"I don’t know. The old guy actually learned some kind of swordsmanship. It’s incredibly terrifying, and it took me a great deal of effort just to capture him."

Kong Renyi frowned. "This swordsmanship might just be the hope for our Kong Family’s rise to power!"

"Hope?" Kong Tianjian sneered. "You still don’t understand. You’re sending the Kong Family down a path to ruin! Mr. Yang was originally willing to spare the Kong Family for my sake and had no wish to make things difficult. But after what you’ve done today, he absolutely will not let this go. When that time comes, the Kong Family will be finished!"

"Shut up!" Kong Renyi kicked Kong Tianjian. "Instead of worrying about the Kong Family, you should worry about yourself. Let me tell you, that Yang Qi has provoked the Tang Family of Sea City. He’s like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river—he can’t even save himself. You still expect him to save you? That’s utterly ludicrous! If you want to live, you have only one option: hand over your swordsmanship. Otherwise, you’ll accompany that Yang Qi in death!"

Kong Tianjian gritted his teeth. "You might as well kill me. I have nothing!"

"Heh, still so unyielding, are you? But rest assured, after you experience the Kong Family’s various torture devices, you’ll realize just how fragile your defiance is! Take him away and ’tend’ to him properly!" Kong Renyi sneered. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Father, leave it to me!" Kong Yu waved his hand, and someone immediately dragged Kong Tianjian into the dungeon. What followed were terrifying screams.

***

Nearing Thunder City, Yang Qi suddenly received a call from Lei Tingjun.

"What! The Kong Family dared!"

The killing intent that burst from Yang Qi was so instantaneous and overwhelming that it made Chen Baixiang, who was beside him, tremble all over. The surrounding passengers all looked at him in terror, shuddering uncontrollably.

"Mr. Yang?" Chen Baixiang tugged at Yang Qi’s clothes.

Only then did Yang Qi calm down. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"Yes, no problem!" Chen Baixiang nodded.

"I have something to take care of, so I’ll be going on ahead!" Yang Qi stood up and headed toward the restroom.

"Going on ahead?" Chen Baixiang was baffled. This was a high-speed train, just half an hour from reaching Thunder City. What on earth was Yang Qi planning to do?

She followed him and saw Yang Qi enter the restroom without closing the door. After waiting for a moment, she pushed the door open, only to find the restroom completely empty.

Towards Thunder City, a figure streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning. Because no one was around, he didn’t need to worry about being seen. This speed was faster than the high-speed train, and more importantly, while the train had to take a roundabout route, Yang Qi did not.

Soon, Yang Qi arrived back in Thunder City and went straight to the hospital.

At that time, Iron Heart and Iron Bone were still receiving treatment. Yang Qi barged directly into the operating room and personally treated them. With Lei Tingjun present, the hospital staff cooperated fully. This entire operation left the hospital’s doctors in shock. They had thought Iron Heart and Iron Bone were beyond hope, but after Yang Qi inserted a few Silver Needles, their vital signs returned.

The rest was simple. Yang Qi left the operating room and glanced at Lei Tingjun. "Protect them. I won’t allow them to be harmed again!"

"Mr. Yang, are you going to the Kong Family?" Lei Tingjun asked.

"That’s right. I was holding back from moving against the Kong Family because of Kong Tianjian, but they are courting death by daring to lay a hand on my people. Iron Heart and Iron Bone see me as their boss. Kong Tianjian has also completely submitted to me. They nearly beat Iron Heart and Iron Bone to death and then abducted Kong Tianjian. I will not let this matter slide," Yang Qi said coldly.

"But Mr. Yang, it seems the Kong Family has borrowed five experts from the King of Jingnan. They are all top-ten powerhouses from the True Martial White Tower," Lei Tingjun reminded him.

"Are they strong?" Yang Qi asked.

"The True Martial White Tower is a combat arena. You can challenge opponents on each layer, starting from the first. If you win, you get a large sum of prize money. The top ten combatants there are all said to be experts above the level of Tenth Rank Great Grandmasters," Lei Tingjun said.

"Is that so? I don’t care who they are or how strong they are. If they dare touch my people, I’ll make sure they die! Notify the Prefecture Master of Lei Mansion that I plan to put Kong Tianjian in charge of the Kong Family. In the future, we can work more closely with them!" Yang Qi took a deep breath and left the hospital.

***

In the Kong Family’s dungeon, Kong Tianjian was tied to a rack, his body covered in horrifying wounds, barely clinging to life. If they didn’t want to extract the swordsmanship from him, and if they weren’t planning to use him to lure Yang Qi, he would likely already be dead.

"Has he talked?" Kong Renyi asked.

"No!" The torturer shook his head. "This old guy is incredibly stubborn. We’ve pulled out all his teeth and ripped off his fingernails, but he still refuses to say a word. He’s a tough one."

"Wake him up!" Kong Renyi ordered coldly.

The torturer brought over saltwater and splashed it on Kong Tianjian, waking him. Yet Kong Tianjian smiled. Despite the blood streaming from his body, he laughed. "Kong Renyi, don’t waste your effort. Right now, there is only one thing that deeply grieves me: that the fine Kong Family will likely be ruined by an ignoramus like you. There are some things you simply do not deserve to possess. Or rather, you are not yet qualified. You, a frog at the bottom of a well, have unwittingly missed the chance for the Kong Family to soar to the heavens. Now, you have dragged the family into an abyss."

"Kong Tianjian, I truly have to admire you. How did I never realize you were so tough before? Honestly, if you just tell me the sword techniques, I can send you for medical treatment. You could even be the Great Elder of the Kong Family again. What is the point of all this? Think it over." Kong Renyi was truly at a loss. The man simply wouldn’t yield to either coercion or persuasion.

Just then, someone came in and whispered a few words in Kong Renyi’s ear.

"Hahaha, Kong Tianjian, did you know? Yang Qi is back! He’s back in Thunder City! It doesn’t matter if you won’t talk. We’ll just go find Yang Qi. I trust he isn’t as tough as you are. He’ll definitely talk," Kong Renyi roared with laughter.

"You are all courting death. Do you really think the Master is someone you can provoke? The only way to save the Kong Family now is to release me immediately. I might be able to put in a few good words for you, and there might still be a chance. Otherwise, it will be too late. Of course, that’s assuming Iron Heart and Iron Bone aren’t dead. If they are, then nothing I say will matter," Kong Tianjian said, shaking his head.

"Hahaha, courting death? Just because of one man, Yang Qi?" Kong Renyi laughed. "Do you know that the King of Jingnan has loaned us five of the top ten experts from the True Martial White Tower? It cost a pretty penny, but do you really think Yang Qi can win?"

The people around them also began to laugh mockingly. They knew Yang Qi was strong, but the idea of him destroying them all by himself was a complete joke.

"Kong Yu, continue the interrogation! I will take some men to find Yang Qi. If he won’t come to us, we’ll go capture him!" Kong Renyi sneered, then turned and started to walk out.

Suddenly, a loud BOOM echoed from above.