Ever since Shen Xin and Dong Mingfeng stole Lin Tang's dicinal formula to develop and sell it, they were destined to be unable to hide it from Shen Qiushi. He was so furious that he denounced their shalessness and repeatedly objected. But why would they listen, blinded by money as they were? Enraged, Shen Qiushi simply moved to another house to live alone.
Yet, he still couldn't escape. He was captured by the n from the Tang Sect.
At first, when everyone learned they were captured because of Lin Tang, they all tried to explain themselves, claiming they had nothing to do with him. Many hadn't even spoken a single word to him, insisting their capture was a grave injustice. But the n from the Tang Sect paid them no mind, ruthlessly disregarding their pleas.
With no other choice, they changed their strategy. They claid they were willing to beco Lin Tang's enemies and would beat him on sight. They promised that if everyone united, Lin Tang would have no place to stand in Jiangbei.
This scene made Shen Qiushi secretly anxious and worried for Lin Tang, but he didn't dare say a word. That is, until Tang Dingbo personally announced that Lin Tang was dead!
"Ah, my poor son-in-law!" Shen Qiushi was overwheld with grief, letting out a long sigh toward the heavens.
Shen Xin and Dong Mingfeng were speechless. Co on! Can't you read the room? Aren't you afraid of inciting public outrage? Nobody will think you're mute if you just keep your mouth shut!
As expected, Shen Qiushi's reaction stirred great animosity from the surrounding crowd.
"It's this old man who arranged for his granddaughter to marry Lin Tang! Without their Shen Family, that plague Lin Tang, that bringer of misfortune, would never have co to Jiangbei to harm us!"
"If you want to settle a score, go after the one responsible! The Shen Family is who you should be taking revenge on!"
"Kill them! Kill them!"
"I'll do it myself, just please let go!"
" too, I'll do it!"
They surrounded the Shen Family, looking as if they were ready to tear them apart. Lu Zizheng nearly wet himself from fear. Shen Jiayue felt the sa. Her hair was disheveled, her expression frantic, and she suddenly scread like a madwoman.
THUMP!
She knelt before Tang Dingbo, kowtowing and crying out, "I hate that bastard Lin Tang to the core! I want to drink his blood and eat his flesh! I want to string up his corpse and flog it! Please give a chance! Just throw his body over here, and I'll grind his bones to dust!"
"You—" Shen Qiushi was dumbfounded.
The others hurriedly followed suit, kneeling and promising to do the sa. As long as they could live, what did eating Lin Tang's corpse matter?
"All of you, shut up!" Tang Dingbo flicked his ear impatiently, looking down from on high at these despicable worms. He gave a cold warning: anyone else who made a noise would be killed without question.
Instantly, the entire area fell deathly silent. No one dared to make another sound.
It was not until evening, as the sky began to darken, that the n from the Tang Sect checked their list. They reported that they had basically captured everyone who was still in Jiangbei. Those outside the city were still being hunted and likely wouldn't be brought back that day.
"Hmph." Tang Dingbo nodded, then realized the most important person was not among them. "Where is Lin Tang's wife, Shen Youling?"
To put it bluntly, the people here were just extras. Since they hadn't found any parents or siblings for Lin Tang, the most crucial target was, naturally, Shen Youling. If they couldn't kill her, their so-called revenge would be a joke.
"Well..." his subordinates faltered. They speculated that she was either already dead or had also left Jiangbei. In any case, they had turned the city upside down and found no trace of her.
Zhu Yingning stood by, wearing a calm and detached expression as if it had nothing to do with her. She was hesitating, weighing whether to give up Shen Youling or keep her hidden to toy with later. It felt safer for her to reveal the information. If the Tang Sect discovered she had concealed Shen Youling's whereabouts, it would be difficult to explain.
I shouldn't take this risk...
Just as Zhu Yingning was about to speak after making her decision, Tang Dingbo said nonchalantly, "What a pity. I was hoping to have the n here gang-rape her to death... Oh well. We'll just have to devise another way to torture her when we eventually catch her."
He glanced at the ti, ready to announce the execution of all the captives. But then, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind. How could simply killing them be enough to vent the hatred in his heart? The best option was a thod that not only killed the body but also crushed the spirit.
And so, he ordered his subordinates to herd the hundreds of people into a large building. He then produced ten vials and filled them with an antidote. He explained that he would hide these ten vials in various places inside the building. Then, at sunrise the next morning, he would release a potent poison gas throughout the premises. Only those who took the antidote within ten minutes of being poisoned would survive.
Of course, taking the antidote *before* being poisoned would cause one's intestines to rupture, leading to an even more agonizing death, as the antidote itself was also toxic.
"I promise, no matter what your relationship with Lin Tang was, as long as you find an antidote and survive, I will let you leave peacefully!" Tang Dingbo said with a slight smile.
"This..."
"There are so many of us, but only ten antidotes?"
"Isn't he just forcing us to kill each other?"
"We're dood! Our family has so many children, how can we possibly compete for one?"
"This is utterly insane!"
The crowd whispered amongst themselves as an air of despair grew ever thicker.
Tang Dingbo then added that anyone unwilling to play this ga could choose not to enter the building. They would be sent on their way to the afterlife imdiately. After he said that, who would dare not to comply?
The mont the Tang Sect's n finished placing the ten vials of antidote inside the building, the captives rushed in headlong like a swarm of bees.
Once inside, they scattered. At first, they just searched in silence, maintaining a fragile peace. But they all knew this peace would soon be shattered. The atmosphere was already fraught with tension.
"Hey, I think they overlooked sothing," soone whispered.
"What is it?"
So had ford small groups and were sticking together. A man lowered his voice. "They didn't take our phones."
"Does that an… we can call for help?"
"They probably don't even care if we do."
"It might even be intentional!"
"Who cares! I don't want to die, so I'm calling for help!"
And so, they all pulled out their phones and frantically scrolled through their contacts.
Lu Liangfei, for instance, had finally recovered a bit after being beaten half to death. He imdiately called Wei Shanhe, wailing, "President Wei, help !"
The True Martial Association had just conquered ng Dongshan's Heroic Alliance and was busy tallying their spoils and hunting down the remnants. Hearing the call, Wei Shanhe was puzzled. "Lu, what's wrong?"
As Lu Liangfei tearfully explained the situation, Wei Shanhe nearly dropped his phone in shock.
Lin Tang, oh, Lin Tang. What am I supposed to say about you? I warned you thousands of tis not to provoke the Tang Sect. And yet, you still did... Happy now? You died young and dragged so many innocent people down with you! Thank goodness I ran away early. Sigh!
"Hello? Hello? President Wei, are you listening? Please don't go silent!" Lu Liangfei pleaded, his voice trembling.
"...Lu, you're on your own," Wei Shanhe said after a mont of internal conflict, then hung up.
Was he joking? Tang Dingbo was a mid-level Master, an expert in lethal poisons, and commanded a legion of elite, loyal followers. The entire True Martial Association wouldn't be enough for him to crush with a single finger. Who would dare walk into that trap?
"President Wei? He just hung up? Damn you to hell—" Lu Liangfei swore furiously, his face ashen.
Most of the calls for help were t with similar silence, but not all. So who received the calls had bonds too deep to ignore. Knowing they were powerless, they still rushed over, clinging to a sliver of hope. Others were blissfully ignorant, completely unaware of how terrifying a martial arts Master could be, or they knew nothing of the Tang Sect at all. They foolishly believed that their own skills or their family's backing would be enough to save the day.
Then... they were all taught a harsh lesson.
Those who fancied themselves skilled fighters would leap out only to be killed on the spot by a random Tang Sect subordinate. "Is that all you've got? You can't even take a single blow, and you ca here to make a fool of yourself?"
Those who tried to negotiate with their silver tongues, na-dropping their connections and asking for a little "face," soon found that their connections held no weight at all. "The Liu Family of Jinhu? The Qi Family of Mohe? The Jinshi Trading Alliance? The Qiangsheng Group? What is all this trash? n, detain them all and write down the nas of the powers behind them. We'll eradicate them one by one later."
As for those who ca over and imdiately started kowtowing and begging for rcy, looking as pitiful as possible, the stone-hearted Tang Sect was completely unmoved. They simply threw them into the building to join the ga.
Inside the building, the captives watched through the windows as everyone they had called for help was utterly crushed. Their despair deepened.
"Is there really no way out?"
"Soone found the first vial of antidote!"
"What? Where?!"
"That's mine! It's mine!"
"Die!"
Like a spark igniting a powder keg, the peace was shattered.
Once the slaughter erupted, it imdiately beca a white-hot free-for-all. Though these people were nowhere near as powerful as Tang Dingbo and knew nothing of martial techniques or poisons, their fight was just as brutal. There were bloodied heads and severed limbs. Cries and screams blended into a chaotic and harrowing symphony.
Of course, the old, weak, sick, and young, like Huang Jifen and Wu Xinyu, knew their limits. Realizing they stood no chance of getting an antidote, they had found a corner to hide in from the very beginning, silently awaiting their fate.
"Grandma, are we really going to die?" a little boy, dressed in fine clothes with rosy lips and pale skin, clearly doted on and spoiled, asked as he held an old woman's hand. He was both afraid and bewildered, his concept of death still vague.
His grandmother fought back tears and tried to coax him to sleep, telling him that once he was asleep, there would be nothing to fear.
"Sigh..." Huang Jifen sighed deeply, grieving for Lin Tang's death and despairing at the fate awaiting her and her granddaughter.
Wu Xinyu, however, broke into a brilliant smile and said firmly to the little boy, "My immortal brother is definitely not dead! I believe he will co and save us!"
"Immortal brother? Are immortals really real?"
"Yes, they are! They are!"
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