Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 441: The Trouble Brought by the Protagonist’s Aura_1
"You worthless fool, you can’t even handle this minor matter." A young man in fancy clothes said, his face a bit troubled as he looked at Liu Song.
He had arranged for Liu Song to confront Wang Linchi; win or lose, he would still have room to maneuver.
But he had never expected that Liu Song would be utterly humiliated by Wang Linchi and not even make it through the door.
"Mr. Zeng, this isn’t your Zeng Family’s estate." Liu Song sat quite comfortably to one side, his tone casual. He didn’t look embarrassed at all. Instead, he said, "We agreed, win or lose, you must pay the agreed amount, not a penny less."
"You..." When the stylish young Zeng Xin heard this, he almost fell ill from anger. How dare you ask for money after such a disgrace? We agreed on win or lose, but you didn’t even begin the contest. How can you have the gall to ask for the money?
"I’ve done my part. Whether you like it or not, Mr. Zeng, you have to pay."
"Otherwise, I’ll spill the beans, and then we’ll see where the grand Mr. Zeng’s reputation stands," Liu Song said calmly.
He might not care about his own face, but Zeng Xin certainly did.
Zeng Xin glared viciously at Liu Song. This man was a hardened rogue, utterly shameless and caring for nothing but profit.
You could insult him, but if you didn’t pay up, he really would turn on you.
Zeng Xin pulled out a small silk pouch from his robes and tossed it over.
Liu Song caught it, opened it, and found it filled with weighty gold leaves. Satisfied, he put it away.
"Seeing as you paid up so readily, I’ll give you a piece of advice. If it’s not absolutely necessary, don’t provoke this Wang Jieyuan. He’s not someone you can afford to offend."
"Standing before him, he could toy with a hundred of you until you’re dead. Not to mention his current special status; even a Great Family would suffer greatly if they got entangled with him." Liu Song stretched, his tone not particularly friendly.
"That’s none of your concern." Zeng Xin hadn’t actually wanted to provoke Wang Linchi, but he couldn’t bear how ruthless Wang Linchi had been.
He had only one son. Even though the boy was the result of a secret affair with a prominent daughter of the Cheng Family, with her husband unknowingly raising him, the boy had been sent to the execution block before he even reached the age of ten.
According to his original plan, in another two years, he would have disposed of the woman’s husband, married the widow, and then formally adopted his son. It was a flawless scheme.
But now, everything was gone. This realization almost killed him with fury.
After saying this, he turned and left.
"Tsk tsk, good advice is wasted on the doomed." Liu Song shook his head. I should get out of here.
With such a large sum of money in hand, I can leave the Prefecture, lie low elsewhere for two or three years, and by the time I return, everything will have blown over.
"Oh? Is that what you think too?" A voice suddenly interjected.
A fine layer of sweat broke out on Liu Song’s forehead. He hadn’t realized when Wang Linchi had sat down beside him, leisurely sipping tea.
Fortunately, he quickly composed himself and said, "Master Wang, gracing my humble abode for tea, you should have given me some advance notice so I could have prepared a proper welcome."
"If I had given you notice, I wouldn’t have witnessed this amusing scene of you using me to make money," Wang Linchi said unhurriedly, taking a sip of tea.
"The saying ’split it fifty-fifty upon meeting’... is certainly not appropriate here." Liu Song knew he had truly blundered this time; the other party had been watching him all along. "How about seventy-thirty?... No, that’s definitely not enough. Then, ninety-ten. I get one part, Wang Jieyuan gets nine."
Liu Song was adept at reading people; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived in his line of work.
"Tell me, why is this Zeng Xin targeting me without any reason?" Wang Linchi put down his teacup, quite satisfied with Liu Song’s perceptiveness.
From the very beginning, he hadn’t wanted to antagonize Wang Linchi. Liu Song wasn’t stupid; it was better to play the clown than to be dragged into a dangerous vortex.
He was used to playing the clown. The Liu Family regarded him as a disgrace, yet he had thrived despite it, living an increasingly comfortable life.
"Someone else might not know about this, but it just so happens that I do. You should still remember the Cheng Family from Baishan County, Master Wang." Liu Song grinned, then recounted the whole story of the secret affair and the subsequent events to Wang Linchi.
Wang Linchi’s eyes widened as he listened.
He thought, So, I’ve been innocently dragged into this mess. He hadn’t expected to make enemies this way. Who could have ever predicted this?
Moreover, after doing something like that, how could Zeng Xin still have the audacity to seek revenge on me?
"That’s how it is. So I scammed that fellow out of some money and made sure to put in minimal actual effort," Liu Song said. He had a good handle on Zeng Xin’s character, which was precisely how he had managed to extricate himself.
Otherwise, he knew what would happen. Wang Linchi could kill a dozen Armored Warriors; killing him would be simple, especially since Wang Linchi could enter unnoticed.
"I’ll give you an opportunity. Spread this story. Within three days, ensure Zeng Xin’s reputation is in tatters."
"Then, take your money and go wherever you please. Do whatever you want; I won’t interfere."
"If you can make the story even more outrageous, enough to cause problems for his entire Zeng Family, I’ll give you an additional reward." As Wang Linchi spoke, he also took out a silk pouch. This one was more than ten times larger than the one Liu Song held, and he tossed it over.
Liu Song instinctively caught it. Opening it, he couldn’t help but gasp.
Inside were not gold leaves, but all sorts of jewelry. Disregarding the craftsmanship, a single handful far surpassed the value of what Zeng Xin had given him.
"Wang Jieyuan, rest assured! Leave this to me. I guarantee your satisfaction!" Liu Song’s eyes gleamed with a fierce light. With enough money, anything was possible.
"I’ll await your good news. I hope you don’t disappoint me."
"I can pull out one bag to give you," Wang Linchi said in a nonchalant manner, "and I can just as easily pull out another to put a bounty on your head." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"If I fail, I will deliver my own head to you, Wang Jieyuan," Liu Song promised, fully committed to the task.
This wasn’t just a small pouch of treasure; it was a massive bundle, a heavy burden.
"Good." Wang Linchi finished speaking, stood up, and departed.
After Wang Linchi left, Liu Song rose, sealed the bundle securely, and then found a box to store it in.
He couldn’t accomplish this task alone, but with the Liu Family’s involvement, success would be guaranteed.
Once these treasures were revealed, even the most upright clan elders of the Liu Family would have to follow his instructions.
As for offending the Zeng Family?
That was even more laughable. Rivalry between the Great Families had always been intense, and resentments ran deep. Usually, only insufficient benefits prevented them from acting against each other on a large scale.
But now, the Liu Family had sufficient incentive.
The Liu Family wouldn’t dare to renege on the deal or try to assassinate Wang Linchi. They wouldn’t break such fundamental rules, and more importantly, they truly couldn’t afford to offend Wang Linchi.
Besides, why would they tarnish their own reputation for no reason?
There’s no such thing as a perfectly sealed wall; secrets always get out eventually. Take Zeng Xin’s affair and secret child, for example. All the Great Families knew about it, but they simply chose not to expose him.
They were all just toying with a fool like him, never expecting that the fool would actually dare to act. Now, it wouldn’t just be Zeng Xin who suffered, but the entire Zeng Family.
The Liu Family wouldn’t hold back; they would strike decisively. Other Great Families might even take the opportunity to kick the Zeng Family while they were down. It wasn’t impossible that the Zeng Family could be reduced from a Great Family to one of the Poor Families.
...
This must be because of the Protagonist’s Aura...
After Wang Linchi returned, he couldn’t help but grumble to himself.
Lately, all sorts of troubles seemed to find him. In the past, his life had never been this chaotic.
He suspected that after Devouring and Fusing with Bai Changsheng’s Destiny, he hadn’t just inherited Bai’s fortunate opportunities, but also the various ordeals Bai Changsheng was originally fated to experience.
Otherwise, how could he encounter such unfortunate events?
Wherever he went, Great Families seemed to target him.
He wasn’t a member of any Great Family, nor did he have any background or connections. Yet, now that anyone who got involved with him met with disaster, how could there still be people so blind as to dare oppose him?
If it’s already like this in the Prefecture, wouldn’t all hell break loose if I go to the Capital? Wang Linchi couldn’t help but ponder this.
Various problems kept sticking to him, making them incredibly troublesome to resolve.
He was fortunate that he didn’t follow conventional paths. Otherwise, if that mad dog had truly managed to latch onto him, things would have become very difficult.
In Wang Linchi’s eyes, Zeng Xin was indeed a mad dog.
And possibly a bit deranged.
Wait, I remember he has his own wife and several concubines.
Then why was it only the Cheng Family woman, the one from the secret affair, who bore him a son?
It suddenly dawned on Wang Linchi. If it were just one woman, it might be her issue. But with so many wives and concubines, and none of them bearing children, could the problem actually lie with Zeng Xin himself?
Realizing this, Wang Linchi was rather speechless.
It’s even debatable whether that child was truly his.
I hope Zeng Xin doesn’t come looking for me. Otherwise, I’ll have to destroy the entire Zeng Family. Wang Linchi always dealt with matters by eradicating the roots, directly orchestrating family annihilations if necessary.
