Chapter 12: Can We Sit Down to the Feast Now?

As Ye Tian had predicted.

When Lei Lu's severed hand was delivered, Lei Yushan finally snapped.

At that moment, Lei Yushan even hated Lei Tang—wasn't the plan to bring Lei Lu back? Yet after one night, not a single word came, and instead, his own son's hand had been cut off.

"Someone! Someone!"

He screamed for the servants in the mansion.

He ordered money prepared—several large chests filled to the brim, since Ye Tian hadn't specified how much he wanted; Lei Yushan could only prepare the maximum, for his son, Lei Yushan was truly willing to spend.

Near Lei Yushan's residence, Ye Tian had quietly stationed watchers; upon noticing this commotion, Ye Tian smiled with satisfaction.

He immediately sent men to negotiate.

,,,

The transaction was set for nightfall.

At a deserted dock in City West, Lei Yushan did not come—perhaps fearing for his own safety; instead, it was his mansion's steward who arrived, followed by several servants dragging several money chests on a cart.

Seeing Ye Tian's group—tall, muscular, faces masked—

The steward swallowed hard, forced down his fear, and shouted loudly.

"Our master has prepared the money. Quickly release our young master."

Ye Tian said nothing, only waved his hand.

Several men behind him dragged out Lei Lu, mouth gagged, battered and weak.

"Young master!"

The steward couldn't help crying out—Lei Lu, missing one ear and one hand, looked utterly horrific.

"Mmm!"

Seeing a familiar face, Lei Lu tried to shout, but his mouth was gagged—he could utter nothing.

"We must inspect the goods first."

Though afraid these men might renege, the steward dared not refuse outright; he gestured for his men to push the cart forward.

Ye Tian's men walked over, opened several chests—each filled neatly with silver ingots. If all chests held the same, the amount was truly substantial—at least tens of thousands of taels.

This job could be done regularly.

"Take it away!"

Without hesitation, Ye Tian ordered the cart dragged off.

"Wait! First release our young master!"

Seeing the money about to be taken, the steward cried out.

"Don't worry. We operate by principle."

Ye Tian grabbed Lei Lu by the collar and pulled him out.

"But I never said whether I'd release him alive or dead."

"!"

What did that mean?

The next instant, Ye Tian drew his waist dagger and plunged it into Lei Lu's neck.

"Mmm!"

Lei Lu struggled more violently—but under Ye Tian's strength, such resistance was meaningless.

"Go tell Lei Tang: crossing the Earth Dragon Gang has this cost."

After saying that.

Without caring how they reacted, he led his men and the money cart away.

"Y.. Young master!"

They couldn't stop Ye Tian and his men from leaving.

The steward stared in disbelief at Lei Lu's corpse—everything was over.

"What do we do!"

"Our master will kill us."

The servants behind him panicked; one suggested fleeing Linshui City immediately.

But.

"Our indentures are still with our master—how can we run?"

In their eyes, no matter where they ran, they'd be caught; the steward's body drenched in cold sweat, yet he forced himself to rally, ordering men to carry Lei Lu's corpse back to the mansion.

Meanwhile, Lei Yushan—

Upon hearing the news of Lei Lu's death, he fainted instantly.

When he came to, he saw the steward, tears streaming down his face.

"Master, it's all my fault—I failed the young master! If only I'd stopped him from joining the Black Water Gang, he wouldn't have been dragged into this, wouldn't have drawn the Earth Dragon Gang's hatred!"

He wept as if his intestines were breaking.

Lei Yushan, once full of rage, suddenly realized something.

"What did you say? What do you mean 'dragged into this'? 'Drawn the Earth Dragon Gang's hatred'?"

"Master!"

Through tears, the steward relayed Ye Tian's final words to Lei Yushan.

Then his face filled with grief.

"They were too many—all Earth Dragon Gang members. We barely managed to bring back the young master's body. Master, ask the servants who went with us—they all saw it."

Clearly, the steward had already coordinated with them, knew exactly what to say—and what not to.

Only by diverting Lei Yushan's rage could they have a chance to survive.

These days, if you owe a debt bond, even if your master beats or kills you, no one says a word—let alone in Linshui City, where the authorities don't care at all, and you have nowhere to file a complaint.

"Earth Dragon Gang! Lei Tang!"

Of course.

Lei Yushan not only hated the Earth Dragon Gang, but also hated Lei Tang.

You promised to take care of your own son—is this how you take care of him? Your son was so well-behaved; he must have been dragged into this by Lei Tang. Those people couldn't retaliate against Lei Tang, so they took out their anger on your son.

Seeing Lei Yushan's growing determination to seek revenge no matter the cost.

The steward hurriedly spoke.

"Master, please calm down—our money house still relies heavily on your elder brother's influence in many places."

"..."

This was the price of having wealth but no power—without a patron, money meant nothing, only becoming someone else's purse.

Realizing this, Lei Yushan seemed to age ten years in an instant, his vigor and spirit vanishing completely.

"You may all leave. For now, seal the estate. See no one."

"Yes, Master."

Seeing this, the steward felt a wave of relief, bowed, and then left.

,,,

"Boss!"

On Lei Tang's side, he was already troubled when Wang Hu brought the news of Lei Lu's death.

"Bang!"

Unable to control his temper, Lei Tang kicked over the table in front of him.

"Fuck, this is slander—when the hell did I ever offend the Earth Dragon Gang?"

Even if I were the dumbest man alive, I wouldn't casually offend the Earth Dragon Gang.

"That idiot Lei Yushan—does he really believe this? Where is he now?"

"Boss, I heard that after learning of Lei Lu's death, Lei Yushan collapsed on the spot and has been bedridden ever since—he's now sealed his estate and refuses all visitors."

"..."

Lei Tang knew.

How deeply Lei Yushan loved his son; such a reaction wasn't surprising.

But.

"Shit!"

Not knowing how to vent his fury, Lei Tang could only curse aloud.

,,,

Although Lei Tang tried to suppress the news, many people still learned of Lei Lu's death.

The next day, while learning characters with Mei Yongning, Ye Tian heard the rumor and couldn't help shaking his head.

"Pity—he died so young. This short-lived fool should've avoided gangs in his next life."

"..."

Beside him, Mei Yongning looked up at Ye Tian, but ultimately said nothing.

"By the way, Lei Lu's dead—can we go eat the funeral feast now?"

"Eat the funeral feast?"

Mei Yongning glanced at him strangely, as if not understanding what Ye Tian meant by "eat the funeral feast."

,,,,,,