Chapter Forty-Five: Winning Hearts Through Virtue

Once hailed as the king of mercenaries, dealing with a few petty thugs was effortless for him. The tremendous gap between the two sides could not be bridged by numbers alone. In less than ten seconds, the remaining hoodlums were all sprawled on the floor, leaving only Yuan Xiaotian and his son Yuan Li, both stunned.

Casually tossing aside the battered remnants of a table, Ling Tian strolled over to the father and son, pointed at the chair, and said, “No need to stand on ceremony. If there’s anything to discuss, let’s sit and talk it over. By the way, Yuan Li, are you cold? Why are you trembling?”

Yuan Li shivered as he replied, “The weather... it’s a bit chilly.” The cowardly Yuan Li had already been intimidated by Ling Tian’s effortless, fly-swatting techniques. The greatest trump card of the Yuan family—over a dozen bodyguards—had all been easily brought down. The father and son now had nothing left to play.

Yuan Xiaotian’s face was grim, but as a local overlord, he managed to maintain a semblance of composure and authority, though his trembling legs betrayed him. Forcing himself into the chair, he tried to appear calm and said, “What exactly do you want?”

Ling Tian smiled. “No need to be nervous. I always prefer to win people over with virtue. If I can avoid violence, I’ll resolve matters peacefully.”

Just then, a bodyguard quietly crawled up from the floor, brandishing a machete and bringing it down toward Ling Tian’s back. Ling Tian spun around in a flash, dodged the attack, and delivered a kick to the man’s chest. The Yuan family clearly heard the sickening crunch of ribs breaking.

The would-be assassin, struck by Ling Tian’s fury, was launched several meters and slammed into the wall, leaving a bloody silhouette behind. If he wasn’t dead, he was close to it.

Ling Tian returned to his seat and continued, “Where was I? Ah yes, I was talking about winning people over with virtue…”

But the Yuan family heard none of it. Both father and son stared blankly at the nearly dead bodyguard, thinking to themselves: Is this what he calls winning people over with virtue? That kick alone would leave a man crippled if not dead. When they looked back at Ling Tian, their eyes had changed—less arrogance, and much more fear.

“Yuan Xiaotian, before we discuss the welfare home’s land, there’s something I’d like to talk over with your son first.” With that, Ling Tian pulled from his pocket an IOU written by Yuan Li and laid it flat on the battered table. “Young Master Yuan, when do you plan to pay back the nine hundred thousand you owe me?”

Scared out of his wits, Yuan Li, on the verge of tears, stammered, “I’ll pay it right away.”

“Right away? Judging by your look, I doubt you have that much. Perhaps your father will pay it for you.”

With those words, Ling Tian turned to Yuan Xiaotian. “So, Mr. Yuan, what do you propose we do about the welfare home’s land?”

Yuan Xiaotian hated Ling Tian to his core and wished he could swallow him alive, but for the sake of his own life, he had to swallow his pride. “We won’t be pursuing the acquisition anymore. Let’s just pretend none of this ever happened. We can still be friends.”

Ling Tian sneered. “You think you can just buy or not buy as you please? Is the welfare home your family’s property?” With a swift motion, he slapped Yuan Xiaotian hard across the face, splitting his lip and making his vision swim. Accustomed to power, Yuan Xiaotian had never suffered such humiliation. Fury blazed within him.

“You son of a—”

Before Yuan Xiaotian could finish, Ling Tian slapped him again, even louder. Yuan Xiaotian was in too much pain to speak, but his glare was still filled with rage. Ling Tian snorted, “It seems you really want to see what it means to win people over with virtue.”

“If you’ve got the guts, kill me!” Yuan Xiaotian shouted, spitting blood. “I’ve been in this business for years. Back when you were in diapers, I was hacking people up with a cleaver!”

Trying to distract me so your men can get the drop on me?

Ling Tian turned and caught another bodyguard by the wrist, gave a little shake, and the machete dropped to the floor. The bodyguard, having just witnessed Ling Tian kick a man across the room, was now terrified. He’d hoped Yuan Xiaotian’s bravado would distract Ling Tian long enough for him to succeed and rescue the father and son, making him a hero.

To his surprise, Ling Tian didn’t kick him but instead grinned and said, “There, no need to be afraid. Come.” He led the bodyguard to a wall five meters away. Once the man was backed against the wall, Ling Tian swiftly sealed the man’s acupoints so he couldn’t move.

Ling Tian picked up three machetes, using his internal energy to keep his hands from touching the handles and leaving fingerprints.

“Yuan Xiaotian, I’ve practiced throwing knives since I was a child and am quite good. Don’t believe me? Watch this.” As he spoke, the first machete whistled through the air, embedding itself in the wall just to the left of the terrified bodyguard’s head, the blade pressed against his cheek.

The second machete landed on the right.

For the third, Ling Tian wrapped a cloth around his eyes and shouted, “Now for my special blindfolded technique! Watch closely—blind man’s flying knife!” As he spoke, the third blade flashed through the air.

There was a sickening sound.

Ling Tian removed the cloth and saw the third blade had pierced the bodyguard’s abdomen. Blood trickled down the blade to the floor; the man’s head lolled to one side, his fate uncertain.

Ling Tian pretended to be helpless. “I haven’t practiced in a long time. I actually failed. How embarrassing.”

The Yuan father and son were too terrified to speak. They’d assumed that, no matter how bold Ling Tian was, he wouldn’t actually kill anyone—not here, on the turf of Huahua Real Estate. But now they knew better. The bloody reality before them made the situation crystal clear.

Ling Tian turned to Yuan Li with a cheerful smile. “How about you stand over there as a target while I practice? If I miss, your father can take your place.”

Yuan Xiaotian hurriedly said, “Tell me what you want. What will it take for you to let us go?”

Ling Tian snapped his fingers. “It’s so refreshing dealing with smart people. Since you’re being so direct, I’ll be direct too. I want some compensation for my mental distress. The amount is up to you.”

“Hundred thousand!” Yuan Xiaotian blurted.

Ling Tian said nothing, but took Yuan Li to the wall, sealed his acupoints, picked up three machetes, and got ready to throw.

Yuan Xiaotian cursed Ling Tian’s shamelessness, resorting to threats like this. “Five hundred thousand!” he shouted.

Ling Tian still said nothing, and threw the first knife.

“One million!” Yuan Xiaotian yelled.

Ling Tian threw the second knife.

“Five million!” Yuan Xiaotian was nearly in tears. He didn’t want to watch his family’s sole heir die before his eyes.

Now, Ling Tian began to blindfold himself.

Yuan Xiaotian rushed over, threw himself at Ling Tian’s feet, hugging his leg, and cried out, “I’ll pay you ten million in compensation!”