Qi Yue Zai Ye

Chapter 664 The Terms of Negotiation

The heavy door was smashed open by Chen Jin Chao's punch.

Chen Jin Chao felt the surging power within him, a sensation that had been too long absent.

No wonder so many people were watching the Kunlun Research Institute. It turned out that Xu Nian Qing's research was truly terrifying, pushing open the doors to a new era.

Chen Jin Chao pushed these thoughts aside and entered the Li family mansion amidst the fearful gazes of numerous soldiers.

Not far away.

Li Tian Nan rushed over upon hearing the news.

When he saw Chen Jin Chao shatter the door with a single punch, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Chen Jin Chao was coming with full force!

Had he already recovered his strength?

Li Tian Nan shook his head, refusing to believe Chen Jin Chao's strength had returned. It was likely he was just putting on a brave face.

As Chen Jin Chao approached him, Li Tian Nan said, "I thought you wouldn't come."

Chen Jin Chao scoffed, "Cut the nonsense. Take me to see Li Tian Ce. And where is Qian De Shui?"

"I want to see him too!"

He showed no regard for Li Tian Nan's feelings.

Li Tian Nan gave Chen Jin Chao a deep look before saying, "Follow me."

Under his guidance, Chen Jin Chao ventured deeper into the estate.

Along the way, he saw many soldiers armed with guns, each eyeing him with vigilance.

It was easy to imagine that if he clashed with Li Tian Ce and the others,

these soldiers would pepper him with their rifles, leaving no room for doubt.

He proceeded deeper, all the way to the backyard.

Although there were few soldiers visible here, Chen Jin Chao's intuition told him it was more dangerous than the outside, with unseen snipers lying in wait.

No fewer than ten guns were aimed at his head.

Li Tian Nan led Chen Jin Chao to a pavilion built over a pond, where Li Bu Yan and Li Tian Ce were already waiting.

"Sit."

Li Tian Nan's tone was cold.

Chen Jin Chao glanced at the seat before him and immediately understood it was a death trap, the prime spot for an ambush in the entire backyard.

"There's no need to sit. Let me see Qian De Shui first," he said.

Li Tian Nan could not make the decision himself and could only look to Li Bu Yan.

Li Bu Yan waved his hand, and upon receiving the order, Li Tian Nan instructed someone to bring Qian De Shui.

A short while later.

A badly injured Qian De Shui was escorted by two soldiers into the pavilion and forced to kneel before Li Bu Yan and the others.

Qian De Shui stood his ground, refusing to kneel.

Seeing the two soldiers prepare to strike Qian De Shui's knees, Chen Jin Chao frowned and shouted, "Stop, get lost."

The two soldiers were stunned by the roar, momentarily bewildered.

Li Bu Yan furrowed his brow and said to them, "You may leave. Put everyone on high alert."

"Yes!"

The two soldiers retreated.

Inside the pavilion.

Despite it being the sweltering heat of June or July, Qian De Shui felt a chill, a cold that penetrated to the bone.

He turned to look at Chen Jin Chao beside him and gave a bitter smile, "Young Master Chen, you shouldn't have come. My life is forfeit. But you must live, or how can I explain myself to President Li?"

"If you have something, I must come," Chen Jin Chao replied.

Qian De Shui's eyes welled up with tears. He rubbed his eyes and choked out, "I am just a disreputable, useless person. How can I be worthy of such concern from Young Master Chen?"

Chen Jin Chao patted his shoulder, "I cannot stand idly by if anything happens to you. I act with a clear conscience."

"Let's not talk about this for now. Let's see what the Li family has to say."

Qian De Shui grunted in agreement.

Chen Jin Chao looked at Li Tian Ce and the others. "Let him go, and I'll stay."

Li Tian Ce smiled and said, "Do you think that's possible? Qian De Shui has caused me severe damage. How can I possibly let him go?"

He was no fool.

He had invited Chen Jin Chao here today precisely to achieve a double kill!

To eliminate all future trouble!

Qian De Shui's face grew even more dejected. If he had been faster back then, he might have already reached abroad, and from there, he could have offered significant help to Chen Jin Chao. Unfortunately, Qian De Shui had misjudged Li Tian Ce's capabilities and resolve.

This had led to the current outcome.

He felt deep remorse.

After being captured by Li Tian Ce, Qian De Shui had considered suicide to avoid implicating Chen Jin Chao.

However, Li Tian Ce had not given him that chance. He tortured him while simultaneously preventing him from dying, hoping to extract secrets about Chen Jin Chao from Qian De Shui. What Qian De Shui was most proud of was that he had not yielded under Li Tian Ce's threats and temptations.

Chen Jin Chao met Li Tian Ce's cold, deep gaze without flinching.

His tone became firmer, "I say it again, let Qian De Shui leave, and I will stay."

Li Tian Ce looked down at Chen Jin Chao from a condescending height, his tone filled with utter contempt, "Have you forgotten your situation? You are nothing but a bird in a cage right now, utterly unqualified to negotiate with us."

"You and he will both die."

He tried to see a hint of despair on Chen Jin Chao's face, to prove that he had already defeated Chen Jin Chao.

But—

He was destined to be disappointed.

Chen Jin Chao's expression remained as calm as ever, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

This caused Li Tian Ce to frown deeply.

Chen Jin Chao said indifferently, "If you don't let Qian De Shui leave, your Li family will face great trouble."

"What trouble? Don't try to fool me," Li Tian Ce said, displeased.

Chen Jin Chao said in a relaxed tone, "I possess certain secrets of your Li family. Before I came to your Li family, I instructed Yu Meng Zhi that if Qian De Shui did not leave the Li family compound safely, she would hand those things over to Qin Feng Wu."

Li Bu Yan and Li Tian Ce both changed their expressions.

Li Tian Nan was skeptical, "How many of our Li family's secrets can you possibly know?"

The three of them felt that Chen Jin Chao was trying to bluff them.

Chen Jin Chao smiled, "You can choose not to believe me, but the consequences will be far more severe than you imagine."

Li Bu Yan stared intently at Chen Jin Chao, trying to discern whether he was lying.

However, he found Chen Jin Chao to be rather inscrutable; even he could not tell if Chen Jin Chao's words were true or false.

"Besides the Qin family, I have also had messages sent to Lingnan and the Purple Thistle City. Then you can experience the taste of public backlash," Chen Jin Chao said with a confident expression, further puzzling the Li family members.

Li Tian Ce snorted, "I don't believe what you say unless you can tell me one secret about our Li family."

Chen Jin Chao's lips curled into a mocking grin, "I even know that you have reached an unspeakable agreement with the Wu family, and the Divine Kingdom Laboratory was not completely destroyed."

"Am I correct in what I've said?"

Chen Jin Chao stared at the three of them.

The expressions of the three men visibly shifted, indicating that Chen Jin Chao had hit the mark.

The three Li family members exchanged glances, communicating their thoughts through their eyes.

Li Tian Ce lost his composure and said sternly, "Grandfather, we absolutely cannot let Qian De Shui go. Once he's released, the future troubles will be endless!"

"If we kill them all, the problem will cease to exist."