Chapter 20: He Is Far from Ordinary

Qin Guosheng and a few of his followers ran to a deserted area, where there was not a soul in sight. He had no idea where else to flee. He had been so sure of victory, yet hadn’t expected Ye Aotian to be completely immune to his tactics.

“Damn it,” he cursed. “If I’d known things would turn out like this, I would’ve brought some weapons along.”

As he spoke, an off-road vehicle appeared on the distant road. Qin Guosheng’s face was still clouded with frustration, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw the car.

Lin Li jumped out of the vehicle and glanced at the group. “Boss, are you alright?”

Qin Guosheng was overjoyed. He stepped forward and embraced Lin Li tightly.

“Xiao Lin, you’ve saved me again. If you hadn’t warned me beforehand, I wouldn’t have known how many dirty tricks those people were pulling behind my back.”

A wave of fear washed over Qin Guosheng. This time, they had been certain of victory, planning to eliminate Ye Aotian and then extort the Leng family.

But things had spiraled far beyond their control.

Lin Li sighed. “Boss, I told you earlier—kidnapping Leng Ningxue wasn’t going to work. Ye Aotian is no simple character. The mysterious man he sent today is very powerful—he’s probably one of those legendary martial artists.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Guosheng immediately turned to Lin Li. “A martial artist? Aren’t martial artists supposed to abide by the rules of their own world? Why would they meddle in the affairs of ordinary people?”

Lin Li merely gave a small smile. “Boss, do you really still believe what they say? It’s just that their interests haven’t been threatened yet. If their own interests are at stake, do you think they’ll still follow those rules? You saw what happened today. Good thing I know a bit of martial arts myself.”

As Lin Li spoke, he let out a long sigh and put on the look of a man who had suffered injuries, which Qin Guosheng readily believed.

“You’re hurt?” Qin Guosheng asked.

Lin Li averted his gaze. “It’s nothing, boss. Just some minor wounds—give me a few days to rest and I’ll be fine.”

Qin Guosheng’s face grew grim. He hadn’t expected his decision to cause such chaos.

“This whole mess is on me,” he admitted. “If I’d known these people would be so hard to deal with, I would’ve used a different approach. But don’t worry, I’ll arrange for someone to take care of them. Over the years, I’ve made the acquaintance of quite a few experts.”

Hearing this, Lin Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Qin Guosheng had realized this was no longer a battle between ordinary people. Since ordinary means were useless, only martial artists could be called upon.

Lin Li knew that Qin Guosheng had some resources in that world. Even if he couldn’t defeat Ye Aotian, he could at least deal him a heavy blow, which would buy Lin Li valuable time. As long as Ye Aotian kept running into trouble, Lin Li could seize the opportunity to gradually strengthen his own forces.

Still, the events of the day left his heart pounding. Though he had escaped in the end, Lin Li was well aware that if he had delayed even a little longer, that man would certainly have kept him there for good.

The Masked Judge truly had some skill. The people following Ye Aotian each had their own unique abilities, though the Masked Judge was actually the weakest among them. The others were bound to their duties and could not leave. Otherwise, Ye Aotian would have already swept through the entire city.

Qin Guosheng had no idea that, while Lin Li appeared to be handling matters for him, nearly all those killed in today’s battle were his most trusted men—the ones he had painstakingly cultivated over the years. Even Lin Li couldn’t always command them, and he had long grown tired of their disobedience. This incident gave him the perfect excuse to dispose of them.

With Ye Aotian’s fury, it was likely that all of them had been wiped out. Who knew what Qin Guosheng would think once he realized this? He might very well be angry enough to drop dead.

Soon, Lin Li accompanied Qin Guosheng to the hospital.

Su Lan saw Qin Guosheng and asked calmly, “How did it go, Old Qin? Did they agree to save our son?”

Leaning on his cane, Qin Guosheng took a deep breath. “Not yet. But don’t worry, I just contacted a friend. In two days, I’ll make sure they come and treat Qin Lang.”

Everything could have been resolved through negotiation, but Qin Guosheng’s temper had turned things into a mess. Now that Ye Aotian couldn’t get to the Leng family, he might very well turn his attention to the Qin family.

…

In Jiangcheng, the security office of the Leng family villa.

Ye Aotian lounged on a wide sofa, utterly at ease.

“I hadn’t planned on any of this,” he mused. “But who would have thought that old man from the Qin family would actually try to kill me? Well, that settles it—there’s nothing holding us back now. We’ll do whatever it takes to bring the Qin family down. Once they fall, everything they own will be ours.”

Chen Along sat not far from Ye Aotian.

“I encountered a real master today,” he remarked. “That guy’s odd—sometimes strong, sometimes weak. I feel like he’s hiding something.”

Ye Aotian paused for a moment, understanding exactly who Chen Along meant.

“Don’t worry. That kid’s nothing to be afraid of. I managed to beat him easily even while injured. Just be careful next time you run into him—he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, but nothing substantial.”

Ye Aotian was convinced he had seen through all of Lin Li’s schemes and dismissed him as a non-entity.

But Chen Along was not so sure. Was he really just trash? If that kid didn’t have any real ability, how could he have escaped with Chen Along’s help?

In Chen Along’s eyes, Lin Li was powerful—a man with deep cunning.

“Young master,” Chen Along advised, “now that you’re out in the world for your training, you must be cautious. Keep a low profile. If you draw the wrong kind of attention, it’ll be trouble.”

Ye Aotian’s expression shifted at this, but after a moment’s thought, he nodded in agreement.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Nothing serious will happen here in Jiangcheng. As long as we deal with the Qin family, we’ll be fine.”

He had full confidence in the situation. With Chen Along by his side, who else could possibly stand against him?