harleyscars Chapter 26 Return and Crushing Victory
Chapter 26 Return and Crushing Victory
At eight o'clock in the morning, the air in the president's office of the First People's Hospital of Jiangnan City was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it.
On the leather sofa, Zhao Tiancheng, the richest man in Jiangnan, sat upright, but his fingertips trembled uncontrollably—he squeezed a six-figure Cuban cigar out of shape, and the tobacco fell into the expensive carpet, but he was completely unaware.
In his early fifties, his overweight body was wrapped in a custom-made suit, and his balding head gleamed with oil. Only his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses still retained a trace of a businessman's shrewdness, but at this moment, that shrewdness was filled with an overwhelming panic, and even ruthlessness had become a forced disguise.
He panicked, his heart was pounding in his chest.
Just half an hour ago, an urgent call from his subordinate struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him terrified: the vice president of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Association, the grandmaster he had hired at a cost of 30 million a year, who could shatter a bluestone slab with a single punch, had died in the corridor of the special care ward.
His death was extremely gruesome. His neck had been crushed into a shattered fracture, and his head was twisted at an eerie angle. He was thrown into a corner like a dead dog, without even a trace of resistance—he didn't even have time to let out a scream before becoming a cold corpse.
Lying in that special care ward was Lu Yuan's younger sister, Lu Qingxue.
"Mr. Zhao..."
The hospital director, hunched over, approached unsteadily, a cup of scalding tea in his hands. His voice trembled like a leaf in the wind. "The surveillance footage has been completely cut, and the body was taken away through the back door by the funeral home staff, leaving no trace... So, what's next..."
"Shut up!"
Zhao Tiancheng roared and impatiently slammed the crushed cigar onto the coffee table, ash flying everywhere. His chest heaved violently, his mind racing as he rapidly weighed the pros and cons, cold sweat trickling down his forehead and soaking his temples.
He learned of the Ye family's massacre last night through clandestine channels. Although the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals had covered up all the details, Zhao Tiancheng, with his deep roots in Jiangnan, could always uncover some inside information—the one who carried out the deed was none other than Lu Yuan, a high school graduate who single-handedly crushed one of Beijing's top wealthy families!
A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.
He recalled how he had sabotaged the Lu siblings in Jiangnan City in order to curry favor with the Ye family: cutting off the Lu family's business, ruining Lu Yuan's future, and even the seemingly accidental car accident involving Lu Qingxue was orchestrated by him, who pressured the perpetrator to quickly obtain a settlement agreement and escape justice.
Now that the Ye family has fallen, Lu Yuan has returned to fight his way back.
Lu Yuan will settle this score with him sooner or later!
"We can't just sit here and wait to die..." Zhao Tiancheng gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes, quickly replaced by panic. "Either strike first, or... pay to save your life!"
He believed in one principle throughout his life: there is nothing in the world that money cannot buy; if there is, it's because you don't have enough money.
No matter how strong Lu Yuan is, he's just a greenhorn who just graduated from high school. Even if his martial arts are unparalleled, how many storms can he have weathered? Can he resist the temptation of money?
Ten billion isn't enough, then two billion! Even if we have to smash it, we'll knock this jinx out of his mind and make him give up on revenge!
Just as he was secretly calculating, and a sliver of hope had just risen in his heart—
"Bang!"
The solid wood door of the office was smashed open with tremendous force, sending wood chips flying everywhere!
Immediately afterward, four burly bodyguards in black suits flew in from outside like four tattered sacks, slamming heavily against the wall with a dull thud, the crisp sound of bones cracking clearly audible. Without uttering a sound, their eyes rolled back, and they passed out instantly, blood spilling from their mouths and staining the pristine white wall.
"ah--!"
The dean was terrified. His hands trembled, and the scalding tea instantly spilled onto his crotch. The burning pain made him scream like a pig being slaughtered. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling like a leaf.
Backlit, a tall and straight figure slowly walked in.
Lu Yuan stood with his hands in his pockets, dressed in simple casual clothes. His posture was as upright as a pine tree, his face was cold and indifferent, and there was no emotion in his eyes. It was as if he was not the one who had casually thrown four bodyguards away just now.
He didn't even glance at the bodyguards and the dean on the ground. He walked straight to the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down calmly. His movements were languid, yet they carried an undeniable sense of oppression.
"Zhao, the richest man, what a coincidence."
Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling lightly on the sofa. His tone was calm, yet it was like a cold dagger piercing Zhao Tiancheng's heart.
Zhao Tiancheng's face turned deathly pale, as if his blood had instantly frozen. He forced back the fear rising in his throat, abruptly stood up, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Mr. Lu... when... when did you return to Jiangnan? Why didn't you inform me beforehand? I could have personally picked you up and given you a welcome feast!"
Lu Yuan was too lazy to waste words with him. With a flick of his finger, he took out a piece of warm, translucent spirit-gathering jade with a faint spiritual light from his pocket, placed it on the desk, and gently rubbed it with his fingertips. His movements were casual, but they carried an absolute sense of control.
"My sister's car accident," Lu Yuan's voice remained calm, revealing no trace of joy or anger, but beneath that calm lay a surging killing intent, "How much did you contribute to it?"
These words struck Zhao Tiancheng's heart like a death warrant.
His legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his knees hitting the floor with a crisp sound, yet he felt no pain—fear had already overwhelmed everything. He didn't even have the courage to argue. Even a Grandmaster of the Transcendent Realm could be easily crushed by Lu Yuan; he, a merchant with no strength to even kill a chicken, was less than an ant in Lu Yuan's presence!
"Mr. Lu! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Zhao Tiancheng cried, tears streaming down his face, stammering incoherently, "It's the Wang family from Beijing! They forced me into this! They said if I didn't listen to them, they would ruin all my businesses in Jiangnan and bankrupt the Zhao family! I had no choice!"
Sobbing, he frantically pulled a gold-embossed checkbook from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. His hands trembled so much he could barely hold it, and he respectfully handed it to Lu Yuan, his voice pleading, "Mr. Lu, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! I'm willing to compensate you, I'll give you ten billion! No, no, twenty billion! As long as you spare my life, half of the Zhao family's assets are yours! Please, please spare me!"
Zhao Tiancheng had a shrewd plan: money can be earned back, but life is gone forever! As long as he could keep Lu Yuan, this menacing figure, under control with money, he could slowly figure out how to turn things around once things calmed down!
But Lu Yuan didn't even glance at the checkbook; his gaze remained indifferent, and a mocking smile even appeared on his lips.
"Two billion." He spoke slowly, his tone undisguisedly sarcastic. "Mr. Zhao, you certainly have a grand gesture. Too bad, you just secretly transferred 1.5 billion in working capital to a Swiss bank last month through three shell companies overseas. You probably don't even have 200 million in usable cash in your company's account right now, do you?"
"Whoosh—!"
Zhao Tiancheng was instantly drenched in cold sweat, his suit jacket soaked through, his back feeling icy cold. He jerked his head up, his eyes wide with disbelief, staring at Lu Yuan as if he were a ghost, his voice hoarse and barely audible: "You... how did you know?! This transfer of funds was handled by me personally, even my wife didn't know! How... how did you find out?!"
Of course, Lu Yuan wouldn't tell him that this information was merely something he casually retrieved from the memories of the demonic cultivator he had killed. All the shady dealings and ruthless schemes between the Ye family and Zhao Tiancheng were clearly etched into the demonic cultivator's mind, available for him to peruse at will.
He wiped the smile from his face, his tone turning icy again. He put away the Spirit Gathering Jade with his fingertips, leaned forward slightly, and fixed his gaze on Zhao Tiancheng like a knife, instantly exuding an oppressive aura: "I don't lack money."
"I'm short of medicinal herbs."
Lu Yuan's voice was clear and firm, each word carrying an unquestionable command: "Ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, and Ganoderma lucidum that are over a hundred years old, as well as top-grade jade. Within three days, send all the items that meet the requirements from the markets of Jiangnan Province to this hospital."
He paused, his tone growing colder, filled with chilling murderous intent: "If you're one plant short, I'll cut off your arm."
"If you're short two plants, I'll offer the heads of your entire family to make up the difference."
After speaking, Lu Yuan stood up, not glancing at Zhao Tiancheng who was slumped on the ground again, and walked straight to the door. Just as he was about to push the door open, he paused slightly, leaving behind a cold warning without turning back, like a brand etched into Zhao Tiancheng's heart.
"Don't even think about running. Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I'll dig you out of the ground and tear you to pieces."
The door closed gently, and the office fell silent again, save for the dean's suppressed sobs and Zhao Tiancheng's heavy, desperate breathing.
Zhao Tiancheng slumped to the ground, his clothes soaked with cold sweat and clinging to his body, looking utterly disheveled. He stared at the empty doorway, his heart pounding wildly, as if it would stop beating at any moment.
"Medicinal herbs... century-old medicinal herbs..." he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with fear and urgency. He scrambled to grab the phone on the table, his fingers trembling so much that he could barely press the numbers.
"Get me to the purchasing department! Immediately! Right now!" Zhao Tiancheng roared into the phone, his voice distorted with fear. "Pour in all the company's working capital! Go to every pharmacy, auction house, black market, no matter how much it costs, no matter how difficult it is, buy back all the medicinal herbs that are over a hundred years old and the finest jade! The faster the better! One second later, I'll skin you alive!"
A flustered response came from the other end of the phone. Zhao Tiancheng abruptly hung up, slumped to the ground, gasping for breath, his face ashen.
At that moment, he dared not think of anything else. Money and property were all unimportant. His only thought was to gather what Lu Yuan needed within three days and save his own life.
Unbeknownst to him, in the corridor outside the door, Lu Yuan stood by the window, watching the ambulance hurrying away downstairs, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Tiancheng is just the beginning. He will not let any of those who hurt him and his sister get away with it.