One Slap [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

Li Zhaolin had never suffered such humiliation.

On a day of great celebration, his path was blocked by a bunch of beggars who had appeared out of nowhere.

Upon arriving in Yinshan County, he heard the constant sound of gunfire coming from the Lin Family.

Now, having reached the scene.

He finally realized.

The entire Lin Family was likely finished.

And along with them, his own people from the Xiaoshan Li Family were finished as well.

As for Lin Qingyi.

Li Zhaolin actually held little affection for her in his heart.

In this marriage, considerations other than love far outweighed any romantic feelings.

By now, the entire Xiaoshan County.

Knew that the eldest young master of the Li Family was marrying in grand style today.

If he were to return with a caravan of corpses like this.

Where would Li Zhaolin's face be left to hide?

This was not just about saving face.

It was a test of his standing within the family.

This matter had been pushed forward entirely by his own efforts.

It was a trial concerning his qualifications for inheritance.

Now that the situation had collapsed to this point, it was more than just a total loss.

If those covetous uncles and brothers of his, along with the various branches of the family, were to find out.

They would likely pounce on him immediately and pick his bones clean.

The more he thought about it, the more that wicked fire scorched his internal organs with pain.

The string of his reason snapped completely.

Li Zhaolin violently drew the gleaming Browning from his waist.

He pressed the muzzle directly against the forehead of Section Chief Liu of the Public Security Bureau, who was blocking his path.

His fingertips turned white from the force, and his voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth:

"Get out of my way! Or I'll blow your brains out right now!"

"Clack--!"

A uniform and chilling sound of rifle bolts being pulled echoed through the air.

Seeing this, the security officers behind Section Chief Liu.

Did not hesitate to raise the rifles in their hands.

Dark, hollow muzzles were instantly aimed at Li Zhaolin.

The atmosphere tightened abruptly, like a fully drawn bowstring.

Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from Section Chief Liu's temples.

With the cold muzzle pressed against him, his heart hammered like a drum.

But thinking of the person behind him, he forced himself not to retreat.

He squeezed a mocking sneer onto his face:

"Shoot? Go ahead and shoot.

See if you can walk out of Yinshan County alive today after killing me!"

The icy sensation of the muzzle against his skin made Li Zhaolin sober up slightly.

But with everyone watching, how could he just lower his gun now?

Wouldn't that be an even greater loss of face?

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

He lifted his chin and shouted, his bluster masking his inner fear.

"Xiaoshan Li Family, Li Zhaolin!

Are you tired of living, daring to point your guns at me?!"

Section Chief Liu swallowed hard, struggling to keep his voice firm:

"Xiaoshan Li Family?

What a grand reputation!

Too bad, this is Yinshan County, not your Xiaoshan!"

"Here, you must follow the rules of Yin Mountain!"

The security officers behind him felt emboldened by their Section Chief's tough stance.

The gun barrels that had been wavering slightly now steadied once more.

"Elder Lu! Elder He!"

The veins on Li Zhaolin's neck bulged.

He turned back and growled at the two silent elders behind him:

"Go, disarm them all for me!

I want to see if the bones of these mud-legged peasants are as hard as their mouths!"

Elder Lu and Elder He.

These were the two martial arts experts following Li Zhaolin to protect him.

Yet, upon hearing Li Zhaolin's command, they did not move immediately.

Instead, speaking in a voice only Li Zhaolin could hear, they said: "Young Master, there is an expert on the scene."

"Try not to provoke a conflict."

The one speaking was Elder Lu, whose frame was as thin and gaunt as a bamboo pole.

Hearing this, Li Zhaolin whipped his head around.

The fury in his eyes nearly erupted as he glared daggers at Elder Lu.

They were telling him this only now?

What were they doing earlier!

This was clearly them watching him make a fool of himself, Making him lose all face in front of everyone!

But no matter how angry he was, he dared not do anything to Elder Lu or Elder He.

These two were sent by his grandfather to protect him, And in a sense, to monitor him as well.

His chest heaved violently, And he barely managed to suppress the urge to lash out on the spot.

Turning back around, He gritted his teeth at Section Chief Liu:

"Tell someone from the Lu Family who can actually make decisions to get out here and talk!

For today's matter, the Lu Family must give my Li Family an explanation!"

Section Chief Liu had vaguely overheard Elder Lu's whispered warning, And his courage grew even more.

He reached out directly, Using his palm to slowly push the gun barrel pressed against his forehead to the side, His tone dripping with mockery: "If I were you, I wouldn't be waving that thing around.

Put it away, it'll look better for everyone, lest you find yourself in an even more awkward position later."

Hearing Section Chief Liu's words, Li Zhaolin

Truly wished he could shoot him dead on the spot.

But his reason told him, If he really opened fire, He would certainly die here as well.

"I want to see Lu Huaiqian. Make Lu Huaiqian come out and talk."

Li Zhaolin lowered his gun, but his attitude remained incredibly arrogant.

Section Chief Liu sneered: "Our Chief isn't someone just any stray cat or dog can see whenever they please."

Hearing this, Li Zhaolin turned back and shouted angrily at Elder Lu and Elder He: "Are you two just going to watch as they humiliate the eldest son of the Li Family like this!"

Elder Lu spoke indifferently: "You had best watch your tone. If I truly wanted to kill you, the people behind you wouldn't be fast enough to save you."

"Or do you really think he would risk his life against me for your sake?"

Upon hearing this, cold sweat instantly broke out on Section Chief Liu's forehead.

A chill ran down his back.

Only now did he realize that he might have overplayed his hand.

Clearing his throat, Section Chief Liu kept his tone tough, but his words were no longer as sharp.

"Our bureau chief is busy handling a major case; he has no time to see you."

"What exactly do you want here?"

Section Chief Liu was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Li Zhaolin was so amused by Section Chief Liu's words that he laughed in spite of his anger.

"You're asking me why I'm here?"

"The Li Family is marrying into the Lin Family—such a major event, and you dare say you don't know about it?"

Section Chief Liu had wanted to throw out a few more sarcastic remarks.

But remembering that his life was his own, the words changed as they reached his lips:

"My duty is to maintain public order in Yinshan County; who you marry has nothing to do with me."

After a pause, Section Chief Liu added:

"However, if you intend to marry the girl from this family, you might not be able to take her."

"That fugitive who escaped from your Xiaoshan County, Nine-Fingered Yama."

"He fled to our Yinshan County and committed a crime."

"This entire family was killed by Nine-Fingered Yama."

"Fortunately, we arrived in time and didn't let Nine-Fingered Yama get away."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to find your enemy."

Hearing such a clumsy excuse, Li Zhaolin felt his intelligence had been insulted.

Li Zhaolin smiled grimly: "Do you dare repeat what you just said?"

Section Chief Liu did not hesitate and immediately repeated exactly what he had said.

Li Zhaolin could finally hold back no longer.

He swung his hand and delivered a slap.

It landed heavily on Section Chief Liu's face.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound caused the atmosphere at the scene to tighten once more.

The two old men standing behind Li Zhaolin both frowned slightly.

Li Zhaolin's behavior was clearly escalating the conflict.

Lu Jing'an, who had been sitting in the car the whole time, knew he had to step out.

Click.

The door of the black sedan not far away opened.

A tall, upright figure stepped out unhurriedly.

He first straightened the collar of his impeccable suit.

Then, he began to walk toward them.

His steady footsteps on the gravel road.

Produced a clear sound, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.

Li Zhaolin watched Lu Jing'an get out of the car.

Instead, he calmed down.

He had noticed the sedan nearby long ago.

Although he didn't know who was sitting inside.

He knew that the person in the car was the one in charge.

That was why he had to force the person in the car to come out.

If he couldn't even see the person in charge.

And just left with the bodies.

Then he would have lost face completely.

Though there wasn't much left to lose anyway.

But at least by seeing the principal, he could still attempt to save some face.

Li Zhaolin had never met Lu Jing'an before.

However, he recognized the man stepping out of the car as Lu Jing'an at a single glance.

Seeing Lu Jing'an, Li Zhaolin could not help but feel a sense of contempt.

In Li Zhaolin's eyes, the Lu Family were nothing more than upstarts.

They had no heritage to speak of.

Whenever the scions of noble families from the province held gatherings, they never invited Lu Jing'an.

Seeing him now, that disdain remained unchanged.

Lu Jing'an brought Chen Xuan with him and arrived before the two groups of people.

Section Chief Liu immediately ran over, saying guiltily, "I'm sorry, Young Master Lu, I failed to handle this properly."

Lu Jing'an glanced at Section Chief Liu's swollen left cheek.

Then, he looked toward Li Zhaolin.

"Do you know that assaulting a police officer is a crime?" Lu Jing'an asked Li Zhaolin.

Li Zhaolin curled his lips into a sneer, "I hit him, so what? Do I need to pay a fine?"

He held himself with an arrogant posture, attempting to regain control of the conversation.

"Pay a fine?" Lu Jing'an seemed to consider this seriously before nodding.

"That works. How much do you intend to pay?"

Just as a flicker of disappointment crossed Section Chief Liu's heart, he heard Lu Jing'an continue:

"Beaten like this, interfering with official duties, disturbing the peace... one hundred thousand silver dollars should barely cover it."

Section Chief Liu, who had been disappointed a moment ago, suddenly saw his eyes light up.

One hundred thousand silver dollars for a slap.

Section Chief Liu felt that his right cheek was also available.

Upon hearing Lu Jing'an's words, Li Zhaolin's expression turned gloomy.

"You are trying to extort me!"

Lu Jing'an replied, "You asked me to name a price, and when I did, you accused me of extortion. If the Li Family doesn't have the money, you don't have to pay."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Of course, if the Li Family is short on cash, that's fine too. Then we can just let Section Chief Liu hit you back."

Hearing Lu Jing'an's words, Section Chief Liu immediately became eager to try.

One hundred thousand silver dollars was tempting.

But if he could slap the eldest young master of the Li Family, he would gladly forgo the money.

Li Zhaolin's face grew increasingly ugly as he listened to Lu Jing'an.

"Is your Lu Family determined to completely break ties with my Li Family?"

"Do you realize that if you let him land this slap, there will be no turning back for our two families!"

Lu Jing'an suddenly chuckled softly.

But the smile did not reach his eyes; instead, it radiated a chilling coldness.

"Young Master Li, you are mistaken."

"It is not that the Lu Family and the Li Family have no turning back."

He stepped forward half a pace, lowering his voice further.

Yet every word was like a blade, clearly piercing into Li Zhaolin's ears:

"It is that once this slap lands, you, Li Zhaolin, will have no turning back within the Li Family."

"Your fiancée is dead, your subordinates are broken."

"You have lost so much face and forced your family into a blood feud with a powerful local force. Tell me, will the Li Family spare no cost to stand up for you?"

"Or will they say you 'died of excessive grief, following Miss Lin to the grave'?"

"That would preserve your reputation for devotion and save the Li Family's face, wouldn't it?"

Lu Jing'an's words struck directly at Li Zhaolin's sorest point.

"Section Chief Liu, Young Master Li has no money to pay, so just hit him back," Lu Jing'an commanded.

"Yes, Young Master Lu."

Section Chief Liu acknowledged the order and rolled up his sleeves.

This time, without waiting for the young master to speak, Elder Lu, who was standing in the back, took the initiative to intervene.

After all, if that slap landed, it would be hitting more than just Li Zhaolin.

"Young Master Lu, there is no need to make things look so ugly."

"You alone may not necessarily represent the Lu Family."

Facing the threat from Elder Lu, Lu Jing'an did not retreat in the slightest, looking at Elder Lu coldly.

"Whether I can represent the Lu Family or not is not for an outsider like you to comment on."

"If your Li Family wants to start a war over this single slap, my Lu Family will accompany you to the end."

Following Lu Jing'an's words, Chen Xuan also shifted his position slightly.

It was clear that if the situation took a turn for the worse.

Chen Xuan would strike immediately.

"Section Chief Liu, do it!"

Lu Jing'an commanded in an unquestionable tone.

"Yes!"

Section Chief Liu stepped forward without a moment's hesitation.

He swung his arm in a wide arc and slapped Li Zhaolin directly across the face.

Throughout this process.

Elder Lu and Elder He both remained completely motionless.

The Li Family had already fallen into a disadvantageous position.

Li Zhaolin's plan had already failed.

To go to all-out war with the Lu Family over a single slap.

They could not bear the consequences of such a cause.

Li Zhaolin had been struck solidly.

His cheek was swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Yet, at this moment, Li Zhaolin burst into loud laughter.

"Good, good, very good indeed."

"Lu Jing'an, I admit it, we all underestimated you."

After laughing, his chest heaved violently as he gasped for air.

He spat out the words one by one through gritted teeth:

"Now! Can I take my people and leave?"