Chapter 153: A Relapse

Before Li Fumin could speak, Ling Tian continued, “The renovation must have cost quite a bit, right?”

Still stunned, Li Fumin was pondering the renovation expenses when he heard Ling Tian’s question and instinctively replied, “It cost about three million.”

“Three million spent once doesn’t seem quite satisfying. After the first round, once you redo the renovation, we’ll smash it again,” Ling Tian said calmly. “This is mainly for your own good. Six to three is much luckier. Haven’t you heard of the phrase ‘double six brings great fortune’?”

Li Fumin nearly fainted from shock. It was the first time he’d heard someone speak so matter-of-factly about such matters, and claim it was for the other party’s benefit. Li Fumin had always thought he was shameless enough, but compared to Ling Tian, this old fox was still too inexperienced.

“Sun Yibin, what are you waiting for? Grab your weapons and smash it hard,” Ling Tian shouted at Sun Yibin and the others.

The most decisive Sun Yibin didn’t hesitate for a moment; he grabbed a chair and began smashing furiously. Seeing their boss start the rampage, the employees of Le Nest Bar enthusiastically joined in. To behave so recklessly in the Prosperous Dynasty was unthinkable before.

Zhang Ding looked around at the lavish decor, reluctant, and said, “Boss, isn’t it a pity to smash such luxurious decorations?”

“You’re really good at living frugally. If you like something, just move it home,” Ling Tian laughed and scolded.

Zhang Ding hurriedly called out, “Brother Sun, hold on. Our bar’s decoration is quite outdated. Why don’t we move all these things back to the bar and redecorate it? It’s too much of a waste to smash it all.”

So, the lavish smashing event turned into a moving operation. Sun Yibin, feeling short of hands, made a call and hired three moving companies to help. The moving companies were puzzled, wondering if the Prosperous Dynasty was actually moving.

Li Fumin could only watch helplessly as Sun Yibin and the others began moving like thieves. There was nothing he could do. This was no longer about money; three million was a small sum to Li Fumin—he could save that by cutting back on a few trips abroad.

The real issue was face. It wouldn’t take long before the other prominent families, who were well-informed, learned that the Prosperous Dynasty under the Li family had been stripped bare by Ling Tian, while the family head stood by like a fool, unable to utter a word.

Ling Tian glanced coldly at Li Fumin, then turned to An Qi and said, “Look around and see which items catch your eye. I’ll have Zhang Ding move them to your shop.”

An Qi felt embarrassed and quickly waved her hand, “I think it’s better not to. The decoration styles are different; moving them won’t help.”

“That’s simple. When Li Fumin renovates again, I’ll have him decorate according to your shop’s style, then we can move things over,” Ling Tian joked.

An Qi rolled her eyes at Ling Tian, chiding, “You’re always full of mischievous ideas.”

At that moment, An Qi’s phone rang. She took it out and saw it was a call from Nangong Ye. She was puzzled—Nangong Ye was usually busy with the family business and rarely initiated contact. What was this about?

“Cousin, is there something important?” An Qi answered.

“Cousin, have you been with Ling Shao these past few days?” Nangong Ye’s tone was urgent.

An Qi thought he was overthinking and replied shyly, “Yes. How did you know?”

“There have been rumors that Ling Shao helped you get your grandmother’s jade. How could I not know? Hurry and come home with Ling Shao. Nangong Xue’er has relapsed. Forget it, I’ll come pick you up right away. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Nangong Ye said anxiously.

Upon hearing the bad news, An Qi fumbled and dropped her phone, then looked nervously at Ling Tian. “Xue’er has relapsed.”

Ling Tian’s expression darkened instantly. It seemed his suspicions were confirmed. This time, the long game he had set was about to catch a big fish.

“Let’s go see her now,” Ling Tian said in a low voice, standing up and taking An Qi’s hand as they left. Inwardly, Ling Tian resolved that such dark, occult sorcery must be eradicated to prevent harm to society.

Li Fumin sat on the ground, dazed, watching Ling Tian and An Qi leave helplessly.

A bodyguard approached quietly and whispered, “Master, Ling Tian has already left. Should we stop them?”

Li Fumin, his face ashen, silently shook his head without a word.

“Master, I think we should call the police, have them arrested, then we can do some ‘work’ on them in the detention center,” the bodyguard continued, his eyes gleaming with cruelty and viciousness. He had done this many times—those who offended the Li family were framed for various crimes, sent to jail, and mysteriously died overnight in bizarre ways: drowning while washing their faces, choking on food, or dying from despair.

This was the power of the Li family. If they wanted you dead, no matter how absurd the excuse, no one dared to speak out.

Li Fumin shook his head again helplessly. “Your horizons are too narrow. Don’t forget, the patriarch of the Situ family holds a formidable position. Even if we manage to get Ling Tian into custody, as long as the Situ patriarch intervenes, Ling Tian will come out unscathed. Once Ling Tian is free, he will surely unleash a bloodbath on the Li family.”

The bodyguard paced anxiously. The Li family was doomed, and his good days as a sycophant were over. Those he had bullied would surely take revenge. “Master, is there really no other way? Are we just going to watch this brat Ling Tian act so arrogantly?”

“Wait. For now, all we can do is wait. Huo Ran promised that within three days, Ling Tian’s head would fall. I still have confidence in him,” Li Fumin said in a low voice. With the bodyguard’s help, he got up and looked back at Sun Yibin and the others busy moving things, then left the Prosperous Dynasty reluctantly.

Zhang Ding had just taken down a crystal chandelier worth tens of thousands from the ceiling when he saw Li Fumin and company leave. He hurriedly said to Sun Yibin, “Brother Sun, that old Li guy has left.”

Sun Yibin replied, “Better that he’s gone. It’s less annoying to see him.”

Zhang Ding chuckled, rubbing his hands sheepishly. “I fancy the watch he’s wearing. Looks like a limited edition Cartier, worth at least fifty thousand. Oh, and that big ring he’s wearing must be worth over a hundred thousand…”

Sun Yibin looked at Zhang Ding, who was counting on his fingers, helplessly. No wonder he suggested moving rather than smashing. This guy really knew how to live frugally. Looks like he should handle finances from now on. With Zhang Wei around, making money will be hard to avoid.

Ling Tian and An Qi stepped out of the Prosperous Dynasty. Just as they reached the door, a black car pulled up. Nangong Ye rolled down the window, waved at them, and said, “I’m here. Get in quickly. Xue’er’s condition is very serious now. We must hurry back.” Anxious, he had no time to wonder why his cousin and Ling Tian were together, seemingly quite close.

Once inside, An Qi, worried about Nangong Xue’er, asked anxiously, “Cousin, wasn’t Xue’er already recovered? Why did she relapse? How serious is it?”

Overwhelmed by questions, Nangong Ye struggled to answer while focusing on driving. “The details aren’t clear. I was in a meeting at the company when I suddenly received a call from my father. He just said that Xue’er relapsed.”

Ling Tian’s face darkened as he mulled over his suspicions.

An Qi looked at Ling Tian nervously, her face anxious. “Ling Tian, do you know what’s going on? Xue’er had clearly recovered, her body healed quickly, but only a few days later, she relapsed.”

Interrupted from his thoughts, Ling Tian held An Qi’s slightly cold hand, reassuring her, “I completely cured Nangong Xue’er last time. If she’s relapsing now, I believe the person who framed her before has struck again. I also think this matter is somehow connected to me.”

Before Nangong Xue’er’s incident, Ling Tian had already sensed some clues. Now that she’s coincidentally having problems, his suspicions began to take shape.

“An Qi, don’t be nervous. Actually, Xue’er’s relapse is an opportunity to eliminate the hidden danger once and for all. This time, we must follow the trail and catch the mastermind,” Ling Tian whispered comfortingly. “Rest assured, I’m here for everything.”

“You saying that reminds me of something. When I first met you, I carried the talisman you gave me. It helped Xue’er’s condition, and the whole family started looking for you. When I went out to find you, there was a car accident. At first, I thought it was an accident, but now it’s clear it was deliberate,” An Qi said logically. She was sharp in business and thought quickly. Ling Tian’s hint brought back the memory of the car accident.

An Qi continued, “Luckily, you gave me that protective talisman. Otherwise, I might never have met you.”

Ling Tian’s face darkened further. The mastermind was ruthless enough to want to eliminate An Qi.

“An Qi, rest assured, I will avenge you,” Ling Tian said gravely, pulling out two protective talismans he had prepared during his leisure and handing them to her. “Take these for now. After I resolve this, I’ll craft a talisman bead for you.”

Feeling Ling Tian’s concern, An Qi’s heart warmed, her cheeks flushed slightly. If it weren’t for Nangong Ye, the big third wheel, she would have gladly offered him a kiss.

What nonsense is she thinking? The most urgent matter now was to treat Nangong Xue’er and find the mastermind. An Qi hastily pushed aside the thought and refocused on Xue’er.

She carefully put away the talismans like treasured gems and said worriedly, “Ling Tian, this time, it all depends on you. Xue’er is already so pitiful. I hope she can live peacefully from now on.”

“Don’t worry,” Ling Tian said confidently, tightening his grip on An Qi’s small hand, letting her feel his assurance.