Ning Chen's words struck Sun Yize's heart like a heavy hammer.
Sun Yize's face turned ashen, filled with terror.
He finally understood that today, this fellow named Ning Chen, who had spent tens of millions in his bar just to see him, hadn't done it to make connections with him at all—he had done it for that ugly woman and her good-for-nothing husband!
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"You dare hit me, and you dare threaten me..."
Sun Yize gnashed his teeth, furious to the extreme.
Before he could finish, however, Ning Chen casually flicked his wrist, and Sun Yize went flying straight through the air, crashing into the wall like a rubber ball before dropping to the floor.
"Pfft!"
The moment he hit the ground, a sweet taste rose in Sun Yize's throat, and he couldn't help spitting out a mist of blood.
Ning Chen took a single step forward, arriving right before him. Looking down at him from above, his voice carried a bone-chilling coldness that seemed to rise from the depths of the netherworld: "Not only do I dare hit you, but I also dare kill you. Do you believe me?"
Sun Yize shuddered with dread.
For the first time in his life, he understood what killing intent truly felt like.
A lunatic!
This bastard was simply a lunatic!
"M-My dad is the chairman of the Sun Group. You... you can't hurt me." His attitude softened, no longer daring to threaten Ning Chen, yet he still trotted out his father's identity in the hope of making Ning Chen hesitate.
Yet Ning Chen acted as if he hadn't heard a word.
His voice remained indifferent: "You have at most nine minutes left."
Panicking, Sun Yize blurted out, "Didn't you say an hour?"
Ning Chen coldly replied, "At most nine minutes, and you'll bleed to death."
What?
In his extreme tension just moments before, Sun Yize hadn't noticed anything, but now, prompted by Ning Chen's warning, a wave of intense dizziness instantly washed over him.
Breathing heavily, Sun Yize fumbled for his phone and hurriedly dialed a number: "Dad, save me! No matter what it takes, an hour... No, ten minutes! No, five minutes! Within five minutes, you must get Jiang Li released without charges, or I'm dead!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" an irritated voice came from the other end.
"Dad, hurry up, or I'm really going to die!" Sun Yize practically roared.
Sun Zhengguo finally panicked: "What on earth is going on?"
"Just use your connections to get Jiang Li released unconditionally! Let him go first, hurry!" Sun Yize felt his head growing heavier by the second, and with the spike in his adrenaline, he was on the verge of fainting.
Since it concerned his son, Sun Zhengguo didn't dare take chances after hanging up. He immediately placed a call, pulling strings to have Jiang Li released without charges.
After all, it was through his own connections that Jiang Li had been locked up in the first place to vent his son's anger; getting him out now naturally wouldn't be difficult.
Five minutes later.
Sun Yize's phone rang.
By this time, he was on his last breath, entirely consumed by a deep panic. Hearing the ringtone like a drowning man clutching at a straw, he frantically answered.
"Jiang Li has been released without charges. Yize, what happened to you?"
Sun Zhengguo asked in a panicked rush.
At the same time.
Ning Chen's phone rang as well. It was a call from Lin Luoxuan, who sounded overjoyed: "Ning Chen, your brother-in-law has been released without charges! The moment he got his phone back, he called your sister. I answered it."
"That's good." Ning Chen smiled faintly.
Confirming the news, he hung up the phone.
Ignoring his father entirely, Sun Yize fought through his dizziness and looked up at Ning Chen with pleading eyes: "Big Brother, Jiang Li has already been released. C-Can you spare me now?"
"Here is my phone number. Tomorrow, have your father bring you over to apologize in person to my sister and brother-in-law!"
"Remember, you have until the end of the day. Time waits for no one!"
With those words, Ning Chen flicked his hand, and all the various alcoholic drinks he had paid millions for burst open simultaneously.
With just this single display of power, Sun Yize was thoroughly subdued.
Ning Chen uttered no harsh threats, saying nothing about what would happen if they failed to show up tomorrow, but the strength demonstrated by that single act spoke volumes.
It wasn't until Ning Chen's figure vanished from SPACE Bar that Sun Yize snapped back to his senses in a daze.
He realized the call was still connected.
"Dad..." Sun Yize stammered.
Sun Zhengguo cut him off with a cold snort: "I heard everything! No matter the reason, anyone who dares threaten the Sun Family is asking for a death sentence. I will definitely make him pay the price and let him know that some people simply cannot be provoked."
"No, I mean... hurry and... save me, I've lost too much blood, I'm going to pass out..." With the immediate threat of death removed, Sun Yize's nerves finally relaxed, and he could no longer hold on. Stuttering out those last words, he passed out cold on the spot.
...
Meanwhile.
In the Xia Country.
Asura Temple.
Vermilion Bird Hall!
Inside a luxurious grand hall, upon a wide white jade chair, a young woman lay sideways in a languid pose. Her curves were exquisite, and her skin was so flawless it seemed a mere breath could break it.
Half-asleep and half-awake, her rosy lips parted slightly, exuding a breathtaking charm.
Her name was Ye Hongli.
Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall of the Asura Temple.
"Hongli, wake up."
Just then, a robust man strode in hurriedly.
"What is it?"
Ye Hongli opened her eyes and looked at the newcomer.
It was her brother, Ye Qinglong.
Master of the Azure Dragon Hall of the Asura Temple.
"Master's unlimited black card suddenly appeared in Chuzhou, racking up over ten million in consumption at a bar called SPACE."
Ye Qinglong said excitedly.
Ye Hongli immediately sat upright: "Are you saying Master has finally surfaced after ten years of disappearance?"
"Logically speaking, even if Master reappeared, she wouldn't be in Chuzhou, let alone spending money at a bar. But the charges on that card are real. I've already sent people to investigate." Ye Qinglong said.
"Let's move immediately. We're heading to Chuzhou." Ye Hongli made her decision on the spot.
...
After leaving SPACE Bar, Ning Chen first made a trip to a pharmacy to buy some medicinal ingredients before returning to Lin Luoxuan's home.
By the time Ning Chen returned, Jiang Li had already arrived ahead of him.
"Brother-in-law."
Seeing Jiang Li, Ning Chen found him much as he had anticipated—ordinary, unremarkable in a crowd, yet giving off a kind and honest impression.
"Ning Chen, if your sister knew you were still alive, she'd be so happy."
Looking at Ning Chen, Jiang Li felt a heartfelt joy despite this being their first meeting.
"Ning Chen, didn't you say that as long as your brother-in-law came back, your sister would wake up and return to normal?" Lin Luoxuan chimed in at this moment.
She held a faint glimmer of anticipation, all because Ning Chen had claimed Jiang Li would return before dark.
Initially, she had thought Ning Chen was just spouting wild, unrealistic boasts, yet as it turned out, Jiang Li really had returned before dark.
Naturally, she didn't think Jiang Li's unconditional release had anything to do with Ning Chen.
The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
She simply figured Ning Chen's mouth must have been blessed by the gods.
She hoped that this time, a miracle would happen once more.
"Of course."
Ning Chen nodded.
He walked over to the bedside, looking down at his sister, who lay there sleeping yet still frowning deeply, feeling a familiar tug at his heartstrings.
"Sis, I will definitely make you well again."
Ning Chen muttered inwardly to himself.
Then, he formed a hand seal.
"By the mandate of the Heavenly Dao, wandering souls of the mortal realm, lend me your strength to return to your vessel. Spirit, return home!"
Ning Chen gave a low, sharp cry, then reached out and gently brushed his hand near Jiang Li, guiding an unseen energy toward his sister on the bed.Of his sister's three souls and seven spirits, one soul had been frightened out of her body and had been lingering near Jiang Li. He could now guide that displaced soul back into her physical body.
This was why he had said his sister would recover once her brother-in-law returned.
"???"
Jiang Li and Lin Luoxuan stared blankly.
At that moment, Ning Chen looked precisely like a wandering charlatan or a superstitious quack.
This drove Lin Luoxuan to the verge of exasperation.
"Ning Chen, what on earth are you playing at?"
"Is this what you meant by making Qingse recover?"
She almost blurted out, *Have you been kicked in the head by a donkey?*
Yet.
Right at that moment, Ning Qingxue stirred, opened her eyes, and sat up. She stared blankly for a second, but as the flood of memories rushed in, she emotionally pulled Ning Chen into a tight embrace, her voice trembling as tears of joy streamed down her face: "Little brother! You're actually alive! You're still alive, your sister can finally rest in peace."