Chapter Thirty-Two: Reunion with an Old Friend

After settling the remaining matters, he and Red Dragon drove away from the teahouse.

People like Wang Yang, greedy and insatiable, were naturally beneath Xiao Ye’s notice. From the moment the Jiang Hai Commercial Alliance abandoned him, he was already a dead man.

“Xiao Wang, what about the Huangfu family? Shall we make a move and wipe them out?” Red Dragon, seated behind the wheel, asked Xiao Ye, who sat in the back.

“No need. I’ve already made my intentions clear to the Huangfu family. Three days from now, if they don’t hand over the Green Bamboo Jade Flute, it will be the end of their family—ruin and destruction,” Xiao Ye replied, his tone calm but his words brooking no opposition.

At this moment, he planned to return home. The Xiao family’s house was now in his hands, so he intended to tidy things up.

Just then, the car screeched to a sudden stop, causing Xiao Ye to sway slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Ye frowned, turning to Red Dragon.

“There’s someone outside,” Red Dragon said, gesturing to the window. Outside, a limping man shuffled past, his eyes lifeless, as if hollowed out. Dragging his crippled right leg, he passed in front of their car. Car horns blared all around, but the man seemed oblivious, shambling stubbornly toward the other side of the street.

Xiao Ye’s brows knitted as he watched the man. Despite the limp, his upper body remained straight, triggering a wave of familiarity in Xiao Ye’s mind. He hastily rolled down the window and called out to the man.

“Chen Long!”

The familiar voice rang out, and the limping man froze mid-step. He turned, and a glimmer of light slowly returned to his dull eyes. As he saw Xiao Ye getting out of the car, shock flooded his face.

“Xiao Ye!” he cried, the words trembling on his lips as tears welled in his eyes.

Once, they had been university classmates—good brothers, even. But one day, Xiao Ye had come to him seeking refuge, asking Chen Long to hide him. As a brother, Chen Long did all he could; he helped Xiao Ye escape, but was later caught and interrogated by Xiao Ye’s pursuers. To protect his friend, Chen Long revealed nothing. For this loyalty, he was brutally punished—his right leg was shattered with an iron rod.

In the years since, Chen Long’s entire family had descended into destitution, plagued by constant harassment and poverty.

Countless times, Chen Long had cursed himself for helping Xiao Ye escape. But now, seeing Xiao Ye’s triumphant return with his own eyes, all resentment melted away. His brother had come back—resplendent, powerful. Yet he himself was no longer worthy to stand by Xiao Ye’s side.

“Chen Long, wait there! I’ll come to you!” Xiao Ye’s eyes grew misty. Ever since his return to Jiang Hai City, he had desperately searched for Chen Long, only to find his old residence deserted. Who could have imagined that his brother would reappear here, crippled and downtrodden?

“Don’t come any closer!” Chen Long shouted as Xiao Ye hurried across the street toward him, then turned and, with all the speed his ruined leg could muster, fled. He could not bear to face Xiao Ye now—the gulf between them had grown too wide.

“Wait, Chen Long!” Xiao Ye quickened his pace, but just then, a car sped past, nearly hitting him.

“Do you have a death wish? If you want to die, jump in the river!” a fierce, heavyset man shouted from the car window, his face twisted in anger.

In that instant, Chen Long rounded a street corner and vanished from sight.

“Get out of my way!”

A thunderous roar split the air. In the next moment, Xiao Ye’s right foot struck out like a sledgehammer, smashing into the fat man’s car with a deafening crash, shoving it half a meter to the side. The car’s hood caved in, leaving the driver drenched in cold sweat and speechless with terror.

Burning with fury, Xiao Ye raced after Chen Long, toward the place where he had disappeared. But there was no sign of him on the street ahead—his long-lost brother, seen at last, had vanished once more.

Just then, Xiao Ye’s ears pricked up—he heard the unmistakable sounds of fists and boots striking flesh. He followed the noise and was met with a sight that made his blood boil.

Chen Long lay collapsed on the ground. Before him, a few thuggish youths with dyed yellow hair brandished iron rods, jeering and swaggering.

“Hey, Chen, isn’t your family overdue on the rent?”

“And your sister—she’s grown up, hasn’t she? When will you let me have a go?” Their mocking voices echoed, while Chen Long’s face was twisted in terror as he faced his tormentors.

“Please, brothers, I’ll pay the rent soon. As soon as I sell off what little scrap we have at home, I’ll have the money. Please, don’t hurt my sister—don’t hurt my family!”

The sight wrenched Xiao Ye’s heart. Once, the Chen family had been well-off. Now, they were reduced to scavenging for scraps to pay the rent.

“Heh, all right! Here’s your chance—if you pay me the five thousand you owe today, I won’t touch your sister.”

“What? Five thousand?” Chen Long’s face paled in shock. “I only owe you three hundred—how did it become five thousand?”

With a loud crash, Chen Long was stomped underfoot. The gang leader glared down at him and spat, “Don’t waste my time! You owed me that money a week ago—now it’s five thousand with interest!”

“Where am I supposed to get that kind of money? You never said this was a loan shark’s rate!” Chen Long’s chest heaved with pain, but panic painted his face as he rasped at the thug.

“I never said? Maybe you just didn’t listen.” The thug’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “No money? No problem. I’ll go have some fun with your sister instead, and call it even.”

“I’m warning you—don’t touch my sister!” A surge of courage welled up in Chen Long. He clung to the thug’s leg, refusing to let go. Blood stained his lips where he’d been struck.

“Let go of me, you bastard!” The thug kicked him away, sending him tumbling like a piece of trash.

“Either you come up with five thousand, or I’ll deal with your sister!” But Chen Long clung to the thug’s pant leg with all his strength, provoking a wave of fury.

“Looking for death!”

The thug raised his foot, aiming a savage kick at Chen Long’s head.

A sharp slap rang out—a figure had appeared before the thug.