The reason he was unwilling to tell Qin Fan was his fear that Qin Fan would step in. He already owed Qin Fan more than enough. Deep down, Li Qiuzhe truly didn’t want to trouble him again. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Getting involved with the underworld was his own choice. On this path, Qin Fan had given him a starting point that most people couldn’t reach in a lifetime. For that reason alone, if he couldn’t make it, he would be too ashamed to ever face Qin Fan again. How could he possibly ask him to clean up his messes?

"So, you’re saying this is the end of it?" Qin Fan asked, a playful smirk tugging at his lips as he listened to Li Qiuzhe’s dismissive tone.

"Yeah! Old Four, we all know how capable you are. Without you, Baldy would have crushed us, and we likely would have been expelled during our freshman orientation. You haven’t admitted to pulling the strings, but we’re not stupid. We figured it out. Old Four, please, stay out of this, okay? It’s nice and cool in your shadow, but eventually, I have to walk my own path!" Li Qiuzhe’s cavalier attitude vanished, and he looked Qin Fan in the eye with utter sincerity.

Hearing this, Qin Fan didn’t answer right away, simply pursing his lips and furrowing his brow.

It was true. Li Qiuzhe would eventually have to walk his own path. But in this matter, Qin Fan had to intervene; he had to get involved. With his centuries of experience, how could he fail to see that this was a test from Baldy? A test of just how much influence Li Qiuzhe truly had.

If the matter was dropped just like that, Li Qiuzhe’s future would be fraught with difficulty. Right now, the entire Jinling underworld was likely watching, waiting to see how the aftermath of that knife wound would play out. Besides, if they didn’t get even, the whole show Baldy made of reconciling in front of the underworld would have been for nothing. Li Qiuzhe, a newcomer to this world, couldn’t see the full picture, but how could Qin Fan miss it?

As he thought, a profoundly mocking smile stretched across Qin Fan’s face.

So Baldy wants to test Li Qiuzhe’s influence? Fine. This Heavenly Venerate will give him a proper demonstration.

Li Qiuzhe was startled by the sudden, mocking look on Qin Fan’s face. Just as he was about to speak, Qin Fan cut in, "Boss, do you think Baldy doesn’t know what kind of person the other party is? Do you think he doesn’t know it’s a bad debt that you could never collect?"

"I—" Li Qiuzhe’s eyes widened, at a loss for words.

"There are many ways to make a name for yourself in the underworld. So why would Baldy have you collect a bad debt that he knew would end poorly? Haven’t you figured it out? He’s testing you, testing just how much power you really have. Never mind that he’s submitted for now; do you really think he’s content to serve under a student? Not a chance, not until you demonstrate absolute strength!

"By sending you to collect this debt, Baldy isn’t just testing you—he’s testing me. Heh. He wants a test? Fine, I’ll give him one. Boss, I know you don’t want to be indebted to me, but since I’ve already built this platform for you, I have to help you fire the first shot. After this, the path is yours alone. Don’t tell me not to get involved; even if you begged me to, I wouldn’t. Whether you become a dragon or a worm will depend entirely on your own Creation."

Now that Qin Fan had laid it all out, Li Qiuzhe no longer held back, voicing the thoughts that had been weighing on his mind. "Old Four, is this really a good idea? Once word gets out, the rumors will be endless. No one’s saying anything to my face right now, but I know they all look down on me. They despise me! They think I just got lucky. If you’re the one backing me this time, who knows what they’ll say. You know how it is these days. It’s easy to get ahead by using connections, but who’s ever satisfied with that?"

The whole reason he’d been so eager to make a name for himself was to put an end to the endless whispers and gossip behind his back. But he had overreached and made a fool of himself. He might have spoken casually, calling the scar a badge of honor, but he knew the truth. That wound was a joke—a testament to the Jinling underworld’s contempt for him.

"Given your understanding of the world, doesn’t that line of thinking seem ridiculous? Do you really think this is still an age where you can conquer the world with your fists? Don’t be naive. Which top dog doesn’t have powerful backing? You’re right, many people won’t respect someone who rises through connections. So what? Make them respect you. In this line of work, ruthlessness is everything. Be ruthless, and they’ll be afraid. And once they’re afraid, they’ll fall in line," Qin Fan scoffed, a cold smile on his face.

After a moment of silence, Li Qiuzhe took a deep breath and asked with a frown, "What should I do?"

"That bastard cut you once, right?" Qin Fan replied. "Repay it to him tenfold. As for the debt he owes, he’ll pay back every penny. In fact, we’ll calculate it with compound interest."

Tenfold? As in, ten knife wounds? And compound interest?

Hearing this, Li Qiuzhe felt like he was going insane. The color drained from his face, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Old Four... c-can we really do that?"

"It’s possible if you have the guts to do it. If you don’t, then it’s not," Qin Fan said flatly. "There is no room for compassion on this path. If you don’t think you can handle it, fine. Back out. A quiet, stable life isn’t a bad choice either."

"I—" Li Qiuzhe started to speak, but fell silent.

Do I dare? Do I dare? Do I dare?

The questions echoed in his mind. He had been in countless brawls and petty fights over the years, but he had never even considered escalating things to the point of drawing a knife on someone. Yet now, it seemed he had only two choices: go through with it, or back out completely.

"I’m not forcing you," Qin Fan added. "Think it over carefully."

Li Qiuzhe didn’t answer right away, his face a mask of complex, warring emotions. After a few moments of tense silence, he gritted his teeth and lifted his head to meet Qin Fan’s gaze, his flickering uncertainty replaced by firm resolve. "Old Four, I’ll listen to you! We have to reclaim our honor. This wound can’t be for nothing!"

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

Wang Dalu and Zhu Houqing cried out in unison upon hearing his decision. To be honest, they truly didn’t want Li Qiuzhe to set foot on this path of no return.

"Don’t say any more. My mind is made up," Li Qiuzhe said, waving a hand to cut them off.

"Second Brother, Third Brother," Qin Fan called out with a smile, seeing the anxious looks on their faces. As they turned to look at him, he simply gave them a gentle, reassuring nod.

Seeing his gesture, the two of them opened their mouths to speak but ultimately just nodded in silent acquiescence. As they had thought before, they trusted that Qin Fan wouldn’t push Li Qiuzhe into a pit of fire. What they couldn’t understand, however, was why Qin Fan would build such a platform for him in the first place. Didn’t he know that once you started down this path of no return, you were destined to have one foot on the Ghost Gate and the other in prison?

As they wrestled with their confusion, Li Qiuzhe asked, "Old Four, since it’s settled, what’s our next move?"

"We’re going to find Baldy," Qin Fan said, his lips curling into a sinister, chilling smile.