Chapter 57: Reactions from All Sides

That night, various factions in Yanjing were also stirring with undercurrents, feeling like the calm before a storm.

Beneath this calm, however, one faction was the first to suffer and met with a major disaster.

News of the Ye family's tax evasion spread like wildfire, becoming the talk of the town. It quickly trended on internet searches, drawing condemnation from countless people.

"How could this happen!?"

The Ye family held an emergency meeting that night to discuss countermeasures.

"We have no grievances with the Zhao family. Why would they report us? They even went so far as to mobilize connections within the Ministry of Revenue to investigate us down to the bottom?!"

During the meeting, Elder Ye was infuriated to the point of a heart attack, feeling the betrayal of being stabbed in the back.

Everyone in the Ye family was equally baffled. None of them had ever offended anyone in the Zhao family, so why had they suddenly torn off all pretense of civility?

Elder Ye personally called the head of the Zhao family, only to have his call rejected.

Elder Ye was also puzzled: Who on earth was secretly targeting their Ye family? Why would even the mighty Zhao family be willing to act as their vanguard and make a move against them first?

"Dad, things have reached this point. Dwelling on the reasons now is of no use," Ye Yuanji said. "The top priority now is how to minimize the impact of this incident on our Ye family!"

"Big Brother is right!" Ye Yuanheng agreed. "News of our Ye family's tax evasion is already making headlines, and we are being ripped apart online. How to salvage our image and minimize losses is the most critical issue."

Ye Yuanji said, "Matters online are easy to handle; we can just have a public relations company deal with them. Netizens are just looking for excitement anyway, and things will quiet down in a few days."

"But with our company hit by such a scandal, our stock price will probably bottom out next week!"

Elder Ye said with heartache, "Indeed. A stock market crash coupled with fines and a series of other fallout will cost our Ye family at least tens of billions!"

"Who on earth is this?! Why target our Ye family?!"

An invisible enemy was the most terrifying kind.

Moreover, for some reason, Elder Ye had an ominous premonition.

All of this was merely the beginning!

Next week, they would likely face an even more massive upheaval!

...

Meanwhile, the Xu family.

When Xu Ruhai was finally delivered to the hospital, dawn was already breaking.

His limbs had been broken and he had been thrown into the river, soaked for an entire night.

"Big Brother! Big Brother!"

Xu Ruyun cried her eyes out, unable to understand why things had turned out this way.

Didn't her big brother say he had already arranged everything and could cripple that punk Ye Feng today?

How was it that her own big brother had been beaten half to death and thrown into the river to feed the fish instead?

"Ye... Ye Feng..." Xu Ruhai weakly uttered, squeezing out the name with bitter hatred. "Avenge... me..."

Having said that, Xu Ruhai passed out cold once again.

"Big Brother!" In the end, Xu Ruyun could only watch helplessly as her brother was pushed into the operating room.

Shortly after, an elderly man with a majestic bearing walked up outside the operating room.

"Dad! You're finally here!" Xu Ruyun threw herself into her father's arms seeking comfort.

However, she was roughly pushed away by Xu Youcheng: "You two siblings have been talking on the phone secretly recently. Just what kind of people have you offended?"

Upon learning that his son was in trouble, Xu Youcheng had already sent people to investigate and discovered that his son and daughter had recently been secretly dealing with someone.

Although they hadn't mobilized the internal forces of the Xu family, the hired thugs alone numbered over a dozen.

Yet, Xu Ruhai himself had fallen!

Xu Youcheng had always been cautious in his actions, and he knew right away that his children must have provoked some massive trouble.

Under their father's interrogation, Xu Ruyun finally recounted everything about Ye Feng's release from prison and their attempts to deal with him.

"What? It's that little bastard!?" Xu Youcheng was extremely surprised upon hearing this. "How is that possible!?"

In Xu Youcheng's memory, Ye Feng was still the good-for-nothing playboy from five years ago, an ant that their Xu family could crush at will.

"Are you saying your big brother ended up like this because of that little bastard Ye Feng?"

"How can this be?! Wasn't that little bastard driven out of the Ye family? Who on earth is backing him up?!"

Xu Ruyun was also completely bewildered and said with some fear, "I don't know either. But the people I sent were mysteriously driven off a cliff on the day that little bastard was released from prison. Then Big Brother swore up and down that he had everything arranged, and yet it turned out like this..."

"Could someone be helping him in secret?"

Xu Youcheng nodded and said, "If no one was helping him, that little bastard would have been eradicated by you two siblings long ago!"

"Still, that kid is remarkably tough to survive five years in prison! To finish him off, it seems we'll have to send in some heavy hitters!"

As father and daughter were speaking, the surgery came to an end.

"Doctor, how is my big brother?" Xu Ruyun asked nervously.

The man in the white coat shook his head and said, "The tendons in the patient's hands and feet have been intentionally severed, and he has multiple compound fractures in all four limbs. While his life is not in danger, his limbs will inevitably be permanently disabled in the future. I hope you are mentally prepared."

Permanently disabled?!

Although the doctor spoke euphemistically, the father and daughter of the Xu family could still read between the lines.

Xu Ruhai was now a cripple!

"Big Brother..." Xu Ruyun wept bitterly. "It's all because of me... I ruined you..."

"You little bastard, how dare you cripple my son!" Xu Youcheng's hair stood on end with fury. "I don't care who is protecting you from behind. This time, I will finish you!"

"Dad!" Xu Ruyun said. "Shall we send the martial arts experts of the Xu family to take care of that kid?"

She no longer trusted outsiders.

"Hmph, why use a butcher's knife to slaughter a chicken? Besides, that little bastard still carries the surname Ye; people from our Xu family cannot make a move personally."

Xu Youcheng said with absolute confidence, "As it happens, I know a heavyweight from the underground world—the renowned White Dragon King of Qingzhou! I heard he's coming to Yanjing recently!"

"As long as this White Dragon King is willing to act, even if that little bastard has a Grandmaster protecting him behind his back, he will find himself without a burial place!"

...

At this moment, Longmen Mansion.

The Black Dragon King hesitated for a long time before finally dialing a number.

"Old Bai! You've received the Dragon King Token, haven't you? I hope you take this seriously this time. This is no joke!"

"This person is truly the Dragon King! The successor of the former Dragon King! Not only does he hold the Dragon King Token, but he has also inherited the legacy of the former Dragon King. His terrifying strength is beyond words!"

"Even though you and I fell out over the position of Dragon King, considering our past bond as sworn brothers, I am giving you a kind reminder: you must come to pay your respects to the Dragon King within three days, or the consequences will be unimaginable and unbearable for you!"

"I've said all I have to say. Do as you see fit!"