Chapter 066: Holding the Gentleman in Highest Esteem

Upon hearing this, Hou Jinlong, who had already been trembling in fear, could hold himself up no longer. His knees buckled, and he collapsed before Lin Le.
“Master, spare my life! I know I was wrong, I’ll never dare again!” Hou Jinlong pleaded, his terror palpable.
Wu Sanxing’s corpse lay in the pool right in front of him, and Hou Jinlong’s dread was overwhelming. Though Hou Jinlong was ruthless in pursuit of his goals, after all, he was merely a businessman; he was not like Wu Sanxing, who had survived countless bloody storms. Now, Lin Le’s terrifying presence pushed his fear to the limit.
“Was it you who brought Zuo Tianlang here?” Lin Le asked.
“Yes… It was in my name, that’s true, but it was all instigated by Wu Sanxing! For this deal concerning Plot 81, Wu Sanxing had half the shares. To secure the land, he encouraged me to hire someone to assassinate the Tang family!” Hou Jinlong hurried to explain.
Although Hou Jinlong had always thought the Tang Group had delayed many of his deals, he was, in the end, a businessman. His first thought was never such extreme measures. This time, Wu Sanxing saw the huge profits in the tourism development project and wanted a share, which led to such drastic actions. It was Wu Sanxing pushing from behind all along.
“Is everything you say the truth?” Lin Le pressed.
“It’s absolutely true, Master. If you don’t believe me, Yao Kun can testify!” Hou Jinlong anxiously looked to Yao Kun for help.
“Well… it’s true,” Yao Kun admitted, though he felt his testimony carried little weight in the eyes of the other.
But Lin Le said, “Fine, I believe you.”
“So, does that mean Master will spare my life?” Hou Jinlong looked at Lin Le with hope.
“In consideration that you were merely incited, I will spare you,” Lin Le replied calmly.
At these words, Hou Jinlong finally exhaled in relief, feeling as if the grim reaper had let him off by sheer luck.
“But…” Before Hou Jinlong could relax fully, Lin Le continued, and his heart leaped back into his throat.
Lin Le went on, “Though you escape death, punishment is inevitable. The Tang family’s bodyguards died at the hands of Zuo Tianlang, but it was because of you two. Now that Wu Sanxing is dead, he’s settled your debt in blood. As for the living, you must repay them.”
“What does Master mean?” Hou Jinlong was confused.
“Those bodyguards died because of you. You must compensate each of their families.”
“Alright…”
Hou Jinlong was about to speak further, but Lin Le added, “Twenty million for each family!”
Hou Jinlong’s face twitched. Twenty million per household? Ten families would be two hundred million; with twenty or thirty bodyguards, that’s four or five hundred million!
No insurance policy in the world could pay out such a sum!

It was robbery, pure and simple!
Yet Hou Jinlong dared not utter a single complaint. He could only nod, “Very well, I’ll have the company’s finance department transfer the money to their accounts tomorrow!”
“And from now on, your Wanli Group must immediately withdraw from bidding for Plot 81,” Lin Le continued.
“This…” Hou Jinlong hesitated slightly.
They had received insider information that Plot 81 would become a key development project in Haizhou, and after completion, would bring in billions each year, with profits lasting a long time. It was, potentially, a huge return of tens or even hundreds of billions. Otherwise, Wu Sanxing would not have resorted to such extremes against his competitors.
Hou Jinlong had already invested considerable manpower, resources, and capital in the early stages to secure this project, so to abandon it now was difficult for him.
But compared to his own life, what was a hundred billion in revenue worth?
If he dared utter a single word of refusal, his fate would surely match Wu Sanxing’s, and he would not die well.
No longer daring to hesitate, Hou Jinlong quickly said, “Very well, I agree. I’ll have the document withdrawing our bid sent out tomorrow.”
As he spoke, Hou Jinlong felt a pang of regret.
He’d been coaxed into wrongdoing by Wu Sanxing, and now, after all this trouble, he ended up in such a predicament. Had he known, he would have stuck to honest business from the start.
At this thought, Hou Jinlong could not help but sigh.
“Master, is there anything else you require?” Hou Jinlong asked cautiously.
“That’s all for now,” Lin Le replied indifferently.
Then Lin Le looked around at the members of Black Star Society and said, “What about you? Does anyone wish to avenge your boss Wu? Step forward now.”
The members, having witnessed Lin Le’s abilities, dared not make a move.
The underworld was like this; there was none of the brotherly loyalty depicted in films. No one would risk offending a god of death for the sake of a boss who spent his days lording over them.
“Wu Sanxing is dead. From today onward, Black Star Society answers to me!” said Yao Kun, standing up despite his injuries.
Yao Kun had always been second only to Wu Sanxing in the organization, so his statement went unchallenged.
“I promise, from now on, Black Star Society will never trouble you, sir! We will follow your lead!” Yao Kun declared earnestly.
Just now, Lin Le had not only saved his life, but also demonstrated the demeanor of a true martial master. Yao Kun was completely convinced.
“We will follow your lead!” The members of Black Star Society all bowed respectfully to Lin Le, obeying Yao Kun’s command.

Lin Le paused, then gave a faint laugh, “A tall tree catches the wind; I have no wish to become Black Star Society’s boss. All I ask is to be left undisturbed.”
“Rest assured, sir. With me here, no one from Black Star Society will trouble you! Anyone who does will have to answer to me!” Yao Kun said fiercely.
Lin Le nodded, “Very well.”
With that, Lin Le tapped his toes, sprang up, and leaped straight off the rooftop!
Everyone present was stunned, Hou Jinlong’s eyes wide in shock.
Looking down from the rooftop, they saw Lin Le’s figure had already vanished into the darkness, displaying the bearing of a true master.
“A true master! This is the real deal!” Yao Kun exclaimed in awe.
Yao Kun felt his own martial skills paled in comparison; next to Lin Le’s true martial arts, he was nothing more than a common rooster or dog.
Hou Jinlong, who understood nothing of martial arts, only knew he had just watched a living man leap from the fifth floor rooftop and remain unharmed. This was beyond his comprehension.
Five stories, traversed as if on level ground, coming and going freely—was this even human?
Hou Jinlong felt grateful once more that he had not disobeyed Lin Le, giving up a hundred billion in profit. Otherwise, what he’d have lost was not just money, but his own life!
Such a master could take his life as easily as reaching into a pocket!
“Kun, what should we do with Boss Wu’s body?” someone asked tentatively.
“Take it to the crematorium now. And no one is to speak about his death; say he died suddenly of a heart attack,” Yao Kun said calmly.
Just moments ago, Wu Sanxing had treated Yao Kun as nothing, so Yao Kun saw no reason to mind his fate.
This arrangement would also spare them much unnecessary trouble.
The members of Black Star Society had long harbored resentment towards Wu Sanxing for his cruelty; he never cared for his subordinates. Now with Yao Kun as boss, they were more satisfied, and had no objections to his decisions.
“One more thing,” Yao Kun said, looking at the others.
“Remember that master’s face well. If he ever appears in our territory, notify me immediately! Black Star Society must honor him above all others!” Yao Kun announced, his expression fervent.