Chapter 30 - 29: A Slap

Chapter 30: Chapter 29: A Slap

Li Zhaolin had never suffered such humiliation.

On his wedding day, he was blocked on the road by a gang of beggars who had appeared out of nowhere.

Upon arriving in Yin Mountain County, he heard constant gunfire coming from the Lin Family’s direction.

Now, getting closer...

He finally realized.

The entire Lin Family was likely wiped out.

And all his men from the Li Family were dead, too.

As for that Lin Qingyi...

Li Zhaolin actually felt little to no love for her.

Other considerations in this marriage far outweighed affection.

Right now, everyone in Xiao County...

...knew that the great young master of the Li Family was having a grand wedding today.

If he were to return with a procession of corpses...

...where would he, Li Zhaolin, hide his face?

This wasn’t just about face.

It was also a test of his standing within the family.

He had been the one to push for this matter single-handedly.

This was a trial for his right of succession.

With the situation having collapsed so completely, wasn’t this more than just a total loss?

If those uncles and cousins in the family, all watching him like hungry tigers, found out about this...

...they would likely pounce on him immediately and devour him, leaving not even his bones behind.

The more he thought about it, the more a wicked fire burned in his gut, making his insides ache.

The thread of his sanity snapped.

Li Zhaolin abruptly drew the shiny Browning pistol from his waist.

He pressed the muzzle directly against the forehead of Director Liu, who was blocking his way.

His fingertips turned white from the force of his grip, and his voice was squeezed from between his clenched teeth:

"Get the hell out of my way! Or I’ll blow your damn head off right now!"

*CHK-CHK!*

A crisp, chilling sound of rifle bolts being pulled in unison rang out.

Seeing this, the security officers behind Director Liu...

...raised their rifles without hesitation.

An array of dark muzzles instantly aimed at Li Zhaolin.

The atmosphere instantly grew as taut as a fully drawn bowstring.

Beads of cold sweat broke out on Director Liu’s temples.

With the cold muzzle against him, his heart hammered like a war drum.

But thinking of the person behind him, he forced himself not to back down.

He forced a mocking sneer onto his face.

"Shoot? Go ahead and shoot."

"Let’s see if you can walk out of Yin Mountain County alive today after you kill me!"

The cold touch of the muzzle brought Li Zhaolin back to his senses a little.

But with everyone watching, how could he just put his gun away?

Wouldn’t that be an even greater loss of face?

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

He shouted, his chin raised, all bark and no bite,

"I am Li Zhaolin of the Xiaoshan Li Family!"

"You dare point your guns at me? Are you tired of living?!"

Director Liu swallowed hard, struggling to keep his voice firm.

"The Xiaoshan Li Family?"

"What a big name!"

"Too bad this is Yin Mountain County, not your Xiao County!"

"Here, you follow the rules of Yin Mountain!"

Hearing their director’s tough talk, the security officers behind him, whose aim had been wavering, steadied their rifles again.

"Elder Lu! Elder He!"

The veins on Li Zhaolin’s neck bulged slightly.

He turned and snarled at the two silent old men behind him:

"Go, disarm them all!"

"I want to see if the bones of these country bumpkins are as hard as their mouths!"

Elder Lu and Elder He.

These were the two Martial Arts masters who followed Li Zhaolin to protect him.

However, upon hearing Li Zhaolin’s command, they did not act immediately.

Instead, in a voice only Li Zhaolin could hear, one said, "Young Master, there is an expert on the scene."

"Try to avoid a conflict."

The one who spoke was the slender Elder Lu, who was as thin as a bamboo pole.

Hearing this, Li Zhaolin whipped his head around.

The fury in his eyes was about to erupt as he glared daggers at Elder Lu.

’You’re only telling me now?’

’What were you doing before!’

’This is clearly a deliberate attempt to make a fool of me,’

’to humiliate me in front of everyone!’

But no matter how furious he was, he didn’t dare do anything to Elder Lu or Elder He.

These two had been sent by his grandfather to protect him.

And in a sense, to monitor him as well.

His chest heaved violently.

With great difficulty, he suppressed the urge to lash out on the spot.

He turned back,

and said to Director Liu through gritted teeth:

"Get someone from the Lu Family who can make decisions out here to speak!"

"For what happened today, the Lu Family must give my Li Family an explanation!"

Director Liu had faintly overheard Elder Lu’s whispered warning, and his courage grew a little stronger.

He reached out and, with his palm, slowly pushed the muzzle pressed against his forehead to the side.

His voice was laced with mockery. "If I were you, I wouldn’t be waving this thing around."

"Put it away. It’ll save everyone some face and prevent you from getting into a more embarrassing situation later."

Hearing Director Liu’s words, Li Zhaolin truly wished he could just shoot him dead.

But his reason told him that if he really fired, he would surely die here, too.

"I want to see Lu Huaiqian. Get Lu Huaiqian out here to talk."

Li Zhaolin no longer held up his gun, but his attitude was still extremely arrogant.

Director Liu sneered, "Our commissioner isn’t someone just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can demand to see."

Hearing this, Li Zhaolin turned angrily to Elder Lu and Elder He. "Are you two just going to stand there and watch them humiliate the Young Master of the Li Family like this!"

Elder Lu spoke calmly, "You’d better watch your tone. If I really wanted to kill you, the people behind you wouldn’t be fast enough to save you."

"Or did you think he would actually risk his life fighting an old man like me for your sake?"

When Director Liu heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat.

A chill ran down his spine.

Only now did he realize he might have overdone his act.

Clearing his throat, Director Liu’s tone was still firm, but his words were no longer so sharp.

"Our commissioner is busy handling a major case. He doesn’t have time to see you."

"What exactly do you want here?"

Director Liu was feigning ignorance.

Li Zhaolin was so angry at Director Liu’s words that he laughed.

"You’re asking me what I want here?"

"My Li Family was to marry into the Lin Family. How dare you say you don’t know about such a major event?"

Director Liu was about to offer another sarcastic remark.

But then he remembered his life was his own, and the words that came out were different:

"My duty is to maintain order in Yin Mountain County. Which family’s daughter you marry has nothing to do with me."

After a pause, Director Liu said:

"But if you’re looking to marry the young lady from this family, I’m afraid you won’t be able to."

"That fugitive who escaped from your Xiao County, Nine-fingered Yama."

"He fled to our Yin Mountain County and committed a crime."

"This entire family was killed by Nine-fingered Yama."

"Luckily, we arrived in time and didn’t let Nine-fingered Yama escape."

"Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to find your enemy."

Li Zhaolin listened to this clumsy excuse.

He felt like they were insulting his intelligence.

Li Zhaolin smiled grimly. "Do you dare repeat what you just said?"

Without hesitation, Director Liu repeated his words.

Li Zhaolin finally snapped.

He swung his hand in a slap.

It landed hard across Director Liu’s face.

*SLAP!*

The crisp sound instantly made the atmosphere tense up again.

The two old men standing behind Li Zhaolin both frowned slightly.

Li Zhaolin’s actions were clearly escalating the conflict.

Lu Jing’an, who had been sitting in the car all this time, saw this and knew he had to get out.

*CLICK.*

The door of the black sedan not far away opened.

A tall, upright figure stepped out, unhurried.

First, he adjusted the collar of his immaculate suit.

Only then did he start walking over.

His steps were steady, crunching on the gravel path.

The distinct sound instantly drew everyone’s attention.

Watching Lu Jing’an get out of the car, Li Zhaolin actually calmed down.

He had noticed the sedan from a distance long ago.

He didn’t know who was sitting inside.

But he knew that the person in the car was the one who called the shots.

That was why he had to force the person out of the car.

If he couldn’t even meet the person in charge and had to just go back with the corpses, he would lose all face completely.

Not that he had much left now, anyway.

But at least by meeting the main player, he could try to salvage some dignity.

Li Zhaolin had never met Lu Jing’an.

But he recognized him at a glance the moment he stepped out of the car.

Seeing Lu Jing’an, Li Zhaolin couldn’t help but feel a sense of disdain.

In Li Zhaolin’s eyes, the Lu Family were nothing but nouveau riche.

They had no deep heritage to speak of.

At their usual gatherings of scions from the province’s Noble Families, they would never include Lu Jing’an.

Seeing Lu Jing’an now, he still felt that same disdain.

Lu Jing’an, with Chen Xuan in tow, walked up to the two groups.

Director Liu immediately ran over, saying guiltily, "I’m sorry, Young Master Lu. I’ve handled things poorly."

Lu Jing’an glanced at the swollen left side of Director Liu’s face.

Then his gaze shifted to Li Zhaolin.

"Are you aware that assaulting an officer is a crime?" Lu Jing’an asked Li Zhaolin.

Li Zhaolin twisted the corner of his mouth into a contemptuous smile. "So what if I hit him? Do I have to pay a fine?"

His posture was arrogant, an attempt to regain control of the conversation.

"Pay a fine?" Lu Jing’an seemed to consider it seriously, then nodded.

"You can. How much do you plan to pay?"

Just as a flicker of disappointment crossed Director Liu’s mind, he heard Lu Jing’an continue:

"A beating like this, obstructing official duties, disturbing the peace... One hundred thousand silver coins should just about cover it."

Director Liu, who had been disappointed just a moment ago, instantly lit up.

One hundred thousand silver coins for a slap.

Director Liu felt that his right cheek was also available.

Hearing Lu Jing’an’s words, Li Zhaolin’s expression darkened.

"You’re trying to extort me!"

Lu Jing’an said, "You told me to name a price. I named a price, and now you say I’m extorting you. If the Li Family has no money, you don’t have to pay."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if the Li Family is a bit tight on cash, that’s fine too. Just let Director Liu slap you back."

Hearing this, Director Liu immediately looked eager to try.

One hundred thousand silver coins was very tempting.

But the chance to slap the Young Master of the Li Family was something he would do even without the money.

Hearing Lu Jing’an’s words, Li Zhaolin’s expression grew even uglier.

"Is your Lu Family trying to completely sever ties with my Li Family?"

"Do you realize that if you let him slap me, there will be no turning back for our two families!"

Lu Jing’an suddenly chuckled softly.

But the smile didn’t reach his eyes, which instead radiated an icy coldness.

"Young Master Li, you’re mistaken."

"It’s not the Lu Family and the Li Family that will have no turning back."

He took half a step forward, his voice even lower.

But each word was like a knife, piercing clearly into Li Zhaolin’s ears:

"With this slap, it is you, Li Zhaolin, who will have no turning back in the Li Family."

"Your fiancée is dead, your men are lost."

"You’ve lost so much face, and now you’ve created a mortal enemy for your family in a neighboring county’s powerful faction."

"Tell me, will the Li Family go all out to back you up at any cost?"

"Or will they have you ’overcome with grief, following Miss Lin to the grave’?"

"At least that would preserve your reputation as a devoted lover, and salvage the Li Family’s honor, right?"

Lu Jing’an’s words struck Li Zhaolin right where it hurt.

"Director Liu, since Young Master Li has no money to give, just go ahead and slap him back," Lu Jing’an instructed Director Liu.

"Yes, Young Master Lu."

Director Liu agreed and rolled up his sleeves.

This time, before Young Master Li could speak, Elder Lu, who was standing behind him, spoke up on his own initiative.

After all, this slap wouldn’t just be hitting Li Zhaolin.

"Young Master Lu, there’s no need to make things so ugly."

"You alone might not be able to represent the entire Lu Family."

Faced with Elder Lu’s threat, Lu Jing’an didn’t back down in the slightest, staring coldly at the old man.

"Whether or not I can represent the Lu Family is not for an outsider like you to comment on."

"If your Li Family wants to go to war over a single slap, my Lu Family will see it through to the very end."

As Lu Jing’an spoke, Chen Xuan also shifted his position slightly.

Clearly, if the situation turned sour, Chen Xuan was ready to strike immediately.

"Director Liu, do it!"

Lu Jing’an commanded in a tone that permitted no argument.

"Yes, sir!"

Without hesitation, Director Liu stepped forward.

He swung his arm in a wide arc and slapped Li Zhaolin squarely across the face.

Throughout this,

neither Elder Lu nor Elder He moved a muscle.

The Li Family had already lost the upper hand.

Li Zhaolin’s plan was already in ruins.

To start an all-out war with the Lu Family over a single slap...

...was a consequence they could not bear.

Li Zhaolin took the slap full on the face.

His cheek swelled up, and his lip began to bleed.

But at this moment, Li Zhaolin burst into loud laughter.

"Good. Good. Very good."

"Lu Jing’an, I admit it. We all underestimated you."

When his laughter subsided, his chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath.

He squeezed out each word from between his teeth:

"Now! Can I take my people and go?"