I supposed to get another ten billion? Where? I've practically sold my underwear for cash! Our branch has spent decades accumulating funds, and now it's all gone!"
The strategist pondered. "What if… we borrowed the money?"
"Borrow? Ten billion? From whom?"
"From whoever has money, of course." The strategist smiled.
"And who has money?"
"Lu Chenwen has money."
The branch leader was stunned. "Him? Why would he lend us money?"
The strategist fanned himself, smiling. "This time, he went too far. I don't believe he isn't afraid. Besides, now that he's recruited Silver, Copper, and Iron Kings, doesn't he worry about our retaliation? You just issued an assassination order. Someone like Lu Chenwen values his life above all else. If we demand ten billion—no, thirty billion—he'll hand it over obediently to save his skin."
The branch leader's expression darkened. "Damn it, if we're going to confront him, we can't settle for just ten billion! We need to get all the money we lost back! Demand twenty billion!"
"Understood."
The branch leader nodded. "Now that you mention it, there really might be a way out of this."
"Of course."
The branch leader hesitated. "But our Grand Organization has strict rules—no extortion or coercion in the secular world, not even a needle or thread from civilians. If we blatantly—"
"Branch Leader, you're overthinking it. We're just borrowing money, not robbing anyone! We'll sign an IOU and notarize it. Why would he worry about us reneging? On paper, it's just a legitimate business loan—not theft or extortion."
"Will this work?"
"It's our only way out. If we can intimidate Lu Chenwen into handing over the money obediently, everything can be resolved."
"But if we… borrow money from him, we can't touch him afterward."
The strategist smiled. "Do we need to? What happens next is between him and the young master. After all this, do you really think the young master will let him live? Once he's dead, the money…"
The branch leader nodded. "Good! It's settled!"
The strategist cupped his fists. "I'll have Gold King prepare immediately. We'll move tonight!"
"Wait a minute!"
The branch leader couldn't take it anymore. "Let me get this straight… Our four great kings—three have already defected to Lu Chenwen. Can't you… leave me just one?"
"Branch Leader, Gold King is the most loyal of them all. You know that!"
"I know, I'm not doubting him. I'm doubting the world itself. Lately, everything's been so bizarre. It's like anyone who gets involved with Lu Chenwen immediately loses their IQ and follows him. I just… I can't take it anymore. I've been on antidepressants lately. My doctor told me to get out more, breathe fresh air, do things that make me happy, cultivate hobbies, and not stress so much about work…"
"Branch Leader, take care of yourself!"
"I'd love to, but this is our last chance. I've decided to handle this personally."
"Branch Leader! Absolutely not!" The strategist objected. "Our rules are clear. According to the 'Grand Organization Branch Management and Mission Execution Guidelines,' unless it's an S-rank high-difficulty or critical mission, branch leaders are not allowed to appear in person. Otherwise, they'll be demoted, detained, and stripped of all authority for life!"
"But I don't dare delegate this! The gang's affairs are piling up, and we're short on manpower. If Gold King defects to Lu Chenwen too, I'll have no choice but to sell my backside!"
The strategist thought for a moment. "I'll go."
"You?"
"Yes. I'll meet this Lu Chenwen myself. Let's see if he's a three-headed, six-armed Nezha or the Monkey King wreaking havoc in heaven."
The branch leader nodded. "If you're going, I can rest a little easier."
---
Lu Chenwen summoned Silver King and Yuan Fang overnight.
The two were completely baffled.
Standing behind Lu Chenwen were none other than Copper King and Iron King.
Lu Chenwen looked at them calmly. "Do I need to explain?"
Silver King's face turned ashen. "Please. Thank you."
Lu Chenwen recounted the entire sequence of events, then shook his head. "Sorry, but I had no choice. If I hadn't done this, Long Aotian would've destroyed me. And a lot of today's events were beyond my plans—honestly, I barely scraped by."
Silver King felt his chest heave violently.
His proudest achievement had been shattered by his own hands.
His elite persona had completely collapsed. From now on, whenever his name was mentioned in the martial world, it would be as a joke—a colossal, spiraling idiot, played like a fiddle by Lu Chenwen, with no way out.
"Am I supposed to follow in Copper King and Iron King's footsteps and become Lu Chenwen's lackey from now on?"
Silver King was lost in thought but accidentally muttered aloud.
Copper King retorted, "What kind of talk is that? Weren't we already lackeys in the Grand Organization?"
Silver King clenched his fists. "I'd rather shatter like jade than live as a common tile! In the Grand Organization, I was an elite, a core member—a refined gentleman in suits and ties, riding in luxury cars and staying in high-end hotels! I… I earned a million a year at the very least. How could I…"
"Pfft!" Lu Chenwen couldn't help but laugh. "Money? Ask them how much I pay them."
Iron King said, "We brothers earn a monthly salary of 100,000, and all living expenses are covered. That's 100,000 pure profit! On top of that, we each got a house and a car."
Copper King added, "On our very first day working for Boss Lu, each of us received a base payment of 20 million. After completing our first mission, Boss Lu added another 10 million. Heh, the three of us are now worth tens of millions."
Silver King blurted out, "Impossible! How could you be worth that much!?"
Lu Chenwen could tell—Silver King was different from the other two. Silver King… enjoyed the finer things in life.
If he had a weakness, he wasn't beyond recruitment.
Silver King was still waving his fists, angrily declaring, "You've ruined my reputation! Now that you're all here, I'll just kill you all in one go! None of us will walk away unscathed!"
Lu Chenwen said, "You're a smart man. You know there's no way back for you now."
"Pah! A loyal servant would rather die than serve two masters! I've studied the classics since childhood and understand the meaning of loyalty and righteousness! Today, my head may be severed, my blood may be shed, even if my body is ground to dust—I will leave this world with my integrity intact! Yuan Fang, let's kill these ungrateful traitors and capture Lu Chenwen alive to hand over to the branch leader!"
Lu Chenwen looked at him. "You and Yuan Fang—50 million each. An annual salary of five million. Plus, I'll give you a beachfront villa and a Porsche sports car."
Silver King dropped to one knee. "Godfather above, your unworthy son pays his respects!"
Iron King faceplanted on the floor.